Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 58 East China Sea Dragon Palace
Under Ma Yuan's guidance of his supernatural powers of cause and effect.

The man and the dragon quickly found the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

Looking around, the entire palace is made of crystal formed over millennia, radiating a soft, precious light in the deep sea.

There are thousand-year-old pearls as lamps and ten-thousand-year-old corals as scenery. Countless shrimp soldiers and crab generals patrol back and forth, creating a magnificent scene that still retains some of the majesty of the ancient overlords.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass into the forbidden area of ​​my Crystal Palace!"

A group of Yaksha Sea Generals, clad in gleaming silver armor and wielding tridents, whose cultivation had reached the Celestial Immortal realm, quickly assembled and blocked Ma Yuan's path, their eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

Seeing this, Ma Yuan did not force his way in.

Instead, he stood outside the palace gate and had Ao Xuan transform into human form to respectfully invite the patrolling sea yaksha to come inside and report.

"Ma Yuan, a rogue cultivator from Skull Mountain, along with Ao Xuan, a member of a collateral branch of the clan, have come to pay their respects to the Dragon King of the East Sea."

The sound wasn't loud, but it easily pierced through the layers of water and clearly reached the ears of every sea creature soldier.

The leading Yaksha Sea General felt an indescribable, terrifying pressure flash by from the green-robed Taoist in front of him.

The pressure was as vast as an abyss; even a mere wisp of its aura made this celestial being tremble, almost causing him to kneel down on the spot!
"Taiyi...it's Immortal Lord Taiyi!"

The Yaksha Sea General was horrified and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

He quickly bowed and saluted, his voice trembling slightly.

"Please wait a moment, senior. This humble general will go and report to His Majesty the Dragon King!"

Having said that, he dared not delay for a moment, and transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the deepest part of the Crystal Palace.

Ma Yuan wasn't in a hurry; he simply stood there and waited quietly.

Before long, the Crystal Palace doors slowly opened with a heavy creak.

A turtle prime minister, dressed in the imperial robes of the Dragon Palace, wearing a jade crown and holding a precious pearl, led two teams of elite Dragon Palace guards out of the palace.

He bowed deeply in a respectful manner towards the direction where Ma Yuan was, and said in a loud voice:
"Prime Minister Turtle of the East Sea Dragon Palace, on the orders of His Majesty the Dragon King, has come to respectfully welcome the Immortal! His Majesty has prepared a simple feast in the palace; please, Immortal, move inside for a chat!"

"Thank you for your trouble." Ma Yuan nodded slightly, showing his courtesy.

The Turtle Prime Minister looked at Ao Xuan behind Ma Yuan, whose aura was deep and whose bloodline seemed somewhat mixed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply bowed and led the way.

Stepping into the Crystal Palace, the sight before him caused Ma Yuan to exclaim in admiration.

Everywhere you look, there is a dazzling display of light and color.

The ground was paved with jade that had never melted over millennia, and the palace's beams and pillars were carved from single pieces of deep-sea crystal, inlaid with countless large luminous pearls that illuminated the entire palace as bright as day.

Unique coral reefs are everywhere, and deep-sea fish of various shapes and sizes dart and play among the pillars.

It is magnificent and luxurious, yet it is full of ancient style.

Led by the Turtle Prime Minister, Ma Yuan passed through several layers of water palace corridors.

Finally, they arrived at the most magnificent and imposing hall.

Inside the hall, a middle-aged dragon, dressed in a golden robe and wearing a flat crown, with a dignified and imposing appearance, sat on a dragon throne carved from a single piece of golden coral.

His aura was as vast as the sea, clearly indicating that he was also a genuine Taiyi Golden Immortal!

It was none other than Ao Guang, the Lord of the East Sea and the head of the Four Dragon Kings!
"I didn't know it was Fellow Daoist Ma Yuan who graced us with his presence. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly." Although Ao Guang was being polite, there was a hint of scrutiny in his dragon eyes.

However, when he saw Ma Yuan's profound and unfathomable cultivation as a Taiyi Immortal Lord, which was in no way inferior to his own, and the faint golden light of Xuanhuang merit surrounding him, he was deeply moved.

His scrutinizing gaze instantly transformed into genuine respect.

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. It is I who have come uninvited and disturbed the Dragon King's peaceful cultivation." Ma Yuan also bowed in return.

After some courtesy.

Guests and hosts took their seats, and celestial maidens and clam spirits served them divine fruits and wine.

Ao Guang's gaze involuntarily fell on Ao Xuan, the dragon youth behind Ma Yuan, whose aura was restrained and whose expression was reserved.

He could tell at a glance that this person was from a branch of the dragon clan and that his bloodline was not pure.

