Ran Deng summoned the Vajra Pestle and erased the imprint of his Primordial Spirit from it. Then he gently pushed it toward Jieyin.
"Junior Brother Jieyin, you've worked diligently for nearly twenty thousand years, managing our affairs. I'll give you this Mid Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Vajra Pestle, for your protection."
Ran Deng now had the Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler for offense and two top-grade spiritual lamps for defense, so he no longer had much need for the Vajra Pestle.
Jieyin, on the other hand, had the Six Roots Pure Bamboo, which was better suited to support and defense, and lacked offensive options. Giving him this treasure was also a reward for not entertaining any improper thoughts after Ran Deng left.
Jieyin was overjoyed. He took the Vajra Pestle and examined it carefully.
"Haha, what a fine treasure! Thank you, Senior Brother. Junior Brother Zhunti and I are both part of the West, after all."
Zhenyuanzi watched enviously from the side. Ran Deng had casually given away a Mid Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—he truly had a deep reserve of treasures.
"What about me, Senior Brother? I've worked hard too."
Zhunti chimed in at just the right moment. After all, no one ever thought they had too many Innate Spiritual Treasures.
"Once you've taken form, Senior Brother will make sure you get your share."
Ran Deng could only shake his head. Zhunti was already a little rascal, even before taking form.
"All right, Jieyin. Use the Vajra Pestle to wake up that Dragon. I have an idea I'd like to test."
Ran Deng pointed to the Dragon who had been the last to beg for mercy, signaling Jieyin to use the Vajra Pestle to bring him to his senses.
Jieyin had already imprinted his Primordial Spirit on the Vajra Pestle, if only lightly, and understood what Ran Deng meant.
He raised a hand and pointed. A force that dispelled evil shot from the tip of the Vajra Pestle and burrowed into the Dragon's Primordial Spirit.
Another scream rang out. The Dragon woke to find his cultivation sealed. Three Daoists and a tree surrounded him, all looking at him with ill intent.
Zhenyuanzi watched from the side, startled. He had thought they would cast a spell to heal the Dragon, but they were being so direct.
"Dragon, I haven't asked your name yet."
Ran Deng spoke as gently as he could.
"Senior, my name is Ao Yuan." Ao Yuan remained respectful.
"Do you want to live, Ao Yuan? If so, cooperate with me in a moment. Don't resist."
Ran Deng coaxed him patiently. If Ao Yuan refused to cooperate with the experiment, he might accidentally die.
Ao Yuan had no idea what the young Daoist before him intended to do, but his instinct to survive drove him to nod.
Seeing that he agreed, Ran Deng wasted no time. He drew the Nine-Rank World-Ending Black Lotus out from his Spiritual Platform, formed a hand seal, and condensed a black lotus seed from it. Then he slowly sent the seed into Ao Yuan's Primordial Spirit.
Ao Yuan's eyes widened, and he cried out, "The World-Destroying Black Lotus! You're a Devil Dao cultivator!"
"If you don't want your Primordial Spirit to explode, shut up and accept the lotus seed."
Ran Deng waved a hand and sealed Ao Yuan's mouth, suppressing the urge to slap him dead. He was the foremost disciple of the Daoist school, and this Dragon had the nerve to accuse him of being a Devil Dao cultivator.
Through the lotus seed, Ran Deng was able to peer into Ao Yuan's Primordial Spirit. The shadow of a small yellow Dragon coiled on his Spiritual Platform. Countless gray-white chains extended from the void, binding Ao Yuan's Primordial Spirit tight and cutting off all hope of his ever advancing to Great Luo!
Karmic Power!
During the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had fought a decisive battle, slaughtering countless lives and shattering the Primordial World. Heaven and Earth had been angered and brought down endless Karmic Power. Countless Dragons and Phoenixes—including Great Luo and Quasi-Saints—had perished on the spot. From then on, every new member born into either clan was shackled by Karmic Power that imprisoned their Primordial Spirit.
As a result, it became extremely difficult for members of the two clans to comprehend the laws of Heaven and Earth. Once they entered meditation, the karmic shackles would erode their Primordial Spirits and drive them into qi deviation.
Most of the Great Luo still around had survived the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, and almost none had newly advanced to Great Luo since.
As the black lotus seed took root and sprouted in Ao Yuan's Primordial Spirit, he felt as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at his heart. Yet the karmic shackles that had sealed his Primordial Spirit for countless epochs had grown somewhat dimmer.
"What's this? I can feel the bottleneck in my cultivation loosening. I can comprehend the laws again?"
Ao Yuan's face twisted with a strange mix of pain and excitement.
