The Star Sea Dragon Palace's Azure Dragon, Unwilling Beneath the Great Vow Tree

Through the ages, the rivers and mountains have witnessed countless tales of romance and heroism. As the wind blows and the rain falls, the Nine Provinces appear as picturesque as a painting.

Star Continent, one of the Nine Provinces, is a land of vast, surging blue waves and boundless skies. Islands dot the expanse like pearls, and despite the relentless tides and the passage of eternal history, the region's prosperity continues to produce an endless stream of heroes and legends.

Among these figures, the Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo stood as a titan, dominating the seas and looking down upon the world with disdain. As he neared death, he felt the lack of a worthy successor. Thus, he established the Star Sea Dragon Palace as a secret treasury, leaving his legacy for those fated to inherit his mantle.

The news of this discovery caused a massive uproar. Countless individuals threw themselves into the search, sacrificing their youth and blood, all to find the Star Sea Dragon Palace and become the next King of the Sea Dragons.

Chu Yun was one of them.

"The mysteries of heaven and earth are hidden beneath the sea, where the stars guide the light of the tides." Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo left only this clue. Countless people racked their brains over it, some even bankrupting their families and losing everything in their desperate search for the treasure. Yet, for over a hundred and thirty years, the Star Sea Dragon Palace remained elusive and unseen. But today! I, Chu Yun, have finally found it!

Azure seawater surged around him, the light waves flowing in a dreamlike, illusory dance. Through the clear water, coral trees formed a forest, scattered across the snow-white seabed like patches of golden-fire clouds.

Chu Yun stood before the gates of the Dragon Palace, his heart pounding.

He scanned his surroundings and realized that these coral trees had been arranged by Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo into a massive labyrinth. To pass through, one had to wait for a night when the cold moon left no trace and the stars shone brightly, using the light patterns projected onto the sea surface as a guide.

This grand formation was designed with such supernatural craftsmanship and imbued with such profound Daoist essence that it bore no trace of human artifice, blending perfectly with the natural world.

This coral forest was breathtakingly beautiful, magnificent and vast, stretching out into infinity. It was recognized by the world as one of the eight wonders of the Star Continent, attracting throngs of tourists every year to admire its splendor.

"Who would have thought that the legendary Star Sea Dragon Palace was hidden right under everyone's noses? The more people focus on the beauty of these coral forests, the more they become lost in the formation. Only by abandoning the scenery and navigating by the starlight projected onto the surface can one break through the maze and reach its heart. Alas, if only I had discovered this secret a dozen years ago!"

Chu Yun could not help but sigh. Though he was only thirty-six, his temples were gray, his frame was withered, and his left leg was missing, replaced by a prosthetic. He looked less like a man in his prime and more like a man of sixty or seventy.

His body was covered in scars and riddled with internal injuries. These were the marks left behind by years of exploring ruins, tombs, dangerous lands, and shipwrecks, where he had faced lethal mechanisms, exotic beasts, and powerful enemies in his quest for treasure.

Chu Yun loved adventure and craved freedom; he refused to be mediocre. His innate character had made him a renowned explorer in the Star Continent.

Yet, Chu Yun knew that his life's achievements would likely end here.

He understood his physical condition all too well. His vitality had been completely hollowed out; he was living solely on sheer willpower.

On land, he could not walk for more than an hour before needing to sit and rest. In cold weather, every joint in his body ached with a biting chill. Sometimes he would sleep for a day and a night, drifting in and out of consciousness, haunted by endless nightmares.

Seeing his peers moving with agility and strength, Chu Yun felt envy, but he had no regrets.

For someone of his humble background, lacking influence and power, he could not compete with the favored sons of great families who had vast resources to support their cultivation. He had no choice but to take desperate risks, constantly exploring to seek the rewards hidden within great danger to fund his own path.

However, the results were not as he had hoped. To end up in this state, he could hardly be called a success.

The Star Sea Dragon Palace was just one of many targets. Relying on years of experience, he had collected all of Jiang Bo's deeds and, through bold assumptions and careful verification based on the King's behavior in his later years, he had found this place in just three years.

The Star Sea Dragon Palace—the place where the former Sea Dragon King's legacy lay!

More than an hour later, Chu Yun finally struggled his way into the Dragon Palace.

