Strange—why were there suddenly so many powerful immortal senses sweeping back and forth in this area?
At the shore of the East Sea, on the eastern coast of the Southern Jambu Continent, along the sprawling coastline, there was a coastal hill.
In a fishing village composed of several dozen simple stone houses, the cold-faced old Daoist that Li Changshou had transformed into was sipping hot water served by several old women while gazing out at the sea.
He had just distributed some talismans in the village, earning the warm gratitude of the villagers, which also served as a cover for his activities along the East Sea coast.
—Many wandering human cultivators used this sort of method to earn a bit of fortune and merit.
But there was one principle Li Changshou had understood long ago:
Help the good, and you reap good karma; help the evil, and you reap evil karma.
He couldn't be certain whether the people receiving his talismans were good or evil, so the safest approach was to freely distribute some intentionally misdrawn, ineffective "pillow sleep-aid talismans" that wouldn't create any karmic ties.
In the distance above the sea, the shadow of an ancient dragon passed silently through the clouds and quickly vanished.
*'Indeed, it's the dragon clan. They seem to be searching for something.'*
It wasn't advisable to venture out to sea right now, lest he bump into these dragon clan members.
So Li Changshou endured the elements, walking and resting along the coast, traveling from north to south. He observed the worldly life around him and gained a few insights from the experience.
Half a month later, having traveled over a thousand li southward, Li Changshou finally confirmed that the dragon clan experts had departed from the waters they had been repeatedly scouring.
After some deliberation, he decided not to change his original plan—he would face his tribulation in these waters.
He waited another two months, until he was completely certain that the area within several hundred li was thoroughly peaceful.
He chose a night, quietly employed the Illusion-Transformation Technique to become an average-sized fish, and slipped into the somewhat warm seawater.
Using Water Escape, he crept toward the small islands he had seen on the fishermen's sea charts.
The tribulation site couldn't be too far from the mortal world.
The mortal world was his emergency refuge—if he were attacked before or after his tribulation, he could hide directly within the vast human population.
But the tribulation site also couldn't be too close to the mortal world.
The turbid qi of the mortal world was mixed and corrupt, which could taint a cultivator's Dao body and primordial spirit. If his ascension went smoothly, he would naturally draw in the spiritual energy between heaven and earth as he transformed into an immortal.
Drawing in some mortal turbid qi wasn't a huge deal, but it was still aesthetically displeasing.
—His own master's tribulation had been incomplete, so the process of drawing in spiritual energy had been extremely brief.
Two months ago, what exactly were the dragon clan searching for?
Li Changshou was somewhat curious.
What person or treasure could provoke them into such a massive operation, sweeping back and forth along the edge of the East Sea?
He hadn't been able to see those dragon clan experts directly at the time, but they hadn't bothered to conceal their aura at all—it could be felt from hundreds or even a thousand li away...
Forget it. As long as it had nothing to do with him.
He would secretly get his Heaven's Tribulation over with, then find somewhere to cultivate for two or three years—stabilize his Dao foundation, conceal his aura, refine the Turtle Breathing Technique further—and then return to the mountain gate to continue his peaceful life as a young disciple of the Du Xian Sect.
He was already having trouble suppressing his realm and could charge into the Return to the Dao, Ninth Stage at any moment.
Moving carefully through the seawater, Li Changshou gradually approached the several small islands, each covering a few hundred mu of area. He inspected them one by one but couldn't find a place that satisfied him.
It wasn't that these islands couldn't provide him shelter—their structures were somewhat complex, meaning there were actually too many hiding spots, which would invite deeper investigation by others.
Not an ideal seclusion tribulation site.
Li Changshou thought for a moment and continued searching south, since those dragon clan experts had been moving from south to north two or three months ago...
He swam faster but searched more slowly, keeping his mind at ease as he sought his destined location.
In the latter half of the night, Li Changshou suddenly spotted something promising. His immortal sense had detected a decent little island.
The island was roughly ring-shaped—essentially several small hills jutting out of the sea. A sweep of his immortal sense revealed the layout at a glance, unlikely to draw anyone in for closer inspection.
His transformed fish-form approached the island, and Li Changshou grew increasingly satisfied. Using the Water Escape technique, he circled the island from a distance over a dozen times before deciding to move in for a closer look.
