At this moment, Wang Mu had not assumed Dongfang Mu's appearance. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

However, in her eyes, it was as if she saw the Dongfang Mu from the Illusion Realm in the Refining Emotion Cave, the one who had slowly seemed to merge with her.

The longer she looked, the more she realized there wasn't the slightest difference.

Mu Hongyuan was slightly taken aback.

She recalled the first moment she met him. At that time, they were still in the Holy Land of the Sword Sect. At first glance, even though he looked nothing like the Dongfang Mu of those days, she had still felt a pang in her heart.

The heart palpitations of an Ascension Expert were particularly unusual, certainly not a mere whim.

Back then, she had sensed that this man was definitely extraordinary.

Yet, she hadn't expected...

She just hadn't thought that before she could even recognize him, it would be Little Gu who fell for him first...

Shaking her head slightly, Mu Hongyuan sat to one side, remaining silent.

「Tens of thousands of miles from the Dongling Sea Dragon Palace, in a distant sea region.」

This area was already the fringe of the Dongling Sea. It teemed with fierce exotic beasts, yet it remained within the Dragon Palace's jurisdiction.

However, due to its distance from the center, the region was usually plagued by colossal waves and incessant conflict.

This continued until the day an island rose from the water's surface, bathed in rosy light. An overwhelming dragon's might shook the entire Dongling Sea. Within a few short days, news of it spread across the Four Seas. While this might have been insignificant to the Nine Provinces, it had already become a phenomenal tale in the sea regions.

At this moment, one could see wisps of rosy light emanating from the Immortal Path on the island, and abundant Spiritual Energy continuously billowed out, drawing countless sea beasts towards it.

Unfortunately, a powerful being on the Immortal Island had already issued a warning: only members of the Sea Clan with True Dragon Bloodline could enter this Path to obtain its destined opportunities and heritage; all others would be turned away.

Everyone in the sea regions knew this was a heaven-sent opportunity, but alas, there were conditions...

Sea Clan with True Dragon Bloodline... In all the Four Seas, they were a mere handful...

If they could receive the heritage of this great power from the Immortal Island, perhaps their Sea Clan could also seize the chance to achieve Immortality...

But...

The interior of the Immortal Island, however, was not as resplendent with myriad lights as the outside suggested.

In the center, a massive, pitch-black Giant Dragon, thousands of fathoms long, coiled in the air.

Beneath it, countless dragons were trapped in massive, suspended cages, circling within.

Golden streams of light slowly seeped from these dragons, transforming into ribbon-like strands of golden energy that flowed into the void.

Occasional dragon roars echoed through the air.

"What's all the fuss?"

"I am merely absorbing some of your Lower Realm Dragon Clan's Qi Fortune. Once I achieve true fruition in my Cultivation, a Great Immortal will surely come to receive me for my Ascension. At that time, I shall bestow some opportunities upon you, allowing you impure-blooded young dragons of the Lower Realm to ascend as well. This is a tremendous boon for you."

From the void, the pitch-black Giant Dragon let out a few faint roars. "It's not as if I'm demanding anything extreme..."

Inside a massive cage, Ao Qing lay prostrate, her Dragon's Horn emitting a faint glow.

Beside her, Little Jiao Huo snuggled under Ao Qing's dragon belly. "Sister... who exactly is this creature?"

Ao Qing's dragon eyes dimmed. "I don't know... This doesn't seem like a Dragon Clan from our Nine Provinces. Its aura is so ancient... and so powerful... The Dragon Clans of our Nine Provinces mostly awakened and developed only a thousand years ago. There's simply no one this powerful among us."

"Little Xi, Sister might have endangered you..."

"Nonsense, Sister would never harm me!" Little Jiao Huo said comfortingly, gently patting Ao Qing's belly. "This evil Giant Dragon means us harm! The Great Immortal will deal with it sooner or later!"

The Great Immortal...

The Great Immortal is currently in seclusion. This place is tens of thousands of miles from Bibo Sea... How could he possibly know?

Ao Qing looked around. Many other fellow dragons from the various great sea regions had also arrived.

They too must have heard of the opportunities and fortuitous encounters here and rushed in.

Unfortunately...

To absorb our Dragon Clan's Qi Fortune... It's more heinous than skinning us alive and extracting our marrow...

Qi Fortune.

Every living being among the billions in the Nine Provinces possesses its own Qi Fortune.

If one's Qi Fortune is stolen, countless problems could arise during daily Cultivation.

Take the Dongling Sea, for example. Its relative peace over the past few centuries is due to the suppressive effect of the Dragon Clan's Qi Fortune.

Without the Dragon Clan, who knows if a disaster like the one that struck the Heavenly Sea years ago would occur, annihilating countless living beings on the Sky Sea Continent and the Sea Clan of the Heavenly Sea.

Let alone the development of the Dragon Clan itself.

Absorbing Qi Fortune...

Within the Nine Provinces, only the Creation Gate possesses Cultivation Methods related to this art...

But the Creation Gate remains secluded from worldly affairs, intervening only occasionally for matters concerning the procreation of Nine Provinces cultivators. They have no connection to the Dragon Clan...

This Ancient Black Dragon... where did it come from?

An aura akin to the Ascension Realm... And that segmented Dragon Spear coiling beside it like a long whip, emitting a treasured radiance that makes even Heaven and Earth tremble...

In the past thousand years, which True Dragon of the Dragon Clan has ever been this formidable?

She couldn't even discern its specific draconic lineage...

She could only feel an overwhelming suppression stemming from its Bloodline.

The instant she set foot on the island, she was overwhelmed and imprisoned in this cage specifically prepared for the Dragon Clan.

She had no strength to resist whatsoever.

The gap in power was too immense.

That kind of pressure...

Only the Great Immortal possesses such power...

A combination of Bloodline and Realm.

The Great Immortal is in seclusion now. It's impossible for him to come here, and even more impossible for him to know what's happening...

Ao Qing shook her head, glancing at her fellow kin.

Soon after, a faint glow began to emanate from her entire body.

In an instant, her fellow Dragon Clan members seemed to perceive her intent.

Once our Dragon Clan's Qi Fortune is absorbed, given how many of us are here, that Ancient Black Dragon will drain every last bit. It won't stop...

All who came here are dragons from the sea regions, destined to bear the great Qi Fortune of the Dragon Clan in the future.

Once that Qi Fortune is gone...

Even if it means self-destruction, I will not let you succeed so easily!

The other Dragon Clan members confined in the cages immediately understood Ao Qing's current resolve.