BOOK 2: CHAPTER 456: VISITOR FROM THE NORTHERN CONTINENT, SETTING THE TRAP

Vol 2 Chapter 456: Visitor from the Northern Continent, Setting the Trap

"Father's brilliant plan! When do we act?"

"Wait longer."

The Second Prince couldn't contain his urgency and shouted, "Wait longer? By the time that woman finishes refining the Zhenhai Seal, it'll be too late!"

"You said that woman is only at the Dharmakaya cultivation stage, and a human at that. She couldn't possibly refine the Zhenhai Seal so quickly." The Cangming Dragon King remained firm in his opinion. "I'm waiting for powerful reinforcements from the Northern Continent."

"Reinforcements? The Northern Continent?"

The Second Prince and the other three dragons exchanged bewildered glances, unaware their father had connections with the Northern Continent. "Who is Father referring to?"

To their surprise, even the Cangming Dragon King frowned and shook his head, appearing genuinely uncertain rather than deliberately withholding information. Seeing this, the Cangming Dragon Queen grew concerned: "Can we trust this person?"

"From what I gathered, they seem intent on opposing the Jiushan Sect."

"Opposing the Jiushan Sect?"

"Hard to say, but meeting won't hurt. Here in the North Sea, what do we have to fear?"

Hearing this, the Second Prince could only suppress his anxiety and wait for this Northern Continent visitor.

The wait lasted nearly a year. When the visitor finally appeared at Cangming Dragon Palace, even the Dragon King had nearly forgotten about the arrangement.

"Who's there?"

The Cangming Dragon King's cold voice rang out. The Second Prince looked up in surprise.

He sensed nothing, only seeing tension on his father's face. Yet he knew this wasn't mere paranoia. As an ancient dragon, he should have detected any intrusion into the North Sea immediately.

In fact, none of the five dragons in the hall except the Dragon King had noticed the visitor's approach. Even the Dragon King only sensed the intruder when they reached the palace itself!

The visitor's power made the Second Prince gulp nervously.

The Cangming Dragon Palace suddenly darkened.

An enormous shadow loomed above the palace. Candles dimmed instantly, seawater seemed to freeze solid, and silence fell over the dragon palace.

The shadow stirred the waters into a whirlpool - first forming a funnel, then within three breaths, expanding enough to swallow the entire palace.

The palace complex suffered greatly - walls shook, roofs collapsed, while mermaids, shrimp soldiers and crab generals fled in panic as if catastrophe had struck. Even the five ancient dragons in the hall had to exert their magic power to maintain balance.

The Cangming Dragon King's face turned livid as he extended his hand. A jade ruyi scepter flew from his golden sleeve. Wielding it, he swung three times, barely stabilizing the turbulent waters before angrily demanding: "Who are you?"

A man emerged slowly from the whirlpool. Though in human form, he stood extraordinarily tall with wild hair and archaic clothing split starkly between black and white. His most striking feature was an unusually high, curved nose.

But when the Second Prince met the man's eyes, the strange nose was forgotten. He involuntarily retreated half a step. Something about that gaze made the back of his neck prickle as if facing a natural predator.

"Has the Dragon Lord forgotten our agreement?"

"Agreement?" The Dragon King blinked before realization dawned. Frowning, he said, "You're from the Northern Continent's demon race!"

Demon race?

The Second Prince's heart raced as he strained to hear their conversation.

"Correct."

The visitor's voice sounded peculiarly distant and deep, as if speaking from the bottom of a well.

"Then what was that display just now? Trying to intimidate Cangming Dragon Palace?"

"Of course not." The visitor's lips curled in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "After so many years, seeing ancient dragons again... I got overexcited and overstepped."

The Dragon King's expression shifted several times before settling on a forced smile: "Oh? Are you acquainted with our dragon race? Could you have met our Dragon Ancestor?"

The Second Prince shuddered, growing warier of this strange visitor.

