Chapter Summaries

After two Demon Race members were killed aboard the Dragon Ship, the Dragon Envoy failed to identify the culprit, and suspicion spread among the passengers. Xiao Hua continued advising Ao Zhantian until another expert was murdered and a further disturbance suggested the killings were escalating.

• The Dragon Envoy questioned Cheng Chu, concluded he had not killed the Dragon Python and Bi Qi, and left after the other suspects denied involvement.
• Xiao Hua reasoned that the Dragon Envoy might not be able to monitor the entire Dragon Ship, then assured Ao Zhantian he had not committed the killings.
• Ao Zhantian told Xiao Hua about the passengers’ alliances and asked for cultivation advice, which Xiao Hua provided for more than ten days.
• Jing Hong, a powerful Demon Race member, was found dead, and the Dragon Envoy mocked the unseen killer before departing without identifying them.
• After Xiao Hua resumed instructing Ao Zhantian, another tremendous sound shook the Dragon Ship, and Xiao Hua warned that the situation might be growing more troublesome.

After Ao Jingbo’s body arrived on the Dragon Ship, Xiao Hua and Ao Zhantian realized the killings involved humans as well as demons. Ao Moyun gathered the human cultivators to discuss the hidden killer’s motives, while Xiao Hua listened as an outsider.

• Xiao Hua and Ao Zhantian found Ao Jingbo, a human cultivator from Jing Province, dead with a hole through his chest.
• Ao Zhantian secured their pavilion, then Ao Moran invited them to Ao Moyun’s gathering.
• Ao Xun objected to Xiao Hua joining them, but Ao Moyun recognized Xiao Hua and welcomed him into her pavilion.
• The gathered cultivators discussed how Ao Jingbo’s death showed that the attacks were not limited to demons.
• Ao Xun asked what the hidden expert intended to accomplish by killing three demons and one human cultivator.

Ao Moyun gathered the cultivators to protect them from a killer aboard the Dragon Ship, but more Demon Race and human cultivators were found dead. As the ship grew eerily deserted, Ao Moyun concluded that staying together offered no safety and the group prepared to disperse.

• Ao Moyun persuaded the Confucian cultivators to remain together in the pavilion after Ao Zhantian guessed she wanted to prevent the murderer from picking them off one by one.
• A scream led Ao Moyun, Xiao Hua, and the others to Qiu You’s shattered cave, where they found the powerful Demon Race cultivator dead and the Dragon Envoy removed his corpse.
• Ao Moyun suspected that multiple killers were acting before the Dragon Ship reached Dragon Island, and investigators reported that Liang Yong, Ao Feng, and more than a dozen human cultivators had also been killed.
• Xiao Hua, Ao Xun, and Ao Zhantian surveyed the deserted ship and found piles of mutilated human and Demon Race corpses at the place where the Dragon Envoy discarded bodies.
• Ao Moyun said the cultivators should disperse because gathering had not kept them safe, while Ao Xun complained that the Dragon Envoy cared only about returning the ship to Dragon Island.

Ao Moyun told Xiao Hua that she expected to be the murderer’s target and tried to entrust him with a jade pupil containing records of her bloodline, but he refused to become involved in Dragon Island’s affairs. After the Dragon Envoy failed to stop another assassination in front of the assembled cultivators, the crowd scattered, and Xiao Hua urged Ao Moyun and the others to take shelter in Ao Zhantian’s pavilion.

• Ao Moyun privately called six cultivators into the quiet room, using the first five as a smokescreen before asking Xiao Hua to accept a jade pupil.
• Ao Moyun said the jade pupil held records about her bloodline and that she suspected she was the murderer’s target, but Xiao Hua refused to take it.
• Xiao Hua set up the Duotian Star Array in Ao Zhantian’s pavilion and gave Ao Zhantian shelter while he waited outside for news.
• The Dragon Envoy ordered the cultivators to leave their restrictions and gather, hoping to stop further assassinations aboard the Dragon Ship.
• Another cultivator was killed within sight of the Dragon Envoy, prompting the crowd to flee, and Xiao Hua called Ao Moyun and the others back to the pavilion.

Xiao Hua saved Ao Moyun from the hidden murderer, but the killer attacked her pavilion and then turned his attention toward Xiao Hua and the others. The chapter left Xiao Hua confronting a wave of murderous divine sense with a bolt of lightning.