The architecture of the palace was majestic and beautiful; pavilions, towers, corridors, and courtyards were arranged with exquisite elegance. Flowers, birds, fish, and winding streams created a scene of vibrant life.

This was a paradise on earth, carved out of the deep sea by sheer, overwhelming power.

In the past, the Sea Dragon King had lived here as he neared death. This was the final resting place of a generation's sovereign.

Chu Yun was secretly surprised—the expected trials had not appeared.

Logically, the Star Sea Dragon Palace, being the legacy site of Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo, should have had at least a few barriers to test the successor.

But thinking of Jiang Bo's reputation for being unconventional, magnanimous, and unrestrained, Chu Yun felt relieved.

He had only just arrived in the front hall when he was stunned by the sight before him.

In the spacious hall, two small mountains were piled high, each several yards tall. The one on the left was black and glossy, consisting entirely of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. The one on the right was slightly shorter, shimmering with white light—it was filled with Heaven-Stellar Stone Coins.

Both Earth-Fiend Stone Coins and Heaven-Stellar Stone Coins were common currency in the Nine Provinces. These two mountains represented unimaginable wealth!

Chu Yun made a rough estimate; the mountain of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins alone could buy a town-sized island, establishing a solid foundation for generations to come. Not to mention the even more valuable mountain of Heaven-Stellar Stone Coins.

"Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo was a hegemon, the king of the seas. It stands to reason that his net worth should have been far greater than these coins. But he was known for being generous and throwing money away; it makes sense that this is all that remains."

Chu Yun was shocked for a moment before calming his heart. If he had arrived here ten years younger, this wealth would have been his starting capital. But now, he was old and his vitality was nearly exhausted. No matter how much wealth he had, it was useless if he didn't have the life left to enjoy it.

He walked past the front hall and entered the middle hall.

In the middle hall, there were thirty jade tables, each placed ten paces apart, with an item resting on each.

Chu Yun scanned them and found that some tables held medicine bottles, others displayed Daoist jade slips, and some contained beast eggs.

His heart began to race, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and urgency.

His body could be healed through a limited number of ways. The first was the renowned Vitality Creation Pill. The second was the Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Dragon, known for its longevity.

Jiang Bo had roamed the world; it was possible that these two items were among his legacy. If Chu Yun could find the Vitality Creation Pill here, or hatch the egg of a Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Dragon, he could transform his body and be reborn.

"Not this one, not this one... that one, neither..."

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The thirty jade tables were filled with rare treasures that, if leaked to the world, would cause people to fight to the death and trigger bloody conflicts. Yet, there was no Vitality Creation Pill, nor any egg of a Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Dragon.

The most valuable items were on the three jade tables at the very back.

On one lay a precious flute—the instrument that had made Jiang Bo famous: the Azure Sea Tide-Rising Flute.

On another sat a manual for beast taming: Laughing at the Vast Sea.

On the final table was a jade slip recording a marriage contract. Whoever became the successor to the Sea Dragon King could take this contract to King Yubo on Mermaid Island and ask for the hand of his princess.

These three items, combined with the two mountains of coins in the front hall, represented money, beauty, and power. They were the things so many dreamed of and struggled their whole lives to find.

"What a pity, for me, these are of no use." Chu Yun gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. He had burned his life force to the very end, his vitality completely drained, and with little time left, what use were these things to him?

"If I had found this place ten or twenty years ago, how wonderful that would have been!" He shook his head slowly, sighing with regret. He did not take the items on the jade table, but instead walked toward the rear hall.

In the rear hall, a dragon was actually lying there!

What a massive dragon!

Its dragon horns were as magnificent as coral, its scales a deep, tranquil azure. The dragon's body coiled within the rear hall, stretching for dozens of zhang! Its frame was majestic, thick as a giant pillar. Its claws were ferocious, glinting with a cold light.

"This is—this is actually Jiang Bo's beast, the Azure Sea Dragon!" Chu Yun stammered, gasping in astonishment.

The Sea Dragon slowly opened its eyes, revealing pupils as deep as wells, yet they were filled with the gloom of twilight.

"I have finally waited for a successor, but alas, it is a pity; you have come too late..." The Sea Dragon emitted a low voice that lingered in the rear hall for a long time.

