Yefutidaolu

Chapter 365 The Dragon Palace's Cinnabar

After a few minutes.

The three dragon carcasses were tied up by Gao Jian, hung around his waist, and secured with ropes. He then dragged them like three small mountains until they reached the side of the giant ship.

In the distance, Jinglong City had become ruins and vanished without a trace.

On the deck of the giant ship, Yuan Lu was still there.

Yuan Lu looked at the corpse dragging three seventh-realm dragons and stared at Gao Jian's waist: "What a fine sword. You can't tell when it's not sharp, but you can tell when it's sharp. This sword can ring in its sheath."

The sound of a blade ringing out is actually a quality that only a perfectly round blade possesses.

From a craftsman's perspective, a blade will only produce a ringing sound when its internal structure is completely integrated, its rigidity is uniform, its weight is precisely balanced, its handle fits very tightly, its blade is sharp, and its metallographic structure is uniform.

And that is very difficult.

A good sword that can become a high-level magic weapon often uses hundreds or thousands of materials mixed together, with tens of thousands of spiritual materials as auxiliary materials. Under such circumstances, it is obviously extremely difficult to make the internal structure of the sword completely integrated, with uniform rigidity and precise and balanced weight.

If any material is not mixed well, it will affect the reliability. All cracks, uneven thickness, gaps in the fit, and uneven strength will increase vibration dissipation, resulting in the inability to maintain the sound of a knife or sword.

Such a fine knife is not only sharp, but also represents uniformity, reliability, and stability; it is a divine weapon that one can entrust one's life to on the battlefield.

Gao Jian unloaded the heavy dragon carcass onto the seabed beside the giant ship, stirring up a cloud of murky mud and sand.

He clapped his hands as if he were merely tossing down a few bundles of firewood, and replied to Yuan Lu, "It's a fine knife." Then, he naturally changed the subject, "Senior, is it convenient for me to temporarily store these three dragon bodies with you?"

He didn't really want to talk about knives.

“No need to store it.” Yuan Lu’s voice was completely calm. “I will refine it for you.”

Before he finished speaking, and without any visible movement from Yuan Lu, he simply flicked the sleeve of his black robe towards the three enormous dragon corpses below.

Om-!
An indescribable, terrifying power, seemingly capable of melting everything, descended instantly!
That power was formless and intangible, yet it caused the surrounding seawater to boil and distort instantly, emitting a piercing hiss! The incredibly tough corpses of the three seventh-realm dragons, which contained immense essence of blood and qi, were like remnants of snow under the scorching sun, beginning to melt and collapse at a visible speed before this power.

Flesh and blood transform into pure life essence as they boil, tendons, bones, and skin are stripped of impurities as they decompose, and scales shed their mortal nature as they are smelted.

The whole process was incredibly fast, without any earth-shattering explosions or horrific carnage; it was as if it were just a casual meal.

In just a few breaths, the three dragon corpses, which were as large as small mountains, had vanished without a trace!
In its place were some of the original dragon's remains.

Three blood jade pieces, each the size of a pigeon egg, perfectly round and pure in color, exuded a powerful yet gentle essence. They contained the lifeblood essence of three dragons, and the mere aura they emitted made one feel completely comfortable and subtly increase their cultivation.

Three thin, cicada-wing-like dragon skins, yet perfectly preserving all the characteristics of a dragon: green, red, and black scales, with clear textures, dense scales, rugged horns, sharp claws, and even lifelike whiskers! They were perfectly peeled off and compressed into a thin layer that could be folded.

In addition, there was a pile of refined and purified materials shimmering with various colors of light: dragon teeth, dragon claw tips, scales that had not been refined into dragon skin, and some marrow crystals containing special properties. These materials were also shrunk to a size suitable for storage.

With a wave of his hand, Gao Jian placed three blood jades, three dragon hides, and the pile of miscellaneous materials into an inconspicuous mustard seed bag in his hand. It felt warm to the touch, but its weight far exceeded its size.

"Thank you for your help, senior." Gao Jian bowed and expressed his gratitude sincerely.

Yuan Lu's gaze, however, did not leave Gao Jian. Beneath that deep shadow, a power seemed to pierce the soul. He remained silent for a moment, then finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind:
"Why is that? Although Jinglong City is not the most important place in the Dragon Palace, it is still a large city, and there must be someone backing it. If we rashly destroy it, it will not help our purpose of this trip, but will only cause more trouble. What is the point?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jian simply smiled. He looked towards the direction of the ruins of Jinglong City, as if he could see through the seawater and into the outermost "involutionary hell" where flesh and blood flew everywhere and people were twisting and struggling.

