Azure Abyss Profound Flood Dragon's Strength! Qingming Calms the Sea!

Far away in the Endless Sea, tens of thousands of miles distant.

Black clouds pressed down overhead, while enormous waves swept through the sky.

A thousand-zhang Flood Dragon's true body rose proudly from the depths of the sea, its ink-jade scales reflecting a dark, icy gleam.

The two enormous horns on its forehead, black as mystical iron and flickering with bolts of lightning, proclaimed the noble Dragon Race bloodline flowing through it.

Its appearance directly set the sea within several hundred miles into a boil.

Those dragon eyes were like two blood-red nether moons, looking down upon the tiny figure standing quietly in the air not far away.

"Hua Shisan! Does your Nine Splendor Sword Sect truly intend to become enemies with my East Sea Dragon Court?"

"Long Xuan! The human and Demon races have slaughtered one another without end since ancient times. What talk is there of becoming enemies? Besides, who said that because this Secret Realm appeared within the Dragon Court's sphere of influence, it belongs to you?

The opportunities of heaven and earth belong to the capable!

This Secret Realm is something we humans are determined to obtain!"

"Roar! What a fine 'the capable shall possess it'! Today, I will use your Nascent Soul as a sacrifice to uphold the Dragon Court's majesty!"

Long Xuan's voice was like the shattering of eternal ice, and the rolling dragon roar shook the sea surface into sinking several zhang out of thin air.

Hua Shisan's azure robes snapped loudly in the gale, yet within three feet around him, the wind was calm and the waves still, like a pure land.

His face was lean, and his gaze incomparably sharp.

As he looked at the towering waves closing in around him, his heart remained as still as water.

Seeing this, Long Xuan threw back his head and roared, "Arrogant! Thunder Dragon Descends Upon the World!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The instant Long Xuan's voice fell, heaven and earth lost their color. Within the pitch-black sky, ten thousand bolts of lightning transformed into phantom Flood Dragons and crashed down toward Hua Shisan.

Feeling the power of this move, Hua Shisan did not dare be careless. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and his sword fingers came together.

The three-foot sword on his back abruptly flew from its sheath!

"Nine Splendor Secret Transmission—Primordial Light Splitting Sword Art!"

Countless dazzling sword lights erupted from behind him.

In an instant, the river of stars seemed to flow backward, radiance blazing in all directions and illuminating the dim sky as brightly as day.

The next moment, the sword light split into two. One portion surged toward the falling Thunder Dragons, while the other gathered into a torrent of sword light that stretched across the heavens, directly cleaving open the prison of waves and striking at Long Xuan's thousand-zhang dragon body.

"Hehe, Hua Shisan, is this your strength?

Profound Nether Dragon Claw!"

Sensing the force of that strike, Long Xuan mocked him before swinging out a claw.

The surrounding space instantly shattered, and an immense pitch-black claw violently collided with the torrent of sword light.

Boom—!!

The impact resounded through the clouds. The energy that scattered from the collision forcibly blasted a massive hollow dozens of miles wide into the sea surface.

It could not close for a long time.

The sword light shattered inch by inch beneath the dragon claw.

Hua Shisan's body shook violently, his face turning pale as he drifted back dozens of miles.

The sea beneath his feet was plowed into a deep trench.

"The strength of an ant, yet you dare shake the heavens?"

As the Dragon Court Lord, Long Xuan had long since reached the Fourth Stage Mid Stage. Coupled with his incomparably powerful Flood Dragon body, even against a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, he could remain undefeated.

Naturally, he did not regard Hua Shisan, who was merely at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, as a threat at all.

Hearing this, spirit qi surged around Hua Shisan, evaporating the blood at the corner of his mouth. There was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

"As expected of the Dragon Court Lord. I, Hua Shisan, am indeed inferior. But—"

As he spoke, he took a deep breath, formed a sword seal with his hand, and his voice rang out clearly through the dragon roars and crashing waves:

"Qingming Calms the Sea! Appear!"

In an instant, a dark azure sword light shot into the sky. An ancient giant sword, spanning between heaven and sea, appeared before Long Xuan.

Runes flowed across its blade, and boundless Sword Intent filled the air.

"Hehe, Hua Shisan, you actually brought out the Qingming Sea-Calming Sword, the sect-protecting spirit artifact of your Nine Splendor Sword Sect that has developed intelligence!

Are you truly not afraid that this king will seize it?"

"A divine sword has a spirit! The sect-protecting spirit artifact of my Nine Splendor Sword Sect will never acknowledge the Demon Race as its master!

How about it? Will you hear me out before making your decision?"

Long Xuan stared at the hovering Qingming Sea-Calming Sword. His dragon eyes flickered uncertainly, and an ugly expression appeared on his face.

