The current East Sea Dragon King was not the Ao Guang of later legends, but his father, Ao Cang. Ao Guang himself was merely an unsuccessful dragon prince.
Using the Water Repelling Spell and led by a squad of shrimp soldiers, Xuan Qing quickly arrived at the East Sea Dragon Palace and smoothly met the current East Sea Dragon King, Ao Cang.
He was a Great Golden Immortal!
In fact, over a hundred years ago, after Xuan Qing killed two Flood Dragons that had provoked him over the East Sea, he had dealt with the cultivators of the East Sea Dragon Palace.
Back then, it could not exactly be said that they had parted on bad terms.
But things had not gone particularly well either.
Though they feared Xuan Qing's status as a Sage's disciple and did not dare rashly try to kill him, he had slain two Flood Dragons. Naturally, they could not have treated him kindly.
However, this time, Xuan Qing had come at Mengzhang's request to deliver Azure Dragon blood essence. Their attitude immediately changed completely, and they even gave Xuan Qing a great deal of Artifact Refining materials.
Materials such as Grand Unity Immortal Gold, Star Essence Gold, Great Sun Divine Gold, Northern Darkness Cold Iron, Ice Crystal Stone, and Geng Metal were all present in abundance. Furthermore, to express their gratitude, they gifted him many Immortal Herbs and Spiritual Medicines suitable for Elixir Refining, such as Dragon Blood Coral and Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.
"Your Majesty is too courteous!"
Naturally, Xuan Qing refused nothing offered to him.
Although these items were not as precious as Innate Spiritual Treasures, they were still extremely valuable. Even if he had no use for them himself, he could give them to his fellow disciples of the Jie Sect and earn some goodwill.
After Xuan Qing departed, Ao Guang impatiently looked at Ao Cang. "Father King, he is only a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Why do we need to be so courteous to him?"
Ao Cang smiled. "Since Ancestor Mengzhang sent him to deliver the blood essence, he must have seen some special qualities in him. We need only follow Ancestor Mengzhang's will! Remember, there is a Sage behind him! In my view, a little immortal gold and precious medicine are well worth exchanging for the goodwill of a Sage's disciple!"
Seeing Ao Guang furrow his brow slightly, Ao Cang continued, "Our Dragon Clan is no longer what it once was! Not long ago, Di Jun sent Bai Ze to the East Sea, seeking to have our entire clan join the Demon Clan. If Candle Dragon Ancestor had not revealed a trace of his aura, the Demon Clan's army might have descended upon the East Sea already!"
"How dare he!"
Ao Guang flew into a rage at those words.
Though the Dragon Clan had declined, they were not to be bullied at will. Back when the Dragon Clan ruled the Primordial Wilderness, those so-called Demon Saints and Demon Emperors—Bai Ze, Di Jun, and the rest—had probably not even taken form yet!
Ao Cang could not help but sigh at the sight. "Have I not told you that, as one in a position of authority, no matter when or where, you must never let your joy or anger show on your face?"
"Have you forgotten so quickly?"
Ao Guang hurriedly apologized. "Your child would not dare. It is only that the Demon Clan has gone too far in bullying the Dragon Clan!"
Seeing Ao Guang's expression, Ao Cang shook his head. "The Demon Clan is powerful, and I have no particularly good solution either. Though they have temporarily withdrawn this time, I fear they will not let the matter rest! Di Jun wishes to perfect the Great Zhou Tian Star Dou Formation. To defeat the Demon Clan, he will surely force more Great Golden Immortals to join them!"
"I heard that he refined a spiritual treasure called the Monster Summoning Banner, specifically to control those powerful figures whom he and Eastern Emperor Taiyi forced into joining the Demon Clan!"
"Our Dragon Clan is burdened by Karma. Over these past several yuanhui, not a single new Daluo has emerged. Among this generation, only you, Ao Qin, and a few others have any hope!"
"The future of the Four Seas Dragon Palaces, as well as the future of the Dragon Clan, will rest in your hands!"
"Therefore, you must learn to let go of the Dragon Clan's pride. The continuation of our race is more important than anything else. Only by surviving will we have a chance to erase the Dragon Clan's Karma."
Ao Guang revealed a trace of unwillingness. "The Demon Clan may be powerful, but they are not without enemies! Why should we not cooperate with the Witch Race and deal with the Demon Clan together?"
"Alas!"
