Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 584 Dragon Returns
South China Sea, Zhuya.

The aura of green wood soared into the sky and rapidly pushed southward, causing clouds to churn and purple lightning to flash. The enormous and ferocious body of the wooden dragon could be vaguely seen. The void could not withstand this immense pressure and crumbled inch by inch.

Feilian, far away, had long since closed its great formation, surrounded by a gentle breeze, concealing its presence and refusing to come out and join the fun.

Amidst the azure clouds, Fei Xiang, dressed in a sky-blue silk robe, stood quietly. The great formation isolated him from the outside world, allowing him to faintly sense the immense commotion. Despite his cultivation level of one supernatural power, he dared not venture out.

Fei Xiang had doubts. He had cultivated the [Cool Terrace], which was a spiritual power of intention, and had some wonderful use of perception. Naturally, he understood what kind of existence existed outside.

A great master who was nearing the end of his life.

He hadn't seen such a spectacle in a long time. The last time was when the dragon sparrow that the Feilian lineage relied on perished. At that time, it also left Dali and headed towards the South Sea, until it perished at the Tomb Mountain.

As he was pondering, he saw a gentle breeze blow in front of him, and another old man, dressed in a sky-blue robe, with white hair and a youthful face, walked out, seemingly observing.

"Grandfather, are you out of seclusion?"

Fei Xiang bowed. The person before him was Feng Hui, the most powerful cultivator in the Fei Lian lineage, who was at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm and cultivated Pure Qi.

"Idiot, you didn't even bother to let me know about all the commotion outside."

"You're not in seclusion."

Feng Hui tapped Fei Xiang on the forehead, her voice tinged with anger, and said:
"Don't say a word if the immortals come knocking on your door one day."

Fei Xiang looked embarrassed and kept silent. He knew his elders' tempers, but dared not talk back.

Outside the great formation, bursts of wood energy surged, purple lightning roared, and a vast, ocean-like power faintly emanated. Even Feng Hui, a renowned demon king, couldn't help but be cautious, fearing that the wooden dragon would crash into them.

"The Jia Wood Dao has reached perfection in cultivation. This is Ji Wangli of the Qinghua Sect. Ha, back then, when he came out of Qinghua to train, he even bumped into my clan's spiritual mountain. At that time, he was only at the Qi Refining stage, while I had already reached the Purple Mansion stage. Now, I am far inferior to him."

"But you lived longer than him. Humans advance in cultivation faster and die earlier—"

boom!
Feng Hui then bent two fingers and tapped Fei Xiang hard on the forehead, saying:

"Even if I have a long lifespan, I'm almost at the end of my life. I don't have many years left. If you can't talk, then shut up."

This strike used magic, causing Fei Xiang to see stars, his forehead to turn black and blue, two of his three souls to leave him, and two of his seven spirits to disappear. He felt the world spinning around him.

"Look at you, your supernatural abilities haven't improved at all over the years. Even Dao Yan's son has developed two supernatural abilities, but you're still standing still!"

Seemingly getting angrier the more she talked, Feng Hui rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight, but Fei Xiang turned into a wisp of wind and escaped in an instant.

Fei Lian, who had cultivated for a very long time, sighed, then turned his gaze back to the wooden dragon fleeing into the distance. He sighed again and said:

"Ji Wangli, ha, I've been in seclusion for a few years, and you've gone from a reckless novice to the Qinghua Sect Master. Now you're about to die. If I weren't so cowardly, I would have gone out to see you."

As soon as he said this, the wood energy in the distance suddenly surged. The majestic and divine Azure Wood Dragon emerged from the clouds at some unknown time. Its head, as large as a small mountain, looked down, its pupils moving as if they could see through the formation.

The immense power of the Jia wood descended, and the closer this great supernatural being got to the end of his life, the more terrifying his power became. The aura that he had deliberately suppressed in the past was leaking out wantonly, causing the great formation in the clouds to tremble.

Feng Hui's expression changed drastically, and she immediately activated her supernatural powers, but the wooden dragon above her vanished in an instant, leaving only a group of terrified demons.

"You're trying to scare me."

The old demon sighed, silently watching the direction where the wood energy had departed, and said nothing more. This was the feeling of sympathy for one's own kind. He had lived long enough, with only six hundred years of lifespan left.

Distant sky.

The wood energy surged, and a blue light spread. The enormous wooden dragon's body tumbled in the clouds, heading south, avoiding the Heavenly Pool, and instead heading towards the edge of the Western Sea.

Yi Li's mind was somewhat confused. The dragon nature was destroying his mind. This poison originating from the fruit position was impossible to resist. Or rather, it was part of Jia Wood, but it was hidden and had not yet manifested until today.

He had left all his belongings at the sect and did not allow his two disciples to follow him, only instructing them to wait for the strange phenomenon to subside before collecting the body.

There seemed to be some restless energy stirring within, yet none dared to look into this place, all waiting for his complete demise. But Yi Li couldn't care less about such things at the moment, and was simply acting on his intuition.

Suddenly, a burst of golden-white light rose up in front of them, soaring into the sky and turning into a deep red color. Five-colored mysterious crystals continued to emerge from the edges, embedding themselves into the sky and forming a perfect circle.

A figure slowly emerged from the halo, dressed in a golden and white robe with yang patterns. He was slender and had an extraordinary bearing, like the ever-moving heavens, vigorous and unyielding.

