Lord of the East Sea

With a sweep of King of the East's great sleeve, five streaks of purple light flew from within and hovered before Lei Xiao and the other four.

They were five stalks of Purple Bamboo, each about a foot tall. Their bodies gleamed like polished jade, suffused with a faint purple radiance. At every joint, innate Dao patterns flowed indistinctly, emanating an aura that was both ethereal and sharp.

The bamboo leaves were slender as swords, their tips faintly golden. As they swayed gently, they actually produced the subtle ring of clashing metal.

"This is Purple Bamboo, a low-grade innate spiritual root and a specialty of my Purple Abode Island. Today, I shall give one stalk to each of you young friends."

King of the East paused slightly before continuing, "Do not underestimate this foot-tall Purple Bamboo. Its uses are extraordinary. So long as you young friends refine it with your own immortal essence, you can forge it into a low-grade acquired spiritual treasure suited to yourselves.

"If you are fortunate enough to obtain various heavenly materials and earthly treasures to continue tempering it, its grade may rise even further. It may even become a mid-grade or high-grade acquired spiritual treasure."

The moment those words were spoken, the great hall filled with sharp intakes of breath.

Although a low-grade acquired spiritual treasure was far less valuable than a low-grade innate spiritual treasure, a low-grade acquired spiritual treasure that suited its owner could prove even more useful than a low-grade innate spiritual treasure.

What was more, this Purple Bamboo could serve as a foundation and be refined with heavenly materials and earthly treasures into a mid-grade or even high-grade acquired spiritual treasure.

Out in the wider world, it would be enough to make Primordial Unity Golden Immortal cultivators fight until their heads bled for it.

Lei Xiao was also startled by King of the East's generosity. Of course, what he felt more strongly was envy. Purple Abode Island had low-grade innate spiritual root Purple Bamboo as its specialty, and Three Immortal Isles was no worse—so why did they not have even a single specialty of their own?

He raised his eyes at King of the East, then glanced at Red Cloud Ancestor.

Red Cloud Ancestor watched the scene with a beaming smile, without the slightest trace of annoyance at being outdone. Instead, his face carried genuine admiration.

This good old fellow truly was the most forthright man in the primordial world. He was happy when others gave gifts, and happy when they gave gifts more precious than his own, utterly unconcerned that the limelight he had just enjoyed had been overshadowed.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Senior King of the East."

Yun Xiao led her junior brothers and sisters in a collective bow. Bi Xiao and Qiong Xiao's eyes shone brightly, while Zhao Gongming was so excited that his face reddened.

Although Zhao Gongming had entered Tongtian's school and had even reached the late stage of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, he possessed no decent spiritual treasures. King of the East's lavish gift was undoubtedly timely aid in a snowstorm.

King of the East nodded with a smile and swept his sleeve. "Please take your seats, young friends."

The five followed his words and seated themselves near the front on the right side.

Lei Xiao put the Purple Bamboo into his sleeve, feeling that ethereal aura seep through the fabric. He quietly calculated that once they returned, he would have to carefully consider how to refine this spiritual root.

Within the great hall, the many cultivators returned to their places, and the whispers gradually died away. Everyone's attention began shifting toward the figure seated in the central seat.

King of the East's smile faded. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the aura around him abruptly changed.

His previous gentle and amiable demeanor vanished, replaced by a majestic, profound pressure. It was as though Purple Abode Island itself, along with the power of heaven and earth for tens of millions of li around it, gathered toward him at this instant and awaited his command.

"Fellow Daoists."

King of the East settled back into the seat of honor. His gaze swept across the hall, and his voice carried the pressure of the laws of pure yang. "Purple Abode Island has hosted this banquet today not only to discuss the Dao, but also to discuss another matter."

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly solemn. "The East Sea is vast and boundless, inhabited by countless sea clans, yet conflict rages endlessly among them. Under such strife, the sea clans have suffered casualties beyond count.

"My Daoist sanctuary lies upon this East Sea. I do not wish to see conflict continue without end, nor living beings reduced to misery. The East Sea needs a true leader."

King of the East paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the hall and taking in every expression within it.

"All of you are clan chiefs, or have cultivated in the East Sea for many years with deep foundations. The stability of the East Sea concerns every one of you present. Though I am the master of Purple Abode Island, I do not dare impose my own opinion upon others.

"Yet if the East Sea remains locked in endless conflict, those who ultimately suffer will be this heaven and earth, the myriad living beings within it, and your clansmen."

His tone was steady, every word sonorous and forceful. Not a trace of selfishness could be heard in it; instead, it carried an air of compassion for all under heaven.

Seated below, Lei Xiao secretly nodded.

King of the East certainly made it sound pretty. He was only one step away from openly declaring that he wanted to become lord of the East Sea.

Quite a few people in the hall turned their gazes toward a corner, where the East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang, was seated.

During the previous calamity, the dragon clan had ruled the four seas, and the myriad sea clans had all revered them. The dragon clan's leader, Ancestral Dragon, had been the true lord of the East Sea.

But the dragon clan had now declined. Its clan chief, Ao Guang, possessed only early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal cultivation. The title of lord of the East Sea had become a name that existed in form alone.

Yet no matter what, Ao Guang was still the nominal lord of the East Sea.

Under the gaze of the entire hall, Ao Guang felt as though thorns were pressing into his back.

His somewhat aged face alternated between green and white. His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles pale, and the veins on the backs of his hands bulged.

Humiliation.

Humiliation unlike any he had ever known.

Back then, the dragon clan had ruled the four seas. What magnificence they had possessed!

But times had changed.

After the first Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, Ancestral Dragon had fallen, and the dragon clan's vitality had been greatly damaged. That once-colossal force now had only the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas, barely clinging to existence.

The various sea clan powers of the East Sea only barely maintained a superficial respect out of consideration for the dragon clan's former prestige.

Ao Guang lowered his head, neither responding to the gazes of the sea clan chiefs nor replying to King of the East's words.

At the seat of honor, King of the East's expression darkened somewhat.

He glanced at Ao Guang. At that glance, Ao Guang felt as though an ancient divine mountain were bearing down upon his head, forcing him to lower it another fraction.

Ao Guang has quite the backbone.

Lei Xiao's gaze rested on Ao Guang, and he could not help silently praising him.

King of the East clearly wanted Ao Guang to lead the dragon clan in submitting first. Once the dragon clan, the nominal lord of the East Sea, bowed its head, the other sea clans would have no reason left to resist.

But Ao Guang simply refused to take the bait.

"Senior King of the East, when will the Dao lecture begin? I have just received Senior Red Cloud's Ginseng Fruit. If I refine it while listening to your lecture, my cultivation will surely advance further." Lei Xiao suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

In the generations to come, his homeland would be called the descendants of the dragon. He naturally felt goodwill toward the dragon clan.

Lei Xiao's voice was not loud, yet it entered every person's ears with perfect clarity.

The atmosphere in the hall stiffened slightly.

Many gazes shifted away from Ao Guang and toward Lei Xiao—this minor cultivator at the late Golden Immortal stage actually dared to speak in such a setting?

King of the East was also taken aback.

He had been waiting for Ao Guang's response—or rather, waiting for the moment Ao Guang lowered his head. Lei Xiao's sudden words were like a pair of invisible scissors, snipping the taut string he had just drawn tight.