Chapter 733
Unaware of the consequences... perhaps a bit reckless, giving a life-saving treasure to a disciple, only to end up saving a stranger.
The Shuyu Dragon Lord had always been cold-hearted, and now it seemed she was on the verge of giving up on her disciple, Xiao Yuying.
“Xiao Xianzi, let me tell you, I might have a way to cultivate the ancient dragon lineage.”
Xiao Yuying’s mouth fell slightly open. Seeing Zheng Fa nodding at her, she took out a piece of jade, whispering softly as she recited an incantation.
After a moment, a cold response echoed from the jade: “Yes.”
“Master has agreed.” Xiao Yuying’s face lit up, and the jade leaped from her hand, floating before them as if beckoning them to follow.
Zheng Fa, with Xiao Yuying in tow, followed the jade out of the Jiushan Realm.
After flying for a while, they arrived at the seaside.
The jade dove headfirst into the sea, and Zheng Fa exchanged a glance with Xiao Yuying before they both submerged into the water.
They didn’t descend in a straight line; guided by the jade, they moved forward and turned, but overall, they were still heading downward.
At first, the seawater was bright and clear.
But as they went deeper, the light from the surface gradually faded away.
They had no idea how deep they had gone; around them, even fish and shrimp had vanished.
The water was dark and heavy, with only the jade’s glow flickering before them.
The silence in their ears was something Zheng Fa had never experienced before.
Nothing to see, nothing to hear; the sea before them held a tranquility akin to death.
Until the jade came to a halt in the water.
Then, the ground beneath them lit up.
Zheng Fa looked down and saw that they seemed to be at the entrance of an underwater abyss. From within the abyss came waves of radiant light and a powerful pressure.
He knew the Shuyu Dragon Lord was right there.
Gripping Xiao Yuying’s arm, they plunged into the abyss, but both were momentarily stunned.
It was hard to describe what Zheng Fa saw.
On the steep walls of the abyss, there were hundreds of massive murals.
They depicted dragons frolicking, controlling the weather, waging wars, and all beings bowing in reverence.
The patterns on these murals were blurred, as if they had been moved from elsewhere, with some irregular cracks.
At the bottom of the cliff stood a crystal palace.
Yet this palace held not a glimmer of light.
As they entered through the palace doors, the first thing that caught Zheng Fa’s eye was a hundred or so towering bronze pillars.
These pillars were a thousand feet high, adorned with patterns resembling dragon scales. They must have been exquisite in their time, but now the designs were only faint traces, the pillars covered in the marks of time.
Beneath the pillars lay bronze cauldrons, and Zheng Fa estimated that each cauldron could hold hundreds of him.
In his mind, a vision of hundreds of giant dragons swirling in the hall, drinking and feasting, appeared.
Looking deeper into the hall, he noticed a high platform in the darkness.
On the platform sat a figure, watching the two of them.
The Shuyu Dragon Lord had been sitting in this vast, dark, empty hall for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years.
Lonely, she gazed at the joy, grandeur, and glory of the ancient dragon lineage.
...
The two approached the high platform.
The Shuyu Dragon Lord didn’t look at Xiao Yuying but instead focused on Zheng Fa.
“You claim you have a method to cultivate the ancient dragon lineage?”
“Yes.”
“Ridiculous!” The Shuyu Dragon Lord’s tone was icy. “Since the era of the Divine Path, I have been the only one of my kind!”
“For a million years, I have not seen another of my kin.”
Her voice rose slightly:
“Do you think I would believe you?”
The bronze pillars in the hall hummed ominously, as if in low, angry protest. Zheng Fa felt the seawater around him growing heavier.
“But Dragon Lord, you still wish to see me, don’t you?”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord paused, her gaze landing on Xiao Yuying’s face. After a long moment, she spoke, “I want to see what has clouded my disciple’s mind, making her so foolish.”
“The Cang Hai Pearl can be given to others, yet for you, I have risked angering myself repeatedly.”
Xiao Yuying lowered her head.
“Do you know that the sea holds no secrets from me?”
“You are not yet fifty, and the Jiushan Sect is less than thirty thousand years old.”
“You have never even seen an ancient dragon, yet you dare to speak so boldly.”
This did sound somewhat like the tone of the Divine Path.
Zheng Fa had a similar ability in the Jiushan Realm.
Facing the Shuyu Dragon Lord’s interrogation, Zheng Fa remained calm, pulling out a few recording talismans. “You’re right, Dragon Lord; aside from you, I have never seen an ancient dragon.”
“Therefore, I cannot guarantee that I can cultivate one.”