• Xiao Hua led Ao Xun, Ao Moran, and others into the Duotian Star Array, while Ao Moyun refused shelter and left the pavilion.
• After several dozen days of killings, Xiao Hua went invisibly to Ao Moyun’s pavilion and found her expecting someone to come.
• Xiao Hua recognized the approaching danger, captured Ao Moyun with the Mountain River Seal, and escaped as the murderer destroyed her pavilion.
• The Dragon Envoy attacked the empty ruins but failed to find the murderer or Ao Moyun, while Xiao Hua returned injured to Ao Zhantian’s pavilion.
• Xiao Hua removed the Duotian Star Array to keep Ao Zhantian and the others from becoming targets, but a powerful divine sense and dragon might descended upon them.
• Xiao Hua conjured a bolt of lightning and struck toward the top of the pavilion.

After the invisible killer’s attacks stopped, the Dragon Ship reached Dragon Island, which Xiao Hua discovered was hidden inside a droplet of water beneath the sea. As the Dragon Envoy summoned powerful dragons to capture the killer, Xiao Hua and the other passengers were trapped and surrounded.

• Xiao Hua reassured Ao Zhantian and the other Confucian cultivators that the Dragon Clan senior had likely not targeted them, and told them to wait quietly for the Dragon Ship to dock.
• Over the following months, the killer’s attacks ceased after killing forty-seven Demon Race members and thirteen humans.
• The Dragon Ship entered a tiny droplet of water, revealing that Dragon Island was an enormous underwater continent hidden within it.
• Xiao Hua brought Ao Moyun out of his spatial space, and she recognized that he had safely brought her to Dragon Island.
• The Dragon Envoy signaled the dragons at Dragon Island, and they sealed the passengers inside a crystal dome while searching for the killer.
• A Dragon General arrived with nine giant dragons and ordered the dome opened; the dragons then surrounded Xiao Hua and the other passengers with overwhelming Dragon Breath.

Xiao Hua witnessed the Dragon general use the Dragon Language Heavenly Art to capture the disguised Dragon Python, Bi Qi, and Jing Hong, then learned that the art wielded Daoist-like Primordial Qi. The dragon envoy ordered another inspection of the Dragon Blood Descendants before they could ascend Dragon Island.

• Ao Moyun urged the dragon general to inspect the discarded corpses, and Dragon Python, Bi Qi, and Jing Hong sprang out and fled.
• The dragon general pursued the three demons, used Dragon Language Heavenly Art to imprison the surrounding seawater, and captured them in a Dragon Pouch.
• Xiao Hua asked Ao Moyun about the dragon general's technique, and she identified it as Dragon Island's secret Dragon Language Heavenly Art.
• Ao Moyun gave Xiao Hua the jade pupil containing vague records of the art.
• The dragon envoy gathered the Dragon Blood Descendants and announced that they would undergo another thorough inspection for accomplices.

Xiao Hua reached the Dragon Island inspection passage with Ao Zhantian, while a young Dragon Clan elder arrived and learned that Dragon Blood Descendants would be selected to enter the Diecui Relic Realm. After the dragon soldier discovered Xiao Hua’s identity and warned that admitting him could provoke the Immortal Palace, Xiao Hua distracted the Young Clan Elder with a story and avoided an immediate decision.

• Ten giant dragons opened passageways and inspected the Demon Race and humans entering the Dragon Island training grounds.
• The Young Clan Elder arrived, objected to the outsiders entering the Diecui Relic Realm, then learned that the Nine Great Elders had arranged a bloodline selection.
• Ao Zhantian hesitated before confirming that Xiao Hua was his guard and entered the passage after the dragon soldier verified his background.
• The dragon soldier identified Xiao Hua as True Person Xiao Hua and warned that his presence could cause conflict between Dragon Island and the Immortal Palace.
• Xiao Hua began recounting Yuan Ya and Butterfly Dance’s story to captivate the Young Clan Elder while the dragon soldier redirected the demons behind him.

Xiao Hua entered Dragon Island’s Dragon Qi Realm after Xiaolong used his status to secure his admission, despite the dragon envoy’s warnings. As Dragon Island began testing bloodline purity and selecting entrants for the Diecui Relic Realm, Dragon Vein Xiao Hua sensed a call and threatened to expose their plan to reach the Dragon Cleansing Pool.

