"Roar!!!"
The flood dragon let out a mournful roar before its death.
A torrential rain of blood poured down the Jialing River.
The vast river surface was instantly dyed red by the dragon's blood, attracting many fish and shrimp from beneath the water.
"Rumble!!!"
At the same time, the violent sonic boom arrived belatedly.
In the blink of an eye, yet it felt like a long time had passed, everyone on both sides of the Jialing River was stunned, their expressions horrified, their minds blank.
Even the people from the Garrison Commander's office maintained their ferocious, bloodshot gazes.
Fast!
Too fast!
From the moment Chen Jiuyang appeared by tearing space, to killing these three wicked flood dragons, it took only the time of a single breath.
It was merely a grasp from a distance.
Such martial prowess, manifesting before them, surpassed the limits of contemporary understanding of martial power. It was only when Chen Jiuyang casually tossed the corpses of the three flood dragons, each a thousand meters long, onto the ground that the people on both banks reacted.
"Southern Garrison Commander!!"
After they reacted, they rushed onto the river surface, heading towards the severely wounded Nan Kong.
A Confucian scholar immediately unleashed his vast energy to stabilize Nan Kong's injuries.
Chen Jiuyang surveyed the heavens and earth, his brow furrowed. He took a step forward, arriving before Nan Kong, "Where is Gong Lie Xianren?"
"Town-level martial power..." Seeing Chen Jiuyang, these people from the Garrison Commander's office trembled, their eyes filled with respect and fear.
"Jiuyang Martial Saint."
Nan Kong coughed up blood and said with difficulty, "One of the flood dragons swallowed Gong Zhenguo."
Chen Jiuyang's brow twitched slightly, and he raised a finger.
"Rumble!!!"
Like an invisible celestial blade, the three flood dragon corpses, weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds, split apart.
However... Gong Lie Xian's figure was not found among them.
At this moment, a great Confucian scholar spoke, "Great Sage Jiuyang, there seems to be a secret realm beneath the river. It is possible that Gong Zhenguo was brought into the secret realm by the flood dragon."
Chen Jiuyang turned his head and saw a massive flood dragon shadow on the vast Jialing River surface, but he did not sense any aura.
"The aura I sensed just now... did it come from this secret realm?"
"Is this secret realm a Dao Fruit secret realm?"
"Are these flood dragons species derived from the Dao Fruit secret realm?"
He did not know much about the wondrous abilities of Dao Fruits, and this was an opportunity to explore it properly.
He spoke, "You all should rest well..."
As his voice fell.
"Rumble!!!"
The vast, unfathomably deep river surface was split in two, revealing the moist soil at the very bottom.
Then Chen Jiuyang stepped forward, heading towards the river.
"This..."
The people on both banks were once again dumbfounded.
With a mere flick of his finger, he could split a great river apart.
Such martial prowess was too formidable.
The remaining people from the Garrison Commander's office exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock.
After Chen Jiuyang's figure disappeared, the vast Jialing River returned to its original state.
Then a Daoist priest from the Daoist sect asked, "Director, the flood dragon corpses are all treasures, how should they be handled?"
Daoist priests used the blood of such high-level demonic beasts for drawing talismans.
The great Confucian scholar who had spoken to Chen Jiuyang earlier did not even lift his eyelids and said indifferently, "Those are the spoils of a Martial Grand Sage. Who dares to touch them? Isn't that asking for trouble or courting death?"
The Daoist priest immediately looked helpless, "Understood, I will have my subordinates guard them."
Judging solely from the honorific titles 'Martial Sage' and 'Grand Sage', this great Confucian scholar clearly knew more than others.
However, changing the subject, he said, "But taking some dragon blood should be fine. After all, Great Sage Jiuyang was too ruthless in his slaughter. So much dragon blood has seeped into the ground, and no one knows."
The Daoist priest's face lit up with joy, "Yes, Director!"
...
Beneath the Crystal Palace.
Chen Jiuyang glanced at the environment of the secret realm and found it quite pleasing. He then saw the gate of the Crystal Palace slowly closing, and four figures, like marionettes, walking inside.
In the Crystal Palace, on the throne, the Three Ao Dragon Lord sat expressionless. It seemed that there were too many foolish cultivators who coveted the Immortal King's Dao Fruit. Over the long years, he had seen many.
These four humans would serve as his food for a while.
Just as the gate of the Crystal Palace was about to close, a fair hand reached out from the gap.
"Clang! Clang!"
With immense force, the door was pulled open.
At this moment, the evil monk, the middle-aged man, the beautiful woman, and the young man suddenly regained their freedom and instinctively looked back.
Who was it?
In such a terrifying place, someone was still actively entering?
Wasn't this courting death?
"Hmm?" The Three Ao Dragon Lord also frowned slightly, his gaze falling with interest upon the palace entrance.
A tall, slender, and handsome young man with a long saber at his waist pulled open the gate and slowly stepped into the palace, his expression leisurely and calm:
"This place is somewhat like the Dragon Palace in myths and legends. My esteemed guests, Chen has merely arrived a little late. Why are you so eager to go ahead and attend this feast."
Immediately, Chen Jiuyang's gaze met that of the Three Ao Dragon Lord.
"Rumble!!!"
In an instant, a mere trickle of scorching, immense qi and blood evaporated all the water in the entire palace. Powerful air currents surged out from the entrance, stirring up tidal waves throughout the secret realm.
As Chen Jiuyang stepped inside, he felt the humanoid dragon clad in blue armor exerting pressure upon him. Invisible pressure surged towards him from all directions.
Chen Jiuyang looked at him and asked indifferently, "Are you the master of this Crystal Palace?"
"Indeed, I am the Three Ao Dragon Lord, a subordinate of the Upper Desolate Immortal King of the Immortal Realm," the Three Ao Dragon Lord replied.
"Heh~" Chen Jiuyang let out an uninterpretable chuckle and walked forward slowly.
With every step he took, the Crystal Palace vibrated with waves of qi, as if to obstruct Chen Jiuyang's progress.
"Bang bang bang."
"Clang clang clang!"
Like explosions, like the ringing of a great bell, the two shook the entire Crystal Palace, their residual power reverberating within the palace.
A terrifying pressure spread, causing the four people to stiffen again, unable to move.
"Who is this person?"
"From the Mortal World? Or from our minor Immortal Realm?"
Gazing at the young man in the moon-white bamboo-patterned shirt, the evil monk's face twitched violently.
They were beings who had one foot in the Martial Grand Sage realm. In their respective factions, they were considered foundational existences, yet caught between this young man and the Three Ao Dragon Lord, they couldn't even move. Their physical bones were creaking.
Could there still be such a terrifying existence in the current Mortal World? It was hard for them to believe.
At this moment, the beautiful young woman exclaimed in horror:
"Jiuyang Demon Lord!"
From her words, she recognized Chen Jiuyang's identity.
"Who is Jiuyang Demon Lord?"
Then the young man's face changed drastically. He took a deep breath, his face twitching wildly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "He is the ancestor of my Chongming Sea!"