Although Daoist Lord Hanhai possessed a rudimentary Space Dao fruit—making him formidable even among half-immortals—Meng Jingzhou believed that once he reached the half-immortal stage himself, he would not necessarily be unable to contest the man in battle!
Especially when he saw Ao Ya and Daoist Lord Hanhai exchanging flirtatious glances, with Hanhai clearly thoroughly enjoying himself.
Meng Jingzhou knew right then that when Daoist Lord Hanhai had been dragged into that secret room to be drained, it had been entirely consensual. Otherwise, he would have slipped away with his rudimentary Space Dao fruit long ago!
*Jealous of my Bachelor Spiritual Root, are you? Just wait until I reach the half-immortal stage, and I'll show you what a half-immortal-tier Bachelor Curse Fist looks like!*
At long last, the Old Dragon Emperor made his grand entrance.
The moment the guest of honor appeared, the entire hall rose to their feet in unison to offer their birthday congratulations. Their voices shook the heavens like a roaring tsunami. All the high-ranking cultivators of the East Sea had gathered here to celebrate together; in all the East Sea, only the Old Dragon Emperor enjoyed such reverence.
Only Ao Ya and Daoist Lord Hanhai were exceptions. Possessing higher seniority than the Old Dragon Emperor, they had no need for such formalities.
"Enough, enough. There is no need for such stiff reverence before an old codger like me." Seated upon the throne of the Dragon Palace, the Old Dragon Emperor wore a benign smile, gesturing for everyone to relax. After all, the most important part of celebrating a birthday was to enjoy oneself.
In the center of the main hall, clam maidens and members of the Jiaoren Clan began dancing gracefully. Their movements were magnificent and mesmerizing, captivating all who watched.
Dancing was likewise a method of cultivation; cultivators who entered the Dao through dance were by no means few, though rarely did anyone choose it as their primary path.
To this day, the person who had achieved the greatest heights by entering the Dao through dance was Zhu Tian.
Only after Zhu Tian emerged and established the Demon Empire did more cultivators gradually begin to pursue the path of dancing into the Dao.
***
"I can't find any other way out of this lousy pearl, so how about we just smash it?" the Immortal Fairy chuckled smugly. In the end, it was her original idea that would save the day.
Having no alternative, Lu Yang had no choice but to agree.
***
The birthday banquet proceeded smoothly. Beyond the underwater dances, members of the Conch Clan played immortal melodies, talented aquatic scholars composed and recited poems praising the Old Dragon Emperor's majesty and grace, dragon elders assumed their true forms to display mystical techniques, and theatrical troupes staged plays recounting the glorious feats of the Old Dragon Emperor's youth.
Watching all this, the Old Dragon Emperor raised his wine cup and laughed heartily, looking as if he had shed two thousand years.
Down below, Venerable Heiyu struggled terribly to hold back his tongue. Behind every single one of those glorious feats lay a little-known story that almost no one knew. He was dying to blurt them out, but considering this was a birthday banquet, having the birthday boy beat someone with his walking stick would hardly look good.
Venerable Xuanshui was similarly holding back with great difficulty.
As the theatrical performances drew to a close, the gift-giving segment arrived.
In his youth, the Old Dragon Emperor had been quite the rogue—wild, unrestrained, and siring as many as thirty sons and daughters.
One had to understand that the higher a cultivator's realm, the harder it became to produce offspring, and the Dragon Clan was no exception.
Take Ao Ya, for instance: back then, she and Daoist Lord Hanhai had been joined at the hip, not leaving their room for an entire month, yet Ao Ya never became pregnant.
"Imperial Father, this is a Nine-Turn Spirit Pill I commissioned from a Grandmaster Alchemist of Great Xia. It nourishes the physical body and cultivates one's vitality."
The Dragon Palace's First Prince opened a box, revealing an elixir bearing nine pill patterns. The moment it opened, a rich fragrance assaulted the senses—truly a magnificent pill.
"Imperial Father, this is an unfading Five-Colored Evergreen Flower I gathered from the seabed of the Netherworld Abyss."
The Five-Colored Evergreen Flower never withered, symbolizing longevity and making it a fitting gift. However, it grew only in the Netherworld Abyss, a treacherous place crawling with countless Body Integration demon beasts. Being able to pluck this flower was ample proof of the Second Prince's filial devotion.
Over thirty princes and princesses presented their gifts one after another. Some emphasized practical effects, while others carried deep sentiment, but what they all shared was immense difficulty to acquire.
