BOOK 2: CHAPTER 457: TRAPPING THE DRAGON WITH A GRAND FORMATION, SCHEMES UNLEASHED

Vol 2 Chapter 457: Trapping the Dragon with a Grand Formation, Schemes Unleashed

Run!

Once he realized he had fallen into a trap, the Second Prince’s heart was consumed by a single word.

It wasn’t that he was cowardly or too afraid to fight back, but the Cangming Dragon King had warned him—once they returned to the North Sea, no one could harm the Cangming Dragon Palace!

He gritted his teeth against the intense pain radiating from his chest and abdomen, opening his mouth to spit out his innate dragon pearl.

Runes linked on the dragon pearl formed a lampshade-like shield, protecting his true dragon body.

The sea clouds roiled, and the swirling mist concealed his whereabouts.

Taking advantage of the cloud cover, the Second Prince fled desperately toward the North Sea.

But behind him, rhythmic drumbeats echoed.

Amid the beats, several shouts rang out:

“Position Xiu, two quarters past, aim!”

“Fire!”

A chill swept through the Second Prince’s heart. He slightly tilted his head just as a beam of light shot from beneath his jaw. The runes on his dragon pearl intercepted it, narrowly missing his eyeball.

He felt no relief;

instead, a cold dread overwhelmed him. These Jiushan Sect disciples could actually see him!

What kind of formation was this?

The protective glow of the dragon pearl had already dimmed significantly. The Second Prince dared not linger and continued charging toward the North Sea.

Suddenly, the sky brightened. A piercing beam shot from an island to the east, directly toward the Second Prince.

The beam struck the light shield emitted by the dragon pearl. The dense runes flickered several times, fracturing with several cracks appearing.

Fear tightened in the Second Prince’s heart.

It wasn’t just the Sun and Moon Island, nor only the disciples there!

The Jiushan Sect had truly set up a heaven-and-earth net!

And those disciples could truly unleash the power of the Dao Fruit realm!

He suddenly realized that since the Dao Fruit stage was now mortal, these disciples alone could send his soul to the Netherworld!

With this thought, his heart turned ruthless. He not only did not pity the faintly trembling dragon pearl but breathed his innate dragon breath on it, slightly repairing the runes. Then he plunged ahead toward the North Sea with renewed ferocity. ṝÀℕȪꞖËŚ

Luckily, their chosen attack locations were all near the North Sea.

Although he endured three more beams, and cracks appeared even on the dragon pearl’s surface, he was almost there!

Three breaths. Just three more breaths, and he could escape this strange formation...

As this thought flashed in his mind, a purple radiance suddenly shot out from the sea, striking him head-on.

The attack came so suddenly that he didn’t even see what the purple glow was before a tremendous force slammed into him.

The overburdened dragon pearl could no longer sustain itself and flew back into his chest and abdomen.

Only then did he see clearly the treasure within the purple glow—a precious bell!

The bell’s body was engraved with sun, moon, and stars, surrounded by swirling purple lightning.

With his innate dragon pearl broken, his mind severely damaged, he was suddenly electrocuted all over, becoming numb and unable to suppress his injuries as he fell downward.

The massive dragon body crashed into the sea, stirring up a hundred-zhang-high white wave.

The Heavenly Emperor body retracted the Sun and Moon Bell and looked down at the churning sea. Seizing the advantage mercilessly, he activated the Profound Earth Primordial Magnetism Array.

Beams of light flew from afar, shooting straight at the sea surface.

The massive dragon body trembled incessantly in the water, even flipping onto its back.

The Heavenly Emperor body felt a surge of pride—these ancient dragons were truly difficult to catch.

They had tried before when the original body was undergoing tribulation, but these dragons wouldn’t take the bait, and no net could trap them.

So they had no choice but to abandon honor and use electric fishing... or rather, electric dragons.

The ancient dragons’ vitality was truly formidable. Even now, they remained lucid. The Second Prince seemed to have given up escaping, looking resigned to capture.

“Zheng Fa?”

The Heavenly Emperor body did not reply.

The Second Prince’s eyeballs trembled, but he laughed proudly: “You... have fallen for it!”

North Sea, near the Eastern Continent’s border.

The Cangming Dragon King glanced at the tall-legged female cultivator ahead and nodded to someone behind him before suddenly raising the Jade Ruyi.

A golden light shot from the Jade Ruyi’s tip, plunging into the sea and stirring a whirlpool that penetrated the seabed.

The whirlpool spun rapidly, wrapping around the female cultivator.

She was only at the Dharmakaya cultivation stage, powerless to resist, and was drawn toward him by the whirlpool.

“Attacking the juniors, Dragon Lord, are you not being too shameless?” The cold voice of Lord Shuyu Dragon echoed through the sea. She appeared, reaching out to pinch the rapidly spinning seawater and crushing it.

Xiao Yuying flew backward, landing behind her master, still clutching the Sea-Subduing Seal.