Still over ten li away...
Huh? The ocean currents seemed a bit off.
Li Changshou noticed a small whirlpool in the water. He scanned inch by inch with his immortal sense and quickly discovered that there was a very hidden underwater cave beneath the surface.
The cave was quite narrow, with an overall upward-sloping structure, connecting to a small pool somewhere on the island...
*'Not bad. Good location, and there's even a natural escape route!'*
The more Li Changshou looked, the more satisfied he became.
Decided. This was the spot!
......
*'You want to drag this Prince back? Dream on!'*
Ao Yi had transformed into human form, pressing his body against the cold, hard rock wall, cautiously probing the area within three li of the island while secretly circulating the Dragon Clan's secret technique, the "Submerged Dragon Art."
He knew he couldn't extend his immortal sense too far, or it would be extremely easy to expose himself...
But because of this, he also couldn't determine whether his clansmen were still lingering in the area.
No matter. He had plenty of patience. Even if he had been hiding here for three months, he could continue waiting.
For the pursuit of the dragon life!
For the blood flowing through his veins!
For his responsibility as the Dragon Prince!
Once he reached shore and left the Dragon Palace's sphere of influence, the situation would turn much more favorable for him.
Ao Yi also felt somewhat helpless. He hadn't expected that the ones searching for him weren't those immortals on the island.
That Great Immortal Wuyun had directly informed the Dragon Palace, which had dispatched large numbers of experts to intercept him from north to south!
That day, if Ao Yi hadn't reacted quickly and had been sneaking through the water the entire time, he would have run straight into his own clansmen!
He'd been lucky. While hiding on the seafloor, following the underwater terrain, he had quickly found this ring-shaped island and discovered this hidden crevice.
He hadn't expected it to actually help him evade his clansmen's search.
*'Hmph! A hiding spot this perfect—only this Prince could have found it!'*
At this thought, Ao Yi felt a surge of pride.
Suddenly, Ao Yi sensed danger approaching.
This wasn't because he had detected anything with his immortal sense—it was an innate ability of his bloodline, the capacity to sense impending peril.
*Am I about to be found?*
Ao Yi's heart raced. He pressed even closer to the rock wall, not daring to move, and the Submerged Dragon Art circulated at full speed.
At this moment, he cursed the dragon ancestors for their excessive arrogance, never having developed superior transformation and concealment techniques!
Suddenly, a human old Daoist appeared outside the cave and entered the crevice, heading straight for his position.
Ao Yi immediately relaxed. His brows furrowed, his gaze sharpened, and the Dragon Prince made his decision, secretly preparing his strongest strike.
*Ambush him first. This old Daoist's aura isn't strong, and he hasn't detected me while I'm using the Submerged Dragon Art. One more step and he's dead!*
*When immortals are kind, other immortals bully them. When dragons are kind, immortals ride them!*
*That's what a teacher taught me during egg education!*
The old Daoist quickly swam closer...
Ten zhang...
Eight zhang...
Five zhang...
Here he comes!
Ao Yi narrowed his eyes. When the old Daoist was barely three zhang away, he exploded from his position against the rock wall in a burst of blue-green light!
In the cold seawater and narrow crevice, a dragon head suddenly burst forth, its crocodile-like jaws opening wide without a word, ready to swallow the cold-faced old Daoist Li Changshou in one gulp!
Innate divine ability: Heaven-Swallowing, Earth-Eating!
Li Changshou was clearly stunned for a moment!
But his reaction was incredibly swift. Almost instinctively, he dodged to the side, his left hand quickly gripping two porcelain vials.
In a flash, the dragon head blazed with dazzling blue-green light in the seawater. The dragon's jaws snapped off Li Changshou's left arm and swallowed it whole!
Li Changshou grunted, hastily retreating as his right hand quickly formed hand seals!
Ao Yi's fierce attack had been dodged, and he was somewhat surprised.
He immediately gave chase downward, only to realize that the opponent had already employed the Water Escape technique—his figure shot out of the underwater cave in a flash!
*Can't let him escape!*
Ao Yi's heart raced with urgency. His dragon tail whipped forward in pursuit, but suddenly his vision blurred.
