They sped along the way, switching routes multiple times—sometimes flying through the skies, sometimes swimming through the waters—until they finally reached their intended island.

"Whew, safe at last." Their flight had been nerve-racking, every second plagued by the dread that the Dragon Clan might spot something amiss and ruin everything at the final step. "We did it! Hurry, take out the dragon pearl!" Second Brother's face flushed with excitement. He had never imagined they would truly pull it off. Although unexpected complications had cropped up along the way, Eldest Brother had made a brilliant call to turn danger into safety. Eldest Brother was thrilled as well. He shoved open the coffin, locked eyes with Xiao Xinghai lying inside, and froze. Silently, he put the coffin lid back on, then opened it once more. Xiao Xinghai was still lying inside. Xiao Xinghai yawned. "It's been three days since we left, right? Did you get the dragon blood?" "Did you guys change your appearances again? Afraid of being recognized?" Xiao Xinghai had heard that relations between the Dragon Clan and Dao Seeking Sect's Sect Master and Great Elder weren't great, so being cautious was only sensible. The Four Thieves of Juxuan Island stared at Xiao Xinghai in utter bewilderment and suspicion. All four of them were great cultivators who had lived for over a thousand years; their attention was always fixed on the movements of the Body Integration stage. They were completely unfamiliar with Xiao Xinghai—a young kunpeng who was only twenty years old and had debuted a mere three years ago. "Eldest Brother, what's going on here? Did the dragon pearl turn into a spirit?" Fourth Brother asked via divine sense transmission. Eldest Brother nodded covertly. That was precisely what he was thinking. "Very likely. I've heard that some exquisitely refined immortal artifacts and semi-immortal artifacts can gain sentience and take human form." "Besides, didn't you hear him? He said, 'It's been three days since we left.' He meant it's been three days since we stole him from the Dragon Palace! Looking at him, he even seems pretty happy to have gotten out of there." "And even though he appears to be in the Nascent Soul stage, he saw through our disguises at a single glance. That's definitely not something a Nascent Soul cultivator could do!" "Then what dragon blood was he talking about?" "Not sure. Could it be that the dragon pearl needs to absorb dragon blood to unleash its true power?" Second Brother guessed. After all, they were Body Integration stage powerhouses, so they did have some dragon blood on hand—it just wasn't particularly fresh. "Is this what you're asking for, Venerable One?" Eldest Brother retrieved a small jar of dragon blood from his storage ring, an unconscious note of deference slipping into his tone. "It's not very fresh," Xiao Xinghai muttered. He thought the Dragon Clan was truly disgraceful—bullying Lu Yang and the other three just because they were outsiders, giving them stale blood even after they completed the task. "Please make do with it for now," Eldest Brother said with an ingratiating smile. "Pour it in." Xiao Xinghai lay flat in the coffin; he was still severely injured. He sighed. "If not for the constraints of the rules, I wouldn't have been reduced to relying on dragon blood to recover." The four thieves shuddered inwardly. *It really is a dragon pearl spirit! After taking human form, its power plummeted drastically, and it needs dragon blood to recover.* As for the rules he mentioned, they must have resulted from a battle between Tribulation Transcendence or even half-immortal powerhouses! Eldest Brother respectfully poured the dragon blood into the coffin. Xiao Xinghai didn't care whether the blood stained his clothes; he lay back comfortably, absorbing the dragon blood and circulating the Dragon Transformation Art. Hearing the dragon roars resounding from within Xiao Xinghai's body, the four thieves dared even less to be negligent. Standing at the side, Eldest Brother offered an ingratiating smile, carefully choosing his words for fear of offending this dragon pearl spirit. "Brother Pearl, what are your plans for the next step?" Xiao Xinghai was taken aback. "Who's Brother Pearl? A nickname you guys made up for me?" "Isn't your true form the dragon pearl? If you don't like that form of address, this junior can change it." Xiao Xinghai grew even more baffled. "Did you guys get amnesia? I'm Xiao Xinghai!" Xiao Xinghai and the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island looked at one another, their eyes filled with utter confusion. A moment later, the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island realized what had happened. Enraged, their furious roar shook the entire island: "WHERE'S THE DRAGON PEARL?!"