Primordial Era: The Great Celestial Venerable on the Road to Mythology

Chapter 83: The East Sea's Questioning, the Rift Between Humans and Dragons, and the Great War of Myriad Races.

The Taiyi martial artist was named Jiang Yan. He was one of the best in the Shennong tribe, and his martial arts cultivation had reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, placing him among the top cultivators in the tribe. He had grown up by the Jiang River since childhood and was an excellent swimmer, able to swim like a fish in the sea.

Jiang Yan leaped into the East China Sea, his figure slicing through the water like a sword, diving towards the depths. The deeper he went, the darker the water became, the light gradually disappeared, and the surroundings were shrouded in gloom.

But he was a martial artist, and he was about to reach the True Martial Realm of the Great Luo, so this was of no use to him. His eyes gleamed, and he could see in the dark as if it were daytime.

After an unknown amount of time submerged, a dazzling light suddenly appeared ahead. Coral forests, inlaid with spiritual pearls, and a majestic crystal palace stood in the abyss, radiating a soft glow. Before the palace, shrimp soldiers and crab generals stood in formation, their armor gleaming, their aura imposing.

It is the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

As soon as Jiang Yan approached, a patrolling sea yaksha stepped forward and shouted sternly, "Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the Dragon Palace's sacred grounds!"

Jiang Yan clasped his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner: "I am Jiang Yan of the human race. I have been ordered by the Human Emperor Shennong to request an audience with the Dragon King of the East Sea. I have important matters to discuss with you."

The patrolling yaksha sized him up and down, and seeing that he had a steady aura and considerable cultivation, he dared not be negligent and turned to go inside to report.

Before long, the gates of the Dragon Palace swung open, and a middle-aged man in a golden robe, with prominent horns and hairpins, strode out. His face was majestic, his eyes were like lightning, and he was surrounded by dragon energy; he was none other than Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea.

Ao Guang's gaze fell on Jiang Yan, and he asked calmly, "Why did the Human Emperor send you here?"

Jiang Yan didn't mince words, stating directly: "Today, the daughter of the Human Emperor was murdered on the shores of the East Sea, drowned by being swept into the ocean by a waterspout. The perpetrator's cultivation was considerable, and they were able to control waterspouts. This happened in the East Sea; does the Dragon King have any explanation?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang frowned. He pondered for a moment and said, "I deeply regret the death of the Human Emperor's daughter. But what does this have to do with the Dragon Clan? The East Sea is vast, teeming with countless aquatic creatures; how can everything be related to the Dragon Palace?"

Jiang Yan looked directly at Ao Guang: "Dragon King, are you saying that this matter has nothing to do with the Dragon Clan?"

Ao Guang said in a deep voice, "I am unaware of this. The Dragon Clan would not attack the Human Clan without reason, much less kill the Human Emperor's daughter. There must be a misunderstanding."

Jiang Yan coldly replied, "Misunderstanding? The body of the Human Emperor's daughter is right by the sea. Her soul was sealed into a bird's body using a secret technique, condemning her to eternal damnation! The Dragon King thinks he can absolve himself of all responsibility with a mere 'ignorance'?"

Ao Guang's expression changed slightly. He truly did not know about this matter, but the daughter of the Human Emperor died in the East Sea, which was the territory of the Dragon Clan, and the Dragon Palace could not escape blame.

More importantly, the perpetrator was able to wield water magic, so he must be a master of water magic. In the East Sea, besides the aquatic tribes, who else could have such abilities?

"I will thoroughly investigate this matter," Ao Guang said. "If it was truly done by someone from the Dragon Clan, I will not let it go easily. But if someone has framed me, I will not take the blame."

Jiang Yan was about to speak further when Ao Guang raised his hand to stop him: "Go back and report to the Emperor that the East Sea Dragon Palace will give you an explanation within three days."

7

Jiang Yan stared at Ao Guang for a long time before finally clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Very well. The Emperor will await good news in three days."

After saying that, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the dark sea.

