hold head high--

The long, drawn-out dragon roar could not be completely drowned out even by the raging, howling storm. Feng Bingwen, who was searching desperately for traces of the extraterrestrial demon in the desolate sea, heard the dragon roar and his face immediately lit up with joy.

"There's a dragon!"

The desolate sea is barren and lifeless. Even if dragons could survive here, they wouldn't normally come here, much less roar and shout for no reason.

Upon hearing the sound, Feng Bingwen seemed to receive guidance and, riding the storm powerful enough to tear apart refined iron, pursued the source of the dragon's roar.

Cutting through the wind and waves, Feng Bingwen soon found a purple-scaled dragon fighting a bloody battle with an indescribable monster in the desolate sea!

"Huh!"

Looking at the purple-scaled dragon that had begun to suppress the monster and was gaining a slight advantage, Feng Bingwen let out a soft exclamation. He felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this dragon somewhere before.

He hadn't encountered many dragons, and among the purple-scaled ones, only the Xuan Ting Lake Dragon Palace had. The Lord of Xuan Ting Lake, who could already be called the Dragon King, had passed the Dragon Transformation Tribulation and become a true dragon. The one in front of him was clearly a jiaolong with only four toes.

"Is this the offspring of that Xuan Ting Shui Jun?"

Feng Bingwen roughly guessed the identity of the purple-scaled dragon in front of him. As he thought of it, a blood-red sharp light slid out from his sleeve, transforming into a thousand-foot sword aura. It ignored the fierce storm and pierced through the monster fighting with the purple-scaled dragon in an instant, leaving a bloody hole that went through both ends.

It was this sword strike that instantly and severely injured the monster that made the Purple-Scaled Flood Dragon, whose mind and energy were mostly focused on its opponent, belatedly look towards Feng Bingwen's location.

In the face of the perilous nature of war, seeing her opponent's momentum plummeting, the purple-scaled dragon had no time to search for anyone to come to her aid. After letting out a long roar, it summoned the wind and rain that filled the sky, along with the purple lightning bursting from its scales. The wind and lightning intertwined and converged, striking the monster in front of it.

The already weakened monster could no longer hold on. Its massive body, resembling a small mountain, was torn to pieces by the raging wind and thunder. Large and small fragments of flesh and blood instantly covered the sea surface, making the already murky wasteland even more polluted, filled with an ominous atmosphere.

Having emerged victorious in this skirmish, the Purple-Scaled Flood Dragon exhaled a chilling breath mixed with thunder. Before it could deal with the battlefield below, the vertical child, whose face was flashing with lightning, looked at the Taoist priest who was approaching on the storm, his expression wary.

"Thank you for your help, senior. May I ask who you are and what brings you to this desolate sea?"

Xi Qingyu stared at Feng Bingwen warily. Even though she could feel the gap between herself and the Taoist in front of her, she did not relax in the slightest. It seemed that as long as things were not right, she would do her best to fight back.

After all, it's really too incongruous to suddenly encounter a human immortal in such a place. Why would this immortal leave his perfectly good blessed land and come to this desolate sea? Humans have no responsibility to guard the desolate sea.

The human immortal before her might be a demon from beyond the realm in disguise. As for why she didn't disguise herself as a dragon, it's probably because dragons have a blood connection with each other. On the contrary, an unfamiliar human immortal might be able to deceive a dragon as young as her.

But if this extraterrestrial demon thinks it can be fooled, it is sorely mistaken. Even if it perishes in the desolate sea, it will never become a breakthrough point for the extraterrestrial demon to threaten the world.

When she bid farewell to her father and came to the desolate sea to seek the opportunity to transform into a dragon, she already had this realization: she would either succeed or die trying.

"Fellow Daoist, do not panic, I come from the Supreme Dao!"

Seeing the deep panic and undisguised vigilance hidden in the dragon's eyes, Feng Bingwen put on what he thought was a gentle smile and answered kindly.

"What are the immortals of the Supreme Dao doing here?"

Upon hearing this answer, Xi Qingyu's doubts deepened. She simply couldn't understand why the people from the number one immortal sect of the human race would come here. Moreover, this immortal sect was said to be as elusive as myths and legends among the human race.

If, as she suspected, the Taoist priest before her was an imposter from beyond the realm, then it meant that those demons already had a certain understanding of their world. The identity they chose was so unique that even humans, let alone the dragon race, would find it difficult to verify.

