Vast amounts of Heavenly Starry might conglomerated within the vast emptiness of the starry skies. Various elemental extremities formed and disappeared amidst the stars. The quakings of such a phenomenon caused the stars themselves to pulsate in excitement.
It was as if a new world was being born. Stabilising elements such as the Wuxing, transformations of fire, water, earth, metal, and wood formed the distant image of the five planets. Changes of the seasons, various natural phenomenons of the world appeared in the void between stars.
Among the starry phenomenon, the star of Jupiter glowed the brightest. The essence of springtime overtook summer, spring, and autumn. Jupiter swallowed Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. Wood consumed the rest of the five elements.
A resounding explosion erupted in the starry skies. Jupiter exploded, lighting up the eastern quadrant of the universe in a burst of starry light. Countless luminaries formed the serpentine physique of a dragon.
Nine digit radiant claws, azure scales, catfish whiskers, and deer like antlers. The majestic form of the Azure dragon, Qinglong manifested above the eastern heavens. The aura of a matured cosmic tree could be felt.
Da Hai and Wangshu who watched Qinglong complete his path were both pleased with his progress. Cultivation within the starry skies was truly beneficial to the azure dragon, far more than cultivation in the East Sea had been.
"Nephew has done well, barely eight thousand years old and he has already progressed his cosmic tree to this stage. It shouldn't be too long before he crosses into the Great Principle Chaos Immortal realm," Wangshu complimented with delight.
Da Hai who stood with a stoic expressionless posture nodded. "Indeed, Qinglong's progress had now overtaken Yinglong. All that's left now is Zulong," he said. The distinct sound of genuine pride could be heard from his voice. "Of course, I can't give you enough credit. Without your help, I'm afraid Qinglong would've never reached this stage."
"Don't mention it, it's only natural for me to assist you, Da Hai. Speaking of your eldest, how is he?" Wangshu asked.
"The tracking seal says he's still in the primordial turtle clan's territory, but other than that I do not know. I haven't checked up on him for a while," Da Hai admitted.
"Well considering my younger nephew's progress, I think it's time you focus on Zulong," Wangshu took a glance at the East Sea and focused. Her eyes glowed in silvery light, and if one were to stare into them they'd find themselves staring at the totality of the Milky Way.
"That Daiyu girl has been a good influence on Zulong," she said. Da Hai nodded "She could do what I couldn't, and teach him the path of a ruler."
"And they look absolutely adorable together," the goddess said with a cooing smile. Da Hai raised an eyebrow at Wangshu. Was there something he missed from his disciple's and Gui Daiyu's interactions?
"You'd think with your knowledge of 'modern sensibilities' you'd understand," Wangshu emphasised the modern part when she saw Da Hai's confusion. It took Da Hai a short moment to recognise what she actually meant.
"Oh, I guess you could call what they have romantic," Da Hai admitted, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "I'm not too invested in that. I haven't thought back on them for a long long time," he said.
"Twenty thousand years isn't that long," Wangshu countered. Da Hai gave her a look of mock annoyance. She heard him mutter a low 'smartass'.
"Oh hey look, Qinglong is coming back," Da Hai suddenly said, changing the topic and pointing to the dragonic figure flying towards them. The ten thousand kilometre long dragon shrunk and kept shrinking until it was only a dozen metres or so.
For dragons, they could change their size however they wish, though ten thousand kilometres is their true length. However this length wasn't the limit they could grow to.
Qinglong transformed into a young man and cupped his hands in a polite greeting to Da Hai and Wang Shu. "Master, aunt-master, thank you for guiding me all these years," he thanked the two deities.
"Good, your progress is very impressive," Da Hai said in suppressed happiness. He maintained a stoic look all the time.
'And to think you say you don't care,' Wangshu silently thought as Da Hai praised his disciple. She sighed in her heart, 'Five Element's death really broke you little brother. You can only lie to yourself for so long. Da Hai, I wonder when you will realise how terrible you are at this.'