"Indeed, twenty years too late!" Chu Yun nodded, smiling bitterly. He pointed at the Sea Dragon, then at himself: "You are dying, and I am dying too..."

In his smile, there was regret, self-mockery, no remorse, and a sense of release.

If he had arrived twenty years earlier, the meeting of man and dragon would surely have been a legendary tale. But in this world, where do "ifs" ever come from?

"In the past, my master and I were both defeated by the Qin Emperor. I suffered grave injuries, yet still held a glimmer of hope for recovery, but my master had already passed beyond saving..."

Having waited for over a hundred years, and now on the verge of death himself, he had finally waited for someone. The Azure Sea Dragon began to ramble, recounting the events of the past.

"My master took great pains, setting up the Star Sea Dragon Palace before his death to await a successor. Thinking of me, he set no trials or examinations, wanting me to choose a second master..."

It turned out that the Star Sea Dragon Palace was not without a test; the only true test was to gain the recognition of this Azure Sea Dragon.

"It is a pity that after waiting for over a hundred years, with my body severely wounded and my illness incurable, I can no longer roam the vast seas or gallop across the world..."

The Azure Sea Dragon was like an old steed in the stable, its heart still yearning for a thousand miles. It was a lamentable case of the spirit being willing, but the flesh being weak.

These words stirred Chu Yun's heart, striking a chord within him.

He was the same, possessing the ambitions of any normal man. But fate was unkind; he wished to traverse the world, yet he was already reaching the end of his life.

The Star Sea Dragon Palace was his final gamble. It was a pity he had not found what he needed.

Both were wanderers at the ends of the earth; why must one have known the other before to be friends?

Man and dragon naturally became inseparable confidants.

During their final moments, one would often listen while the other spoke. The Sea Dragon recounted the past, fighting fiercely and roaming the oceans alongside Jiang Bo. Chu Yun, in turn, told of his own thrilling experiences in seeking out hidden mysteries.

They showed off their scars to one another, laughing and talking of life and death.

Finally, one day, the Sea Dragon said to Chu Yun with profound meaning: "I cannot hold on any longer. After I die, please bury my beast core beneath the large tree in the center of the garden."

Having said this, it closed its eyes and passed away. Its flesh, blood, dragon scales, horns, claws, and other essences condensed into an amber beast core the size of a millstone.

Chu Yun sighed faintly, gritting his teeth to endure. With great difficulty and immense effort, he finally dragged the beast core into the garden.

He buried the core into the soil at the roots of the tree, then could no longer crawl back up. Exhausted, he leaned against the tree, eyes half-closed, waiting calmly for death to arrive.

But gradually, his thoughts grew chaotic.

In the past, he had also been the heir to a sea island, but he had been robbed by a powerful enemy and lost his foundation. He had once possessed a peerless beast, a Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Dragon, no less impressive than this one. It was a pity he had been plotted against by a villain, a source of great regret.

He looked back on his life as if immersed in a stirring piece of music. The music was short but intense, rising and falling, recounting the vicissitudes of the human world.

He did not notice that the tree behind him was undergoing an astonishing transformation, having absorbed the power of the Sea Dragon's core.

Its branches and leaves unfurled like five-colored mist, beautiful and dreamlike. After the radiance faded, a fruit grew upon the tree.

With a soft thud, the fruit ripened and fell, landing right in Chu Yun's hand.

Chu Yun finally sensed the anomaly. He struggled to lift his eyelids and saw the fruit in his hand emitting a five-colored glow.

"So the Sea Dragon had ulterior motives; did it want me to eat this fruit? It is a pity that I no longer have any strength left..."

He let out a deep sigh. This strange fruit, shrouded in brilliant colors, emitted a faint fragrance. It was right in Chu Yun's hand, yet it felt a world away.

"What a regret... if only I could return to twenty-three years ago and start over..."

With that final sigh, Chu Yun could no longer hold on and closed his eyes.

He died.

BOOM!

The very moment he died, the strange fruit in his hand suddenly erupted with dazzling light, illuminating the entire Dragon Palace.

The heavens and earth trembled, and the sea roared.

The light shot out from the bottom of the sea like a magnificent pillar of heaven, piercing straight into the clouds.

The Nine Provinces shook, and time and space changed color!