Chapter 598: Crystal Palace

Chapter 598: Chapter 598: Crystal Palace

Long Ao dared not let his guard down. Even with the Divine Beast Water Dragon nearby, there was no telling what its relationship was with the Golden Tiger Shark.

"Golden Tiger Shark, why have you trespassed into my Forbidden Land?"

The Golden Tiger Shark was a Divine Beast, and its aura was plain to see. Meanwhile, Long Ao’s own concealment techniques, aided by Long Fu, made it so that even the Divine Beast Water Dragon seemed to have a hard time detecting his presence.

"Elder Shui Long, allow me to explain."

Although they were both Divine Beasts, it was clear that the Golden Tiger Shark and the Divine Beast Water Dragon were on completely different levels.

After hearing the explanation, the Divine Beast Water Dragon seemed unimpressed. It gave a snort and said nothing more, but its meaning was perfectly clear.

’Damn it,’ the Golden Tiger Shark cursed inwardly. This was exactly the kind of situation it had feared.

The Outer Sea was vast and boundless.

The Outer Sea teemed with countless Divine Beasts, many of them far more powerful than the shark. Because of this, there were many territories the Golden Tiger Shark could never hope to enter.

Having no other choice, the Golden Tiger Shark respectfully withdrew. It had no desire to provoke the Divine Beast Water Dragon.

Watching the Five-headed Golden Tiger Shark gradually recede into the distance, Long Ao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Human, I’m curious. How did you manage to escape the Golden Tiger Shark’s pursuit?"

Long Ao, who had been about to resume his cultivation, froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he heard the Water Dragon’s words. He stared intently at the Divine Beast Water Dragon, confirming that it was, indeed, speaking to him.

He had no choice.

Since he had been discovered, Long Ao knew he had to face the situation head-on.

Approaching the Divine Beast Water Dragon, Long Ao held nothing back and recounted everything that had happened in detail.

After hearing him out, the Divine Beast Water Dragon nodded. "You’re a Dragon Martial Artist?"

"That’s right."

Long Ao was almost completely open with the Divine Beast Water Dragon. He knew that if the creature sensed he was hiding something, it would only lead to bigger trouble for him.

Long Ao acted this way because he was confident that the Divine Beast Water Dragon wouldn’t move against him.

’First, I am a Dragon Martial Artist. Long Qiang himself is a member of the Dragon Race, and I believe the Divine Beast Water Dragon won’t harm one of its own kin.’

’Second, the Divine Beast Water Dragon hasn’t shown the slightest hint of Killing Intent toward me from the very beginning. That’s why I’m not afraid. Otherwise, I would have already gotten up and fled.’

"The Golden Tiger Shark comes from a powerful background. I cannot help you kill it, I hope you understand."

The Divine Beast Water Dragon was being so polite that it made Long Ao a little embarrassed. He chuckled and said, "I’ll deal with it myself one day, with my own strength. Elder Shui Long, I’d like to borrow this place to cultivate for a while."

"No problem. Once you’ve recovered from your injuries, I have something to discuss with you."

Nodding, Long Ao didn’t hesitate. He immediately sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate in silence.

’My luck is really pretty good. This Divine Beast Water Dragon I’ve run into is not only benevolent but also easy to talk to. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’d have a hard time ever leaving this part of the Outer Sea.’

Long Ao’s injuries were severe. If he had to rely on his own natural recovery, it would have taken at least a month.

But the Divine Beast Water Dragon was clearly helping him, shortening the recovery time tenfold. In just three days, Long Ao’s injuries were completely healed.

Getting to his feet, Long Ao suppressed his joyful surprise and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Elder."

"Since you’ve recovered, come with me. I’m taking you somewhere."

Long Ao nodded without asking any questions. While the Outer Sea was filled with countless Divine Beasts, the Water Dragon was one of the most distinguished among them. As long as he stuck with the Divine Beast Water Dragon, his safety was, at the very least, guaranteed.

「Far away.」

As a Divine Beast, the Golden Tiger Shark possessed incredible eyesight. Thus, when it saw Long Ao following the Divine Beast Water Dragon, its expression turned frighteningly grim, but it was powerless to do anything.

The Divine Beast Water Dragon was an existence it couldn’t hope to oppose. Still, the Golden Tiger Shark wasn’t worried. It refused to believe Long Ao could hide in the sea forever. The moment he left the Divine Beast Water Dragon’s side or departed from the seabed, it would have its chance to strike.

"Father, are we just going to stand by and watch?"

"That human has the Divine Beast Water Dragon’s protection. We can’t make a move."

"Father, we could ask the Great Ancestor for help! Even the Divine Beast Water Dragon would have to show him some respect."

"No! The Great Ancestor has reached a critical point. No one, no matter the reason, is to disturb him."

The Golden Tiger Shark knew this all too well. The only reason the Divine Beast Water Dragon hadn’t struck them down just now was out of deference to their Great Ancestor. Otherwise, all five of them would have already Fallen.

Before the Great Ancestor entered seclusion, he had given strict orders: no matter what happened, they were to endure it. Everything would have to wait until he emerged.

The Golden Tiger Shark’s eyes were dark pools of malice as it stared fixedly at the distant figures of the man and dragon receding into the depths.

The Golden Tiger Shark suddenly vowed, "The day the Great Ancestor emerges from seclusion will be the day of your death."

A sudden shiver ran through Long Ao. Unsure why, he whipped around and stared into the distant waters. He couldn’t see anything, but he could clearly sense a wave of Killing Intent in the distance, aimed directly at him.

The Divine Beast Water Dragon seemed a little surprised, as it hadn’t expected Long Ao to sense the threat.

Since things had come to this, the Divine Beast Water Dragon didn’t hide the truth any longer. "The Golden Tiger Shark knows you’re here. You’ll be fine as long as you’re with me, but the moment you leave my side or return to the surface, it will strike."

Before Long Ao could say anything, the Divine Beast Water Dragon continued, "The Golden Tiger Shark has a Great Ancestor, one whose power surpasses my own."

The Divine Beast Water Dragon didn’t elaborate, but the implication was clear.

Long Ao hadn’t expected the Golden Tiger Shark to have a Great Ancestor. ’The shark itself is a Divine Beast,’ he thought. ’Could its ancestor be an Earth God, or even a Celestial Divine?’

’I’m no match for it, regardless of what level of power the Golden Tiger Shark’s Great Ancestor has,’ Long Ao thought, realizing the situation had become much more complicated.

"We’ll deal with that later. When the time is right, I will take you out of the Outer Sea."

Long Ao wasn’t as happy as one might expect. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about all this.

’I’ve never believed in free lunches,’ Long Ao thought. ’Why is this Divine Beast Water Dragon being so good to me?’

’I’m not so narcissistic as to believe this Divine Beast Water Dragon is helping me out of the goodness of its heart. There must be a reason, one I just don’t know yet.’

’But things have already come this far. All I can do is take it one step at a time. It’s my own fault for being so weak. I’m almost completely helpless in the face of a Divine Beast.’

After an unknown amount of time, the man and the dragon arrived before a Crystal Palace. The entire palace was sparkling and translucent, clearly a natural formation of breathtaking beauty. Long Ao could sense an extremely terrifying power emanating from the Crystal Palace, an aura that even surpassed that of the Divine Beast Water Dragon.

(PS: I accidentally fell asleep last night, so I’ll be releasing twelve Chapters today. I’ll try to be faster and not let it drag into the evening. Xiaojiu updates at night, and it’s more tiring than you can imagine. Can’t be helped, it’s tough being a family man.)