Neither the three Xuanmen sects nor the Western sect are people Wang Xuan can afford to offend right now. They possess the most innate spiritual treasures.
Besides these, there are the Heavenly Court and the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas.
The Heavenly Court is not something Wang Xuan can afford to offend right now, so he decided to pick on the weak and go take a trip to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea first.
Don't underestimate Wang Xuan just because he's only at the mid-stage of the seventh rank. He's still a Golden Immortal expert, and his flying speed isn't slow either.
A few days later, he arrived in the middle of the East China Sea and plunged into the water.
The East China Sea is vast and boundless; Wang Xuan estimated it to be at least hundreds of millions of kilometers long. Finding the East China Sea Dragon Palace in such a large area is no easy task.
Fortunately, Wang Xuan also had a trump card. A phantom nine-story bronze pagoda appeared in his mind's eye, which was a projection of the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth.
This projection can only be used to draw upon the power of the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth. Compared to the original tower, its effect is significantly weakened, but it is still sufficient for Wang Xuan's clone to use.
A golden light flashed in his eyes as he activated his Eternal Divine Eye, instantly revealing the source of burgeoning fortune.
With his Eternal Divine Eye, Wang Xuan could easily find the Dragon Palace of the East Sea in the vast East Sea.
After another day or so, he arrived at a palace made entirely of crystal and glass, which was the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.
The Dragon Palace of the East Sea is a billion times more luxurious than any human palace!
"There are indeed many treasures in the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, but how should I proceed? Should I just ask them for the treasures like Sun Wukong did?" Wang Xuan hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to do just that.
After all, the dragons in this world are not the same as those in the prehistoric world. Their strength has weakened to a certain extent. Even Nezha, a third-generation disciple of the Chan Sect, was able to wreak havoc in the Dragon Palace and kill the Dragon King's third son. The Dragon King of the East Sea was unable to take revenge. He could only gather the power of the four Dragon Kings to flood Chengtang Pass and use the lives of the people to force Nezha to commit suicide.
How powerful could the Dragon Palace of the East Sea be?
As for whether the Dragon King of the East Sea will complain to the Heavenly Court, would Wang Xuan care?
Unlike Nezha, he doesn't have parents and relatives, nor does he have monkeys like Sun Wukong from Flower Fruit Mountain.
He's just a lone wolf. If the Heavenly Court really wants to investigate, he can simply find a desolate mountain to hide in and survive until the Investiture of the Gods begins!
Besides, the gods haven't been conferred yet, and the Heavenly Court has no one to rely on. It would be useless for the Dragon King of the East Sea to complain to the Heavenly Court.
Chapter 278 Borrowing Treasures from the Dragon Palace
As soon as Wang Xuan arrived at the East Sea Dragon Palace, a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals blocked his way and shouted at him, "This is the Dragon Palace, an important place. Outsiders are not allowed to trespass!"
Without wasting any more words, Wang Xuan unleashed his mid-stage Golden Immortal aura, enveloping the shrimp soldiers and crab generals.
These ordinary shrimp soldiers and crab generals are mostly only at the fourth level of cultivation. How could they possibly withstand Wang Xuan's pressure?
They immediately rolled their eyes back and were about to faint.
Wang Xuan quickly withdrew his oppressive aura and said to the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, "I am Xuan Tian Dao Ren, a rogue cultivator from the East Sea. I have come to visit my old neighbor, the Dragon King of the East Sea. Why don't you go in and inform him?"
The shrimp soldiers and crab generals were so scared they almost wet themselves. They didn't dare to slack off anymore and all ran back to the East Sea Dragon Palace, abandoning their patrol duties.
Not long after, a demon cultivator with a tortoise shell on his back flew out of the Dragon Palace and said politely to Wang Xuan, "I was unaware of your arrival, please forgive my lack of hospitality. After hearing the report, the Dragon King specially ordered me to lead you in to meet him!"
This old tortoise looks so familiar, who else could it be but the legendary Turtle Prime Minister?
Wang Xuan nodded and followed the Turtle Prime Minister into the East Sea Dragon Palace.
The Dragon Palace of the East Sea is a self-contained space. From the outside, it appears to be only a few dozen miles in size, but inside it stretches for over a thousand miles, almost like a small world.
With such extravagance, the wealth of the East Sea Dragon Palace is indeed not to be underestimated!
Wang Xuan guessed that many powerful figures must have been born in the East Sea Dragon Palace in ancient times. Perhaps they were one of the three overlords of heaven and earth in the prehistoric era, but they declined because of the Dragon-Han Calamity.
