Lu Xiaotian watched, privately marveling. The other man was the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, with countless demon soldiers under his command. Though Cave Master Rongxu was the Golden Immortal closest to the rank of Immortal Lord in the Honghao Celestial Court, he generally had no need to bow so deeply. Earlier, Golden Immortal Lingshan and the Master of the Han Chi Palace had been weaker than Cave Master Rongxu. Though they had shown him considerable respect in conversation, they had treated one another as equals and had not acted so constrained in his presence.
By comparison, the old Dragon King Ao Tong held himself in a much humbler posture before Cave Master Rongxu.
"Old Dragon King, I fear you've been neglecting the management of your territory lately. When I first entered the seas under your jurisdiction, I encountered fog lice kun and a swarm of ghost man. Under ordinary circumstances, that would be fine; I wouldn't want to offend you by making an issue of it. But these are extraordinary times. If anything interferes with the matter of Saint Alchemist Dongfang and leads to an unfavorable outcome, the Celestial Court will hold us responsible. Not only you, Old Dragon King—even I wouldn't be able to bear the consequences."
Cave Master Rongxu looked somewhat more approachable than usual, but Lu Xiaotian could see at a glance that he was keeping the other man at a distance.
It seemed the Celestial Court's oppression of the Dragon Race was no exaggeration. Ao Tong was the lord of an entire dragon palace, yet he lacked confidence before Cave Master Rongxu.
"Your Excellency's guidance is well taken. Many monsters have come over from the Desolate Sea lately, and our waters have been affected. I've already sent troops out to hunt them down. I