Journey to the head

Chapter 854 Crossing the Sea to the Island (Updates Resumed)
The 8th day of the first month of the 536th year of Jia Shen (1644).

The vast and boundless Starry Sea, with its endless blue waves, blends seamlessly with the sky, making it impossible to tell whether the sky is in the water or the water is in the sky.

But above those waves, fierce winds howled, ravaging one's bones; in the azure sea, wild beasts surged like tides, waiting for their chance to strike.

A chilling danger lurks beneath the boundless beauty.

Suddenly, the space trembled slightly, and ripples spread out like water as four figures flashed out.

The leader was slender and had a beautiful face. The spatial fluctuations emanating from her body spread outwards without any concealment, instantly shattering the gale, causing the wild beasts to flee, and bringing peace to all directions.

He was none other than the Five Turbid True Lord, the garrison commander of the twenty-three western states of the Jade Balance Continent under the command of Taiyi Paradise.

Beside her, Lu Qian bowed and thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your escort, True Lord. Otherwise, we don't know how many days it would have taken us to travel this million miles."

The Five Turbid True Lord smiled: "It's just a matter of one step, no need for thanks. Look—"

She pointed to the horizon, and Lu Qian looked into the distance, using his Nascent Soul spiritual eyes and immense mental power to vaguely see a barely discernible black dot where the water and sky met.

It was an island.

"The cultivators of the Immortal Fall Islands are known for their arrogance and xenophobia, guarding their own little territory and strictly forbidding outsiders from entering. The spatial warning barrier of the islands is extremely large, and I cannot approach any further." True Monarch Wuzhuo snorted, "Even if they were truly guarding mountains of gold and silver, the so-called 'one palace, one sect, two families, two factions,' such magnanimity is laughable. However, we have an agreement, and we can only abide by it. From now on, it's up to you to fly there yourselves."

Lu Qian expressed his gratitude again: "It's already more than enough that True Lord has brought us this far. If we couldn't even cross this short distance, how would we dare to descend into the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea?"

Every thousand years, the Dragon Palace of the True Dragon Heavenly Lord opens for thirty-three days, leaving countless opportunities for future generations. This is certainly not a secret among top powers.

With the Dragon Palace about to open and needing to ask Taiyi Paradise to send him to the Immortal Fall Islands, Lu Qian no longer concealed his intentions and explained to Taiyi Paradise that he had obtained the Ascension Certificate and wanted to enter the Dragon Palace to explore for treasures.

“Although you have obtained the Ascension Certificate, the Dragon Palace’s fortune has always been controlled by the Dragon Clan and Immortal Fallen cultivators. As an outsider, you will likely face numerous obstacles and find it as difficult as ascending to heaven.” The Five Turbid True Monarch said a few words, then paused, “Well, since you have already made your decision, we cannot stop you.”

"But as I just said, we have an agreement with both immortal cultivators and sea dragons. The sea dragons are fine, but here in the archipelago... In short, once you leave Yuheng and enter the seabed, our Taiyi Paradise can't reach you. Be careful in everything you do."

Lu Qian hurriedly said, "I am deeply grateful for the great care and protection of Taiyi Paradise. How could I ask for more? I am already extremely grateful to True Lord for expending so much effort to place a restriction on my senior sister to conceal the aura of the dragon blood."

Jiang Qingfeng stepped forward and bowed gracefully in gratitude. The Five Turbid True Monarch helped her up and gave her another instruction: "The Myriad Dragon Ranking is, after all, a pseudo-immortal artifact. Even if I find another way and combine pharmacology, incantations, and sealing techniques, I can only conceal it for a while."

"If you actively activate your bloodline midway, the restriction will become ineffective."

Jiang Qingfeng understood what she meant. If he wanted to enter the Dragon Palace, he would need to activate the blood of a true dragon. At that time, the restrictions would become ineffective, which would inevitably attract the attention of the dragon race, making his journey to the Dragon Palace even more dangerous.

