The sea stretched wide, undisturbed by a single ripple for thousands of miles. An island floated silently upon it. Though not particularly vast, this island coiled and snaked across the ocean surface for dozens of leagues, its terrain a weave of undulating mountains and crisscrossing streams. Hidden deep within the peaks, palaces and pavilions faintly emerged, so that viewed from high above, the entire landmass resembled a slumbering great dragon.
At the head of the colossal beast, two mountain ranges slanted sharply into the water, mimicking the dragon’s gaping maw. Within that cavernous opening, a majestic crimson hall stood sentinel at the edge of the coastline. The entire palace was shaped like a hemisphere inverted upon the ground, perfectly rounded, as if it were a jewel set precisely within the beast's jaws.
This was the very name of the palace!
At that moment, standing before the grand entrance of the hall, was an extraordinarily broad and imposing middle-aged man. He stood nearly two and a half meters tall, clad in robes of shimmering gold. Upon his head rested a jade crown of gold, and the hair cascading down his back was the same brilliant hue. Even his eyes, like twin bronze bells, shone with a dazzling golden light, exuding an aura of innate majesty that commanded respect without needing anger.
“Long Yi.”
Staring quietly at the placid surface of the sea, a faint, almost imperceptible worry shadowed the man's brow. After a long pause, he suddenly spoke, his voice ringing like the clash of fine metal, as if two musical notes had been forged by some arcane force into a sharp, focused beam that pierced the distant void.
About half a minute later, a tall figure arrived, soaring down a mountain path from the left like a dart: “Father.”
The middle-aged man’s voice was deep and solemn. “Long Yi, still no definitive word from Xue Chan?”
“No, Father.”
Long Yi nodded, a hint of weariness in his posture. His father asked this almost every day, and his answer remained invariably the same. After delivering the response, he always had to transmit a message to Long Xue Chan via a spirit-jade slip. Long Xue Chan was quick to reply, but it was always just two words: Soon.
The middle-aged man sighed softly. “Little Xue Chan still harbors deep resentment, I see. As the Dragon King, not only was I unable to fully protect my own kin, but I also had to use her and Mei Xian, those two young girls, to secure the pact with the Snake Spirit Clan. It is only right that she feels wronged.”
“Father, you need not trouble yourself over it. The gambling contest is over, and Snake Fang has no standing left to press the matter. Xue Chan and Mei Xian suffered no real loss; their anger should dissipate soon enough,” Long Yi concluded, though a wry smile touched his lips. Calming Long Mei Xian was simple; cooling Long Xue Chan’s ire was another matter entirely.
“Enough, enough. Once the crisis facing Dragon Island is resolved, I will compensate those two sisters handsomely.”
The Dragon King waved a hand dismissively. “Long Yi, go and ask Mei Xian. She and Xue Chan share a spiritual connection; she should know Xue Chan’s approximate location. The passage to the Dragon Temple opens in just five days. I must see that Nie Kong with my own eyes to make the most suitable arrangements in advance.”
“Understood. I will go immediately.”
Long Yi’s form dissolved into the void. Some ten minutes later, he materialized within a small, secluded valley. Only a single, tranquil courtyard resided there, encircled entirely by a thicket of vibrant green bamboo. At that moment, Long Mei Xian was seated on the tip of a bamboo stalk, drifting lightly like wind-blown silk, her white silhouette swaying with ethereal grace.
Before Long Yi could speak, Long Mei Xian had already opened her beautiful eyes, her tone placid and even. “Long Yi, I know why you’ve come. No need to ask; they are about to arrive!”
...
“Arrived?”
A thousand meters in the air, atop the back of the Soul-Devouring Eagle King, Nie Kong sat cross-legged, as if awakening from a deep dream. His gaze frantically scanned the boundless, turquoise waves below.
A moment later, Nie Kong finally spotted a tiny speck of an island on the distant horizon. The Soul-Devouring Eagle King instantly closed the distance, arriving above the island. Only then did Nie Kong realize it was nothing more than a massive boulder, perhaps tens of meters square, completely smooth save for a sparse scattering of weeds clinging to the cracks in the stone.
“Caw!”
The Soul-Devouring Eagle King let out a sharp cry and dove, landing upon the massive rock.
Nie Kong let out a soft laugh. “Sister Chan, is this Dragon Island? How do we get in?” Tai Yan and Qing Yue also emerged from Nie Kong’s chest, their four small eyes blinking curiously.
“You’ll know soon enough,” Long Xue Chan replied, drifting down onto the stone surface. She smiled lightly, her ten fingers dancing like butterflies weaving through flowers. As the fiery-red aura poured forth, it seeped like fine threads into the stone surface, revealing an intricate, arcane pattern. It grew clearer and clearer, finally resolving into the image of a golden dragon, teeth bared and claws extended.
A dozen seconds later, Long Xue Chan’s fingers stilled abruptly. The golden dragon seemed to spring to life, rising from the stone surface and opening its cavernous maw to lunge toward Nie Kong, Long Xue Chan, and the Soul-Devouring Eagle King.
“Hm?”
Nie Kong instinctively prepared to act, but just as he raised his right fist, he noticed Long Xue Chan showing no sign of resistance. A thought sparked in his mind, and he quickly dispersed the essence of the spirit treasure he had just summoned, simultaneously sending a firm command to the Eagle King to remain motionless.
In the next instant, the three figures were swallowed whole by the golden dragon.
Nie Kong felt a blinding flash of gold before his vision snapped back into clarity. A vista of lush, vibrant green filled his sight.
Beneath his feet lay an open-air stone platform erected above the sea. In the distance, mountains stretched endlessly, coiling and twisting like an emerald dragon suspended over the ocean. Faintly, an overwhelming, world-swallowing energy emanated from the landscape, shaking the very spirit.
“Little Brother Nie Kong, how does it feel?” Long Xue Chan’s captivating face held a hint of small triumph. Regardless of the complaints she held against the Dragon King and the Elders, she possessed the bloodline of the Ancestor. Now, returning to Dragon Island, the feeling of being intrinsically connected to the land made her pride impossible to conceal.
“The Sea God Palace, the Flower Butterfly Secret Realm, and now Dragon Island—they each possess their own singular majesty,” Nie Kong praised without reservation. This island was indeed formed from the body of the Dragon Spirit Clan’s Ancestor. Merely observing the terrain within sight—the tail, the body, the limbs—it was startlingly lifelike, as if the being were still alive. This glimpse suggested the immense power of the former Spirit God Dragon King; otherwise, creating such a colossal island would have been impossible.
“Oh, that fellow has managed to get all the way over here,” Long Xue Chan’s surprised voice cut in.
Nie Kong focused his gaze and saw, where the high platform met the beach below, a tall figure standing—it was none other than the Prince of the Dragon Spirit Clan, Long Yi.
“Sister Chan, let’s go down.”
Nie Kong stepped first onto the tiered staircase leading downward, followed by Long Xue Chan and the Soul-Devouring Eagle King. They quickly descended the nearly one hundred meters of stairs. Although Long Xue Chan was not as cold toward Long Yi as she had been in Ling Yu City, she offered him no warm welcome either. Nie Kong, however, offered a greeting: “Brother Long, we are late.”
Long Yi glanced with surprise at the proud figure of the Soul-Devouring Eagle King behind Nie Kong. A slight smile touched his stern features. “Not late, not late at all. This timing is perfect. Xue Chan, you haven't been home in a long time; why don't you go see Mei Xian? I will accompany Nie Kong to the Dragon Pearl Hall to see Father.”
...
...RO