In the undersea realm, before the Grand Palace of the Dragon King.
A faint metallic scent of blood still lingered in the surrounding seawater.
The Sovereign King Realm cultivator of the Serpent-Headed Clan was dead, wiped out entirely without withstanding even a single blow.
Having witnessed the scene, every extraterrestrial being present could not help but turn their gaze toward him.
They could only feel that this human from the Milky Way Star Sector was outrageously domineering, striking to kill at the slightest provocation.
The crucial point was that his strength was equally terrifying.
Facing an opponent an entire realm above himself, he had slain him in a single strike.
Could any of them have pulled off such a feat? His combat power was simply horrific.
"Of course, of course! You can enter whenever you wish! Please, after you! We will wait until you've entered before going in." The member of the Three-Headed Ghost Clan was the first to react. Without the slightest hesitation, he yielded. He had no choice; he was genuinely terrified of provoking this man's wrath.
He understood all too well that among those who had descended here, no one was a match for Lu Yuan except the top sequence prodigies of the three great clans.
Under such circumstances, there was only one thing he could do: immediately back down.
Lu Yuan said nothing upon hearing this.
Leading Zhu Qingyu and the others, he walked straight inside.
When faced with an extraterrestrial being who actively stepped out to challenge him, killing was just killing. There was nothing more to dwell on.
After all, had he not been here, the people behind him would have undoubtedly met with disaster.
And since he had no desire to keep wasting time, dealing with the fool directly was the simplest solution.
"This human is unimaginably overbearing. And what's more, he has the strength to back it up," said an Origin Demon cultivator cloaked in mist. Dark light rippled across the markings etched on his body. He knew that had he been the one to step forward, his fate would have been no better.
Even so, having traversed diverse star sectors and crossed the vast universe to descend upon Earth with great difficulty, only to be suppressed by a native human here left a bitter taste in anyone's mouth.
"Someone like him is best left for our clans' sequence prodigies to handle."
The Three-Headed Ghost cultivator sighed, adding, "All we can do is show weakness."
With that, the members of the two prominent star sector clans exchanged glances, both feeling utterly helpless.
They could not comprehend why such an overwhelmingly powerful existence had emerged from a Milky Way Star Sector that had only just revived.
Still, further contemplation was useless. Once Lu Yuan's silhouette completely vanished within, the rest of the crowd began to file in.
Naturally, they remained on guard against one another. Everyone knew that opportunities and fortunes lay hidden within this folded space.
Whoever obtained them could take another step forward.
Meanwhile, once Lu Yuan and his party stepped into the Grand Palace of the Dragon King, the sense of shattered fragmentation grew even more severe. The various areas were scattered in complete disarray.
More importantly, the area was extraordinarily vast, leaving them with no idea which way to go.
Even when Lu Yuan activated his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, it proved of little use. There were two reasons: first, his own cultivation was not yet high enough to unleash the Heavenly Eye's full power; second, this place lay within folded space.
Consequently, even Lu Yuan could not conduct a thorough sweep. He directly took out the sea chart presented by the three island sect masters.
The map clearly marked various locations, including the main hall, herb garden, treasury, and other sites.
After studying it for a moment, he promptly decided on their next destination.
They would head to the herb garden and treasury first.
If this truly was the Grand Palace of the Dragon King, those two places were absolute must-visits.
With clear targets in mind, the group immediately set off.
Living creatures inhabited this folded space as well.
They resembled mutated sea beasts, though some were not particularly powerful.
Along the way, Lu Yuan personally disposed of any creatures the others could not handle, leaving the rest for Zhu Qingyu and her companions to deal with as a form of training.
These people truly lived up to their status as elites chosen by the authorities to join the Heavenly Court.
Though young, every one of them possessed remarkable talent and strength. While they were initially unaccustomed to underwater combat, it was not long before they handled themselves with ease.
Lu Yuan thus began allowing slightly stronger beasts to slip through to apply pressure to the group. The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey stood not far away, offering pointers from time to time, as both were now formally affiliated with the Heavenly Court.
And so, battling as they advanced, the party pressed on.
Two or three hours later, they finally arrived at the herb garden.
"Heavens! Dragon Blood Vine, Nine-Leaf Golden Rhyme, Earth-Core Dragon Marrow?!"
The Golden-Winged Great Peng was stunned the instant it laid eyes on the contents of the herb garden.
The variety and quantity of spiritual fruits and rare herbs here surpassed even what they had found on Mount Olympus.
More importantly, it held the Dragon Blood Vine, the very thing it needed most. Containing dragon blood, refining it would surely elevate its bloodline, allowing it to amass the foundation needed to charge into the next realm.
Even the Spirit Monkey's eyes widened, looking as though it were about to drool. "The Dragon Palace! This really is the Dragon Palace!"
No living being could contain their excitement upon seeing such a bounty of spiritual fruits and exotic plants.
"King Lu, what should we do?" Zhu Qingyu turned to ask for instructions.
"Since we're already here, we can hardly return empty-handed. Take it all."
Lu Yuan was pleasantly surprised as well, as several items here would be of immense benefit to him.
Tossing them into the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace later would greatly enhance the efficacy of his grand pills.