"After thinking it over, the only good news for you is that when the Dragon Palace closes, those who have undergone the trials will be randomly teleported. It's not like the dragons will trap you in the Dragon Palace and prevent you from getting out. This was a measure that the True Dragon Heavenly Lord devised to protect those who passed the trials from having their opportunities stolen."

Lu Qian nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, True Lord. I've heard that the Dragon Palace is full of challenges and trials, but few actually take lives. If it's really impossible, we can find a challenge to hide in and be teleported out when the time comes."

His smile suddenly vanished: "We are still able to protect ourselves, but I heard from True Lord Heming that there are more and more traces of True Immortals' activities now, and the Jade Balance Continent is becoming increasingly turbulent. The Taiyi Paradise is busy monitoring and guarding, and the four garrison commanders and four patrol commanders are already extremely busy. True Lord, you bear a heavy responsibility, I hope you will take good care of yourself."

The Five Turbid True Lord became serious. Since the sudden invasion of the Hundred Tribes from the underground, the Taiyi Paradise ultimately signed a treaty at the cost of ceding the five northern states, but the peace anticipated on the Yuheng Continent did not come.

In recent years, there have been more and more incidents involving True Immortals. In just fifteen years, there have been related reports every year, some auspicious and some inauspicious. These incidents have consumed a great deal of energy from the Taiyi Paradise, and various True Lords, even Peach Valley Immortal Lord, have been trying to quell the unrest.

Peach Valley Immortal Lord and Azure Dragon Seven Constellations have reached a consensus that the effectiveness of the Luo Tian Forbidden Immortal Tent is indeed weakening, and the power of the immortals is beginning to be projected back into the Yuan Chen Realm!

Although these are all top secret matters, Lu Qian is different. Taiyi Paradise hopes to befriend Fairy Yue through Lu Qian, so it often authorizes He Ming as its representative to leak information on these top secret matters.

Although his family had the Four Heavenly Lords as their backers, apart from the Fire Heavenly Lord, all of them were ascensions after the Great War of True Immortals. He surmised that their strength was probably inferior to that of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Lords.
If one day the Luo Tian Forbidden Immortal Tent truly fails and the True Immortal returns, I only hope that today's good fortune can bring back the Moon Fairy's assistance.

The Five Turbid True Lord nodded, "Although there have been some minor disturbances, the situation is under control. With thirty-two Refining Void True Lords in my Taiyi Paradise, we can naturally manage the hundred states of Yuheng. You can go to the Dragon Palace with peace of mind. I will naturally keep an eye on Cangzhou and Qingzhou."

The situation was actually more serious than she described. The reason why Lu Qian was allowed to explore the Dragon Palace was partly because Fairy Yue could not interfere with the Yunshan Sect's decree, and partly because Taiyi Paradise was too busy to manage overseas affairs.

Lu Qian thanked the Five Turbid True Monarch and the Great One Paradise again. The Five Turbid True Monarch nodded to the group, parted the spatial ripples, and disappeared back to Yuheng.

After respectfully seeing the True Lord off, Jiang Baitao immediately relaxed. She leaned against the rapidly growing Beiluo Shimen and stretched comfortably, her graceful figure fully displayed in the sea breeze.

Even though the other party was friendly and took the initiative to gather spiritual pressure, facing such a Refining Void True Monarch, she, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, felt immense pressure and involuntarily tensed up, not daring to interrupt.

Meanwhile, from Lu Qian's sleeve, the jade dragon, now shrunk to a tiny size, poked its head out, looked around, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Good heavens, that dragon-eating demon is finally gone."

Lu Qian took out the jade dragon, tossed it into the air, and it rolled, transforming into a very sturdy, round-headed, and carefree little fat boy.

"You remember eating, drinking, and having fun very well, but you've mixed up the details of cultivating high-level immortality." Lu Qian gave him a flick on the forehead. "The one who invited me to the Dragon Feast before was Crane Cry True Lord, but this one is Five Turbid True Lord, not some dragon-eating female demon. You should learn your lesson."

