No matter how hard he racked his brain, Lu Yang couldn't figure it out. How could a perfectly good Xiao Xinghai simply vanish, only to turn into some dragon pearl?
Did Xiao Xinghai flip open the lid, climb out of the coffin, and put the dragon pearl inside?
Meng Jingzhou and Li Haoran were equally perplexed.
Only Man Gu had a sudden realization, looking thoroughly heartbroken. "Fellow Daoist Xinghai succumbed to his severe injuries and turned into a sarira!"
Lu Yang was speechless.
*Man Gu, how about you keep quiet? I was finally getting somewhere, and you completely derailed my train of thought.*
"What is a dragon pearl anyway?" Lu Yang whispered to Li Haoran.
"I've never seen the actual thing either. I've only heard word of mouth that the dragon pearl is a supreme treasure of the Dragon Clan, an ancient marvel of unknown origin and rank. It is indestructible, can neutralize ten thousand poisons, heal injuries, aid cultivation, and even bring good fortune. Its miraculous virtues are endless."
Lu Yang recalled something: back then, to save someone, his master had stolen a supreme treasure of the Dragon Clan from a Dragon Palace princess. It seemed that what his master had stolen at the time was this very dragon pearl.
Who would have thought that now it was his turn as the disciple to steal the dragon pearl... Bah! The dragons had almost led him right into a ditch—he had no idea what was going on in the first place!
Ao Ye was still arguing with Ao Ran. The more he looked at the coffin, the more he felt he had seen it somewhere before.
"It's that bastard Qin Jiunian's coffin!" Ao Ye finally remembered where it came from.
The Great Elder of the Dao Seeking Sect, Qin Jiunian.
The coffin belonged to the Dao Seeking Sect, and the people transporting the dragon pearl were from the Dao Seeking Sect. There was no way this had nothing to do with the Dao Seeking Sect!
Ao Ran clutched his forehead, feeling that the more they argued today, the messier and more impossible it was to clear things up.
Right then, a deep, resonant voice echoed from the sky, carrying great majesty. "That's enough, Ao Ye. This matter shouldn't have anything to do with the Dao Seeking Sect."
Ao Ye looked up and saw a true dragon even larger than himself diving into the sea. Its serpentine body coiled with sinuous power, and its claws held another coffin.
Ao Ye frowned. "Ao Li, didn't you go off chasing the other group?"
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou recognized Ao Li. During the founding ceremony of the Demon Empire, Ao Li had attended as the Dragon Clan's representative, which was more than enough proof of his standing in the Dragon Palace.
Furthermore, Ao Li was an old acquaintance of the Great Elder.
Back then, Ao Li had fallen into the lust tribulation of his inner demon tribulation, mired so deep he couldn't break free. The Great Elder had pulled a small trick and rendered Ao Li completely impotent, thereby successfully breaking through the lust trial. It could truly be called a life-saving kindness.
Ao Li landed on the ground and opened the coffin held in his claws. It was filled with dragon blood, and Xiao Xinghai lay inside, absorbing it.
This dragon blood belonged to Ao Li himself, of the highest quality among dragons at the Body Integration stage.
Xiao Xinghai greeted them from inside the coffin. "Lu Yang, what's our situation right now?"
The Dragon Clan had been inexplicably enthusiastic toward him, to the point where he could barely handle it.
Lu Yang wanted to know what on earth was going on too.
"Nephew Xinghai, recount in detail everything that happened after you left the Kunpeng Clan."
Xiao Xinghai had no idea why, but complied anyway. He tactfully skipped the part where his father beat him—after all, family scandals were not to be aired in public, and he couldn't let his father lose face in the outside world.
He only said that he lay in the coffin while Lu Yang and the other three carried him to the Dragon Palace Sea Market.
Ao Ran had an epiphany, finally understanding the root of the matter. "So what happened was that the Dao Seeking Sect disciples and those four Soul Formation stage thieves took the wrong coffins?"
The Great Elder's coffins were hidden all over the East Sea, so it wasn't surprising for one to be picked up.
Ao Li shook his head and corrected him. "Not just four ordinary Soul Formation cultivators. Once they died and shed their disguises, it was confirmed that they were the infamous Four Thieves of Juxuan Island."
"Four Soul Formation cultivators? We got this Ancestral Dragon Grass from four Soul Formation cultivators!" Meng Jingzhou chimed in.
Ao Ran nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. That explained everything. "Then it must be that the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island stole the dragon pearl, and also murdered my subordinate and snatched the Ancestral Dragon Grass. None of this has anything to do with the Dao Seeking Sect disciples."
Ao Li agreed. "My thoughts exactly. This ought to be a misunderstanding."
Chapter 857