East Sea Dragon Aura

Above the heavens, the sea of merit clouds slowly dispersed. Nuwa's holy might receded, and her gaze fell upon Xuan Heng as she spoke softly.

"Junior Brother Xuan Heng."

Nuwa's call pulled Xuan Heng from his thoughts about where the demonic aura outside the East Sea formation had come from.

"Senior Sister Nuwa."

Xuan Heng came back to himself and cupped his hands as he replied.

Nuwa returned the Innate Gourd Vine to Xuan Heng, then said, "This vine aided me in creating humankind today and has thus received a share of creation merit. Junior Brother, take it back to Kunlun and continue nurturing it. Perhaps it will encounter another opportunity in the future."

Xuan Heng nodded and reached out to accept the gourd vine.

"Junior Brother Xuan Heng, the Human Race has only just been born and is far too frail. They need time to grow."

Hearing this, Xuan Heng understood Nuwa's meaning. After becoming a Saint, she could not freely interfere in the affairs of the Primordial World, so Nuwa would soon leave it. Moreover, if the Human Race truly wished to grow, they could not forever live beneath the protection of their Holy Mother.

With a wave of her hand, Nuwa cast a clear radiance of creation over the riverbank. Around the first humans, a faint aura of a Saint gradually emerged.

This aura would protect them for a time. It would keep great demons from approaching easily and prevent ordinary calamities from weighing upon the Human Race during these first years of their birth.

Yet this layer of protection would not last forever. Xuan Heng knew that once the lingering echoes of Nuwa's merit in becoming a Saint faded, once the great calamity of the witches and demons truly drew near, the Human Race would ultimately have to face the Primordial World alone.

"I am going beyond the Chaos to establish a dao field. As for the Human Race, I would like to ask you, Junior Brother, to keep a close eye on them and look after them."

Nuwa looked at the newly born Human Race below and spoke to Xuan Heng.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister. I will do my utmost to watch over the Human Race."

Nuwa glanced at him, and her expression grew a touch more solemn.

"Then I shall trouble you, Junior Brother."

Xuan Heng did not make any sweeping promises. He merely said, "I will do all I can."

Nuwa nodded lightly. Then she took a single step forward, holy clear light bearing her form as she headed beyond the heavens.

By the great river, the Human Race knelt as one.

"Farewell, Holy Mother!"

Xuan Heng stood where he was, the Innate Gourd Vine resting in his hand while the Purifying White Lotus slowly revolved behind him.

After Nuwa left, Xuan Heng did not remain there long. Instead, he headed for the East Sea. The trace of demonic aura that had appeared there earlier had remained on his mind. The East Sea was the backyard he had reserved for the Human Race; not the slightest problem could be allowed to arise there.

Xuan Heng flew toward the shores of the East Sea. By the time he landed once more upon the coastal plain, night had already fallen.

After arriving, Xuan Heng first inspected the main formation, then checked the seventy-two hidden seals. Only after confirming that there were no issues did he let out a breath of relief.

He then climbed to the top of a high slope, took out the Sky-Illuminating Mirror, and swept it toward the place where the demonic aura had fluctuated earlier.

Moments later, a strand of azure aura appeared within the Sky-Illuminating Mirror. Xuan Heng quickly discovered that it was not an ordinary aura of the Demon Race. Water veins faintly coiled around it, along with a pressure unique to the dragon clan.

"It is actually the dragon clan."

Standing atop the slope, Xuan Heng looked toward the eastern sea. Since the Dragon-Han Great Calamity, the East Sea Dragon Clan had retreated into the deep sea and rarely meddled in affairs on land.

But the East Sea Life-Crossing Formation was buried here. Even if that dragon aura had merely passed by unintentionally, he could not simply ignore it.

With that thought, Xuan Heng took out a bluish-gray stone. He had also "distributed" this stone from Treasure Distribution Cliff. Its grade was not high; it was merely a small item for transmitting messages.