"significance?"

His voice clearly reached Yuan Lü's ears:

"Outside, it was a scene of purgatory, with billions of living beings struggling like maggots, transforming themselves into monsters to survive, their lives hanging by a thread. But inside, in this city, there was singing and dancing, fine clothes and beautiful objects, and respectable people chatting and laughing, maintaining order and enjoying the peace and prosperity built on the bones of the outside world."

"I don't like looking at it."

"So, I'm just helping them put the ways of the East China Sea into practice."

Practice the principles of the East China Sea!
That's the purpose of this insightful observation!

Since the true dragon advocates the "way of natural evolution," believing that the law of the jungle and natural selection are the supreme laws, and that brutal competition is the only way to evolve...

Since the East Sea, from top to bottom, believes in the supremacy of power, encourages plunder, and condones the devouring of others...

So why is it that only the lowest-level ants tear each other apart in the bloody mire, struggling to survive in the most painful way?
Why should those so-called strong and powerful people living in "respectable" cities be allowed to sit high on the clouds, coldly watching from the sidelines, and even use the name of rules to carry out more covert and deadly plundering?
What kind of "natural selection" is this?
What Gao Jian did was to tear this hypocritical "decency" apart completely with direct violence!
Forcibly drag those high and mighty "respectable people" into the so-called "natural selection" rules they speak of! Let them also taste the feeling of being ruthlessly crushed by the stronger, where even begging for mercy is useless!

They used their blood and bones to "practice" this naked truth of the East China Sea!
Yuan Lu stared intently at Gao Jian, his gaze beneath the black robe seeming to pierce through the soul of the young cultivator before him.

After a long pause, he slowly withdrew his gaze, his deep voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "Shall we continue on our way?"

"Let's go." Gao Jian withdrew his gaze from the ruins, his eyes returning to their calm, still state, as if the carnage that had shaken the seas had merely been swept away as dust. "We won't linger this time. Let's go straight to the Dragon Palace, senior."

“Alright.” Yuan Lu said no more. With a flick of his sleeve, the giant ship, carrying ten thousand bushels of grain, shone with spiritual light once more, and the barrier separating it from the seawater reopened.

This silent, colossal ship, carrying two people with differing thoughts, and a little demon huddled in a corner, its mind reeling, broke through the dark, deep sea and sailed steadfastly toward its final destination—the place where the true dragon, who rules the East Sea, drives the ocean currents, and controls the incomplete "True Explanation of Transformation and Return to Origin," resides!

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The profound Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

Contrary to expectations of opulent grandeur, the actual interior design here is quite simple, with soft lighting.

However, its scale is by no means small.

In fact, this place can accommodate hundreds of real dragons to reveal their true forms at any time. Therefore, you can see that huge columns support the towering dome, and the columns are wrapped with lifelike bas-reliefs. The towering hall is hundreds of miles long! If ordinary people were to see it, they would only think that this is a plain, not a 'great hall'.

The incredibly flat 'plain', spanning hundreds of miles in circumference, was merely a side hall of the Dragon Palace. The Dragon Palace had dozens of such places!

But even in such a place, the air is filled with an indescribable, heavy atmosphere that blends antiquity, majesty, and absolute power, causing people to involuntarily hold their breath and feel boundless awe.

The entire Dragon Palace is a blessed land built on a massive and unparalleled spiritual vein and constructed from countless rare spiritual materials. It is located in a trench deep in the East Sea, with trenches within trenches, and finally built two thousand miles underwater, at the deepest abyss. Only in such a deep abyss, close to the earth's bottom, could there be such a massive spiritual vein!

This place can be said to draw on the essence of the entire ocean. All ocean currents pass through this area, and its overwhelming power and vast spiritual energy are enough to make any living creature that approaches instinctively feel small and awe.

At the very depths of this grotto-heaven, outside the colossal gate of the Dragon King's palace—the "Yuanting Palace"—forged from the finest gold of stars, the daily pilgrimage was taking place.

Cinnabar is among them.

She transformed into human form, dressed in a simple yet dignified sea-blue palace gown, her long hair as black as ink, tied up with an elegant jade hairpin, revealing her smooth forehead and graceful neck.

Compared to the red outfits she often wore when she was with Gao Jian, she was dressed somewhat coldly at this moment.

