The Dragon Gate That No Longer Existed

Ao Ping frowned after hearing this and immediately summoned the Turtle Minister, the most learned scholar in the East Sea.

After the Turtle Minister arrived, he directly revealed his true form. He was an enormous giant turtle, and the patterns on his shell were astonishingly a map of the East Sea.

The next moment, the Turtle Minister spoke in human words. "Dragon King, Senior Azure Lotus. This map of the East Sea records everything within the East Sea."

Ao Ping personally explained to Chen Xuan how to read the map of the East Sea. At the same time, he did not forget to say to Chen Xuan,

"Senior Azure Lotus may not know this, but among the giant turtle clan of our East Sea, every generation's clan chief grows a map of the East Sea upon his shell."

"Moreover, even if the terrain of the East Sea changes by the slightest bit, the map on the turtle shell will change accordingly."

"Therefore, if the island Senior Azure Lotus seeks truly lies in the East Sea, it will certainly be marked upon this map. Otherwise, it may not be in the East Sea."

Hearing Ao Ping say this, Chen Xuan began to carefully examine the map of the East Sea. Even after looking over the entire map, he still could not find the Three Immortal Islands Overseas.

Just as Chen Xuan thought the Three Immortal Islands Overseas had not yet reached the time to emerge, he suddenly discovered that the map had changed.

In a place where no island had originally been marked, waves of white mist now began to rise. As for what was hidden within that white mist, even Chen Xuan could not yet see through it.

He immediately asked Ao Ping, "Fellow Daoist Ao Ping, what does the white mist that suddenly appeared on the map represent?"

Ao Ping looked in the direction Chen Xuan pointed, and an incomparably dejected expression instantly appeared on his face. After sighing, he said,

"Senior Azure Lotus may not know this, but this is where the Dragon Gate once stood, where our Dragon Clan tested its descendants. It appears once every yuanhui."

"In ancient times, whenever the Dragon Gate appeared, the descendants of the Dragon Clan would go leap over it. Only Dragon Clan members who crossed the Dragon Gate were qualified to receive the Dragon Clan's inheritance."

"But ever since the Dragon-Han Calamity, the Dragon Gate of the Dragon Clan has been shattered. All that remains is the island that once supported the Dragon Gate."

"Yet this island is strange. It still appears punctually once every yuanhui. It is only a pity that the Dragon Gate is no longer there."

Seeing the despondent look on Ao Ping's face, Chen Xuan could not help but say, "Would Fellow Daoist Ao Ping be willing to take me there for a look?"

In truth, Ao Ping did not want to go from the bottom of his heart, for it was equivalent to the Dragon Clan's shame. It had even become a taboo among the Dragon Clan.

Had Chen Xuan not asked about it today, Ao Ping would not have wished to mention that unbearable past. The Dragon Clan and aquatic tribes of the East Sea would not set foot in that area either.

But now that Chen Xuan wished to go, Ao Ping truly had no way to refuse. After all, his cultivation was inferior to Chen Xuan's.

Left with no choice, he merely made a welcoming gesture toward Chen Xuan, then led him in that direction.

With Ao Ping leading the way, Chen Xuan quickly arrived outside the white mist.

Seeing the white mist soaring into the heavens, the corners of Ao Ping's eyes could not help but grow moist. It was as though he had recalled the scene of leaping over the Dragon Gate back then.

Chen Xuan, meanwhile, began to inspect the white mist. Before long, he discovered that there was actually an innate grand formation within it.

This innate grand formation surpassed even the one at the Three Pure Ones' Daoist Grounds on Kunlun Mountain. In other words, there was at the very least a blessed land and cave-heaven within the white mist.

With that thought, Chen Xuan did not hesitate to wield the Law of Space, intending to bypass the formation's defenses and investigate the white mist.

Yet what Chen Xuan had not expected was that even the Law of Space could not pass through the formation's barrier. In the end, he was directly blocked outside the grand formation.

At the same time, Ao Ping came to Chen Xuan's side and said, "Senior Azure Lotus, this grand formation cannot be broken."

"When the Dragon Gate first appeared, Clan Chief Ancestral Dragon led countless Dragon Clan elders. They exhausted every effort trying to break this grand formation, yet they ultimately failed."

"Only after several attempts did they discover that only those who had leapt over the Dragon Gate could enter the grand formation. That was why our Dragon Clan established the rule of leaping over the Dragon Gate."

"However, even those who crossed the Dragon Gate could only pass through the first layer of the guarding formation and obtain the inheritance within. Entering the depths of the formation was still impossible."

Chen Xuan frowned upon hearing this. According to Ao Ping, since the Dragon Gate no longer existed, did that not mean they could not even enter the outer perimeter?

Thinking of this, Chen Xuan asked Ao Ping, "How long does it remain above the sea each time it appears?"

Ao Ping replied without hesitation, "Each time, it remains for a hundred years. After a hundred years, it sinks back to the seabed."

Chen Xuan nodded after hearing this, then said to Ao Ping, "Thank you for your hospitality, Fellow Daoist Ao Ping. If you have other matters to attend to, there is no need for you to remain here with me."

Ao Ping naturally knew that Chen Xuan intended to stay and study this guarding formation. Thus, he did not stand on ceremony with Chen Xuan and turned to return to the Crystal Palace of the East Sea.

After sending Ao Ping away, Chen Xuan brought forth the Law of the Great Dao of Formations. He began comprehending the Law of the Great Dao of Formations while studying the innate guarding formation before him.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, and Chen Xuan could clearly sense that the mysterious place wrapped in white mist was about to return to the depths of the seabed once more.

"When it appears again, I will have to wait another yuanhui. I do not have that much time to waste."

As Chen Xuan muttered to himself, he wielded the Great Dao Law of Space, pressing himself as closely as possible against the formation's barrier.

In the end, Chen Xuan transformed into his true form, the thirty-sixth-grade Creation Azure Lotus. Roots even grew beneath his lotus platform, clutching tightly onto the formation barrier.

As he slowly sank toward the seabed, Chen Xuan sensed that something was wrong. The seawater here was unlike any other.

In other places, Chen Xuan only needed to use the Water-Evasion Formula to separate the seawater from himself. Yet now, no matter how he used the Water-Evasion Formula, he could not keep the seawater outside.

He could even faintly sense that the seawater was corroding his true form.

At this moment, Chen Xuan finally understood why the Dragon Clan had to wait an entire yuanhui before leaping over the Dragon Gate again.

They had not simply gone directly into the depths of the seabed to search for the Dragon Gate. It turned out that there was something wrong with the seawater surrounding the Dragon Gate.

Chen Xuan now knew that if he did not let go, his true form would suffer irreversible damage.

But how could Chen Xuan simply let the matter rest? He immediately mobilized the Great Dao Law of Water, intending to use it to block the seawater's corrosion.

Unfortunately, even the Great Dao Law of Water could do nothing against this seawater. The seawater continued to corrode Chen Xuan's true form without pause.

Fortunately, Chen Xuan's true form possessed the qi of creation, which kept the seawater's corrosion from damaging his foundation.

But if this continued for long, even Chen Xuan did not know how much longer he could endure.