"The Dragon Ancestor? Indeed I have." The visitor's smile deepened, his face showing reminiscence. "I'm quite familiar with ancient dragons."

"Which ancestors did you know? Perhaps I'm acquainted with them?"

"You likely wouldn't know them."

"..."

"They're all dead."

The Dragon King fell silent, sensing something amiss.

The visitor's smile widened: "Delicious flavor. I quite enjoyed it."

"You!"

"I won't eat you."

"Try if you dare!" The Dragon King gritted his teeth, face pale with rage. "No matter how strong you are, how could we allow your insolence in the North Sea?"

The man glanced at him and chuckled, shaking his head: "Dragon race abilities are indeed profound. Precisely why we sought you out."

"We?"

"I said I won't eat you. Though that Lord Shuyu Dragon does interest me..."

......

"Have you heard about your plans to attack Xuanwei Sea?"

After a thoughtful pause, the Cangming Dragon King slowly outlined their prepared strategy.

......

Only after the visitor vanished back into the whirlpool did the Second Prince blurt out: "Father, what... what cultivation level was that person?"

"True Immortal, perhaps nearing Golden Immortal." The Dragon King said grimly. "Even with the North Sea's advantage, I'm not confident of victory."

Now the Second Prince understood his father's patience.

"But can we trust him?" The Dragon Queen frowned. "That look in his eyes..."

The Second Prince interjected: "Like a madman! He genuinely wanted to eat us!"

"He is mad." The Dragon King said through clenched teeth. "Which is exactly why we must cooperate."

"Why?"

"Whatever can make a madman restrain himself so..." The Dragon King said slowly, "whether person or faction, cannot be underestimated."

After pondering this, the Second Prince still worried: "Isn't this like making a pact with the devil?"

"It is. But they're clearly targeting the Jiushan Sect too, even the maritime region. We can't avoid this. For now, we must use their strength to strike fast and seize Xuanwei Sea. Once my power grows, his madness won't matter."

Hearing this, the four dragons saw no alternative.

"Ten more days!"

The four in the hall nodded solemnly.

......

Ten days later, the Second Prince flew toward Xuanwei Sea, sensing his parents and siblings' positions with growing nervousness.

Their strategy remained diversionary. He, his mother, brother and sister-in-law would attack Jiushan Sect's trade routes first, drawing their forces away to create an opportunity for his father to seize the Zhenhai Seal.

They hadn't been idle this past year, gathering intelligence on the Jiushan Sect. While they couldn't enter Xuanwei Sea directly, their aquatic subordinates could. Lord Shuyu Dragon seemed indifferent to these creatures, offering no resistance - not that the Cangming Dragon Palace would care either way.

Their intelligence included:

Which experts the Jiushan Sect had.

Which trade routes were busiest.

Where to strike for maximum disruption with minimal risk.

His current target was an island near the North Sea called Sun-Moon Island, named for two massive sun-and-moon-shaped boulders at its peak. A crucial trade hub, about eighty percent of goods passed through here.

Before even seeing the island, chaotic noises reached him:

"Pier Seven, unload quickly! No loitering!"

"Warehouse is full!"

"Check the manifests! Missing Nine-Star Flowers? Take the slip to storage!"

Then the distinctive round and crescent boulders came into view.

Hiding in the North Sea, he extended his divine consciousness toward the island.

The coastline was lined with docks bustling with flying vessels - some carrying spiritual herbs, others magical tools or pills. Dozens of Jiushan Sect disciples shouted orders - the source of most noise he'd heard.

In just half an incense stick's time, the Second Prince counted over ten vessels landing and an equal number departing eastward. While pitying the overworked disciples, he couldn't help admiring the island's prosperity.

Even as enemies, he marveled at how the Jiushan Sect had single-handedly built this maritime trade network to such scale in mere decades.

As rulers of their own sea domain, the Cangming Dragon Palace couldn't calculate exact profits but recognized the route's immense value.

