Refining the Dao into Godhood: A Tale of the Jie Sect

The current East Sea Dragon King is not the later famed Aoguang, but rather his father, Ao Cang; the present Aoguang is merely an unfulfilled Crown Prince.

After casting the Water Avoidance Spell and being escorted by a squad of shrimp soldiers, Xuanqing quickly arrived at the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and smoothly met the current East Sea Dragon King, Ao Cang.

He is a Daluo Golden Immortal!

In fact, a century ago, after Xuanqing killed two problematic flood dragons on the East Sea, he had dealings with the cultivators from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

At that time, it couldn't exactly be said that the two sides parted on good terms.

But it wasn't that bad either.

Although they were wary of Xuanqing's identity as a Saint's disciple, and dared not rashly kill him, naturally, they did not have a good attitude after he killed two flood dragons.

However, this time Xuanqing came entrusted by the Azure Dragon, bringing with him Azure Dragon Essence Blood, and the other party's attitude changed drastically, even giving Xuanqing much material for artifact refining.

All kinds of materials, such as Taiyi Immortal Gold, Star Essence Gold, Great Sun Divine Gold, Beiming Cold Iron, Ice Crystal Stone, Geng Metal, and the like, were provided aplenty; moreover, to express their gratitude, they also presented many suitable alchemy Spiritual Medicines like Dragon Blood Coral and Nine Curves Spirit Ginseng.

"The Dragon King is too kind!"

Xuanqing was naturally more than happy to accept.

These things, although not as precious as an Innate Spiritual Treasure, were also quite valuable. Even if he had no use for them, he could still give them to his many Jie Sect fellow disciples to earn favors.

After Xuanqing left, Aoguang couldn't wait to look at Ao Cang: "Father, he is merely a Taiyi Golden Immortal, why do we need to be so polite to him?"

Ao Cang smiled and said: "Ancestor Meng Zhang sent him to deliver Essence Blood, surely because he saw some special qualities in him. All we need to do is follow Ancestor Meng Zhang's will! Keep in mind, there's a Saint backing him! A little immortal gold and treasure medicine, in exchange for the goodwill of a Saint's disciple, in my view, is worthwhile!"

Seeing Aoguang frown slightly, Ao Cang continued: "Our Dragon Clan is no longer the Dragon Clan of yesteryears! Some time ago, Emperor Jun sent Bai Ze to the East Sea, intending for our Dragon Clan to join the Demon Clan in its entirety. If it weren't for the Ancestor Candle Dragon revealing a hint of his presence, I'm afraid the Demon Clan's armies would have descended upon the East Sea long ago!"

"How dare he!"

Aoguang exclaimed furiously upon hearing this.

Though the Dragon Clan has fallen on tough times, they are not to be trampled upon. Keep in mind, when the Dragon Clan dominated the Primordial World, these so-called Demon Saints and Demon Emperors like Bai Ze and Emperor Jun probably hadn't even transformed yet!

Seeing this, Ao Cang couldn't help but sigh lightly: "Haven't I told you that as someone in a position of power, no matter when or where, you must keep your emotions in check?"

"Have you forgotten that already?"

Upon hearing this, Aoguang quickly apologized: "I dare not, but the Demon Clan... they truly bully dragons too far!"

Looking at Aoguang's expression, Ao Cang shook his head: "The Demon Clan is powerful, and I have no better plan. Although they have withdrawn for now, I fear they won't let the matter rest easily. Emperor Jun wants to perfect the Celestial Stars Battle Formation, and to defeat the Demon Clan, he will definitely coerce more Daluo Golden Immortals to join the Demon Clan!"

"I've heard that he's crafted a Spiritual Treasure called the Evil Summoning Banner, specifically to control those powerhouses forced to join the Demon Clan by him and Donghuang Taiyi!"

"The Dragon Clan is entangled with Karma, and throughout these recent eons, not a single new Daluo has been born. In this generation, only you and a few others like Ao Qin have any hope!"

"The future of the Four Seas Dragon Palace, as well as the Dragon Clan's future, will all have to be entrusted to you!"

"Therefore, you must learn to set aside the pride of the Dragon Clan. The continuation of our race is more important than anything else. Only by surviving, will there be a chance to clear the Karma of the Dragon Clan."

Upon hearing this, Aoguang showed a hint of unwillingness: "The Demon Clan may be powerful, but they also have enemies! Why shouldn't we collaborate with the Witch Clan to confront the Demon Clan together?"

"Sigh!"

