Donghua said no more and quietly gazed into the distant space. He wondered what lay within it that could possess such terrifying devouring power, enough to swallow even his Divine Sense.
Seeing that Donghua wasn't cooperating, Candle Dragon stopped laughing as well. His expression returned to normal, and wariness showed on his face. He said:
"East King, this place is called the Abyss of the East Sea. During the Dragon-Han Period, our clan imprisoned Fierce Beasts here, as well as certain enemies."
"Later, our Dragon Clan was driven back, but this place remained intact. The ones imprisoned here were Taotie, one of the Four Fierce Beasts under Beast Emperor Shen Ni."
"Taotie? Wasn't he destroyed by Ancestor Dragon back then? How could he be imprisoned here?" Donghua asked again in surprise.
"It was indeed the Fierce Beast Taotie. Back then, the Fierce Beasts rampaged across the world. Our Dragon Clan and the other two clans joined forces with the myriad races and some Innate Deities to drive out and exterminate them."
"In the end, Beast Emperor Shen Ni was destroyed, and peace returned to the world."
Candle Dragon paused, then continued:
"Actually, you could say Shen Ni died, and you could also say he didn't."
Donghua found Candle Dragon's words difficult to understand. What did he mean, that Shen Ni was dead and yet not dead?
"Fellow Daoist, don't be impatient. Let me explain. To be honest, I don't know these events very clearly myself. You and I came into the world rather late, and what I know was told to us by Ancestor Dragon when he was still alive."
"Back then, all the living beings of the Primordial World joined forces to exterminate the Fierce Beasts. Those below the Quasi-Saint realm were difficult to kill, but they could still be killed. The Fierce Beasts above the Quasi-Saint realm, however, simply could not be killed."
At this, Candle Dragon let out a sigh.
"Back then, our Dragon Clan paid a heavy price to kill Hundun and Taotie. Just as we were celebrating, they came back to life and killed many of our people."
"We tried many methods, but none could kill Fierce Beasts above the Quasi-Saint realm. In the end, we had no choice but to seal them away."
"Our Dragon Clan used the power of the East Sea to suppress Taotie. The Phoenix Clan used the Southern Sky Volcano to suppress Qiongqi, while the Kirin Clan used the power of Buzhou Mountain's earth to suppress Taowu and Hundun."
Hearing this, Donghua understood what had happened, but new questions arose.
"Then what about Beast Emperor Shen Ni? Where did he go?"
Hearing Donghua's question, Candle Dragon shook his head and said:
"I don't know either. I only know that many people died in the final battle. In the end, Shen Ni was scattered. Whether he died or was sealed away, perhaps only those who took part in the final battle know."
Hearing this, Donghua understood everything.
The Fierce Beasts had been nurtured when Heaven and Earth first opened. Since the world was chaotic and disordered at the time, the Fierce Beasts had no intelligence. Only those with higher cultivation possessed any, and even then, not many did.
It could be said that the Fierce Beasts represented the chaos and disorder of the Primordial World at its beginning.
Now that even the Four Fierce Beasts were still alive, Shen Ni must still be alive too. The only question was where he had been suppressed and imprisoned.
"Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, what's with the demonic aura here?" Donghua asked again. This place had not only a fierce aura but also a powerful demonic aura.
At his words, all the members of the Dragon Clan were filled with indignation.
"Alas, after our Three Clans were driven back, the seal here remained intact. We only needed to draw on the power of the Four Seas to gather Heavenly Dao Power, and in time, we could have worn Taotie down."
"But we never expected the Demonic Cult's Ri Yan to attack the East Sea and fail. They retreated here and damaged the seal. We didn't dare use too much power here at the time, so in the end, we could only seal Ri Yan together with the Fierce Beast."
"But the original seal had already been damaged. Ancestor Dragon had joined with eight other Quasi-Saint Great Powers to set it up. We no longer have the strength to establish another one, so all we can do is repair it enough to keep it intact."
After Candle Dragon finished speaking, Donghua understood what had happened.
"Why not summon the Quasi-Saint Great Powers of the Primordial World and set up a new seal?" Donghua asked, puzzled.