As one of her first friends since her birth till now and after experiencing life and death together, the goddess felt that she had a pretty good grasp on Da Hai's personality. Perhaps even more so than Da Hai.
"If it is not too much to ask master, I would like to remain in the starry skies to further comprehend the Dao," Qinglong said. "With permission from aunt-master, of course," he hurriedly added.
"It's fine, I do not mind," Wangshu accepted the dragon's request. Da Hai nodded expressionlessly.
"Thank you master, aunt-master. I will do my best," Qinglong said excitedly. His Dao fruit had already reached the pre-sprouting stage. The chance to attain the Great Principle and ascend to the Chaos Immortal realm wasn't far. He did wonder how his brothers were doing.
"If this is all, I'll take my leave," Da Hai said before raising his hand to break dimensions.
"Master, can I ask how my big brother is doing?" Qinglong asked before Da Hai could leave.
"That is what I'll be checking," Da Hai promptly left without another notice. Qinglong nodded satisfied, he had already seen his master's eyes. He was genuinely worried about Zulong.
Da Hai traversed through the void between dimensions before exiting above the skies of the East Sea. He scanned around before confirming his location before diving below the surface. It did not take long for him to reach the turtles' capital city.
The city was as extravagant as the last time he was here, with the noticeable addition of another temple complex which dwarfed all the others. However Da Hai largely ignored it after taking a brief look. The use of materials was a bit wasteful, and the incense merit is produced by the individual, not inanimate objects.
He passed through the palace walls and manifested within the throne room. There was a distinct lack of a king present, hence the ancient sea god loudly cleared his throat. The various servants, after an initial shock induced heart attack, informed him of the king's location. The old turtle was spending some 'quality time' with his latest concubine.
"Doesn't matter," Da Hai said. "I'm looking for my disciple, I did not see him in the capital."
"Oh, esteemed guest Zulong? Well he should be at the new settlement," the turtle minister said.
"Settlement? What happened while I was gone?" Da Hai asked curiously.
"Ah Great Saint, the thing is that a few centuries ago, the esteemed guest informed the king that he wished to run a city of his own and, I quote 'Let's put your methods to the test'," the turtle minster procured a royal decree with fully signed off permissions for a new city several dozen kilometres away from the capital.
"Well, this isn't too far," Da Hai's figure faded away, disappearing in a flash of light. He reformed once again at the location he read off the decree. He was met with a growing city when he arrived above.
Da Hai did not quite know what he was expecting. He had left for the starry skies a while back for Qinglong's sake and hadn't been back in the East Sea for quite some time. After hearing that Zulong is running a city, he's first thought was a brutal spartan society where all wordlessly obeyed their god king.
What he got was a lot less extreme. Da Hai immediately noticed the impressive military presence roaming the streets and guarding the defences. He'd also noticed the shape the city was built in. 'Defensive formation,' he thought.
The Feng Shui of the city's layout adhered to what he was familiar with. Da Hai was not a pioneer in formations but he had studied the naturally forming illusion formations on Yingzhou and had written some lesser derivatives of it. It would seem Zulong had taken some inspiration from them.
Da Hai made note of nine concentrated points of primordial Qi. This formation wasn't built to trick the mind but to entrap and eviscerate the enemy. It resembled a nine digit dragon claw spread out like a palm.
Da Hai landed at the city gates and took in the sights. It was for all intents and purposes, pretty flashy. Zulong had spared no expense in wowing those entering the gate. There was a heavy presence of statues of dragons, murals of dragons, carvings of a particular dragon overcoming famous cultivators in a dominating fashion. The golden coloured paint and distinct facial features were easy to identify for the sea god. To Da Hai, it screamed massive ego.
Da Hai walked into the city without any guard nor merchant noticing. He observed the military police roaming the streets, taking note of their elaborate armours and quality weaponry.
Da Hai dashed across the water passing through elaborate pagodas and temples held up by pillars showcasing dragon imagery. The palace at the centre of the city was built tall and strong.
