"My younger brother's task is to guard that person," the Dragon Emperor said. Luo Qian glanced at the palace and thought that the Heavenly River's aquatic clans had paid dearly indeed for a single River-Sealing Edict from the Supreme Pure Emperor.
Little Goldfish had sensed their presence long before and swam out to meet them. He flicked his tail back and forth before the empty palace entrance. "Elder brother, Your Majesty the Supreme Pure Emperor—oh, and Boss Luo, what brings you here too?" Xu Hu shot Luo Qian a sidelong glance. This fellow claimed he had connections everywhere in the Immortal Realm. He really wasn't boasting. Even the Dragon Emperor's brother knows him this well.
Luo Qian grinned. "Of course I had to come." Little Goldfish understood: how could the matchmaker stay away? Luo Qian offered no explanation. "Prince Goudan, hurry and take us to see the fellow sealed here." Little Goldfish glared at him in annoyance, then looked at the Dragon Emperor. The Dragon Emperor nodded. "Let's go. That's precisely why His Majesty Taiqing came this time." Little Goldfish nodded and led them into the palace. They crossed the main hall, where the fountain still bubbled merrily. Behind it ran a passage to either side. Little Goldfish flicked his tail, and an arched doorway slowly opened in the central stone wall, breathing out a deep, icy chill. "Follow me."
"My younger brother controls this Formation," the Dragon Emperor said. "Without him, even I couldn't open this door." Beyond the archway lay a stretch of dark water. The water itself was black and thick as oil. It remained sharply distinct from the water outside, without mixing with it in the slightest.
"This is the River Eye, the source of the Heavenly River. All of this is Ancient Water Essence. A