For tens of thousands of years, the Dragon Tribe had ruled the Four Seas. Especially after Ancestor Dragon broke through beyond the Great Luo realm, the creatures of the Four Seas had dared not disobey. Even the rogue cultivators of the Heavenly Mandate's cultivation grounds on Penglai Immortal Island had willingly acknowledged the Dragon Tribe as their superior.
Wherever the Dragon Tribe's forces advanced, the beings of the Four Seas submitted one after another. The Dragon Tribe didn't even need to act; many Innate Races would willingly pledge themselves to them. No one had ever dared to oppose them, let alone someone like East King Duke, who had slain over ten thousand members of the Dragon Tribe.
The Dragon Tribe's might seemed to count for far less here on Mount Fangzhang Island.
The loss of ten thousand clansmen might not mean much to the vast Dragon Tribe, but the deaths of two Great Luo Golden Immortals warranted their attention. And, of course, most important of all was Candle Dragon. As a high-ranking member of the Dragon Tribe, his standing was second only to that of his elder brother, Ancestor Dragon.
The creatures of the Eastern Sea watched, wondering how the Dragon Tribe would handle things. They knew the Dragon Tribe would never let this pass. As for whom they would send to attack Mount Fangzhang Island, East King Duke had easily slain Candle Dragon, and his combat strength was so formidable that perhaps only Ancestor Dragon himself could defeat him.
East King Duke paid no attention to the outside world's interest. After wiping out the invading Dragon Tribe, he returned to the Supreme Yang Palace with his disciples and several cultivators from the Innate Spirit Dolphin Clan.
"Greetings, Master (Lord)! Welcome home, Master (Lord)!"
Xuan Yang and the two attendants, Jin Ling and Yin Ling, stepped forward to pay their respects.
Though none of the three had managed to break through in the past few hundred years, each had made some progress. East King Duke was very pleased.
"Rise."
"Wutu, clan leader of the Eastern Sea's Innate Spirit Dolphin Clan, and Qing Ling pay our respects to the Dao Lord!"
They had witnessed East King Duke destroy nearly ten thousand members of the Dragon Tribe with a wave of his hand, his murderous aura shaking the Eastern Sea. Now that they stood before him, the two couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Rise."
East King Duke swept them with his Spiritual Sense, seeing through their circumstances.
The clan leader and his daughter, Qing Ling, shuddered involuntarily. They felt as though they had nowhere to hide from his gaze, and their hearts filled with even greater apprehension.
"Thank you, Dao Lord!"
The two were utterly deferential.
East King Duke nodded, then paused before saying, "Your Spirit Dolphin Clan may settle on Mount Fangzhang Island. Clan Leader Wutu, you may have Xuan Yang find a Spiritual Vein beneath Supreme Yang Mountain and establish your home there. Then you can slowly grow your clan."
"Wutu thanks the Dao Lord for his great kindness!"
The clan leader of the Spirit Dolphin Clan was overjoyed. He had already witnessed the splendor of Mount Fangzhang Island, where Innate Spiritual Qi was far more abundant than at their former home. What's more, with their new home beneath Supreme Yang Mountain, they might even have a chance to hear the Dao Lord preach. This was a tremendous blessing.
And in doing so, they would also have found a powerful backer for their weak Innate Race. He had just seen how mighty the Supreme Yang Dao Lord was.
Just then, Xuan Yang stepped forward and bowed.
"Master, this disciple humbly asks you to accept Fellow Daoist Qing Ling as your disciple."
Hearing this, East King Duke turned to look at Qing Ling. At first, she was completely bewildered; clearly, she hadn't expected Xuan Yang to make such a request. But soon, her eyes lit up with excitement.
Her Innate Spirit Dolphin Clan was a minor clan at the bottom of the Primordial World. Its inherited cultivation method could take its members only as far as the Golden Immortal peak. She often ventured out into the world in hopes of finding a renowned master, but had never succeeded.
Wasn't the Supreme Yang Dao Lord, a Great Supernatural Being standing right before her, exactly the renowned master she had long yearned for?
At that thought, Qing Ling immediately knelt.
"This Qing Ling begs to join the Supreme Yang Lineage. I will cultivate diligently and never bring shame to the Dao Lord's name. I beg the Dao Lord to accept me!"
Qing Ling had reached the late Mysterious Immortal stage, but her innate potential was lacking, and her Innate Spirit Dolphin Clan's fortune was quite ordinary. Though her Heart of Seeking Dao was firm, without a fortuitous opportunity, the Golden Immortal realm would likely mark the end of her Dao Path.
