At this moment, on the other side of Linglongtan, Li Xuan, with a dark expression, advanced rapidly without a word. Anyone who had their painstakingly sought prey snatched away would surely feel displeased. Especially when it involved someone with whom he had some grievances, it was clear Li Xuan's rage was burning.
*Hoo!*
Li Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the unwillingness in his heart with all his might. After moving nearly a hundred miles away from Qiu Shaolong's location, Li Xuan finally slowed down, re-deploying his divine sense to probe as he traveled.
However, along the way, Li Xuan had traveled more than ten miles without sensing a single Linglong. A growing impatience began to creep into his heart.
"Something's not right. Even if Linglongtan is vast, it shouldn't be this quiet. According to the route I've taken, I've covered nearly two hundred miles. Yet, besides a few ordinary dragons, I haven't encountered a single Linglong."
"This is clearly inconsistent with what Fourth Senior Brother described. Could it be that something has happened to Linglongtan?"
After searching for another half a day, Li Xuan had to stop and ponder.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Linglongtan, if Li Xuan were present, he would surely be greatly astonished. For here, there were dozens of Linglongs. They varied in length, with the longest reaching over seven hundred feet.
And above these dozens of Linglongs, a slender figure with a smug smile played on his lips.
"Devour! When only the last Linglong remains, that will be when I, Di Yijie, seize my fortune! Those fools must still be desperately searching for the Linglongs right now."
This person was Di Yijie.
In Di Yijie's hand, a blood-red orb floated.
At this moment, the orb emitted an eerie red glow, and the Linglongs below were actually devouring each other, growing stronger. Watching this scene, Di Yijie's expression became even more triumphant.
He wondered if his Fifth Junior Brother had found a suitable Linglong for the灌顶 (guàn dǐng - anointing/initiation) ritual yet. He hoped nothing would go wrong. Outside Linglongtan, Song Wuwen watched Elder Yulong sit cross-legged beside a stone monument, a hint of worry in his eyes.
A day quickly passed. Within Linglongtan, Li Xuan had no choice but to find a place to rest temporarily.
Throughout the day, Li Xuan had been almost entirely occupied with searching for Linglongs, which had greatly depleted his soul force. Seemingly to ensure the safety of the disciples, there were stone monuments floating within Linglongtan.
Furthermore, at every hundred-foot depth, there were floating stone monuments. Li Xuan chose one such monument and closed his eyes to recuperate.
In the blink of an eye, three hours slipped by unnoticed. When Li Xuan opened his eyes, his aura had already returned to its peak state.
*Yin!*
Just as Li Xuan was about to set off again to search for Linglongs, a tremendous dragon roar suddenly echoed.
"This sound... could it be a large Linglong appearing?" Li Xuan's heart stirred at the sound. He quickly deployed his divine sense, probing rapidly in the direction of the roar.
"It's still below." A moment later, Li Xuan retracted his divine sense, a trace of solemnity in his eyes.
As his divine sense probed downwards, it seemed to vanish into the sea without a trace, making it impossible to discern anything. The only clue he could gather was that the dragon roar originated from the southeast.
At this moment, Li Xuan faced a dilemma. If he descended, he would have to be prepared for anything. If he gave up, he might not encounter another Linglong for a long time.
"Forget it, fortune favors the bold. If I can't bear it, I'll retreat!" After a moment, a flicker of determination flashed in Li Xuan's eyes. He gritted his teeth, circulated his entire physical defense, and rapidly descended towards the southeast.
As he continued to descend, the pressure Li Xuan felt grew more pronounced. After only twenty-odd feet, Li Xuan felt his skin tauten. Despite this, Li Xuan had no intention of giving up. He gritted his teeth again and plunged downwards.
Thirty feet, forty feet, fifty feet... seventy feet, eighty feet!
After descending another eighty feet, Li Xuan had to stop. At this point, his physical body had reached its limit. Li Xuan had a feeling that if he descended even an inch further, his body would explode.
*Yin!*
At this very moment, the dragon roar sounded again. However, this time, the roar was exceptionally clear. And from the sound, Li Xuan could discern that this Linglong seemed to have already suffered significant injuries.
"Who is it? To fight a Linglong at such a depth, they must be at the 彼岸境 (bǐ àn jìng - Shore Realm) level. Fine, I thought it was ownerless, but I've wasted my time and energy for nothing."
Li Xuan sighed helplessly and prepared to swim upwards. After all, remaining at such a depth of nearly eight hundred feet, even with his strong physical defenses, was truly taxing.
*Hmm?*
At this moment, Li Xuan suddenly felt a disturbance in the water. Before Li Xuan could react, a massive wave of water surged towards him. Following the wave, a Linglong suddenly shot out, landing precisely at Li Xuan's location.
"Eh? It's indeed injured. Judging by its appearance, it managed to escape?" Li Xuan's eyes lit up with joy at this sight.
This Linglong, delivered right to his doorstep and severely wounded, how could he possibly let it go?
As the Linglong was about to collide with him, Li Xuan fully activated his physical defenses, simultaneously channeling all the spiritual energy in his divine mansion, and unleashed a fierce punch towards the charging Linglong.
*Bang!*
As if in a desperate flight, the Linglong showed no awareness of Li Xuan's presence. With Li Xuan's punch, it took a direct hit. Li Xuan's blow caused the already severely injured Linglong's glow to dim even further.
*Wu.*
With a soft cry, the Linglong's massive head slowly drooped. Seeing this, Li Xuan rejoiced. He quickly formed hand seals, and the token in his hand was immediately unleashed. A golden light flashed out, rapidly entering the Linglong's head and disappearing.
With the appearance of this golden light, the Linglong flashed with golden light, and Li Xuan, along with it, vanished instantly.
*Whoosh!*
The moment Li Xuan and the Linglong disappeared, a sound of splitting water quickly spread. Di Yijie's figure appeared rapidly.
"It clearly escaped to this point, how could it suddenly disappear?" Di Yijie frowned, a deep sense of confusion in his eyes.
After searching the surroundings again, Di Yijie, his expression uncertain, shot off into the distance.