It was a violet infant dragon, its body radiant with dazzling purple divine light. Though barely over a meter in length, its formidable draconic aura intimidated the colossal beasts of the mountain forests—none dared approach. This was the innate oppressive might of a king among beasts.
Its form bore a striking resemblance to the legendary qilin: a body like a deer and a horse, wolf-like hooves, and dragon-scaled hide. Yet it differed from traditional depictions of the qilin in distinct ways. Its tail was a crocodilian divine tail, shimmering with purple light, its scales dense and armor-like. Moreover, it bore two horns on its head—purple-golden antlers resembling those of an ancient stag—and its countenance mirrored the fabled Ancestral Dragon!
In terms of presence, it was fundamentally different from a qilin. The qilin was a mythical auspicious beast, but this violet companion-born dragon king exuded the oppressive authority of a barbarous king. Though still an infant, it radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Yan Qingcheng and Lande had discovered this companion dragon king near a waterfall. They had been watching that area for days, having noticed a young dragon that occasionally appeared there, but only today had they finally caught sight of its tracks.
Yet the infant purple dragon king was far too powerful! Its sky-shaking dragon roars—sonic waves of devastating force—withered the surrounding trees and forced Yan Qingcheng and Lande to retreat.
Even its pure soundwaves rivaled the soul-seizing sonic arts of the Spirit-Treasury realm!
Ancestral Dragons and their companion dragon kings began to show signs of evolution shortly after birth, then they would voluntarily leave their mother dragon to embark on their unique path of evolution. Though no mature guardian dragon stayed by its side, Yan Qingcheng and Lande found that subduing this infant dragon was still beyond them.
The companion dragon king's ferocity exceeded their expectations.
Legend held that when the dragon race was sealed on this desolate island, they lost all their divine abilities. But this rule did not apply to the infant dragon king. It could tear the air with blinding violet divine light, reducing the boulders before Yan Qingcheng and Lande to powder.
Utterly alert, the infant dragon king fled. Its entire body blazing with purple divine flames, it vanished into the forest like a bolt of violet lightning, moving so fast that even Lande, flying through the air, could not catch it.
The companion dragon king's thunderous roars alarmed everyone on Dragon Island. Countless cultivators rushed toward the source, but by the time they arrived, they found only traces of the struggle. The infant dragon king had long since disappeared.
This was the first companion dragon discovered on Dragon Island. People called it the Purple Dragon King.
In the following days, most cultivators converged on this area, searching for the Purple Dragon King's whereabouts. Yan Qingcheng was frustrated; never had she imagined an infant dragon could be so powerful, forcing them to watch helplessly as it escaped.
There was no doubt that the appearance of the Purple Dragon King had an immense impact, capturing the hearts of all cultivators. Everyone yearned to subdue it. If they could raise it to adulthood, they would possess a being that would make even gods tremble!
Even the alliance from Treefolk Valley stopped searching for Xiao Chen, throwing all their efforts into tracking the Purple Dragon King. This unintentionally alleviated Xiao Chen's danger; even the Royal Celestial Maiden Zhao Lin'er could not oppose the shift.
Yet more than half a month passed, and no one found any trace. The infant Purple Dragon King seemed to have evaporated, leaving no sign. The cultivators had to acknowledge that the Purple Dragon King possessed great intelligence. Sensing the approaching danger, it had successfully evaded their search.
The cultivators speculated on its possible whereabouts. Some believed it had hidden in a dark cave; others thought it had ventured deep into the island. Thus, some continued the search around the island's periphery, while the more daring began to push into the interior.
The hunt for the Purple Dragon King was also a process of chaotic slaughter; many lost their lives in the pursuit.
Twenty-some days after the Purple Dragon King's emergence, another great event struck Dragon Island—this time more terrifying, one that would seal the fate of everyone present.
By now, a vast number of cultivators had gathered on the expansive Dragon Island—all of them powerful experts. No more ships would arrive.
But on this day, waves of terrifying divine light suddenly erupted across Dragon Island. In an instant, the radiance was blinding, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open. The entire island, amidst the boundless ocean, blazed like a glittering divine pearl, its brilliance shooting straight into the heavens.
On Dragon Island, ten thousand beasts howled in unison; the dragons roared as if the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting apart. The great island itself shook terrifyingly, as if the end of the world had come. The cultivators were panic-stricken, not knowing what was happening. Every one of them trembled from the depths of their soul, gripped by an overwhelming dread.
The dazzling divine light lasted about an hour before gradually dimming. The cultivators at the island's edge were shocked to discover a startling change in the surrounding sea. Blinding divine light now appeared on the boundless ocean. The once calm waters boiled with towering waves, as if trying to sweep the clouds from the sky.
Dimly, the cultivators felt an incredibly fearsome power surging within the waves.
Then they witnessed a terrifying scene that confirmed their fears. A belated ship, caught in the divinely radiant waves, disintegrated in an instant, dissolving like snowflakes, utterly destroyed and vanishing into the great billows!
The Forbidden Sea for a thousand leagues around Dragon Island had returned to a death zone! It could no longer be crossed! The sea was sealed ahead of time!
This was a great upheaval, beyond anyone's expectations.
According to historical records, after the Forbidden Sea opened, it would normally remain passable for at least half a year before resealing. But this time, it had lasted less than two months!
The cultivators at the island's fringe, upon witnessing this, were nearly broken. It meant they could never leave Dragon Island—not until the next cycle began centuries later. But who could live that long? This mysterious and fearsome island suppressed divine power. No one could attain Deathless Longevity here; no one could survive until the day of release.
The majority of those who came to Dragon Island were young experts, representatives of various powers from the mainland, carefully selected elites. For the sake of balance, previous-generation cultivators with divine abilities rarely entered Dragon Island—this was an unspoken understanding, a delicate equilibrium among the factions.
Of course, not entering the island did not mean the previous generation would not act. Dragon Island lay deep within the vast ocean, thousands of leagues from the mainland. Even if one managed to seize a companion dragon, crossing that endless sea was extremely dangerous, and there would likely be those waiting to rob them along the way.
Previous-generation experts from all factions were stationed along the route, waiting to provide support. On the myriad leagues of ocean, at every necessary passage, even demigods—beings nearing divinity—lay in ambush.
The young experts on the island were in despair. They would be sealed here forever. And at that moment, they saw another horrific sight: among the towering waves, a winged fallen angel struggled and writhed in agony above the sea surface. But in a mere instant, her body disintegrated, torn apart by the surging divine light!
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