Great Principle Late Stage Enters the Formation, Mysterious Abyss Emperor Calms the Sea with a Dream

Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Ao Xuan held the decree, his expression even colder than it had been a thousand years ago.

He looked at the Guixu cultivators standing ready atop Dragon-Suppressing Pass, a trace of mockery curling at his lips.

"It seems you've prepared thoroughly over these thousand years."

Lan Shuang stood on the battlements and replied calmly.

"Guixu never underestimates its guests."

Ao Xuan sneered.

"Guests?"

"I did not come as a guest today."

"The thousand-year deadline has arrived. Is Mysterious Abyss Emperor willing to accompany us to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace?"

Lan Shuang said, "The Emperor remains in seclusion."

"Guixu's affairs can be discussed at Dragon-Suppressing Pass."

Ao Xuan's gaze darkened.

"You still intend to stall?"

At that moment, the white-haired elder behind Ao Xuan slowly raised his head.

He was Ao Cang, an elder of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage.

Great Principle Late Stage.

His aura was utterly different from that of the Blackwater Dragon King.

The Blackwater Dragon King's aura was gloomy and domineering, carrying the Blackwater Law of the Northern Sea branch.

Ao Cang's Dragon aura was purer and far more unfathomable.

An ancient majesty from the Ancestral Dragon Main Lineage surrounded him.

Even Ancestor Xuan Jia, standing within Dragon-Suppressing Pass's inner gate, felt crushing pressure.

Ao Cang looked at Dragon-Suppressing Pass and slowly spoke.

"Mysterious Abyss Emperor."

"I have come personally. Will you still not show yourself?"

As his voice fell, the entire Guixu Outer Sea trembled.

The cultivators atop Dragon-Suppressing Pass all turned pale.

Even with the formations offsetting the pressure, the aura of a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator was still difficult for them to endure.

Ao Lie looked at Ao Cang and said softly, "He is much stronger than my father."

Han Jue asked, "How much stronger?"

Ao Lie fell silent for a moment.

"If the Emperor is absent, Dragon-Suppressing Pass cannot hold."

Han Jue's expression turned grave.

He did not argue.

Facing someone like Ao Cang, he still possessed fighting spirit, but he knew full well that even qualifying to intervene was a struggle for him now.

Lan Shuang pushed the Book of Cause and Effect to its limit.

Black-and-white radiance enveloped Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Lady Mingzhu also activated the treasury formation core, and thirty thousand Mystic Water Pearls lit up at once.

Feng Li led the Frost Phoenix Lineage in releasing a freezing mist.

Ancestor Xuan Jia activated every turtle-shell formation pattern of the inner gate.

The entirety of Dragon-Suppressing Pass entered its strongest defensive state.

Ao Cang watched all this, and at last a trace of interest appeared in his eyes.

"Interesting."

"In merely a thousand years, you have reinforced a border pass to this extent."

"Guixu truly has some skill."

Ao Xuan said coldly, "Elder, why waste words with them?"

"Mysterious Abyss Emperor has slighted the Dragon Clan's decree, detained Dragon Clan bloodlines, and sheltered clan deserters."

"If Guixu does not pay a price today, where will the main lineage's dignity stand?"

Ao Cang did not attack immediately.

His gaze shifted to Ao Lie outside the Outer Gate of Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

"Ao Lie, are you willing to return to the Dragon Clan?"

Ao Lie's heart sank.

Everyone looked toward him.

After a moment of silence, Ao Lie said, "My term of punishment has not ended."

Ao Xuan sneered.

"Again with the term of punishment."

Ao Cang slowly said, "If I crush Dragon-Suppressing Pass today, then your term of punishment will be meaningless."

Ao Lie's eyes turned faintly cold.

"Then crush it first."

Ao Cang looked at him, then suddenly smiled.

"You do have some backbone."

"Unfortunately, you are using it in the wrong place."

As his words fell.

Ao Cang took one step forward.

No Dragon army charged into formation.

Nor was there any probing attack.

He merely raised a hand and lightly pressed it toward Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Boom!

The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation across thirty thousand miles of the Outer Sea shook at once.

The dharma power of a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator pressed down like a deep sea.

The first light barrier of Dragon-Suppressing Pass shook violently.

Countless formation patterns on the walls emitted piercing hums at the same time.

The three thousand Realm Guard cultivators turned pale.

Han Jue roared.

"Form the formation!"

The Realm Guard swiftly formed the Black Tortoise Formation.

Feng Li, Lady Mingzhu, Lan Shuang, and Ancestor Xuan Jia acted at once to stabilize the formation cores.

But Ao Cang's palm strike was too powerful.

He used no flashy methods whatsoever.

He was simply crushing them with his realm and dharma power.

That was precisely the hardest kind of attack to handle.

The Return Ruins Heavy Water was forcibly pressed apart.