• Xiaolong invited Xiao Hua to Dragon Island, overruling the dragon envoy’s objections and promising to visit him in the Dragon Qi Realm.
• The dragon envoy warned Xiao Hua that he would report the matter to the Fourth Elder, but Xiao Hua dismissed the threat and entered the passageway.
• Xiao Hua emerged in the Dragon Qi Realm and reunited with Ao Zhantian and Ao Moyun.
• A Dragon Island elder announced that the Diecui Relic Realm might open and that Dragon race members would be selected to enter it before the usual training groups were assigned.
• The dragon qi caused Ao Zhantian and Ao Moyun to reveal and enlarge their dragon forms, while Dragon Vein Xiao Hua sensed a call to emerge.

Xiao Hua’s unstable dragon vein was overwhelmed by Xiaolong’s arrival and emerged as a colossal dragon with extraordinary dragon might, astonishing everyone in the Dragon Qi Realm. Xiao Hua was selected for the Diecui Relic Realm and arrived at Star Radiance Hall, where he and the other entrants were summoned before the Fourth Elder.

• Xiao Hua resisted the surging dragon qi as Ao Moyun’s black dragon grew to five thousand zhang and qualified for the Diecui Relic Realm.
• Xiaolong entered the Dragon Qi Realm, drew in vast amounts of dragon qi, and triggered Dragon Vein Xiao Hua’s emergence from Xiao Hua’s body.
• Dragon Vein Xiao Hua grew to tens of thousands of zhang and displayed such powerful dragon might that Xiaolong and the imposing voice questioned his bloodline.
• Xiao Hua and more than a thousand other qualified entrants were drawn through the black hole into Star Radiance Hall, where Xiao Hua appeared ahead of the Dragon Race members.
• The Fourth Elder summoned the entrants to another hall, and Xiaolong respectfully addressed him.

The Fourth Elder briefed Dragon Island’s entrants about the Diecui Relic Realm, then questioned Xiao Hua about his origins and the Dao Clan. He brought Xiao Hua and Ao Sheng to Dragon Hall, where Xiao Hua’s Dragon Vein emerged and the Great Elder welcomed him before the Second Elder threatened him.

• The Fourth Elder gave the Dragon Clan members, demons, and humans True Dragon Tokens and ordered them to cooperate in the Diecui Relic Realm and seek news of the Dragon Realm.
• The Fourth Elder told Xiao Hua that the Dragon Ship assassins had targeted Dao Clan descendants and suggested Xiao Hua might also descend from that clan.
• Xiao Hua said he did not know his origins or how he obtained his Dragon aura, and the Fourth Elder took him and Ao Sheng to Dragon Hall.
• Xiao Hua’s Dragon Vein burst from his body and transformed into a massive dragon as they arrived above the waves near Dragon Hall.
• Xiao Hua greeted the Great Elder and the other elders, but the Second Elder attacked Dragon Vein Xiao Hua with a destructive aura before the Great Elder stopped him.

Xiao Hua explained to the Dragon Island elders how he obtained and cultivated his dragon vein and incomplete Dragon Essence, but their suspicions about his connection to the Dá Clan sparked a dispute over whether to search his soul or let him enter the Dragon Cleansing Pool and Ancient Relic Realm. Ao Sheng argued that Xiao Hua’s earth-vein dragon qi could benefit the Dragon Race, leaving the elders to consider his plea.

• Xiao Hua admitted that he had come to Dragon Island to escape the Immortal Palace, strengthen his dragon qi in the Dragon Cleansing Pool, and complete his incomplete Dragon Essence.
• Xiao Hua revealed that he possessed the middle and lower sections of Dragon Essence, prompting the Second Elder to accuse him of being connected to the Dá Clan.
• Xiao Hua explained that an earth dragon vein had entered his meridians and that he had used the Devil Race’s Blood Shadow Technique to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Art.
• The elders argued over whether to search Xiao Hua’s damaged soul and whether he should be allowed into the Dragon Cleansing Pool and Ancient Relic Realm.
• Ao Sheng asked the elders to treat Xiao Hua leniently, arguing that his earth-vein dragon qi could help the Dragon Race preserve and strengthen its bloodline.

Xiao Hua avoided a soul search and received permission to train in the Diecui Relic Realm, where the Great Elder revealed that he could find the rest of the Longyu and forge a body for his dragon vein. The Great Elder warned that human cultivators would be severely hindered in the realm, leaving Xiao Hua to weigh the danger of entering.

