What kind of background, realm, and strength did the Spirit Inspiration King have? The old Dragon King had watched him coldly for so many years. How could he not know?
The Spirit Inspiration King was about evenly matched with him and had begun trying to communicate with "his other self." Both were Demon Gods who could roam an entire sea. Now his divine weapons had been damaged and fallen into someone else's hands. He had surely suffered a grievous loss, and might even have perished at the hands of the mysterious Daoist outside the palace. In that case, why should the old Dragon King care about a little dignity?
As the saying went, you didn't strike someone who came smiling. Back when Sun Wukong had first emerged from the Water-Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain, no one knew his name. When he came to the East Sea Dragon Palace, he had laughably called himself a "Heaven-Born Sage." Hadn't the old Dragon King, too, played it safe, greeting him in person and flattering him? Though he had lost a few treasures, it hadn't hurt him badly.
If he could treat the then-unknown Sun Wukong that way, why couldn't he do the same for this mysterious Daoist who had shown strength enough to overwhelm the Spirit Inspiration King?
Ignoring the astonished looks of his dragon offspring and shrimp and crab soldiers, the old Dragon King deliberately ran barefoot to the entrance, stepped outside, and cupped his hands. "An Immortal has graced us with his presence. The Dragon Palace shines with your arrival. Please, come in!"
During this, he made a quick deduction. The Spirit Inspiration King was still alive, but his life force was weak, and he wasn't in Southern Jambudvipa. He must have suffered a grievous defeat and narrowly escaped death. The