Chapter 768: Old Ba, I Really Can't Handle This

Luyang simply couldn't fathom it. How could Xiao Xinghai, who was perfectly fine, suddenly vanish and become a Dragon Ball? Did Xiao Xinghai lift the coffin lid, crawl out, and then place the Dragon Ball inside? Meng Jingzhou and Li Haoran were just as puzzled. Only Manggu seemed to grasp it, his face filled with sorrow. "Fellow Daoist Xinghai was gravely injured and beyond recovery; he's turned into a sarira!"

Luyang was speechless. *Manggu, perhaps you should stop talking,* Luyang thought, *I'm about to lose my train of thought because of you.*

"What exactly is a Dragon Ball?" Luyang quietly asked Li Haoran.

"I haven't seen one myself," Li Haoran replied, "but I've heard others speak of it. The Dragon Ball is said to be the supreme treasure of the Dragon Clan, an ancient artifact of unknown origin and rank. It's incredibly hard, indestructible, can cure all poisons, heal injuries, aid cultivation, and even bring good fortune. Its benefits are truly endless."

Luyang suddenly recalled that his master had once stolen a supreme treasure from the Dragon Palace Princess to save someone. It seemed that the very item his master had taken was this Dragon Ball. To his surprise, it seemed it was now his turn as a disciple to steal the Dragon Ball... *Pah*, he thought, *I almost got misled by the Dragon Clan; I have no idea what's really happening.*

Ao Ye was still arguing with Ao Ran. The more he looked at the coffin, the more he felt a strong sense of familiarity. "It's Qin Jiunian's coffin!" Ao Ye finally exclaimed, realizing the coffin's origin.

Qin Jiunian, the Grand Elder of Wendao Sect.

The coffin belonged to Wendao Sect, and the people who transported the Dragon Ball were from Wendao Sect. This matter definitely had ties to them!

Ao Ran rubbed his forehead, feeling that the more they debated, the more complicated and muddled the situation became.

Just then, a deep, authoritative voice resonated from the sky. "Enough, Ao Ye," it boomed, "this matter should have no connection to Wendao Sect."

Ao Ye looked up to see a true dragon, even larger than himself, descending towards the water. Its body coiled in powerful undulations, its claws firmly gripping another coffin.

Ao Ye frowned. "Ao Li," he said, "weren't you pursuing a different group?"

Luyang and Meng Jingzhou recognized Ao Li. He had attended the Monster Kingdom's founding ceremony as the Dragon Clan's representative, a testament to his high status within the Dragon Palace. Furthermore, Ao Li was an old acquaintance of the Grand Elder. At one point, Ao Li had been ensnared by the Lust Tribulation, a deep-seated inner demon that he couldn't escape. The Grand Elder, with a clever stratagem, rendered Ao Li impotent, thereby successfully breaking his lustful desires. This act could be considered a life-saving favor.

Ao Li landed and opened the coffin held in his claws. The coffin was filled with dragon blood, and inside, Xiao Xinghai lay, absorbing it. This dragon blood was Ao Li's own, of the highest quality among dragons at the Integration Stage.

From within the coffin, Xiao Xinghai greeted them. "Luyang," he asked, "what exactly is happening to us now?"

Luyang also wanted to know the current situation.

"Nephew Xinghai, please describe in detail what transpired after you left the Kunpeng Clan."

Xiao Xinghai didn't understand the reason, but he complied, deliberately omitting the part where his father had beaten him. After all, family shame shouldn't be aired, and he couldn't let his father lose face in public. He only mentioned being carried in the coffin by Luyang and the other three, all the way to the Dragon Palace Sea Market.

Ao Ran's eyes widened in realization; he finally understood the crux of the matter. "So, in fact, the Wendao Sect disciples and those four petty thieves at the Divine Transformation Stage took the wrong coffin?"

The Grand Elder's coffin was hidden in various locations throughout the East Sea, so it wasn't unusual for it to be found.

Ao Li shook his head, correcting him. "They weren't just four Divine Transformation cultivators," he clarified. "After their deaths, their disguises faded, revealing them to be the infamous Four Thieves of Juxuan Island."

"Four Divine Transformation cultivators?" Meng Jingzhou exclaimed. "The Ancestral Dragon Grass was taken from precisely four such individuals!"

