Suddenly, the sea was slowly split into two. A path was revealed.

At the end of the path was a golden light. Ao Cheng and Ao Yun were taken aback. They widened their Dragon eyes and opened their mouths. They stared at it dumbfoundedly.

'That… That's…'

Their hearts started to tremble.

They were too familiar with the golden light. It was like early morning sunlight that slashed through the dark night. It appeared suddenly.

Ao Cheng and Ao Yun rubbed their eyes and looked again. They instantly felt a warmth in their hearts. They teared up.

'He's here. The expert's here!'

Ao Feng and the Black Dragon were stumped. They also stared at the golden light with wide eyes. They felt like it was an incoming enemy.

'Deluxe Merit?

'Someone rode in on a Deluxe Merit Cloud?'

They were utterly confused. They expected someone would own Deluxe Merit in the Immortal Realm. 'But… So, what?

'Would the Sea Eye be threatened by Deluxe Merit when it explodes? Obviously not.'

Ao Feng had to shake the Dragon Soul Pearl in his hand. He triple-confirmed that it was real. The Sea Eye was also real.

'Why won't it work? Is it out of water?

'It doesn't make sense.'

Li Nianfan arrived and saw the three Dragons.

A ferocious Black Dragon stared at him. Two other Dragons were lying on a black hole. They were also staring at him.

A middle-aged man stood by the side with a big pearl bead in his hand. The smile on his face seemed awkward. He must be the one who laughed out loud previously.

“Cover me!” Li Nianfan backed away as he reminded everyone.

It was the first time he saw Dragons but he was used to the Immortal Realm so he was not too scared and shocked.

It was obvious that they were fighting.

The battle stopped because Li Nianfan suddenly arrived.

The two Dragons who laid on the Sea Eye leaped up and transformed back into Ao Cheng and Ao Yun. They saluted Li Nianfan and said, “Mr. Li.”

“Brother Ao.” Li Nianfan sighed in relief. Then, he groaned for a moment. He said, “You two are Dragons, right?”

Their family name was Ao. That was the name of Dragons in legendary stories. Li Nianfan pretended not to notice it before, but he just saw them in their Dragon forms so he was able to confirm his theory.

'They're Dragons, why would they claim to be Carp Demons? What kind of weird hobby is that?'

“Yes… We're Dragons,” stuttered Ao Cheng. Then, he sighed and said, “But it's not wrong to say that we're Carps. Apart from the ancestral Dragons, most Dragons were Carps who leaped through the Dragon Door. We don't want to admit it but our origins can be traced back to a Carp.”

“I see.” Li Nianfan nodded. He was familiar with the story.

The story of the Carp leaping through the Dragon Door. It was a gift from the Dragons. The Dragons realized that the Carps were highly compatible with their bloodline. They wanted to increase the Dragon population so they blessed a Carp, helping it transform into a Dragon.

It was also common among Kirins and Phoenixes.

After all, those three species were extremely powerful. They were born from the realm, which was why they were difficult to populate. They had to do that to prevent extinction and continue their bloodline.

'Otherwise, why would Dragons in legendary stories be so weak?

'Nezha learned a few tricks and was able to conquer the Third Prince of the Dragons. The Dragon Kings were practically useless.

'Ancestral Dragons were very powerful. They only became weak because of this.'

Li Nianfan was instantly impressed by Ao Cheng.

'He was already a Dragon but he didn't forget his roots. He was humble and identified himself as a Carp. How amazing, not a lot of people can do that.

'If it was anybody else, they wouldn't admit that they were a Carp. Any mention of being a Carp would be unacceptable to them.'

“Nonsense!” Ao Feng shouted by the side. He looked at Ao Cheng with contempt and scolded, “We're Dragons. How can we be compared to puny Carps? Your words are blasphemous! You don't deserve to call yourself a Dragon!”

Li Nianfan looked at Ao Feng. He was the opposite example.

Ao Cheng sneered and said calmly, “Ignorant fool. You know nothing!”

“I know nothing? Haha…”

Ao Feng was so angry that he started to laugh like he heard the funniest joke. “Ao Cheng, are you serious? As a person… No, wait, as a Dragon, coming from Carps are in the past. A Dragon's a Dragon! You keep looking back to the past, which is why you're destined to be a failure!

“We Southern Sea Dragons always want more. This Dragon Soul Pearl's the first step to our improvement! Just you wait, we'll become the true ancestral Dragons soon!”

“Ha, ignorant,” Ao Cheng said the same thing. “You know nothing!”

He watched Ao Feng brag with calmness in his eyes. He almost wanted to laugh.