Before the power of Black Tortoise Soul Suppression could approach Ao Cang, it was blocked by the Dragon aura around him.

The radiance of the Book of Cause and Effect fell upon him, yet it could only reveal a blur of golden light.

The Fortune of the main Dragon Clan lineage was far greater than that of the Blackwater Dragon Palace.

Ao Cang's expression remained calm.

"If this is all you rely upon, then it ends here."

His palm pressed down again.

Crack!

A fissure split open in the first light barrier of Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Within Dragon-Suppressing Pass, everyone's hearts sank.

Ao Xuan sneered.

"Guixu is nothing special after all."

At that moment.

A sigh came from the depths of Guixu.

"Sigh."

The sigh was very soft.

Yet it instantly spread throughout Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Lan Shuang's eyes lit up.

"Emperor!"

Han Jue, Ao Lie, Ancestor Xuan Jia, and the others all raised their heads at once.

The Guixu Womb Membrane slowly opened a narrow slit.

A Black Tortoise Dharma Body more solid than before emerged above Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Ao Cang looked up.

"Finally willing to show yourself?"

Lu Chen did not answer.

As he looked at Ao Cang, the pressure in his heart was immense.

Great Principle Late Stage.

He truly could not be compared to the Blackwater Dragon King.

Even after a thousand years of reinforcement, the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation had been cracked by two of his palm strikes.

If they continued to clash head-on, Dragon-Suppressing Pass would inevitably be damaged sooner or later.

He did not want to reveal his true body.

But relying solely on his Dharma Body and the formation, he likely could not suppress Ao Cang easily either.

The system's voice rang out.

"Detected Great Principle Late Stage Ao Cang of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage entering the formation. Please choose."

"First: Manifest your true body and forcefully suppress Ao Cang. Reward: thirty percent of Northern Water Fortune."

"Second: Abandon Dragon-Suppressing Pass and retreat to the Guixu Inner Realm. Reward: Calamity-Averting Divine Light."

"Third: Enter the Dream Guixu and use the sleeping Dharma manifestation to mobilize the Ruins Sea Eye. Reward: Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique."

Lu Chen's gaze fell on the third option.

Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique.

Use the sleeping Dharma manifestation to mobilize the Ruins Sea Eye.

It sounded perfectly suited to him.

He would not need to move his true body.

And he could still put on an unfathomable display.

"Choose the third."

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique."

An unfathomable method merged into Lu Chen's Primordial Spirit.

This divine ability was extraordinarily unique.

It was not an offensive technique, but one that used the aura of Lu Chen's true body sleeping in the depths of Guixu to construct a dreamlike Dharma manifestation.

Once an enemy was drawn into it, they would see Lu Chen's true body infinitely magnified within the dream.

His actual combat strength might not increase by much.

But the sense of oppression was extremely strong.

It was especially suitable for intimidating others.

Lu Chen understood instantly.

Good stuff.

It suited him perfectly.

Seeing the Black Tortoise Dharma Body remain silent, impatience flashed through Ao Cang's eyes.

"Playing mysterious games."

He stepped into the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation.

The Dragon might of a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator forcibly spread open the Return Ruins Heavy Water.

Everyone at Dragon-Suppressing Pass grew tense.

At that moment, Lu Chen activated the Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique.

In the depths of Guixu.

The enormous Black Tortoise True Body remained asleep.

With every breath, the Ruins Sea Eye rose and fell in turn.

A wisp of dreamlike gray aura rose from the turtle shell of Lu Chen's true body and merged into the Guixu Dharma Body.

Just as Ao Cang was about to continue his attack, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

Dragon-Suppressing Pass vanished.

The Guixu Outer Sea vanished.

Ao Xuan, Lan Shuang, Han Jue, Ao Lie, and everyone else vanished.

He stood amid a boundless black sea of chaos.

Beneath the sea's surface, a Black Tortoise too vast to describe lay sleeping.

Its shell resembled an ancient continent.

Its four legs hung down as though supporting the borders of chaos.

With a single breath, it stirred tides that stretched billions of miles across the black sea.

The patterns on its shell resembled the traces of the Great Dao from before heaven and earth had opened.

Ao Cang's mind trembled violently.

As an elder of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage, his knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary Great Principles.

Yet at this moment, he sensed from that sleeping Black Tortoise an oppressive aura that seemed to originate from the primordial beginning.

What kind of existence was this?

Before the Beast Tribulation?

At the very dawn of creation?

Or an ancient sacred being nurtured by Northern Sea Guixu itself?

Within the dream, the Black Tortoise seemed to notice him.

It slowly opened one eye.

Boom!

Ao Cang's Primordial Spirit erupted in agony.

Outside.

Everyone only saw Ao Cang suddenly halt after entering the formation.

Then his body shuddered violently, dragon blood spilling from his seven orifices.