*What... did I just swallow?*
In his haste, he performed an internal scan and saw an extra small "white paper" arm in his stomach, two porcelain vials that were nearly melted by his innate ability, and two clusters of medicinal power that had already quietly dissolved...
In an instant, his head felt heavy, his tail light—drowsiness overwhelmed him!
*Sleeping potion?!*
*What potent sleeping potion!*
Ao Yi realized he had been outmaneuvered. The bloodline power within his dragon body erupted, and a green light flickered on his forehead.
In such a perilous situation, passing out would mean certain death. He had to kill that one-armed old Daoist while the two medicinal powers hadn't fully taken effect!
Charge!
*Whoosh—*
The waters ahead opened up as the azure dragon burst from the crevice.
To counteract the spreading medicinal effect, Ao Yi instantly expanded his massive dragon body. But in that same instant, he saw the cold-faced old Daoist standing quietly in the dark waters ahead...
The dragon's jaws opened as it lunged forward!
Diamond-shaped ice crystals appeared in the surrounding seawater, each containing flickering flames inside, and all shot simultaneously toward the old Daoist!
*His arm is healed?*
*No—it's not the same person!*
Ao Yi's increasingly massive dragon head drooped, the dizziness growing stronger, his thoughts becoming extremely sluggish. This filled his heart with anxiety.
At the same time, Ao Yi sensed even more of the same medicinal power converging from all directions in the surrounding seawater, seeping into every part of his body and directly eroding his dragon soul!
Meanwhile, from behind the old Daoist, several identical figures suddenly emerged, each holding an open porcelain vial!
They simultaneously employed Water Escape. The six figures darted apart in the seawater with blinding speed, effortlessly dodging the dragon body that Ao Yi had flung forward on momentum.
Six vials of Immortal-Weakening Powder before and after, plus one supreme-grade Immortal-Weakening Powder...
Ao Yi managed to stabilize his body in the seawater, but his dragon eyes were glazing over. His dragon body, dozens of zhang long, swayed unsteadily, but he immediately tried to charge toward the surface...
As if reading Ao Yi's thoughts, the six figures had already reconvened above him.
The sleeves of these paper incarnations billowed in the seawater. Treasure pouches concealed within opened, quickly releasing talisman after talisman that wove together in the seawater into a massive net!
One hundred and eight talismans, like one hundred and eight small formation bases, their mana flowing as the water-elemental spiritual energy in the surrounding seawater was rapidly drawn in.
Formation Technique—Water Essence Heaven-Shaking Seal!
In the blink of an eye, a massive square seal a hundred zhang in diameter condensed and smashed downward toward the azure dragon charging up from below!
The seal radiated brilliant light, carrying the force of a mountain collapsing. Composed entirely of condensed spiritual energy, it was unaffected by the seawater's resistance.
Below, the azure dragon raised its head and roared, its gray mane bristling, its dragon claws extended, charging straight toward the seal with an unstoppable momentum!
At this point, Ao Yi no longer had the mental capacity to think. The intense dizziness made it impossible for him to continue judging the situation. All that remained in his heart was a fierce will to fight and that unyielding dragon heart!
*I am Ao Yi, Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace!*
"Aung—"
The azure dragon roared; the great seal fell!
A visible shockwave erupted through the sea!
Waves towering to the heavens surged across ten li of ocean surface, and nearby islands trembled continuously.
Look again!
The great seal shattered with a crash, and the azure dragon appeared completely unharmed!
But the dragon's long, slender eyes slowly closed, and its massive body, as though drained of all strength, began sinking toward the seafloor a hundred zhang below...
*'Even a dragon that hasn't yet ascended is this durable?'*
Three hundred zhang away, hidden in an underwater crevice, Li Changshou frowned deeply, his immortal sense monitoring everything within thirty li.
Combat methods in water were naturally different from those on land, and this had forced him to employ some mana-consuming "techniques."
It was time to test the effects of the Threefold True Flame.
The formation technique just now had been purely for show.
Li Changshou narrowed his eyes, casually drew six small silver flying swords from his sleeve, and tossed them to his paper incarnations.
The six flying swords trailed streaks of white light and instantly transformed into three-chi-long swords, which the six paper incarnations caught firmly.