Ao Cang shook his head: "While the Witch Clan is powerful, they are not easy to deal with, and they are highly xenophobic. Cooperating with them would be like seeking skin from a tiger!"

Moreover, he didn't tell Aoguang another conjecture: As the struggle between witches and demons escalates, it could possibly lead to a repeat of the tragedy that befell the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans.

In this era, how difficult is it for the Dragon Clan to remain uninvolved and safe?

In fact, within the Dragon Clan itself, there was no unity. His brother, Ao Hong, wanted to emulate the Ancestor Dragon and relive the imperial reign of the Dragon-Han period.

One of the Ancestor Dragon's former generals, Ji Meng, even directly betrayed the Dragon Clan to become one of the Demon Clan's ten great Demon Saints, intending to ride on the coattails of the Demon Clan's fortune to revive the Dragon Clan.

But now, with the Evil Summoning Banner out, it would be a fortune if Jimo didn't end up losing himself in the process!

Emperor Jun, who was able to subdue many of the Demon Clan and establish the Heavenly Court, was no fool. How could he possibly let Jimo use the Demon Clan's destiny to dress up the Dragon Clan?

Ao Cang gave Ao Guang a glance and, after a long contemplation, spoke earnestly, "If it is an utter impossibility, seeking refuge with a Saint is also a clear path to take."

"I understand, father!"

Upon hearing these words, Ao Guang immediately lowered his proud head. Just as Ao Cang had said, today's Dragon Clan was no longer the Dragon Clan that once contended for dominance in the Primordial World!

The momentum belonged to the mightier ones!

Seeing Ao Guang bowing his head, Ao Cang nodded in satisfaction, "Go now! The Essence Blood given by our ancestor will be entrusted to you for cultivation. Strive to break through to Daluo as soon as possible so I can rest assured and pass on the Dragon Clan to you!"

…

Meanwhile, Xuanqing had just left the East Sea and was contemplating his next move when he, without warning, encountered an uninvited guest.

Golden Winged Great Roc!

Legend says the last offspring of Yuan Feng, born accompanied by the Innate Yin Yang Qi.

Xuanqing narrowly dodged the Golden Winged Great Roc's assault and said coldly, "Daoist friend, I do not recall ever offending you!"

The Golden Winged Great Roc scoffed, "Indeed you haven't! But my Phoenix Clan has a grudge against the Dragon Clan, and you associate with them, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Also, seeing the treasure light soaring from you, you must have many treasures, right?"

"Hand them over!"

"Perhaps I can make your end a swift one!"

Xuanqing didn't know where the Golden Winged Great Roc's courage came from. He could tell that the Roc was also a Taiyi Golden Immortal, not much stronger than himself.

However, to be cautious, he chose to make the first move.

"Thunder, come forth!"

Using his Three-Headed Six-Armed Divine Power, he simultaneously formed a sword gesture, wielded a sword, commanded thunder, held the Purple Lightning Hammer, and played the Sudden Thunder Zither with the remaining two hands.

A flash of lightning streaked by, and the Xuanqing Divine Thunder split into three, striking towards the Golden Winged Great Roc from the front and both sides in a blink of an eye.

The celestial might was vast and shook the void.

The Golden Winged Great Roc's complexion changed drastically, and he conjured the Flask of Yin and Yang Essence, absorbing the three bolts of Divine Thunder into it.

"I have underestimated you!"

Before the words fell, the Golden Winged Great Roc, holding the Flask of Yin and Yang Essence overhead and wielding a golden Great Halberd in hand, appeared behind Xuanqing with mana powerful enough to split mountains and cleave peaks.

The speed was astonishing.

"No wonder you are Yuan Feng's offspring!"

Xuanqing was well-prepared, manipulating the Sudden Thunder Zither that issued a lightning flash with the first string, thunder with the second, and a mix of thunder and lightning with the third while the fourth had already evolved a Thunder Electric Field around him, blasting powerful thunderbolts towards the Golden Winged Great Roc.

Simultaneously, "Wind and Thunder Wings" unfolded abruptly behind Xuanqing, increasing his speed sharply. He first sealed the surrounding hundred zhang of void with the "Upper Pure World Sword Formation" and then immediately struck a "Purple Cloud Divine Thunder" with the Purple Lightning Hammer.

Boom!

In an instant, the Golden Winged Great Roc was enveloped in surging thunder, and torrents of thunderbolts fell like rain.

"Flask of Yin and Yang Essence, absorb!"

In desperation, the Golden Winged Great Roc could only place his hopes on the treasured flask above his head, manifesting the Innate Yin Yang to evolve a black hole in the void that engulfed everything.