The two monsters and one human emerged from the Tomb Abyss and plunged into the sea. Passing over scattered, fractured islands, all desolate and devoid of men, they found truly not a shred of vitality upon them.
Mount Xiping by Lake Wangyue was also barren of spiritual energy, towering into the clouds without spiritual flora or fauna, yet at least mortal plants grew upon it. Here, not even common vegetation could be seen, leaving nothing but bare sand and stone.
Li Zhouwei, however, saw beyond mere appearances, weighing things quietly in his heart:
'Though this place is utterly barren, neither is there any Great Void here. It is an ideal refuge against the prying eyes of the Violet Palace—a pity only that one cannot cultivate here.'
The long-whiskered monster was waiting off to the side. In a foul mood, Dingjiao said nothing to him, flying past atop his spirit tool. The Bishui scale beast lay quietly dormant upon the seabed like a glittering undersea mountain range. As Dingjiao rode forward, the black-armored monster, waiting well in advance, trotted up obsequiously to greet them.
"My lords!"
Dongfang Dingjiao clearly had no inclination to speak with him. Discerning at a glance that he was displeased, the black-armored monster grew as meek as a sheep. At a wave of Dingjiao's hand, he scrambled down and raised his whip to drive the beast.
Dingjiao landed before the palace hall. Shaking out his robes, he let out a breath, summoned a smile to his face, and said softly,
"Please!"
The two monsters and one human walked inside, only to find that someone had long been standing in the hall. His sleeves were neatly arranged, an elegant smile rested upon his face, and he was waiting off to the side. Seeing the three enter, he bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Greetings, fellow Daoists!"
"Uncle Heyun!"
Dingjiao hastily stepped back and bowed with considerable deference. His face lighting up with smiles, the dragon prince spoke with utmost courtesy:
"Uncle attends to myriad affairs every day. For you to grace my hall for a chat is rare indeed!"
Dongfang Heyun politely returned the bow and said gently,
"Hearing that the Prince had come to such a perilous place, I waited here early on. I accompanied you along the way just now as well, but fearing to disturb Your Highness's mood, I made no sound..."
He remained half a step behind Dongfang Dingjiao the entire time, escorting him to the seat of honor and waiting until host and guests were all seated before taking a seat to the side. Straightening his sleeves with scholarly grace, he said softly:
"After all, Li Xunquan is an ancient monster of a thousand years, his mind muddled. Even bound by the Fuxi Qilin-Binding Cord, he might still stretch out a claw. There are no few perils beneath the earth, and while Your Highness possesses vast dragon might, the fear was that you might be startled, or the guests offended."
"Many thanks, Uncle!"
Dongfang Dingjiao beamed at his words. Bai Rong, meanwhile, observed Dongfang Heyun closely, secretly astounded:
'So this is Dongfang Heyun? Aside from lacking a divine ability, he seems no different from a Violet Palace. No wonder Tuoba Chongyuan had his soul scattered by him—this dragon cloud could probably preserve his life even in the hands of the Violet Palace...'
He stole a few more glances, suspicion rising in his heart again:
'Is he truly not at the Violet Palace level? There is only one dragon cloud under heaven; who can truly fathom his real strength? Could it be that he has already reached the Violet Palace level, and the Dragon Lord concealed his divine ability?'
Dingjiao paused for a moment and asked softly,
"Uncle, I am unfamiliar with the [Fuxi Qilin-Binding Cord]. Could you enlighten me?"
"Oh?"
Dongfang Heyun said softly,
"The [Fuxi Qilin-Binding Cord] is Yao Chenlin's magical artifact. This spiritual cord uses the world's most extreme pain to wear away the mind. You young ones do not know of it.
"Pain is no trifling matter; it is the foremost enemy of the mind. Under prolonged torment, tears and snot flow incessantly. Grudges, reverence, love, the heart seeking the Dao... all things are forgotten, leaving only the all-consuming agony, with no wish remaining save to beg for a single moment of respite.