East King Duke considered this for a moment. Normally, a being of her aptitude wouldn't meet the Supreme Yang Lineage's standards for accepting disciples. But he knew she was someone his disciple was fond of, and was willing to grant him this favor.
So he said, "Xuan Yang is the first direct disciple of the second generation of my Supreme Yang Lineage. The other two places for true disciples have also long been decided, though those disciples have yet to join us. Qing Ling, would you be willing to become my named disciple? Once your two senior brothers have taken their places, I will accept you into my lineage."
Qing Ling didn't hesitate. She knelt and bowed. "I am willing, Master! Greetings, Master!"
"Good. This is the cultivation method passed down through my Supreme Yang Lineage. Study it diligently. If there is anything you don't understand, you may ask your Senior Brother Xuan Yang for guidance. When the time is right, I will hold a sermon."
"I will obey your decree, Master!"
Meanwhile, after East King Duke had destroyed Candle Dragon's true form on Mount Fangzhang Island and severed his life force, Candle Dragon had been left with only a sliver of his True Spirit. By using a secret art and expending the essence of his True Dragon bloodline, he had barely managed to escape.
His True Spirit was fragile. Guided by instinct, he made his way through one perilous ordeal after another, rushing to the Dragon Tribe's territory and his elder brother Ancestor Dragon's palace.
By the time he reached Ancestor Dragon, Candle Dragon's tiny True Spirit was nearly dispersed. He had lost all consciousness. Ancestor Dragon spent a hundred years nourishing him with Quasi-Saint power, and used a great deal of the Innate Spirit Liquid stored by the clan, before he slowly began to recover.
It took nearly a thousand years before he regained his Spiritual Sense and could communicate.
Ever since he had petitioned Heaven, established the Four Seas Dragon Clan, gained Heavenly Dao Merit, and attained the Quasi-Saint realm, Ancestor Dragon and the Dragon Tribe had enjoyed nothing but smooth sailing. Even in their competition with the other two clans, the Dragon Tribe had never suffered defeat.
Ruling the Four Seas wasn't Ancestor Dragon's ultimate goal. He meant to rule the Primordial World and make the Dragon Tribe its sole protagonist.
With fortune at their backs, Ancestor Dragon and the entire Dragon Tribe cultivated at a tremendous pace. In tens of thousands of years, he had advanced from the initial stage of the Early Quasi-Saint realm to its peak. For the past thousand years, he had been secluded in cultivation, comprehending the Dao and seeking a breakthrough to the Mid-stage Quasi-Saint realm. Once he succeeded, he could defeat Yuanfeng and Primeval Kirin in one fell swoop, allowing the Dragon Tribe to truly unify the Primordial World.
But when his cultivation was suddenly interrupted and he was forced to emerge from seclusion, he discovered that Candle Dragon had been slain and only his True Spirit remained.
The Dragon Tribe had never suffered such humiliation. Ancestor Dragon was enraged. When he learned that the one who had slain Candle Dragon was the Supreme Yang Dao Lord who had occupied Mount Fangzhang Immortal Island in the Eastern Sea, his fury became uncontrollable.
"Brother, that East King Duke is truly strange. His combat strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Great Luo Golden Immortal. Though he may not measure up to a Quasi-Saint, he can't be far off."
Candle Dragon had only recently regained consciousness. His voice, carried through the spirit, was weak. When he spoke of East King Duke, his voice trembled, and even that tiny fragment of his True Spirit seemed to be slowly dispersing again.
After two defeats, each more disastrous than the last, the Supreme Yang Dao Lord had become Candle Dragon's Inner Demon and Karmic Obstacle.
Ancestor Dragon, however, looked down on him. He said coldly, "The gulf between Great Luo and Quasi-Saint is like a chasm between Heaven and Earth. A mere Late-stage Great Luo is no more than an ant. I spared him before only because he was a fellow cultivator of the Four Seas, a rootless rogue cultivator. I saw no need to reclaim Mount Fangzhang Island in a hurry. Since he's seeking his own death, he has no one to blame but himself."
Candle Dragon hurriedly suggested, "Brother, if you truly intend to attack East King Duke, you should send more Great Luo cultivators from the clan and arm them with our strongest spiritual treasures. Only then can we succeed."
Ancestor Dragon waved a hand.
"No need. I'll go myself this time. I'll slay East King Duke, seize his Primordial Spirit, and display it for all to see, so the Dragon Tribe's might will be known!"
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