Chapter 14: The Innate Forbidden Seal

After hearing the words of Prime Minister Turtle, Ao Tong, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, sighed deeply. "Prime Minister Turtle, if this celestial island had appeared in the past, our dragon clan would certainly not have missed it. But considering our current situation..."

Prime Minister Turtle sighed along with him. Nowadays, the dragon clan’s strength was largely tied up suppressing the Sea Eye, leaving only the younger generation outside.

The emergence of the celestial island was a grand event. In the primordial world, many innate divine beings would surely come to seize the opportunity. At present, the dragon clan lacked the power to contend with such forces.

Yet, Ao Tong was reluctant to simply give up on the celestial island.

“Since the celestial island has manifested above our Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, naturally our dragon clan cannot miss this chance,” a majestic voice echoed from deep within the Dragon Palace.

Upon hearing this voice, both Ao Tong and Prime Minister Turtle showed a flicker of excitement in their eyes and quickly bowed in response.

When members of the dragon clan arrived at the sea surface, many independent cultivators from the Eastern Sea had already gathered at the site where the celestial island had appeared. Among them were not only Golden Immortals but also several at the Taiyi level, and even a few at the Da Luo tier remained hidden.

However, the celestial island still shimmered faintly within the void, making its exact location difficult to discern. These people had little means to fix its position.

As time passed, the protective array surrounding the island became clearer, and the divine radiance emitted by the island grew increasingly intense.

Great beings from the primordial world began to arrive in droves.

A century later, the celestial island finally emerged completely from the void. By then, nearly a hundred Da Luo-level beings had gathered outside the island.

At the forefront stood some of the most supreme powers of the primordial world, aside from the Dao Ancestors: the Three Pure Ones, Emperor Jun, Taiyi, the Red Cloud of Zhenyuanzi, the River of Darkness, and Kunpeng.

White Jing did not position himself at the very front but stood among the great beings instead. He was not here to seize spiritual treasures or roots; his purpose was to collect celestial materials and ores. Since few in the primordial world knew how to refine artifacts, and few would compete with him for such materials, standing here suited him perfectly.

White Jing had initially thought that no one would pay him much attention.

Unexpectedly, the Three Pure Ones were already discussing him among themselves through telepathic communication.

The first to notice White Jing was Yuanshi Tianzun, who whispered to his brothers, “Elder Brother, Third Brother, look at that Daoist shaped like a pure white lotus of the world’s cleansing.”

Laozi and Tongtian simultaneously looked toward White Jing. Laozi frowned while Tongtian appeared somewhat surprised.

“Has he obtained some great opportunity? Why is the spiritual energy around him wildly flowing into his body?” Tongtian asked with a hint of astonishment.

Yuanshi Tianzun shared this doubt; it was this phenomenon that drew his attention to White Jing.

Laozi, the only one among the three who had severed the Good Corpse and broken through to quasi-sainthood, possessed a broader perspective. He shook his head and said, “He has not gained a great opportunity but has chosen the path of proving the Dao through strength. Most likely, he is seeking enlightenment through the Devouring Dao.”

“Devouring Dao? But isn’t he the pure white lotus of the world’s cleansing? Even if he seeks to prove the Dao through strength, shouldn’t it be the Purification Dao?” Yuanshi Tianzun remarked.

Laozi did not elaborate further, as even he could not fully understand why White Jing would choose the Devouring Dao.

“Fortunately, we arrived in time. Brother, as soon as we emerged from seclusion, this celestial island appeared. Clearly, it is connected to us!”

“Indeed, Brother’s words ring true.”

As they spoke, two Daoists in tattered robes descended from the sky, landing before the foremost great beings of the primordial world.

“Greetings, fellow Daoists,” they said before turning their gaze toward the celestial island.

Though called an island, it was essentially a small world unto itself—boundless and vast, surrounded by flowing golden light so dazzling it could not be looked upon directly.

The two, Jieyin and Zhun Ti, had seen this kind of golden light before; it was the hallmark of a rare treasure’s emergence—the innate grand array!

However, the scale and power of this grand array were unprecedented for them. Were it not for the island nearing full emergence and the array’s power beginning to wane, even as Da Luo beings, they could only approach but not break through it.

Encased within such a formidable innate grand array, the treasures on this island must be unimaginable. If these possessions fell to them, the resurgence of the Western Regions would be promising indeed!

Just as Jieyin and Zhun Ti were fantasizing about the treasures, a water clan warrior whose aura had reached the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal suddenly manifested his true form—a massive crab.

This giant crab was a strange beast of the primordial world, with pincers each over a hundred meters long and a body as vast as an ancient divine mountain, adorned with jagged spines that were terrifying to behold.

The giant crab howled to the heavens, wielding no magic but raising its enormous pincers to slash at the grand array!

Many of the aquatic clans in the Eastern Sea recognized this old crab. Unlike the water clans under the dragon clan’s command, it was a lone cultivator rumored to possess fierce beast bloodline.

Its pair of pincers were incredibly formidable. Many years ago, it had battled a Da Luo Golden Immortal from the dragon clan. Though it was defeated, it narrowly escaped with its life thanks to these pincers. It was said that even the Da Luo who bested it dared not confront these pincers head-on.

Some water clan warriors familiar with the crab began to gather their energy, preparing to follow it into the array.

From their perspective, no matter how formidable the array’s power, could it easily annihilate such a terrifying primordial beast?

Yet, the next moment brought a shock none of the water clans expected. The instant the giant pincers struck the innate array, they began to crack and shatter. A long, painful howl followed, and within a few breaths, the enormous pincers were ground to powder and vanished!

Those who had been ready to charge in alongside the crab broke out in cold sweat.

“Those pincers had been tempered for countless years, making them indestructible—excellent materials for forging artifacts. It is a pity to see them destroyed like this,” Yuanshi Tianzun lamented.

White Jing also shared this regret. From the moment the giant crab manifested its true form, he had fixed his gaze on its pincers. Such massive pincers surely contained delicious meat within.

Unfortunately, the crab was reckless to attack the grand array of the Penglai Celestial Island directly. Was it courting death?

White Jing was intimately familiar with this innate array surrounding the celestial island. If he were not the pure white lotus of the Penglai Celestial Island, no Da Luo would be able to break through the formation.

Before the Penglai Celestial Island, many water clans froze in place, fearful after witnessing the sudden disappearance of the ancient giant turtle.

But after a brief calm, while the crowd still observed the grand array, it suddenly erupted again in a burst of golden light. Water clans below the Golden Immortal level were instantly obliterated by the radiance; those at the Golden Immortal level were stunned, and only those at the Taiyi level could barely maintain their stance.

Following this golden light came the full emergence of the Penglai Celestial Island. The great beings at the forefront simultaneously launched their attacks from different directions.

With a sound like glass shattering, the protective array of the Penglai Celestial Island was broken. Those who dismantled the array gained a significant advantage, rushing first into the celestial island itself.