Chapter 773: Dragon and Phoenix Contention

When Lu Yang visited Tao Yaoye, he brought a shadow-recording orb as agreed, and the images within it were precious beyond measure.

Lying in bed, Tao Yaoye held the shadow-recording orb, watching Clan Leader Xiao beat Xiao Xinghai so mercilessly that even a tiger devouring its own cub paled in comparison; she almost thought her eyes were playing tricks on her due to a lack of rest.

Was it not said that the five of you went to put on a show? How did a mere act turn into a genuine, brutal beating?

Perhaps this was simply the tradition of the Kunpeng Clan—the ancestor thrashes the clan leader, the clan leader thrashes the son, a physical memory passed down from generation to generation, Tao Yaoye thought idly to herself.

From within the shadow-recording orb, Clan Leader Xiao's furious voice echoed out.

"You wretched brat! I wondered why there have been so many things lately that I never did being pinned on me. So you were the culprit all along!"

"Father, strike lighter! Can you really blame me for this? If your reputation wasn't already so terrible, would anyone else have believed it without a second thought?"

"You dare talk back!"

A confrontation between the Body Integration Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage yielded a thoroughly one-sided battle, entirely as expected.

Regrettably, the four Gourd Brothers' havoc in the sea had stopped at the flooding of Penglai Island, leaving this particular scene entirely to Tao Yaoye's own imagination.

Yet it was not difficult to envision; when Clan Leader Xiao disciplined Xiao Xinghai, he had summoned monstrous waves to submerge his son, and had Xiao Xinghai been replaced by Penglai Island, the island would surely have been drowned as well.

Tao Yaoye could not help but burst into laughter; passing the time in bed was tedious, but watching the shadow-recording orb proved quite entertaining.

...

"Fellow Daoist Xinghai, are you alright? Clan Leader Xiao was far too heavy-handed," Meng Jingzhou said, repeating the words he had uttered not long before.

"Sigh, my father simply does not understand my painstaking intentions." Xiao Xinghai lay in bed, while Lu Yang and the other three either peeled fruit for him or poured him water.

"Presently, our clan possesses only a single Tribulation Transmutation ancestor, Venerable Black Feather. My father is the most likely candidate to become the next, yet he lacks the ruthlessness to make the leap, leaving it to me, his son, to give him a push."

"The so-called Tribulation Transmutation Stage is a realm that can only be ascended to by enduring calamities."

"But calamities take many forms. A lightning tribulation is a trial, but is the enmity I draw to him not a trial as well?"

Lu Yang offered a kind word of comfort to Xiao Xinghai: "Fellow Daoist Xinghai, say no more. You said the exact same thing when Clan Leader Xiao was thrashing you earlier, but he did not believe a word, and only beat you even harder."

Otherwise, Xiao Xinghai would not find himself unable to even leave his bed.

He was currently even weaker than Tao Yaoye had been after unleashing her Feathered Immortal Body.

The good news, however, was that he could recover by consuming medicinal pills.

The bad news was that Clan Leader Xiao had strictly forbidden him from using pills to heal.

This was the power of the Rules.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator to challenge a Body Integration expert and force them to employ the power of Rules was a feat grand enough for Xiao Xinghai to take immense pride in.

"Why don't we try my True Nirvana Flame?" In Meng Jingzhou's palm danced an orange-red flame, which possessed restorative properties.

Xiao Xinghai hurriedly shook his head. "No, absolutely not. To cultivate the Dragon Transformation Technique, I acquired certain draconic traits, whereas the True Nirvana Flame represents the Phoenix Clan. Should dragon and phoenix clash, my injuries will only worsen."

This was a theory none of them had ever heard of.

"Immortal, is there any truth to this?" Lu Yang sought confirmation from the ancient cultivator.

"It is true. Xiao Ling and Lianyi have always been rivals, whether vying for the throne of immortality, or competing in the bedchamber for the Qilin Immortal."

Lu Yang: "..."

So everything they fought over was related to immortals, then.

"It likely developed into a tradition, flowing within the lineages of the Dragon and Phoenix clans of later generations."

