Chapter 454: The Second Fragment of the Myriad Astro Pupil

Chapter 454: The Second Fragment of the Myriad Astro Pupil

Ji Xinghuo stepped out of the Teleportation Array Square and stood on a viewing platform by the seaside, gazing in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Northeast of the East.

Based on his research on the changes of the arrow, the larger the arrow, the closer the distance. Before this, the two arrows of the Myriad Astro Pupil had shown little change, even when he traveled from Qianfeng Abyssal Wood to the Yuan Magnet Territory.

But now, one of the arrows had noticeably increased in size by about two-thirds, and its direction had also deviated from before.

This indicated that the distance between him and the location indicated by the arrow had shrunk by two-thirds.

"That's too far!"

Ji Xinghuo exclaimed inwardly.

The distance from the Yuan Magnet Territory to the Starfall Territory was about 800,000 kilometers. By reverse calculation, he was still 400,000 kilometers away from the second fragment of the Myriad Astro Pupil.

This was even farther than the distance from Earth to the Moon!

However, distance was not the biggest problem.

The key was location.

This place was the Donghuang Island, an island with an area of about 1.2 million square kilometers. In the Azure Dragon Domain, there were countless islands larger than Donghuang Island, and there were more than a dozen islands with an area of over 100 million square kilometers—those were no longer islands but continents.

In addition to the vast sea areas, the Azure Dragon Domain was the largest of the Five Dragon Domains of the True Dragon Empire, covering nearly four-tenths of the empire's territory.

The Azure Dragon Domain was located in the eastern part of the empire.

And the East Imperial Sea was located east of the Azure Dragon Domain.

More than ten thousand star eras ago, this sea area gave birth to a Dragon Emperor whose power surpassed all in the galaxy. He not only ruled over the Azure Dragon Domain but also reigned over the entire empire for countless millennia, leaving a profound impact on history.

Including the Starfall Territory and the Tide Song Territory, there were seven dragon territories that were once directly governed by that Dragon Emperor.

Thus, they were collectively referred to as the East Imperial Sea.

The East Imperial Sea occupied a quarter of the Azure Dragon Domain and formed the eastern boundary of the entire empire.

East of the East Imperial Sea lay the "Abyssal Sea".

The Star Realm space corresponded with the Milky Way galaxy, and the planets in the Milky Way that opened stargates had fixed relative coordinates in the Star Realm as well. However, the distribution of Milky Way planets was not uniform, and this was reflected in the Star Realm too.

The core of the galaxy had the highest planet density, so the closer one got to the center of the Star Realm, the more vast the space, the higher the etheric energy, and the greater the number of stargates and races.

Next were the galactic disk and spiral arms.

Between the spiral arms, the number of planets decreased sharply, and the corresponding space in the Star Realm exhibited a kind of void.

This void zone gathered seawater, forming a bottomless abyss known as the Abyssal Sea.

The Abyssal Sea was not a conventional ocean as humans understood it. Seawater existed only on the very surface, and it was boundless. Within it, countless void turbulences and energy storms brewed constantly, making it extremely vast and highly dangerous.

The Abyssal Sea served as a natural boundary for the Star Realm civilizations, separating them from the unknown spaces beyond.

However, the Abyssal Sea was not completely devoid of life.

As the ever-changing Abyssal Sea sometimes gave birth to islands, only to have them disappear soon after, the wondrous nature of the Star Realm brought about countless treasures. Often, sea tribes, fish-type creatures, and giant beasts ventured into the Abyssal Sea, seeking opportunities amidst the dangers.

There were also some unlucky extraterrestrial tribes whose planets were located between the spiral arms, giving birth to civilizations, only to have their stargates open into the Abyssal Sea.

In any case,

The Abyssal Sea was not a life-forbidden zone. Great dangers came with great opportunities, but the dangers occupied 99 percent, leaving only 1 percent for opportunity.

It had always been a trend for the unusual people of the Azure Dragon Domain to venture into the Abyssal Sea.

