The mystical celestial mountain Yingzhou materialised there, allowing the three dragons entrance into their new home. Da Hai had done little to renovate the place in the intervening years, aside from restoring the buildings Si Hai destroyed.
Da Hai made sure to wow the dragons beforehand. If he were to create a good impression, then being kind and humble was not ideal. He needed to be impressive, to inspire awe and respect.
As such Da Hai did not restrain his power. While he did not flaunt it, he made no attempt to suppress it either. The end result was that his new disciples occasionally experienced nausea and disorientation when they looked at him for too long.
Da Hai took one step onto the beach of Yingzhou. "The celestial mountain is home to many illusions, so be careful not to wander too carelessly lest you encounter one and fall prey to it," he informed them. "That being said, in the future you may use them to strengthen your Dao hearts."
"Yes master, disciple understands," the dragons said with a bow. They too had noticed the mystical clouds atop some of Yingzhou's mountain peaks. Zulong made a mental note to stay away from those places until he had improved his power.
Da Hai led them into the main palace complex and pointed towards the mountain. "Yingzhou is a vast island with many mountains. You may build your abodes anywhere you wish," he said. "Go now, and find a place to stay, meet me when your injuries have healed. Then we may continue with the ceremony," he instructed.
"Yes master," the three dragons nodded in understanding. They took a step back and flew across Yingzhou scouring for a good location. All of Yinghzou was saturated in primordial Qi and rich Dao laws, as such they were simply looking for places pleasing to the eye.
Da Hai watched the three go off in anticipation. He could feel the beginning stages of his plan taking form. According to legends, the dragons always held an advantage compared to the avians and the beasts. Thankfully the dragons were also the faction he could easily gain access to.
"I see you've accomplished what you said," Wangshu said when Da Hai returned to the great hall. "But I wonder, was it truly rise to recruit such a rowdy bunch?"
"You disapprove?" He asked.
"Zulong is someone who holds great ambition, pride, and confidence in himself. If you are not careful, he could easily be your own downfall," she warned.
"I will educate him in patience, besides he has two advisors who temper him," Da Hai countered. Seeing her unconvinced face he added, "This is the most effective way to defeat Hongjun and Luohu. The dragons will grow to be monstrous."
"How are you so sure? Your confidence in strangers is concerning."
"You've been observing them with me for all this time, can you not say they aren't talents?" He retorted. "Besides, what other methods are there? I'm open to suggestions."
Wangshu could not respond to that. She was the first and only ally that Da Hai had recruited thus far though that was mostly due to their friendship. If Yang Mei was back in the world then he'd surely help out as well, but he was missing.
Creating schemes to go against either Hongjun or Luohu was truly difficult. The thought of giving up his own Dao to make the Heavenly Dao fade out of reach had briefly crossed his mind. However Da Hai shook his head at that proposal.
What's stopping either Ancestor from comprehending his Dao? The answer is nothing. As long as one's comprehension and Dao realm are high enough, all Dao becomes a mere transformation of one's own Dao.
This left the only option of killing Hongjun and Luohu. This was the easiest course of action and the true result Da Hai wanted to accomplish. However he'd made an oath of obligation to Pangu and is thus favoured by the Heavenly Dao, in anticipation that he would help the Heavenly Dao break free of the influence of the two Ancestors.
Da Hai had scratched his head numerous times over the years. He was ultimately selfish, just like Hongjun and Luohu. He did not want to give up his hard work for a small possibility. He wanted to kill his friend's murderers, he wanted to ruin everything they've built.
In the current world, Hongjun and Luohu were too much for him to handle. What's more, they were cultivating equally as fast as himself, possibly faster. 'If only life was easy,' Da Hai sighed.
"I will trust in your decision. Though I hold reservations, I wish you the best, " Wangshu said before leaving Yingzhou for the starry skies. She was someone whose personality clashed with the dragons.
Wangshu, despite her proclamation as ruler of the stars, wasn't a monarch. Nor did she hold the ambition of one. She was like a friendly samaritan who would fight and protect for her community. She'd held a bad impression of anyone with the ambition of kings. Given the three examples in the primitive world, she did have a point.
Da Hai observed the three brothers who had decided to make their abodes on a lake southeast of his own palace. They had already gone into the process of healing their wounds.
'They will be powerful assets,' he thought while striking his beard. 'They will be most useful in the conflicts to come'. In the end, that is all they will be, tools to achieve his end goal. The ancestral dragon was destined to die, in this way he'd be able to benefit Da Hai as well.
Thirty years later, the trio of dragons made their way back to Da Hai's palace. Their wounds had finally fully recovered under the rich ambient primordial Qi. Though their cultivation had stagnated, they were ready for Da Hai's lesson.
The three lined up before Da Hai and knelt and kowtowed before Da Hai. They then brought out spiritual tea for the sea god who accepted them emotionlessly.
"From henceforth, you are my, Da Hai's direct disciples. Zulong, you are the first disciple under me, you are the ancestral Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon whose cry resounded in the heavens. Born from Pangu's Yang Qi, you are a talent most profound. As the eldest, you have a responsibility as the face of Yingzhou's second generation, look after and guide your younger brothers."
