Li Zhouwei had been in the palace for quite some time. The Bicolor Scaled Beast had galloped across the waves, touring the Scarlet Pristine Sea for a week. Growing weary of music and dance, Dingjiao had ordered the aquatic beasts to the stage for combat.
Li Zhouwei listened as a lesser demon beside him gave an introduction. One of the beasts was a Treasure-Scaled Ferry Beast and the other a Jade-Necked Flood Dragon. Neither was a common demonic creature. Either one alone could dominate and wreak havoc over an entire stretch of waters.
His family's Wushao would not even have the chance to enter the stage in the Eastern Sea. At the very least, it would take a White-Scaled Hooked Serpent like Lingu Lanying’s, or the Converging Water Sea’s Whole Pill Water Ape, to earn that honor.
But before the Dragon Clan, they are nothing more than playthings , thought Li Zhouwei.
Li Zhouwei glanced at the scene. The Treasure-Scaled Ferry Beast began to counterattack as the Converging Water Profound Light gradually weakened. It was rare for him to witness such demonic creatures fight, and though he looked intrigued, he thought, I wonder how matters at the lake have turned out. I've been kept here for so long...
Everything in the Southern Sea had already been settled, and he could have left long ago, yet Dingjiao and White Banyan had pulled him along on a tour of the sea. There had been nothing worth speaking of along the way, it was merely an excuse to delay his return.
Though Li Zhouwei felt uneasy, it was ultimately something beyond his control, so he calmed himself. As he was thinking, he noticed a demon hastily approaching along the palace corridor. This one was clad in silver armor, with a golden face and silver teeth, and two pairs of short halberds strapped to its back. The demon was clearly no ordinary being.
The demonic creature walked straight to Dingjiao’s high seat and seemed to use a secret technique to transmit some words. Dingjiao’s hand, holding the jade cup, froze in midair, though no change appeared on his face.
Shortly after, the demon general bowed and departed. Dingjiao resumed his usual demeanor. Opposite him, White Banyan, clearly tired, listened for a moment more before finally rising with a smile and said, "This conversation has been most pleasant, but I cannot be away from my peak for too long, so I shall not trouble Your Highness further..."
Dingjiao rose with a few polite words, and escorted them out of the hall and through the corridor. The two demonic beasts were still locked in their life-and-death struggle, blood spraying through the air and transforming into pearls that rolled to Dingjiao’s feet, yet no one spared them a glance.
Dingjiao saw them off, then returned alone to the platform, his smile fading away.
It was clear that the news brought by the white-armored demon general was not good. Yet Dingjiao, with his deep self-control, had remained calm and amiable before his guests. However, his expression darkened the moment they departed.
The crown prince’s white horns glimmered faintly as he silently leaned against the turquoise railing, gazing down from above at the two high-ranking demon generals battling fiercely below.
Dingjiao gave no command even though the honored guests had left, and so the two demonic creatures did not dare to slack in the slightest. Their scales shattered, their horn bones splintered, and the ground was littered with dripping blood and rolling pearls.
Dingjiao remained silent, his pale blue eyes narrowed. The hall was filled with a suffocating pressure, and it was clear to any with eyes that the white dragon crown prince was in a foul mood. The guards to either side began to tremble, not daring to lift their heads.
After fifteen minutes, the black-armored demon general with jutting jaws could no longer bear it. He knelt in trepidation and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Dragon Monarch’s birthday has just passed. It may not be proper for noble-blooded beasts to die in the arena..."
The jut-jawed, black-armored demon general was named Ran Wu. He had served by Dingjiao’s side for many years and was no ordinary subordinate. Though Dingjiao was clearly angry, Ran Wu was the only one in the hall who dared to speak at this moment.
Dingjiao did not reply. He turned and strode into the hall with a cold expression, the great doors slamming shut behind him.
The demon general looked as if he had been granted amnesty. Still pale with fear, he said nothing and only waved his hand urgently. The two demonic creatures below immediately ceased fighting, kowtowing several times toward the great hall before scrambling away in haste.
