Chapter 56: Chapter 34: East Sea 6th Crown Prince, 5 Demons Transporting Diagram (Part 3)
Fairy Shi, however, was completely unconcerned. With a cunning smile, she said, "I never intended to hide it; it was simply a trivial matter. Now, about that true dragon’s wedding banquet... does Young Master Xu still wish to hear the rest?"
Xuzhuang said, "Please, continue."
"As I was saying..." Fairy Shi paused, seemingly unable to suppress a smile, and then continued, "After such an incident, the entire Dragon Palace was shaken. They couldn’t very well keep up the cheerful, grand celebrations. But a true dragon’s wedding is a major event, so they couldn’t let it just fizzle out. They had no choice but to put it on hold."
"Now that Ao Hai has found the Dragon Pearl and returned it to the Dragon Palace, the matter is finally settled. I imagine it won’t be long before they resume preparations for the wedding banquet."
"Oh? It sounds quite lively. But the two of us aren’t just going to the Dragon Palace for fun, to attend the ceremony, are we? The East Sea Sea Race isn’t exactly friendly to humans." Xuzhuang said with a wry smile, "Why don’t you just get to the point?"
Fairy Shi didn’t take offense. Smiling radiantly, she said, "Legend has it that during every true dragon’s wedding banquet, they open the Dragon Palace Treasure Vault on the spot and select a precious treasure from the collection to gift the newlyweds..."
Xuzhuang’s interest was piqued. He asked, "So this is what you’re after?"
"Precisely," Fairy Shi said. "That magic treasure is a secret heirloom of my Demon Sect. Although the Dragon Race came to possess it by accident, they lack the Sacrificial Refining Method, so they can only let it gather dust. If I’m not mistaken, it must be inside the Dragon Palace Treasure Vault."
Xuzhuang said coolly, "I assume your plan isn’t to just crash the banquet and plunder the treasure vault?"
The Dragon Palace is the leader of the East Sea Sea Race. They have always sought to drive out the cultivators of the East Sea to achieve total dominance over the ocean, and they have been at war with the Three Mountains Immortal Sect for years. This is why the East Sea is so turbulent outside the territories controlled by the Three Mountains Immortal Sect, and why there are so few Mortal Realms there.
Xuzhuang felt no guilt about stealing a treasure from the Dragon Palace, but even without a full understanding of their power, a moment’s thought was enough to appreciate the immense danger involved.
’The boundless East Sea nurtures countless members of the Sea Race, and demons who attain the Dao live for ages. As the true masters of the East Sea, how many great demons equivalent to Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators must the Dragon Palace have hidden away? There must be more than just a handful of Dragon Kings and Demon Kings on par with the Primordial Spirit realm. As for Supreme Divine Power Users who have reached the level of Pure Yang, nearing true Immortal Merits... Xuzhuang didn’t even dare to guess.’
Fairy Shi feigned annoyance. "The true dragon’s wedding banquet will be a gathering of countless demons. How could I be so foolish?"
With a flick of her wrist, she produced a painted scroll from thin air and waved it with a smile. "This item is called the Five Demons Transport Map, and it was refined from captured Celestial Demons. These Celestial Demons are tangible yet incorporeal; they can travel through the void, ignore restrictive barriers, and move without a trace. In other words... they’re perfect for ’stealing.’"
"When the treasure vault is opened, I’ll command the five demons to retrieve the magic treasure from within. Then, we’ll immediately make an excuse and slip away. It will be done without anyone being the wiser. By the time the Dragon Palace realizes it’s missing, where will they even begin to look for us?"
"And even if something goes wrong and the Dragon Palace reacts in time, the situation won’t be unsalvageable." At this, Fairy Shi’s smile was radiant. "With your help, Young Master Xu, I imagine fighting our way out won’t be too difficult."
"...Your thinking is a bit too naive," Xuzhuang said. "This is the East Sea Dragon Palace. You don’t need to think hard to know it’s filled with countless powerful experts. Even if we possessed heaven-defying abilities, could we really escape from the clutches of Dragon Kings and Demon Kings who have achieved the Primordial Spirit Realm?"
"You’ve misunderstood, Young Master," Fairy Shi said with a slight smile. "Don’t think for a moment that the items in the Dragon Palace Treasure Vault are truly that remarkable. If there were any truly rare and astonishing treasures, the Dragon Kings and Demon Kings would have long since claimed them for their personal collections. Why would they be left in a vault to gather dust?"
"Those Dragon Kings, Demon Kings, and even the Great Demon Venerables are all in the Crystal Grotto Heaven, cultivating diligently to avoid the Three Calamities or to break through the Life and Death Profound Gate. What time would they have to concern themselves with such trivial matters?"
"Oh?" Xuzhuang fell into deep thought.
’What Fairy Shi said made a lot of sense. In the Cultivation Realm, Primordial Spirit True Men and High Merit Venerables weren’t exceedingly rare, but in their pursuit of greater Immortal Merits, they typically didn’t concern themselves with worldly affairs. This was also why Golden Core Cultivators often served as the public face of their sects.’
A glint flashed in Xuzhuang’s eyes. "This plan might actually work."
’The path to the Great Dao is paved with conflict; without striving, one cannot achieve enlightenment. While his thoughts were not yet completely swayed by this demonic influence, this was a chance to eliminate the disturbance and allow him to cultivate in peace. He absolutely would not let it pass. Besides, he had an ace up his sleeve.’
Every ranked True Inheritor of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect possessed a True Inheritance Golden Sword. This served as both proof of their status as a True Disciple and as a protective ward. Imbued with a single-use spell cast by the Master himself, the sword could transport a True Disciple back to Tai Su from anywhere within the Profound Yellow Realm, regardless of the millions of miles, mountains, or seas in between.
With this ace in the hole, as long as no one at the Primordial Spirit Realm or on the level of the Immortal Gods personally intervened, Xuzhuang would have an escape route no matter how dire the circumstances.
His mind made up, Xuzhuang didn’t agree immediately. Instead, he said, "As per our agreement, if this trip to the Dragon Palace proves too dangerous, I will withdraw at any time."
Fairy Shi smiled. "That’s only reasonable."
"Good." Xuzhuang nodded and suddenly stood. "In that case, we shall meet again tomorrow."
While speaking, he was already striding out of the cabin. A moment later, he had vanished. It turned out the pleasure boat had been docked for quite some time.