Ao Cang shook his head. "Though the Witch Race is powerful, they are no good either, and they are extremely exclusionary. Cooperating with them would be no different from seeking a tiger's skin!"
Moreover, there was a speculation he did not tell Ao Guang. The Witch-Demon Conflict was growing increasingly fierce. At this rate, it was very possible that they would repeat the tragedy of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans.
In this era, how difficult was it for the Dragon Clan to remain uninvolved?
In truth, the Dragon Clan was not united either. His younger brother, Ao Hong, wished to imitate Ancestor Dragon and recreate the hegemony of the Dragon-Han era.
Ji Meng, once a great general under Ancestor Dragon, had directly betrayed the Dragon Clan and become one of the Demon Clan's Ten Great Demon Saints, intending to revive the Dragon Clan through the Demon Clan's Fortune.
But now that the Monster Summoning Banner had appeared, it would already be fortunate if Ji Meng did not end up sacrificing himself!
Di Jun had managed to subdue so many demons and establish the Heavenly Court; he was not a fool. How could he possibly allow Ji Meng to use the Demon Clan's Fortune to benefit the Dragon Clan?
Ao Cang glanced at Ao Guang. After pondering for a moment, he finally said earnestly, "If things truly become impossible, relying on a Sage would not be a bad path either!"
"I understand, Father!"
At those words, Ao Guang immediately lowered his proud head. Just as Ao Cang had said, the present Dragon Clan was no longer the Dragon Clan that had once contended for supremacy over the Primordial World!
The situation was stronger than the individual!
Only after seeing Ao Guang lower his head did Ao Cang nod in satisfaction. "Go now! You will refine the blood essence bestowed by the ancestor this time! Strive to break through to Daluo as soon as possible, so that I can rest assured in entrusting the Dragon Clan to you!"
Meanwhile, Xuan Qing had just left the East Sea and was considering his next course of action. Before he even had time to conceal himself, he encountered an unwelcome guest.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng!
The legendary final descendant of Primordial Phoenix, born alongside the Innate Yin-Yang Energies.
Xuan Qing narrowly avoided the Golden-Winged Great Peng's attack. Looking at him, Xuan Qing said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, I do not believe I have ever offended you."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng sneered. "Indeed, you have not! But my Phoenix Clan bears a grudge against the Dragon Clan. Since you associate with them, do not blame me for killing you!"
"Also, the treasure light around you reaches the heavens. You must have quite a few treasures, yes?"
"Hand them over!"
"Perhaps I can grant you a quick death!"
Xuan Qing did not know where the Golden-Winged Great Peng found such confidence. He could tell that the other man was only a Grand Unity Golden Immortal and was not much stronger than himself.
Still, out of caution, he chose to strike first.
"Thunder, come!"
He unleashed the Three Heads Six Arms divine ability. One hand formed seals, one held a sword, one commanded thunder, one gripped the Purple Lightning Hammer, while his remaining two hands plucked the Sudden Thunder Zither.
A flash of lightning streaked forth, and the Xuan Qing Divine Thunder split into three, blasting toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng from the front and both flanks in the blink of an eye.
Heavenly Might surged, shaking the void.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng's expression changed drastically. He raised the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle and drew all three divine thunders into it.
"I underestimated you!"
Before his words had even faded, the Golden-Winged Great Peng appeared behind Xuan Qing with the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle above his head and a golden halberd in hand, carrying enough magical power to split mountains and cleave peaks.
His speed was astonishing.
"As expected of Primordial Phoenix's son!"
Xuan Qing had long been prepared. His hands plucked the Sudden Thunder Zither. The first string flashed with lightning, the second roared with thunder, the third mingled thunder and lightning, while the fourth formed an Electric Field of Thunder around him. Powerful lightning instantly shot toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
At the same time, Wind-Thunder Twin Wings suddenly appeared behind Xuan Qing, sharply increasing his speed. He first used the Supreme Clarity World-Suppressing Sword Formation to seal off the void within a hundred zhang around the Golden-Winged Great Peng, then immediately blasted out a Purple Firmament Divine Thunder with the Purple Lightning Hammer.
BOOM!
In an instant, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was engulfed by surging thunderbolts, streak after streak of lightning falling like rain.
"Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle, absorb them!"
In his desperation, the Golden-Winged Great Peng could only place his hopes on the treasure bottle above his head. Yin-Yang energies manifested, instantly forming a black hole in the void that devoured everything.
New book—please bookmark, keep reading, send monthly tickets, and recommend it.
Before you continue