Candle Dragon couldn't help rolling his eyes at Donghua, his expression inscrutable.
Seeing this, Donghua soon understood why.
When the Dragon Clan had ruled the Primordial World, they had been so domineering that they'd paid no heed to the myriad races or the other Innate Deities. Now that the Dragon Clan had fallen, the fact that no one was coming to bully them was already a favor to Ancestor Dragon, who had eternally guarded the Four Seas.
Expecting others to put aside past grievances and reinforce the seal for the Dragon Clan was impossible.
Perhaps there were compassionate beings willing to reinforce the seal for the sake of the Primordial World.
But the Dragon Clan didn't dare take that gamble. If others learned how vulnerable the clan was right now, wouldn't they seize the opportunity to attack? Especially the Demon Race Heavenly Court.
Di Jun had coveted the Four Seas for a long time. If he hadn't been wary of Azure Dragon, Candle Dragon, and Ying Long, he would have already led his forces into the Four Seas.
As they spoke, the space began to stir violently once again.
Boundless fierce and demonic auras slammed against the spatial seal, and the faint sound of a beast's roar could be heard.
"Cackle, cackle, cackle!"
"Candle Dragon, you can't keep this old ancestor locked up! I've already merged with Taotie and attained an undying body!"
A voice suddenly rang out from within the space. As it spoke, the disturbance intensified.
Seeing this, Candle Dragon stopped chatting with Donghua and returned to the formation. The others returned to the grand formation as well.
The formation's soaring radiance intertwined with the fierce demonic aura.
The members of the Dragon Clan hurriedly increased their output of magical power, driving the formation to its limit.
But when the formation reached one particular section, it was clearly not functioning smoothly.
Candle Dragon was right there, bearing the brunt of the fierce demonic aura.
"That spot was probably damaged by the Demonic Cult."
Donghua watched it all unfold without rushing. He observed quietly.
Although he wanted to help the Dragon Clan through this crisis, he couldn't intervene recklessly. Safety had to come first.
The fierce demonic aura crashed against the formation with increasing force.
The intense aura swept around a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, swallowing him in an instant.
With one Grand Unity Golden Immortal gone, the pressure on everyone mounted.
"Ancestor, we can't go on like this. The grand formation is about to fail!"
"That's right, Ancestor. We need to find another way. If this continues, we won't survive, and the grand formation will still break."
Candle Dragon pondered for a moment, then called out, "Everyone, it seems we can't resolve this peacefully today. When the time comes, I'll open the grand formation and enter the space to fight this fiend to the death. Even if I can't kill him, I'll make sure he pays for it."
"Once this is over, contact Ancestor Ying Long at once. Go to Kunlun Mountain and ask the Three Pure Ones for help, so we can eliminate this great threat to our Dragon Clan."
Seeking the Three Pure Ones' help was a last resort.
After all, getting the Three Pure Ones to act would surely come at a steep price.
"Ancestor, you mustn't! If you go in, your fate will be uncertain. Our clan can't afford to lose you."
"That's right, Ancestor. If anything happens to you, what will become of our Dragon Clan?"
At Candle Dragon's words, everyone erupted into a commotion and tried to talk him out of it.
It made sense. At present, only Azure Dragon, Candle Dragon, and Ying Long in the Dragon Clan had Quasi-Saint cultivation.
As one of the Four Saints, Azure Dragon guarded the easternmost reaches of Heaven and Earth. He was free to act, but unless something momentous happened to Heaven and Earth, he could not easily leave his post.
Though Ying Long was an ancestor of the Dragon Clan, he felt little attachment to it. He sought only the Great Dao and never concerned himself with the clan's affairs. As long as the Dragon Clan wasn't on the brink of extinction, he basically never intervened.
Only Candle Dragon devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Dragon Clan. He was also the one to whom Ancestor Dragon had entrusted the clan's affairs before his Dao transformation.
If Candle Dragon died, it would indeed be a grave blow to the Dragon Clan.
"Say no more. Our clan is now at a life-or-death juncture. If we let this fiend out to rampage across the East Sea, how many of our people would survive?"
"My mind is made up." Candle Dragon's words were filled with resolve.
Before you continue