Strangely, the island's soil and even the central boulders appeared bluish-black, differing from their intelligence. The Second Prince paid little mind, waiting quietly until a dragon roar only ancient dragons could hear echoed in the distance.

Time to strike!

He burst from the North Sea, transforming into his true dragon form with jaws wider than Sun-Moon Island itself, ready to swallow vessels, cultivators and warehouses whole!

Not just here - three other dragon silhouettes mirrored his actions elsewhere. The Dragon Queen, his siblings, and countless aquatic minions attacked simultaneously like thunderbolts against the trade routes the Jiushan Sect had painstakingly built.

Their goals:

Force the Jiushan Sect into dilemma.

Create opportunities for his father.

Avenge their humiliation by Lord Shuyu Dragon, setting the prosperous trade routes ablaze!

Whipping up hurricanes, he sent massive waves crashing toward Sun-Moon Island, threatening to obliterate its bustling vitality. The thought filled him with glee, recalling how in Dragon Abyss Realm, when a beautiful female cultivator refused him, he'd crushed her sect's protective formation with one claw, slaughtering her master and fellow disciples.

Their wails and sobs had brought him endless delight. He realized he loved hearing lamentations and weeping.

So why wasn't there any crying on Sun-Moon Island?

Looking closer, he saw the cultivators weren't just not crying - they were laughing!

"Finally showed yourself!"

"Kept us waiting long enough!"

"Really thought hiding underwater made him invisible?"

The Second Prince was baffled. He understood each word but their combined meaning escaped him.

Who were they waiting for?

Before he could ponder, drumbeats sounded.

Boom-boom, boom, boom-boom-boom...

First from Sun-Moon Island, then answered by neighboring islands until the entire Xuanwei Sea seemed to pulse with drumming.

Clouds and sea trembled under the rhythm.

Sensing danger, the Second Prince recalled his father's warnings and turned to retreat to the North Sea. But a beam of light erupted from Sun-Moon Island, striking his upper jaw!

First came searing heat - half his head felt blown away. Pain blanked his mind, vision blurred, leaving only instinctive writhing and wailing.

Scattered Immortal!

The island had a Scattered Immortal lying in wait!

They knew he was coming?

He'd believed hiding in the North Sea made him undetectable to the Jiushan Sect. Never imagined they'd have a Scattered Immortal with Dao Fruit here.

No wonder those disciples looked at him like a circus clown!

He never considered that while the Profound Earth Primordial Magnetism Array blanketing Xuanwei Sea might not match dragon abilities in mystical aspects, it surpassed them in one key area:

Detection!

Lord Shuyu Dragon might know Xuanwei Sea intimately but couldn't monitor beyond it, like the North Sea. The Profound Earth Primordial Magnetism Array was different.

This thing worked like radar.

Fundamentally, with enough array nodes and sufficient primordial magnetism, its detection range had no upper limit!

Familiar with dragon abilities, the Second Prince assumed hiding in the North Sea would conceal him even from Lord Shuyu Dragon. Little did he know his every move had been exposed under the array's gaze.

When the burning pain slightly subsided and his vision cleared despite lingering confusion, he immediately searched for the Scattered Immortal.

Yet Sun-Moon Island only showed those same disciples he'd dismissed earlier.

They stood in formation.

Hundreds of treasure mirrors assembled into a glittering wall shielding the entire island.

Behind it, familiar voices shouted new commands:

"Aim!"

The mirror wall adjusted angles to face the Second Prince.

"Ready!"

The wall curved into a hemisphere as beams from across Xuanwei Sea converged upon it.

Reflected and concentrated, the light grew blindingly intense.

"Fire!"

A white beam shot forth, striking the Second Prince squarely.

Golden dragon blood rained from shattered scales.

This strike surpassed the first in power!

Not a Scattered Immortal ambush - just these disciples?

Only now did he realize these very disciples had reduced him to such wretched state!

From afar came three familiar wails.

Looking skyward, he saw crisscrossing white beams forming an immense net spanning all directions - a trap long since set.