Chapter Seven: The Dragon Clan Princess

A spiritual flower, formed from the inner spiritual aperture, flickered faintly above Yang Nan’s head. Witnessing Yang Nan finally achieve the rank of Grandmaster, Chi Yang and the others collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Nan turned around, only to suddenly notice an elegant young woman dressed in palace attire standing nearby. She was dignified and graceful, radiant with a noble aura, like a refined lady from a distinguished family. Yang Nan couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “Who is this? Why is she so close to Qing Yan?”

Qing Yan took the woman’s hand and brought her forward, smiling gently. “Husband, this is Princess Long Yao of the Dragon Palace in the Western Sea. It was thanks to her rescue last time that I was able to meet you.”

‘Princess of the Dragon Palace? Then this must be the Sea God of the Western Sea!’ Yang Nan nodded inwardly. No wonder Qing Yan was so familiar with her—she was her benefactor. Husband and wife are one, after all, so Yang Nan cupped his hands and smiled, “My wife was in peril at sea; I thank the princess for her timely aid. I will forever remember this kindness.”

Long Yao, however, fixed her gaze on Yang Nan with a strange look, her eyes full of puzzlement. In her heart, she thought, ‘This person seems so familiar… Why do I have such a strange feeling upon meeting him for the first time?’

She composed herself and then smiled suddenly. “There’s no need for formalities, fellow cultivator. I felt an immediate kinship with Sister Qing Yan; her wisdom far surpasses mine. I originally intended to invite her to visit the Dragon Palace, but she was determined to find you, which led to many hardships. It was truly a harrowing ordeal.”

Yang Nan smiled silently. Qing Yan’s deep affection naturally moved him. The fact that Long Yao referred to Qing Yan as sister indicated she was deeply impressed by her talent. Qing Yan then asked with concern, “Husband, was your advancement to Grandmaster smooth?”

Yang Nan noticed she was only asking now. He pointed to the spiritual flower above his head, raised an eyebrow, and said with a half-smile, “What do you think?”

His words carried a deeper meaning. Qing Yan’s cheeks flushed, and she murmured, “I was so engrossed in conversation with Sister Long Yao that I forgot to inquire earlier. Please forgive me.”

Seeing her uneasy, Yang Nan laughed heartily. “Wife, you worry too much. We are husband and wife; there is no need for such formality. The two spiritual springs on Dragon Roar Island have dried up. Who knows when they will flow again? Since they helped me reach Grandmaster, it must be fate. I will set up a gathering array to concentrate spiritual energy here.”

With that, Yang Nan took out spirit stones and arranged a simple gathering array at the two springs, hoping that one day the island would once again witness the flourishing of the spiritual springs.

While he was busy, Lao Pang and two thousand demon soldiers went to explore the island. Dragon Roar Island was rich with rare flowers and herbs. With the aid of thousands of demon soldiers, Lao Pang’s harvest was indeed plentiful. From the small bronze coin hanging at Yang Nan’s chest, the Eternal Child spirit emerged, ravenously devouring various spirit irons and spirit stones. If they weren’t celestial objects, Yang Nan would not bother with them, but allowing the Eternal Child to absorb and refine even a trace of divine light was beneficial.

Yang Nan checked his Yin-shaded magical weapons and realized that after becoming a Grandmaster, the weapons refined by the spiritual springs had already reached the King-grade Superior tier. With rare materials, further refinement could elevate them to Saint-grade.

However, divine iron was hard to come by. Yang Nan had already tempered the weapons several times with True Fire Heart Refining Technique, yet even advancing one grade was difficult, let alone advancing to a higher stage.

The Eternal Child was voracious, swallowing spirit stones and irons recklessly. The rare treasures that Lao Pang painstakingly gathered were devoured in moments. Yang Nan paid it no mind and let the child consume freely.

Princess Long Yao’s sudden arrival was due to the monks from Vajra Temple. These monks, emboldened by the power of the Six-Wheel Vajra Formation, began slaughtering sea demons upon entering the sea. While killing common sea monsters might be acceptable, the Dragon Palace’s sea patrol Yaksha, along with Long Yao’s beloved companion, the Splitting Water Beast, unfortunately encountered over a dozen highly skilled monks during an outing.