• Ao Sheng defended Xiao Hua by arguing that the Longyu could help Dragon Island and its Dragon Race flourish, and the Great Elder dismissed him after crediting him for exposing Xiao Hua's dragon aura.
• The Great Elder invoked the Dragon Hall Decree to cancel the Second Elder's soul-search proposal and gave Xiao Hua a True Dragon Token, while forbidding anyone on Dragon Island from harming him.
• Xiao Hua balked at handing over the Longyu without compensation, so the Great Elder explained that the Diecui Relic Realm held a Dragon Cleansing Pool capable of forging a body for his dragon vein and might contain the other Longyu fragments.
• The Great Elder offered Xiao Hua a chance to negotiate with Dragon Island after his training and arranged for Ao Sheng to accompany him in searching for the complete Longyu.
• The Great Elder warned that human cultivators in the Diecui Relic Realm could not use divine sense, magical treasures, most Confucian Clear Sight Techniques, or true qi, and advised Xiao Hua to leave the Longyu behind.

Xiao Hua left the Dragon elders and followed Ao Sheng to his palace, where the two joked and talked about the Diecui Relic Realm. The elders had decided to rely on Xiao Hua to search for Dragon Yu, while keeping his secrets and the truth about the Dragon Cleansing Pool in mind.

• The Great Elder arranged a quiet chamber for Xiao Hua and said the Diecui Relic Realm would open within a hundred years.
• After Xiao Hua left, the elders debated his unusual Dragon Vein and Dragon Yu, and the Great Elder decided to entrust him with searching for Dragon Yu.
• Ao Sheng met Xiao Hua and invited him to his palace, and Xiao Hua agreed, hoping to learn when the relic realm would open.
• Xiao Hua kept pace with Ao Sheng through the water and joked with him about their escape techniques and the elders’ intentions.
• Ao Sheng showed Xiao Hua his ornate palace and waved away the young female Dragons who gathered to greet them.

Xiao Hua entertained Ao Sheng with stories of his disciples, then used Liu Yi’s connection to the Dongtian River Dragon race to explain his conflict with the North Sea Dragon Palace. Ao Sheng took offense when Xiao Hua teased him about dual-cultivation companions and reminded Xiao Hua that he was only a human cultivator on Dragon Island.

• Xiao Hua realized Dragon Island had surrounded Ao Sheng with young female dragons because of his valuable bloodline, then asked Ao Sheng for spirit fruit and wine before telling a story.
• Xiao Hua took the spirit fruit and wine Ao Sheng had offered and captivated him with the tale of Huang Yi and You Zhongquan.
• Xiao Hua asked Ao Sheng about Dongtian River, then told him Liu Yi and Xiao Yun’s story and explained his grievances with the North Sea Dragon Palace, including Jiang Tian, Jiang Xia, and Jiang Hai.
• Ao Sheng understood that Xiao Hua had used the stories to enlist his support, but Xiao Hua defended his concern for Liu Yi as a teacher’s responsibility.
• When Xiao Hua joked about Ao Sheng knowing about dual-cultivation companions, Ao Sheng froze the surrounding seawater and reprimanded him for speaking too familiarly on Dragon Island.

Xiao Hua and Ao Sheng bonded over poetry and Xiao Hua’s disciples, while Ao Sheng revealed that Xiao Yun’s restriction required Dragon Language Heavenly Art to remove. After spending three months together, Xiao Hua and Ao Sheng received word that the Diecui Relic Realm had opened, and Xiao Hua asked Ao Sheng to confirm it.

• Xiao Hua teased Ao Sheng about his behavior, and the two discussed the family affection and poetry Ao Sheng envied in humans.
• Xiao Hua used the Kunlun Mirror to bring Chang Yuan, You Zhongquan, Yuan Ya, Liu Yi, and Wang Zhengfei into Ao Sheng’s hall, where Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei soon befriended Ao Sheng.
• Ao Sheng examined Xiao Yun’s restriction and explained that it required Dragon Language Heavenly Art, which he could not use; Xiao Hua planned to seek the missing Dragon Yu in the Diecui Relic Realm.
• Ao Sheng said he would enter the Diecui Relic Realm with Xiao Hua and help him find a way to save Xiao Yun.
• Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei kept Ao Sheng company for more than three months, until a message arrived and Xiao Hua asked whether the Diecui Relic Realm had opened.

