Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"Excuse me, Senior, but what is the origin of this True Dragon's Eye?" Ling Fei asked, looking up at the hovering Marsh King.

He was full of anticipation for this True Dragon's Eye.

"Since you have earned the acknowledgment of the True Dragon's Eye, this king will, of course, tell you of its origins," said the Marsh King.

Ling Fei listened intently.

"Back when this king's mastery of Martial Arts was in its early stages, I traveled to the various ancient lands of the Southern Wilderness to gain experience... On one occasion, I accidentally entered a space vortex... After mistakenly consuming True Dragon Blood, this king's power increased immensely. Afterward, I saw an ancient palace. Unfortunately, the palace was far too ancient, and its Dragon's Might was earth-shattering. This king was utterly unable to get near it."

The Marsh King continued his tale. "Unexpectedly, the palace doors opened and an eye suddenly flew out, which I obtained. Unfortunately, even after acquiring this True Dragon's Eye, this king was unable to completely control it. Even later, when my power soared and I became a king in the Southern Wilderness, I still could not gain full control of this eye."

"After this king's ceaseless study, I finally discovered that to activate the power of the True Dragon's Eye, one must possess sufficient True Dragon Power."

"So, this king returned to that ancient site, hoping to find more clues about the True Dragon's Eye. Alas, that great hall was extraordinary, far beyond this king's ability to touch. Every time this king so much as touched the great hall, I was sent flying. Even though something inside the hall seemed to make the True Dragon's Eye hum, trying to draw me in, my True Dragon Power was too scarce. I was completely unable to open that Ancient Hall. Instead, on one trip there, I encountered the greatest enemy of my life."

"Greatest enemy?" Ling Fei's eyes flickered.

Legends about the Marsh King were widespread in the Southern Wilderness.

Many said the Marsh King had been defeated by King Ji, which ultimately led to his demise.

"That man called himself Ji, and was known in the Southern Wilderness as King Ji. When he found this king, he had already been searching for me for a long time. That time, this king was ambushed by him. We fought for three days and ended up triggering the Restrictions in the ancient ruins. We were drawn outside and continued to fight. That battle lasted for a full three months."

"In the end, he used a type of Power of Restriction to injure my foundation. However, this king also used the power of the True Dragon's Eye and severely wounded him."

"It was only then that this king learned that he, too, possessed a True Dragon's Eye. It was just that the power of his True Dragon's Eye was different from this king's."

Speaking of the past, the Marsh King's expression turned solemn.

"Furthermore, his origins were extraordinary. He was not from the Southern Wilderness, and his own heritage was extremely profound. That is why this king was defeated by his hand."

"That battle alarmed the entire Southern Wilderness and attracted many powerful experts."

"Those people all thought we were fighting over a Supreme Treasure obtained from the ancient site in the space vortex. At a critical moment, this king used a Supreme Treasure to create the illusion of self-detonation, but took the opportunity to pierce the Void and escape the battlefield. The world believed this king had perished, but I had secretly slipped away to this place to heal. For a time, no one knew."

"The various experts of the Southern Wilderness, believing this king had perished, went to hunt down King Ji to seize the treasure... In that battle, many experts of the Southern Wilderness were killed by King Ji... Originally, this king wanted to take revenge, but alas, my injuries grew heavier and heavier. Knowing I would not survive, I set up this land of inheritance."

"These ruins only revealed themselves to the outside world a hundred years after this king's death," said the Marsh King.

'So that's how it is.' Hearing the Marsh King's story, Ling Fei finally understood the whole sequence of events.

'The Marsh King had the ruins appear a hundred years later because he feared that some surviving experts would come and break the Restrictions.'

'But in that battle, King Ji killed many of those experts.'

'That turmoil also caused countless deaths and injuries among the top experts of the Southern Wilderness, creating a terrible gap in power.'

'The few who remained were no match for the Marsh King.'

'A hundred years later, no one was left who could break these Restrictions.'

'That was why later generations could only send Cultivators below the Celestial Pill Realm inside, according to the Restrictions' requirements.'

'This way, the Marsh King could wait for a fated person in peace.'

"Then, Senior, what are you now?" Ling Fei asked, a questioning look in his eyes.

"This is an imprint left by this king's lingering will, meant to await a fated person to inherit this True Dragon's Eye and my legacy of Divine Techniques." The Marsh King's eyes flashed, and his expression suddenly turned solemn as he said, "You. What is your name?"

"This junior is named Ling Fei!" Ling Fei said.

"Good. Ling Fei, are you willing to be this king's successor?" said the Marsh King.

"I already have a sect," Ling Fei said, his brow furrowing slightly.

"It matters not. You can be this king's successor without betraying your sect. You only need to agree to one condition," said the Marsh King.

"What condition?" Ling Fei asked.

"If you receive this king's inheritance, you must kill King Ji for me!" the Marsh King said, his face cold and harsh, his murderous intent soaring to the heavens. He spoke every word with deliberation.

"Can you do it?"

"This junior only obtained the True Dragon's Eye thanks to Senior's blessing. This junior will naturally shoulder Senior's grudge. However, I do not know how many years have passed, or if King Ji is even still alive. That, this junior cannot guarantee," Ling Fei said. After all, the legends about the Marsh King were already over a thousand years old.

'In other words, the Marsh King has been dead for over a thousand years. King Ji must also be over a thousand years old... could he still be alive?'

"Cultivators have long lifespans. Reaching the Primordial Pill Realm allows one to live for three hundred years, and an expert at the Celestial Pill Realm can live for close to four hundred," the Marsh King said. "If one steps into the Nascent Soul Realm, they can live to be six hundred. The initial Creation Realm of the Divine Mansion Realm grants a lifespan of eight hundred years. If one reaches the Soul Pool Realm within the Divine Mansion, they can live for a thousand..."

"A Cultivator in the Daoist Palace Realm is said to be able to live for eighteen hundred years... Back then, this king was already approaching the Daoist Palace Realm, as was King Ji. With his talent, as long as he is alive, he has surely reached that Realm by now. If this king has only been dead for just over a thousand years, he ought to be alive."

"Furthermore, my lingering will persists because it feels as if my great enemy still lives, preventing me from resting in peace. This feeling must come from the mark my attack with the True Dragon's Eye left inside his body. Therefore, he is most likely still alive," the Marsh King said.

'He's still alive?' Ling Fei's brow twitched. 'Based on what the Marsh King is saying, King Ji's power must have reached an unimaginable level by now.'

'In the Southern Wilderness, the Nascent Soul Realm is already considered the pinnacle of power.'

'The Divine Mansion Realm is an existence countless experts look up to.'

'And the Daoist Palace Realm... that's completely unrivaled!'

"What, are you afraid?" the Marsh King said, frowning.

"I am not afraid." Ling Fei looked up, his expression resolute. "It's just that life is unpredictable, and I cannot guarantee I can reach King Ji's level. However, if I have the ability and can still find King Ji, I will naturally kill him for you, Senior, to resolve this thousand-year grudge."

"Good. You haven't let the promise of my inheritance cloud your mind and make false promises, nor have you become blindly arrogant. You still have self-awareness. Excellent. It shows you are clear-headed. In that case, this king has not chosen the wrong person. However, you must remember your words today," said the Marsh King.

"Otherwise, even in death, this king will curse you to never know a moment of peace for all eternity."