Bidding Farewell to the Wu and Returning to the East Sea; The Dragon Palace Hears Grim News / Wiping Out the Immortal Court's Envoy with a Wave; Ao Guang Is Stunned

Severing the Three Corpses to attain sagehood ultimately meant relying on external things and being constrained by the Primordial Violet Qi and the Heavenly Dao. It was not the true freedom and ease he sought.

Although his Mythical Grand Unity Method was difficult, it pointed straight to the source of the Great Dao and had boundless potential! Once he succeeded, he would attain true transcendence!

However, just as his thoughts became clear and he was preparing to rise and leave his secluded cultivation site,

for some reason, an inexplicable feeling—faint, yet impossible to shake—quietly settled over his heart.

It was neither a warning of danger nor a sign from the Heavenly secrets. It felt more like a unease originating from somewhere beyond...?

As if something closely connected to him was about to happen, or was already happening, and yet he could not grasp it.

"Hmm?"

Ao Chen's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He had reached the peak of the Mythical Heavenly Immortal realm. How powerful and keen was his Primordial Spirit? His Dao Heart was also incomparably firm, long since unmoved by external things.

This sudden unease was no coincidence.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ao Chen immediately focused his thoughts and began tracing its source.

With his current strength, he understood everything in the space of a moment.

In the next instant, Ao Chen's expression turned cold.

"Good, good, good! A mere Immortal Court and a petty East King Duke—do you really think Hongjun's decree lets you do whatever you want?"

Ao Chen sneered and slowly rose to his feet, his eyes glinting with cold light.

In the next instant, Ao Chen vanished from his secluded cultivation site.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Bidding Farewell to the Wu Clan and Returning to the East Sea, the Dragon Palace Receives Grim News

Outside Pangu Temple, Space Ancestor Witch Dijiang and Time Ancestor Witch Zhu Jiuyin stood silently.

Suddenly, both sensed something at the same time and turned their gazes toward the area ahead, which was enveloped by an invisible force.

The space rippled faintly. A tall, slender figure stepped out, his aura perfectly contained and rounded, having Returned to Simplicity. It was Ao Chen, whose cultivation had reached completion and whose realm had advanced to Mythical Heavenly Immortal Perfection.

"Congratulations on your great progress, fellow Daoist!" Dijiang's hearty voice rang out as he and Zhu Jiuyin went to greet him.

Zhu Jiuyin's dragon eyes, filled with the weight of the ages, carefully examined Ao Chen before he gave a slight nod.

"Your aura grows ever more profound, and your Great Dao is complete. I fear that even higher realm is not far off."

"I was fortunate enough to gain a little insight. I must also thank you both for protecting me while I was in seclusion." Ao Chen cupped his hands and thanked them.

"I've been in seclusion for a long time. It's time for me to leave."

After a brief exchange of farewells, Ao Chen did not linger. He bowed once more to the two Ancestor Witches, then turned into a streak of light and vanished from the territory of Buzhou Mountain.

Watching Ao Chen's disappearing figure, a complicated look flashed through Dijiang's eyes. He murmured,

"I truly hope that fellow Daoist Ao Chen and our Wu Clan can remain neighbors and friends forever."

Ao Chen knew nothing of Dijiang's hopes. He headed east at top speed.

With his cultivation at the peak of the Mythical Heavenly Immortal realm and his mastery of the Space Law, he could reach his destination almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

He was in such a hurry because the result of his divination deep inside Pangu Temple had enraged him.

Driven by East King Duke's ever-expanding ambition, the newly established East Sea Immortal Court had turned its greedy gaze toward the former overlords—the Dragon Race, now weakened day by day beneath the burden of Karmic Debt.

East King Duke styled himself the Head of Male Immortals. Having received the Dao Ancestor's decree, he wanted to truly rule over the immortals of the Four Seas and establish an enduring legacy. Naturally, he needed a target powerful enough to make an example of, yet weak enough to defeat.

Unfortunately, the fallen Dragon Race had become the perfect target in his eyes.

Relying on Hongjun's name, the Immortal Court had gathered a group of immortals and deities who had returned from listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace with greatly increased strength. They began suppressing the East Sea Dragon Clan in every way.

They had not only forcibly seized many rich immortal islands and spiritual veins under the Dragon Clan's control; their methods had grown increasingly brutal.

There were even reports that the Immortal Court was slaughtering impure-blooded dragons and flood dragons in great numbers, intending to serve their flesh as delicacies at the Immortal Court Establishment Ceremony, thereby displaying the Immortal Court's might and its contempt for the Dragon Clan!

Though these impure-blooded dragons and flood dragons were not pure-blooded true dragons, they were still members of the Dragon Clan!

The Immortal Court's actions were no different from grinding the Dragon Clan's dignity into the dirt!

Meanwhile, the old wandering immortals who had gained influence under the Immortal Court's banner were throwing their weight around, bullying the East Sea Dragon Clan in every way and acting with arrogant impunity.