The Vajra Temple monks showed no mercy, killing demons without hesitation, paying no heed to the Dragon Palace princess’s pet.

The sea patrol Yaksha was caught off guard and suffered a heavy loss at its doorstep. The Splitting Water Beast was captured in a Sumeru Mustard Seed Bag by multiple elder monks. If not for the Yaksha’s quick wit, it might not have survived.

Knowing that the ocean was full of demons, the elder monks killed many before returning from the Western Sea to the Eastern Sea. The vast ocean seemed endless. Furious, Long Yao surfaced and searched for a long time without success. Eventually, the light of the Great Sun Buddha guided her…

Yang Nan listened as Qing Yan and Long Yao recounted the monks’ actions, shaking his head in sorrow. The Splitting Water Beast was rescued from the Sumeru Mustard Seed Bag—an artifact of the Buddhist sect. Legend says the genuine article is held by a Buddha-level immortal. Mortal monks can create such bags to store people or objects, but their space is limited.

Now that it had fallen into Yang Nan’s hands, all contents belonged to him. The bags were filled with demon pills, demon bones, and other items. No one knew how many demons these six monks had slain along their journey. Several bags were packed with such items—countless demons surely perished at their hands!

‘Even if they are demons, indiscriminate slaughter is unjust…’ Yang Nan sighed inwardly. He casually placed the items into the Jiangshan Ring for Huang Shan to sort out.

The Splitting Water Beast resembled a small dog, naturally avoiding water, and was extremely cute. After being saved, it circled Long Yao, whining softly, as if lamenting the monks’ cruelty.

Yang Nan pointed to the monks’ corpses and said, “The Vajra Temple has overcorrected and verged on demonic ways. The demon clans number in the billions; how can they be judged all the same? Their recklessness today brought about their own demise. Truly lamentable.”

He flicked out several streams of yin-fire, incinerating the bodies.

Long Yao nodded. “You speak aptly. Though the Vajra Temple was destroyed by Fei Yu, one of the Ten Great Demon Saints, long ago, their monks did not seek revenge on Fei Yu but instead grew to hate all demons. Over the years, the Vajra Temple has committed many evils, showing no compassion. But now the world is in chaos; sects of cultivation and demon clans are at odds. The Vajra Temple is not the only one acting thus.”

Today, the world was in turmoil—humans fought humans, demons fought demons, and humans and demons slaughtered each other, plunging everything into disorder.

Yang Nan frowned, displeased. “All paths and heavens should let each follow their destiny. Humans killing demons and demons killing humans—where is the end to this?”

The natural order is for the killer to be avenged. The previous leader of Kunlun, Master Qing Feng, was harmed by the Demon Saint Molu. If Kunlun disciples held a grudge against all demons, countless innocent spirits would perish. Demons are a wise race; why can they not coexist peacefully with humans?

Long Yao smiled bitterly. “If only all cultivators thought like you! But the heavenly laws are broken, killing has become rampant, and hatred intertwined beyond control.”

Yang Nan furrowed his brow, yet as a mere Grandmaster, not a saint, he had no power to intervene in such matters.

Having just refined a Grandmaster-level Yin Spirit and possessing the Sumeru Mustard Seed Bag of the elder monks, Yang Nan considered himself to have gained much more than he lost. Looking at Long Yao, he said, “Fellow cultivator, we must first return to our old residence in the Southern Continent. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.”

Just as Yang Nan was about to place everyone into the Jiangshan Ring, Long Yao called out, “Fellow cultivator, please wait. Long Yao has a favor to ask.”

Surprised, Yang Nan felt he could not refuse her on account of her kindness to his wife. He nodded, “Speak freely. If it is within my power, Yang Nan will surely assist.”

Long Yao hesitated before saying, “This is the Eastern Sea territory. Why not come to my Dragon Palace so we may discuss matters at leisure?”

