Chapter 1955: Heavenly Blessed Land

Fang Canran coughed lightly. "The relationship between the Dragon Clan and the Immortal Sect wasn't very good back then."

Weng Xing was curious. "Why?"

"Look around," Fang Canran said in a low voice. "This is an incredibly rich mineral vein. No ancient texts draw conclusions, but from the clues I've pieced together, the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth was rapidly declining at that time. Large Taoist sects like Danxia Palace found it particularly difficult to sustain themselves. Yet, the Azure Dragon clan was thriving near it, occupying such a blessed land and enjoying its benefits alone. How do you think the Immortal Sect felt about that?"

The larger a Taoist sect, the harder it was to maintain. The Immortal Sect toiled and struggled to acquire spiritual energy, while the Azure Dragons lay sleeping on rich veins of mystic crystals. Who could feel balanced seeing that?

Weng Xing thought for a moment and then chuckled, "If I were Danxia Palace, I'd certainly be eyeing the Dragon Clan."

"But the Azure Dragon clan wasn't foolish either. They protected their Dragon Palace with layers of formations and illusions, making it impossible for others to find its location. Remember, at that time, this was deep underwater, and water is a natural barrier, excellent for isolating divine senses. The Chaohu Yakshas probably weren't adept at breaking formations," Fang Canran said, pointing to the two immortal remains. "How they managed to get in is truly a mystery."

He Lingchuan also looked up, examining. "Why didn't Danxia Palace follow them in and seize the mineral vein?"

"That's unclear. Perhaps something else happened then," Fang Canran shrugged. "It was a long time ago, and with a lack of information, we can't accurately determine the situation at the time."

Luo Xie couldn't help but ask, "What about Chaohai?"

"Two thousand two hundred years ago, the underground fire eruptions became much more violent, eventually leading to geological changes. The land rapidly rose, and this ocean disappeared," Fang Canran shook his head. "The 'Sea Soul Codex' mentions that the demon race tells the story of the Chaohai Yaksha clan as a joke, citing them as a classic example of delusions that human effort can defy heaven."

Luo Xie asked curiously, "Isn't cultivation precisely for human effort to defy heaven?"

"That's more arrogant than a celestial demon!" He Lingchuan and Fang Canran both laughed. "Our generation cultivates to act freely yet within bounds. 'Within bounds' means aligning with the laws of nature. The stronger one's cultivation, the more one understands the vastness of heaven and earth, and the boundless nature of the Great Dao."

Only naive newcomers, inexperienced in the ways of the world, would believe that they are the greatest in the vast universe.

"So, even if the Chaohai Yaksha King obtained the Dragon God's 'Mountain Suppressor,' it was useless?"

"That relates to both the power of the underground fire and the era," He Lingchuan scratched his head. "Even if it had recovered the Dragon God's supreme treasure, no matter how powerful an artifact was back then, the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth was too weak. It probably wouldn't have lasted long amidst the underground fire. So, Brother Fang's point makes sense: after seeing the mineral vein upon entering, the Yaksha King might have wanted to seize the Dragon Clan's habitat to establish a new home for the Chaohai Yakshas."

But the Yaksha King ultimately failed, which is why it was mocked by the uninformed demon race for over two thousand years.

"If it dared to harbor such a thought, it means the Dragon Clan was already in decline at that time." Otherwise, in ancient times, under the Dragon God's rule, the Dragon Clan was an existence revered by all beings; a small Chaohai Yaksha would only be fit to grovel. How could it dare to come here to "seek" a supreme treasure?

He Lingchuan leaped onto the dragon's body along the stone wall and walked all the way to its head.

The dragon's back was as wide as a boat, and surprisingly, it felt slightly elastic when walked upon. He Lingchuan drew his Fusheng Blade with a backhand motion and swiped it across the dragon's back.

*Clang*, it struck a dragon scale, producing a few sparks.

But the dragon's hide wasn't broken.

