"Palace Lord, I honestly think it's almost impossible for Immortal Beasts and Immortals to ever get along. We've spent our lives in Godfall Valley, cut off from the outside, but in our bones, we look down on Immortals. It's just how we are." said the Golden Dragon King, his prideful voice echoing through the hall.
"In terms of defense, Immortals can't compare to us Immortal Beasts. Intelligence? We're just as sharp as they are. Plus, we can take on human form whenever we want—something they can't even dream of. So if you ask me, Immortal Beasts should be the true rulers of the Immortal Realm, not the Immortals." The Golden Dragon King said, conviction burning in his eyes.
"That's not the whole story," Evan Chu shot back, his eyes flashing. "You have no idea how strong Immortals can be. Their weapons and magic treasures—those are things you beasts can't make, not in a million years. Especially the true treasures: if an ordinary Immortal gets their hands on one, they can fight several, maybe dozens, of Immortal Beasts at the same level. You can't pull that off, no matter how tough you are."
"Me? I've got a dual identity—I'm both an Immortal and Dragon Clan. My biggest wish is for Immortal Beasts and Immortals to finally live in peace, to end all these thousands of years of war. But that's one hell of a challenge. I might need your help with it in the future," Evan Chu declared, a spark of hope and determination in his voice.
"That's not realistic at all," the Phoenix King objected, voice cold. "We're born to reject Immortals, and Immortals are always eyeing us, coveting our beast cores. Just like when Palace Lord wiped out the Tiger-Elephant Clan—wasn't that just to snatch their beast cores?"
"I killed the Tiger-Elephant Clan because their beast cores held lightning power, which is a huge boost for my strength. This world is survival of the fittest, full of conflicts and interests. Some things just aren't worth fussing about. As long as war doesn't break out, a few dead Immortal Beasts or Immortals is no big deal." Evan Chu replied, hot-blooded and pragmatic.
"If it meant getting stronger, I'm sure you would kill other Immortal Beasts too. That's got nothing to do with ending the war between Immortal Beasts and Immortals—it's a separate issue. Anyway, let's drop it. I came to Godfall Valley for two reasons: first, to find rare soul medicine; second, to see just how terrifying this place really is," Evan Chu said, shifting the topic.
Answering like that, Evan Chu felt a bit awkward—trying to act noble while also playing the villain. But with his Primordial Dragon identity, nobody dared contradict him. Even if some followers were secretly unhappy, they could only swallow it.
"Godfall Valley is packed with dangers. Even though we've lived here forever, there are still plenty of places we've never set foot in. The valley is huge, and lots of areas are sealed by restrictions. Even with late-stage Immortal Emperor strength, we can't break through them," the Golden Dragon King explained, awe in his tone.
"As for the top-tier soul medicine, Palace Lord, I do know of one place it might be. But it's insanely dangerous—I stumbled into it once and nearly died," the Golden Dragon King warned gravely.
Evan Chu's heart leapt—this soul medicine was exactly what he needed for the Emerald Immortal Empress. Now that there was news of it, he couldn't help but get fired up. "Where is it? I'm going to check it out myself," he said eagerly.
"It's a huge lake. The soul medicine grows right at the bottom. I passed by the surface once and saw a strange light shining from below. Curious, I dove down—but I didn't expect there to be a powerful undercurrent. Even now, just thinking about it scares me," the Golden Dragon King recounted, his voice grave.
When I got swept into that undercurrent, it felt like my whole body was coming apart. The current was fiercely corrosive—by the time I broke free, there was barely any muscle left on me. If I hadn't had late-stage Immortal Emperor strength, I'd have been dead for sure," the Golden Dragon King said, shuddering at the memory.
The soul medicine I saw was tucked in a crack beneath that undercurrent. If Palace Lord really plans to go, you must be extremely careful," the Golden Dragon King warned, urgency in his voice.
Evan Chu was stunned for a moment. A corrosive undercurrent that strong was rare—could it be infused with dark element? he wondered, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"What color was the undercurrent? Did it have any pungent or weird smell?" Evan Chu asked sharply, his investigative tone cutting through the tension.
"It was black. It appeared out of nowhere, all at once—that's how I got swept in, almost like someone was controlling it. I urge Palace Lord not to go," the Golden Dragon King said seriously.
"Top-tier soul medicine is rare, but ordinary soul-nourishing medicines aren't hard to find. Godfall Valley has plenty of precious immortal herbs and medicines. If Palace Lord needs them, we can gather some for you," the Phoenix King offered with respect.
"That's excellent. I need immortal herbs and medicines too—they're perfect for healing and powering up, but they have to be refined into pills first. Phoenix King, you handle it," Evan Chu instructed, decisive as ever.
Evan Chu mainly said this because Gavin Wei would be ascending to the Immortal Realm soon. Back in ancient times, he was the Medicine King, so refining supreme-grade pills would naturally require immortal herbs and medicines. This was basically Evan's welcome gift for him.
"Golden Dragon King, where exactly is this lake? Take me there right now. Don't worry, I won't make you go down—just show me the spot. I'm confident that even with the undercurrent at the lake bottom, it can't really hurt me," Evan Chu said with unwavering confidence.
The Golden Dragon King looked troubled. "Palace Lord, that lake is tens of thousands of li from here. Even flying, it'll take days to reach it. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Of course I'm going. No time to waste—lead the way. The rest of you, stay here. If you know where to find immortal herbs or medicines, go search for them. I won't treat anyone unfairly for your contributions," Evan Chu commanded, his tone practical and commanding.
With that, Evan Chu and the Golden Dragon King left the cave and climbed onto Goldwing's back. As the wind roared past, the Golden Dragon King was deeply moved—Golden-Winged Rocs were incredibly noble, and he never imagined he'd ride one someday. If the Roc kings saw this, who knows how they'd react.
To reach the mysterious lake, they'd have to cross Golden-Winged Roc territory. If they were spotted, trouble would surely follow—but at this moment, the Golden Dragon King didn't dare mention it to Evan Chu.
After nearly two days of flying, they arrived atop a mountain. Evan Chu had Goldwing stop—the nonstop flight had burned through a huge amount of Immortal Spirit Force.
Evan immediately took out several top-grade Immortal Stones for Goldwing to absorb, giving them all a chance to rest. Seeing those stones, the Golden Dragon King was shocked. "Palace Lord, you actually have such treasures? That's rare indeed!"
Noticing the Golden Dragon King's expression, Evan Chu found it odd. "So Godfall Valley doesn't have these crystals? How did you all advance your cultivation, and even reach late-stage Immortal Emperor?"
"I'm not sure if Godfall Valley has these crystals. But plenty of Immortals ascending to the Divine Realm bring lots of them. Over the years, we've managed to get some ourselves," the Golden Dragon King explained.
There are even crystals stronger than the ones you have, Palace Lord. Sometimes we absorb those to boost our strength. After millions of years, our cultivation naturally reached its current heights," the Golden Dragon King added, awe in his voice.
Suddenly, several piercing bird cries echoed overhead. Evan Chu looked up and saw a flock of gigantic flying beasts—each one identical to Goldwing—appearing above them...