Li Juntang was the first to gather himself, putting away all visible emotions. He stepped forward with a warm, humble smile and bowed deeply:
“Master Rhys is truly a being beyond mortal comprehension! Not only can you suppress evil demons, but you can even refine such an immortal-grade pill! To speak frankly—my brothers and I have long been worried about Father’s dragon-body illness, wishing we could bear it in his stead. Might Master Dustin be willing to open the pill furnace again and refine a few more Immortal Essence Pills for us as well? Whatever medicinal ingredients or price you require, as long as you speak, we will spare no effort to fulfill it!”
Li Wenxing and Li Guanglong reacted immediately, both stepping up to echo the request. Their words were earnest, and their gazes burned as they stared at Dustin.
A great contribution… and ten years of additional life. Either one alone was enough to tempt them deeply.
However, Dustin slowly shook his head, his tone carrying an unquestionable calm:
“This pill was born from an extremely rare convergence of the remaining essence and purified power in this place. It is a singular creation. Its method of refinement is also not ordinary alchemy—it requires special immortal essence as the catalyst, harmonizing yin and yang, purifying malevolent qi. Now that the ambient essence here has collapsed and the hostility has begun to dissipate, no such pill can be made again. This opportunity cannot be replicated.”
Those words were like cold water poured over the three princes, extinguishing the fire that had just ignited inside them.
Impossible? A one-of-a-kind stroke of fortune?
The smiles on their faces froze. Deep in their eyes, disappointment and unwillingness flickered.
Their gazes drifted toward the Immortal Essence Pill in Margaret’s hands—gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and even a fleeting, shadowy malice so subtle that even they themselves might not have noticed it.
A monumental merit and ten years of life—now obtained by their imperial sister alone!
Li Wenxing quietly pondered how he might report this to the emperor, hoping perhaps to share in the credit. Li Guanglong was considering whether, if he obtained the pill, he should present it to the emperor to solidify his position—or keep it for his own future ambitions. Li Juntang, meanwhile, was already thinking of how he might acquire it from Margaret or whether there was some other method.
The atmosphere became subtle and strained.
Although greed had stirred, no one dared expose a trace of it in the presence of someone as unfathomable as Dustin.
“Heh… so that’s how it is. We were presumptuous.”
Li Juntang let out an awkward laugh and broke the silence first. “If the pill is rare, then it is imperial sister’s destined fortune. As long as it can save Father, it is a blessing for our dynasty.”
Li Wenxing and Li Guanglong forced smiles and offered polite words, though the smiles were clearly stiff.
Dustin took in their expressions but did not bother pointing anything out.
Mortal schemes, power plays, shifting interests… such things had long become dust to him.
He lifted his head slightly, sensing the flow of energy beneath their feet, then spoke calmly:
“What needed to be done here is done. Penglai Island is no longer a place to linger. Though the seal is temporarily stable, its foundation is damaged and changes may arise. Prepare to depart.”
Everyone stiffened at once.
If even Dustin said danger remained, then the threat here was far from over.
But just as Dustin prepared to use his power to lead them out of the island’s core, a sudden change erupted—
It did not come from the subdued Ao Kun, nor from the Void Dragon’s sealing rift.
Instead—
From beneath the collapsed remains of the palace, below the seven-colored spring that had been shattered during the battle, the deep abyss suddenly began to twist.
From within the bottomless darkness, a massive black vortex slowly began to rotate.
At first it was only the size of a millstone, but it spun at an incredible speed—and grew rapidly, expanding at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Inside the vortex, there was no spiritual energy or hostile qi.
Only pure, icy, devouring nothingness—as if it could swallow all light and warmth in existence.
More terrifying still—
From the depths of that vortex came faint chaotic whispers and twisted roars—filled with violence, hunger, and madness.
It was as if behind that vortex was a prison holding countless unspeakable horrors!
A power far older, deeper, and more despairing than the Void Dragon’s malice seeped outward—like an ancient beast of catastrophe stirring from slumber.
“What… what is that?!”
Li Guanglong paled, pointing at the vortex with a trembling voice.
Li Wenxing and Li Juntang turned ashen and instinctively backed away. The aura made their souls quake.
Even Dustin’s brows tightly furrowed. His expression became solemn.
He sensed clearly that this black vortex was not related to Ao Kun or the Void Dragon.
It was a wound in the world itself—
A damaged barrier to some unknown abyss or prison.
And due to the devastation and energy shockwaves in Penglai’s core, the seal had begun to loosen.
The twisted roars from within proved the truth:
Whatever was sealed inside was far worse than the Void Dragon.
“Move!”
Without hesitation, Dustin swept his sleeve.
A vast yet gentle surge of immortal essence enveloped everyone.
In an instant, their figures blurred into flowing light, flying toward the outskirts of Penglai Island.
And only a few breaths after they left—
The massive black vortex expanded violently, engulfing the entire ruined palace.
The darkness within churned—
And faintly, one could see twisted, non-human limbs pounding against an invisible barrier, as the roars grew louder and clearer… - Marinien
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