"Such is the purpose of the [Fuxi Qilin-Binding Cord]."
His tone was calm and carried an air of elegance, yet the words he spoke were cruel:
"This thing loves only to hear people beg for mercy. It tends to bind tighter and tighter, inflicting limitless bone-splitting agony. Only by wailing and begging for mercy can it be loosened ever so slightly. The moment one's mouth stops, the pain returns a hundredfold. It uses this method merely to erode the mind.
"Over hundreds and thousands of years, the only thought left in one's head is that begging for mercy brings rest. That Li Xunquan could still formulate a reply is testament to the formidable strength of his mind."
"What a vicious treasure..."
Throughout Dongfang Heyun's explanation, Dongfang Dingjiao's brow never relaxed. Belonging to the branch closest to Wei Li, he immediately fell silent.
Having finished chatting with Dingjiao, Dongfang Heyun took a sip of wine, looked toward Li Zhouwei, and smiled.
"This must be the White Qilin!"
"Minghuang greets Senior..."
Li Zhouwei replied. Dongfang Heyun merely nodded, saying no more to him, and turned to the fox.
"Give my regards to the Venerable One."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he soon took his leave, bowing before the hall before vanishing, leaving Li Zhouwei with a deeply meaningful glance.
Dingjiao's mood improved considerably. Raising his cup to the two, he looked toward the direction Dongfang Heyun had left, secretly pleased.
The dragon princes had always been among the most precious in the East Sea, rarely paying Foundation Establishment cultivators any heed. Dongfang Dingjiao had always been gentle; toward these Foundation Establishment cultivators—and even toward Dongfang Heyun—if not exceedingly polite, he at least treated them with courtesy.
'Those brothers from other branches... their desire to drive and command Uncle Heyun is quite strong, always looking to order him about in matters large and small... Now they must find themselves in an awkward spot!'
Dongfang Heyun naturally harbored a good attitude toward him. Had it been any of the other dragon princes, escorting them along the way would have been the absolute limit. Why would he specially show himself to meet, and even courteously come to share a cup of wine?
'Dongfang Heyun is merely the first; in the future, there will also be Minghuang, Bai Rong...'
He gazed silently into the distance. Only after a long while did he turn his head to look at Li Zhouwei, speaking rather delightedly in a gentle tone:
"Since Minghuang is unwilling to accept the ancient spirit tool, how could I let you two brothers make this trip for nothing? That would be my failing!"
Dongfang Dingjiao clapped his hands softly. Two monsters then came up from outside the hall, both holding stone boxes as they approached deferentially. Dingjiao said solemnly:
"Brothers, you cannot refuse this. As the host, it is merely a small token of my regard!"
Watching the stone boxes being presented, Li Zhouwei had anticipated this and reflected in his heart:
'This must be the befriending of us two that the White Banyan Fox spoke of...'
Dingjiao might not necessarily have known who was inside the abyss, but as the one extending the invitation, nine times out of ten he knew that the person below had been harmed by Mount Luoxia, and even more so that this person was connected both to dragonkind and to Wei Li.
'If not for that, why would he insist on calling me here? And how could it serve to forge a bond?'
And even more considerations likely lay within the maneuvering between dragonkind and Mount Luoxia. Dingjiao laying all this bare before him was virtually telling his family in plain terms that Mount Luoxia harbored ill intent.
'Dongfang Heyun even made a special trip to reveal himself and tell me how excruciating the [Fuxi Qilin-Binding Cord] is—Mount Luoxia treated the Crown Prince of former Wei Li in such a manner, so could they possibly harbor any goodwill toward my Li family, toward me, Li Zhouwei?
'Dragonkind was on good terms with Wei Li years ago, and now, the moment I achieved Foundation Establishment, they invited me into the sea. Their attitude is already very clear... As for the fox tribe of Mount Dali... what kind of role are they playing in this?'
Chapter 670