Lu Yang couldn't figure it out, no matter how much he turned it over in his mind—how on earth did Xiao Xinghai disappear and become some kind of Dragon Ball?

Did Xiao Xinghai rise from his coffin and replace himself with the Dragon Ball?

Meng Jingzhou and Li Haoran were equally baffled.

Only Man Gu had a sudden realization, his face filled with sorrow, "My dear friend Xinghai has succumbed to his grave injuries and has become Sarira!"

Lu Yang: "..."

Man Gu, would you mind not speaking? You're about to interrupt the little thread of thought I have.

"What exactly is a Dragon Ball?" Lu Yang whispered to Li Haoran.

"I've never seen the real thing myself, just heard it from others. A Dragon Ball is the Long Clan's most treasured relic, an ancient oddity of mysterious origins and indeterminate rank. It's incredibly hard, indestructible, can neutralize all poisons, heal injuries, aid cultivation, and even bring good fortune. Its wonders are endless," Li Haoran explained.

Then, Lu Yang remembered. His Master once stole the Long Clan's most treasured relic to save someone. It seems that what the Master stole was this very Dragon Ball.

Who would've thought it would be his turn, as the disciple, to steal the Dragon Ball... Pah, almost got dragged into a pit by the Long Clan. I have no clue what's going on.

Aoye was still arguing with Ao Ran, the more he looked at the coffin, the more it seemed familiar.

"This is that bastard Qin Jiunian's coffin!" Aoye finally remembered where the coffin came from.

Grand Elder of the Dao Seeking Sect, Qin Jiunian.

The coffin belonged to the Dao Seeking Sect, and so did the people who moved the Dragon Ball. This matter definitely can't be unconnected to the Dao Seeking Sect!

Ao Ran held his forehead, feeling that today's issue was becoming more and more unexplainable.

Just then, a deep and authoritative voice rang out from the sky, "Enough, Aoye. This matter should have nothing to do with the people of the Dao Seeking Sect."

Aoye looked up to see a True Dragon, larger even than himself, enter the sea. It had a sinuous body full of power and its claws held another coffin.

Aoye frowned, "Ao Li, weren't you pursuing another group of people?"

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou recognized Ao Li, who represented the Long Clan at the Demon Nation's founding ceremony, attesting to Ao Li's high status in the Dragon Palace.

Moreover, Ao Li had old ties with the Grand Elder.

Back then, during Ao Li's tribulation of the Inner Demon, specifically the seduction test, he was deep in the quagmire and couldn't break free. The Grand Elder exerted a little effort, destroyed Ao Li's body in a way that left him inhuman, and successfully helped him overcome the seduction. It was a life-saving grace.

Ao Li landed and opened the coffin in his claw, which was filled with Dragon's Blood, and Xiao Xinghai was inside it, absorbing the Dragon's Blood.

This blood was Ao Li's own, the highest quality among those of the Body Integration Realm in the Dragon Clan.

Xiao Xinghai greeted from within the coffin, "Lu Yang, what's our situation now?"

The inexplicable warmth from the Dragon Clan was too much for him to handle.

Lu Yang, too, wanted to know what the situation was now.

"Nephew Xinghai, explain in detail what happened after you left the Kunpeng Clan," said Ao Ran.

Xiao Xinghai was perplexed but complied, consciously skipping the part where his father beat him—after all, family scandals should not be publicized, and he didn't want to shame his father in the eyes of others.

He only mentioned lying in the coffin being carried by Lu Yang and the others to the Dragon Palace's Sea City.

Ao Ran had a flash of insight, finally clearing up the confusion, "So, are you saying that the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect and those four cultivators at the Spirit Transformation Stage took the wrong coffin?"

The Grand Elder's coffins were hidden all over the East Sea, so it wasn't surprising they were mistaken.

Ao Li shook his head to correct him, "Not four cultivators at the Spirit Transformation Stage. After their death and the removal of their disguises, it's been confirmed that they were the notoriously infamous thieves from Juxuan Island."

"Four from the Divinity Transformation Stage? This Ancestral Dragon Herb was taken from four at the Divinity Transformation Stage!" Meng Jingzhou remarked.