It was a massive complex taking up half of the city, easily dwarfing even the royal palace of the turtle king. Da Hai snorted in amusement when he saw the massive complex. As if there weren't enough statues of Zulong outside the palace. The only exception was a single statue of a turtle placed in the centre of the courtyard.
Da Hai walked into the main courtyard below the main hall's stairwell. He didn't even understand why the stairs were necessary for an underwater palace. But then he remembered his own palace and the long stairwell.
A man and a woman were talking to each other within the great hall. The man was dressed in elaborate black robes and sat upon a massive throne with a backrest carved to resemble millions of dragons rising into the sky. His own disciple sat in it listening to the woman talk.
Da Hai recognised her as the princess Gui Daiyu. She was saying something relating to the new traders from the shrimp clans passing through. The girl had matured a bit since he last saw her a thousand years ago. She now resembled a young woman into her early twenties just like Zulong.
Da Hai scanned the main hall. Various ministers and servants were going about their day. presenting reports and suggestions. Da Hai cleared his throat.
"It seems you've been quite busy Zulong," he said in a normal voice. It wasn't loud but everyone heard it crystal clear. Zulong and Gui Daiyu's attention were both on Da Hai in an instant.
"Ma…master?" Zulong uttered. He immediately got up from the throne and ran down to greet Da Hai with many ministers trailing behind him.
"I/we greet master/Great Saint of Yingzhou," they said with a bow.
"Don't stand on ceremony, I only came for Zulong. Those who are unrelated may leave," he said politely, if a bit stiff. Zulong looked back and silently communicated with Gui Daiyu. They sent knowing signals to each other. The princess bowed in respect and led the ministers away leaving the master disciple duo.
"Quite a place you've built," Da Hai said after a few moments of silence. The awkward tension was not dispersing at all, as both individuals didn't really know how to proceed. Da Hai elected to go for a standard question.
"Yes, I spent much effort planning with my architects," Zulong admitted.
"Architects? I'd thought you'd prefer to do the job yourself rather than leaving it to lesser beings." Zulong flinched at Da Hai's words.
"I realised inputs from those more experienced than I was useful," the dragon admitted without a hint of shame. This was a massive improvement from earlier.
"That is good," Da Hai said. "How are you finding the experience of running a city?"
"It has been a more complex experience than I'd thought. Yu'er has been a great help in the matter," he said simply. Da Hai raised his eyebrows at his reference to the princess. It was quite an intimate remark.
"I noticed the thriving markets," he said while thinking, 'Heavens, this is awkward'.
"Indeed," Zulong nodded. "The turtle's techniques were very primitive compared to your collection master. I improved on what they had and it proved to be a success."
"That is good, very good," Da Hai nodded.
"Would you like to see the sites?" Zulong offered.
"Yes, I'd like that."
The tour wasn't anything new. Da Hai had already seen everything in the city the moment he arrived. It wasn't anywhere near as large as the capital. You could easily fit a dozen of Zulong's cities into the turtle's capital. What it did have over the capital was superior cultivation materials and treasures.
The pills here were of noticeably higher quality as well as the treasures sold. Zulong informed Da Hai of a few inputs he gave to Gui Daiyu who tested them out which produced the end result. His lack of proper cultivation was what prevented him from doing it himself. Da Hai felt slightly guilty at the mention.
"Zulong, how are you?" Da Hai finally asked when the duo passed by a park. Zulong, who was introducing the pretty coral arrangements, looked back. He had a conflicted look as if he was thinking.
"Were you displeased with me?" Da Hai asked.
"Oh I was furious," the dragon replied. "At least initially. The years had made me think back on a few thoughts I'd had. I'd say, I've been good. I realised something and met Yu'er, that is Gui Daiyu," he quickly corrected.
"I see, it was the right decision after all," Da Hai wordlessly reached out with his palm and struck Zulong's abdomen. The change was immediate. Gui Daiyu, who was sorting some tablets, looked up in shock. The monstrous aura of a Taiyi Golden Immortal was unleashed in full force.
