East King Duke Invites Zhenyuanzi to Fight Demons; Xuan Yang Rescues a Friend as the Dragon Clan Surrounds the Island

East King Duke had invited Zhenyuanzi to join him in an agreement to eliminate the demons a hundred thousand years later. This was no spur-of-the-moment decision. He was determined to protect the Western Continent's leyline, but he had already made a promise to Hongjun. Once the war began, he might not be able to attend to everything, so he needed help.

Zhenyuanzi wielded the Earth Book, possessed unrivaled defenses, and could communicate with the Earth Vein. His Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal cultivation was also impressive, making him the best choice to help protect the leyline.

As a top-tier Innate Divine Demon, Zhenyuanzi could also vaguely sense the Primordial World Great Trend. After making a few calculations, he reached a decision.

"Fellow Daoist East King Duke, the war is still a hundred thousand years away. Fellow Daoist Hongyun will surely have reached the Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm by then. Why don't we invite him to join us in eliminating the demons?"

East King Duke shook his head gently.

"The demon clan is powerful. Fellow Daoist Hongyun's mastery of the Dao is indeed impressive, but he has no treasure to protect himself. It would be far too dangerous..."

Zhenyuanzi knew this was true, so he sighed and let the matter drop.

"Very well!"

After discussing the Dao Demon War with Zhenyuanzi, they agreed to meet again at Longevity Mountain in a hundred thousand years and set out together. East King Duke then left without lingering at Wuzhuang Temple.

Far away, on Mount Fang Island in the East Sea, Xuan Yang led a white-robed immortal maiden into a modest Daoist retreat beneath Supreme Yang Mountain.

"My master, Supreme Yang Dao Lord, is away. Without his permission, I cannot invite Fellow Daoist Qing Ling into the Supreme Yang Dao Field. I hope you'll forgive me."

At the mention of Supreme Yang Dao Lord, Qing Ling grew solemn and hurriedly replied with respect, "I wouldn't dare. You're too kind, Fellow Daoist. I'm but a minor immortal and wouldn't presume to disturb Dao Lord."

Xuan Yang smiled faintly, then continued, "It's been eight hundred years since we last met. How have you been?"

Xuan Yang and the immortal maiden had known each other for a long time. Ever since East King Duke had taken him as a disciple and brought him to Mount Fang Island in the East Sea, he had devoted himself to cultivation and rarely ventured out. On the few occasions he had left the island, he had met Qing Ling of the Innate Spirit Dolphin clan.

They had known each other for nearly a thousand years, and feelings had slowly begun to grow between them, though neither had ever voiced them. When Qing Ling had suddenly sought him out eight hundred years ago, seeing her again now still made Xuan Yang's heart stir.

At Xuan Yang's question, Qing Ling fell silent. She seemed to want to speak, but hesitated, her expression troubled.

She had come to Mount Fang Island to ask for help, but now that she was face-to-face with Xuan Yang, the words wouldn't come.

"Fellow Daoist, have you run into some trouble? You can tell me."

Xuan Yang quickly noticed that something was wrong with Qing Ling and asked anxiously.

Qing Ling sighed before slowly explaining what had happened.

The matter itself was not complicated. Qing Ling was the daughter of the chief of the Innate Spirit Dolphin clan in the East Sea. The spirit dolphin clan was a small clan there, with barely a thousand members, most of them weak cultivators. Even their strongest, the clan chief—Qing Ling's father—was only a late-stage Golden Immortal.

Ten thousand years ago, after Ancestor Dragon swore an oath to Heaven and established the Dragon Clan, he began his campaign to unite the Four Seas. At first, the Dragon Clan recruited the Great Luo clans of the Four Seas. In the past two years, they had begun summoning many small clans as well. A hundred years ago, Dragon Clan experts had arrived at the spirit dolphin clan and demanded that the entire clan join them.

The Innate Spirit Dolphin clan had lived and multiplied in the East Sea for generations, so joining the Dragon Clan would not have been out of the question. The problem was that one of the Dragon Clan members who had come to recruit them was a True Dragon—the offspring of a Great Luo Golden Immortal elder of the Dragon Clan. He had taken a fancy to Qing Ling and intended to bring the little princess of the spirit dolphin clan into his Dragon Palace.

Qing Ling already had someone in her heart, so she naturally refused. Moreover, everyone in the Four Seas knew that the Dragon Clan was lecherous. Becoming a True Dragon's Dao companion was no good fortune. The chief of the spirit dolphin clan was unwilling to let his daughter suffer, either, so he politely turned the offer down.

But the True Dragon refused to give up. He insisted on taking Qing Ling away. When she resisted to the death, he could not simply use force, so he left them with a threat: the spirit dolphin clan had a hundred years to reconsider. If they still refused, the whole clan would face annihilation.

The Dragon Clan was powerful, and the other party was the son of a high-ranking member. The spirit dolphin clan had no way to fight back, so Qing Ling thought of Xuan Yang. When they had met, Xuan Yang had told her that his master was Supreme Yang Dao Lord, a Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivator on Mount Fang Island. With nowhere else to turn, she had decided to seek his help.