Before he could think any further, Wang Xuan had already met the Dragon King of the East Sea.
The old dragon king's strength was similar to Wang Xuan's, also at the mid-stage of the seventh rank, which surprised Wang Xuan.
"The Dragon King of the East Sea is quite powerful, so how come he was beaten to a pulp by a brat and even had my son killed?"
Wang Xuan was puzzled, but he didn't say anything directly.
After exchanging pleasantries, the old Dragon King got straight to the point and asked, "What brings you here, esteemed guest?"
Wang Xuan smiled kindly and said, "I have just achieved success in my cultivation and wish to travel the world, but I lack some suitable treasures. I have long heard of the wealth of the East Sea Dragon Palace, so I came here. I believe my old neighbor will not disappoint me, will he?"
The smile on the face of the Dragon King of the East Sea became somewhat stiff. This guy in front of him was clearly here to freeload. Did he really think that the Dragon Palace of the East Sea was easy to bully?
The reason why the Dragon Palace of the East Sea surrendered to Sun Wukong during the Journey to the West was because they had been beaten up by Nezha and were a little scared.
More importantly, there may have been involvement from Buddhism and the Heavenly Court as well.
Now, Wang Xuan has arrived before the Investiture of the Gods. The mischievous Nezha has not yet started causing trouble in the sea. The Dragon Palace of the East Sea still has some pride and is not going to submit to Wang Xuan.
"Fellow Daoist, our East Sea Dragon Palace doesn't have any extra treasures. You'd better borrow from somewhere else." The East Sea Dragon King politely refused Wang Xuan's impolite request, implying that he was about to see him out.
But now that Wang Xuan has come, why would he retreat so easily?
"Old Dragon King, people say: 'Don't say there are no treasures in the Dragon Palace.' Your family must have a lot of treasures. You'd better take them out and let me see them."
Upon hearing Wang Xuan's words, the Dragon King of the East Sea's face contorted with rage, on the verge of exploding. The Ash-Covered Dragon King, sensing that Wang Xuan's cultivation was no weaker than his own, was likely already ready to turn hostile.
But the old Dragon King barely managed to hold back, while the others couldn't. A young man rushed out from the side and shouted at Wang Xuan, "Where did you come from, you wild Taoist priest? Are you out of your mind? How dare you come to our East Sea Dragon Palace to beg for alms? If I don't beat you to death today, I'm not the Third Prince of the Dragon King!"
"The Third Prince of the Dragon? The one who will be skinned and have his tendons pulled out by that brat Nezha in the future?" Wang Xuan glanced at the young man curiously, then casually struck out with his palm, deflecting the attack.
The Third Prince of the Dragon King was only at the late stage of the sixth rank, far inferior to the old Dragon King Ao Guang, so how could he be a match for Wang Xuan?
With just one move, he was knocked to the ground by Wang Xuan, his mouth twitching uncontrollably, with faint white foam oozing out.
Now that things had come to this, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, could no longer hold back and became completely enraged.
Wang Xuan actually hit his son in front of him! This is intolerable!
"You scoundrel, die!" The old Dragon King unleashed a burst of light that enveloped Wang Xuan.
Instead of retreating, Wang Xuan advanced and threw a punch.
boom!
Amidst the thunderous roar of fists and palms, Wang Xuan shattered the magic of the Dragon King of the East Sea.
Wang Xuan pressed on and rushed over to give him a thorough beating.
After exchanging only a few blows, Wang Xuan discovered that although the East Sea Dragon King's cultivation level was the same as his, both being at the mid-stage of the seventh rank, the other party lacked combat experience and had a poor fighting spirit.
Come to think of it, the old Dragon King inherited the East Sea Dragon Palace and was protected by the Heavenly Court. He was spoiled since childhood. How strong could you expect his combat experience and willpower?
In just over a dozen moves, Wang Xuan knocked the Old Dragon King to the ground with a single punch. If it weren't for the protective aura emanating from the opponent's body, Wang Xuan would have killed him long ago.
"You forced me to do this, die!" The old Dragon King was furious and ashamed. With a surge of his magic power, twelve crystal-clear beads flew out from his head and pressed down on Wang Xuan.
These 12 beads are a set, belonging to the category of innate spiritual treasures. Their power is comparable to that of a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure, and they are even stronger than the two lotus platforms that Wang Xuan obtained in the Journey to the West world!
"Good heavens, I never expected the Dragon King of the East Sea to have such hidden tricks! If I hadn't pushed him so hard that he lost all face, he wouldn't have used them at all!"
Wang Xuan exclaimed in surprise, but his hands didn't slow down at all.