Xiao Hua accompanied Ao Sheng to the Diecui Relic Realm entrance and learned more about the realm’s dangers and changing terrain. There, he reunited with Ao Zhan, who proposed that they might join forces after entering.

• Ao Sheng told Xiao Hua that qualified dragons had to report before the Diecui Relic Realm opened and explained why dragons could not transform into human form.
• Ao Sheng brought Xiao Hua to the gathering at the realm’s entrance, where dragon generals inspected Xiao Hua’s True Dragon Token and let him pass.
• Xiao Hua considered the realm’s shifting time and terrain, and concluded that finding the Dragon Cleansing Pool and a complete Dragon Yu were his priorities.
• Xiao Hua recognized Ao Zhan among the participants and asked after Ao Qing, who had recovered but lacked the bloodline qualifications to enter.
• Ao Zhan asked whether Xiao Hua was the human rumored to have superior dragon qi, then suggested that they might join forces inside the relic realm.

Xiao Hua joined Ao Sheng and the other candidates as the Diecui Relic Realm opened, then entered the crystal at its center. Many Dragon Blood Descendants with insufficiently pure bloodlines were killed by its dragon aura, while the crystal closed after the survivors entered.

• Xiao Hua joined Ao Sheng beside the giant boulder and realized that the relic realm’s dragon aura would suppress his other cultivation methods.
• The Fourth Elder arrived and announced that the Diecui Relic Realm had opened, and the giant boulder shattered to reveal a golden crystal.
• Xiao Hua and the other candidates sent their True Dragon Tokens into the crystal and endured its piercing dragon aura by activating their dragon veins.
• Golden threads pulled Xiao Hua, Ao Sheng, and the other eligible candidates into the crystal and through its scale-like planes into the realm.
• The crystal’s dragon aura burst apart many Dragon Blood Descendants whose bloodlines were not pure enough, leaving only blood mist behind.
• The crystal dimmed after the candidates entered, then released dragon aura into the surrounding seawater.

Xiao Hua fell into the Diecui Relic Realm, where Dragon Vein Xiao Hua absorbed the dense Dragon Qi and discovered that Dragon Crystals could strengthen him. After gathering thousands of crystals over three days, Xiao Hua wondered why Ao Sheng had not arrived to guide him to the Dragon Cleansing Pool.

• The Dragon Palace Fourth Elder ordered the dragon soldiers to guard the Diecui Relic Realm crystal and the stones around it as they began turning into water droplets and moving toward the crystal.
• Xiao Hua crashed into the relic realm, where Dragon Vein Xiao Hua eagerly cultivated amid the dense Dragon Qi.
• Xiao Hua picked up a Dragon Crystal and discovered that Dragon Vein Xiao Hua could absorb it to fill out his physical shell.
• Xiao Hua transformed into a hundred-zhang Dharma Body Golden Body, broke boulders to collect Dragon Crystals, and let Dragon Vein Xiao Hua cultivate.
• Xiao Hua spent three days collecting hundreds upon thousands of Dragon Crystals, then wondered why Ao Sheng had not come to lead him to the Dragon Cleansing Pool.

Xiao Hua wandered through the Diecui Relic Realm and found Dragon Crystals, but a South Sea Dragon Palace dragon attacked him and Dragon Vein Xiao Hua, seeking to devour Xiao Hua’s bloodline. Xiao Hua countered the dragon’s powerful strikes and left him reeling with a devastating punch.

• Xiao Hua entered a valley to break rocks and collect Dragon Crystals, then noticed a divine sense sweeping over the area.
• A thousand-zhang South Sea Dragon Palace dragon demanded that Xiao Hua leave and attacked when he refused.
• The dragon recognized Xiao Hua and, realizing Ao Sheng was absent, tried to devour Xiao Hua’s bloodline to advance his cultivation.
• Dragon Vein Xiao Hua fought the dragon but suffered severe injuries from its claws, tail, and Dragon Script sword.
• Xiao Hua enlarged his Dharma Body and used the As-You-Wish Staff and his fist to damage the Dragon Script, then the dragon clawed his chest.
• Xiao Hua stopped the dragon’s claw from reaching his heart and struck its chest with a powerful punch, shattering several scales and nearly knocking it from the sky.