Chapter 735: Ma Zhenjun

The moment he saw Lu Yang, Old Ma sobered up significantly. Although Lu Yang had disguised himself, Old Ma hadn't just met him; he had been present for all of Lu Yang's previous disguises. Old Ma's gaze shifted to the four people beside Lu Yang, and all traces of intoxication vanished.

"No, what are you five doing here?" he blurted out. "Do you know how far this place is from where I dropped you off? At your speed, it would take three full days of flying to reach this place! Did you head straight for my home the moment I dropped you off?"

Although the Dragon-Horse Clan couldn't compare to the top ten clans like the Kunpeng or Xuanwu, they held a significant position in the East Sea. According to the Great Xia sect ranking system, they were considered a first-grade sect. And with Old Ma's return, the Dragon-Horse Clan's status among the sea tribes rose by another half a step. Through years of cultivation, Old Ma had truly become the Dragon-Horse Clan's top master; even the clan chief and grand elders were no match for him. Returning home in glory, Old Ma naturally intended to show off extensively. For this reason, he had deliberately dropped Meng Jingzhou and the others off at the East Sea border. He figured that with their abilities—asking for directions, finding a map, and all the various tasks combined—it would take them at least ten days to reach the deep parts of the East Sea. This didn't even account for any potential trouble they might get into along the way; if something happened, it could take over half a month to arrive. He hadn't expected to run into them after just three days, especially in such an awkward situation, when they had agreed to meet two months later.

"Fellow Daoist, offer a toast to True Monarch Ma!" The Three Heroes of Fangshan Island quickly sent a mental message, seeing Lu Yang frozen in place. "Though True Monarch Ma of the Dragon-Horse Clan appears affable, he is, after all, an Integration Stage cultivator. If displeased, even a minor action could be beyond what a Nascent Soul stage cultivator could endure."

"True Monarch Ma, I offer you this toast," Lu Yang said respectfully. Despite being Junior Brother to Yun Zhi, the second-in-command of the Immortal Lineage, the Young Sect Master of the Heavenly Court Sect, and Senior Brother to Ancestor Phoenix, he displayed no arrogance and was approachable, treating his seniors with exceptional courtesy.

"True Monarch Ma, we toast you!" Meng Jingzhou and the other four eagerly joined in, struggling to suppress their laughter.

"True Monarch Ma, do you know these five people?" Old Ma's attendant, the Dragon-Horse tribesman who had been echoing his words earlier, asked shrewdly, noticing the strange atmosphere between Old Ma and Lu Yang's group.

"Yes, of course I know them. We had the good fortune to meet True Monarch Ma at the Dao Seeking Sect," Lu Yang said with a hearty laugh.

"Ah, yes, I know them. They are from Great Xia's... where are you from in Great Xia now?"

"The Five Elements Sect."

"Right, they are exceptional prodigies from the Five Elements Sect. They are truly remarkable; they are undeniably pillars of talent, destined for great achievements in the future." Old Ma, assuming Lu Yang and the others wouldn't dare reveal their true identities, praised them without reservation.

"The Five Elements Sect, one of the five great immortal sects?" someone exclaimed. This was truly an extraordinary background; no wonder their ancestor valued these five so much. Many sea creatures even began considering marrying off their younger relatives as an investment. One of the sea tribes' advantages was their exceptional fertility; even if the investment failed, it wouldn't impact much, and if it succeeded, the benefits would be substantial.

Meng Jingzhou nodded repeatedly: "True Monarch Ma holds a formidable reputation in our Great Xia. In recent years, several battles involving Tribulation Stage cultivators and semi-immortals have occurred in Great Xia, and True Monarch Ma was present at all of them. He moved freely, emerged unscathed, and displayed exceptionally refined techniques. Even Tribulation Stage cultivators would respectfully address him as 'Old One' upon meeting him."

"Access to the Dao Seeking Sect is strictly managed, but True Monarch Ma is an exception; he can enter and exit the sect at will, with no one daring to stop him." Everyone marveled. With confirmation from a Great Xia immortal sect disciple, it further underscored True Monarch Ma's prominence and influence in Great Xia.

After the banquet, True Monarch Ma discreetly sought out Lu Yang and the other four, sending a private mental message instructing them to meet him in a side hall of the palace.

"Why are you here?" Old Ma's expression was odd; he had suppressed this question throughout the entire banquet.

Lu Yang wore an innocent expression: "This is our first time in the East Sea, and we're unfamiliar with the territory, so we just thought we'd find a place with many high-level cultivators to buy a map. We happened to come here."

"It really was a coincidence," Lu Yang emphasized repeatedly, stressing that their meeting today was unexpected.

Old Ma: "..." If only he had known, he wouldn't have left so hastily back then; if he had left a map, none of this would have happened today.

"Wait here, I'll go find a map for you." Old Ma's face darkened. He hadn't returned to the East Sea in over a hundred years and didn't have a readily available map on hand. Before long, Old Ma returned, holding five jade slips in his mouth. Inside the slips were the most detailed maps he could find in a short amount of time. Lu Yang and the four others activated the jade slips with their divine sense and finally saw the full scope of the East Sea. It was indeed much more detailed than the ten spirit stone maps sold at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, containing everything from the East Sea's top ten clans, to human islands, and even the minor sea tribes.

After sending off Lu Yang and the four others, Old Ma was in a much better mood. With Lu Yang and his companions present at the banquet, he couldn't very well let loose and properly indulge himself. "Should I find another reason to host a banquet? What would be a good reason..." The sea tribes enjoyed hosting banquets, a tradition passed down from the ancient Dragon Clan.

"Back in ancient times, we often held banquets too," Immortal Fairy said, inspired by the scene of the Dragon-Horse Clan's banquet. "Especially when Zhu Tian would sing and dance, it was truly lively." As they entered the East Sea, Lu Yang's spiritual space was once again utterly transformed by Immortal Fairy. The space was filled with seawater, and Immortal Fairy had turned herself into a mermaid, with a human body and a fish tail, swimming around leisurely and contentedly in the water. There was also a sea-bed floating on the surface of the water, so when Immortal Fairy got tired of playing, she could just lie on it and sleep, which was very convenient. Lu Yang felt that a slight shake of his head would make him hear the sound of ocean waves.

"Second-in-Command, you must cultivate diligently; your current spiritual space is still not large enough," Immortal Fairy earnestly instructed him, urging Lu Yang not to grow complacent or lazy.

"Yes, yes, I will certainly cultivate diligently to create an even larger space for you to play in, Immortal Fairy."

"It's a pity this place is too far from the Demon Realm; otherwise, we could summon Zhu Tian to host a banquet here in the East Sea." The banquet Immortal Fairy spoke of was a legendary immortal gathering, grand and magnificent, on a scale that the Dragon-Horse Clan's couldn't possibly compare to. Lu Yang thought to himself, *Zhu Tian is the lord of a demon kingdom after all, Immortal Fairy. Couldn't you show him a little more respect?* Lu Yang recalled Zhu Tian repeatedly calling him "Big Brother" and even giving him four Emperor's Chairs before leaving; one could say his attitude was remarkably sincere.

"Do the five of you fellow Daoists have any particular destination in mind while in the East Sea? If you don't mind, perhaps you could visit Fangshan Island for a talk?" The Three Heroes of Fangshan Island invited Lu Yang and his companions. It was rare for them to encounter cultivators from Great Xia, especially from a top-tier power like the Five Elements Sect, so they naturally wanted to seize this opportunity for interaction.

"That sounds good," Meng Jingzhou readily agreed. Since they had nothing else to do, they might as well visit Fangshan Island.