Outside the hall, the air was one of jubilance. Inside, however, it was empty, silent, and heavy. The lamplight was dim and ghostly.
Dingjiao strode up to the high seat, then suddenly swept his sleeve, sending a cluster of jade flasks and cups crashing to the ground in a cascade of sharp, ringing sounds.
Dingjiao’s face suddenly lengthened, as he bared white, razor-sharp fangs. Snowy dragon whiskers sprouted from either side of his neck, and the color in his eyes deepened all at once. The tables in the hall rattled and clinked from the sheer force of his presence.
"Mount... Luo... Xia...!" He ground his teeth, his voice like thunder. Yet it remained trapped within the hall, making everything within shudder and quake.
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The two emerged from the sea’s surface to find the Bicolor Scaled Beast already resting in the shallows. White Banyan’s earlier farewell had clearly not been without reason. He took out his twin-wheeled chariot, let out an "Ay-yo," collapsed onto it, and said with a sigh, "I’m exhausted!"
All of White Banyan’s composure and elegance vanished into thin air, replaced by his usual lazy demeanor. He dangled both feet outside the chariot and swayed them idly. He was even unwilling to activate his dharma artifact, and kept sighing and grumbling.
After so long beneath the sea, Li Zhouwei’s spirits lifted considerably when he once again breathed in the fresh scent of the sea breeze. Since White Banyan had gone on strike, Li Zhouwei had no choice but to steer the dharma artifact himself. They were heading westward all the way back.
White Banyan lay sprawled for a while, only gradually perking up when they reached the shores of Lake Xian. He called out to Li Zhouwei to be careful and slow down, while laughing as he said, "Life for the Dragon Clan is just that dull. They can’t wander freely into human territory... No matter how much the sea’s demonic creatures stir up trouble, none of it is as colorful as human amusements. That arena fighting... humans were already tired of it back in the Zhou Dynasty! It bores me to death."
Li Zhouwei acknowledged with a rumble, offered a few words of praise for Dingjiao, then asked softly, “I imagine much has happened at my lake. Senior, do you have any news?"
Li Zhouwei had been anxious for home and hurried back at full speed, but White Banyan had persuaded him to take his time, which likely meant there was no serious trouble at the lake. Now that he had a chance, he questioned the fox.
White Banyan paused, then smiled and said, "It was nothing much, just a Wrathful Merciful One seizing the chance to come over and drive away your monk. If you had still been at the lake, many cultivators would have gladly used the opportunity to see through your depths."
The fox made no effort to conceal the truth. Lifting his gaze to the distant sea, he spoke evenly, "You must understand, Bright Yang is not merely about a Buddhist cultivator trampling an Immortal Mansion dynasty. There was also a Bright Yang Buddhist cultivator who became the Undefeated King of Brightness!
"If that monk had truly chosen the Dao of Wrathful Manifestation, with destiny leading the way, and you happened to be at the lake, then there's a very high chance that history would have repeated itself. You, the White Qilin, would be pulled into the Pure Land to serve as the Undefeated King of Brightness, and you'll be taken away to the north!"
"Oh?" An image of Kongheng flashed through Li Zhouwei’s mind.
White Banyan shook his head with a laugh. "Even Mahas couldn’t persuade him, let alone the Merciful One. I told you before, it’s just a minor nuisance. First, there’s no need to meddle blindly, and second, it’s also a precaution."
Li Zhouwei thanked him quietly and then said thoughtfully, "So Buddhist cultivators can also cultivate Bright Yang..."
"Bright Yang is a Fruition Attainment of Heaven and Earth; it doesn’t distinguish between immortals, Buddhists, demons, or devils!" White Banyan rolled over, making himself more comfortable, and said casually, "The Undefeated King of Brightness was originally a Buddhist cultivator’s method. When Suxikong obtained the Hua Essence, the Buddhist lands were thereafter filled with radiant light, giving Buddhist cultivators treasures they could wield. If they could also obtain Bright Yang... wouldn’t that be magnificent?"