Chapter Two: The Beginning

Ao Bing stood on the surface of the sea for the first time, gazing at the seemingly calm but actually turbulent ocean beneath him, where hidden currents surged violently.

The vast sea stretched out in shades of deep blue, growing darker and more unfathomable toward its depths.

Bored, he lay back on the water’s surface, watching the blazing sun in the sky.

This world was unsafe for the demon clans. The dragon race was a branch of the demon clans. Although the Yinglong once aided the Yellow Emperor, that was only among the elite. The lower ranks remained subject to the harsh realities of their fate.

The human race was by no means weak. Didn’t everyone see how General Li Jing and his wife led armies daily to exterminate demons? If they discovered Ao Bing, they wouldn’t hesitate to feast on dragon broth and porridge.

The dragons had fallen into the lowest ebb in their history.

Looking at their current plight, it was understandable: the Dragon Palace in the molten lava inferno, countless sea beasts imprisoned within.

One had to admit, the Heavenly Emperor had played a brilliant move, forcing the once supreme scaled race of the world to be forever occupied with battling monstrous creatures of the sea.

By imprisoning but not killing, the Heavenly Emperor demonstrated both the majesty of his divine authority and his benevolence. All hatred and blame were borne by the dragons, yet they dared not protest.

Once a proud and commanding clan over all demons under heaven, their arrogance had been worn down little by little, until now they barely survived.

Ao Bing’s gaze was deep and distant, his mind focused on the causal seed of the great Dao within him—two leaves, each capable of opening a passage to two different worlds.

However, the energy required to activate this, the sustainability of development, and the time ratio between the two worlds were all factors Ao Bing had to consider carefully.

Where would the causal energy needed for the arrival of fate come from? How could the seed grow into leaves?

The world he chose to enter could not be too low-level—what use would that be? Nor too high-level, lest he be cast aside as mere cannon fodder.

The only suitable worlds were those of high martial arts and mysterious fantasy, where dragons existed. Only with dragons was there meaningful causality—at least for Ao Bing at this time.

As for other sources of causality, none existed for now. Among the worlds with dragons and suitable conditions, those with shorter timelines and appropriate battle intensity, after searching his entire mind, only the Fengyun World fit the criteria.

In the early stages of Fengyun, martial strength was relatively low. With Ao Bing’s current power, it was not easy to be slain. By the second part, the power levels would rise sharply.

Though lacking magical treasures, the battles were no less fierce than those of human experts in his own world. The Seven Martial Dragon Slayers, for instance, were all adult dragons. Though lacking consciousness, they were far stronger than Ao Bing at present.

That dragon was also one of Ao Bing’s goals. This way, under the Heavenly Tribulation Curse, he would have a substitute. A mindless being was perfect for wiping the slate clean and using its soul for his purposes.

The only instability lay in the flow of time. He had to return before Nezha’s storyline concluded. At least Ao Bing was unwilling to gamble on whether the Primordial Supreme Venerable could reach through other worlds to capture him.

Every world’s Primordial Supreme Venerable was an unparalleled figure. Such a person could only be treated as if nothing had happened; Ao Bing would follow the original plot, complete his role, and exit peacefully.

He absolutely did not wish to confront such a figure—at least not until he grew stronger and understood the causality involved.

As the sun set in the west, Ao Bing slowly sank, immersing himself beneath the waves.

“Greetings, Father, Master!”

“Have you finished your assignments?”

The Old Dragon King gazed at Ao Bing with satisfaction, his eyes revealing no softness but instead an imposing pressure that weighed heavily upon Ao Bing.

“I have completed them!”

Ao Bing was accustomed to this routine. Even witnessing the lamentable state of the dragon race, he found it hard to believe.

Once the strongest clan, if their foundation was only this, then even with Ao Bing alone, it would be impossible to save the dragons.

“I have come to say to Father and Master that I wish to enter seclusion to cultivate for a time. I hope for your permission.”

Ao Bing lowered his head, his voice low and gentle, yet imbued with his own firm will.

The Old Dragon King exchanged a glance with Shen Gongbao, who offered no objection.

“How long do you intend to remain in seclusion? Only a year and a half remains of the three-year period.”

The Old Dragon King scrutinized Ao Bing, puzzled by his choice to enter seclusion now.

“Ao Bing naturally remembers the causality of the Spirit Pearl. However, the Demon Pearl is inherently combative and explosive in nature. It is said that a thousand years of cultivation are not as effective as a single day of becoming a demon. To deal with the Demon Pearl, I still need to work harder!”

Ao Bing’s face showed concern, but his heart was calm as still water.

He reckoned Nezha must also be in seclusion within the Mountains and Rivers National Map at this time.

This was also one reason Ao Bing had lost to Nezha.

Abundant battle experience, combined with the Demon Pearl’s tempestuous nature and weapons like the Fire-Tipped Spear, Chaos Heaven Scarf, and Wind-Fire Wheels—all surpassing Ao Bing—made his defeat unsurprising.

“Hmm, it is good that you have such thoughts, my son, but remember: haste makes waste. Everything requires balance between tension and relaxation.”

“Daoist, do you have any opinions?”

The Old Dragon King directed the last question to Shen Gongbao. Shen Gongbao often stuttered and usually remained silent, leaving the Old Dragon King to speak on his behalf.

“This is the complete ‘Nine Heavens of Ice Jade.’ Since you are entering seclusion, I… I hope that when you emerge, you will have achieved… great success! These are some other… he… practical minor magical arts you wanted to learn—all contained within!”

Shen Gongbao handed over two scrolls. One bore the large characters “Nine Heavens of Ice Jade,” the other was an encyclopedia of magical arts.

Ao Bing accepted them without hesitation and said to Shen Gongbao,

“I will not fail the trust of my master!”

…………………………

Inside the seclusion chamber, the formation activated. Ao Bing first opened the “Nine Heavens of Ice Jade” to memorize its content.

Once confident he would not forget, he opened the other tome, the encyclopedia of magical arts.

Too voluminous to learn in entirety, Ao Bing skimmed through it, deciding to focus on water-related spells.

In three days, he memorized minor spells such as Water Control Technique, Ice Cold Technique, and Rejuvenation Art, though he did not practice them yet.

He would save that for after crossing over; no rush for now.

All divine arts and magical techniques began with minor spells. Personal constitution and attributes determined whether one’s cultivation of related arts was efficient or not.

With preparations complete, Ao Bing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Whether he could become a dominant force in the future depended on this moment.

His spirit gazed upon the causal Dao seed in his mind, lightly touching one of its leaves.

The leaf began to fragment under his will, and recalling his memory, he connected to the Fengyun World.

The world shifted before his eyes. Ao Bing saw countless worlds like stars in the sky, carried by the shattered leaf as he swiftly traversed in an indescribable state.

He lost track of time and space until a faint voice whispered in his ear:

“Golden scales are no pond creatures; once met with wind and clouds, they become dragons! The nine heavens’ dragon clouds bring earth-shattering change; when wind and clouds converge, the hidden dragon swims beneath the waves!”