Wave-Calming Dragon Lord

The information gathered from the Maine Coon leaned more toward the cultivation world, while the intelligence obtained from the Fu family skewed toward the upper echelons of Great Xia.

Integrating the information from both sides allowed Shen Yuan to gain a more comprehensive view of the current situation in Great Xia.

Great Xia had ruled this land for three thousand years; Shen Yuan believed that the dynasty must have made plans for the arrival of the Spirit Tide.

Yet, with the Spirit Tide having returned only a few months ago, Great Xia was already showing clear signs of decline. There had to be other reasons for this.

However, after only a moment of reflection, Shen Yuan cast the thought aside.

What does the situation in Great Xia have to do with me?

Although I possess the Earthly Fiend Divine Ability, I am still far too weak in the face of a behemoth like the Great Xia imperial court. How could I possibly influence them?

Besides, I have no intention of getting involved in the internal struggles of Great Xia. A life of carefree longevity is my goal.

Looking at the rather nervous Maine Coon, Shen Yuan nodded and continued to ask, "How much do you know about the Water Tribe in Cloud Prefecture?"

Although the water spirits and monsters were technically demons, they had formed a system of their own due to the influence of the Dragon Lords, calling themselves the Water Tribe.

However, the essence of the Water Tribe was still demonic, and they must have had some interactions with the Demon Race. Asking the Maine Coon might yield some useful information.

If he could pinpoint a place where a large number of the Water Tribe gathered, he would surely be able to confirm the existence of an Innate Spirit Pool within those waters, as only an Innate Spirit Pool could provide the spiritual energy required to sustain a large population of the Water Tribe.

The Maine Coon had not expected Shen Yuan to mention the Water Tribe, and it furrowed its brows in deep thought.

After a long while, the Maine Coon spoke up with a puzzled expression:

"When I was attending a Demon Race trade fair at Cloudmist Mountain, a Crab Demon at the Essence-Refining stage claimed to be from the Azure Billow River, though I do not know which part of the river it came from."

The Azure Billow River ran through Cloud Prefecture and Mist Province; it was a famous river within the borders of Great Xia and, in ancient times, had been a body of water controlled by a Dragon Lord.

Such a vast river system would certainly contain an Innate Spirit Pool, but without knowing the specific location, it was meaningless.

If he were to search the entire length of the Azure Billow River, the time spent would likely be measured in months, which was simply not worth it for Shen Yuan.

With a hint of disappointment on his face, Shen Yuan shook his head and sighed:

"Forget it, in that case—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Maine Coon seemed to recall something and suddenly perked up, saying:

"I remember now! A group of the Water Tribe seems to have occupied the Wave-Calming Pool outside of Dongting Lake. These water spirits drove away the humans for dozens of miles around and turned the Wave-Calming Pool into their own territory.

According to other demons at the trade fair, there is a Wave-Calming Dragon Lord at the Wave-Calming Pool—a truly remarkable big shot."

Upon hearing the title "Dragon Lord," Shen Yuan was startled for a moment, but he immediately realized that this could not possibly be a true Dragon Lord.

One had to understand that to be enfeoffed as a Dragon Lord by the dragon race, one had to be at least a Demon King at the Void-Refining stage; such beings could not possibly exist in the current world.

If it were a true Dragon Lord, they could have taken advantage of the return of the Spirit Tide to seize the initiative, occupy the Four Rivers, and become one of the co-rulers of the Water Tribe. They would never be hiding in an obscure place like the Wave-Calming Pool.

The so-called Wave-Calming Dragon Lord was likely just a character similar to a Pond Dragon King or a Well Dragon King.

Regardless, the fact that it could give birth to the rudiments of a water-based system proved that there was indeed an Innate Spirit Pool within the Wave-Calming Pool.

"It is a pity that the Spirit Pool already has an owner."

Shen Yuan felt a bit of regret, but he did not harbor any thoughts of seizing it by force.

If he were to plunder an Innate Spirit Pool just to break through the Essence-Refining stage today, would he have to continue plundering his way forward whenever he reached a higher realm?

Cultivation indeed required one to follow their own heart, but if one were to act recklessly for selfish gain and incur karmic sins, one would never attain the Great Dao of longevity.

Therefore, upon learning that the Wave-Calming Pool had an owner, Shen Yuan changed his mindset.

However, just then, the Maine Coon spoke up.

"Is there something the True Lord needs from the Water Tribe?"

Shen Yuan had nothing to hide and replied casually, "I am merely preparing to borrow an Innate Spirit Pool from the Water Tribe for my own use."

