Chapter 122: Ghostly Flames of the Thunder Sea!

Soon, in less than a minute, the people from the other three islands arrived, each one trembling with a deathly pale complexion. The most terrified of them all were the island masters themselves: Long Nan of South Dragon Island, Long Bei of North Dragon Island, and Long Qiao of West Dragon Island.

The three were in a panic. They knew there was no escape; the Dragon Realm had long been sealed by Xu Kun. Break through the void to flee? Impossible! With the Dragon Emperor Xu Kun’s return, the Dragon Realm had been reinforced. Unless one was a Dou Di, no outsider could enter without permission. Even if the Soul Heaven Emperor himself came, he might not be a match for Xu Kun now.

When the Dragon Emperor is enraged, ten thousand dragons bow and kneel!

When the people from the three islands saw the familiar figure in the sky, their first reaction was: The Dragon Emperor is truly not dead!

"Long Bei, Long Nan, Long Qiao! Get out here! And I mean roll out!" Xu Kun roared.

Terrified, the three men rolled onto the ground in circles, their voices trembling violently as they stammered, "D-Dragon Emperor, my lord!"

"Hahaha! So you still remember that I am your Dragon Emperor! What you have done in the years I was absent, you know better than anyone! Daring to divide the Dragon Islands—your courage has grown quite fat! Have you forgotten how to write the word 'death'?"

"Every relative related to your bloodline, I shall execute them all!"

As Xu Kun uttered these words, the dragons were filled with fear. Meanwhile, Xian Mo sat on a tree, watching the show while smoking.

Pressed down by the overwhelming aura, the three dragons couldn't even stand; their legs were weak and trembling. They cried out in faint voices, "No, please, don't!"

"Dragon Emperor’s Wrath!" Following Xu Kun's command, a colossal dragon shadow manifested in the sky, descending directly to strike the three down.

"Ahhh!!"

The three dragons were reduced to powder. Subsequently, all the relatives of the three were also executed, leaving only those who were not the primary conspirators.

"Now, make your choice: death or submission!" Xu Kun commanded. Not a single dragon chose death; all opted to return.

Since the Dragon Realm was created by Xu Kun, the four divided islands were easily merged back together. The happiest to see this were Long Yu and the others who had guarded the realm for years. With the Dragon Emperor’s return and the traitors purged, the four islands were reunited after a millennium.

"Haha! Our vigil has finally come to an end!"

"From this moment on, your island master shall be Long Yu. Anyone who objects, perish!" The Dragon Emperor declared, and no one dared to disobey.

The matter of the Dragon Islands was settled with ease, and peace returned. Xu Kun then introduced Xian Mo and his companions to Long Yu. "This is my Hall Master, the one who rescued me from the cave dwelling. And this is my daughter."

With peace restored, Xu Kun discussed the affairs regarding Canaan Academy, and Long Yu knew how to proceed. It was a joyous day for the Dragon Islands, and everyone prepared for a celebratory feast.

"Kun, I recall your Dragon Islands have a Lightning Pool. I’d like to take a look," Xian Mo said to the man beside him.

"A Lightning Pool? I had almost forgotten it myself. Let’s go."

Soon, they arrived before the gate of the pool.

"You can head back. Don't wait for me for dinner. By the way, here is the Emperor Origin I promised you." Xian Mo handed a sliver of the Emperor Origin he had obtained to Xu Kun.

Xu Kun was ecstatic and subsequently announced that he would enter seclusion for a short period. Xian Mo then entered the Lightning Pool.

Inside, the pool was pitch black, filled with nothing but flashing bolts of lightning. To Xian Mo, these low-level bolts were useless; he sought the Purple Gold Profound Lightning at the very core. Reaching the center, a golden-tinged bolt struck at him. Delighted, Xian Mo welcomed the tempering to harden his physique.