Every treasure revealed drew collective gasps of admiration from the onlookers. As expected of the filthy-rich Dragon Palace, even their gifts were so lavishly extravagant.
Most of the Body Integration cultivators' birthday gifts could not hold a candle to these.
"That Five-Colored Evergreen Flower is rather pretty," Daoist Lord Hanhai muttered, chewing on a Nine-Turn Spirit Pill to replenish his yang qi.
Meng Jingzhou shot Daoist Lord Hanhai a bizarre look. *Patriarch, why are you carrying around one of those?*
Daoist Lord Hanhai felt a surge of secret exasperation and explained through voice transmission, *"I just fetched this from our sect using my rudimentary Space Dao fruit!"*
"Oh," Meng Jingzhou uttered.
Immediately after, he watched Daoist Lord Hanhai reach beneath the table, quietly activating his rudimentary Space Dao fruit to open a small spatial door directly to the Netherworld Abyss, where he plucked a Five-Colored Evergreen Flower of his own.
"I'll give it to Little Ya once the banquet is over," Daoist Lord Hanhai murmured gleefully.
Once the princes, princesses, dragon elders, and Body Integration cultivators had finished presenting their offerings, it was the Tribulation Transcendence experts' turn to show their respect.
Among all the gifts presented so far, what the Old Dragon Emperor favored most was the Ancestral Dragon Grass offered by Ao Ran. He immediately beckoned Ao Ran to bring it forward so he could examine it closely.
The Old Dragon Emperor revered the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor above all others—Ao Ling, celebrated as the strongest half-immortal. By extension, he adored anything connected to her.
He scrutinized the dragon-claw-shaped Ancestral Dragon Grass, as if visualizing the ancient era when the ancient ancestor tenderly nurtured the plant, watching it flourish.
"Senior Dragon Emperor, this junior also possesses an item related to the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor." Daoist Sanshan held up a wooden box with both hands, showing proper deference to the Old Dragon Emperor.
Although Daoist Lord Hanhai's arrival had briefly rattled him, the thought that Void Immortal Grass remained potent even against half-immortals set his mind at ease.
"Oh? Related to the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor as well? What lies inside the box?" The Old Dragon Emperor grew intrigued. Although conflicts often arose between the Sea Race and humanity in the East Sea, as the leader of the Sea Race, he still held considerable respect for this human leader.
The Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor was a legendary figure of the East Sea, wielding an influence no less formidable than Jiang Lianyi's in the Demon Domain.
The crowd focused their gazes upon Daoist Sanshan, eager to know what was inside the box.
Mister Tinghai and Venerable Liuhe, ultimately lacking in experience, broke into a faint cold sweat at the thought of what was about to happen.
Daoist Sanshan smiled faintly, his demeanor composed and unhurried as he spoke: "The essence of a gift lies in the surprise. Why doesn't Senior Dragon Emperor open it personally to see?"
"Very well."
Standing to the side, Ao Gu'er took the wooden box and presented it to the Old Dragon Emperor.
Seeing this, Daoist Sanshan knew his scheme was more than half accomplished.
In truth, there was nothing inside the box related to the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor. That had merely been an excuse to tempt the Old Dragon Emperor into opening the box himself, exposing him to the poison of the Void Immortal Grass at point-blank range.
The Old Dragon Emperor eagerly opened the wooden box.
With a sharp *crack*, like something shattering, billowing smoke erupted from the box, blinding all vision. Two silhouettes materialized abruptly. When the Old Dragon Emperor caught sight of one of them, his jaw dropped, leaving him utterly speechless in his shock. He clutched his chest, his eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted dead away.
Daoist Sanshan circulated his cultivation technique to resist the poison of the Void Immortal Grass. He had not anticipated the poison would be so potent that its density could block both line of sight and divine sense.
A cold, sinister smile curled at the corners of his lips as he casually strolled forward. "Senior Dragon Emperor, do you like this grand gift of mine?"
"L-Like it..."
"Do you now feel your mind growing hazy, your soul destabilizing, as though hallucinations are clouding your sight?"
"Y-Yes..."
Daoist Sanshan spoke as he advanced, wearing the expression of a conspirator whose trap had closed. But as he drew closer to the Old Dragon Emperor and made out the two figures amidst the thick smoke, his entire body froze.
The smoke dissipated, revealing the figures of Ao Ling and Lu Yang.
Daoist Sanshan stood rooted to the spot, his gaze entirely blank.
*Why is the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor here?*
*Am I poisoned too?*
Chapter 868