265: Chapter 265 Giant Lotus Pu Lao

With the matters in Yangzhou settled, Gao De and Ao Xue set out on their return journey.

They did not return to the East Sea by the same route, but instead chose another path—the Tongtian River waterway.

The Tongtian River, the number one river in the Nine Provinces, originates from Kunlun in the far west, flows through four provinces, and eventually empties into the East Sea. Traveling along the river allows one to reach the upper reaches of Yunmeng Marsh directly and then transfer through Lake Dongting, which is nearly half the distance of bypassing through the East Sea.

"We'll take the water route," Gao De said. "It's a good chance to see the local customs of Yangzhou."

Ao Xue naturally had no objections.

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The two bought a Spirit Boat and traveled upstream along the Tongtian River.

---

The boat traveled for several months.

The scenery on both banks was completely different from the East Sea.

The East Sea was vast and boundless; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ocean.

Along the banks of the Tongtian River, however, were layers of emerald green mountains and dotted villages, with occasional fishing songs at dusk and the melodious sound of shepherd flutes.

Ao Xue stood at the bow of the ship, watching intently.

She had grown up in the Dragon Palace and later followed Gao De through Yunmeng, Jiuyou, Xianyang, and Yangzhou. What she had seen were either battlefields or ruins, either forbidden lands or dead cities.

This was the first time she had seen such peaceful, everyday human life.

"Great King," she suddenly spoke up, "do you think those Mortals know that Cultivators exist in this world?"

Gao De thought for a moment.

"They know a bit," he said. "In their eyes, Cultivators are the Immortals of legend. Flying through the sky, tunneling through the earth, Summoning Wind and Rain—capable of anything."

"But they don't know that Cultivators have their own troubles as well."

Ao Xue asked, "What troubles?"

Gao De looked into the distance.

"Mortals worry about their livelihoods, illness, and life and death."

"Cultivators worry about Realms, Magic Treasures, and the Great Dao."

"In the end, it's all the same."

Ao Xue was silent for a moment.

"Then... what exactly is it that we are cultivating?"

Gao De did not answer immediately.

After a long while, he said softly, "I didn't know before either."

"Later in Xianyang, the Ancestral Dragon told me something."

Ao Xue asked, "What was it?"

Gao De said, "The end of cultivation is not Immortal Ascension, nor is it longevity, but rather—seeing oneself clearly."

Ao Xue was stunned.

Gao De looked at her.

"Do you know why I have always kept you with me?"

Ao Xue shook her head.

Gao De smiled.

"Because you made me see one thing clearly."

"What thing?"

"Even though I transformed from a fish," Gao De said, "I don't want to hide in the silt for my whole life."

"I want to see exactly how high this sky is."

"Exactly how thick this earth is."

"And exactly how many paths there are to this Great Dao."

He paused.

"And you are willing to watch it with me."

Ao Xue was silent.

Then, she turned her head away.

Gao De saw that the tips of her ears were slightly red.

He didn't speak again.

He just gazed at the green mountains on both banks, letting the Spirit Boat drift with the current.

---

Another three days passed.

The Spirit Boat reached a wide stretch of water.

The riverbed suddenly widened here, the mountains on both banks receded, and in their place was a boundless marsh.

The marsh was filled with lotus leaves.

They were no ordinary lotus leaves.

Each lotus leaf was ten zhang in diameter.

Each lotus stem was as thick as three people wrapping their arms around it.

The lotus leaves were layered upon each other, covering the entire water surface, stretching beyond the horizon.

"This is..." Ao Xue drew in a cold breath.

Gao De was also stunned.

He had lived for several hundred years and seen countless wonders, but he had never seen such a sight.

A ten-thousand-mu giant lotus pond.

The lotus leaves were like canopies, blotting out the sun.

The lotus stems were like pillars, propping up a green sky.

Deep within the lotus pond, a massive, pinkish-white flower bud could be vaguely seen.

Flower bud.

That bud was about a hundred zhang tall; it had not yet bloomed, but it already emitted a faint, delicate fragrance.

Within that fragrance, a trace of Great Dao power was faintly contained.

"Great King," Ao Xue's voice trembled, "what is that?"

Gao De did not answer.

He just stared at that flower bud.

He stared at the top of the bud, where a flickering figure sat.