"Yinglong, you are my second disciple. You were born of Pangu's Yang Qi and the ambient power of heavenly winds. You are the Sky Dragon who shall soar above the clouds. As the second eldest, be respectful to your elder brother and look after your younger brother."
"Qinglong, you are my third disciple. You were born of Pangu's Yang Qi and the true power of Eastern Extremity Azure Essence of Wood. You are a saint who shall guide the creatures below. Look after your elder siblings, do not let them walk astray."
After the introduction Da Hai began expounding on the Dao. He spoke about the nature of the Dao and his own insights into Grand Dao. He spoke on the everlasting eternity, without beginning nor end, the absolute infinity.
His words were so profound that as time went on, the three brothers struggled to comprehend even a single word. Da Hai saw this and smiled, he pointed a finger at the trio.
Zulong felt light headed. He found himself in a corridor with millions upon millions of scrolls. He picked one up and began reading. The ancient language of the chaos godfiends resounded the complex nature of the Dao.
Zulong picked out more scrolls and read further. He saw diagrams of himself as a dragon. Texts written about vast empires and the symbol of heaven which denotes the right to rule. As he read, the Dao being discussed broke away from natural phenomena and into concepts of rulership, leadership and domination. He witnessed vast empires and governments ruling over the world.
Yinglong found his own scrolls as well. He read on the transformations of the elements, natural forces and the Dao which described harmony between different opposing forces. The Dao spoke to him of earthly principles, of the ongoings of natural order and elemental transformations.
Qinglong found himself in a hallway, reading on scrolls with deep insight into cosmic phenomenons. His readings lead him towards the stars, of the elemental phenomenons denoted by heavenly bodies. Of the countless luminaries that blotted the starry skies.
Da Hai nodded in satisfaction as the trio fell into deep meditation. They were unlikely to wake up anytime soon. He disappeared from the great hall, leaving behind some of his own written tomes containing numerous spells.
He would need to teach these dragons many things. If they were to aid him in defeating Hongjun and Luohu then they needed to realise their full potential before their inevitable demise.
Mt Yujing
Hongjun looked at the Jade Fortune Disc in frustration. His divination into the Four Seas had been fruitless thus far. He did not know what was wrong. Once upon a time he could divine easily and see anywhere unhindered in the world.
His mind suddenly snapped to an individual he had not thought about in quite a long time. Many years ago he encountered a godfiend at the base of Mt Buzhou who he could not see through. The power of the Jade Fortune Disc was not activated, but as the owner he received an unconscious enhancement to his divination skills.
He had brushed off that oddity at the time as his own realm had been low and his control of the Disc incomplete. Now he was starting to grow suspicious. He rubbed the edges of the Disc and sighed.
Even after all these years the Disc had yet to completely submit. The Pangu Banner and the Taiji Painting had long submitted, but the Disc had stubbornly refused.
He traced the butterfly pattern on the Disc injecting more power into the treasure. His frown grew deeper as the more he insisted the harder the disc fought back.
Stopping his latest attempt Hongjun leaned back and rested. He took in the sights of Mt Yujing around him to take his mind off the annoyance that was the Jade Fortune Disc. It was unlikely to be cooperative again for a while.
Hongjun suddenly looked South and North. The two he had been keeping an eye on were progressing in their cultivation smoothly. He slowly stood up from his seated position. He considered taking the phoenix and qilin as disciples.
"Luohu can't be allowed to reach them first," he said. Releasing the Taiji Painting, he enveloped the entire mountain. He locked space and time, isolating Mt Yujing from the outside world. The barrier grew stronger and stronger, encompassing the entire mountain in a shield.
"There should be three destined gods of this generation. Two I am aware of, but the last is elusive," he said after he became satisfied with his work.
The Taiji Painting wasn't a mere xiantian spiritual treasure, its true grade was a chaos spiritual treasure. Its grade was much higher than anything Luohu or anyone in this world owned. Even if Luohu attacked with all his might, it'll take long enough for Hongjun to rush back. Though the downside was that Hongjun had drastically lowered his defence.
Hongjun flew away, heading south while taking extra care to hide his tracks. It would be bad if the devilish Dao became aware of his absence.
Mount Buzhou
Pangu's statue's eyes slowly opened. A wisp resembling a butterfly landed on the bridge of the statue's nose. It stood there with faint radiance looking very pleasing with its purple sparkly light.
"I see," Pangu said. "I apologise, I cannot save you nor wield you anymore. Please, continue helping my disciple as much as you can. That is all I ask."
The purple wisp butterfly lifted off of Pangu's nose and flew away. The statue's light began fading again.
"Heavenly Dao owes me too much to turn against you, the Cosmic Butterfly's remnant will obstruct Hongjun as best it can. Disciple, I hope you the best, I hope you know what you're doing".
The statue dimmed completely leaving the twelve pools of blood on their own, continuing in their development.