Chapter 749: Peerless Great Power

San Shan Daoist calmed his breathing and began to calculate the other party's origin. Before he could determine anything, he was slapped twice, leaving him dazed.

"A peerless mighty figure is playing among mortals, bowing to my statue?"

San Shan Daoist couldn't quite discern the other party's methods. Yet, a mere bow had severely injured him, and his attempt to calculate their origin was met with a counterattack. This clearly showed that the other party surpassed him in both status and power.

"The two slaps weren't heavy, which means the peerless mighty figure holds no ill will towards me?"

Peerless mighty figures are known to be temperamental, so San Shan Daoist could only hope the other party was just passing through the East Sea and would not linger.

"It seems that peerless mighty figure also made a wish?"

He had been busy spitting blood just now and hadn't paid attention to what wish the mighty figure had made.

That mighty figure must be someone with extraordinary power and influence. What wish could they possibly need his help with?

San Shan Daoist shook his head, dismissing the thought. It was likely just a prank. He had always been cautious, knowing which individuals could be provoked and which could not.

"Why did I ever think of cultivating using the power of faith?" San Shan Daoist lamented. If not for that, he wouldn't be in this predicament.

Venerable Dingfeng stood at the entrance of the cave at the heart of the Ninth-Grade Spirit Vein. He bowed and announced, "Island Master, Jiang Zhu, the Second Prince of Great Xia, has arrived at Penglai Island and wishes to meet you."

San Shan Daoist wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was already annoyed, so he had no desire to see outsiders. He was about to decline, but then he suddenly realized that the Second Prince of Great Xia was not from the East Sea. That peerless mighty figure was clearly not from the East Sea either; otherwise, they would have made him vomit blood with their bows long ago, not waiting until today.

The greatest variable in the East Sea recently was undoubtedly the Second Prince's fleet. Could it be that the peerless mighty figure was within the Second Prince's fleet, and the earlier incident was merely a warning for him?

The refusal was on his lips, but he changed his mind at the last moment, saying, "Then I shall meet him."

"Why bow to San Shan Daoist? I am right here, a great immortal, and you don't bow to me!" Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu angrily slapped Lu Yang's face repeatedly with her fish tail, splashing water all over him.

"Am I, this immortal, unable to ensure your safety in the East Sea?"

To think that she, Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu, as the foremost of the Five Immortals, had dominated ancient times and was unparalleled in the world. Her worshippers could fill an entire planet, yet Lu Yang chose not to bow to her but instead to San Shan Daoist, someone she had never even heard of.

"Don't be angry, Immortal Fairy. I was just trying it out, not truly bowing," Lu Yang apologized and explained repeatedly.

Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu puffed out her cheeks angrily, crossed her arms, and turned her head away, unwilling to acknowledge Lu Yang. Lu Yang pleaded for a while before Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu finally deigned to speak to him, though she still pouted.

"Bowing to him is useless anyway. You're the dignified second-in-command of the Immortal Lineage, protected by me. Your fate is much higher than his."

"Perhaps with just one bow from you, he would have coughed up blood."

Lu Yang was taken aback by Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu. He chuckled awkwardly, "No way? Didn't you also bow to the three grand patriarchs during the sect's celebration?"

"That's completely different. Not to mention, I'm a guest elder of Wendao Sect, so bowing to the sect's grand patriarchs is no big deal. Besides, those three didn't cultivate using the power of faith."

"Why don't you try bowing to the Third Elder when you return to the sect? I guarantee he'll spit up blood with every bow you make."

Seeing how serious Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu sounded, Lu Yang decided it would be better to avoid bowing to others in the future to prevent trouble. The Third Elder would be fine; he had a nascent immortal dao fruit, so spitting a little blood wouldn't be a problem. But if the Penglai Island master were to spit blood, Lu Yang couldn't afford to compensate him.

"The Second Prince's fleet has arrived?" Lu Yang and the others noticed the three large, conspicuous ships docked at Penglai Island. Many cultivators went to watch the spectacle. The last time the Great Xia imperial court came to the East Sea with such a grand display was three hundred years ago, for the ascension of Yingzhou Island's new island master.

