Three days passed in a flash. When the Bicolor Scaled Beast halted, the great palace on its back slowly sank beneath the sea. Enchanted by mana, it settled gently onto the deep blue seabed, leaving the surrounding rocks and silt completely undisturbed.
Li Zhouwei pushed open the palace doors and stepped out into a world of deep azure. Above him, the sea loomed pitch-black. Gemstones and pearls glowed like lanterns, lighting the seawater in an eerie yet vivid blue. The ground was made of dark crimson reefs.
The seabed of the Eastern Sea was not a place ordinary cultivators, or even most Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could access. Li Zhouwei had never heard it described before. Now, using the faint light and activating his Grand Veined Golden Eyes, he looked far into the distance and saw nothing but endless, sprawling palaces.
Huiyao was standing on the palace steps ahead, smiling obsequiously and following two demonic creatures closely, doing his utmost to please them. One had bulging cheeks and black armor, with a mouth full of fangs. The other had a bulging belly, a massive mouth, and long whiskers. Both wore clothes resembling human garments and approached carrying tridents.
The black-armored, thick-cheeked demon general spoke in a gruff voice, "This is the Tail Subkingdom of the Zhunan Serpent Dragon Palace. Honored guest, please follow me."
Huiyao was bowing so low he was nearly kissing the floor. He clearly had no standing to speak. Li Zhouwei nodded calmly and followed behind.
The middle-aged demon with the huge mouth and long whiskers spoke first, his tone gentle and soft, "The Tail Subkingdom is the Clam Kingdom. Though its population thrives, the citizens live beneath the sand. The queen recently became pregnant with a pearl, so she is unable to come out and greet you. We beg your pardon for this."
"It’s no bother," replied Li Zhouwei, glancing around curiously. The space was truly vast. Since the common folk lived beneath the sand, these palaces were likely meant for the shrimp and crab soldiers.
He thought to himself, How vast the Eastern Sea must be. If every corner harbors a demon kingdom, wouldn’t it rival several inland territories? No wonder the dragon clans are content beneath the waves... it’s far more comfortable than living ashore.
They traveled at great speed for several hundred kilometers. In the distance, he gradually made out a dark stone wall within the waters. It seemed to reach all the way to the heavens, and stretched endlessly in both directions.
The middle-aged man with the massive mouth and long whiskers spoke in a low voice, "Honored guest, you’ve cultivated an eye technique. Be sure not to look at the wall."
The golden glow faded from Li Zhouwei’s eyes. When he looked again with mortal vision, he saw only darkness, though faint glimmers of cold light hinted at several long pillars.
A thought stirred in Li Zhouwei’s mind as he asked softly, "Oh? And what’s the story behind it?"
The demon general with bulging cheeks and dark armor finally spoke, his voice low and rough, "The Eighth Young Master is up there."
The youth paused slightly, then immediately understood. He lowered his gaze, fixing it on the dark red reef beneath his feet. The two demon generals buried their heads into their shoulders and fell silent.
Who could be so universally referred to by sea demons as the Eighth Young Master? Only the Dragon Monarch of the Pristine Water Dao, the very origin of the Scarlet Pristine Sea’s hue, the eighth son of the True Hornless Dragon!
The Li Family had records of this sea once being called Qunyi two thousand years ago. It was renamed when the eighth son of the Converging Water True Hornless Dragon was captured here. The dragon clan had chained him to the depths of a seacliff, forging nine cold-iron pillars to pin him down. They had slaughtered and dismembered him, turning the sea green overnight, and thus the Scarlet Pristine Sea was born.
Slaughtered and dismembered... no matter how many corpses remain, this place is the burial site of a True Monarch, a son of the True Hornless Dragon!
He knew that he carried talisman seeds within him and wouldn’t be instantly killed just by looking, but he restrained his curiosity and walked on with a lowered gaze.
The long-whiskered demon beside him whispered, "The Pristine and Converging Daos generate and transform each other. Cultivating here yields great benefits. You likely don’t know but many cultivators once friendly with our dragon clan dwell in caves above."
Li Zhouwei gave a slight nod and followed them into the cliff. A vast open space appeared ahead, and high above hung a great plaque, Zhunan Serpent Dragon Palace.
He stepped inside to find a palace bathed in clear blue. The eerie mix of red and green was gone. The structure was built primarily of crystal, with fish and shrimp winding their way through rich, concentrated spiritual energy.