According to his calculations, even the current East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang, had once been publicly berated by an envoy sent by the Immortal Court and forced to surrender the treasures in the Dragon Palace, enduring utter humiliation!

Ao Chen had already transcended the shackles of his bloodline through his own Great Dao and established a source of his own. But karmic ties were not so easily severed.

Back when the previous owner of this body, Ao Chen, had struggled to survive at the very bottom of the Dragon Palace, Ao Guang—who was still the crown prince at the time—had secretly helped and looked after him on several occasions.

That friendship, that karmic tie, was like an unseen thread that had long since connected him to Ao Guang, who was now trapped in dire straits.

That was the source of his unease and why he was so eager to return to the East Sea. His friend was in trouble; he could not stand by and do nothing.

As his thoughts raced, the boundless East Sea came into view.

Yet when Ao Chen's figure appeared before the familiar cluster of crystal palaces, what he saw made his brows knit together and his heart sink.

The Crystal Dragon Palace, which he remembered as majestic and magnificent, its treasures shining brilliantly, was now shrouded in an indescribable gloom and oppression.

The Four Seas Grand Formation protecting the Dragon Palace glimmered faintly, clearly lacking sufficient energy;

the number of Shrimp Soldiers and crab generals on patrol had dwindled, and every one of them was injured, their eyes filled with fear and numbness;

even the enormous plaque above the Dragon Palace bore several horrifying claw marks and traces of erosion by magical power.

The entire East Sea Dragon Palace was shrouded in an air of desperation, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"The situation is far worse than I expected!"

Ao Chen's anger began to rise. He concealed his aura, passed through the formation without a sound, and descended directly into the Dragon Palace's main hall.

The main hall was even more eerily deserted.

The current East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang, who had once been a spirited Taiyi Golden Immortal, now looked haggard, as if every last bit of his vitality had been drained away.

"Brother Ao Guang." Ao Chen appeared silently.

"Hmm? Who... Brother Ao Chen?"

Ao Guang shuddered and jerked his head up. When he saw Ao Chen, a look of incredulous delight flashed through his eyes.

But when he instinctively sensed Ao Chen's aura, he found it elusive, as if Ao Chen were merely a Heavenly Immortal. He was instantly alarmed.

"Brother! How did you become a Heavenly Immortal?"

"Never mind, that's not important. You should leave at once. Get out of the East Sea—this place is no longer safe!"

He tried anxiously to get to his feet, but Ao Chen gently pressed him back down.

"Brother Daoist, please stay calm."

Ao Chen's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"Tell me, what happened to the Dragon Palace? How did it end up in this state?"

When Ao Guang looked into Ao Chen's eyes, so calm they were almost frightening, all his worry and panic seemed to fade away.

He sank back into his seat and let out a long sigh. In a hoarse voice, he recounted everything the Immortal Court had done, his words filled with deep helplessness.

Although he had already divined what had happened, after hearing Ao Guang's account, Ao Chen's expression grew even colder, and killing intent gleamed sharply in his eyes.

"The Immortal Court! East King Duke! The nerve!" His voice was icy.

"Brother Ao Guang, how deep are our Dragon Clan's foundations?"

"Throughout the Four Seas, there are countless hidden elders. Surely there are still beings at the Great Luo and even Hunyuan Golden Immortal—Quasi-Sage—levels!"

"Are they really going to watch the Dragon Clan be bullied like this and do nothing?"

He knew those old dragons were troubled by Karmic Debt and reluctant to involve themselves in cause and effect. But the Dragon Clan was now facing the threat of extinction—how could they still refuse to show themselves?

Hearing Ao Chen's question, the last trace of hope on Ao Guang's face vanished completely, replaced by boundless despair and pain. His lips trembled violently, as if the words he was about to speak weighed a thousand catties.

"The elders..."

"Sigh... A few days ago, every elder in Dragon Abyss suffered an unprecedented backlash from Karmic Debt, almost all at the same time!"

"Now they can barely save themselves! Even Ancestor Candle Dragon has shut himself away and won't emerge. If Ancestor Azure Dragon hadn't made a special avatar to step in and mediate, the Immortal Court would already have stormed the Dragon Palace."

"Still, Ancestor Azure Dragon said he can't hold out for long. He may have to enter seclusion soon as well, or his life will be in danger. For now, he'll try to negotiate with the Immortal Court and secure some room for us to survive."

As he finished speaking, Ao Guang's face showed unimaginable helplessness and indignation.

The mighty Dragon Clan, once overlords of the Primordial Wilderness, now had to bow and scrape just to catch their breath. It was a torment to the East Sea Dragon King.

"Backlash from Karmic Debt? Even Ancestor Candle Dragon was affected?"

Ao Chen was taken aback, then his brows furrowed.

"That doesn't make sense."

Ao Chen frowned deeply. He felt that something about this was not right.

At that thought, a sudden impulse stirred in his heart, and he raised his gaze toward the empty sky.

"Could it be..."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Erasing the Immortal Court Envoy with a Single Gesture, Ao Guang's Shock