Yefutidaolu

Chapter 377 Get out
Time seemed to freeze again.

Dansha's face was ashen, and his body swayed precariously. He managed to stay upright only because of a surge of courage he didn't know he had.

Gao Jian felt his back instantly soaked with cold sweat!
He had shouted it almost instinctively, and his heart was still pounding. Looking at the "hand" hovering above Dan Sha's head and the Dragon King's emotionless, scrutinizing gaze, an indescribable chill rose from the depths of his heart.

indifferent!

Indifference beyond imagination!
If it weren't for the special transaction involving the "Desire Realm," and if he weren't still of use... this dragon king probably wouldn't have said so much to him at all, but would have just killed him directly.

This dragon… the ruler of the East Sea… he truly regards all things in the world as nothing more than grass and ants! Life and death are decided by a single thought! The tragic scenes outside the East Sea are all because of this dragon!
The Dragon King's gaze lingered on Gao Jian's face for a few moments before the hovering, dark blue "hand" slowly dissipated and merged back into his profound body.

The dangerous fluctuations in the surrounding area subsided.

"Friends?" The Dragon King's voice remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Since you are friends, then so be it." He acted as if he were dealing with a trivial matter, then turned to Dansha and said, "Dansha, effective immediately, you are relieved of your post as the incense bearer and leave the Dragon Court of the Vast Sea. All matters of the Dragon Palace are no longer your concern."

"Oh, no, if you arrange it this way, you will miss out on many opportunities, which is not a small matter for you. Take this token and I will grant you the right to travel within the Dragon Palace. You can come and go freely in the palace. If you want to cultivate, just come here. Otherwise, you can stay away from the struggles inside and outside the Dragon Palace."

As he spoke, a token was tossed into Dan Sha's hand. The Dragon King ignored it and turned his gaze to Gao Jian: "So, do you want to catch up with old friends, or should I send you back to the capital Yangjing right now?"

Gao Jianze cupped his hands and said:

"Please allow me some time, Your Majesty. I will come back to find you later. Please escort me back."

"Alright." The Dragon King readily agreed. "There are many empty palaces in the Dragon Palace, so you can choose any place to rest. If you find the Dragon Palace stuffy, you can also find somewhere else. Don't worry, with that token, no one will dare to stop you two."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gao Jian bowed solemnly again, then turned around, grabbed Dan Sha, and led her out of the palace gate with great strides.

Under the eaves outside the hall, Dansha held the token as if it were a hot iron, his whole body frozen in shock, seemingly still unable to recover from the huge, life-or-death turn of events that had occurred so suddenly.

Her exquisite makeup couldn't hide her pale face and the blankness in her eyes.

Gao Jian shouted, "Let's go!" and pulled her along the brightly lit corridor.

Dansha stumbled as he pulled her, then snapped out of her daze and instinctively started running after him.

The cool seawater slid down my cheeks, and a school of strange fish swimming outside the corridor cast curious glances my way.

After running for no more than a hundred feet, passing through a huge archway, and getting away from the suffocating oppressive atmosphere of the main hall, Dansha seemed to have finally found his soul again.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

The expert turned back, puzzled.

But then Dansha raised her hand and, without hesitation, pulled off the cumbersome, ornate hairpin adorned with pearls from her head!

The jewels tinkled and tumbled down, scattering across the smooth, mirror-like floor.

Immediately afterwards, she grabbed the elaborate and cumbersome outer garment she was wearing, embroidered with cloud and dragon patterns, and ripped it hard! The expensive silk gauze made a soft tearing sound as she casually tossed it behind her, revealing a simple outfit underneath.

Her movements were clean and swift. Then, she took a deep breath, and her body shone with a burst of spiritual light. Her slender figure rapidly elongated and transformed in the light!
Before long, silver-red scales, like burning sunset, instantly covered its entire body! Its long and graceful dragon body stretched out, leaving a stunning silhouette in the dark seawater—it was the true form of Dan Sha.

With a quick understanding, Gao Jian lightly leaped onto the dragon's head and landed steadily.

With a slight tap of its massive cinnabar dragon head, the silver-red dragon body suddenly swung, stirring up a powerful current of water, and like an arrow released from a bow, it broke through the water and headed away from the Dragon Court of the Vast Sea!

Silver and red light and shadow shuttle through the deep sea, like shooting stars chasing the moon.

The magnificent and beautiful outline of the Dragon Palace was quickly left behind, disappearing into the boundless blue.

They traveled eastward for about four thousand li.

My eyes suddenly opened up.

This is a vibrant deep-sea forest.