Ao Ran nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Then everything makes sense," he said. "It must have been the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island who stole the Dragon Ball, murdered my subordinates, and seized the Ancestral Dragon Grass. None of this involves the Wendao Sect disciples."

Ao Li concurred. "I thought the same," he said. "This appears to be a misunderstanding."

"However, it's an undeniable fact that Nephew Xinghai helped our clan eliminate the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island," Ao Li added. "He is still a hero to our people!"

Luyang and the other three also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the events were clear, things were much simpler. They were upright, righteous cultivators, and couldn't just visit the Dragon Palace and be mistaken for thieves. Such an accusation would tarnish Wendao Sect's reputation.

Of course, even without Xiao Xinghai as a witness, Luyang would have been able to uncover the truth and clear their names. This was because the Immortal Fairy had been laughing the entire time. She must have witnessed the entire incident but had remained silent!

In the spiritual space, the mermaid Immortal Fairy was clutching her sides in laughter, so overcome that she couldn't even swim, rolling back and forth on her water bed. Her laughter echoed through the space, utterly ignoring the dark look on Luyang's face. Luyang only regretted that he wasn't an immortal, unable to teach a lesson to the Immortal Fairy, who clearly delighted in others' misfortune!

"By the way, Fairy," Luyang asked, "have you ever seen this Dragon Ball?" He had just heard Li Haoran describe it as an ancient artifact, and as an ancient being herself, the Immortal Fairy might recognize it.

"What Dragon Ball?" the Immortal Fairy scoffed. "Isn't this just a bead that the Qilin Immortal and Yingtian Immortal used to squat down and flick around? Surely there should be a whole set of these?"

"Huh?" Luyang murmured.

The Immortal Fairy looked confused by Luyang's perplexed expression. "Haven't you heard this story?" she asked. "That's odd. Aren't there often patterns like 'Qilin playing with a bead' or 'True Dragon playing with a bead' in the markets, said to be auspicious?"

"Well, it's not wrong to call them auspicious," she continued. "Whenever I invited them for a meal, they'd play a round with these beads before eating, and even keep them on the table during the meal."

"Oh, and these things also have detoxification properties, though I'm not entirely sure what that's for."

Luyang understood. This item was likely a detoxification artifact. Every time they ate, the Qilin Immortal and Yingtian Immortal would openly produce the Dragon Ball under the pretense of playing with glass beads. Although, judging by the Immortal Fairy's description, the Dragon Ball didn't seem to have much of a detoxifying effect.

"But if these 'glass beads' are so large, wouldn't it be cumbersome for the Qilin Immortal and him to play?" Luyang asked, gesturing. The Dragon Ball was palm-sized; how could one play with that?

"Oh, this isn't its original form," the Immortal Fairy explained. "This outer layer is just a protective shell. I'll show you what the bead truly looks like."

Just as Luyang was about to object, a string of obscure ancient words emanated from the Immortal Fairy. The Dragon Ball, which had been resting quietly in the coffin, immediately began to crack into countless tiny fissures.

*Crack, crack...*

Before everyone's astonished eyes, the Dragon Ball split open, revealing its true form: a dull, pill-sized bead.

"See? This is what it really looks like," she declared. "It's a bead refined from an entire star, incredibly durable."

The Dragon Clan was utterly shocked. Wasn't the Dragon Ball supposed to be indestructible? How had it suddenly cracked open like that?!

Luyang, feeling guilty, lowered his head.

Suddenly, the identity jade token at Luyang's waist grew hot, sensing a resonance with the dull bead. The dull bead floated out of the coffin. Before Luyang could react, he felt a powerful suction force pulling him firmly onto the bead. Luyang suddenly realized that it was the dragon-patterned bracelet embedded in his identity jade token that was creating some unknown resonance with the bead!

"What the...!"

Under everyone's stunned gaze, the bead, with a whoosh, shot towards the sky, carrying Luyang with it, vanishing without a trace. Its speed was breathtaking, leaving everyone far behind; no one present could keep up.

Ao Ye's massive dragon eyes blinked twice. "Did Luyang steal the Dragon Ball," he mused, "or did the Dragon Ball steal Luyang?"

Ao Li, equally unsure how to handle the situation, hesitantly suggested, "Perhaps we should contact Wendao Sect?"

Ao Ran gazed up at the sky, watching the direction where Luyang and the bead had vanished, and sighed softly to himself. *Old Ba, I really can't cover this one.*