The Great Azure Island had a unique geographical structure—a recursive formation. If the Great Sea was a vast lake, then the Great Azure Island held a lake with an island, which held another lake with another island, and so on, layer upon layer.
This makes the Great Azure Island an island with less landmass than its water body. This unique geographical structure also makes it abundant in Water Qi and water-related resources. This island also has a Dao-Field.
Hengsheng had observed this island through the Dimensional Map before, as it was one of the dominant landmarks in this realm, ruled by one of the top 10 factions in the Seventh Heaven—the Azure Palace.
One of the most powerful factions in the Seventh Heaven, a solitary faction that ruled this entire island. No other faction shared this place with them, not even a small or mortal faction.
Also, the only neutral faction that does not fight against the Blood Fiend Palace, like other factions in the Seventh Heaven, making them not very welcome on the continents.
But they did not seem to care about other attitudes toward them, since they did not need others—they did not lack anything. They ruled most of the Great Sea, and the resources both above and beneath it were theirs.
Their strength was not inferior to the Gu Dynasty or any dynasty on the Myriad Dynasty Continent; it could even be said that they were slightly stronger.
Although the number of top experts, such as Grand Unity Realm cultivators, was not much higher than that of the other dynasties, the number of Spirit Integration Realm cultivators and lower was significantly greater due to their advantageous cultivation environment.
Because the man in a dark blue robe flew straight into the Azure Palace's territory, which only members of this solitary faction were allowed to enter, Hengsheng assumed this man was definitely part of the Azure Palace faction.
'How did the Azure Palace even know about my Divine Artifact?' Hengsheng thought.
While Hengsheng was deep in his own thoughts, the scene displayed on the Dimensional Map continued.
The man in a dark blue robe flew directly into the Great Azure Island without being stopped by the cultivators guarding the border, which confirmed what Hengsheng had assumed—this man was indeed part of the Azure Palace.
He flew toward a fortress on the coast. When he landed, many cultivators came to greet him politely and let him inside. This showed that the man in the dark blue robe held considerable status here.
Hengsheng watched the scene closely. If he saw Xiaorong about to face a fatal threat, he would teleport him back to the Endless Wealth Peak immediately.
The man in the dark blue robe handed the unconscious Xiaorong to a cultivator in the fortress and ordered him to lock Xiaorong up in the dungeon, then he left.
"Dim, keep an eye on Xiaorong. If he is in life-threatening danger, bring him back immediately," Hengsheng ordered the AI of the Dimensional Traveler System.
"Yes, Host," Dim replied with a robotic, emotionless voice.
Hengsheng handed over the duty of looking after Xiaorong to his AI assistant, then focused on following the man's movements in the dark blue robe.
Under his watch, the man in the dark blue robe flew toward the center of the island, which was the location of the main base of the Azure Palace faction—a massive, azure-themed palace as big as a mountain, surrounded by a glowing blue lake overflowing with concentrated Water Qi.
…
Cang Wuqing descended from the sky before the palace gate, and the elder who guarded the gate approached him upon noticing his presence.
"Welcome back, Elder Wuqing," the elder greeted.
"Greetings, Elder Yu. Has the Sea Lord finished his session?" Cang Wuqing asked.
Elder Yu paused for a beat, recalling the command that the Sea Lord had given him, before replying to Elder Wuqing.
"He is, but currently unavailable. He's meeting with a guest. He asked you to request an audience if you've made any progress in the mission." Elder Yu said.
"Then I will have to ask for an audience," Cang Wuqing said.
"Then go to the waiting room for the audience," Elder Yu said, and asked the disciple behind him to escort Cang Wuqing to the waiting room.
Cang Wuqing followed the disciple to the waiting room and stayed there for a couple of hours before the Sea Lord's servant came to bring him to the Sea Lord in the Throne Hall.
As he walked through the corridor, closely following the servant to the Throne Hall, he passed by an unfamiliar face—a man who didn't seem to belong to the Azure Palace, whom he assumed to be the Sea Lord's guest.
This man had long silver hair, yellow pupils, and wore white and gold robes. His expression seemed grim and serious, as if he were deep in thought.