The originally overwhelming pressure of a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator collapsed in an instant.

Ao Xuan's expression changed drastically.

"Elder!"

At Dragon-Suppressing Pass, everyone stared in stunned disbelief as well.

They had no idea what had happened.

They only saw Ao Cang enter the formation, while the Emperor's Dharma Body merely hovered there in silence.

Then Ao Cang spat blood.

Han Jue muttered, "What did the Emperor do?"

Ao Lie's eyes were filled with shock.

"I couldn't tell."

Ancestor Xuan Jia's expression was solemn.

"This old man couldn't tell either."

Lan Shuang's heart churned with raging waves.

They could not understand.

That was normal.

If they could easily understand the Emperor's methods, then he would not be the Emperor.

Ao Cang struggled to raise his head, terror appearing in his eyes for the first time.

He stared at the Black Tortoise Dharma Body, his voice hoarse.

"You..."

"From what era did you survive?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen inwardly relaxed.

He had been frightened.

Good.

The Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique really worked.

Since he had been frightened, Lu Chen had to press the advantage.

The Black Tortoise Dharma Body looked down at Ao Cang, its voice calm.

"Guixu does not involve itself in the struggle of the three clans."

"But Guixu is not a place the Dragon Clan can simply trample."

Ao Cang fell silent.

Ao Xuan's expression darkened.

"Elder, he's only putting on a bluff..."

"Shut up!"

Ao Cang suddenly barked.

Ao Xuan stiffened.

He had never seen Ao Cang lose his composure like this.

Ao Cang took a deep breath and suppressed the agony in his Primordial Spirit.

He knew very well that glance had been no ordinary illusion.

If the other side truly wished to kill him, it might not be easy.

But if he continued his assault on Dragon-Suppressing Pass, he would certainly pay an extremely heavy price.

And there was no need to pay that price right now.

The Dragon-Han Final Battle was imminent.

The strength of the Dragon Clan Main Lineage could not be wasted on a Guixu he could not see through.

Ao Cang stared at the Black Tortoise Dharma Body and slowly spoke.

"Today, this old man will remember this."

"This old man will truthfully report the matter of Guixu to the main lineage."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

Report it to the main lineage?

That was not good news.

Yet outwardly, he remained calm.

"As you wish."

Ao Cang gave him a long, deep look.

Then he turned around.

"Leave."

Ao Xuan's face was filled with unwillingness.

"Elder!"

Ao Cang said coldly, "Leave."

Ao Xuan did not dare speak again.

The Dragon Clan Main Lineage's party slowly withdrew.

Only after their auras had completely retreated from Dragon-Suppressing Pass did the entire Guixu erupt in long-suppressed cheers.

"They retreated!"

"Even the Dragon Clan Main Lineage retreated!"

"The Emperor subdued a Great Principle with a single dream!"

"Seclusion Realm! This is the true Seclusion Realm!"

Han Jue was so excited that his face had turned red.

Ao Lie, however, remained silent for a long while.

Even Ao Cang, a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator, had retreated.

And the Emperor's true body still had not emerged from seclusion.

Phoenix Li stood in the direction of the outer city, looking at the Black Tortoise Dharma Body above Dragon-Suppressing Pass. Her gaze grew ever more resolute.

The Frost Phoenix Lineage had come to the right place.

Lan Shuang held the Book of Cause and Effect, her heart still trembling with shock.

The Emperor slept within Guixu, yet a single dream was enough to drive back a Great Principle Late Stage cultivator.

Such methods had already surpassed her comprehension.

She slowly knelt.

"Congratulations, Emperor, on driving back the Dragon Clan Main Lineage!"

All living beings of Guixu knelt in worship.

"Congratulations, Emperor!"

Deep within Guixu.

Listening to the cheers outside, Lu Chen silently let out a breath.

It had finally passed.

At least for now, the Dragon Clan Main Lineage had temporarily withdrawn.

The system's voice sounded.

"Congratulations to the host for successfully avoiding an escalation of the conflict with the Dragon Clan Main Lineage."

"Reward: the fourth-layer fragment of the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method."

"Guixu Womb Membrane strength increased."

"Great Dream Black Tortoise Technique proficiency increased."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

The Chaos Shell-Shedding Method again.

This round had not been a loss.

But in the next moment, he recalled Ao Cang's words about truthfully reporting it to the main lineage.

Lu Chen immediately could not feel happy anymore.

Above the main lineage, there was still the Ancestral Dragon.

That was the real trouble.

At this moment.

In the distant Eastern Sea.

Deep within the Ancestral Dragon Palace.

A pair of ancient Dragon eyes slowly opened.

"Northern Sea Guixu."

"Black Tortoise."

"Interesting."

As the voice fell, the entire Eastern Sea seemed to fall silent for an instant.