But when she arrived on Mount Fang Island and saw Xuan Yang, Qing Ling regretted it. Supreme Yang Dao Lord was renowned throughout the East Sea and was a Great Supernatural Being, but he was only one person. The Dragon Clan was mighty, and Ancestor Dragon stood above the Great Luo realm, his power impossible to resist. If she caused the Dragon Clan to target Mount Fang Island, she would bring trouble upon Xuan Yang and the entire Supreme Yang Lineage.

After Qing Ling finished telling him everything, Xuan Yang's face darkened with anger. "Unbelievable! The Dragon Clan has gone too far!"

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Yang, I didn't think this through. The Dragon Clan is ruthless. You shouldn't get involved. I'll go back and find another way!"

"What are you saying, Fellow Daoist? We've known each other for only a few hundred years, but you should understand how I feel. My master, Supreme Yang Dao Lord, once said that the Supreme Yang Lineage must stand for what is right and refuse what is wrong. How could I stand by while you're in trouble?"

Xuan Yang sprang to his feet, his voice resolute.

"But...what about—"

"Don't worry. Bring your entire clan to the island. Let the spirit dolphin clan settle on Mount Fang Island. I refuse to believe the Dragon Clan would dare attack us!"

"Very well. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xuan Yang!"

Qing Ling hesitated, but in the end she agreed. She returned and soon gathered the clan together, moving everyone to Mount Fang Island and settling them in the Daoist retreat Xuan Yang had prepared.

As one of the three immortal islands of the East Sea, Mount Fang Island was far better than the spirit dolphin clan's former home. They had hoped to live and multiply in peace, but the trouble Qing Ling feared still came.

That day, nearly ten thousand Dragon Clan cultivators, led by two Great Luo Golden Immortals, surrounded Mount Fang Island. The True Dragon who had tried to claim Qing Ling stood outside the island's protective formation, shouting.

"The Dragon Clan has arrived! Cultivators inside, come out and meet us!"

"This is the Daoist retreat of the Supreme Yang Lineage on Mount Fang Island. No one is allowed within ten thousand miles!"

Hearing someone call out from outside, Xuan Yang appeared with the two attendants, Jin Ling and Yin Ling, as well as Wutu, the chief of the spirit dolphin clan, and Qing Ling.

"Qing Ling, so you really are here. Come out and return with me quietly, and we can avoid a fight. Otherwise, this place will run red with blood!"

The True Dragon spotted Qing Ling and sneered, threatening her without the slightest restraint.

"How dare you! This is the Supreme Yang Lineage. You will not be allowed to run wild here. I advise you to leave at once. Otherwise, when my master returns, he will punish you!"

Jin Ling shouted angrily. The Dragon Clan outside burst into laughter.

"Ha! A mere rogue Great Luo Golden Immortal dares to call himself a lineage? The Four Seas belong to the Dragon Clan, and that includes Mount Fang Island. We simply haven't had the time to deal with this place until now. We might as well take it today and return the immortal island to the Dragon Clan."

"If Supreme Yang Dao Lord doesn't come back, so much the better. If he does, we'll capture him too and take him to Lord Ancestor Dragon to be dealt with."

The speaker was the very same True Dragon. But as soon as he finished, a pagoda dropped from the sky and crashed toward him.

Xuan Yang had struck. Riding a seventh-grade Yin-Yang Dao Lotus, he flew out through the protective formation and launched the Blazing Sun Pagoda at his opponent. If his master was insulted, he would not stand by and let it pass.

The True Dragon was a Taiyi Mysterious Immortal. Though he was at the same cultivation level as Xuan Yang, he was no match for him. He managed only a single scream before his fate became uncertain.

"Impudent!"

Seeing Xuan Yang attack outside the island, two Golden Immortals of the Dragon Clan immediately made their move.

But Yin-Yang Two Qi rose beneath Xuan Yang's feet. The two attacked for a long while, yet could not harm him in the slightest.

At that moment, a Great Luo Golden Immortal in the Dragon Clan ranks could no longer hold back. A surge of magical power struck Xuan Yang, sending him flying and instantly breaking through the Dao Lotus's defenses.

Then the Great Luo waved a hand and reached for Xuan Yang, who had fallen onto the sea, intending to seize him.

Facing a Great Luo Golden Immortal, Xuan Yang clearly had no way to fight back. His expression changed, and he blurted out, "When my master returns, the Dragon Clan will pay for this!"

"Hahaha! What an absurd boast! Across the Four Seas, who dares to stand against the Dragon Clan? Let them step forward and say it to my face!"

The Dragon Clan's Great Luo Golden Immortal laughed loudly, never pausing his attack.

"I do!"

A mighty voice suddenly rang out. Xuan Yang was overjoyed.

"If the Dragon Clan dares to come within ten thousand miles of Mount Fang Island, kill them without mercy. I set that rule myself. And now, I have returned!"

The man himself was nowhere to be seen, but a streak of sword light flashed across the sky first.

One sword, and the Four Seas were at peace!

Before the Dragon Clan Great Luo's hand could touch Xuan Yang, it was cut away. A Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal had fallen to a single sword strike, his body and soul destroyed!