Jiang Yuebai was almost torn apart by the vortex. Fortunately, her body refining was successful, and her physical strength was comparable to that of an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. Only then was she able to endure until the end, where she was tossed out like a ragdoll by the vortex.

She was still in the sea, only the buoyancy of the surrounding water had reduced, and her body began to descend on its own. However, it wasn’t completely like being on solid ground as outside; with a bit of force, there was still some buoyancy pushing her.

During the descent, Jiang Yuebai hurriedly took out a hairpin to fix her hair and used the Crescent Pendant to transform into a seemingly ordinary middle-aged female cultivator.

Finally, using a Divine Concealment Talisman and a Turtle Breath Talisman, she concealed her figure and presence, consuming a ’Water Element Elixir’ that would help her move underwater for long periods before she confidently surveyed the magnificent world below.

The majestic and grand Glazed Immortal Palace was partly hidden within the colorful coral forests, stretching for miles endlessly, radiating brilliance in the dark depths of the sea.

A multitude of Colorful Scale Fish, like vibrant gemstones, swam past Jiang Yuebai. She gently landed on the roof of an outer palace, quickly searching for a place where she could rest temporarily.

Jiang Yuebai cautiously moved between the palaces and the coral clusters. Hearing some sounds coming from in front of her, she silently approached.

Outside a small palace, a man and a woman, both early-stage Golden Core cultivators, were continuously casting spells towards the tightly closed palace gate, but the invisible water ripples on the door remained motionless.

Jiang Yuebai looked at the plaque of the palace. The characters were complex, a script she had never seen before, leaving her uninformed about the palace’s identity.

"It seems it’s impossible. Many places in the Dragon Palace require either Dragon Clan bloodline or the aura of Water Clan soldiers to pass through unimpeded."

"Forget it. The outskirts are areas where Water Clan soldiers operate, and any good items would have been scavenged long ago. Let’s search elsewhere."

The two reluctantly gave up and walked deeper into the Dragon Palace.

After the two were far away, Jiang Yuebai waited behind the coral cluster for a while before she carefully emerged and approached the palace.

"Jixiang, come and try this."

Jiang Yuebai had previously kept Jixiang in the Spiritual Beast Bag. Now, she released it; Jixiang ran to the barrier and sniffed, then turned to Jiang Yuebai and shook its head.

"The aura of the Water Clan soldiers..."

Jiang Yuebai took out the Dragon Scale Dagger, which had the inscription of ’Dragon Scale.’ She couldn’t be sure if it was indeed a dragon scale, but at least it belonged to some powerful flood dragon species.

With a slash of the dagger, the barrier indeed parted to the sides. Quickly grabbing Jixiang, she dashed inside, with the barrier closing swiftly behind them.

After securing the palace door, Jiang Yuebai let out half a sigh of relief.

The palace was not large, with over a dozen fist-sized pearls embedded in the ceiling, emitting a bright white light that illuminated the interior. On the right were three rows of bookshelves filled with many jade books.

On the left, there were several rows of weapon racks, mostly empty, with some rusty long weapons with faint spiritual energy lying haphazardly in the corner.

Jiang Yuebai checked around. Unable to read the books on the shelves, she stored them all in her Storage Bracelet and found nothing else of value.

Jixiang, upon entering, ran to the weapon rack, clutching a trident to gnaw on.

Jiang Yuebai took out the Eight Arrays Plate and arraying tools, setting up three layers of Illusion Arrays along with Protection Arrays, and left the Sword Sky Puppet at the entrance to guard while she sat down to check her injuries.

The injuries were mainly external and resulted from depleted spiritual energy. Ning Zhiyuan’s spiritual energy was quite peculiar, and even the Cloud Mushroom Grass bloodline’s healing capabilities couldn’t quickly restore her injuries, so she could only take elixirs to regulate her breath.

Jiang Yuebai changed out of her torn vestment robe and Feather Scale Armor, donning an ordinary blue dress instead.

Both the Hidden Sky Robe and Feather Scale Armor were ruined, with the latter particularly regrettable for its very useful Sky-Breaking Flash, which she could only rely on the Wind God Technique of the Taihe Umbrella for now.

Moreover, the Invisible Net was destroyed, and the Flying Core Boat was damaged. The Flying Core Boat had been with her for many years and had been shattered by Ning Zhiyuan. She wasn’t sure if it could be repaired.

Finally, the ninety-nine swords within the Sword Sky Puppet were all gone; without the swords, it was merely a strong ordinary puppet.

Jiang Yuebai retrieved the Thunder Fire Spear, finding its spearhead already cracked, spiritual energy unable to circulate smoothly, temporarily making it unusable until repaired.