'There are some things that I can't tell you to your face. Don't mention being a Carp, even if I was an Earthworm, my future's still brighter than yours!

'Do you know who this is beside me? Our real ancestral Dragon's staying in his backyard.

'The expert's right in front of you but you don't recognize him. On top of that, you're even bragging. Sigh, ridiculous. Ignorance is such a scary thing.'

The Black Dragon transformed into human form and landed next to Ao Feng. He reminded him in a low voice, “Prince, stop wasting time with them. We got the Dragon Soul Pearl. Time to split!”

He felt mentally exhausted.

He was looking at Daji, the Fire Phoenix, and Ziye, alarmed. He could tell from their aura that they were Taiyi Golden Immortals. They were in serious danger.

'You're not running. Instead, you have time to brag about your future. Are you out of your mind?'

Ao Feng finally caught on. His face fell and he silently nodded. “You're right.

“Ao Cheng, go ahead and be a Carp Demon. We won't stay around to entertain you anymore!”

He sneered while transforming into a Dragon. He swam away along with the elder.

“Where are you going?” Ao Cheng and Ao Yun yelled at the same time. They also transformed into Dragons and chased after them.

Ziye furrowed her brows. She soared to the air and shouted, “Mr. Li, the Sea Eye's very important. I'll go and help!”

“I'll go, too!” The Fire Phoenix flapped her wings and flew at full speed!

She could finally fight a Dragon. She was overjoyed and very excited.

Daji did not go. She stayed with Li Nianfan.

Li Nianfan also followed them but he was slow. He kept a safe distance at all times. “Daji, let's find a safe and nice spot to watch the battle.”

Kaboom!

The four Dragons soared out from the sea. They caused a huge wave. Huge splashes were made. It was a majestic sight along with the Dragons.

Roar!

The Dragons struggled and crashed into each other. They spat out all sorts of spells with their mouths. The sea was turned into a chaotic battlefield.

The people and the cultivators could hear explosions and roars from miles away. It made them uneasy and anxious.

“Ao Cheng, you dare attack us?” Ao Feng did not look happy at all. He nervously swerved and said, “My father's still alive and he's a Daluo Golden Immortal. You dare hurt me?!”

Ao Cheng smiled coldly. He slapped him in the face with his tail, “Mentioning daddy because you can't win against me? The Dragon Ancestor's still alive. Should I mention the Ancestor, too?”

Ao Feng scolded, “I'm being serious! What nonsense are you talking about?”

'The Dragon Ancestor's alive? You think I'd believe that nonsense?'

Suddenly, a light slashed through the sky with a shriek. It went straight to Ao Feng!

Ziye said in a cold voice, “Put down the Dragon Soul Pearl!”

Ao Feng kept finding chances to escape. “Ha, no way!”

“Just kill them!” The Fire Phoenix had a rope in her hand. She tossed it at them and the rope slithered towards them like a snake. It elongated, reaching for Ao Feng.

Ao Feng was instantly scared into a deranged state. He exclaimed, “The Immortal Trap Rope?!”

The Black Dragon puffed up its body and knocked the Immortal Trap Rope away. It used its Dragon body and blocked everyone.

It spat out a big golden mark. The mark formed a huge mountain that fell on everyone.

The Black Dragon yelled, “Prince, go. Leave me!”

“Alright, good luck. I'll come back and avenge you!”

The voice seemed to come from a faraway distance. The Black Dragon turned to look and realized Ao Feng had already fled. Ao Feng wagged his tail without looking back.

Suddenly, the Black Dragon felt wronged. Misery flashed through his eyes. He looked at everyone and expanded his body. His power started to boil as he yelled, “You're not going to succeed even if I die!”

“Come on, come at me! I'm going to self-implode! Haha—” He struggled and roared, puffing up into a ball.

He bit down with determination, feeling righteous with his last shred of dignity and pride.

'Dragons… Shall not be slaves!'

The Black Dragon glanced at everyone. All of a sudden, the golden light appeared. He instantly felt his heart thump.

He took a deep breath and went over with his ball-like body. He told Li Nianfan, “Sir, I'm going to self-implode. It'll be a mighty explosion. How about…you step further aside?”

Li Nianfan shook his head and suggested with kindness, “No, don't self-implode. It'd be a waste of your body of Dragon meat, right? Look on the bright side, don't be so extreme.”

The Black Dragon turned purple. He s.h.i.+vered and almost spat out blood. In the end, he deflated like a balloon.

He accepted his fate with tears streaming down his face, “Fine. Please, make it fast…”