Yu Jiao held his head and muttered unwillingly, "Pretty much, pretty much, they're all from Taiyi Paradise. They often hold banquets where they eat dragons and phoenixes. Which True Lord hasn't eaten them?"

He puffed out his chest and patted the fat on his belly: "I'm warning you, don't even think about my flesh. I'm covered in oil, one bite and you'll feel greasy for three days."

Lu Qian ignored him and flicked his palm, causing two precious beads to rise up, one a deep blue and the other a snowy white, their light dazzling and their fluctuations mysterious.

The moment the two precious pearls appeared, the seawater below reacted, vibrating and surging, as if trying to draw the pearls into its embrace. The jade dragon's eyes widened in wonder, and it pounced, exclaiming, "Wow, my lord! What treasures have you secretly hidden? One for you, one for me, isn't that perfect?"

But Lu Qian reached out and pushed him, stopping him in mid-air. Under his expectant gaze, he handed the snow-white and crystal-clear one to Jiang Baitao.

"The Tao brothers worked hard for more than ten years and finally succeeded in refining these two Sea-Bearing Pearls. In the process, they even delayed the refining and assembly of the Tengshe Dao soldiers."

"Although we owe a great deal to the help of the Boundless Mystic Lord of the Star Sea Sect, these two pearls are extraordinary treasures. The fact that they were able to refine them shows that their weapon-refining skills are already extremely high."

“Your sister has the True Dragon Body, and the Jade Dragon is a pure-blooded dragon, so neither of them fears the deep sea or the ocean. However, if our cultivation levels were to enter the sea, they would be somewhat diminished. Now that we have this Ocean Pearl, we can merge into the deep ocean and dive into the Abyss at will.”

Jiang Baitao happily accepted the pearl, examined it for a while, and then happily stored it in her dantian: "Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader."

Jiang Qingfeng gently stroked her hair and instructed, "Although I gave you the pearl, it's just in case, not to encourage you to cause trouble at sea. When we leave the Dragon Palace, you should stay at the Hai family's residence and make sure you don't cause any trouble."

Bai Tao pouted: "Sister, you're so long-winded. How many times have I told you, I'm all grown up now, I'm not a child anymore. Instead of trying to control me, why don't you try to control Yu Jiao?"

Jiang Qingfeng simply smiled gently.

Jade Dragon, envious, waved its short arms and legs in mid-air: "That's right, that's right! Rather than giving it to White Peach, it's better to give it to me. Even if I'm a dragon, wouldn't having this pearl be the icing on the cake, making my combat power even better?"

"My lord, my dear lord! You can't be biased. Even though Bai Tao calls you brother-in-law, I'm connected to you by blood; I'm your closest kin!"

Lu Qian rolled his eyes at him: "You don't need to ask me for it, you already have this pearl in your body."

Yu Jiao was still groping around in confusion when Jiang Baitao came over and nudged him mischievously.

"Little Fatty Dragon, didn't you recognize them? These two Sea-Bearing Pearls are the Dragon Pearls of those two wicked dragons, Leap Abyss and Old Man Qiu!"

"You can't touch it from the outside; you have to cut off its head to see it."

"How about," Jiang Baitao made a throat-slitting gesture, "I'll take it out for you?"

Jade Dragon's eyes widened, he shivered, and quickly shrank his neck: "No! I'm still small, and the Dragon Pearl is still small too! It's not even half the size of yours, it's not useful."

"Then let's raise it for another two years." Bai Tao looked it up and down with ill intent. "Dragon scales for armor, dragon tendons for bows, dragon bones for medicine, and dragon blood for talismans."

Ignoring the two bickering individuals, Lu Qian took out the nautical chart given to him by Hai Shuangyao, attempting to identify the islands ahead. Jiang Qingfeng glanced at it twice and shook his head.

"The vast ocean is boundless, and even with a nautical chart, you can't tell which way to go; you can only go up and ask."