Even among the renownedly handsome dragon clan, her appearance was exceptional. Her skin was fair and radiant, and her clear, bright eyes, which should have been brimming with the liveliness and curiosity of the ocean, were now like a frozen lake, calm and still, devoid of all brilliance.

She did not come alone. Alongside her were seven other dragon maidens, each with unparalleled beauty and unique temperament.

They are either as aloof as the moon, as beautiful as flowers, or as elegant and noble as dragon maidens; all are of the highest caliber.

However, when these eight stunningly beautiful dragon maidens stepped into the plaza in front of the Yuanting Palace, a plaza paved with a single piece of 'celestial meteorite' that exuded an aura of endless ages and majesty, almost all the eyes that were secretly watching, whether open or hidden—those of the dragon princes and princesses who also held various positions in the Dragon Palace, and those of the powerful aquatic guards standing by—involuntarily and almost greedily focused on Dansha alone.

Eight dragon maidens walked in at the same time. Each of the eight dragon maidens was beautiful, but all eyes in the hall were focused on her alone.

As you can see, she is even more beautiful now than she was when Gao Jian met her. The reason is simple: she always wore light makeup or no makeup when Gao Jian met her, but now she has dressed up carefully. Her makeup and posture have been designed in advance. That old jellyfish woman from the Dragon Palace is indeed an expert in this.

And with this enhancement, her beauty is so...coveted.

However, Cinnabar seemed oblivious to this.

She lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows in her eye sockets, concealing all the emotions in her eyes.

She moved with light, graceful steps, each one precisely treading the specific patterns on the floor tiles, not daring to deviate even slightly. Here, before this palace that symbolized the supreme power of the East Sea, her liveliness, her agility, her joys and sorrows were all forbidden luxuries.

Because at this moment, even her life did not entirely belong to herself.

The Dragon King of the East Sea, a thirteenth-realm Earth Immortal, is one of the truly supreme beings standing at the pinnacle of this world! His power can shift stars and change constellations, and can overturn the four seas!

According to the tradition of the Dragon Palace, every year a group of dragon sons and daughters are selected from the major surnames of the true dragons to enter the Vast Sea Dragon Court to assume various duties, nominally to "serve" the Dragon King.

This seemingly menial task has touched the hearts of countless dragon prodigies!
Hanhai Longting itself is a paradise of unimaginable quality!

Cultivating here, one day's progress is equivalent to a hundred days outside! Not to mention, if one can get close to the Dragon King's palace and bathe in the unconsciously emanating power of the Earth Immortal Dragon and the aura of the Great Dao, it will have immeasurable benefits for comprehending the various divine essences of the Dragon Clan and breaking through shackles! And if one can stand out and be favored by the Dragon King to become his close minister, even if it is just serving tea and water, it means ascending to heaven in one step and obtaining unimaginable resources and guidance!

Therefore, this "serving" is actually a cruel yet glorious path to advancement within the dragon race!
From the outermost patrols of the sea, sweeping, and cultivating spiritual plants, to the middle-level warehouse management, book organization, and ceremonial guards, and then to the innermost palace attendants, meal preparers, and personal attendants... each position represents the distance from the Dragon King and the depth of the Dragon Court's blessings that can be drawn!

Although large-scale fighting and disturbing the peace of the Dragon Palace are strictly prohibited, the struggle for positions and the scramble for opportunities to get close to the Dragon King are filled with silent gunpowder and deadly calculations!

Poisoning, framing, using others to do the dirty work, using the rules to suppress others... all sorts of methods are emerging one after another, which are more insidious and deadly than the bloody battles in the outer seas! Whether you can rise step by step from an outer servant to the Dragon King's side amidst numerous traps and competitions, it tests not only your talent and strength, but also the combination of your cunning, methods and luck!
Dan Sha was sent to the Dragon Court by her family under such circumstances. At present, she is one of the eight dragon maidens who have just been promoted and allowed to enter the outer area of ​​Yuan Ting Palace to be responsible for "paying respects and offering incense". This is a position that is relatively close to the core, with both risks and opportunities.

"Summon—the Dragon Maiden to pay her respects!"

The eight dragon maidens simultaneously took a deep breath, composed themselves, and became even more respectful.

Dansha forced herself to completely suppress the chaotic thoughts in her mind—about the chaotic and painful world outside, about that thought that had once made her feel a little different.

Here, she is a perfect, quiet, soulless jade statue.

The Dragon King is just ahead.

(End of this chapter)