'That appearance… Have I seen him before?' Cang Wuqing thought, a faint trace of recognition lingering at the corner of his mind.
It took a moment before Cang Wuqing recognized who he had just passed by. He immediately turned back to look at the man with narrow eyes.
The man continued walking, even though he seemed to notice Cang Wuqing's gaze. Cang Wuqing felt shocked as he confirmed with his own eyes that this man was indeed the infamous Ji Wushuang!
'How did this man appear here!?' Cang Wuqing thought as he looked at Ji Wushuang's back with awe and envy.
Ji Wushuang had gained considerable fame not long ago. No one at the level of a top powerhouse didn't know him, because he was the one who won the Immortal Inheritance that appeared 20 years ago!
Even though he carries the Immortal Inheritance, the top powerhouse factions do not attack him for it—everyone at that level knows it would be pointless.
An inheritance of this level cannot be stolen—countless have tried and failed throughout the long history of the Seventh Heaven.
Only young and ignorant factions would try it. They'll fail—or worse, let these Immortal Inheritors escape. And when they do, those inheritors will return one day to destroy them.
Top powerhouses like the Azure Palace, or other factions that have stood for hundreds of thousands of years and learned from history, have concluded that forming good karma with someone like Ji Wushuang is the wiser path.
Also, these Immortal Inheritors are mostly heaven-defying geniuses. Even if top powerhouses try their chances against them, there is no certainty or guarantee that they will succeed in capturing or killing them.
Especially, Ji Wushuang—he already proved his strength by defeating a Blood Fiend Palace elder at the Grand Unity Realm, even though he's only at the early stage of the Spirit Integration Realm!
This man is a heaven-defying genius among heaven-defying geniuses!
"Elder Wuqing…" the servant said, interrupting Cang Wuqing's wild thought.
Cang Wuqing's mind returned to the present, stopping his thoughts about Ji Wushuang's existence. His body turned as he continued following the servant to the Throne Hall.
Soon, they arrived at the gigantic door decorated with numerous crystals like sapphire and images of the legendary azure dragon.
"He's waiting for you," the servant said as he opened the door to the Throne Hall for Cang Wuqing.
Cang Wuqing stepped into the Throne Hall.
In his sight, within the vast hall other than the figure on the Azure Throne, there was no one else but him. He stopped his footsteps not far from the throne and bowed to the Sea Lord.
"Cang Wuqing greets the Sea Lord." His tone was respectful.
The figure on the Azure Throne opened his eyes slowly, as though his presence alone caused the air to still.
"Rise, Wuqing," the Sea Lord said calmly.
Cang Wuqing raised his head slightly, his eyes landing on the figure on the Azure Throne—the Sea Lord, Cang Hailong, the supreme authority of the Azure Palace.
The Sea Lord appeared as a middle-aged, wise man with long black hair, a clean-shaven face, and wearing golden and azure dragon robes.
If someone had met the Black Shark's Southern Sea Pirate King before, they would be surprised at how similar their appearances are.
"Speak. I assume your visit is not without progress," the Sea Lord said.
Cang Wuqing straightened his posture after being permitted to rise. He clasped his hands and said respectfully,
"Reporting to the Sea Lord—" Cang Wuqing began reporting his investigation about the existence of the unknown Divine Artifact that the Sea Lord had given him a clue about.
Over the years of investigation, he was 99% certain that he had found the one who possessed the unknown Divine Artifact. He had not yet discovered its exact location or a way to reveal it, not without letting other factions know about it.
The one he assumed to be the target was a newly rising faction—the Endless Wealth Company.
Their motives were very suspicious, and their wealth seemed to be endless, just as their name suggested.
However, this was not what made him think they possessed the Divine Artifact.
What made him certain that this faction possessed the Divine Artifact was the discovery that they were pretending to be the Black Shark Pirate King and the Black Shark pirate group, which, according to the Sea Lord's own words, was supposed to have been destroyed.
The Sea Lord sat motionless on his Azure Throne, his expression unreadable. Listening to Cang Wuqing's report.