It was a frog.

A giant, entirely golden frog.

It squatted on top of the bud, its eyes slightly closed, as if in a deep sleep.

Compared to the hundred-zhang bud, its body appeared extremely small.

But Gao De could sense—

That tiny body contained an incredibly terrifying power.

Stronger than any Rank Five he had ever seen.

It was not much weaker than Situ Kong.

"Rank Five," he said softly.

Ao Xue's pupils constricted.

"Rank Five?!"

Gao De nodded.

"And not an ordinary Rank Five."

He stared at the golden frog and said word by word:

"One of the Nine Sons of the Dragon—Pulao."

---

Pulao.

One of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, ranked fourth.

Shaped like a frog, fond of roaring, and likes to reside atop lotus flowers.

Legend has it that Pulao's cry can shake the Nine Heavens, being the loudest sound in heaven and earth.

But the Pulao before them was as quiet as a stone.

Gao De's heart stirred.

He recalled a passage from the 'Secret Records of Mountains and Seas':

"Pulao is a son of the Dragon. Fond of roaring, yet falls silent when encountering a giant whale. Thus, it often resides atop lotus flowers to avoid whale-related troubles."

So that was it.

This Pulao was not refusing to roar.

It was waiting.

Waiting for someone worthy of its roar.

Just as Gao De was lost in thought, the Pulao suddenly opened its eyes.

Two beams of pale golden light shot from its eyes, falling straight toward Gao De!

There was no hostility in that light.

Only scrutiny.

"Junior..."

An old and resonant voice echoed in Gao De's mind.

Although the voice wasn't loud, it made Gao De's Divine Soul tremble slightly—truly a creature talented in roaring.

"You have... the aura of the Ancestral Dragon on you."

"And also... something from the Outer Realm."

"Interesting."

"Come here, let this seat have a look."

Gao De was silent for a moment.

Then, he said to Ao Xue, "Wait for me here."

Ao Xue was startled: "Great King?"

"It's fine," Gao De said. "If it wanted to harm me, it would have acted long ago."

He took a step forward and glided toward that sky-propping giant lotus.

---

At the peak of the giant lotus.

Atop the palace.

Gao De landed before Pulao.

At close range, this Pulao was only about a zhang in size, pale gold all over, with skin as delicate as jade. Its dragon head was slightly raised, and its eyes held an innate majesty.

But in those eyes, there was also a trace of—

Loneliness.

"Sit," Pulao said.

Gao De sat down cross-legged.

Pulao sized him up.

After a long while, it spoke:

"You obtained the Ancestral Dragon's taia sword."

"You also obtained his Legacy."

"But your Dao is not the Ancestral Dragon's Dao."

Gao De nodded.

"My Dao is my own."

A flash of approval passed through Pulao's eyes.

"Good," it said. "Knowing what you want is more important than knowing how to walk the path."

It paused.

"Do you know why this seat is here?"

Gao De shook his head.

Pulao looked into the distance.

"This seat has guarded this place for a hundred thousand years."

"Guarding this lotus."

"Waiting for a person."

Gao De's heart stirred.

"Waiting for whom?"

Pulao withdrew its gaze and fixed it on him.

"You."

Gao De was startled.

Pulao said slowly:

"Back then, when the Ancestral Dragon failed his Immortal Ascension, before he died, he sent a message to this seat."

"He said that if one day, someone came bearing the taia sword—"

"This seat should take him to a certain place."

Gao De asked, "What place?"

Pulao did not answer.

It simply raised a front claw and lightly tapped the Void Realm.

Within the Void Realm, a gateway emerged.

The gateway was entirely golden, carved with countless dragon patterns.

Above the gateway were three large characters—

"Dragon Gate Realm"

Gao De's pupils constricted!

This was the ancestral court of the Dragon Clan.

It was the birthplace of the Dragon Clan, the source of all Dragon Clan Bloodlines.

Legend has it that the Ancestral Dragon was born there, and then emerged to found the Dragon Clan lineage.

But the ancestral court had long since disappeared.

It was said that after the Ancestral Dragon's failed Immortal Ascension, the ancestral court was sealed, and no one could find it again.

"Where is it?" Gao De asked.

Pulao said, "It is right within this lotus."

Gao De was stunned.