She suddenly remembered something: "The Ao clan's territory used to drift along in this ocean, no wonder no one could find it. It's a pity that although Lord Hongze has the bloodline of Fuxi and could enter the Dragon Palace, he is unwilling to come along. Otherwise, we would have more help."

Lu Qian put away the sea chart: "The Ao Clan is now thriving and firmly established in Cangzhou. They are planning to expand their territory. There are too many unknowns and dangers on the journey to the Dragon Palace. Fellow Daoist Ao Fang is naturally unwilling to leave his clansmen behind to go through the danger."

Jiang Qingfeng took Lu Qian's arm and gently advised, "The Ao Clan has finally gotten back on the right track, but our Yunshan Sect is even more prosperous. Cangzhou, Qingzhou, and even Ningzhou all need your strategic planning. The Dragon Palace treasure is good, but it's not necessary. Taiyi Paradise cannot be protected, and relying on just a few of us is probably too dangerous."

Lu Qian gripped her hand tightly, stopping her from speaking.

"Senior Sister, there's no need to persuade me any further. Senior Brother Wang and the Eight Departments and Two Divisions will handle the affairs of the sect, so there's no need to worry. Not to mention that I myself want to undergo the Tribulation of Life and Death and Refinement, which will give me a better chance of obtaining the Treasure Dragon Palace. With the resources of the Dragon Palace, the disciples of Yunshan can accelerate their rise. Within a hundred years, we can add another batch of Nascent Soul cultivators and hope to dominate the west of Yuheng."

"Furthermore, Lin Le is currently trapped in his inner demons and unable to extricate himself. If we can obtain a rare treasure from the Dragon Palace, it might help him break free from his demonic obstacles and achieve the Nascent Soul stage."

Thinking of Lin Le, who was suffering terribly, and Wu Yan, who was extremely anxious, Jiang Qingfeng sighed softly and said no more.

Having made their decision, the four of them activated their escape lights, and four long streaks of light pierced the sky as they flew toward the distant island.

From a great distance, it was just a tiny black dot, but when you flew closer, you were surprised to see a large island.

The sea breeze, carrying a faint salty tang and some unknown fragrance, wafted towards us. In the distance, the clear cries of seagulls mingled with the roar of waves crashing against the rocks, creating a harmonious symphony. Thousands upon thousands of streaks of light rose and fell across the island, while various types of airships and strangely shaped wind-riding beasts ascended into the air, making it a fertile ground for cultivation.

This was the first time Lu Qian and his group had come to the legendary Immortal Fall Islands. Thinking of the islands' scenery as described in books and passed down by word of mouth, they assumed that this place was far from the mainland and had its own unique customs and traditions, so they slowed down their escape light to take a closer look.

"My lord, look over there! What a huge seashell! We've never seen one this big even when we sailed the ocean depths in our treasure ship!"

Yu Jiao excitedly pointed to the huge port and dock below, where all sorts of strange ships were moored. Some had huge coral skeletons, some were covered with layers of scales, and there were even several buildings built directly on the backs of giant whales and turtles, which were completely different from the floating ships commonly seen on the mainland.

Many monks were unloading cargo from the ship, including enormous, shimmering seashells and marine animal materials.

Jiang Qingfeng took a deep breath. Even though the true dragon's blood was concealed, she still felt an extraordinary affinity for this sea area. On her fair forehead, the crystal-clear dragon scale pattern shimmered with a fluorescent light.

Fortunately, it did not emit any spiritual energy fluctuations; it was merely like a beautiful floral pattern.

“Junior brother, the water elemental energy here is so abundant and active that there are probably more cultivators with water or wood elemental roots among the Immortal Fallen cultivators. And the way those cultivators dress is quite different from ours.”

Jiang Baitao was raising her eyebrows, sizing up the cultivators on the island. She noticed that most of them dressed boldly, with unrestrained styles and vibrant colors. She spat in annoyance, glanced at Lu Qian, and secretly poked Jiang Qingfeng's waist.

"Sister, you should keep a closer eye on your senior brother. There are bewitching women everywhere here."

(End of this chapter)