Li Changshou spread the five fingers of his left hand wide. The six paper incarnations danced with the swords, their figures intertwining to deploy a Hexagram Sword Formation.
His left hand pressed downward. The six paper incarnations dove headfirst, circulating the sword formation as they descended toward the azure dragon below. Flames of Threefold True Flame ignited simultaneously on all six immortal swords!
The surrounding seawater was as though it weren't there—the power of the Threefold True Flame was entirely unaffected!
Suddenly...
Li Changshou let out a helpless sigh. The six True-Flame swords, which had been about to pierce the azure dragon's hide, halted abruptly.
It wasn't that Li Changshou had suddenly developed a heart of mercy.
The small dragon had attacked ruthlessly moments ago, directly attempting to take his life. A counterattack that killed him would be entirely justified.
Settle the karma on the spot, then calmly escape—change his tribulation site to the Southern Sea's edge, accomplish his mission, and return to the sect... This was the plan Li Changshou had formulated the instant the small dragon launched his ambush.
But on the azure dragon's back, a flashing purple triangular scale had appeared, engraved with secret talismanic patterns that Li Changshou had seen recorded in ancient texts.
If he killed this dragon, his primordial spirit would be immediately locked by the dragon clan's secret art and face endless pursuit by the dragon clan.
According to dragon clan rules, upon seeing this flashing purple scale and ceasing one's attack, the attacker would not only avoid pursuit but would also receive a gift of thanks from the Dragon Palace...
The information recorded in those ancient texts had been deliberately released by the Dragon Palace itself—essentially providing their important young dragons with an extra lifeline. Since ancient times, this had been verified as genuine on several occasions.
Who was this young dragon? He must hold an important status.
Most likely, he was exactly the one those dragon clan experts had been searching for.
Li Changshou shook his head. The six paper incarnations quickly returned, beginning to search for any traces he might have left behind.
But just as Li Changshou was cleaning up the battlefield and preparing to leave, he glanced down at the Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace—who at some point had transformed into human form and was now sound asleep.
*It's actually him?*
*What's he doing here?*
The dragon clan experts had been searching from south to north...
Combined with the fact that this young dragon had deliberately lost to him last time...
*Could my earlier speculation have been correct? At the Demon-Suppression Assembly, this little Second Prince really had intended to humiliate the dragon clan in reverse, but instead he "won" against me and lost his own gamble?*
*After that... did he use the excuse of seeking instruction from a Sage's sect to further provoke the dragon clan?*
*And finally, after being sent to the Jie Teaching's territory to apprentice... he escaped to this place?*
*This really could be a serial drama!*
If Ao Yi had fled from the south and appeared here, judging by his movement pattern, he was clearly heading for Central Shenzhou or the Eastern Victory Divine Continent—or his target might even have been to sneak into the Du Xian Sect...
Li Changshou narrowed his eyes.
If this little thing actually made it to the Du Xian Sect, the sect's most likely response would be to first stabilize the dragon prince, then inquire with the Dragon Palace about the matter. In the end, it could turn into quite a big incident.
Forget it. The Du Xian Sect was his own school after all, and this young dragon had the dragon clan's secret protection, making him impossible to kill directly.
*What a hassle.*
This time he had lost big—so much sleeping potion used up, and he hadn't even been able to collect any dragon blood.
Li Changshou released a few more paper incarnations and took out the original Beauty's Charm extract he had prepared for Little Senior Aunt.
Moments later, a bamboo raft floated gently on the sea.
Ao Yi, reeking of alcohol, lay on the raft, a faint purple light flickering across his body.
A serene smile played at the corner of Ao Yi's mouth. He held a "wine flask" made of seashells, carried by the current toward the deep northern sea.
Having been fed over twenty vials of Beauty's Charm extract, he was expected to sleep for several dozen days.
And Ao Yi's entire body had been thoroughly washed dozens of times—no trace of any foreign aura remained.
Even the tiny fragments of paper that Ao Yi had swallowed and his dragon stomach couldn't digest had been extracted by Li Changshou's paper incarnations.
As for the Dragon Palace's gift of thanks—Li Changshou had absolutely no interest. He had already fled southward via Earth Escape.