What tough hide! No wonder the Chaohai Yaksha King used a trident to pierce its eyes; it must have been incredibly difficult to break through its defenses elsewhere.

Fang Canran's hands tingled with curiosity. Disregarding any impropriety, he jumped onto the dragon's corpse, prodding it here and there, continuously exclaiming:

"After more than two thousand years, the dragon's corpse is still so well preserved?"

He Lingchuan had previously found the remains of True Master Minghui in the Ghost King's underground palace, also isolated underwater. However, True Master Minghui was reduced to mere bones, unlike this Azure Dragon, whose flesh remained full and intact.

If it were to close its eyes and lie on the ground, everyone entering would surely think at first glance that it was merely sleeping.

However, he soon found several holes on the dragon's corpse. There were no signs of healing around the wounds, indicating they were sustained in this last battle.

Judging by the holes, they were caused by the trident in the Yaksha King's hand.

This showed that the trident was certainly no ordinary item.

He Lingchuan also looked around, because his Divine Bone Necklace was heating up again.

It hadn't stirred for several months since leaving the Upside-Down Sea. He Lingchuan understood perfectly; after consuming good things in the Upside-Down Sea, it would be strange if it weren't picky now.

But this dragon corpse was enormous. What exactly was the Divine Bone Necklace interested in?

He followed the dragon's back to its head, and the Divine Bone Necklace suddenly felt hot against his skin.

Clearly, what it wanted to consume was very close.

Directly in front of He Lingchuan were the magnificent dragon horns, each several times the circumference of his waist.

However, there was a small split on the dragon horn before him; he didn't know if the Yaksha King had caused it. He Lingchuan bowed to the dragon's corpse and whispered, "Forgive me for disturbing you, venerable one. I wish to borrow something from your body."

With that, he broke off a small piece of the dragon horn and brought it close to the Divine Bone Necklace.

There was no reaction at all.

It wouldn't even eat a dragon horn, that picky thing!

Helpless, He Lingchuan could only continue searching, secretly praying that what the item wanted wasn't the dragon pearl.

For such an enormous Azure Dragon, retrieving its dragon pearl wouldn't be easy. The stifling experience of burrowing into a giant turtle's belly to find its pearl was still fresh in his memory.

A few more steps forward, he saw a bulge underfoot, as large as a round table and protruding over five feet high.

Upon reaching this spot, the Divine Bone Necklace began to heat up against him once more.

Could what it wanted be the thing inside this bulge?

He Lingchuan drew his Fusheng Blade, channeling power through both arms and a bit of primordial energy, causing the blade to glow faintly red.

The dragon's hide was too thick; he wasn't confident he could cut it open.

Then, he changed his chop into a stab and plunged the blade in fiercely!

The blade went in as if piercing tough, rotten leather—resilient but not breaking through.

Even with the sharpness of the Fusheng Blade, it took three strikes to break through the hide of this dragon corpse, which had been dead for over two thousand years.

This clearly showed how formidable the Azure Dragon's cultivation had been in life.

The Chaohai Yaksha King, capable of perishing with it, gained a few more points in He Lingchuan's estimation.

Although mocked by the demon race, it was certainly no simpleton.

How could a simpleton cultivate to such a degree?

The first strike broke the hide, making subsequent cutting relatively easier. He Lingchuan dug and pried at the giant dragon's forehead with considerable effort, eventually extracting a perfectly round object, nine feet in diameter—

A ball of flesh?

He reached out and pressed it; it was very elastic and solid.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror asked curiously, "What's this?"

Fang Canran had already been observing from the side. Now, he came closer and poked it a few times with his finger. Seeing Fang Canran's confused expression, He Lingchuan chuckled:

"Brother Fang, with your extensive knowledge, do you know what this is?"

Fang Canran gave him an exasperated look. "Aren't you a reincarnation of a Dragon God? Then tell me, what's a ball of flesh that grows on a dragon's head called?"