Wang Xuan dared not take the full force of a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure directly!
He had just received the Treasure Coin not long ago, so he decided to use it to treat himself to a meal today.
"These beads of yours are very pretty. Consider them a gift from my old neighbor!"
Wang Xuan unleashed the Treasure-Dropping Coin. A coin with small wings flew past, flashing with light, and directly swept away the 12 beads, returning them to Wang Xuan's hand.
"How is this possible?!" The Dragon King of the East Sea was stunned for a moment, then roared, "You toothless bandit, give me back my Sea-Stabilizing Pearl!"
"So this is actually the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl!" Wang Xuan put away the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and smiled happily.
Legend has it that a set of Dinghai Pearls consists of thirty-six pearls, twenty-four of which were in the possession of Zhao Gongming. During the Investiture of the Gods period, they were stolen by Randeng. After Randeng joined the Buddhist sect, he used the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls to create the Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings.
As for the other twelve Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, their whereabouts have been unknown, and it is unexpected that they have fallen into the hands of the Dragon King of the East Sea.
In the original Investiture of the Gods storyline, Zhao Gongming was incredibly powerful with just twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls. If Wang Xuan could collect all thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, he would definitely reach the level of a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, with destructive power second only to the three great innate treasures, the Four Swords of Zhuxian, and the Devouring God Spear!
Because of the preciousness of the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, the Dragon King of the East Sea had always regarded it as his lifeblood. Now that Wang Xuan had snatched it away with the Treasure-Dropping Coin, the Dragon King of the East Sea was ready to fight him to the death.
Chapter 279 Fellow Daoist, please wait!
With the twelve Sea-Stabilizing Pearls in hand, Wang Xuan felt he had struck gold.
Almost at the same time, he vaguely sensed several killing intents emanating from the Dragon Palace, making him feel extremely oppressed.
That's probably a Golden Immortal powerhouse at the late seventh rank!
"Oh no! I didn't expect there to be several experts hidden in this Dragon Palace!" Wang Xuan was taken aback. He kicked the East Sea Dragon King who was rushing forward away, then turned around and flew out of the Dragon Palace.
"Dragon King of the East Sea, I'll gladly accept this treasure of yours. Consider it a small gift from you to your old neighbor!"
The Dragon King of the East Sea had just gotten up from the ground when he heard Wang Xuan's shameless remarks, and he was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He, the Dragon King of the East Sea, is the head of the four Dragon Kings and the nominal patriarch of the dragon race. How could he have ever been so bullied?
If the other party had a powerful background, he would be more cautious. However, the other party claimed to be a rogue cultivator from the East Sea, who probably had no background or origin. Yet, he dared to rob the Dragon Palace. If he didn't retaliate, the Dragon King of the East Sea would never be able to quell his anger!
As Wang Xuan fled the East Sea Dragon Palace, his sense of crisis not only did not diminish, but intensified.
He knew that the pursuers behind him were getting closer!
"How come the Dragon Palace is hiding so many experts? This is not what I imagined!" Wang Xuan was on the verge of tears: "With these few late-stage seventh-tier experts attacking at the same time, how will that brat Nezha cause trouble in the sea in the future?"
A flash of inspiration struck Wang Xuan, and he finally understood.
The late-stage seventh-tier powerhouses chasing him were mostly dragon clan experts who survived from ancient times.
The reason why Nezha was able to wreak havoc in the Dragon Palace without restraint was because those dragon clan experts were wary of the Chan Sect and Nuwa behind Nezha!
As for Sun Wukong, who later came to the East Sea to forcibly borrow the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he was backed by the Bodhi Patriarch and also had a connection with the Goddess Nuwa. Even the dragon clan experts dared not offend him.
But when it was Wang Xuan, who had no background whatsoever, the dragon clan experts had no scruples whatsoever and were ready to kill this guy who came to rob them!
After thinking it through, Wang Xuan realized he had been reckless, but he didn't regret it at all.
Don't be fooled by his act of begging for alms at the East Sea Dragon Palace. Such behavior is beneath his dignity, but what does a little face matter when it comes to improving his cultivation?
As the saying goes, as long as there are sages, there will be no great thieves. Even the Heavenly Sages are robbers who plunder the creations of all living beings in order to attain the position of Heavenly Sages!
When Wang Xuan transmigrated to this world, all the innate spiritual treasures and cultivation resources in this world already had owners. There were hardly any unclaimed items left; they were all scraps left over by the gods and demons.
If he wants to attain the realm of the Primordial Golden Immortal in this world, he must seize and plunder to obtain enough leisure resources!