He sat cross-legged in the sky, enduring the baptism of the Purple Gold Profound Lightning. Boom! Boom! The sounds echoed repeatedly. Xian Mo’s physical body was constantly sublimating; his Great Burning Golden Body had no level limit, only the need to break through its own limits. His body, previously at the Heaven tier, was now reaching the Semi-Immortal stage.

Two months passed.

Now, Xian Mo’s Great Burning Golden Body had reached the initial stage of the Immortal Body. He could no longer advance further with the current lightning; he would need to reach a higher plane to find more powerful energy. His god-like body now radiated a golden glow far more dazzling than before.

Xian Mo slowly opened his eyes. His physique was no longer the Great Burning Golden Body, but the Burning Immortal Body—its first evolution. He clenched his fist, feeling the change. With a casual strike, he tore a void in the pool, which he quickly repaired.

As he turned to leave, he felt a tinge of reluctance to part with the Profound Lightning that had accompanied him for two months. He flicked a golden light into the lightning, but just as he turned to depart, Mo Bai jumped out.

"Daddy!"

"Mo Bai? What is it?" Xian Mo frowned, puzzled by the sudden appearance.

"Daddy, I can sense an Exotic Fire in here! It’s one not even listed on the Exotic Fire Ranking!" Mo Bai said, licking his lips with anticipation.

"What? An Exotic Fire?" Xian Mo was shocked, then smiled.

Mo Bai nodded.

"Do you know where it is?" Xian Mo asked.

"I do. It’s right across there. Just keep walking straight, Daddy!" Mo Bai pointed ahead. Xian Mo looked—it seemed like a dead end, but he had no reason to doubt the child. He flew deeper into the void, where there was no lightning, only an unsettling silence.

"There’s nothing here. Mo Bai, did you sense it wrong?" Xian Mo asked, surprised. He was a peak Nine-Star Dou Di, yet he felt nothing.

"Daddy, you're so silly. You aren't an Exotic Fire, so of course you can't sense it!" Mo Bai replied with disdain.

Xian Mo’s mouth twitched; the little one was becoming quite the spirit.

"Then tell me, where is it?"

Mo Bai extended a tiny hand, and with a burst of Exotic Fire pressure, he forced a sliver of flame out from its hiding place.

"Good heavens, it really is here!" Xian Mo exclaimed.

The flame was black, surrounded by lightning—or rather, it was wrapped in lightning, an Exotic Fire nurtured within this sea of thunder.

"How old is this fire?" Xian Mo asked.

"Judging by its form, it’s been nearly ten thousand years," Mo Bai replied.

"Ten thousand years? And it was never found? Do you know its name?"

"I don't think it has one."

"Then let's name it ourselves."

"Okay!"

"Since it was born in the Lightning Pool, let's call it the Ghost Flame of the Lightning Sea. How's that?"

"Ghost Flame of the Lightning Sea? That sounds great!"

"You can only fuse with this fire, not devour it," Xian Mo cautioned.

"Aw!" Mo Bai said, disappointed.

"No 'aw's. I have use for it later. Hurry and fuse with it so we can leave."

"Oh, alright."

The little one obeyed. The Ghost Flame, feeling Mo Bai's pressure, didn't dare to resist and cooperated fully. In no time, the fusion was complete. Mo Bai was now surrounded by swirling black lightning. "Wow, how cool!"

"Let’s go."

Mo Bai returned to Xian Mo’s body, and Xian Mo left the pool. He looked toward Xu Kun’s place of seclusion and muttered, "Two months—it should be soon. I need to keep an eye on things; the commotion of ascending to Dou Di is too great." He flew directly toward the secret chamber.

Inside, Xu Kun was frustrated. "Damn it, why is becoming a Dou Di so hard? With the Emperor Origin, it should be easier, but it's been two months and I'm still stuck at the peak of the Semi-Dou Di stage!"

Just as Xu Kun was agonizing, Xian Mo appeared.

"Kun, this won't do. Two months, and you haven't reached Dou Di," Xian Mo said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"H-Hall Master!" Xu Kun was startled. "I’ve tried so hard, but my cultivation just won't budge!"