Currently, the available magic treasure artifacts she had included a Saint Poems Golden Scroll, two Evil Wind Sabers, the Shadow Moon Mother and Child Blades, a Condensing Light Mirror, the Talisman Treasure Ice Chiyi Sword, a Green Jade Bamboo Flute, and the Tailang Whip.

Included were seldom-used items such as the White Tiger Golden Dragon Seal, the Demon Suppressing Golden Ring, and the Heart-Dominating Bell on her wrist.

Of course, there were also the Ice Armor Beetle King and Lantern Little Green.

This was her entire inventory; aside from the Saint Poems Golden Scroll that had the potential for a lethal strike against Ning Zhiyuan, only the Condensing Light Mirror and the Killing Song from the Green Jade Bamboo Flute were usable. The other items, being weaker than her own spells, could only be used to confuse enemies.

"No matter what, I must focus on recovery first."

Jiang Yuebai set up a Five Elements Replenishing Array to restore spiritual energy. Seeing Jixiang happily eating in the corner, she summoned the Five Elements Lotus Platform, placing everything from the palace, including the bookshelves and the pearls from the ceiling, into the platform to refine them into Five Elements Essence Qi.

If she didn’t need the palace as shelter, she would have torn down the walls too.

Upon seeing this, Jixiang squeaked anxiously, clutching the trident tightly, so Jiang Yuebai let it keep the trident.

"The Dragon Palace Secret Realm only opens for fifteen days. There’s no time left for exploration; once my strength is restored, I’ll find a way to escape. I hope that wretched creature isn’t waiting at the exit."

A dragon trapped in the abyss will surely rise to the heavens; isn’t that just like her current situation? It seemed her star divination from the Great Derivation Scripture was indeed accurate.

＊

Deep within the Dragon Palace, five Coiled Dragon Pillars crashed down under the powerful attack of Zhao Fuyi, revealing a hidden majestic mountain peak behind them.

The mountain’s features undulated, sculpted to resemble a Winged Dragon poised for flight, exuding grandeur, its dragon mouth roaring at the crowd, sending a malevolent aura that seeped into one’s soul, inducing a deep sense of fear.

The dark, hollow dragon mouth was unfathomably deep. As Muh Wushuang attempted to approach, a vast screen of light immediately appeared around the cave, with strange lettering shimmering. Muh Wushuang suddenly felt a tightness in her scalp, petrified and unable to move.

Seeing this, Li Shen Zhi stealthily edged closer to Zhao Fuyi. Zhao Fuyi gave him a glare, then flicked her sleeve to conjure a gust of wind, pulling Muh Wushuang back.

Muh Wushuang gasped heavily, still shaking from fear. "Master, I saw... saw a huge dragon staring at me, those eyes... guh!"

Everyone turned to Zhao Fuyi, who responded, "There has always been a belief that the Earth Spiritual Realm is the origin of all races. The legendary North Sea Dragon Palace is said to be the resting place of the Dragon Clan’s ancestors, the place where Winged Dragons slumber. Here lies the most restricted and vital area within the Dragon Palace. To date, no one has been able to breach its restrictions. It’s rumored that behind it lies the Dragon Transformation Pool and the Dragon Gate left by the Winged Dragons."

"Is it the Dragon Gate where fish leap over and transform into dragons?" Muh Wushuang asked.

"Is the Dragon Transformation Pool very valuable?" Li Shen Zhi inquired.

Zhao Fuyi retorted with annoyance, "Valuable or not, you’d need the skill to break the restrictions first, only then can you roll around in the Dragon Transformation Pool, not even heavenly tribulations would strike you!"

Obviously, Zhao Fuyi was speaking sarcastically, but Li Shen Zhi listened intently, the prospect of withstanding a heavenly tribulation appealing to him.

Zhao Fuyi shook her head and explained to the group, "Arrays utilize arraying devices to gather spiritual energy for operation, whereas restrictions do not require any tools, instead using Divine Soul Power to channel heaven and earth’s power into restrictions. Restrictions are stronger and harder to decipher than arrays, and the Dragon Clan is the most adept at creating them."

"The restrictions here roughly equal a complete circle of three hundred and sixty-five. For the next ten days, you’re not allowed to go anywhere, follow me in deciphering the Dragon Clan’s restrictions. Even if you’re only able to decipher one, the experience will be immensely beneficial to you."

Roar!!

A thunderous dragon roar shook the earth and sky; Zhao Fuyi turned to release her Divine Sense, discovering that a Water Python was being besieged by people from Feiyan Pavilion, engaged in intense battle.

Muh Wushuang unconsciously moved, longing in her eyes, but Zhao Fuyi pulled her back.

"That Water Python, hunted many times but always evading capture, is certainly challenging to deal with. Stay out of it! If we can break the restrictions here, the Dragon Transformation Pool is more valuable than the Water Python!"