However, the vast majority of them perished in the Abyssal Sea, and the number of unusual people who managed to obtain treasures and return alive was less than one percent. Anyone who succeeded in returning from the Abyssal Sea was called an "Abyssal Hunter".

However, even the most experienced Abyssal Hunters would usually only venture within 100,000 kilometers of the Abyssal Sea.

But the arrow was pointing to a location 400,000 kilometers deep into the Abyssal Sea! Ji Xinghuo felt helpless.

"How did the fragment of the Myriad Astro Pupil end up in such a distant place in the Abyssal Sea?" He couldn't help but think of the previous fragment, which gave him microscopic perception and invincibility in close combat. It had been within the territory of the True Dragon Empire, and Lin Yanfeng had even brought it to Qianfeng Abyssal Wood.

"Let's determine the specific location from the other dragon territories."

Ji Xinghuo returned to the Teleportation Array.

He teleported to the "Wuji Territory" in the northeast of the empire, and as expected, the direction of the arrow changed, and the estimated distance was also farther. Then he teleported to the south of the empire and once again determined the location based on the size and direction of the arrow.

Ji Xinghuo roughly confirmed that the closest distance would be from the "Tianxu Territory", the easternmost dragon territory of the empire.

"380,000 kilometers."

This was roughly the same as the average distance between Earth and the Moon.

He stood on a street in a seaside city, looking east. This place was the easternmost city that could be reached by teleportation in the Tianxu Territory, known as Bikuang City.

The Tianxu Territory was also one of the seven territories of the East Imperial Sea, bordering the Starfall Territory.

This dragon territory had a special feature.

The dragon king family ruling the Tianxu Territory was of the Hollow Divine Dragon bloodline, one of the Seven Great Divine Dragon Species, and the only Hollow Divine Dragon family in the True Dragon Empire.

However, over the past thousand star eras, the Hollow Divine Dragon family had gradually declined. Their dragon veins were not thriving, their strength was waning, and the current Hollow Divine Dragon King had only advanced to the Seventh Stage after becoming the family head. His strength was not particularly remarkable among the Star Shepherding Saints.

The Hollow Divine Dragon family had produced several Dragon Emperors in the past, including the Dragon Emperor whom the East Imperial Sea was named after. But now, their former glory was long gone.

The Tianxu Territory was right next to the Starfall Territory.

And the Canglong Family of the Starfall Territory was thriving, having even produced the current Azure Dragon Emperor.

The contrast between the two pinnacle families was indeed thought-provoking.

This island was not only the center of Donghuang Sea but also the ruling and economic center of the entire Azure Dragon Domain.

With an area of over a million square kilometers, Donghuang Island boasted countless city blocks. The endless array of structures covered the entire island, housing a permanent population of over two billion, making it the largest city of the True Dragon Empire in the Star Realm, which the Cang Long Family named "City of Azure Waves"!

Ji Xinghuo strolled along the streets, wandering aimlessly.

His electromagnetic senses scanned the surroundings.

The City of Azure Waves was divided into two parts: the island section built on land and the larger underwater section.

Along the coastline of Donghuang Island were numerous docks and ports, all man-made excavations. The docked ships stretched as far as the eye could see, and countless colossal sea beasts floated and swam in the waters. Beneath the coast, a variety of uniquely styled buildings were constructed on the seabed.

Ji Xinghuo encountered countless exotic races, the most prominent being the Sea Tribes.

Mermaids, fin-folk, frog-people, crustaceans, shellfish, gill-slit tribes, soft-bodied tribes, deep-sea tribes—the array of races broadened Ji Xinghuo's horizons. Compared to the differences between the Starry Sky Domain and Earth, the distinctions from the Yuan Magnet Territory were far more pronounced.

There were many races that Ji Xinghuo did not recognize, but most seemed to be offshoots of the Sea Tribes, traveling back and forth between the seabed and the surface.

Vessels constantly set sail from the ports.

Some rode on gigantic sea beasts, diving into the depths, while dragons and various airborne mounts flew in the skies above. The diverse and exotic sights were truly spectacular.