"Perhaps it's because the Emperor Origin has been sealed too long; its potency isn't as strong as a natural one."

"What? Then what do I do, Hall Master?" Xu Kun panicked.

"Alas, perhaps your destiny ends here," Xian Mo said innocently.

"No! I'm not resigned to this! Hall Master, please help me!" Xu Kun began to cry.

"Cough, enough. I'm here, aren't I? Stop panicking, you're embarrassing yourself!" Xian Mo rapped him on the head.

"Right! Of course!" Xu Kun realized.

"Keep going. Run the Reincarnation Scripture. Your previous method was flawed, and the seal weakened the Origin. Use the scripture to break through the final threshold!"

Xu Kun’s eyes lit up. He had forgotten his most powerful technique! He entered a meditative state, the Reincarnation Scripture spinning at high speed, drawing on the Emperor Origin and his own Dou Qi. His body began to glow with a brilliant golden light.

"Good, it’s done," Xian Mo smiled. He raised his hand, casting a powerful barrier to cloak the Dragon Realm so the aura of a new Dou Di would not leak out and attract unwanted attention from the likes of Soul Heaven Emperor.

A powerful Dou Di pressure emanated from the chamber. If not for Xian Mo’s intervention, the chamber and half the island would have been destroyed.

"Ahhh! I, Xu Kun, have broken through to become a Dou Di! Finally!"

The laughter echoed across the entire Dragon Island. Cheers erupted from every dragon.

"The Dragon Emperor has ascended!"

"My father has become a Dou Di!"

"We finally have a protector!"

The dragons rejoiced, for they now had a Dou Di to guard them. To them, Xu Kun was the first Dou Di on the Dou Qi Continent since Tuoshe.

"Enough laughing. Go calm your people; I have things to attend to," Xian Mo said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yes, Hall Master!" A thrilled Xu Kun rushed out to his people.

Xian Mo shook his head, smiling. "Just a Dou Di, and he's this happy. Wait until he realizes there are higher realms..."

He looked up at the sky. "Soon. Once someone breaks into the Dou Di level, Emperor Origins will appear. I can't let those people ruin my plans." Xian Mo stepped into the void and saw flashes of red light. "The natural Emperor Origins. They are far more potent than the sealed ones." He collected five of them into his system storage.

"Next target: Central Plains. Don't let me down!"

Meanwhile, the Soul Heaven Emperor was furious. "What happened? I clearly felt the opportunity to break into the Dou Di level, but it suddenly vanished! Investigate this at once!"

On Dragon Island, the festivities were in full swing. Xu Kun stood in the sky, feeling the exhilaration of his new power.

"If I leave for higher realms, what will happen to my people?" he wondered.

Xian Mo materialized behind him. "If you're reluctant, stay here for a while. I won't be leaving immediately. And don't worry, I'll create a channel so you can return whenever you wish."

"Really? Thank you, Hall Master!" Xu Kun laughed.

Xian Mo took a walk with him. Soon, Long Yu approached with Zi Yan. "My Lord, we have news of the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit!"

"The Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit? It has been ages," Xu Kun said. "This fruit is vital for Zi Yan; it will allow her to assume human form."

"Where is it?"

"In the Dragon-Phoenix Ruins, opening in ten days."

"Excellent. Send men to retrieve it."

"Wait," Xian Mo interrupted. "Why go to such trouble? I might have some." He checked his system store—they were cheap, only 100,000 World Coins. He bought five and held them out.

Long Yu and Xu Kun stared in disbelief. Five? This was enough to start a war, yet here they were, like common fruit.

"Here, take them. Consider them a gift for Zi Yan," Xian Mo said.

Zi Yan, who had already finished the thousands of pills Xian Mo previously gave her, was overjoyed. Xian Mo tossed her another crate containing a hundred bottles, each with ten thousand pills.

Long Yu and Xu Kun were left completely speechless. This man was truly a tycoon.