“This Sea-Subduing Seal really is a trap. The Dragon Lord has been waiting for me a long time, hasn’t he?”

The Cangming Dragon King sneered coldly.

“I didn’t expect the Dragon King to be so cautious,” Lord Shuyu Dragon shook her head with a soft sigh, apparently surprised the Dragon Lord hadn’t ventured into Xuanwei Sea even a step.

“I also didn’t expect the Jiushan Sect’s grand formation to have such power.”

The Cangming Dragon King’s eyes reddened slightly. It seemed the dragons had some secret communication method that let him learn of the Second Prince’s fate.

Lord Shuyu Dragon chuckled softly. “Then Dragon King, why do you still remain here? Aren’t you afraid your entire clan will be wiped out?”

The Cangming Dragon King said solemnly, “If I kill you and the Jiushan Sect does not surrender my wife and children, then they can prepare for their clan’s extinction!”

Lord Shuyu Dragon’s gaze also turned cold.

“The Dragon King wants to kill me?”

“Today.”

“In my Xuanwei Sea?”

“In Xuanwei Sea.”

“Then we shall see.”

The atmosphere between them instantly became as tense as drawn swords, even the seawater ceased flowing.

Deep and dark, the seabed fell into deathly silence.

Suddenly, the Cangming Dragon King laughed. “You use the Sea-Subduing Seal as bait, but you don’t realize, I am also using it as bait.”

Without waiting for Lord Shuyu Dragon to respond, he turned and called behind him, “Fellow Daoist, why not show yourself?”

From the darkness behind him, a man emerged—none other than the man who had come from the Northern Continent.

This man’s eyes fixed on Lord Shuyu Dragon like he was gazing at prey, his look greedy.

Startled by this light, Lord Shuyu Dragon tensed, raising a treasure seal and coldly asking, “Fellow Daoist, who are you? Why do you oppose me?”

“You look tastier than he does.”

Lord Shuyu Dragon’s expression stiffened, even the Cangming Dragon King’s face turned somewhat uneasy.

“You go catch that human. This dragon is mine.” The man brazenly took command, speaking to the Cangming Dragon King.

“Fellow Daoist, the two of us are True Immortals. Against just her, and with Zheng Fa still far away, we surely won’t be fast enough. Better to attack together;

there will be no mistakes.” The Cangming Dragon King argued.

“No need.”

The man impatiently shook his head, then flipped his hand to support a jade bottle adorned with seven treasures. The bottle’s mouth pointed downward, angled at Lord Shuyu Dragon.

From the bottle’s mouth burst two streams of yin-yang energy, black and white, forming into two poisonous snakes that lunged to bite Lord Shuyu Dragon.

Seeing his confidence, and already uneasy, Lord Shuyu Dragon grew even more cautious witnessing the strange black and white energies. She immediately activated her maritime divine power, her figure flickering, retreating hundreds of miles in a blink.

Just as she vanished, the yin-yang energies descended.

A terrifying sight unfolded before the four:

The seawater began to burn.

In the cold, pitch-black deep sea, a sea of flames inexplicably arose.

The flames were gray, silently flickering underwater, seemingly eternal and unsettling.

The two ancient dragons present, sensitive to changes in the sea, both had the same thought:

This seawater was dead.

Not only could no creatures survive here, but even the seawater seemed to have lost its ability to flow.

More importantly, they sensed their divine powers had lost effect in this region.

Neither sea domain sensing nor instantaneous Dao techniques worked here at all.

“Fellow Daoist... quite a treasure.”

The Cangming Dragon King praised dryly.

Lord Shuyu Dragon pursed her lips tightly, her face pale with fear. If she had delayed even a moment longer, she would have been doomed.

But the man seemed displeased with her escape and once more aimed the bottle mouth at Lord Shuyu Dragon, coldly commanding, “Return!”

The yin-yang energies at the bottle mouth swirled rapidly, forming a vortex.

Within the vortex came an irresistible suction, forcing Lord Shuyu Dragon helplessly toward the bottle mouth.

Seeing this, even the Cangming Dragon King involuntarily retreated two fathoms, distancing himself from the man. This man’s strength was far beyond his expectations. In just a brief encounter, Lord Shuyu Dragon had fallen into a desperate situation.

Lord Shuyu Dragon neared the bottle mouth, seemingly powerless to resist.

The man’s expression was calm, standing still as he waited for the Dragon Lord to be delivered to his lips.

When the distance between them shrank to less than a fathom, Lord Shuyu Dragon suddenly smiled wryly, flying the treasure seal high. It transformed into a streak of light, smashing down on the man’s head.

The man’s smile froze abruptly. He shielded the jade bottle and retreated hastily.

Only then did they realize this man’s Dao magic was extremely fast. To Lord Shuyu Dragon, his speed was likely on par with Zheng Fa’s!

“Trying to escape?” Lord Shuyu Dragon said with a smile, “Impossible!”

Golden light burst from the treasure seal, and a divine dragon coiled on it, slowly opening its eyes and gazing at the man’s back.