Huge, oddly shaped reefs stand like silent giants, scattered about. Colorful coral trees grow among them, their branches spreading out like a fiery garden blooming on the seabed, while shimmering seaweed sways with the undercurrents like dancing green ribbons.

Schools of small silver fish, like flowing galaxies, dart and frolic among the corals and reefs, their scales refracting tiny fragments of colorful light.

Deeper still, giant sea kelp of various shapes drifted slowly, and huge tridacna shells opened and closed slightly, revealing their warm, pearly interiors.

Most wondrously, the faint sunlight filtering through the fissures in the ocean above, refracted by the seawater, interacts with the phosphorescence emanating from the seabed itself, the faint glow of fish, and a special type of luminous plankton. This interplay of light ripples, flows, and merges in the water, forming a dreamlike, ever-changing, seven-colored curtain of light that envelops the entire forest, making it appear like a legendary fairyland.

Cinnabar slowed its pace, and its silver-red dragon body gracefully glided into this bizarre forest, finding a flat reef surrounded by huge pink staghorn corals, and slowly descended.

The light faded, the dragon's body shrank, and it transformed back into human form. It was still dressed in that plain white outfit, but the carefully applied makeup on its face had been mostly ruined by the seawater and the violent movements just now. The eyeshadow was smudged, and the blush was patchy, making it look somewhat disheveled.

She stood on the shimmering rocks, watching Gao Jian jump down, the seawater wetting her temples and clinging to her cheeks.

She opened her mouth, as if she had a thousand words to say, but in the end, it all came down to a single sentence filled with deep confusion: "You...why are you here?"

Gao Jian smiled, took a step closer, and naturally reached out to gently wipe away the smudged, shimmering black eyeshadow under her eyes with his fingertips. The movement wasn't gentle; it was even a bit too forceful, causing Dan Sha to flinch in pain.

"That's not like you at all," Gao Jian said with a smile.

Dansha hadn't intended to dodge, but when his calloused fingers brushed against her delicate eyelids, causing her a sharp pain from his sudden movement, she snapped out of her daze, slapping Gao Jian's hand away with a mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, and heartache.

"Ouch! Don't do it! If you don't know how, don't do it! You've ruined my makeup!"

Gao Jian withdrew his hand: "You don't like this kind of heavy makeup, do you?"

Dansha retorted instinctively, "Isn't it beautiful? This was done by a master makeup artist from the palace! I rarely see makeup artists of this caliber, not even once! If I hadn't come to the Dragon Palace to serve this time, I would never have had the chance to have such a beautiful makeup done! Isn't it beautiful?"

Her tone was filled with heartache and reluctance for that expensive craft.

Gao Jian shook his head: "It's not good-looking."

"Huh? It doesn't look good?" Dansha was stunned again.

"Your face is all stiff from all the makeup, you can't even smile anymore, what's there to see?" These words were like a small pebble thrown into the lake of her heart.

She looked at Gao Jian's calm expression and remained silent for a few moments. Suddenly, she raised her hands and, without any hesitation, vigorously rubbed her face a few times, then stirred up a stream of clear water, which splashed across her face with a splash.

The water carried away the remaining blush, the smudged black eyeshadow, and all the sophistication and expense, instantly vanishing into nothingness as it disappeared into the colorful light curtain.

A clean, dewy face was revealed, with delicate features, a straight nose, and slightly pursed lips.

She tossed her hair, her face stern, her tone a mixture of heartache and reproach:
"Oh, that's it! It's all washed off! Do you know what that blush was? It was scarlet blood, very rare! The black part was powder ground from oak branches! That purple part was from the heartwood of purple sandalwood! The color was fixed with whale dragon glue and... oh dear! It's washed off! I can never afford to wear this makeup again! You'll regret it!"

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards, revealing her pearly white teeth. Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the swirling iridescent light around her, like crushed stardust falling into them.

The iridescent light refracted by the underwater forest fell, and schools of fish curiously gathered and then dispersed, while the soft sound of water flowing over the corals echoed around them.

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After a while, the two sat on the reef. The sunlight from the sky shone on the water, refracting into a seven-colored halo that flowed around them.

The soft murmur of fish swimming and the low murmur of giant sea kelp swaying nearby filled the air.

During this time, Gao Jian had briefly told Dan Sha about the events in Liangzhou, the events in Youmingdi, how he followed Yuan Lu into the Dragon Clan's secret treasure, how he helped Yuan Lu comprehend the "True Explanation of Transformation and Return to Origin," and how Yuan Lu was currently breaking through the shackles of the Earth Immortal deep within the secret treasure.

However, Gao Jian did not reveal his purpose.

It's not that I don't trust cinnabar, but often, just saying it out loud implies a lack of safety.