"Of course, it's to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path!"

Upon hearing this question, Feng Bingwen immediately suppressed his smile and answered with an upright expression.

"Really?!"

However, this answer only confirmed Xi Qingyu's suspicions: the Taoist priest in front of her was most likely a demon from beyond the realm in disguise.

What demon-slaying and righteousness-defending? It's laughable. The dragon race didn't ask the human race for help. Why would the human immortals risk their lives to come to the desolate sea to exorcise demons?

"nature."

"I see."

Seeing the Taoist's composed expression, Xi Qingyu realized that her posture seemed too aggressive. Even if she resisted, she would probably not have a good end and would just die in vain.

If this extraterrestrial demon truly intended to infiltrate, it wouldn't be able to take her life in a short time. She should feign compliance with it, find a suitable opportunity, and then execute it on the spot. After all, there is more than one true dragon roaming in this desolate sea.

"Qingyu thanks you, senior!"

To please the Taoist, the purple dragon transformed into a graceful young woman of sixteen or seventeen, and bowed respectfully.

Her eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, her skin was as white as jade, her dragon horns were crystal clear, her purple hair was radiant and colorful, and she wore her hair in a bun with a pair of hairpins and a crown of flowers, adorned with pearls. Her red hair was delicate and graceful, and when her long eyelashes fluttered, her bright eyes seemed to gather like autumn water, shimmering with thousands of waves.

It was exactly the same look that Feng Bingwen had seen.

"So it's Qingyu. I thought it was your brother Qingyi!"

Looking at the stunningly beautiful young woman before him, Feng Bingwen immediately smiled.

To be honest, if these dragons hadn't transformed into human form, he really couldn't tell their genders just by looking at them.

"Does the senior know my elder brother?"

Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, Xi Qingyu's eyes flickered, and she asked curiously, but her vigilance had already reached its peak.

The Taoist sect has the art of mind reading, the Buddhist sect has the ability to read minds, and the demonic path has even more secret techniques for searching souls. As far as she knows, there are more than ten kinds of Taoist supernatural powers that can spy on other people's thoughts. It is hard to say that this extraterrestrial demon does not have similar methods.

This extraterrestrial demon might have glimpsed the memories in her mind and learned her brother's name.

However, if that were the case, all the schemes in her mind would probably have already fallen into his eyes. With her cultivation level, she would have no room to struggle and would probably only become a plaything in his hands, at his mercy.

"Of course we know each other. Your Highness should also recognize me. How come we've become so distant after only a few years apart?"

Feng Bingwen replied with a smile. He could tell at a glance that the dragon girl in front of him didn't recognize him at all, since his current appearance was indeed very different from back then.

For humans, a decade or so is enough to enter the next stage of life, but for dragons, even a short nap might not be enough.

"Please forgive my ignorance, but I don't know where I've met you before, senior?"

Xi Qingyu racked her brains, but even after searching through her many memories, she could not find the scene of her meeting the immortal in front of her.

This was clearly their first meeting, yet for some reason, she felt a faint sense of familiarity, though she couldn't pinpoint the source of it.

Her father had only survived the Dragon Transformation Tribulation a little over ten years ago. It was only after her father transformed into a true dragon that she and her children had the opportunity to glimpse the figures of higher-level beings in the cultivation world, but that was all.

If she had indeed previously met this immortal who claimed to be from the Supreme Dao, she could not have forgotten; she was certain that she had not lost any memory.

"It was naturally on Xuan Ting Lake, but I didn't have the cultivation I have now back then, and I was just a child. I wonder if Your Highness still remembers me?"

Looking at the dragon girl in front of him, who had a somewhat bewildered appearance, Feng Bingwen found it amusing and helped her recall the past.

"You are Senior Feng!"

Xi Qingyu was stunned for a moment, and then she remembered that sage reincarnation. After all, her father was able to successfully transform into a dragon without that person's help.

However, the difference between the handsome Taoist in front of her and the child she remembered from back then was too great. And it wasn't just his appearance, but also his cultivation level, which made her feel slightly suffocated.

She still remembered the reincarnation of a sage whom even her father treated with utmost respect. In fact, she could have easily manipulated him, though of course, she had never thought of it that way.

