The surging tides crashed against the bow of the ship but were blocked by the formation.
Ji Yutang lowered her gaze, casting aside the “dog couple” from her mind.
She turned to Lin Heng beside her and asked, “Daoist Friend Lin, can this small boat cross the Xuanming Yin Region?”
Lin Heng heard her voice and immediately turned to look at Ji Yutang.
He scratched his head and said, “No.”
After a pause, he added, “The small boat is conjured by magic.
Once I cultivate my heart and reach the Golden Core stage, it will be possible, provided we don’t encounter those floating giant icebergs.”
Ji Yutang let out an “oh” and became somewhat interested in the art of painting from Langhuan Fairyland.
Seeing her interest, Lin Heng patiently explained to her and finally said, “Daoist Friend Ji, you haven’t had a master yet, right?
With your talent, why not join our Langhuan Fairyland?”
Originally, Li Jingyu was quietly listening, but when Lin Heng said this, she couldn’t help but glance at him.
Although Ji Yutang had already embarked on the path of cultivation, she was still self-aware.
She wasn’t following the path of Qi advocated by the Eight Great Immortal Sects—even if she wanted to, she couldn’t.
Joining the Eight Great Immortal Sects would only invite ridicule from others.
She gave Lin Heng a warm smile and shook her head to decline.
Lin Heng felt a bit regretful.
If Ji Yutang could become his junior sister, he would never worry about finding someone to play Go with him again.
Despite this, Lin Heng still praised the wonders of Langhuan Fairyland.
As he spoke endlessly, the small boat suddenly stopped.
The sea had calmed down by now, reflecting a slightly dazzling shimmering light under the sun.
A faint dragon’s might swept across the area, with no fish in the water and no seagulls in the sky.
“We’ve arrived.”
Ji Yutang was the first to stand up.
She glanced at Li Jingyu, as if to prove something, and was the first to leap into the sea.
Li Jingyu crossed her arms, her eyelids twitching, and followed closely behind Ji Yutang.
The magnificent Dragon Palace city lay underwater, like a brilliant sun.
The seawater was suppressed by the dragon’s might, without a single ripple.
Normally, there would be patrolling dragon descendants and fish monsters around the Dragon Palace city, but the four of them encountered none as they descended.
The sea was eerily quiet, causing an inexplicable sense of fear to arise in their hearts.
“The sea feels a bit dead,” Li Jingyu whispered, her eyes flickering.
Qin Ruoshui nodded, his voice deep, “Everyone, be careful.”
This dead silence was broken when they reached the Dragon Palace city.
As soon as they stepped onto the crystal arch bridge, countless streams of water converged into icy cold arrows shooting from all directions, as if to completely eliminate the uninvited guests who had intruded into the Dragon Palace city.
The dragon scales Qin Ruoshui carried could resist the dragon’s might but couldn’t deflect these hidden arrows.
He frowned, and despite being underwater, his Daoist power was undiminished.
Invisible sword energy slashed in all directions, deflecting the cold arrows one by one.
“These hidden arrows don’t seem like the style of a true dragon,” Lin Heng began to say, but was interrupted by a low, rumbling roar.
A ferocious sea beast, ten zhang long, emerged from the Dragon Palace city, baring its sharp teeth.
The Dragon Palace city was a sacred place for dragons, and no one without a true dragon body was allowed to intrude.
Yet now, even mindless sea beasts could roam freely inside, indicating that the situation was worse than they had imagined.
If there were a true dragon guarding the place, why would they fear such a thing?
Where had all the true dragons gone?
Although the sea beast looked ferocious and terrifying, it was the weakest type of demon beast in the sea.
Even if it reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it might not have the combat power of that realm, let alone this one, which was only at the Mortal Shedding Stage.
Qin Ruoshui drew his magic sword, and with a single slash, the sea beast was cut in two.
The foul-smelling blood mixed with the seawater, instantly staining the surroundings murky.
“Let’s continue inside,” Qin Ruoshui took a deep breath, his face solemn, leading the way with his sword.
The deeper they went into the Dragon Palace city, the more sea beasts they encountered.
Although sea beasts lacked intelligence, they had their instincts and would actively swim towards places rich in spiritual energy.
This Dragon Palace city, without its barrier, was like an underwater treasure trove.
Suddenly, several skeletal remains appeared ahead, each about forty zhang long.
Ji Yutang’s eyelids twitched, suppressing the restless divine dragon in her Mind Palace, and she exclaimed, “Dragon bones?”
This wasn’t a dragon tomb, so the appearance of dragon bones could only mean one thing—they had been suppressed and slaughtered by a more powerful force, leaving not even a trace of flesh.
The dragon scale in Qin Ruoshui’s sleeve suddenly trembled.
He stared fixedly at the skeletal remains ahead and tossed the dragon scale from his sleeve.
The dragon scale seemed to receive some kind of summons, landing on one of the skeletal remains.
A soft dragon’s chant sounded, followed by a majestic and terrifying roar.
The dragon scale, originally entwined with a trace of its owner’s spirit, now adhered to the skeleton, summoning the fragmented soul.
“Is this Senior Yuan Yunzi?”
Qin Ruoshui murmured in disbelief as he looked at the gradually manifesting phantom.
This senior’s cultivation was on par with his mentor’s, a mighty figure of the Nascent Soul stage.
How had he become a mere skeleton?
What had the Dragon Palace city encountered?
The manifested soul wasn’t Yuan Yunzi himself but a phantom outlined by residual consciousness.
It turned its head blankly, and finally, under the astonished gazes of everyone, transformed into a golden light that flew towards Ji Yutang.
As a true dragon, it sensed a divine dragon’s aura in Ji Yutang and mistook her for a kindred spirit.
As the golden light dissipated, Li Jingyu and the others immediately turned to Ji Yutang.
Li Jingyu knew the reason, but Lin Heng and Qin Ruoshui were full of confusion.
After a long silence, Qin Ruoshui finally spoke, “Daoist Friend Ji, did you receive any information?”
“True dragons and dragon seeds—” Ji Yutang began, but was interrupted by a chilling dragon’s roar.
A hornless giant dragon swam out from the depths of the Dragon Palace city, creating deep whirlpools.
This hornless Chi Dragon transformed into a human form before them—imposing and majestic, yet with an inescapable evil aura in its eyes.
The bright pearl behind him illuminated the sea, casting a long shadow like a ferocious Demon God.
Just standing there, he exuded an indescribable ferocity.
“Chi Dragon Lituo,” Lin Heng’s expression changed.
As soon as he spoke, everyone remembered the identity of the dragon before them.
But according to the records in Xuanming City, wasn’t he supposed to be at the Foundation Establishment stage?
How did he now appear to have condensed a dragon core and successfully attained the Dao fruit of a human immortal?
Did he cultivate by devouring the flesh and blood of true dragons?
Ji Yutang calmly looked at the Chi Dragon, not sensing the same origin aura of the Dragon Transformation Sutra.
Turning to her three companions, she summarized the message conveyed by the golden light in one sentence: “Dragon seeds devour true dragons.”
