General Giant Whale, listening from a slight distance, was overjoyed. He had thought only the Dragon Daughter was coming, but unexpectedly it seemed the Dragon Lord also intended to come. With that, there was even less to fear.
Thus, General Giant Whale opened his mouth and spat out the monster he had been holding, which slid directly next to Ji Yuan.
The Dragon Mother frowned, looking at the Giant Whale.
âWho is this?â
âReporting to Her Majesty, this is a subordinate of that evil flood dragon, who was lurking suspiciously around Dragon Rock Island. I also ate some other pieces of scum!â
âThen why didnât you eat him too?â
Ying Ruoli smiled.
âMother, donât worry. I deliberately kept him here so he could lead us to the evil flood dragonâs lair, so we can justly slay him! Mother, do you know if that evil flood dragon has any kin or accomplices?â
The Dragon Mother thought for a moment.
âWhen I first encountered that fellow back then, I didnât see any other formidable demons by his side. A few years ago, I heard he had been asking around for quite a while before he started persistently harassing me, even eating some of my attendants who ventured out from my aquatic palace. Iâm not sure when he found out I resided on Dragon Rock Island.â
General Giant Whale chimed in from outside,
«That evil flood dragon came from the Desolate Sea. What kind of foundation could he have here? Even if he made some acquaintances, they would be nothing but fair-weather friends. Theyâd show him respect while heâs alive, but who would mourn him once heâs dead? Even if some came along from the Desolate Sea, with the savage nature of that place, no one there would care. BesidesâŠ
âIf we can reveal the Dragon Lordâs identity, hmph, donât the True Dragons of the Four Seas all know each other? Who wouldnât afford some respect to the Dragon Lord? At this point, who among the underwater beings would dare to lend him aid?â
There was indeed some truth to his words, but the Dragon Mother was clearly displeased, so Ying Ruoli quickly changed the subject.
âAlright, alright. Letâs deal with that mixed-color flood dragon first. Uncle Ji, how should we interrogate him?â
Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then said:
âJust let him go; he will lead us there himself.â
With that, Ji Yuan directly picked up the demon on the ground and violently flung him outwards. With a gentle push of force, it left a trail in the water as it was sent flying all the way to the edge of Dragon Rock Island.
It seemed some kind of technique had been applied to him when he had been thrown, as the demon soon awoke.
The demon looked left and right, discovering that all its companions were gone. It then glanced towards Dragon Rock Island, where a large whale occasionally swished its tail, but assumed that he had been knocked out and then simply ignored.
âOh no! I must quickly inform Dragon Lord Hua! â
The fish-like monster shuddered, immediately realizing it needed to run. So it quickly swam and maneuvered in the water, skimming along the seabed towards the west.
A short while after he left, Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter followed after him. The Dragon Mother hesitated for a moment but ultimately joined them, still carried by General Giant Whale, though this time their movements were concealed by the Dragon Daughterâs spiritual techniques.
Approximately nine hundred li off the shore, in a sea trench, lay an underwater palace built of rocks and coral. Though crude, it had been well-maintained over the years.
The spirit monsterâs swimming speed was far inferior that of General Giant Whale; it took the better part of a day to cover the nine hundred li.
At this moment, in what could barely pass for a main hall, two figures sat enthroned: one, a man in a dark-green robe wearing a tall hairpin crown, and the other, a bald, bare-chested man with grayish-brown skin. The other seats were occupied by various water spirits, some more human-like, others resembling fish or shrimp, all boisterously eating and drinking together.
âCome, come, Brother Shark! You honor me with your visit today. Letâs not discuss demands for now. I shall consider them and surely give you a satisfactory answer. Come, letâs drink, letâs drink! This is fine human wine I acquired recently, after sinking a dozen ships while traveling through the Northern Sea near the Heng Continent. There are also some other things, too, like spices and preserved fruits; those mortals know how to enjoy themselves better than we do!â
The green-robed man seemed in extremely high spirits, laughing heartily as he continuously explained the various items.
The gray-skinned, bare-chested man raised his wine cup with a smile, looked at the bubbly liquid protected by a bubble, and took a shallow sip.
âHmph, what an uncouth inexperienced bumpkin!â
However, he still spoke with a hearty laugh.
