Concealing His Aura, Breaking into the Dragon Palace Perimeter

At the depths of the Eastern Sea, ten thousand zhang beneath the surface, the water pressure had reached a terrifying degree. An ordinary Golden Immortal would be crushed to dust by the slightest carelessness. A faint mist of chaos lingered around Xuan Chen, completely wrapping up his aura. He pushed the Chaos Breath Concealment Art to its limit, enough to deceive even the Heavenly Dao's scrutiny to some extent. He transformed into an invisible streak of light and glided along the rock wall of the trench. The crack blasted open by the Formation-Breaking Talismans had already rapidly healed, but that brief surge of energy had alerted the patrol guards around the Dragon Palace.

"Strengthen the guard! There was something wrong with that energy fluctuation just now. An enemy may have infiltrated!" a Dragon Clan commander wearing black armor and bearing dragon horns shouted grimly. He was a Late Golden Immortal, wielding a water-parting spear, his sharp gaze sweeping over the surrounding sea like an eagle's. Behind him, dozens of Dragon Clan soldiers immediately spread out into a fan-shaped search formation. Their dragon might intertwined into an invisible net, attempting to uncover the infiltrator's trail.

Xuan Chen knew in his heart that the Dragon Clan truly deserved to be one of the overlords of the Primordial World. Their reaction had been remarkably swift. He did not dare relax in the slightest, drawing the chaos mist in to the utmost degree while activating the Myriad Transformations Return to the Origin Art to imitate a faint aura of a Dragon Clan branch. It was the lingering aura of a Flood Dragon Clan group he had encountered outside Mount Buzhou before. Though different from a pure Dragon Clan bloodline, it was enough to muddle the senses beneath the cover of the deep sea.

He adjusted his form and pretended to be a low-ranking Dragon Clan soldier patrolling the trench. He slowly swam out from behind the rock wall, deliberately exposing half his body as he let out a low dragon roar tinged with laziness and impatience. The Dragon Clan commander's gaze immediately swept over him. Divine sense carefully examined Xuan Chen, yet detected only a thin Dragon Clan bloodline aura. His cultivation fluctuations were merely at the Early-Stage Golden Immortal realm, no different from an ordinary soldier of a Dragon Clan branch.

"Where did you come from? Why are you lingering here?" The Dragon Clan commander frowned slightly, his tone reproachful.

Xuan Chen lowered his head and deliberately made his voice sound timid. "Reporting to the general, this subordinate is from the flood dragon race of the Western Sea Dragon Domain. I was ordered to come to the Eastern Sea as reinforcement. I sensed the energy fluctuation just now and came to investigate, fearing that a fierce beast might disturb the Dragon Palace." His words were flawless, both explaining why he was here and fitting the identity of a low-ranking soldier.

A trace of disdain flashed through the Dragon Clan commander's eyes. The flood dragon race held a low status within the Dragon Clan and had always been regarded by pure-blooded dragons as a lowly branch. He snorted coldly. "A mere flood dragon dares to act on its own? Return to your ranks at once! If you delay the defenses, you will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes, yes, yes, this subordinate will return to the ranks at once!" Xuan Chen hurriedly answered, feigning panic as he turned and swam toward the edge of the patrol unit. His movements were natural and smooth, without the slightest flaw. He even deliberately avoided the commander's gaze, looking thoroughly timid and cringing, completely dispelling the other party's suspicions.

After blending into the edge of the patrol, Xuan Chen pretended to inspect the area while secretly observing the Dragon Palace's defensive layout. The Eastern Sea Dragon Palace was indeed magnificent beyond measure. The entire palace had been carved from deep-sea spirit jade formed over hundreds of millions of years, its surface flowing with soft spiritual radiance. Countless pearls and corals adorned it, making it resemble an immortal realm beneath the sea. Beyond the palace, apart from soldiers patrolling back and forth, layers upon layers of restrictions had been arranged. Every hundred zhang stood a crystal tower, emitting probing divine sense that covered an extremely broad range.

Xuan Chen noticed that the Dragon Palace's defenses were tight outside and loose within. The outer soldiers were densely stationed, and restrictions were everywhere, but deeper within the palace, the number of patrol soldiers gradually decreased, replaced by stronger formation defenses. This matched the system's warning that the Dragon Clan's main force had gone out to wage war and the treasury's defenses were weak. Although powerful experts guarded the core region, the outer defenses relied more heavily on formations and low-ranking soldiers.

Taking advantage of his patrol, he continuously adjusted his position and moved closer to the treasury on the western side of the Dragon Palace. Along the way, he encountered three patrol groups, each composed of Golden Immortals or above. There were even two Late Golden Immortal commanders among them. Xuan Chen always maintained the aura of a low-ranking flood dragon, behaved humbly, and casually made up excuses whenever questioned. With the concealment of the Chaos Breath Concealment Art and the mimicry of the Myriad Transformations Return to the Origin Art, he escaped danger time and again.