Ao Guang stared in the direction he had left, his face grim. He turned and returned to the Dragon Palace, saying in a deep voice, "Men! Issue the order to thoroughly investigate all areas of the East Sea for any recent anomalies. Pay special attention to the location where the Human Emperor's daughter perished; report any findings immediately!"

"Yes!" the dragon generals in the hall responded in unison and departed one after another.

Ao Guang sat alone on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed.

The death of the Human Emperor's daughter in the East Sea is a matter of great importance. If not handled properly, it will inevitably create discord between the human and dragon races, and may even trigger a major war.

Although the Heavenly Dao has loosened its restrictions, the human race is currently enjoying great fortune and has a sage backing it up. Although the dragon race has its own strength, it is unwilling to easily antagonize the human race.

Moreover, this is a crucial period; achieving sainthood is the key. If their dragon race had a saint, then—

On the shore of the East China Sea, Shennong held Jingwei in his arms, remaining silent for a long time.

Jiang Yan leaped out of the sea and landed in front of Shennong, bowing and saying, "Human Emperor, the Dragon King of the East Sea says he will give an explanation within three days."

Shennong's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "Three days? Very well. I'll wait."

He looked down at the little bird in his palm, his voice low and deep: "Little girl, be patient for a few days. Your father will surely seek justice for you."

The little bird chirped "Jingwei, Jingwei," whether in response or lamentation, it was unclear.

The three-day period arrived in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Shennong, accompanied by Jingwei and leading dozens of human warriors, once again came to the shore of the East Sea. They stood on the shore, facing the sea, waiting for the people from the Dragon Palace to arrive.

When the sun was high in the sky, the sea suddenly surged with waves, and a column of water shot into the sky!

Above the water column, a figure slowly rose—it was Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. Behind him followed several dragon elders and dozens of dragon palace generals.

Ao Guang rode the waves and landed on the shore, facing the human race.

Shennong looked at him and said calmly, "Dragon King, three days have passed. Do you have any instructions?"

Ao Guang's expression was solemn as he slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. The one who murdered your daughter that day was not a member of the Dragon Clan."

Shennong's gaze sharpened: "Who is that?"

Ao Guang said in a deep voice, "After investigating, I discovered that the perpetrator was a dragon that had been cultivating for many years. This dragon was originally a rogue cultivator in my East Sea territory. Because it did not obey the Dragon Palace's control, it had long since rebelled against the dragon clan and was hiding in the deep sea."

It harbors a grudge against humanity; its offspring were once hunted down and killed by human cultivators along the East Sea coast, hence its deep resentment and desire for revenge.

Shennong frowned: "The dragon? Where is it now?"

Ao Guang sighed, "When I discovered its trail, it had already detonated its demon core, its body and soul annihilated. Perhaps it knew its secret had been exposed and did not want to fall into my hands, so it committed suicide."

Upon hearing this, the human warriors behind Shennong immediately erupted in uproar.

"Committed suicide? No one can prove it now?"

"What a coincidence!"

"Is the dragon race shirking responsibility?"

Ao Guang's expression darkened, and his dragon might surged forth, causing everyone to pause slightly.

He said in a deep voice, "I swear in the name of the Dragon Clan that every word I have spoken is true. If even one word is false, may I be punished by the heavens."

Shennong raised his hand to stop the commotion behind him, stared directly at Ao Guang, and remained silent for a long time.

Ao Guang felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, but he also knew that the Dragon Palace was indeed responsible for the oversight in this matter, so he couldn't lash out.

Finally, Shennong spoke, his voice eerily calm: "The dragon is dead, its deadness offers no testimony. Who will avenge my daughter?"

Ao Guang remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Dragon Palace was indeed negligent in its handling of the murder of the Human Emperor's daughter. I am willing to offer two innate spiritual treasures and 100,000 East Sea spiritual pearls as compensation."

Shennong shook his head: "I don't want these."

Ao Guang was taken aback: "Then what do you want?"

Shennong looked down at Jingwei in his palm, gently stroked her feathers, and slowly said, "I want my daughter to come back to life."