The Maine Coon's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and it hurriedly said:

"Before I returned to Wen City, I heard the demons of Cloudfloat Mountain say that the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord intends to build a Dragon Palace and will be hosting guests from all over at the Wave-Calming Pool.

With such resources, the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord must have an Innate Spirit Pool in the pool. The True Lord can accompany me to the banquet, and then you can ask the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord to borrow the Spirit Pool."

In the eyes of the Maine Coon, Shen Yuan, a dignified Void-Refining True Lord, was practically invincible in the current world where the Spirit Tide had only just begun to recover.

As long as he spoke, the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord would certainly not dare to refuse.

However, these words carried a different meaning to Shen Yuan.

"Hosting guests from all over? That is an opportunity to make contact. However, the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord would certainly not be willing to show such a treasure as an Innate Spirit Pool to others easily.

If I can offer something that attracts the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord for a trade, there might be a chance.

After all, while Innate Spirit Pools are rare in the early stages of the Spirit Tide, they are not exactly one-of-a-kind."

When it came to trading, the first thing that came to Shen Yuan's mind was, naturally, storage artifacts.

Great Xia had gone through a three-thousand-year period of spiritual depletion, and very few storage artifacts had survived such a long time; their value went without saying.

If Shen Yuan chose to trade the right to use the Innate Spirit Pool for a storage artifact, the Wave-Calming Dragon Lord would likely accept.

Thinking of this, Shen Yuan's train of thought instantly cleared, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

The only problem now was that creating storage artifacts required spiritual materials. The Fu family was still in the process of collecting them and had yet to respond, so he would have to find another way.

Shifting his gaze, Shen Yuan looked at the Maine Coon right before him.

"As a Demon Race member of the Transformation Realm returning from Cloudfloat Mountain, you must be considered a top-tier talent among your kind. You should have at least a few spiritual items on you, right?"

With this thought in mind, Shen Yuan simply asked directly, "Do you have any spiritual items on you?"

Shen Yuan's sudden change of topic left the Maine Coon stunned; it took a long while to react before it hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, I do!"

The Maine Coon clenched its right paw into a fist and struck its chest. Its throat rippled, and a piece of spiritual wood less than a finger long was spat out from its mouth.

This was the most common method for Demon Race members who lacked storage artifacts: storing precious items within their bodies and retrieving them when needed.

Wrapped in demon energy, the spiritual wood was not stained with any filth. The pale purple wood featured patterns resembling auspicious clouds and emitted a strange, refreshing fragrance.

Respectfully offering the spiritual wood, the Maine Coon hurriedly spoke:

"This item is called Cloudfloat Purple Sandalwood, a spiritual treasure native to Cloudfloat Mountain. If ignited, it can calm the mind, focus the spirit, and dispel inner demons. It is a top-grade ingredient for alchemy.

If True Lord wishes to use it, it can be paired with—"

Before the Maine Coon could finish, Shen Yuan flicked his finger, and a beam of sword light split the Cloudfloat Purple Sandalwood into three pieces.

The Maine Coon's words stuck in its throat, its eyes filled with the agony of seeing something precious wasted.

The medicinal properties of Cloudfloat Purple Sandalwood changed with its length; a finger-long piece was of immeasurable value and was the most precious item it had obtained on Cloudfloat Mountain.

Shen Yuan casually chopping it into three segments made the Maine Coon's heart ache uncontrollably.

Using his finger as a sword, Shen Yuan shaved away the excess parts of the spiritual wood, slowly carving it into a purple wooden ring that looked incredibly crude.

Shen Yuan inspected it for a moment before tossing the purple wooden ring to the Maine Coon.

"Take it!"

The Maine Coon caught the ring made of Cloudfloat Purple Sandalwood. The burrs on it hadn't even been polished off, and it looked exactly like a child's toy.

"Use your divine sense to look."

Following Shen Yuan's instruction, the Maine Coon extended its divine sense to observe, and an independent space suddenly unfolded from the ring.

"A storage artifact!"

The pain on the Maine Coon's face vanished, replaced by an expression of utter shock as it stared at the crude ring.

"True Lord, this..."

"Just a little trinket made from your spiritual wood. It was merely a practice piece; you may keep it."

Shen Yuan's tone was nonchalant, but the shock it left the Maine Coon with was beyond measure.

To create a storage artifact from a piece of ordinary spiritual wood without engraving any formation patterns or utilizing void stones to open a storage space—such a feat far exceeded the Maine Coon's understanding.

As Shen Yuan carved his second piece, he seemed to recall something and spoke to the Maine Coon:

"By the way, don't call me True Lord. I am no True Lord."

"You may address me as Sir."