Chapter 1808 - The Dragon’s Gate

Xi Ning suddenly lost her temper and domineeringly stuck out her neck for Su Yi, leaving the crowd stunned.

The atmosphere silently grew tense and stifled.

Some of the other prominent experts who’d planned to use secret arts and treasures to determine Su Yi’s true appearance silently gave up on the idea. They no longer dared act recklessly.

Many of the gathered experts looked at Qing Xiao and his companions. Since gathering here, they’d all learned that Divine Son Qing Xiao and Divine Daughter Xi Ning were irreconcilable enemies!

“Xi Ning, don’t you think you’re being excessively overbearing?” Gongyang Yu said darkly. “Your subordinate has disguised himself and hidden his true appearance. I suspect there’s a problem with his identity, too. Why shouldn’t I investigate?”

Xi Ning said coldly, “I suspect you harbor ill intentions. Is that a sufficient excuse for me to kill you?”

“You...” Gongyang Yu frowned.

“What, not convinced?” Xi Ning approached, her eyes flashing like cold lightning. Murderous intent billowed around her. “Would you believe me if I said that if you offend me, not even Qing Xiao can save your dog life?”

The atmosphere was deathly silent. Countless people looked stricken. None of them would have guessed that this ethereal, tranquil divine daughter would be this domineering.

Here she was, blatantly threatening a divine son in front of a crowd!

Most terrifying of all, as her long, slender legs carried her forward, her murderous intent connected heaven and earth, locking firmly onto Gongyang Yu. It was obvious to anyone that she could attack at any time!

Gongyang Yu felt it the most intensely of all.

Xi Ning made no effort to disguise her murderous intent. Immense pressure assailed Gongyang Yu right in the face.

Suddenly, his elderly servant stepped forth and said coldly, “Xi Ning, how dare you threaten our young leader like that! You’ve gone too far!”

Xi Ning just raised her jade-like hand and waved it through the air.

Whap!!!

The elderly servant didn’t even have time to dodge. A palm strike smacked him right in the face, crushing his cheekbone and costing him several teeth. He spun in a circle and thudded to the ground.

Wretched as could be.

Gasps rang out throughout the surrounding area. Now, when they looked at Su Yi, the crowd’s eyes shone with hints of dread.

She was simply too domineering!

Su Yi took in her aloof, contemptuous, graceful figure, making no further attempts to disguise his heartfelt admiration.

Here, experts were as numerous as the clouds, and divine children were as numerous as trees in the forest.

Yet in terms of deportment, Xi Ning was the greatest of them!

“You were in the wrong, yet your dog dared bark at me. Gongyang Yu, I taught your servant a lesson in your stead. Do you have any objections?” said Xi Ning, her eyes flashing with cold light as she looked at Gongyang Yu.

Gongyang Yu’s face was ashen with anger.

But just as he was about to say something, Qing Xiao stepped forth and said, “Xi Ning, didn’t I deal you a massive setback just a few days ago? If you’re angry, come after me. Why take it out on other people?”

Boom!

A dense, inscrutable majesty spread around Qing Xiao as he stared Xi Ning down. The atmosphere was tense, and it seemed battle might break out at a moment’s notice!

“Very well! How about we duel to the death here and now?” Xi Ning said calmly. “The people beside you are welcome to assist you. See whether I shrink back or not!”

Everyone was stunned.

She’s ferocious!

She declared war against a group of mighty foes without fear of death!

Qing Xiao’s expression filled with uncertainty, while his allies’ expressions darkened.

Of course, they weren’t afraid of Xi Ning, but they worried that an all-out conflict would make them susceptible to divine misfortune!

After all, who could suppress their cultivation base in a true life-or-death duel?

But the moment they revealed their true strength, they’d inevitably be targeted by divine misfortune!

Who could bear the consequences of that?

And they’d all gather here to explore the ruins of the Dragon Palace. They hadn’t even begun their expedition. Who’d willingly risk their lives to fight Xi Ning now?

“What? Are you too afraid?” A jeer tugged at Xi Ning’s lips. “I knew this would happen. You might have the advantage in numbers, but in truth, you’re just a pack of riffraff.”

Qing Xiao’s eyes erupted with murderous intent. He was obviously enraged.

But a moment later, he laughed coldly. “Xi Ning, I know what you’re thinking. You know you’re in a bad situation, so you’re trying to risk it all and goad us into acting without reservation.”

He took a deep breath, his gaze calm once more. “But you aren’t the only one unafraid to die. If you’ve really got the guts, how about we end this once and for all in the ruins of the Dragon Palace?”

“Very well!” Xi Ning agreed without a second thought.

But then, Jing Cheng hurriedly tried to play peacemaker. “Everyone, let’s set off for the ruins immediately. If we get there late, the other group will get their first and seize the initiative.”

The others were instantly solemn. They naturally understood what Jing Cheng was getting at.

“The other group” referred to the experts of the Immortal Realm’s top factions. No one could accept the thought of their competitors seizing all the treasure first.

“Everyone’s here, so let’s go,” Qing Xiao said solemnly.

“Very well!” Jing Cheng hurriedly agreed. Then, he and Jing Hongyu took the lead, shooting further into the ocean.