But now, the mere presence of this Taoist priest before her gave her a suffocating feeling, making her unable to muster any thought of fighting him.

"It seems that Your Highness Qingyu has finally remembered this humble Taoist!"

Feng Bingwen answered with a smile, directly admitting it.

He looked at the stunningly beautiful dragon girl before him as if she were a perfect tool dragon.

He couldn't possibly order around a pure-blooded true dragon, but this little dragon was different; he could easily control it. Of course, he was also a ruthless Taoist who wouldn't give any benefits in exchange for someone else's services, and he wouldn't shortchange anyone on what they deserved.

"So it's Senior Feng!"

Upon suddenly confirming Feng Bingwen's identity, even Xi Qingyu's flawless face couldn't help but show a look of joy. She felt that she might have misunderstood.

"What? Your Highness Qingyu, what did you just take me for?"

Feng Bingwen noticed the slightly embarrassed look on the dragon girl's face and asked her curiously.

"I thought you were a demon from beyond the realm in disguise, and I even planned to trick you into coming before one of my Dragon Clan's emperors so that I could execute you!"

Xi Qingyu answered honestly.

In the face of such a being, she dared not play any tricks, because this reincarnated sage, who was originally very weak, no longer needed to show respect on the surface. The strength he had regained was enough to earn him respect.

Indeed, in this dragon girl's mind, she had already dismissed Feng Bingwen's identity as a reincarnated sage. After all, apart from a reincarnated sage, she couldn't think of any other human who could elevate their cultivation to such a level in such a short time.

Even though the cultivation speed of human prodigies far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators, there should still be some basic rules.

"Hahaha, what a coincidence! I came from a black dragon. That guy is indulging in pleasure and debauchery. I asked him to join me, but he was unwilling!"

As Feng Bingwen spoke, he took out a black dragon seal from his bosom and showed it to the dragon girl in front of him. Xi Qingyu felt a little more relaxed after seeing the seal.

"So it's His Majesty Heituo's imperial seal!"

"That fellow gave me this little seal so that you guys who doubt my identity can verify it."

"After all, those extraterrestrial demons are extremely cunning. Please forgive any offense caused, Senior Feng!"

Xi Qingyu bowed again to express her apology.

"It's a trivial matter, nothing to worry about. It's quite commendable that you can maintain this level of vigilance!"

Although he was probably not even a fraction of the age of this dragon girl, she had already placed him in the position of an elder, so Feng Bingwen naturally couldn't hold it against her.

"I wonder what you seek, senior, coming from the desolate sea? This place is so barren."

Although the misunderstanding had been cleared up, a lingering doubt remained, so Xi Qingyu asked to confirm it.

"If the desolate sea is truly so barren and utterly useless, then why is Princess Qingyu here? Why not stay in Xuan Ting Lake and enjoy the honor bestowed upon you as the daughter of a true dragon?"

Feng Bingwen did not answer but asked a question in return.

"I came to the desolate sea to seek an opportunity in order to transform into a dragon!"

Xi Qingyu answered calmly.

Only true dragons can receive the summons of the Ancestral Dragon. As for these little dragons who have not yet transformed into dragons, they all went to the desolate sea voluntarily, seeking to shed their falsehood and become true dragons.

The number of dragons that have perished in the desolate sea in recent years is actually difficult to count, but every dragon that has found an opportunity in the desolate sea and survived the dragon transformation tribulation is known to all dragons.

Why did it come to this?

Upon hearing the reason why this noble dragon maiden had appeared in this desolate sea, Feng Bingwen couldn't help but shake his head.

"Is Your Highness not afraid of dying?"

"What is there to fear? Even you, senior, are not afraid."

Xi Qingyu countered with a question.

"I only dared to come here because I have the means to save my life. Even if something unforeseen happens, I am confident that I can escape!"

Feng Bingwen looked at the dragon girl with admiration. Putting everything else aside, her spirit of seeking the Dao—her courage, perseverance, and willingness to risk her life—was worthy of his respect and praise.

At the very least, he couldn't do that in the same position. If he really became a dragon and had a true dragon father, he would naturally enjoy it and occasionally take some time to cultivate. He would be able to rank among the top among the descendants of true dragons.

"..."

"To be honest, Your Highness, I am new to the Desolate Sea and not very familiar with this place. Would Your Highness be willing to be my guide and help me find the traces of the Heavenly Demon?"