Ao Guang fell silent.

He couldn't do it. Even a Great Immortal couldn't resurrect a person whose soul had been fused with a bird's body for three days. Moreover, the dragon's secret technique was extremely vicious, and he had no way to counter it.

"Human Emperor—" Ao Guang wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

Shennong didn't look at Ao Guang again, but simply held Jingwei and turned to leave.

Behind them, the human warriors followed one after another, and no one spoke.

As the sea breeze blew, Jingwei's cries echoed between the sea and the sky, mournful and plaintive, lingering for a long time.

Ao Guang stood there, watching Shennong's departing figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that from this moment on, the rift between humans and dragons could never be mended.

After Shennong returned to his tribe, he did not mobilize any troops or convene any tribes to discuss countermeasures.

He placed the Jingwei bird on his shoulder, slung his medicine basket over his shoulder, and, as usual, continued to venture into the deep mountains to search for herbs and heal his people.

No one knows what he's thinking.

He remained silent, diligent, and deeply caring for all people.

However, his eyes had changed. Those once gentle, spring-like gazes now held an unyielding sorrow.

However, news of the girl's murder eventually spread.

The daughter of the Human Emperor, a princess of the human race, died tragically and innocently in the East Sea. Although the murderer committed suicide and there was no way to prove his innocence, the aquatic race could not escape blame. After all, the dragon came from the East Sea, and it was the seawater of the East Sea that swallowed the girl that day.

The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching all the tribes of the human race.

Anger, like a flood bursting its banks, is unstoppable.

"The human princess has been murdered!"

"It was dried by an aquatic creature!"

"The Emperor is benevolent and unwilling to wage war, but we cannot tolerate this!"

"A blood debt must be paid for! Make the aquatic creatures pay the price!"

The tribal leaders rallied their people, sharpened their swords, and prepared to attack the rivers, lakes, and seas.

Human warriors marched in droves along the coastline and major rivers, launching a frenzied reprisal against the aquatic race.

Any creature living in the water, whether demon, beast, fish, or shrimp, that had a grudge or conflict with humans, was not spared. In an instant, rivers were stained red, and corpses floated on the shores; the aquatic creatures suffered heavy losses.

Those aquatic tribes that already had some long-standing grudges with humans were the first to be affected. They were all uprooted, young and old alike, none of them escaped.

On this day, the human race went berserk.

The tragic situation of the aquatic tribes quickly reached the ears of other races.

Those races that had been driven to the wilderness, those that had lost to the human race in the struggle for resources, and those that had secretly coveted the human race's fortune but dared not act rashly, all sensed an opportunity at this moment.

"Humans are at war with the aquatic race and have no time to spare for anything else."

"If we don't act now, when will we?"

"Take back our territory! Take back our resources!"

Undercurrents are swirling, and something is brewing.

Initially, it was only some small races that took advantage of the chaos to plunder the resources and territories surrounding the human race.

Humans were busy fighting the aquatic race and didn't pay attention to them, allowing them to easily succeed.

After succeeding, one tastes the sweetness of success. Having tasted success, one wants to go further.

The smaller races stirred, and the medium-sized races couldn't sit still either. Some had grudges against humans and seized the opportunity to retaliate. Others had no enmity with humans but wanted to fish in troubled waters. In an instant, flames of war rose everywhere in the prehistoric world, and war raged across the land.

But the flames of war will spread.

When one race is drawn into the conflict, it implicates another race that is allied with it. When that race is drawn into the conflict, it implicates even more races.

Like dominoes, one falls and they all fall. Like a snowball, it gets bigger and bigger.

In just a few months, almost all the elites of the various races below the Great Luo were drawn into this chaotic war.

The great war between all races has thus begun.

Fortunately, most of the participants in this great battle were cultivators below the Great Luo level.

The cultivators were racing against time to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, hoping to achieve perfect enlightenment and sainthood as soon as possible. They had no intention of participating in this struggle.

Although this great battle was fierce, it had not yet touched the very foundation of the primordial world.