"Yet there is also the idiom of the dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity, indicating their powers can coexist. I recall they were quite united when fending off outside mistresses, like the little Qiongqi or the Nine-Tailed Fox. It is just that this little Kunpeng is too severely injured to possess the strength to balance the two forces and allow them to harmonize."

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Xiao Xinghai spoke again: "However, a solution still exists."

"What is it?"

"Though dragon blood lacks direct healing properties, it possesses the power to fortify the physique. If I immerse myself in dragon blood, I can still accelerate the recovery of my wounds."

Dragon blood was not classified as a medicinal pill, falling entirely outside the scope of the Rules.

"Do you possess dragon blood?" In Lu Yang's memory, the Immortal Fairy had once explained that the key to mastering the Dragon Transformation Technique lay in soaking within vast quantities of dragon blood.

"Not on hand; it was all exhausted when I practiced the technique. But it can be purchased at the Dragon Palace's maritime market. That is exactly how I obtained the blood for my prior cultivation."

After a brief consultation, the four of them decided that Su Yiren would remain behind to look after Tao Yaoye, while the rest would pay a visit to the maritime market of the Dragon Palace.

"Take me along as well. The fresher the dragon blood, the better the effects. If you go back and forth, its potency will be greatly diminished." Xiao Xinghai struggled to sit up, giving Lu Yang and the others quite a fright as they quickly pinned him back down onto the bed.

"You can barely even stand in your current state, so what business do you have going to the market?"

"You could carry me there," Xiao Xinghai suggested, still refusing to give up hope.

"Would that not be far too conspicuous? Would Clan Leader Xiao even allow you to leave?"

"No matter, I have a way."

...

The four of them carried a coffin as they flew toward the Dragon Palace's maritime market.

Xiao Xinghai was a renowned prodigy in the Eastern Sea; were he to be carried to the market on a mere stretcher, it would be rather humiliating.

By concealing him within a coffin, they would no longer need to worry about anyone recognizing him.

It truly killed multiple birds with one stone.

The coffin itself was a magical treasure, endowed with the ability to isolate spiritual sense.

The maritime market of the Dragon Palace was the largest bazaar in the Eastern Sea, where people from all walks of life gathered. Unlike the market of Penglai Island, which was frequented solely by humans, this place welcomed both sea races and humanity alike.

The market was a melting pot of diverse souls where novel occurrences transpired daily, yet carrying a coffin through the bazaar was an entirely unprecedented spectacle.

"Who has passed away?"

"The four carrying the coffin are humans. Could it be a senior of their race?"

"Then what are they doing here? Do they intend a sea burial within the Dragon Palace? Will the Dragon Palace even permit it?"

"Who knows."

"Strange, why do those four humans look so full of mirth?"

"Perhaps they have turned extreme sorrow into joy."

Chatting and laughing, the four arrived at the maritime market. It was constructed deep within the ocean, a place that should have been pitch-black and utterly devoid of light. However, the extravagant Dragon Palace had deployed an immense array formed of countless luminous pearls, illuminating the deep sea as bright as day.

"This place is truly colossal." As the four descended, they looked down upon the market, which resembled a magnificent dragon adorned with countless jewels slumbering on the seabed, undisturbed by the sea folk wandering over its form or the buildings erected upon its back.

At the very end of the market stood an ancient, majestic hall, the very Dragon Palace known to all in the Eastern Sea.

The Dragon Palace remained closed to outsiders; even the flood dragons, who were a mere step away from true dragonhood, possessed no right to cross its threshold.

"Once the Old Dragon Emperor's birthday banquet arrives, we shall see what the inside looks like." With the banquet fast approaching, Lu Yang and the others could gain entry by leveraging Su Yiren's connections.

Given the notorious reputation of the Nine Disciples of the Seeking Dao Sect, obtaining an invitation would be an absolute impossibility, and showing up uninvited would merely be walking into a trap.

"This shows far too little respect to this Immortal! As the second-in-command of the Immortal Lineage and the senior brother of Lianyi, that Old Dragon Emperor ought to come out personally to invite you into his palace!" The Immortal Fairy, in the guise of a mermaid, swam back and forth within the spiritual space, voicing her indignation on Lu Yang's behalf.

Even though Lu Yang did not feel he had received any unfair treatment.

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