Xuan Heng swept the voice-transmission stone with Profound Pure Immortal Light, then drew a beam of mirror light from the Sky-Illuminating Mirror into it. A simple "video call" stone was complete.

He then buried the blue stone beneath a reef beside the East Sea Life-Crossing Formation.

To be safe, Xuan Heng set down three more restrictions upon the stone. The first monitored demonic aura; the second further monitored dragon aura; the third would automatically activate the Profound Pure Immortal Light Xuan Heng had left within the blue stone once demonic aura was detected.

Once the third restriction activated, this blue stone could communicate with Xuan Heng remotely by video.

Finally, just in case, Xuan Heng left behind a voice transmission of his own within the blue stone.

"This place is neither where a spiritual treasure is being born nor an ownerless dao field. If the dragon clan is merely patrolling the sea's water veins, I have no intention of obstructing you. But if someone is using the East Sea's name to investigate this place, then after touching this stone, you may speak with me."

As his voice fell, the voice-transmission stone glimmered faintly, then quickly sank deep beneath the reef.

After finishing all this, Xuan Heng gave the great formation one final inspection. Only after confirming that there were no problems did he leave the shores of the East Sea.

Xuan Heng had originally intended to return directly to Kunlun. He had experienced rather too much in recent years, and his cultivation had already fallen somewhat behind. His most pressing task was to return to Kunlun for bitter cultivation, stabilize his law dao seed, and prepare to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm.

But as Xuan Heng walked, he noticed something was wrong. The mountains ahead grew increasingly dry, and even the air carried the scent of earthfire.

Clearly, this was no longer the road back to Kunlun. Xuan Heng could not help stopping and lifting his head to look into the distance.

He had not deliberately changed direction, yet at some unknown point, the direction in which he traveled had ceased to be the direction of Kunlun. It was as though something in the unseen had been guiding him here.

The law dao seed between Xuan Heng's brows stirred faintly. Deep within the Purifying White Lotus, the azure lotus seed that had been awakened for a moment by the merit of creating humankind also glimmered with an exceedingly faint azure hue.

Though puzzled by this change, Xuan Heng did not turn back at once. Instead, he continued onward. He wanted to see just what was drawing him here from the unseen.

Following that faint, intermittent pull, he pressed onward. Several days later, an ancient parasol tree forest appeared before him.

The fire aura within the forest was exceptionally heavy. Many parasol trees had already withered and died, their trunks still marked with charred black fissures.

The moment Xuan Heng stepped into the area, he heard a clear phoenix cry ring out in the distance.

Immediately afterward, several powerful demonic auras rose from within the forest. Even the weakest had reached the Golden Immortal realm, while the leader was unmistakably a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal.

"Remnant bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, why do you not follow us to the Demon Court?"

"His Majesty the Demon Emperor is gathering the myriad clans. If you still refuse to recognize what is good for you, then do not blame us for taking action today!"

Xuan Heng halted at the sound.

The Phoenix Clan?

He then raised his head and looked into the forest.

Deep within the parasol tree grove, a group of men and women in feathered robes guarded a half-ruined stone platform.

A youth stood atop the platform.

He wore a five-colored feathered robe. His face was still youthful, but his gaze was sharp and cold.

A flash of five-colored spiritual radiance gleamed behind him. Before a demon general's sacrificial treasured blade could even draw near, it was swept straight to the ground by that five-colored light.

The demon general's expression changed drastically at once.

Standing outside the parasol tree grove, Xuan Heng's gaze fell upon the youth's five-colored radiance.

The Five Elements flowed in circulation, formed innately by nature.

He had originally only intended to return to Kunlun, but at this moment, Xuan Heng suddenly understood why he had strayed from his path home and come to this ruined parasol tree grove.

The youth before him was fated to cross paths with him.

Or rather, from the moment he had left Kunlun with Nuwa, this karmic bond had already been destined.

Looking at that Five-Colored Divine Light, a name surfaced in Xuan Heng's heart.

Kong Xuan.