523: Azure Heaven Venerable

"May I know Fellow Daoist's title?"

Dao Lord Xi Wu's figure, which was slowly dissipating, solidified and turned to ask the figure whose Aura had greatly changed.

"This Lord/Monarch, An Xing."

A grand, layered voice emanated from the shadowy figure, reaching the ears of Dao Lord Xi Wu and Great Expert Xi Mian.

"Dark Star Dao Lord..."

Dao Lord Xi Wu frowned; he had never heard of this title.

"If Fellow Daoist is unwilling to reveal your true intentions, I believe there is no need for us to continue our discussion."

Dao Lord Xi Wu's expression remained unchanged, his tone resolute.

Although Cen Ling Dao Palace was powerful now, as long as he existed, Xiwu Divine Hall would eventually catch up; there was no need to rush.

Moreover, Dao Monarch Cen Ling had achieved the Dao many years ago, and even he did not know his specific strength.

Even with the help of this Dark Star Dao Lord, with the special characteristic of Rebirth from a drop of blood and being indestructible in the Dao Integration Realm, it would likely be difficult to defeat Dao Monarch Cen Ling.

Even suppressing him would be hard to achieve.

So why should he waste his effort?

"The matter is complex, and we only recently discovered the news, so we haven't had time to fully confirm it, which is why we didn't elaborate to Fellow Daoist."

"However, since things have come to this, informing Fellow Daoist is harmless."

The shadowy figure was silent for a moment, then a grand, layered voice suddenly rang out.

"The Merman Royal Court was destroyed in the previous era, and all traces of its existence have long been erased by time."

"Has Fellow Daoist ever heard of the Goddess of the South Sea, Hai Ruoli?"

Dark Star Dao Lord, a wisp of flesh parasitic on the shadowy figure, asked Dao Lord Xi Wu.

"Never."

Seeing that the Dark Moon Palace Dao Lord intended to reveal his purpose, Dao Lord Xi Wu no longer refused and paused, following Dark Star Dao Lord's words.

"The Goddess of the South Sea was a title given by Mortals and Cultivators in the Chaotic Sea during the previous era. Her true identity is the princess of the Merman Royal Family, the last of the Merman Bloodline."

"Moreover, she is still alive in the world. If our conjecture is correct, she might be the last surviving member of the Merman Royal Family."

"What I wanted to tell Fellow Daoist just now was her whereabouts."

"And our objective is inextricably linked to this Goddess of the South Sea."

The grand, layered voice slowly spoke.

"Goddess of the South Sea Hai Ruoli..."

Dao Lord Xi Wu and Great Expert Xi Mian pondered in their hearts, noting down this title.

Even if cooperation was not achieved this time, with this information, Xiwu Divine Hall had already profited.

"Fellow Daoist, please continue."

Dao Lord Xi Wu casually nodded and said.

"Our Dark Moon Palace has been searching in the Chaotic Sea for many years, for the purpose of finding the whereabouts of a person."

"That person's name is Qing."

"In the previous era, he was also known as Heavenly Venerable Qing!"

"This is our ultimate goal."

The shadowy figure paused, then raised its head, its shadowy eyes seemingly piercing through the river of time, seeing a figure in plain azure robes sitting upon a flawless azure lotus.

"So it's the Heavenly Venerable's Legacy..."

Dao Lord Xi Wu's heart trembled. The Dark Moon Palace had been hidden in the Chaotic Sea for so many years, and their scheme was indeed significant.

"What is the relationship between this Heavenly Venerable Qing and the Goddess of the South Sea?"

Dao Lord Xi Wu wondered, then asked.

"It's somewhat unbelievable. According to what we know, Heavenly Venerable Qing was the culprit who destroyed the Merman Royal Court, but for some unknown reason, the princess of the Merman Royal Family, Hai Ruoli, did not seek revenge against him. Instead, she became a follower of Heavenly Venerable Qing."