However, regardless of the race, the True Dragon race remained the dominant force.

Ji Xinghuo continued his walk through the streets.

Wherever he went, the dense crowds automatically parted, making way for him.

On those peculiar faces, belonging to humans and sea tribes alike, their gazes toward him were filled with awe.

The City of Azure Waves was too vast, and after wandering for several hours, Ji Xinghuo felt like he had barely scratched the surface. The surrounding pedestrians gradually thinned out, but the streets became even more orderly and immaculate. There were also squads of heavily armored Dragon Guards patrolling the area.

A quick electromagnetic scan revealed the reason for this heightened security.

He was nearing the Cang Long Family's residence.

The Cang Long Family occupied the best geographical area of Donghuang Island. With the sea to the east and a direct connection to the underwater section, there were also dozens of man-made rivers that flowed into the island, forming bodies of water that allowed the Cang Long to come and go.

From a distance, Ji Xinghuo spotted over a dozen Cang Long dragons playing and frolicking in the sea. They were surrounded by numerous Dragon Guards.

The Cang Long belonged to the Sea Dragon species.

One distinctive feature of this dragon species was their enormous size.

The Cang Long and the Jing Long were the two largest types, and even between them, there were differences. The Jing Long tended to be stout and robust, while the Cang Long were longer in length.

Ji Xinghuo paused to observe them.

Even the smallest among them, the Hong-grade young dragons, had body lengths exceeding 40 meters.

Their form resembled crocodiles, with a pair of clawed flippers in the front and back. Their tails made up half of their body length, and their rhomboid scales were a grayish-blue color, arranged in a dense pattern. Their dragon heads were triangular, resembling a snake's, and their dragon mouths could open extraordinarily wide, revealing sharp teeth.

The Cang Long could not fly, but they possessed immense strength and the innate ability to manipulate water currents, transforming them into flood-like entities.

These oceanic rulers had almost no enemies beneath the waves, aside from other Sea Dragon species.

"Not bad."

"The Cang Long have tremendous potential. If nurtured properly, they would be no less remarkable than the Divine Dragon species and wouldn't be limited to the ocean." Ji Xinghuo quietly assessed, "But compared to my Extinction Dragon, they still fall far short."

Without lingering further, he turned and left.

A moment later.

Ji Xinghuo walked into a sprawling single-building establishment. Even before entering, he had already discerned that this was a branch of the "Abyssal Hunter Guild."

Although he did not plan to venture into the Abyssal Sea immediately, he wanted to gather some preliminary information.

However, just as he was about to step inside, a colossal figure crashed through the wall, sending debris flying in his direction.

"Watch out!"

Someone shouted from within.

Ji Xinghuo had already seen that the one who was thrown out was a member of a gill-slit tribe offshoot.

Standing over three meters tall, their black and white skin was as smooth and resilient as fish leather. Their fish-head-like cranium lacked a neck, and their eyes were small, with several slit-like gills on the sides. A triangular fin protruded from the back of their head, and their arms were thicker than pillars, clutching a massive trident.

This gill-slit tribe member weighed at least two to three tons. If a regular person were struck by them, they would be reduced to meat paste.

Ji Xinghuo needed no reminder to dodge with a swift instant step.

Bang!

The gill-slit tribe member crashed to the ground, their trident slipping from their grasp. A stream of water bound them, preventing any escape.

Ji Xinghuo was surprised. This gill-slit tribesman was a Legend Second Stage, quite powerful, yet someone had knocked them down with a single strike.

His gaze fell on the assailant, and he couldn't help but be taken aback.

"What a coincidence..."

Standing before him was a strikingly beautiful True Dragon woman with a noble and elegant aura. She was surrounded by an entourage, and Ji Xinghuo recognized her as Cang Ya, whom he had met several times in the Yuan Magnet Territory. He never expected to encounter her so soon after arriving at Donghuang Island.

At that moment, Cang Ya's gaze also landed on Ji Xinghuo, and her brows furrowed slightly as if deep in thought.

Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she blurted out, "You are the Extinc..."

To be continued...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end