âThe wine is indeed good, but since Brother Hua sank over a dozen ships, what about the people on board? Tsk-tsk, human flesh is much moreâŠâ
âUh⊠Hahahaha, Brother Hui,
1
you know I canât control my mouth! Besides, if people die and soak in seawater, the taste changes!â
âOh, oh, it was just a slip of the tongue, Iâm just being nosy. If Brother Hua has time in the future, Iâll take you to a good place. Although the journey is a bit far, it will definitely be unforgettable!â
The green-robed manâs interest was immediately piqued.
âOh? Where is that?â
âOf course, itâs the BlackâŠâ
The gray-skinned manâs words were cut short as an extremely flustered voice came from outside.
âMaster! Master. . . this is bad, Master!â
The green-robed man stood up. Not long after, the fish-scaled spirit monster stumbled into the hall in a rush, both swimming and running at the same time.
âHmm? Werenât you supposed to be watching that beauty? Why are you back by yourself?â
The fish-scaled spirit monster bowed to the green-robed man.
âIt wasnât that this humble one abandoned my post, but that ferocious Giant Whale has returned, and heâs brought reinforcements! I fear⊠I fear it will be unfavorable for you, Sir. This humble one only managed to escape after a fierce struggle, and all my other brothers were eatenâŠâ
âHahahahaâŠâ
The green-robed man burst into loud laughter.
âYou managed to fight them, yet they dare to seek trouble with me? Iâve always been tolerant of them, and though Iâve eaten many servants from that beautyâs residence, I never laid a hand on that whale. But he has dared put himself on the line again and again. If that is the case, they cannot blame me for acting!â
âBrother Hua, have you encountered trouble? Do you need my help?â
The gray-skinned man, still seated and drinking, asked, though his intent was more symbolic than practical, as he didnât even bother to stand up.
âAh, Brother Hui, no need to mind it. Although that Giant Whale is powerful, heâs just a small fry who hasnât even fully transformed yet.â
âBut didnât your subordinate say he brought reinforcements?â
The gray-skinned man casually asked.
âHahaha. . . Brother Hui, have you forgotten? Back then, you said you wanted the soul of an aquatic monster with profound and pure cultivation. As a token of my sincerity, I gathered many servants, along with a few of your brothers, and we went to the Eastern Sea to ambush and hunt down a black flood dragon!â
The gray-skinned man frowned.
âI remember now. Although I didnât go, itâs said that black flood dragon had an extremely profound cultivation. Despite the ambush and unexpected trap, it still managed to escape. We only got a dragon tendon. His dragon soul and dragon body naturally got away. With so many ghosts and gods on the Eastern Cloud Continent, we didnât dare to rashly pursue it⊠Could there be anything special about this black flood dragon?â
âHaha, actually, thereâs one thing I didnât fully explain. I previously ate many of the beautyâs servants, and extracted some information from them. They have a backerâthat that black flood dragon, whom they all called âMaster Mo.â He must have been the beautyâs former lover. But even if that black flood dragon hadnât died back then, he wouldnât have amounted to much, certainly not a reliable ally.â
The green-robed man said this with a satisfied air, causing the gray-skinned man to realize something and inadvertently look at him with higher regard. He hadnât expected this fellow to possess such cunning; he wasnât completely brainless.
âYou vile, monstrous demon! So Mo Rongâs death was connected to you!â
Ying Ruoliâs clear, cold voice drifted in from outside.
Immediately following was a deafening roar as the outer hall of the underwater palace was directly obliterated as General Giant Whale slammed himself into it. The spot where the green-robed man and his gray-skinned guest had been standing shook violently, with rocks and coral continuously falling.
The green-robed manâs fury surged. Dragon Qi surged forth, his expression contorted with age, and he leapt out of the hall.
âWho wishes to die? How dare you cause trouble at Master Huaâs abode!â
After the man finished cursing, he saw a giant whale outside, with two women and one man on its back.
âBeauties? You, and a younger sister? Excellent! Youâve all delivered yourselves right to my doorstep!â
The green-robed man intently stared at the exquisite faces and shapely figures of the Dragon Mother and Dragon Daughter for a long time. Though their expressions were cold, that didnât matter. He then looked at the green-robed man beside them.
