Chapter 4569 — The Sea-Splitting Stage
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"One day, a special spirit-beast transmission suddenly rang out over the whole of South Island. It said that the Azure Dragon Elder had been out of contact for several years, with no word of him to this day, his life or death unknown. Now a new king of the spirit beasts had ascended the throne, and the post of Azure Dragon Elder—his right hand—could not be left vacant. So the great king had decided to hold an open selection for a new Azure Dragon Elder. There was one minimum requirement for entry: the candidate had to be a dragon-clan spirit beast at the Sea-Splitting stage or above." The Five-Bane Dragon told it from the very beginning.
"The Sea-Splitting stage?" Wei Zhao was stunned again—yet another new realm whose fearsomeness he could not begin to fathom.
"Above the Earth-Opening stage lies the Sea-Splitting stage. To become a top elder of the spirit-beast clan, Sea-Splitting strength is the basic threshold. Otherwise there would be no way to hold down so many proud, unruly, powerful spirit beasts—not even with the dragon clan's age-old prestige. If one cannot overawe even one's own clan's spirit beasts, there is still less hope with the other races," the Ghost Thing explained.
"I see." Wei Zhao's eyes lit up at once. He had long been guessing at what the Ghost Thing's strength had been at his peak; from the Profound-Ascension stage to the Mountain-Cleaving stage to the Earth-Opening stage, he had run through nearly every possibility, and now at last he had a fair idea. It seemed it must be the Sea-Splitting stage... or perhaps even above it! The very thought was terrifying.
"So then, your master, the Five-Venom Flood Dragon, went to take part in this selection for the new Azure Dragon Elder?" the Ghost Thing asked, turning to the Five-Bane Dragon, his tone soft and measured.
"That's right. My master was qualified in his own right. Though he had always kept himself somewhat aloof from the world, he was not entirely free of desire for peace and quiet—he still had some ambition in him. With this chance to become the new Azure Dragon Elder, he naturally would not let it slip by, and with his strength he was all but certain of it. Barring accidents, that post was his for the taking," the Five-Bane Dragon said, eyes blazing.
"I have never met this Five-Venom Flood Dragon, but with his formidable gift of possessing all five elemental attributes at once, ordinary spirit beasts would truly find him hard to match. Even among those of his own level, the odds favored him," the Ghost Thing appraised.
Wei Zhao nodded. If even the Ghost Thing judged him so, then this Five-Venom Flood Dragon truly did have the strength to contend for the post of Azure Dragon Elder. He could not help asking, "And after that? Surely there wasn't a dragon-clan spirit beast in the selection stronger than your master?"
"No." The Five-Bane Dragon shook his head decisively.
"No? Were you there in person during the selection?" Wei Zhao asked, puzzled.
"I was not there. With the little strength I had then, if I had gone out I would easily have become fodder for other spirit beasts. Besides, at a realm like Sea-Splitting, the exchanges between such beings are already sublime beyond description. Without sufficient strength one could not make out the least thing—one would only be more likely to be shaken to death by the aftershocks. So my master did not take me to the selection," the Five-Bane Dragon said, shaking his head.
"Then how did your master come to—" Wei Zhao did not finish. If the Five-Venom Flood Dragon's strength truly was so great, and yet in the end he had failed to become the new Azure Dragon Elder and instead met his death, then there must be a deep story behind it.