All important matters are accomplished in secrecy. There is no need to make too much of a fuss before things have settled down.

Upon hearing this, Dan Sha's dragon eyes widened: "So... you came to the Dragon Palace with someone who was about to break through to the peak of the twelfth realm of Earth Immortal? That's the Ancestor of the Netherworld! And he has the Dragon Clan's secret treasures! You... how dare you!"

Gao Jian smiled, offering no explanation for the danger and scheming involved, but simply nodded casually: "Well, you could say that. He's currently at a crucial moment in his seclusion, so there was no point in me staying at the door. I came out first."

Upon hearing this, Dansha's relieved smile faded, and her lips pouted slightly, revealing a hint of obvious disappointment: "Oh... I thought..." Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance, "I thought you came here because you had the answer, just like you said last time."

When we parted last time, Takami promised he would find the answer.

Seeing Dansha's lowered head and slightly slumped shoulders, Gao Jian felt a slight stirring in his heart. He reached out and naturally ruffled her still-damp hair, the gesture carrying a soothing meaning, and his voice softened:

"Don't worry. We'll have the answer soon." His tone was confident, as if stating a fact that was about to be realized. "You won't have to wait long."

Dansha looked up, her eyes brightening again beneath her ruffled hair: "Really?"

"Hmm." Gao Jian withdrew his hand, his gaze fixed on the changing light screen in the distance. "However, after today, I have to leave."

Dansha sighed, "Leave? Back to...the capital?"

“Yes.” Gao Jian nodded. “Having done so much, it’s time to go back and wrap things up. The real turmoil is probably just beginning.” He looked at Dan Sha, his tone serious. “You will stay in the East Sea. With the token bestowed upon you by the Dragon King, your life will be much easier, at least within the Dragon Palace. Focus on your cultivation and wait for my news.”

"Okay." Dansha nodded vigorously, suppressing her little thoughts.

She knew what Gao Jian was doing; she couldn't help, and not causing trouble was the greatest support she could offer. She paused for a moment, as if making a decision, then looked up and asked, "Then... do you want to see your uncle?"

"Lord Jingjiang?" Gao Jian raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is he here?"

"Yes!" Dansha nodded vigorously, his face regaining its radiance. "It's nearby! After I came to the East Dragon Palace, he seemed... a little worried, so he moved here too! Deeper into this forest!"

When she mentioned Lord Jingjiang, her tone became noticeably more relaxed and lively, clearly showing her great affection and trust for this "uncle".

"Alright." Gao Jian stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his robes. "I happen to have some things I'd like to ask him for advice on."

"Why bother washing off the dust in the water? Fine, I'll call him!" Dansha immediately perked up. She stood up, walked to the edge of the reef, and faced the magnificent and secluded coral forest.

She took a deep breath, and the silver-red dragon aura around her rippled slightly. Instead of letting out a deafening dragon roar, she raised her head and let out a series of strange, melodious, and uniquely rhythmic sounds, like the song of a whale in the deep sea.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it seemed to contain a penetrating power, ignoring the obstruction of the seawater and spreading clearly into the depths of the forest, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up invisible ripples.

The sound echoed through the colorful light curtain, penetrating the layers of coral branches and swaying kelp forests, spreading towards the deeper and darker sea.

Dansha stopped chirping: "Just wait! Uncle heard my voice and will be here soon!"

Takami stood on the reef, looking at the confident Dansha, and then gazing into the depths of the deep-sea forest, which seemed even more mysterious and unpredictable after being disturbed by the sound of the roar.

Time flowed slowly amidst the tranquil interplay of light and shadow. The sea forest remained as beautiful as a dream, with only the sounds of flowing water and swimming fish.

suddenly!

At the same time, Takami and Dansa both sensed that the surrounding water flow... had changed!
No longer a gentle, free-flowing current, but rather as if combed by an invisible hand, becoming exceptionally smooth and refined, carrying an indescribable sense of rhythm. The seven-colored halo seemed to dim for a moment, as if some enormous object had silently obscured part of the light source.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no overwhelming pressure.

There was only a stagnant silence.

The next moment, dozens of feet away from them, behind a huge, screen-like, deep purple staghorn coral, the water flowed like a parted curtain.

A figure silently "flowed" out.

It was none other than Lord Jingjiang!
The massive, savage black dragon's body was covered in scars, bearing countless marks that were difficult to heal.

With the physical body of a true dragon, normal scars should heal easily without leaving a trace, but the body of Lord Jingjiang appears so rough, which shows how many battles he has experienced.

It is precisely because of this that the Shun family has been able to continue to establish itself in the East Sea.

He looked at Gao Jian, his expression clearly displeased.

(End of this chapter)