"After Heavenly Venerable Qing's passing, his Physical Body and Legacy were both taken away by Hai Ruoli."

"My Dark Moon Palace searched for countless years until recently, when we finally learned Hai Ruoli's ultimate destination from her former servant."

This matter sounded simple, but in reality, it took countless time and years. Dark Star Dao Lord sighed in his heart. To find the whereabouts of Heavenly Venerable Qing's Legacy, Dark Moon Palace painstakingly found the Night Demon clan, which had long disappeared from legends.

And finally, through the Night Demons, they found the former servant, a Void Refining Realm Night Demon, who had been sealed on a deserted island by Hai Ruoli using special means.

Only then was Hai Ruoli's whereabouts truly confirmed.

"So those previous commotions were because of you..."

Dao Lord Xi Wu's heart stirred, connecting it to the faint spatial-temporal fluctuations he had sensed several years ago.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know where Hai Ruoli is now?"

Dao Lord Xi Wu looked down.

"Naturally."

"Since we are to cooperate, we need to be frank. Informing Fellow Daoist of this matter is harmless."

"Hai Ruoli is hidden in the Chaotic Sea."

Since so much had been said, this last bit wouldn't matter. Moreover, Dark Moon Palace and Xiwu Divine Hall had the same objective but non-conflicting interests, making them the best partners.

Furthermore, Dark Moon Palace indeed needed the help of Xiwu Divine Hall and the Thousand Island Alliance to ascertain Hai Ruoli's exact location.

No one knew what Heavenly Venerable Qing had left behind. If Hai Ruoli was determined to hide, she might indeed be difficult to find.

"Chaotic Sea... Could it be the Inner Sea..."

A divine light flashed in Dao Lord Xi Wu's eyes.

They had long speculated that a true Dao Lord existed within the Inner Sea; otherwise, how could the Inner Sea, a lair of sea beasts and home to many Void Refining Realm beings, be so stable?

It was just that the mysterious Dao Lord had not appeared for so many years.

He never expected it to be an old monster who had survived from the previous era.

"It seems Fellow Daoist has also thought of it."

The grand, layered voice sighed softly.

"Fellow Daoist, with the strength of our two factions, how can we trouble an old monster who has survived from the previous era?"

Dao Lord Xi Wu asked seriously.

An era lasted 129,600 years.

However, he, as a Dao Lord, did not know how this number of eras was determined.

"We certainly won't do anything to seek our own demise, but this matter will not be discussed in detail here."

"Fellow Daoist, my Dark Moon Palace has already shown our sincerity."

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

The grand, layered voice changed its tone and asked Dao Lord Xi Wu.

"Good."

"As long as Fellow Daoist is willing to make a Heavenly Dao oath, our cooperation is fine."

Dao Lord Xi Wu's expression was slightly solemn, and he frowned, saying, how could he not be tempted by the opportunity to transform into a pure-blooded Golden Crow?

This not only represented the possibility of his own Dao advancing further, glimpsing the Mahayana splendor, but also the chance to lead Xiwu Divine Hall back to the Western Region, rather than being confined to this small Chaotic Sea.

"Heh heh, this is certainly permissible."

"However, before we act, we still need to clear obstacles."

Seeing Dao Lord Xi Wu agree, the grand, layered voice chuckled.

"Cen Ling Dao Palace..."

"Getting rid of that old fellow is not a simple matter."

Dao Lord Xi Wu's expression was somewhat grave. Only by eliminating Cen Ling Dao Palace and taking control of the entire Chaotic Sea could they act conveniently, and there would be no one else to contend with Dark Moon Palace. This was the true purpose of Dark Moon Palace's earlier proposal.

"The two of us alone are naturally not enough, but my Dark Moon Palace is not just me."

"Moreover, after so many years of searching in the Chaotic Sea, this palace has indeed inadvertently discovered something. If this matter is revealed to Xuan Dao Palace, destroying Cen Ling Dao Palace can gain us another ally."