Ran Deng nodded. It was just as he had suspected. Luohu had told him that the way to nurture the World-Destroying Black Lotus was to commit boundless slaughter, gathering baleful energy and Karmic Power for the lotus to absorb and grow. Otherwise, it would continually erode its owner's Primordial Spirit. It was truly the way of the Devil Dao.
If the Dao Ancestor hadn't sealed the World-Destroying Black Lotus, Ran Deng couldn't say what he might have done as his own Primordial Spirit was continually eroded.
But when Ran Deng had burned Ao Yuan's Primordial Spirit with Netherworld Ghost Fire, he had noticed the Karmic Power chains wrapped around it. That had made him wonder whether he could send out lotus seeds to absorb the Karmic Power inside other beings, then reclaim the low-rank World-Destroying Black Lotuses once they had grown.
This method would be slow, but it was safe. The Dragon Clan and other groups burdened with deep Karmic Power would have to come to him for help. Meanwhile, the World-Destroying Black Lotus could use this opportunity to grow to the twelve-rank peak.
"Senior, can this method be used on other Dragons? If so, our Dragon Clan may have hope of revival!"
Ignoring the pain, Ao Yuan knelt and kowtowed to Ran Deng.
He was a loyal Dragon, but Ran Deng snorted and cut him off. "Don't get your hopes up. This method takes a great deal of effort. I can't plant seeds on a large scale."
Ao Yuan's eyes dimmed, then suddenly brightened again.
"Senior, are you going to let me go now so I can take word back to the Dragon Clan?"
Ao Yuan seemed to have caught a glimmer of hope, and pleaded loudly.
"Clever."
Ran Deng praised him, then flicked his sleeve and sent him flying. His voice turned cold.
"But I don't need you to carry a message. I might not even need you."
Ao Yuan tumbled several times but wasn't angered.
"Senior, you need me. I'm the West Sea Dragon Clan's Third Prince. The one you defeated at first was my guard captain. When they return, they'll only be mistaken for spies of the Demon Clan, since the Demon Ancestor nearly wiped out my Dragon Clan. Only if I go back will they believe me."
"Haha, very good. I didn't realize I'd underestimated you. Fine, I'll let you go. You're a clever one; you know what to say."
Ran Deng was a little surprised that he had been outmaneuvered by the Third Prince of the Dragon Palace, but it didn't matter as long as the news reached the Dragon Clan's leaders.
He opened the formation and signaled that Ao Yuan could leave. To his surprise, Ao Yuan stayed where he was and spoke again.
"Senior, I have one more request. Once our clan reaches an agreement with you, could you plant a lotus seed in my Dao companion first? Afterward, if I become the West Sea Dragon King, I promise never to make an enemy of the West."
Ran Deng was a little surprised. Ao Yuan had just been putting his clan first, so why was he now thinking of his Dao companion? Still, it made no difference to him who received the first seed, so he said,
"Fine. I only plant the seeds; I don't care who comes to me. But why are you making this request all of a sudden?"
"To be honest, Senior, my Dao companion is about to give birth. With those karmic shackles in place, fewer than one in ten thousand newborns in our clan survive. I'm afraid both mother and child will die, so I beg you to help."
Ao Yuan was utterly sincere, yet tears streamed down his face. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether they came from the pain or his worry for his wife and child.
Ran Deng didn't reply. He turned his back to Ao Yuan and waved a hand, signaling that he could leave.
With a clear, resonant dragon's cry, Ao Yuan transformed into a Dragon and flew toward the West Sea.
Zhenyuanzi sighed, breaking the silence first. "I never expected there to be such a being among the Dragon Clan—someone so devoted to his people, and so loving and loyal."
"Indeed. Perhaps this Dragon really will lead the Dragon Clan to revival one day."
Jieyin sighed as well.
"Under a great tribulation, all are reduced to ashes. We'll see what the future brings."
Jieyin and Zhenyuanzi didn't know how things would unfold, but Ran Deng did. He and Taishang had already reached the Great Luo realm, and before long, most of the Innate Divine Saints of this era would enter it as well. The lectures at the Purple Cloud Palace would soon begin, followed by the age of the Witch-Demon War.
That was why Ran Deng wanted to make contact with the Dragon Clan ahead of time. In his previous life, the West had been desolate during the Witch-Demon War, and no one had set their sights on it. Reviving it early was both a good thing and a bad thing.
With the West in the picture, would the Witches and Demons still focus on killing each other? Might they join forces to attack the West instead?
The West needed an ally—one strong enough to withstand either of the other two sides, yet still under Ran Deng's control.
The Dragon Clan was the best choice.
It had deep reserves, yet also suffered from the fatal weakness of Karmic Power. It was the perfect ally.