This sky-propping giant lotus was actually the entrance to the Dragon Clan's ancestral court?

Pulao nodded.

"This seat has guarded for a hundred thousand years, just to wait for one person."

"A person qualified to step into the ancestral court."

It looked at Gao De.

"You have that qualification."

"But—"

It paused.

"That dark green seed inside your body is a thing from the Outer Realm."

"Before stepping into the ancestral court, you must first refine it."

"Otherwise—"

"You will bring Outer Realm things into the Dragon Clan's Holy Land."

Gao De was silent.

He knew Pulao was right.

That dark green seed came from an Outer Realm Evil God. Although it held no malice, it was ultimately an external object.

If it wasn't refined, bringing it into the ancestral court recklessly would lead to unpredictable consequences.

"How do I refine it?" he asked.

Pulao said, "This seat will assist you."

It opened its mouth.

**"ROAR—!!!"**

A low-pitched roar issued from its mouth.

The sound wasn't loud, but it contained some ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

As the sound waves entered his ears, Gao De's whole body jolted!

He felt his Divine Soul being gently lifted by this sound, suspended within the Void Realm.

Within his Dantian, the golden dragon pearl and that dark green seed vibrated simultaneously!

"The Dao of the Outer Realm is also a Dao," Pulao's voice rang out. "The three thousand Great Daos do not distinguish between one another."

"If you can integrate it into your own Dao—"

"Your Dao Fruit will be more complete than anyone else's."

Golden light and dark green light intertwined within Gao De's body.

Blending.

Fusion.

Pulao's roar nourished everything like spring rain.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Gao De opened his eyes.

Within his Dantian, the golden dragon pearl had changed.

It was no longer pure gold.

Instead, gold and dark green intertwined, transforming into a brand-new color—

Chaotic Gold-Green.

In the center of the dragon pearl, a fruit the size of a fist floated quietly.

That was—

A Dao Fruit.

He raised his head and looked at Pulao.

A flash of gratification appeared in Pulao's eyes.

"It is done," it said.

"The Dao Fruit is formed, and the inner world opens of its own accord."

Gao De closed his eyes to inspect his internal state.

As expected.

Within his Dantian, the Dao Fruit pulsed gently.

With every pulse, countless fine patterns spread out, carving out a region within his body—

A world.

That world was not large.

It was only about a hundred li in diameter.

But it had mountains and water, sky and earth.

There was the roar of thunder and the breath of slaughter.

There was the flow of Karma and the cycle of Reincarnation.

There was—every path he had ever walked.

There was—every Dao he had ever comprehended.

"This is... the inner world," he murmured.

Pulao nodded.

"From this day forward, you are a walking world unto yourself."

"With every gesture, the power of a world follows you."

"Below Rank Six, no one is your match."

Gao De was silent.

After a long while, he opened his eyes.

He looked toward Pulao.

"Thank you, Senior."

Pulao waved a front claw.

"No need to thank this seat," it said. "This is the path you walked yourself."

"This seat merely... let out a shout."

It paused.

"Besides—"

It looked behind Gao De.

There, Ao Xue was standing on the Spirit Boat, watching from a distance.

"You are carrying a descendant of the Blood Dragon."

"Though her Bloodline is not pure, she has potential."

"Treat her well."

"The Dragon Clan needs new Bloodlines."

Gao De was startled.

Pulao said no more.

It just raised its front claw and pointed toward the giant lotus.

"Go," it said. "Go to the ancestral court."

"Go meet those—who are waiting for you."

Gao De wanted to ask "Who is waiting for me?", but Pulao gave him no chance.

It opened its mouth.

**"ROAR—!!!"**

This time, the sound was like thunder!

The sound waves transformed into an invisible giant hand, lifting Gao De and sending him into the heart of the giant lotus!

The lotus petals bloomed layer by layer.

Gao De's figure disappeared deep within the flower's center.

Ao Xue cried out from the Spirit Boat, "Great King—!"

Pulao looked down at her.

In those pale golden eyes, there was a hint of gentleness.

"Rest assured," it said. "He will return soon."

"You just wait here."

It squatted down again and closed its eyes.

As if everything had nothing to do with it.

Only that giant lotus continued to bloom quietly.

Waiting.

A hundred thousand years of waiting.

Finally, the person who was meant to be waited for had arrived.