"Something's wrong. There should be thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls—why is there only one?"
Dijiang frowned, extending his Primordial Spirit to inspect it closely.
A moment later, realization dawned on him.
Though this pearl possessed abundant origin, its laws were incomplete. Clearly, it was merely one of the thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.
"It seems the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls were scattered throughout the Primordial World during the calamity of creation. This one happened to fall here and concealed its aura with the help of this water vein."
Dijiang secretly rejoiced.
Even if there was only one, it was still a genuine component of a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.
If all thirty-six could be gathered, they could even evolve into thirty-six heavens, their power boundless!
Gonggong wielded the Water Law. If he obtained this Sea-Calming Divine Pearl, his strength would surely soar by leaps and bounds.
Just as he was about to reach out and collect the pearl, an abrupt change occurred!
"Boom!"
The formation barrier above the underwater manor suddenly let out a groan of unbearable strain. Immediately afterward, a tyrannical and terrifying aura brutally tore through the barrier and descended into the manor.
"Ha ha ha! I have pursued this Water Origin for tens of thousands of years. Who would have thought it was hidden in such a filthy place!"
Accompanied by arrogant laughter, a burly man clad in dark golden dragon-scale armor, with two horns growing from his head, strode into the underwater manor.
The powerful aura of Mid Zenith Heaven swirled around him. His vertical pupils brimmed with greed and brutality as they fixed unblinkingly upon the Sea-Calming Divine Pearl atop the white jade platform.
When he saw Dijiang and the other two standing before the platform, he was first taken aback, then revealed a cruel smile. "Three Early Daluo Golden Immortals? Perfect. Today, not only will I take this treasure, I will also use your essence blood to refine my Dragon Abyss Sword!"
This burly man was none other than a direct elder of the Dragon Clan. Having just slaughtered a group of aquatic beings above, he had accidentally sensed a trace of aura leaking from the damaged formation and tracked it here.
Faced with the taunts of this Mid Zenith Heaven Dragon Clan elder, Houtu frowned slightly, while killing intent instantly boiled in Xuanming's eyes. Though he was one minor realm above her, she was utterly fearless and was about to draw that broken blade.
But Dijiang raised a hand to stop them.
He looked at the utterly arrogant Dragon Clan elder as though he were looking at a dead man.
"A Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Pureblood True Dragon?"
A cold curve touched Dijiang's lips.
"Too noisy for a mount. For refining a weapon... you're barely qualified."
"Presumptuous!"
The burly man flew into a towering rage upon hearing this.
He was a noble Pureblood True Dragon and a Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. In this Primordial World, aside from the elders of the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan, who dared spout such wild boasts before him?
"Since you are in such a hurry to die, I shall grant your wish!"
With an enraged roar, a dark golden longsword appeared out of thin air in the burly man's hand.
Dense Gui Water Divine Thunder and violent dragon might coiled around the blade. His Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal mana poured forth without reservation, transforming into a terrifying sword radiance a thousand zhang long that cleaved viciously toward Dijiang's head with the force to rend all things apart.
Even the surrounding space was pressed into violent distortion by this strike, letting out explosive cracks under the strain.
Houtu and Xuanming stood behind Dijiang, yet neither even blinked. They possessed absolute confidence in their elder brother.
Facing this heaven-destroying, earth-shattering strike, Dijiang remained calm and did not even bring out a magic treasure.
He merely slowly raised his right hand, extended his long index and middle fingers, and lightly pinched toward the descending sword radiance.
"Clang!"
A deafening crash, sharp enough to pierce metal and shatter stone, exploded within the cramped underwater manor.
Violent Sword Qi swept in every direction like a hurricane, yet when it came within three feet of Dijiang, it was entirely dissolved by an invisible spatial barrier.
Meanwhile, the imposing Dragon Abyss Sword was firmly clamped between Dijiang's two fingers. No matter how the Dragon Clan elder urged his mana, the blade seemed to have grown roots, utterly motionless.
"Th-this is impossible!"
The burly man's vertical pupils abruptly shrank to pinpoints, his face filled with disbelief.
Even a Daluo Golden Immortal of the same realm would not dare receive his full-force strike barehanded. Yet this nameless man, who possessed only Early Zenith Heaven cultivation, had caught his Spirit Treasure with just two fingers?!
What a terrifying physical body!
"The Dragon Clan's physical body is indeed among the best in the Primordial World."
Dijiang looked at the horrified Dragon Clan elder, his tone indifferent. "But before the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, it is nothing more than a clay chicken and porcelain dog."
The instant his words fell, Dijiang suddenly exerted force with his fingertips.
"Crack—"
A crisp shattering sound rang out as the Dragon Abyss Sword, an upper-grade Acquired Spirit Treasure, was forcibly snapped in two by Dijiang!
"Pfft!" With his life-bound magic treasure destroyed, the Dragon Clan elder seemed to have been struck by lightning. He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of organs, and his aura instantly withered.
Overwhelming terror finally drowned his reason.
Run!
He had to run!
The young man before him was no ordinary cultivator.
"Roar!"
Ignoring the grievous injuries from the backlash, the burly man threw back his head and released an earth-shaking dragon roar. His body swelled instantly, transforming into a dark golden giant dragon tens of thousands of zhang long. It smashed through the dome of the underwater manor and was about to flee toward the horizon.
"Trying to leave now? Too late."
Dijiang gave a cold snort as silver Space Law flowed frantically within his eyes.
He raised his right hand and clenched it at the void from afar.
"Spatial Imprisonment."
Buzz—
The space within ten thousand miles seemed to freeze completely at that moment.
The dark golden giant dragon, which had just burst from the water and risen into the air, was like an insect sealed in amber, forcibly fixed in midair. No matter how frantically he struggled, he could not move in the slightest.
"Big Brother, let me."
Xuanming, who had not acted until now, suddenly spoke, a trace of bloodlust seeping through her cool voice.
Her figure flashed, and she instantly appeared above the enormous dragon head. The pitch-black broken blade she had obtained from Mount Buzhou stabbed down fiercely from her hand.
The utmost frigid laws mixed with the terrifying killing aura within the broken blade pierced directly through the giant dragon's Niwan Palace via its head.
"Aoo—"
Accompanied by an incomparably miserable scream, the Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Dragon Clan elder's Primordial Spirit was instantly frozen and shredded. His vast life force rapidly drained away, and he fell completely.
Dijiang stepped into the air and skillfully used the Space Law to extract the dragon sinews from the ten-thousand-zhang giant dragon. He then stripped away and stored all of its indestructible dragon scales and True Dragon essence blood.
"A Daluo Golden Immortal's dragon sinews can be used to refine a long whip for little sister Houtu. These dragon bones and scales will also be useful for forging weapons for my younger brothers." Dijiang nodded in satisfaction and stuffed all the materials into his spatial storage.
Only after dealing with the spoils did Dijiang return to the underwater manor and take the Sea-Calming Divine Pearl, which emitted a gentle blue glow, into his palm.
The instant the pearl entered his hand, it conveyed a warm, moist aura of water.
Dijiang did not rush to refine it, instead tossing it directly into a space he had casually opened.
"Let's go. The disturbance here was not small. It will soon draw experts from the other three clans."
With a sweep of his sleeve, Dijiang erased every trace the three had left behind, then led Houtu and Xuanming onward upon their journey of exploration.
Before you continue