Dragon Maiden Ao Li

At the sight of the divine tree that seemed bathed in flames, Shi Mo's eyes immediately lit up.

"This is the innate spiritual root, the Fusang Tree. I am willing to trade one of its main branches for those Innate Millet grains, Fellow Daoist Shi Mo. What do you think?" King of the East said with a smile.

Shi Mo's gaze flickered at his words, and he then said, "Such an innate spiritual root is rare in the Primordial World. Fine, I agree. But Fellow Daoist needs even more acquired millet—"

"I will give Fellow Daoist Shi Mo enough innate spiritual materials in exchange," King of the East said directly.

Shi Mo immediately smiled. "I have also prepared a batch of fresh spiritual fruits for you, Fellow Daoist, and the cultivators of Yingzhou Immortal Island to sample. They will be delivered shortly, as a gift of introduction from me."

"Haha, good! I shall have the island's cultivators gather at once and hold a banquet for Fellow Daoist," King of the East laughed heartily as well.

Before long, on an open grassy field surrounded by streams on the island, the cultivators of Yingzhou Immortal Island sat on the ground, drinking and chatting freely amid great merriment.

Introduced by King of the East, Shi Mo exchanged pleasantries and became acquainted with these cultivators. He also discovered that most of the cultivators on Yingzhou Immortal Island were relatively simple-minded, with clear likes and dislikes.

Even those with heavy killing intent and baleful auras were not cruel bloodthirsty sorts. They had merely long grown accustomed to the law of the jungle in the Primordial World.

The seas of the Primordial World were vast. In the ocean, big fish eating little fish and little fish eating shrimp was simply the norm. Of the sea-dwelling cultivators and living beings who had grown powerful, which had not devoured countless others?

King of the East's banquet for Shi Mo featured, aside from the spiritual fruits of Yingzhou Immortal Island, mainly seafood.

Moreover, they were basically all raw fish, shrimp, and crab—a complete raw seafood feast.

This is my first time eating sashimi in the Primordial World! Shi Mo muttered inwardly. After tasting a slice of tender fish, his eyes immediately lit up. Mm, this tastes pretty good! It's so fresh and delicious, melting in the mouth. As expected of fish from the seas of the Primordial World. Given the chance, I could cordon off an area of the sea and specifically raise some fish with tasty flesh. That could be quite profitable!

In myths and legends, spiritual beasts like dragons and phoenixes were even raised to provide spiritual ingredients like dragon liver and phoenix marrow! When it comes to eating, those immortals really knew what they were doing. As Shi Mo pondered this, his brow suddenly furrowed as he sensed something. He hurriedly said to King of the East, "Fellow Daoist King of the East, the people I sent to deliver spiritual fruits have encountered trouble at sea. I need to go there!"

"Those who dare plunder and attack so wantonly at sea must be from the Dragon Clan. To think they have dared provoke Yingzhou Immortal Island! Fellow Daoist Shi Mo, I shall accompany you," King of the East said at once.

The other Yingzhou cultivators also clamored to go with Shi Mo and the others to take a look.

However, Shi Mo could not be bothered to waste words with them. He took the lead in flying away from Yingzhou Immortal Island.

Above the surging sea, within a massive whirlpool, two enormous dragons were fiercely battling in flight. They churned the seawater and seemed to gather wind and clouds, darkening the sky.

One of the dragons was crimson-gold all over, faintly surrounded by flames that caused the water mist to steam. It was none other than Golden Flame in his true form.

The other dragon was more slender, its entire body blue-violet. Its crystal-like scales gleamed as water mist coiled around it. The raging seawater alternately froze and shattered into ice, only to be melted again by the scorching flames rising from Golden Flame's body.

"Stop!" A low shout rang out. As Shi Mo swiftly approached, the invisible power of the Wind-Fixing Pearl spread outward. The surrounding wind and waves immediately subsided and dispersed, as though even space had frozen solid.

With a muffled bang, the blue-violet-scaled dragon was sent flying by Golden Flame.

Golden Flame then flicked his tail, his whole body shining brilliantly as he transformed into human form and flew before Shi Mo. "Master!"

"Hmph! My Dragon Clan dominates the Four Seas and is not without support or confidence. You dare enslave a member of my Dragon Clan—who exactly are you?"

A cold yet pleasant voice sounded. The blue-violet-scaled dragon transformed into a tall, cold, stunning woman.

"A female dragon? A Golden Immortal? Her cultivation is not weak," Shi Mo said, somewhat surprised as he looked at her. He then frowned at Golden Flame and asked, "What happened? Why did you clash with her?"

"Master, she suddenly appeared and asked about my origins. When she learned that I was going to Yingzhou Immortal Island under your orders, she said I had disgraced the Dragon Clan and insisted on taking me back for punishment," Golden Flame explained, sounding frustrated and helpless, utterly bewildered.

If his cultivation had not improved recently, allowing him to reach the Golden Immortal realm, he likely would truly have been taken to the Dragon Clan by this unreasonable woman. That would have been utterly humiliating.

Piecing together her earlier words, Shi Mo finally understood somewhat and said, "Golden Flame is an Earth-Core Fire Dragon under my command. He has nothing to do with your Dragon Clan."

"All scaled creatures in the Primordial World fall under the Dragon Clan's rule. His true form is a fire dragon, so how can you claim he has nothing to do with the Dragon Clan?" the cold and beautiful woman replied arrogantly.

Shi Mo was left somewhat speechless. Then King of the East, who had caught up with them, frowned upon seeing the dragon maiden and rebuked her, "Do you know that this is Fellow Daoist Shi Mo of Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain? Even your Dragon Clan's Grand Elder Torch Dragon must politely address him as Fellow Daoist upon meeting him. How dare a little dragon like you behave so presumptuously?"

"Shi Mo?" The cold and beautiful dragon maiden's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Shi Mo. Her gaze brightened as she asked, "You are Shi Mo of Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain—"

"Ao Li greets Senior Shi Mo!" The cold and beautiful dragon maiden abruptly came to her senses and hurriedly bowed respectfully to Shi Mo.

Her sudden change in attitude caused Shi Mo to pause in surprise. In the blink of an eye, he had become a senior again?

"My man does not need to make a trip to the Dragon Clan with you now, does he?" Shi Mo's words made Ao Li stiffen awkwardly. She then smiled and said, "Senior must be joking. I was mistaken earlier."

Just then, as the cultivators of Yingzhou Immortal Island arrived, dragon roars rang out one after another. The distant sea seemed to boil as a large number of shrimp soldiers and scorpion generals emerged upon the surface like an army. Several divine dragons also burst from the water and flew over, arriving before them in moments.

"Little sister, what happened?" One of the white dragons transformed into a handsome young man in white robes and landed beside Ao Li.

The other five divine dragons also transformed into human form in succession. They wore green, silver, yellow, red, and black robes respectively, and each possessed a different aura and temperament.

Among them, the man in green robes was clearly older and possessed cultivation at the Daluo Golden Immortal level. The others ranged from Golden Immortals to Taiyi Golden Immortals.

"After the Dragon-Han Calamity, the Dragon Clan still has such foundations and strength?" Sensing their cultivation auras, Shi Mo raised his brows in surprise. But by the eras of Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West, why had they become so pathetic? Could the Dragon Clan have suffered some other upheaval in between?

Roar! As Shi Mo pondered, a low, majestic dragon roar suddenly sounded from the depths of the sea. The next moment, a slender divine dragon resembling a one-eyed flood dragon shot out from the seabed.

The instant it appeared, heaven and earth abruptly darkened, as though all light in the world were converging toward its single eye.