âYou are Mo Rong? Still not dead? Indeed, thereâs hardly any Dragon Qi left in you!â
Ji Yuan shook his head, too lazy to even speak. He extended his left hand flat, and the Green Vine Sword automatically flew into it. Then, he gently ran his right hand over the blade before handing it to Ying Ruoli.
The Dragon Mother, who had kept her head held high, lowered it slightly. Standing atop the massive whaleâs head, she looked down at the green-robed man with an air of superiority.
âHua Hou, this is my daughter. Sheâs here to do something for me!â
The multi-colored flood dragon named Hua Hou froze for a moment, then looked at Ying Ruoli.
âYour daughter? To do what?â
Ying Ruoli channeled all her spiritual energy into her hands, then focused on the Green Vine Sword. She narrowed her eyes and blurted out her answer.
âTo kill you!â
At the same moment she spoke, the Dragon Daughter already reached out to draw the sword, but as she gripped the hilt and pulled, she felt an immense strain, as if wielding thousands of pounds of weight.
âSo heavy! â
Her right arm trembled almost imperceptibly as she mustered all her strength, but with a final burst of effort she drew the immortal sword.
âShiiiingââ
The sword rang out.
SwooshâŠ
A streak of silver-white light flashed across the seabed, slicing diagonally across Hua Houâs face as his pupils constricted violently and he instinctively dodged.
Boom, rumble, rumble, rumbleâŠ
Massive chunks of rock collapsed into the trench, nearly half of the underwater palace was destroyed. An even deeper sword mark was left at the bottom of the trench.
But as Ying Ruoli unleashed that sword strike, she inwardly cursed. She couldnât fully control the immortal sword after all; she had missed slightly, only severing one of his arms and one leg, and scraping off a small patch of his flesh.
âRoooarâŠâ
Hua Houâs pained dragon cry rang out. Amidst the endless blood and murky sediment, a multicolored flood dragon revealed its true form, writhing in agony in the sea trench, looking exactly like an earthworm freshly pulled from the soil.
âRoooar⊠Roo⊠Roo⊠RooooarâŠâ
Ji Yuan saw Ying Ruoli still intended to use her spiritual energy to wield the sword, and extended a hand to stop her.
âThough not dead, he is gravely wounded. Thereâs no need to waste spiritual energy.â
Of course, more importantly, there was no need to waste the Green Vine Swordâs Sword Qi. Although the Dragon Daughterâs spiritual energy replenished a large portion of the energy, without the immortal swordâs own Sword Qi, it wouldnât possess that unparalleled sharpness.
However, Ji Yuan naturally wouldnât let everyone just stand there. Instead, he bent his right thumb, and with his four fingers, he lightly waved twice in front of his chest like fanning himself. Then he casually opened his mouth and exhaled a large plume of red-gray flames, which flew towards the multicolored flood dragon, who was being tormented and driven mad by pain in the sea trench.
The Dragon Daughter, the Dragon Mother, General Giant Whale, the aquatic creatures fleeing from the surrounding structures, and that gray-skinned man who had just come out all watched.
That peculiar-colored plume of fire, astonishingly, never extinguished even deep beneath the sea, and finally landed on the multicolored flood dragon.
Whoosh-whoosh-whooshâŠ
Despite being beneath the sea, the entire body of the flood dragon, which had just been shrouded in dust and gore, instantly erupted in a fierce, red-gray blaze, like boiling oil meeting a raging fire.
âRoooarâŠâ
The flood dragonâs cry suddenly rose several notches.
âWhat?! Fire control? Burning a flood dragon at the bottom of the sea?!â
The gray-skinned man had already inwardly cursed when he saw the Dragon Daughter wielding the immortal sword. Now, witnessing this eerie scene of fire control, his scalp tingled, and his whole body trembled.
Just as he was about to sneak away, he inadvertently glanced up towards the Giant Whale and found that everyone was either dumbfounded or staring at the raging fire with exaggerated expression. Only the one who had set the fire, holding the sword, was facing his direction.
Suddenly, he felt as if his entire body was being pricked by needles.
His name is Hui (ç° huÄ«: ash/gray/dust) and he has gray skin, LOL