As soon as this person appeared, the restless energy around them quickly dissipated, and no one dared to look. However, Yi Li's eyes became much clearer under the golden light.

"Senior, Lü Zhao has come to see you off."

The wooden dragon paused, as if remembering something, and slowly spoke:
"I merely gifted you a spiritual item; why did you come at this time? I am about to die, and the karmic consequences are extremely heavy, so I cannot be tainted. A single [Heavenly Golden Ring] is nothing to Qinghua or to Taiping."

His expression remained calm and composed as he simply said:
"That was a gift from my senior when I left the mountain gate and began to rebuild my cultivation. It was not just a spiritual object."

His tone was resolute. He slung his sword over his shoulder and rose to walk alongside the strange and ferocious wooden dragon, seeing it off on its final journey.

Seeing this, Yi Li said no more. He had never intended to repay a debt of gratitude, and had even forgotten about this incident. He had achieved the Purple Mansion realm very early, and back then it was just something he did casually, without giving it much thought. The wooden dragon headed southwest, following the edge of the South China Sea. After traveling for a long time, Yi Li seemed to have found his direction and looked towards a sea area located north of the Tomb Mountain and west of the Heavenly Pool.

"enough."

Yi Li spoke softly, and Qing Mulong raised his head to look at the distant sea, which was the [Yu Hai] where he and his master had been years ago.

"senior."

He sighed and stepped aside, only to hear a weak, aged voice.

“I only gave you one spiritual item, so I only ask that you repay the kindness of this one item. Your karma, Lü Zhao, is too great for me, Qinghua, to bear. I do not ask you to draw your sword.”

"Qingchan is bound to go to the battlefield. Suyun has cultivated Guangmu and still has a future. I only hope that you can persuade Qingyue to help. If that's not possible, don't force yourself to help."

"Junior understands."

His tone was undoubtedly solemn. He looked up again and saw that Yi Li had already fled towards the southwest. A mournful and desolate voice came from afar.

"If the Heavenly Realm is perfect but the Five Elements are not in order, it is difficult to attain enlightenment."

The wooden dragon soared away, covering nearly a hundred miles in an instant, before landing on the vast expanse of the Yu Sea.

This sea is dark and stormy, devoid of any spiritual energy. Only on the island in the center stands a solitary ancient green tree, its branches and leaves lush and radiating a green light, its bark twisted like scales.

The enormous wooden dragon plunged straight into the sea, seemingly having exhausted its last bit of strength. Its head lay askew on the central island, its azure dragon eyes staring directly at the tree.

Yi Li's thoughts began to swirl. Memories of his master, his disciple, and the events of that day when he left Guang surfaced one after another. His entire body had turned into green wood, rendering him immobile, and his life was about to end.

Various strange phenomena appeared between heaven and earth, and it seemed as if a sound was being heard.

How long have you been practicing Taoism?

"Over six hundred years old, it relies on the evergreen nature of the Jia wood to prolong its life."

"Do you have any last wishes?"

"May Qinghua endure forever, may the lineage be restored to its rightful place, and may the disciples have no worries."

Whom do you hate the most?

"Zhang Xuanmi, Zhang Xuanmi!"

The wooden dragon roared and shouted angrily. Its body, which had sunk into the sea, began to sprout thorny vines that clung to it and took root, only to be swept away by the purple lightning. The sky and earth grew darker, with dense clouds and strong winds.

"Have you lived enough?"

"That's not enough, I just need to die."

What is the nature of Jia wood?

"Meng Zhangyumu begs for the dragon's return."

The world was silent, and the ancient trees swayed.

The great supernatural being's lifelong accumulation of Jia wood energy began to rapidly dissipate, transforming into countless coiled dragons and lush forests that spread in all directions.

The trees in the center of the island began to grow rapidly, their branches and leaves climbing, reaching heights of hundreds of feet in an instant, like pillars of heaven standing in the sea.

The tree's roots extend towards the seabed, its dark wood body covered with what appear to be dragon scales. Its trunk reaches straight into the clouds, as if it wants to lift up the sun, causing countless golden rays to fall. Something heavy begins to fall from the void, making a sound that shakes the heavens.

The seawater churned, and a giant tree reached for the sky. From the edge of the South China Sea, a green ancient tree grew straight up into the sky, standing firm despite the turbulent waves. Its branches spread rapidly, reaching towards the void.

Countless azure precious leaves emitted divine light, blotting out the sky and sun. The aquatic creatures were terrified, and the cultivators, riding the wind, thought that the sky had suddenly darkened.

Beneath the giant blue tree, a wooden dragon image slowly descended, only three inches long, its radiance dim, drifting in mid-air, and one could faintly hear an ancient sigh.

That beam of golden light remained standing on the sea, causing countless cultivators and demons to stop and dare not approach.

After waiting for a long time, a burst of black and red light came from the void, while the golden light had already retreated in time and had not made contact. Then, a tall woman in a green robe walked out.

Her face showed little sadness, but was extremely calm, almost numb, as she looked at the wooden dragon hanging beneath the giant blue tree.

Guang Su stepped forward, activated his supernatural powers, and respectfully took back the wooden dragon. Then he looked up and saw the giant blue tree in the Yu Hai shaking, the Jia wood energy rising into the sky, faintly revealing the scene of a cave heaven.

"【Azure Leaves in the Sky】, I say."

Her gaze was focused as she rose on the wind, disappearing into the void. Wood energy rose between heaven and earth, like a dragon soaring.

(End of this chapter)