Ao Ran nodded, relieved, "It must have been the Juxuan Island thieves who stole the Dragon Ball and also killed my subordinates, snatching away the Ancestral Dragon Herb. All of it was unconnected to the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect."

Ao Li agreed, "That's what I was thinking too. It must be a misunderstanding."

```"However, it's an indisputable fact that Xiao Xinghai, my dear nephew, helped our clan to slay the four thieves of Juxuan Island. He is still a hero to our clan!"

Lu Yang and his three companions also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the situation was clarified, things would be easier to handle. After all, the four of them were innocent cultivators of the Righteous Path and couldn't just turn into thieves after making a round in the Dragon Palace.

That would tarnish the reputation of the Seek Dao Sect.

Of course, even without Xiao Xinghai as a witness, Lu Yang would have been able to clarify the situation and clear the suspicion.

Because Fairy Eternity had been laughing ever since.

She must have witnessed the whole incident but said nothing!

In the Spiritual Space, the mermaid, Fairy Eternity, was laughing so hard that she no longer had the energy to swim in the sea; she was rolling back and forth on the waterbed, her laughter echoing through the Spiritual Space, completely ignoring Lu Yang's dark expression.

Lu Yang only wished he were an immortal, so that he could teach the meddlesome Fairy Eternity a lesson!

"By the way, Fairy, have you seen this Dragon Ball before?" Lu Yang had just heard from Li Haoran that the Dragon Ball was an ancient artifact, and Fairy Eternity, also being from ancient times, might recognize it.

"What Dragon Ball? Isn't this the very pearl that the Qilin Immortal and Yingtian Immortal always squat on the ground, bouncing around? This thing should come in a set, right?"

"Ah?"

Fairy Eternity was confused by the puzzled look in Lu Yang's eyes: "Haven't you heard the story? Isn't it common to see images of 'Qilin Playing with Pearls', 'True Dragon Playing with Pearls' and such in the markets, claiming they are auspicious signs?"

"It's not wrong to say they're auspicious. Whenever I invite them for a meal, they always play a round before eating, and they keep it on the table during the meal."

"Right, this thing also has a function as an antidote, though I don't know what it's used for."

Lu Yang understood; the object was probably a magic artifact that could neutralize poison. Every time they had a meal, the Qilin Immortal and the Yingtian Immortal would bring out the Dragon Ball under the guise of playing with marbles.

Although from Fairy Eternity's description, the Dragon Ball didn't seem to have much of an effect as an antidote.

"But this pearl is so big, isn't it hard for the Qilin Immortal to play with?" Lu Yang gestured with his hand. The Dragon Ball was the size of a palm—how could one play with that?

"Oh, that's not its original form. There's a protective shell on the outside. Let me show you what the pearl actually looks like."

Lu Yang was about to protest when he heard a string of arcane ancient words emanating, and the Dragon Ball resting quietly inside the coffin began to crack open with numerous fine lines.

Crack, crack...

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Dragon Ball split open to reveal its original form—a pearl the size of an elixir pill, its surface dull and gray.

"Look, this is what it looks like. This pearl was made from an entire celestial body; it's incredibly sturdy."

The members of the Long Clan were shocked. Wasn't the Dragon Ball indestructible? How had it suddenly cracked?!

Lu Yang guiltily lowered his head.

Suddenly, the Identity Jade at Lu Yang's waist grew hot, resonating with the dull, gray pearl.

The gray pearl floated out of the coffin, and before Lu Yang could react, he felt a tremendous suction force pulling him firmly against the pearl.

Lu Yang then realized that it was the dragon-patterned bracelet inside the Identity Jade resonating with the pearl in an unknown harmony!

"Oh no..."

To the astonishment of the onlookers, with a whoosh, the pearl took off towards the heavens with Lu Yang, vanishing without a trace.

The speed was so fast that no one present could keep up; they were left in the dust.

Aoye blinked his enormous dragon eyes twice: "Did Lu Yang steal the Dragon Ball... or did the Dragon Ball steal Lu Yang?"

Ao Li was also unsure how to handle the situation and hesitantly said, "Should we contact the people from the Seek Dao Sect?"

Ao Ran gazed up at the sky, in the direction where Lu Yang and the pearl had disappeared, and sighed deeply in his heart.

Old Ba, I truly can't cover for this.```