A thousand miles east of Zhanglong Island, a mountain-sized Dark Tortoise floated quietly on the sea.
Its shell was broad as a plaza, packed with disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
This was the sect's temporary base, and the "treasure ship" that had carried them across the vast sea.
The giant tortoise was a Spiral Tortoise, one of the True Spirits of Ancient Antiquity. It was also a rare beast that had survived the Second Nine Heavenly Tribulation.
Three thousand years ago, the Myriad Beasts Sect's fourth sect master had subdued it and personally branded it with a slave seal.
From then on, not only was the tortoise bound to serve the Myriad Beasts Sect for life, but every generation of its descendants inherited the seal. For all their lives, they could never break free.
That was why many of the Demon Race would rather die than be branded with the Myriad Beasts Sect's slave seal.
Atop the Dark Tortoise's shell...
"That Flood Dragon King—he may be called a Flood Dragon, but he transformed into a dragon long ago. His bloodline is as pure as a True Dragon's."
An old Daoist gently shook a banner wreathed in blood qi, from which came muffled howls. His expression was grave. "Sect master, our Demon-Summoning Banner has no effect on him at all."
Beside him stood a handsome, red-haired young man, barefoot and straight-backed, with a golden ring at his left ear.
"There have long been rumors in the East Sea that this Flood Dragon King shares the East Sea Dragon King's bloodline. But his mother had an unusual past: though she was the Dragon King's principal consort, she had once been Dao companions with a Righteous Dao cultivator."
"How could Ao Guang tolerate that? In a rage, he demoted his son to