The might was so strong that it blew water currents up to the surface. The surface of the East Sea erupted in an explosion of sea water, causing ripples that could be felt for many kilometres.
The gargantuan shape of a grinning golden celestial dragon swam across the currents. He danced and danced, twisting and twirling within the turtle's territory. He easily danced from the capital back to his city and laughed in celebration.
"I am BACK!" Zulong roared in triumph.
"Congratulations to Zulong/city lord/ esteemed guest for regaining his power," many individuals across the turtle's nation congratulated.
"Zulong, come down here," Da Hai commanded. The dragon turned his head and flew back. He transformed into his former human form but was brimming with a vitality he previously lacked.
"How are you feeling," Da Hai asked.
"Never better master, I have never felt better in all my life."
Da Hai stroked his beard in thought. Zulong seems to have changed for the better. His disposition was much more stable than before. However Da Hai didn't really know what to teach next. Zulong was very stable now but his cultivation had fallen behind.
Da Hai thought back to many years ago, when he imparted his martial art form. 'He always complained about those flowy movements, wait flowy movements, movements that's it,' Da Hai was reminded of how Zulong fought the East Sea cultivators many years ago. He was reminded of the dragon's ferocious disposition.
"Zulong, come back to Yingzhou with me. I have something to teach you," he commanded.
"Ah!" Zulong looked a bit reluctant. He looked back at the palace, at a specific feminine figure within. "I'll be back in a bit, if you'd excuse me master," he said seeking permission to leave. Da Hai nodded.
Zulong came back soon afterwards, having discarded his rich black robes for more form-fitting combat and training robes. Da Hai nodded his head and blitzed away.
"Keep up," he commanded. Zulong chased after his master. It was exhilarating to have his power back. The dragon felt slightly out of practice.
Back at the palace, the turtle princess Gui Daiyu stared longingly at the departing duo.
Yingzhou had changed in the years Zulong had been gone. Yinglong was taking care of the place, watering the plants and feeding the carps which Da Hai had captured a while back. The silk worms had cultivated to become immortals and transformed into moths.
The seven moths had taken human forms as beautiful fairies who tended to the Fusang tree. They were also the maids who cleaned Da Hai's palace under the management of Yinglong.
"It's good to be home!" Zulong exclaimed when they landed.
"Brother you're back," Yinglong yelled in happiness, his serious demeanour in front of the moth fairies abandoned.
"Yes, I'm back. Look at you little brother, you're so strong now," the brothers reunited with a hug. It was a joyous moment for them.
"Zulong, if you're done, meet me at the back mountains where the fields are," Da Hai said before walking away.
"Yes master," Zulong obeyed the order. "I'll catch up later," he waved goodbye and followed after the sea god. He met back up with Da Hai who had his back turned to him in the grass fields in on elf the back mountains.
"Previously, I showed you the Fading Tides Fist, do you remember," he asked.
"Uh well, about that," Zulong nervously scratched his head. He really didn't want to recall that embarrassment.
"It's fine if you don't, I realised that that style is not suited for you," Da Hai turned around and brought his hands to his chest. "It was not suited to your disposition." Zulong looked on the floor feeling ashamed.
"I am incom…", "But that is fine."
Da Hai interrupted the dragon before he could finish.
"I learned Fading Tides Fist from my predecessor's own martial style. I think the original art should be more agreeable with you," Da Hai said. Zulong's eyes widened in excitement, he grinned at the prospects. "This is the one used by my predecessor Tian Hai, the original Da Hai you could say."
"Then what are you waiting for," he said, smiling excitedly. "Show me the moves master."
Da Hai stomped the ground hard, startling the dragon. His stance was aggressive and resembled a raging tidal wave. "The Fist of the Great Sea cannot be shown, It must be felt," the thrashing sound of a restless tsunami could be heard when Da Hai spoke.
The master and disciple pair began their session just like that. They'd continue to train for the many years to come. Within fifty years, a cosmic tree that dwarfed anything Qinglong and Yinglong could produce was formed.