“But I would like to ask the Dragon Lord to observe an experiment.”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord hesitated, puzzled. “An experiment?”
Zheng Fa tossed out a recording talisman.
In the dark palace, a light screen appeared, showing the figures of Jiao Wuji and Xue He Laozu among others.
To be honest, the moment Jiao Wuji appeared, he felt the bronze dragon pillars tremble slightly, as if the dragons within the patterns were about to come to life.
Zheng Fa quickly redirected the Shuyu Dragon Lord’s attention. “What they are doing now is attempting to cultivate a dead egg of the Lingbo Snake into a living Lingbo Snake.”
Since the Shuyu Dragon Lord clearly didn’t understand concepts like genes or cloning, he had to keep it simple.
The Lingbo Snake is one of the older spirit snakes in the Xuanwei Realm, rumored to have some dragon bloodline—considered a side branch of the dragon lineage.
“A dead egg... cultivated...”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord murmured, her gaze fixed intently on the light screen.
Zheng Fa fell silent, allowing her to watch until a small snake hatched from the egg.
After a long while, the hall remained silent.
“Is this real? That snake egg was dead?”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord’s tone was complex, filled with doubt, excitement, and anxiety.
“If the Dragon Lord does not believe me, you may go to the Jiushan Realm to see for yourself.”
As the Shuyu Dragon Lord watched the light screen slowly fade, she seemed to come back to her senses, urgently asking Zheng Fa, “...Do you have confidence in cultivating the ancient dragon lineage?”
“I can’t say I’m confident.” At this moment, Zheng Fa was cautious. “After all, the ancient dragon lineage is not an ordinary spirit beast.”
“What do you want?”
As expected, the Shuyu Dragon Lord was not disappointed.
To put it bluntly, Zheng Fa might be her only hope.
As if afraid Zheng Fa would refuse, she said, “There are countless treasures in the sea, all of which I will claim, along with the ancient dragon relics... I already have fifteen great treasure vaults and five secret vaults.”
“Even the five sects may not be as wealthy as I am.”
“Choose whatever you desire.”
As she spoke, the crystal palace suddenly lit up.
Only then did Zheng Fa realize that this palace was not just one, but over thirty chambers.
All were resplendent, overflowing with spiritual energy, likely filled with many spiritual treasures and materials.
To be honest, he was tempted.
But his appetite was even greater.
The value of this single, wealthy dragon lady far exceeded these treasures.
Not to mention, this person had control over the sea, which held irreplaceable value for the trade routes of the Eastern Continent.
Moreover, she was part of the Jiushan Sect; how could the treasures belong to anyone else?
Not to mention, this Dragon Lord seemed to want to raise offspring.
Now that she had no family or dependents, she was at a loss. If she truly managed to cultivate the ancient dragon lineage, that would be when she would need to spend her wealth...
“Dragon Lord, whether I can cultivate the ancient dragon lineage will require step-by-step experimentation, which may take a long time.”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord nodded lightly, her expression thoughtful.
“And my Baixian Alliance is currently in a precarious situation.”
“…”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord was momentarily stunned.
“Since you control the sea, you naturally understand the enmity that Leiyin Temple holds against my Baixian Alliance.”
“Hmm.” The Shuyu Dragon Lord suddenly said, “They have sent many people into the sea recently.”
Damn!
I knew it wasn’t over!
“Dragon Lord, this trade route concerns the life and death of my Jiushan Sect…”
“What do you intend to do?” The Shuyu Dragon Lord frowned. “If you want me to bow down and obey, that is impossible.”
“Of course not.”
Zheng Fa wasn’t arrogant enough to think that way. To put it plainly, the previous demonstration was merely a possibility.
To command the Shuyu Dragon Lord was nothing short of a dream.
“Dragon Lord, I hope you can share information about the sea with my Jiushan Sect.”
This was Zheng Fa’s most basic objective for this trip.
This matter would naturally not be difficult for the Shuyu Dragon Lord.
For Zheng Fa, however, it could resolve his urgent needs, turning passivity into initiative.
Sure enough, after pondering for a long time, the Shuyu Dragon Lord slowly nodded.
“On the other hand, my Jiushan Sect hopes to collaborate with the Dragon Lord on the cultivation of sea spirit beasts and spirit plants.” Seeing the Shuyu Dragon Lord’s puzzled expression, Zheng Fa added, “This should also benefit the cultivation of the ancient dragon lineage.”
The Shuyu Dragon Lord nodded lightly, suddenly asking, “Is that all? Don’t you want any treasures?”
It seemed she felt Zheng Fa’s demands were a bit low.
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