When he reached a coral reef, Xuan Chen suddenly sensed a powerful sweep of divine sense. This divine sense far surpassed that of the Dragon Clan commanders from before; it belonged to at least a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal! His heart tightened. He knew this was a routine inspection by one of the Dragon Palace's resident elders. He immediately stopped, gathered all his focus, and suppressed his aura to its lowest point. At the same time, he circulated Primordial Unity Power, allowing the chaos mist to blend with the aura of the surrounding seawater until he resembled a lifeless reef. That divine sense lingered over him for a moment, seemingly detecting something unusual. Yet Xuan Chen's simulated flood dragon aura was extremely realistic, and the chaos mist could isolate the fluctuations of the Great Dao. In the end, after probing no further, the divine sense slowly withdrew. Xuan Chen secretly let out a breath. A Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal's divine sense was truly terrifying; the slightest carelessness would expose his whereabouts.

After proceeding several more li, a vast crystal plaza appeared ahead. At its center stood a towering ceremonial archway, inscribed with four ancient seal-script characters: "Dragon Palace Treasury." The lettering contained immense power of the water-element Great Dao, radiating a pressure that chilled one to the bone. On either side of the archway stood a massive stone dragon statue. Their dragon eyes were wide open, and pale water vapor flowed from their mouths, forming an invisible barrier. This was the outer restriction of the Dragon Palace Treasury—the Stone Dragon Water Suppression Formation.

There were even more patrol soldiers in the plaza, and all of them were at least Mid-Stage Golden Immortals. The two commanders at the head of the force had reached Peak Golden Immortal, only a single step away from Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. They held long spears and vigilantly scanned every corner of the plaza. Their divine senses intertwined, forming an airtight protective net.

Xuan Chen hid behind a coral reef at the edge of the plaza, carefully observing the operation of the Stone Dragon Water Suppression Formation. The two stone dragon statues served as the formation's eyes, drawing upon the waters of the Eastern Sea for power. When activated, the formation could unleash countless water arrows, powerful enough to severely wound an Early-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Moreover, this formation was linked to the Dragon Palace's core formation. Once disturbed, it would not only trigger an alarm but also summon the resident Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal elder for support.

To infiltrate the treasury, I must first break the Stone Dragon Water Suppression Formation without triggering the alarm. Xuan Chen considered his options. He took out the Formation-Breaking Talismans he had prepared earlier and carefully studied the formation's patterns. He discovered that its weakness lay at the center of the brows of the two stone dragon statues. That was where the formation's energy gathered, and where its defenses were weakest.

However, there were many patrol soldiers in the plaza. Approaching the stone dragon statues without being discovered would be extremely difficult. Xuan Chen pondered for a moment, and a plan came to mind. He circulated Primordial Unity Power and condensed several faint traces of chaos aura, throwing them toward the coral reefs on the other side of the plaza. Those traces mimicked the aura of fierce beasts. Though faint, they were enough to draw the patrol soldiers' attention.

"A fierce beast has broken in!" As expected, one patrol soldier detected the anomaly and immediately raised the alarm. The soldiers in the plaza instantly stirred. The two Peak Golden Immortal commanders exchanged a glance and immediately led most of the soldiers toward the coral reefs, leaving only a few behind to guard the archway.

The opportunity had arrived! A gleam flashed through Xuan Chen's eyes. His body flickered, and he shot out from the coral reef like a ghost, racing toward the stone dragon statue on the left. His speed was so fast that he left afterimages in his wake. At the same time, he activated the Chaos Breath Concealment Art, completely hiding his aura and evading the remaining soldiers' sight.

In the blink of an eye, Xuan Chen arrived beneath the stone dragon statue. Looking up, he saw a pale-blue crystal at the center of its brow, radiating dense water-element energy. It was the formation's energy core. Without hesitation, Xuan Chen took out a Formation-Breaking Talisman, infused it with pure Primordial Unity Power, and pressed it onto the crystal.

The instant the talisman touched the crystal, it erupted with dazzling blue light. A surge of Chaos Power flowed through the crystal into the formation's interior, forcibly disrupting the formation's energy circulation. The stone dragon statue let out a low rumble. The light in its eyes gradually dimmed, and the watery vapor barrier around it began to thin.

Xuan Chen did not dare delay. He immediately flashed away and raced toward the stone dragon statue on the right. By then, the soldiers on the other side of the plaza had realized they had been tricked and were rushing back toward the archway, roaring angrily. Xuan Chen accelerated, affixed another Formation-Breaking Talisman to the crystal at the right stone dragon's brow, and likewise injected it with Primordial Unity Power.

Two rumbles rang out almost simultaneously. The light of both stone dragon statues completely went out, and the barrier of the Stone Dragon Water Suppression Formation instantly dispersed. Seizing that opening, Xuan Chen transformed into a streak of light, rushed past the archway, and entered the outer passage of the Dragon Palace Treasury. Behind him, furious dragon roars and soldiers' cries rose one after another, but he had successfully broken through the first line of defense of the Dragon Palace Treasury.

The passage was dimly lit, with luminous pearls embedded in the walls on both sides, illuminating the road ahead. The air was filled with dense spiritual energy and the scent of treasures, making one feel refreshed and invigorated. Xuan Chen steadied his mind, continued concealing his aura, and cautiously walked deeper into the passage. He knew that the road ahead would be even more perilous.