As for the rest, they could be reserved for the Heavenly Court to nurture its members. Once those people grew stronger, they would become valuable assets to him.
Without hesitation, the group went to work, gathering everything in short order.
Guided by the sea chart, they proceeded toward their next objective: the dragon palace treasury. Their path was virtually unimpeded, with only a few mutated beasts attempting to block them, all of which were swiftly dispatched.
The treasury was a grand hall filled with weapons of every description—sabers, spears, swords, and halberds—each radiating brilliance.
Some exuded such an intimidating aura that it sent a chill across the skin.
Divine weapons!
That was everyone's immediate thought.
Even Lu Yuan was taken aback.
Upon entering the hall, he could feel the Daluo sword core humming faintly, as though experiencing a craving.
Evidently, these armaments could nourish its growth and enhance its power.
The Spirit Monkey was drawn to a massive pillar standing at the center.
Believing it to be forged from the same divine material as its own iron staff, only far more formidable, the monkey tried to lift it away to use as a weapon.
Yet it found the task impossible. The pillar was far too heavy; even straining with all its might, it could not budge it in the slightest.
"It's useless. That iron pillar is joined as one with the entire Dragon Palace. Not just you—even I couldn't take it away." Lu Yuan walked over, recognizing the issue at a glance.
Such an iron pillar was indeed rare, but for now they could only stare. This was, after all, the East Sea Dragon Palace, an abode belonging to legendary immortals and deities in mythology.
"When I evolve into a great mighty one in the future and become an immortal ancestor, I'll definitely come back and take this iron staff!" After trying once more in vain, the Spirit Monkey could only leave behind a parting boast.
The other divine weapons, however, were movable.
Yet there were far too many, and some were massive. Carrying them off through manual labor alone was impossible.
At that moment, the Golden-Winged Great Peng stepped forward. Opening its beak, it inhaled deeply, swallowing all the weapons into its stomach.
This was Lu Yuan's order: leave not a single piece behind.
The logic was simple. If they didn't take them, were they supposed to leave them for the extraterrestrial beings?
Soon, the treasury was swept clean.
Next came the final grand hall.
The Dragon Palace was immense, but areas holding significant opportunities and resources were few.
Certain zones remained inaccessible, so Lu Yuan decided to investigate the most critical location.
Guided by the sea chart, the group traversed shattered pockets of folded space until they reached the central grounds.
Before them stood a majestic hall towering a hundred meters high, remarkably intact.
Unlike the earlier architecture, this hall possessed a pale, bluish-white hue, crafted entirely from crystal.
Of all the structures, it radiated the most brilliant light.
"King Lu, look! The Crystal Palace!" Ice Fairy pointed to the horizontal plaque inscribed with three large characters: *Crystal Palace*.
In mythology, this was the immortal abode where the East Sea Dragon King resided.
However, likely due to the erosion of time, although the palace remained structurally intact, sections were damaged and cracked, bearing scratches left by bladed weapons. An ancient war seemed to have been fought here eons ago.
Lu Yuan stepped forward and touched the wall, discovering that the crystal had undergone special refinement and was exceptionally resilient.
Even he would struggle to leave a mark upon it.
Recalling the shattered state of the surrounding folded space, he could not help but wonder: what had transpired here in ages past?
Furthermore, ever since they had entered, relying on the sea chart had granted them virtually unhindered passage.
If this truly was an immortal Dragon Palace, shouldn't there have been defensive restrictions and wards?
Or had they long been destroyed by someone?
"Let's head inside first."
After brief consideration, Lu Yuan made his decision and led the group forward.
Crossing the grand gates of the Crystal Palace, they stepped inside.
The interior was immense and cavernous.
At the far end, centered atop a raised dais, sat an imperial throne of supreme majesty.
Yet what drew everyone's attention most was a pool of blood down below!
Indeed, a blood pool!
Measuring a hundred meters across, it resembled a miniature lake.
Resting deep within the undersea dragon palace, the blood inside was churning and boiling, radiating an intensely suffocating aura that surged outward in waves. The oppressive pressure was so immense that even Gu Sang, renowned for his powerful physique, developed goosebumps all over.
It felt as if they were standing before a true dragon, inspiring an overwhelming urge to retreat.
"This is... a Dragon Blood Pool! And not from any ordinary dragon."
"Judging by the aura, it's of an extraordinarily high level."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Spirit Monkey recognized it instantly; as mutated beasts, they were far more sensitive to such things.
A Dragon Blood Pool?
Could the blood within belong to the East Sea Dragon King himself?
Junior Celestial Master Chunyang and the others entertained a wild thought, wanting to inspect it closer.
"Wait."
Lu Yuan suddenly spoke up. "There's something inside!"
He could clearly sense a terrifying creature lurking within the blood pool, possessing formidable power. Approaching recklessly would invite disaster.
Everyone shuddered and instinctively stepped back, their eyes glued to the pool, eager to see what lay hidden.
*Roar—*
A cry that seemed to echo from an ancient era resounded throughout the entire Dragon Palace.
At the same time, the blood pool roiled violently as something began to emerge, accompanied by an immensely majestic voice: "Who dares trespass upon this dragon palace and disturb this venerable one's evolution?!"
Chapter 139