Clearly, he knew how formidable the sword before him was.

Two thousand years ago, he had led the Demon Race in attacking the Nine Splendor Sword Sect, which had only one Nascent Soul Early Stage Ancestor.

He had thought victory was already in his grasp, but everything changed when that cultivator brought out this sword.

Two strikes had heavily wounded him and slain one of his Fourth Stage Early Generals, dealing him grievous losses.

Though that cultivator had also suffered severe backlash, he had forcibly driven Long Xuan away.

Later, Long Xuan heard that the Qingming Sea-Calming Sword was a Fourth Stage peak divine weapon on the verge of giving birth to an Artifact Spirit.

Who knew whether its Artifact Spirit had been born by now?

After pondering for a moment, he transformed into a middle-aged man with a dignified face and the aura of one in power, clad in a Black Dragon Robe.

Looking at Hua Shisan, he asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Hua Shisan was not surprised by this. With a solemn expression, he said, "Once the Secret Realm opens and we determine how many living beings its strength can accommodate, the humans and demons will split the quota evenly.

We will cooperate to keep other Nascent Soul forces from entering. What do you think?"

Long Xuan had wanted to refuse, but when he saw the Qingming Sea-Calming Sword radiating an aura that threatened him, he could only agree helplessly.

"Fine! If your Nine Splendor Sword Sect dares play any clever tricks, the East Sea Dragon Court will surely raise a Beast Tide and trample the human race flat!"

In Worry-Free City, Zhang Xuanchen moved through the various markets, frantically sweeping up local specialty Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

Second-grade peak Worry-Free Lotus Stamen.

Second-grade mid-grade Cloud Fish Spirit Pearl.

First-grade peak Spirit Tea Worry-Free Stone, which could help cultivators enter a meditative state more quickly.

There were also other spirit herbs, treasures, and the like that could not be bought in Yunhua Immortal City.

Naturally, seeds were indispensable as well.

He spent more than seventy thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones in total.

After finishing all that, he spent another two Spirit Stones to buy a map of Worry-Free City.

He truly did not want to open his mouth and ask for directions anymore.

If he ran into someone with a bad temper, they would really throw him a nasty look.

After arriving at Horizon Restaurant and booking a guest room, he stopped going out. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he began cultivating.

The next day, as the sky gradually darkened.

Zhang Xuanchen received news that the Zhang Family members had arrived.

He immediately ran excitedly to the gate outside the city to greet them.

When he saw Great Elder Zhang Zujun, Zhang Hongqing, Zhang Hongxi, Zhang Xuanbing, Zhang Xuanming, and the others, he eagerly hurried over to them.

"Great Elder, Uncle Qing, Aunt Hongxi, Brother, Fifth Brother, everyone, I trust you've all been well."

"Xiao Chen!" "Xuan Chen!"

Seeing Zhang Xuanchen suddenly appear, everyone was both shocked and delighted.

They truly had not expected Zhang Xuanchen to be here!

Zhang Xuanbing directly pulled Zhang Xuanchen into an embrace.

If one had to ask who in the family worried about him most, it was undoubtedly Zhang Xuanbing.

Just a few days after Zhang Xuanchen left, Zhang Xuanbing sensed that something was wrong.

He wanted to learn his younger brother's exact destination from his father.

But Zhang Hongzhan said that he did not know either, only that this was Zhang Xuanchen's opportunity and no one else could interfere.

Otherwise, all their efforts would come to nothing, and they might even lose their lives!

Unable to get the information he wanted, Zhang Xuanbing could only helplessly go to the place where his younger brother's Soul Tablet was kept and stand watch over it day and night, terrified that it might shatter one day.

Zhang Xuanbing patted Zhang Xuanchen's back and said in a deep voice, "It's good that you're safe. It's good that you're safe."

"Brother, I'm fine. I'm doing great. No need to worry."

He then released Zhang Xuanbing and looked toward the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, Zhang Zujun, Zhang Hongqing, and Zhang Hongxi. "Great Elder, Uncle Qing, Aunt Hongxi, I've already booked thirty Spirit Qi Guest Rooms at Horizon Restaurant.

Three people to a room. Rest for a while first; it won't be too late to leave tomorrow.

Also, I have something extremely important to tell everyone. It concerns your lives. Let's go to Horizon Restaurant first. There are too many people here, too many eyes and ears."

He was definitely going to tell everyone that the Central Dragon God Cave Mansion was a trap. When the time came, he could just say Yan Ruyu had told him.

In any case, Horizon Restaurant was unfathomably mysterious in the eyes of the major powers, so it was only natural for it to know things others did not.