Ao Xuan chose to keep Qing He by his side.
The two rose on a cloud, heading eastward.
Qing He's skirt, dotted with tiny wood-attribute spiritual lights, fluttered gently with the cloud currents. She sat sideways on the edge of Ao Xuan's cyan-gold cloud, her fingertips occasionally brushing the surging sea of clouds below—drawing forth wispy trails of emerald spiritual energy that twirled around her fingers.
"Upper Immortal..." she murmured, gazing at the growing mist ahead, her eyes brimming with curiosity. "Is it true what you said—that the shores of the East China Sea hide the most abundant water spiritual veins in the Primordial World?"
"No need for formalities. Call me by my name."
Ao Xuan stood at the front of the cloud, his cyan-gold robes fluttering at the hem in the sea breeze. He lifted his gaze eastward, his dragon eyes piercing through the clouds to behold an endless expanse of azure—the East China Sea. At that moment, towering waves surged like countless silver dragons galloping across the surface.
"Abundant is an understatement," Ao Xuan said with quiet certainty. A wisp of pale blue water energy coalesced at his fingertip, within which a faint outline of the East China Sea's spiritual veins appeared.
"Deep beneath the sea lies a convergence of spiritual eyes—a hub of the four seas' water energy, and a node where innate water spirits intertwine. When Pangu separated heaven and earth, his spine transformed into the Buzhou Mountain, while most of the water essence from his body sank into the East China Sea. That spiritual convergence is the lingering echo of Pangu's primal water essence."
Qing He leaned closer to examine the water energy outline. In the pitch-black depths of the sea depicted within, a few glowing spots of emerald and azure intertwined, emanating a gentle yet mighty aura.
Her heart stirred. She thought of her stolen Green Wood Staff, forged from an innate wood spiritual root. If she could cultivate beside such a spiritual eye, her strength might recover far sooner.
The two continued their journey on the cloud, and in less than half a day, they reached the shores of the East China Sea.
As soon as they drew near the sea surface, a salty sea breeze rushed over, carrying a dense scent of innate water spiritual energy. Breathing it in, Qing He felt her meridians relax and flow more smoothly.
She took a deep breath, her emerald eyes brightening. "What pure water spiritual energy! It's several times more concentrated than the spiritual springs of Buzhou Mountain!"
But Ao Xuan did not hurry to enter the sea. Instead, he stood atop the cloud, his hands slowly forming seals. As the seals changed, the cyan-gold spiritual light around him intensified, and the green dragon mark between his brows flickered. A pressure emanating from the depths of his dragon soul spread outward.
In an instant, the surging waves froze mid-roll, and the violent sea breeze calmed. The sea surface smoothed like ironed silk, shimmering softly.
"Split!"
Ao Xuan's voice was not loud, but as his palm pressed downward, a massive rift suddenly split the sea surface. Instead of water rushing into the gap, countless strands of pale blue water spiritual essence gushed forth, forming a luminous path leading to the deep sea.
"Follow me." Ao Xuan gestured sideways and stepped onto the path first.
Qing He hurried to keep up. The moment she entered the path, she felt herself enveloped in warm water spiritual energy—no trace of the deep sea's oppression. On either side, pitch-black seawater was blocked by an invisible barrier. Occasional giant fish shadows darted past outside the barrier, fleeing in terror at the sight of the path's radiance.
After roughly an hour of walking, a brilliant glow appeared at the end of the path. When they stepped out, Qing He found herself standing on a vast underwater plain. At the center of the plain rose a raised platform covered in intricate golden patterns—remnants of Pangu's primal water essence.
"This is the sea's spiritual core," Ao Xuan said, landing on the platform. His fingertip touched the golden patterns, which instantly lit up. A mighty surge of water spiritual energy flowed into his body, deepening his understanding of the water Dao.
"The sea's spiritual core?" Qing He looked confused. "I always thought a 'sea eye' would be a huge hole."
"'Sea eye' isn't entirely accurate," Ao Xuan replied, clamping his hand shut. "Condense!"
In that instant, the entire East China Sea's water energy was stirred. Above the sea surface, countless giant waves soared into the sky, transforming into blue dragon-shaped water currents that converged toward the underwater spiritual core.
As the water dragons fell around the platform, Ao Xuan manipulated them to form crystal-clear palace walls—forged from innate water spiritual essence, their surfaces rippling with water Dao patterns. When sunlight refracted through the seawater onto the walls, it cast reflections of the starry sky, as if transporting the celestial river into the deep sea.
"Grow!"