The man suddenly felt the seawater around him turn into an unbreakable cage.

No matter how supreme his escape technique was in this realm, he was like a caged bird with nowhere to run!

But the man remained composed, calmly facing the Dragon Lord. Yin-yang energies surged from the bottle mouth, shielding his entire body.

His own light fell upon the treasure seal, his expression surprised.

“Dragon Ancestor’s supreme treasure!” The Cangming Dragon King was even more astonished. “The Fanghai Seal! How could it be in your hands?”

“Why can’t it be in my hands?”

“Legend has it that during a great battle in Xuanwei, the Dragon Ancestor was defeated and lost this treasure. He fled to the Dragon Abyss Realm but was gravely injured and eventually perished.”

At these words, the Cangming Dragon King realized, “So this treasure is in Xuanwei?”

Lord Shuyu Dragon smiled silently, extending her hand to take the treasure seal. Her light still shone on the man.

“A Golden Immortal’s relic, no wonder it’s extraordinary.” The man’s gaze grew serious. “What powers does this treasure hold?”

The Cangming Dragon King looked at the Fanghai Seal, his tone eager and reverent: “This is the condensation of the Dragon Ancestor’s divine power. Legend says, with this seal, the Dragon Ancestor ruled the sea. His words were law;

none could resist.”

“Words are law?” The man looked around. The seawater was like an iron wall, nearly immobilizing him. “The name suits the power.”

Though he said this, no panic showed on his face.

Lord Shuyu Dragon warily breathed dragon breath on the Fanghai Seal.

The heavy, hard seawater seemed like soldiers obeying orders, slowly pressing down on the man with creaking sounds.

The man’s jade bottle suddenly sprayed out yin-yang energies, pushing outward.

He glanced at the Cangming Dragon King.

The Cangming Dragon King looked at the two locked in a stalemate and felt conflicted.

It seemed Lord Shuyu Dragon was too exhausted to handle him. But recalling how this seemingly straightforward Dragon Lord could feign weakness and suddenly launch a sneak attack, he hesitated.

What if the Dragon Lord was playing the same trick again?

Moreover, he dreaded the Fanghai Seal. There was something he hadn’t told the man—this treasure was rumored to command all dragons.

Though Lord Shuyu Dragon showed no sign of this, the Cangming Dragon King still dared not test it.

Seeing his hesitation, the man’s eyes gleamed coldly as he sneered, “Even with this treasure, she has only this much strength, and I’ve already held her back. What are you afraid of?”

The Cangming Dragon King thought bitterly: I’m afraid of you!

He never trusted this man and wouldn’t risk himself for him.

Yet, looking at the Fanghai Seal, greed welled inside him. He was unwilling to miss this golden opportunity.

His gaze shifted to Xiao Yuying in the distance. Better to take her down first, securing the Sea-Subduing Seal and testing if this Dragon Lord really had no strength left.

Xiao Yuying seemed to see his intent, her expression changing slightly as she flew backward.

The Cangming Dragon King sneered coldly: “I dare not offend your master, but you, a Dharmakaya, a human, can’t run away.”

He rushed forward, reaching for the Sea-Subduing Seal.

...

Far away, the Second Prince was still unaware of the rapidly changing battle underwater but knew the fate of his mother and sister-in-law.

He didn’t know if all four of them wanted to flee to the same place or if the Jiushan Sect had deliberately planned it.

In any case, the family was almost reunited.

His sister-in-law arrived first. Her cultivation was lower than his and her wounds worse, with a deep gaping wound on her back.

Behind her was a female cultivator.

This woman held a cyan immortal sword, sharp spiritual energy radiating from her. Upon seeing Zheng Fa, she smiled and said, “Today is truly satisfying!”

Xie Qingxue, the Tianhe Sect’s top disciple of this generation!

The Second Prince immediately understood how his sister-in-law had been wounded.

Then his mother arrived, or rather, was driven here.

The person chasing her was also known to the Second Prince: Wuyi Zhang.

Behind Wuyi Zhang appeared an Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram, and she held a golden treasure bamboo casually, as if on a leisurely outing.

She glanced at the Heavenly Emperor body and nodded slightly, smiling, “He’s here.”

The Second Prince’s heart sank further.

At that moment, a dragon roar came from afar.

Big Brother!

He looked toward the source and saw Big Brother fleeing through the sky, with a cultivator behind clutching a precious pearl in close pursuit.

Seeing that pearl stunned the Second Prince—this was a dragon clan’s innate dragon pearl!

It was obviously Lord Shuyu Dragon’s, yet in the hands of someone else?

When he saw the pursuer’s face clearly, the Second Prince couldn’t help but stir inside and asked, “Xiao Yuying? Why is it you?”

Xiao Yuying tossed the dragon pearl toward the Dragon Palace Eldest Prince, knocking him into the sea before turning to look at him. “It’s me.”

“Then who is that underwater?”