The others followed shortly after, including Xi Ning, Su Yi, and Fan Zhui.

However, few dared draw near them. Most of them instinctively kept their distance.

Xi Ning didn’t care. Su Yi didn’t care, either.

But Fan Zhui looked worried.

The young leader domineeringly stuck out her neck for Li Xuanjun, and things almost got violent. She’s undoubtedly fully ignited the murderous intent of Qing Xiao and the others.

It’s obvious that after we reach the ruins of the Dragon Palace, Qing Xiao and the others will swiftly seek revenge!

“Fellow Daoist Li, as you can see, the young leader sees you as one of her own, yet even now, you’re hiding your origins from her. Don’t you think that’s a bit... inappropriate?” transmitted Fan Zhui.

His opinion of Su Yi was rather complicated. He was on guard against him, but he admired him too.

He admired Su Yi both for his proficiency with the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace, and because he’d made Qin Jianshu suffer a massive setback at the Whirlpool of Blood. Su Yi’s abilities were obviously extraordinary.

Yet it was precisely

because

he was so extraordinary that Fan Zhui worried he might have ulterior motives! So much about Su Yi seemed fishy that Fan Zhui couldn’t help but want to take precautions.

Su Yi glanced at him, then transmitted, “Your young leader has already guessed who I am, and she doesn’t find it inappropriate, so why should you worry?”

With that, he took out a jug of wine and drank, entirely unperturbed.

Fan Zhui was stunned.

She already knows his identity?

He promptly asked Xi Ning through a silent transmission.

But all Xi Ning said in response was, “Mmhm.” She didn’t explain anything at all.

...

An hour later, Jing Cheng and Jing Hongyu stopped over a turbid stretch of sea.

Jing Cheng slipped a bronze mirror from his sleeves and tossed it into the air.

Whoosh!

The bronze mirror erupted with snowy divine light that swept across heaven and earth.

The crowd squinted. All of them could sense that a mystical spatial power had appeared over this stretch of ocean, and it was transforming continuously.

The dome of heaven dimmed beneath the effects of this spatial power, and space folded and contorted.

Then, the scenery transformed dramatically. The ocean churned and boiled, and the dome of heaven sank.

The space before them shrank, condensing into a gateway!

The gateway spanned from the dome of heaven to the ocean floor. A resplendent rain of light appeared around it, taking on the indistinct form of a coiled divine dragon.

“This...” The crowd was unwittingly stunned.

“Ah, so, it’s a spatial overlay technique. Someone integrated spacetime power into a hidden realm to create this portal to another world!” Xi Ning’s eyes flashed with dazzling light. “Only gods can control such power. I can say with certainty that if this is the portal to the Dragon Palace, one of their progenitors was a true deity, a... dragon god!”

Su Yi sank into thought.

I wonder if I could use the Tree of All Worlds’ Breaking Barriers ability to force my way between the worlds connected by that portal.

“Everyone, this is the Dragon’s Gate, the entrance to the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea!” said Jing Cheng. “Even though the lineage of the Dragon Palace was lost during the Primeval Era, the mysterious gateway and ruins remain!”

Here, he gestured to the Dragon Gate. “When you pass through this gate, you’ll arrive in the ruins, an ancient place the size of an independent world! My clansmen have explored it numerous times, but the secrets we’ve uncovered are merely the tip of the iceberg.”

He swept his gaze across the crowd and smiled. “Of course, this time, I’ll be exploring with you, my fellow Daoists. I’m sure that together, we’ll uncover numerous unexpected strokes of good fortune.”

Jing Cheng paused, then said, “But first, I must warn you all. When you pass through the Dragon’s Gate, heaven and earth transform. The Laws of the Dragon Palace are calamitous and terrifying. Those beneath the Immortal King level are doomed, while those above the Great Martial Stage will face terrifying suppression and a dangerous backlash.”

The crowd took this in calmly. None of them found it strange. They’d learned all this during the auction.

“That aside, when you pass through the Dragon’s Gate, spacetime power will transport everyone to different parts of the Dragon Palace’s outer ring,” said Jing Cheng. “You’d best regroup before proceeding further in.”

Many of them frowned. None of them had known about this before.

“It’s fine. It won’t affect our plans. Once we get there, we can regroup first, then continue in accordance with our original plan,” Qing Xiao hurriedly transmitted. “Just remember this: our first goal is to capture Jing Cheng and Jing Hongyu.

Then

we can deal with Xi Ning and Li Xuanjun!”

“Got it!” The others voiced their agreement.

Meanwhile, Jing Hongyu’s voice resounded in Su Yi’s ears. “Fellow Daoist Li, if you run into danger after we enter the ruins, you’re welcome to contact us anytime. No matter where you are, so long as you shatter this token, we’ll be able to find you immediately.”

As he spoke, Jing Hongyu passed a jade slip to Su Yi.

Su Yi didn’t refuse it. Of course, he knew that the Giant Whales weren’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They had their eyes on his ability to decipher the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace!

The others witnessed this exchange. All of them reacted differently.

But no one said anything.

All of them knew that after they entered the ruins, everyone would inevitably fight over the one person capable of deciphering their ancient glyphs.

Li Xuanjun!