Ao Xuan waved his hand again, and dense emerald spiritual light poured from his palm, infusing the wood spiritual veins around the platform.
The withered deep-sea plants suddenly burst to life, growing rapidly into towering aquatic trees with trunks as thick as barrels and lush foliage. Crystal-clear spiritual dew glistened on their brownish-green leaves; when the dew dripped, it tinkled like jade beads.
Under Ao Xuan's control, these spiritual trees transformed into the palace's beams and pillars, wrapped in golden spiritual vines that bloomed with fragrant flowers, dispelling the deep sea's chill.
The ceiling was covered with a "canopy" woven from spiritual energy, dotted with fist-sized spiritual pearls—plucked from deep-sea mussels by Ao Xuan, their soft white light illuminating the entire palace as bright as day.
After nearly three hours of work, a magnificent dragon palace took shape above the underwater spiritual core.
The palace was primarily cyan-gold: walls of condensed water crystal, beams of innate wood, and a ceiling inlaid with spiritual pearls. Above the main gate were four powerful golden characters—"East China Sea Dragon Palace"—forged from merit power, exuding an aura that suppressed the entire East China Sea.
The palace consisted of a front hall, a back hall, and a spiritual garden. In the center of the front hall stood a dragon throne carved from crystal, its back adorned with a coiled green dragon, its eyes inlaid with two cyan water spiritual pearls. The back hall housed the former spiritual core, where Ao Xuan had channeled energy to form a spiritual spring—its waters rich in innate water spiritual essence, a perfect place for cultivation. In the spiritual garden, Qing He had planted many spiritual herbs brought from Buzhou Mountain, which now thrived under the nourishment of the spiritual veins.
"It's done," Ao Xuan said, standing at the front hall entrance. Looking at the dragon palace he had crafted with his own hands, a sense of accomplishment surged within him.
Qing He stood beside him, her eyes filled with joy as she gazed at the vibrant herbs in the garden. "Friend Ao Xuan, this palace... it's breathtaking. With these spiritual veins and this residence, we finally have a place to call home."
Ao Xuan nodded, about to speak when his brows suddenly furrowed. A cold glint flashed in his dragon eyes.
He sensed three powerful demonic auras rapidly approaching from the depths of the East China Sea—their target, the newly built Dragon Palace.
"It seems the original inhabitants of the East China Sea aren't welcoming," Ao Xuan said, a cold smile curving his lips. The cyan-gold spiritual light around him faded, replaced by a ferocious aura from his dragon soul.
Qing He's expression changed. She quickly channeled her wood spiritual energy, transforming the garden's herbs into emerald vines that wrapped around the palace walls, forming a simple defensive barrier.
In moments, three massive figures appeared in the seawater before the Dragon Palace.
Leading them was a colossal black-armored sea turtle, its shell pitch-black and covered in spikes glowing with dark blue venom. Its two enormous pincers snapped shut, capable of tearing through seawater with ease.
Behind it swam a red-eyed octopus, its dozens of tentacles—each lined with suction cups oozing corrosive black liquid—matching the sea turtle's strength. Last came a black-scaled shark king, nearly a hundred zhang long, its scales as hard as iron and its mouth filled with sharp fangs. Though slightly weaker than the other two, it was incomparably fast.
"Where did this whipper-snapper come from, daring to build a lair on my territory!" the sea turtle's voice boomed like thunder, sending ripples through the surrounding seawater.
"The East China Sea is mine! Be wise—demolish this shabby hut and get out, or I'll send you both to the bottom of the sea!"
"Hmph, not a bad little mansion," the sea turtle's small eyes darted greedily over the magnificent palace. "Tell you what—since you built it so nicely, you two can leave. I'll take it from here!"
The red-eyed octopus waved its tentacles wildly, cackling. "Well said, Turtle Brother! This palace is a beauty, and the spiritual veins inside are quite rich. Hand it over, and let the little lady amuse us—maybe we'll spare your lives!"
The black-scaled shark king said nothing, merely baring its fangs, its eyes filled with bloodlust as it slowly approached the two.
Ao Xuan took a step forward, and his dragon's prestige exploded outward, freezing the spiritual energy in the seawater. He did not transform into his full dragon form—instead, endless spiritual energy surged from his left arm, morphing into a cyan-gold dragon arm as a terrifying pressure descended on the three demons.
"The East China Sea is the hub of the world's water energy—how dare you monsters run amuck here?" Ao Xuan's cold voice echoed, causing the three demons to hesitate.
"Today, you'll learn who the true master of the East China Sea is!"