Yet his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Profound Immortal realm. His foundation was so solid that it was even comparable to some of his direct descendants!
"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what is the person behind you...?" Ao Guang asked tentatively.

"This is my mount, Ao Xuan," Ma Yuan said calmly, then changed the subject and went straight to the point, "I have come here for him."

He briefly recounted Ao Xuan's predicament of being unable to break through to the Golden Immortal realm due to being entangled in karma.

Upon hearing the word "karma," Ao Guang's enthusiastic smile instantly froze.

He let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness and sorrow.

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but this is the tragedy of my Dragon Clan, and also the calamity of my Dragon Clan. Since the ancient Dragon-Han Calamity, although my clan has retreated to the four seas, managed the water veins, and obtained a trace of Heavenly Dao merit, it is still difficult to offset the karmic force of killing after the Dragon-Han Calamity."

This karma has long been deeply ingrained in the primordial spirit and bloodline of every descendant of my race, transforming into invisible shackles. The higher one's cultivation level, the heavier these shackles become.

After listening, Ma Yuan continued to quietly sip his tea without saying a word.

Seeing that he was calm and seemed to already know about the matter, Ao Guang's heart stirred, and he changed the subject, saying, "However, this matter is not entirely without a solution."

Ao Guang said in a deep voice, "My dragon clan was once the protagonist of heaven and earth, ruling over countless eons of scaled aquatic creatures, and also accumulated a vast amount of heavenly merits."

"Among my dragon clan, there is still a treasure of merit that can suppress destiny, namely the Dragon Gate." A hint of pride flashed in Ao Guang's eyes.
"This treasure was crafted during the heyday of my Dragon Clan, by gathering the strength of the entire clan and the accumulated merits and boundless fortune of countless eons."

"All descendants of my aquatic race who can leap over this gate can use the merit and fortune contained within to cleanse their karma, purify their bloodline, and be reborn! However..."

He paused, his face showing difficulty, "But now the fortune of my dragon clan has declined and is no longer what it used to be. Every time we use the Dragon Gate, we need to consume a huge amount of fortune, so we dare not use it lightly anymore."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuan understood.

"This humble Taoist is willing to exchange a great treasure for Ao Xuan's chance to enter the Dragon Gate."

"Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken!" Ao Guang waved his hand, his face once again displaying a warm smile.

"Fellow Daoist is a Taiyi Immortal Lord, a powerful rogue cultivator with accumulated merit and extraordinary fortune. My Dragon Clan is currently weak and needs someone like you as an ally."

“I can make the decision to open the Dragon Gate for Ao Xuan and help him cleanse his karma.”

However, in return, I only hope that you, fellow Daoist, can owe my dragon clan a debt of karma.

If my dragon clan ever faces any danger in the future, I hope that you, fellow Daoist, will extend a helping hand out of consideration for our past relationship.

He looked at Ma Yuan, his eyes filled with anticipation.

In his view, this deal was a sure thing for both parties.

Ma Yuan, a rootless and wandering cultivator, formed an alliance with the Dragon Clan. Not only did he not have to bear the heavy karma of the Dragon Clan, but he could also share in the Dragon Clan's immense fortune, which would greatly benefit his future cultivation.

However, Ma Yuan's answer was something he hadn't expected.

"I appreciate the Dragon King's kindness."

Ma Yuan shook his head and said calmly.

"It's just that I'm used to living a carefree life and don't like to get involved in the karma of such powerful clans."

Having said that, Ma Yuan waved his sleeve.

Six strings of crystal-clear spiritual fruits, their purple and gold colors shimmering and exuding an alluring fragrance and rich innate Daoist charm, appeared in the center of the main hall.

"This...this is...the fruit of a superior-grade innate spiritual root?!"

Upon seeing the six bunches of grapes, Ao Guang's expression changed slightly.

He could clearly sense the pure essence and creative power contained within the grapes.

Even his Dao Fruit of the Taiyi Golden Immortal caused a slight tremor.

"This thing is called Purple Gold Grape. It is produced by the Purple Gold Grape Tree, a top-grade innate spiritual root. It flowers once every 30,000 years, bears fruit once every 30,000 years, and takes another 30,000 years to mature."

Ma Yuan's voice slowly rang out.

"This fruit can not only enhance cultivation and solidify the foundation of the Dao, but it will also be of some benefit to the Dragon King in his future attempt to break through to the Great Luo Dao Fruit. Or it would be even better to use it to cultivate promising juniors in the clan."

He looked at Ao Guang and said calmly, "This humble Taoist is willing to exchange these six bunches of purple-gold grapes for Ao Xuan's chance to enter the Dragon Gate and cleanse his karma."

"Dragon King, what do you think?"

(End of this chapter)