“Husband, since we are returning home anyway, why not visit the Dragon Palace for a while?” Qing Yan tugged at Yang Nan’s sleeve, her expression imploring. Though reluctant, Yang Nan could not refuse his wife’s wish and replied calmly, “Very well. Besides, it will be a good chance to tour the vast seabed.”

Delighted, Long Yao took the Splitting Water Beast in her arms and led the way. Yang Nan placed Lao Pang and the demon soldiers into the Jiangshan Ring and mounted a great roc, following closely behind.

At Long Yao’s dragon call, she transformed into her true form—a white dragon. Qing Yan, now bolder and changed, confidently rode atop. The dragon twisted and plunged into the sea. Yang Nan formed a water avoidance talisman and followed. The Splitting Water Beast, blessed with innate talent, parted the sea as it went, creating a natural underwater passage.

The seabed was full of wonders. Along the way, Yang Nan saw countless sea spirits. With the white dragon leading, no creature dared challenge them. Their journey was smooth until they reached the Western Sea, where a beautiful underwater palace suddenly appeared.

The Dragon Palace lay deep beneath the sea, majestic and splendid—far beyond the humble abodes of minor water lords along rivers and streams.

Long Yao returned to the palace, shifting back into a graceful lady dressed in white, holding Qing Yan’s hand, and walked directly inside.

Yang Nan arrived at the palace gates and realized the waters were completely sealed out; despite the raging waves outside, no seawater penetrated within. The palace’s mystical nature surpassed even the Hun River Water Mansion.

Long Yao led Yang Nan to sit and ordered her maid to serve tea before speaking. “I have taken the liberty to invite you here to discuss an important matter. It concerns great significance, thus I wished to explain it thoroughly within the palace.”

Yang Nan nodded upon hearing her seriousness. “Please speak freely. Though I have only just become a Grandmaster, I would not refuse to lend assistance if I am able.”

Long Yao nodded and continued: “Somewhere in the Western Sea, a divine stele appeared unexpectedly. It is said to be a relic left by a great sage immortal of ancient times, inscribed with profound ancient script, containing the spiritual power of heaven and earth. This stele was already incomplete when found. Several thousand years ago, Yuan Jia, the Turtle Saint—one of the Ten Great Demon Saints—retrieved it from somewhere and placed it in his cave. Yuan Jia hoped to use the stele to create an unparalleled avatar. However, his Taoist methods were incomplete; the avatar could not be formed. Severely wounded, he abandoned his physical and spiritual forms, choosing to undergo ‘soldier’s dissolution’ into the mortal world. This divine stele has an extraordinary origin, and once revealed, it has stirred many upheavals!”

‘Soldier’s dissolution’ means maintaining a flicker of spiritual awareness while reincarnating as a mortal, leaving all past attachments behind. Although this residual awareness might cause unusual traits, the former self is no longer the same. Cultivators only resort to this in dire circumstances.

Yang Nan was even more amazed. The Ten Great Demon Saints were all supreme masters. The strongest cultivator he had ever met was the usually cheerful Xuán Xū Zhen Ren, likely only at the Saint Warrior level. Yuan Jia, having become a saint millennia ago, must possess earth-shaking power!

Hearing how difficult it was for demon saints to create avatars, Yang Nan felt a pang of sympathy. Demon cultivation was no easy path. Without peerless techniques, aspiring to transcend the saint stage into immortality was mere fantasy!

Yang Nan pondered, “So this calamity stems from the cave left by the Demon Saint Yuan Jia?”

A saint’s cave, left behind after ‘soldier’s dissolution,’ would contain many treasures. Once discovered, who could resist plundering?

Long Yao showed admiration. “Indeed. Besides the stele, Yuan Jia’s cave holds a Sea-Calming Divine Iron, an ancient artifact of immense power used to stabilize the waters. If anyone takes it away, the Western Sea would surge violently, causing countless sea creatures to perish and killing many sailors and merchants. Thus, I boldly ask for your help to block those who seek the cave.”