Lu Yang saw the Second Prince disembark, accompanied by several attendants. All of them matched the Integration-stage cultivators listed in the "Great Xia Dynasty Integration Stage Roster" he had purchased at the sect's celebration. Everyone on that list was an enemy of his master.

"It seems there's one attendant not on the list. Is he an Integration-stage cultivator secretly trained by the court, or a Tribulation-stage cultivator?" Lu Yang thought the latter was more likely.

"Speaking of which, are there any legends about elixirs of immortality in the East Sea?"

Li Haoran nodded, "Yes, quite a few."

"For example, it's said that deep within Yingzhou Island's eighth-grade spirit vein, there's an immortal herb of longevity, planted by the ancient Supreme Changqing in the past."

Lu Yang turned his head back to his spiritual space to ask his knowledgeable informant, "Who is Supreme Changqing?"

Immortal Fairy Bu Xiu was catching fish in the sea, blowing bubbles as she spoke: "He was a half-immortal with a longevity dao fruit who boasted of contending with me for the dao fruit position. I knocked him down with two punches; he couldn't take a hit."

Li Haoran continued, "For example, in the northern corner of the East Sea, there's a mysterious island that only appears at the turn of the new year, during high tide. The island is fraught with dangers, and countless ferocious beasts guard an immortal herb in its center. Consuming this herb allows one to ascend to immortality and live forever."

"Also, at the deepest part of the East Sea, there's an extinct volcano. Its crater is filled with embers, and from these embers blooms a fiery red flower of unknown species and effect, and it's uncertain if it grants longevity."

"And also..." Li Haoran rattled off more than ten different legends. "The East Sea has too many races, making communication difficult, which leads to all sorts of strange and bizarre legends."

"When Qin Haoran came to the East Sea back then, he visited most of these legendary locations, but they were all fake." If there really were immortal herbs, Qin Haoran would have risked his life to pluck one. Just one could solve most of the Nine Nether Sect's debts. Qin Haoran even considered secretly visiting places like the depths of Yingzhou Island's spirit vein. But that was Yingzhou Island's lifeblood, and the island master of Yingzhou was a Tribulation-stage cultivator. He feared he might enter but never leave alive.

The group was very relaxed, eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves for most of the day.

"Careful, True Lord Remnant Moon is coming this way," Su Yiren warned.

As soon as she finished speaking, a slender cultivator stood before Lu Yang and the others.

"The Second Prince requests your presence. Would you be so kind as to accompany me?"

"How did the Second Prince know we were here?" Man Gu exclaimed in surprise. The Second Prince truly possessed remarkable methods; he knew they were here immediately upon arriving at Penglai Island.

Li Haoran transmitted a helpless message: "Because Senior Brother Lu Yang used the Arhat Fist."

East Sea cultivators might not know, but every Great Xia cultivator knew Lu Yang's fist was specialized in dealing with dense hair. The commotion at the Immortal Appraisal Convention was so great that a little inquiry would reveal Lu Yang's presence.

He was still the Second Prince, and although his status was not as high as Yun Zhi's junior brother, some respect was due. "Let's go then," Lu Yang said with a smile, curious to see what the Second Prince wanted.

It wasn't Lu Yang's first time meeting Second Prince Jiang Zhu. The prince had attended the founding ceremony of the Demon Nation. However, back then, the Second Prince had been watching eagerly from below the stage while Lu Yang, as the Young Sect Master, displayed his might on stage.

True Lord Remnant Moon led them to the most luxurious restaurant in the outer ring of Penglai Island. Upon seeing Lu Yang and the others arrive, the Second Prince smiled and greeted Lu Yang.

"I've long heard of Fellow Daoist Lu Yang's great name; meeting you today truly confirms your extraordinary reputation."

Lu Yang noticed that the table was laden with a large spread of dishes. Seeing this, the Second Prince mistakenly thought Lu Yang enjoyed fine cuisine and humbly said, "I've just ordered a few random dishes; please don't mind them, Fellow Daoist Lu Yang." Although he claimed they were "random," they were actually all the restaurant's signature dishes.

Lu Yang said nothing. He was a polite person, and this entire table of dishes combined was not as good as a twenty-year-old white crucian carp. He tried his best not to scorn the Second Prince's lack of discernment.