The two demons led him up the winding path through the palace until they stopped beside a grand hall overlooking the entire Serpent Dragon Palace.
The massive-mouthed demon said, "Please, this way."
Li Zhouwei stepped forward, opened the jade-like palace doors, and saw several women in pink robes singing with raised sleeves. There was a single figure sitting at the head of the hall.
He wore a silver robe embroidered with waves and dragons. His face was as refined as sculpted jade, with thick brows running into his temples and a tall, noble brow. Two silvery markings trailed from his temples upward to his pair of white horns.
His black hair cascaded down, and his pupils shone pale blue. He fixed his gaze on Li Zhouwei, raised a brow slightly, and said nothing.
Just then, someone to the side stood up and looked at Li Zhouwei. She hopped barefoot down from the platform, her movements leaving the gentle sound of bells in their wake.
She landed before him with a cheerful smile and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
It was a young girl who was no more than twelve or thirteen. She had a clean and bright face. Tiny red feathers grew from the corners of her eyes, which were dark red and full of warmth. When she reached him, she gave a perfectly proper bow.
Li Zhouwei returned the gesture, golden light flickering in his eyes once again. He turned to the white-horned youth seated at the head of the hall and said in a steady voice, "Minghuang of Moongaze Lake greets the Dragon Son."
"Mm." The youth glanced at him. Seeing that he did not kneel, he rotated the cup in his hand and said softly, "Dingjiao, white serpent dragon of Clear Sea and Still Pond lineage."
His bearing was refined and unpretentious. Without any air of arrogance, he gestured to a seat beside him for Li Zhouwei. A maidservant brought over wine. The white serpent dragon glanced at the girl beside him and said softly, "Minghuang, this is Fellow Daoist Wupian from Qingwu Forest[1] in Northern Yan."
The red-feathered girl kept smiling and nodded, "Chongli lineage, Wuping fire-yang luan[2]. Wupian greets Fellow Daoist."
Li Zhouwei understood at once. He thought to himself, A white serpent dragon and a fire-yang luan, neither of them are ordinary demonic creatures...
This luan looked quiet and refined, but she was quite talkative. She immediately spoke again with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Minghuang, are you the eldest son... or the second?"
Li Zhouwei found the question rather out of the blue. He gave her a friendly smile, but before he could answer, the white serpent dragon Dingjiao spoke first, raising his cup toward him, "Golden eyes of that shade, likely the eldest?"
Li Zhouwei seemed thoughtful, but showed no sign of discomfort. He raised his cup in return and replied, "Your guess is correct."
"Good... very good..." The luan girl Wupian let out a relieved sigh and said with a smile, "Then things will go smoothly... The white qilin may be fierce, but he can be a friend. That white cicada, on the other hand, is no good!"
"Wupian..." Dingjiao interrupted her and turned to Li Zhouwei with a hearty laugh. "Minghuang, you may not know this, but Emperor Gong of Wei in his youth was a golden-eyed white qilin with scales beneath his neck. My grandfather and him were close friends. My father even met him once and would call him ‘uncle.’"
"So there was such a connection..." Li Zhouwei was slightly surprised. But thinking further, it wasn’t odd as the Wei's Li regime had once unified the North with unmatched prestige. Having ties to the dragon clans was only natural.
Still, judging by the current state of affairs, he had never heard of any deep alliance between the dragons and the Wei's Li Family. His own family certainly hadn’t received any real aid. It was likely nothing more than superficial friendship.
"May I ask... which Dragon King is your honored elder?" asked Li Zhouwei.
Dingjiao’s pale blue eyes shifted slightly. He gave a faint smile and emphasized each word, "Dongfang You!"
1. 青梧 (Qingwu) – “Verdant Parasol” Refers to the 梧桐 (Chinese parasol tree) with 青 (deep green or blue-green) foliage. In classical lore, it symbolizes purity, elegance, and is said to attract phoenixes. Often used poetically to evoke noble solitude or a sacred setting. ☜
2. 鸾 (Luán) is a legendary bird in Chinese mythology, similar to the phoenix but distinct in status and symbolism. Often paired with the phoenix (凤), the luán represents harmony, virtue, and auspicious omens. It is said to sing beautifully and only appear in peaceful, righteous times. In poetry, it may also symbolize noble women or sacred union. ☜