Because Lin Yun was cultivating the Dragon Claw Technique, he could sense that the fifth level wouldn’t be mastered as quickly or easily as the previous ones.
The rapid progress through the first four levels was largely due to his strong foundation.
“Hm? The seal is starting to weaken.”
Through his divine sense, Lin Yun noticed the barrier outside beginning to loosen.
“Little Green Dragon, the seal is weakening. Come out!” Lin Yun immediately called.
As soon as he spoke, Little Green Dragon emerged from the One Thought Clarity Tower.
“How’s your cultivation going?” Lin Yun asked eagerly.
Lin Yun had been there for just over a day. With the time acceleration in the One Thought Clarity Tower, Little Green Dragon had experienced over five days inside.
“Very good results. I’ve reached the peak of seven claws. There are still some Qiankun Crystal Stones left to absorb. After that, with another thirty or forty thousand, I should stably reach eight claws. The resources needed for eight claws are more than I expected,” Little Green Dragon said.
“Here’s fifty thousand. Take them. We harvested so much Purple Radiance Sea Essence before, so we can refine plenty more Qiankun Crystal Stones.”
Lin Yun waved his hand, producing fifty thousand Qiankun Crystal Stones. These were part of what he had refined using resources from the Fire Cloud Empire, originally intended for his own breakthrough to the Third Realm of All Things, but he could give them to Little Green Dragon first.
“Alright, I won’t hold back.”
Little Green Dragon didn’t bother with pleasantries and accepted the fifty thousand Qiankun Crystal Stones. Between him and Lin Yun, there was no need for formalities.
After taking them, Little Green Dragon opened its massive jaws and swallowed them whole.
Once inside, it would slowly absorb and convert them.
“Kid, I still owe you thanks. Without your Qiankun Crystal Stones, reaching eight claws would take ages, probably measured in tens of thousands of years,” Little Green Dragon said.
Though the resources for converting the Qiankun Crystal Stones came from Little Green Dragon, without Lin Yun’s Qiankun Supreme Cauldron, those resources couldn’t have been transformed.
“No need for thanks. You’ve given me plenty of opportunities too,” Lin Yun replied.
He continued, “The seal outside is starting to weaken. Let’s head over.”
With that, Lin Yun and Little Green Dragon swiftly left the reef cave.
…
At the sealed barrier at the end of the Submerged Dragon Abyss:
Nearly all members of the four dragon palaces had gathered.
“The seal here is starting to weaken!”
Seeing the barrier slowly dissipating, everyone perked up.
“Strange, where are the Dragon King and Elder Lin Yun? Could they have found some opportunity elsewhere?” the West Sea Dragon Palace’s Second Elder said, looking around.
“Indeed, the seal is weakening, and the Dragon King still hasn’t shown,” the West Sea Dragon Palace’s Great Elder added.
As the Second Elder scanned the area, he spotted Lin Yun and Little Green Dragon rushing towards them.
“It’s the Dragon King and Elder Lin Yun! They’re here,” the Second Elder said, beaming.
In a flash, Little Green Dragon and Lin Yun reached the West Sea Dragon Palace team.
“Greetings, Dragon King.”
The West Sea Dragon Palace members immediately bowed to Little Green Dragon.
“Any gains from exploring this area?” Little Green Dragon asked.
“Nothing to report, Dragon King,” they replied.
The West Sea Dragon Palace’s Great Elder stepped forward, “Dragon King, this place seems special. The seal is about to lift, and there might be a great opportunity inside.”
“Hm,” Little Green Dragon nodded, eyeing the area covered by the fading light barrier.
The light was slowly dissipating.
“But Dragon King, the other three dragon palaces are here too, all eyeing this place. If there’s a major opportunity or treasure, no one will back down. It could get messy,” the Great Elder said.
“If there’s a great opportunity or treasure, a fierce struggle isRosy cheeks bloomed on Lin Yun’s face as he recalled the events at the Submerged Dragon Tower. He was thrilled, “This is incredible! The seal’s opening, and we’re about to uncover the secrets of the Submerged Dragon Abyss!”
Little Green Dragon, equally excited, replied, “Exactly! The Dragon Emperor himself sealed this place. Whatever’s inside could be legendary!”
As the barrier faded, the West Sea Dragon Palace team, including Lin Yun and Little Green Dragon, prepared to rush in, eager to explore the newly accessible area.
**Inside the Unsealed Area**
The air was thick with an ancient aura, untouched for eons. Lin Yun and Little Green Dragon split into smaller teams to cover more ground, wary of the other dragon palaces’ presence.
“Smart move calling for reinforcements early,” Lin Yun said to Little Green Dragon, grinning.
“Had to. The East Sea Dragon Palace was clearly up to no good,” Little Green Dragon replied with a smirk.
Their search yielded nothing but stunted plants, suggesting something had drained the area’s energy. Perplexed, they decided to head straight to the abyss’s end.
There, they found a new barrier, glowing faintly but visibly weakening. “That’s it—the final seal at the abyss’s core,” Little Green Dragon said, eyes wide.
Lin Yun nodded, “Let’s get closer.”
They reached the barrier, alone for now, as others were still scouring the area. The barrier’s light was too bright to see through, but Lin Yun sensed, “If there’s anything here, it’s behind that.”
**Back at the Reef Cave**
While waiting, Little Green Dragon began refining 300,000 Qiankun Crystal Stones to push for eight claws. Lin Yun, guarding outside, worked on his *Dragon Claw Technique*, reaching the third level, surpassing his previous skills, and then the fourth, a devastating force.
**Back at the Barrier**
As the seal weakened, dragon palace members gathered, tensions high but no fights yet. The West Sea’s numbers gave them an edge.
Lin Yun locked eyes with the East Sea’s Great Elder, sensing malice. “He’d kill me if he could,” Lin Yun thought.
The barrier vanished, revealing a colossal sight: a 300-meter ten-claw azure dragon statue, 3,000 meters away.
“A ten-claw dragon statue!” the crowd gasped. Ten claws meant one thing: the Dragon Emperor.
“Could this be the Dragon Emperor’s statue?” Lin Yun wondered, awestruck.
Behind it stood a 100-meter-high hall. Then, a cry: “Look! In the statue’s mouth!”
A green pearl glowed faintly, mesmerizing all.
“Is that… the Dragon Pearl?” the Great Elder stammered, eyes wide.
“The Dragon Pearl?” others echoed, stunned.
Little Green Dragon’s face shifted. Lin Yun asked, “What’s the Dragon Pearl?”
“A dragon clan treasure,” Little Green Dragon explained. “Legend says it could make you the dragon clan’s hegemon. It’s mysterious, powerful, our clan’s faith, lost for hundreds of thousands of years. The four dragon palaces have searched tirelessly.”
Swallowing hard, he added, “If that’s really the Dragon Pearl, this could spark a bloodbath across the dragon clan…”
