Deep within the treasure vault of the East Sea Dragon Palace, a shrine carved from a single piece of blue crystal coral emanated soft radiance. When East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang activated the shrine with special dragon tongue incantations, the seawater throughout the entire Dragon Palace froze, as if time had stopped flowing at that moment.
At the center of the shrine, a pearl the size of a fist floated serenely. This pearl was entirely cerulean blue, its interior seeming to seal away a miniature ocean—on closer inspection, countless tiny aquatic creatures could be seen swimming within. Most wondrous of all, the space around the pearl was exceptionally stable, even the subtlest spatial fluctuations completely smoothed away.
"This is the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl." Ao Guang's voice carried immense solemnity. "A treasure passed down through generations of the Dragon Clan, said to be able to calm the Four Seas and stabilize heaven and earth."
Xiao Qi could sense the vast power contained within the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl. This wasn't merely water-element power, but also contained some kind of rule power touching upon the world's origin. The reason space around the pearl was so stable was precisely because it continuously smoothed the ripples of space.
"The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl is a relic left by the ancient Water God," Ao Guang continued explaining. "Its greatest function is to stabilize space. Only this pearl can temporarily calm the spacetime turbulence around the Gui Xu Sea Eye."
He carefully removed the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl from the shrine. The moment the treasure left, the entire Dragon Palace trembled slightly. Clearly, the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was not merely a magical artifact, but the core maintaining the Dragon Palace's spatial stability.
"This pearl is lent to you, but there are three limitations." Ao Guang placed the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl into Xiao Qi's hand. "First, it can only be used near the Sea Eye—leaving that area renders it ineffective. Second, each use can sustain at most three hours—exceeding this time, the pearl will begin absorbing the user's life force. Third..."
The old Dragon King's gaze turned extraordinarily serious: "Never, under any circumstances, enter the Sea Eye's depths!"
Xiao Qi received the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, immediately feeling a cool power flow through his entire body. This power not only stabilized the space around him, even the surging spiritual energy within him became exceptionally docile.
"What's in the Sea Eye's depths?" he asked.
A flicker of fear crossed Ao Guang's eyes: "There slumbers an existence even dragons dare not disturb. According to the Dragon Clan's most ancient records, an ancient consciousness is sealed within the Sea Eye's depths—far more terrifying than the demonic entity."
He produced a memory dragon scale: "This is a warning left by our ancestors. See for yourself."
When Xiao Qi immersed his spiritual sense into the dragon scale, what he saw made his hair stand on end: In eternal darkness, an indescribably massive consciousness slumbered. It had no concrete form, yet radiated an aura of despair. Simply sensing the existence of this consciousness nearly shattered his Dao-heart!
"This is... what?" Xiao Qi withdrew his spiritual sense, face pale.
"We call it the 'Lord of Gui Xu.'" Ao Guang's voice was low. "It is an ancient consciousness that existed when the world was born, responsible for maintaining the world's balance. Any existence attempting to disrupt that balance becomes its target for elimination."
Xiao Qi suddenly understood: "So the Dragon Clan's generations of guarding the Sea Eye is actually guarding this seal?"
"Correct." Ao Guang nodded. "The demonic entity choosing to return at the Gui Xu Sea Eye likely intends to exploit the Lord of Gui Xu's power. If it succeeds, not only our world, but all connected worlds will suffer."
This truth left everyone gasping for breath. So they weren't just facing the demonic entity, but an even more ancient and terrifying existence!
"The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl not only stabilizes space," Ao Guang finally said, "but in critical moments, it can also temporarily shield the Lord of Gui Xu's perception. But remember—only three hours!"
Carrying the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and heavy truths, Xiao Qi returned to the preparation base. When he shared this news with the alliance leadership, everyone fell silent.
"So that means," Mu Xue summarized, "we must stop the demonic entity within three hours, and also avoid awakening the slumbering Lord of Gui Xu?"
"Exactly." Xiao Qi nodded. "This is a race against time, and even more so, a dance walking on the blade's edge."
In the following days, the alliance underwent intense preparations. The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was installed at the center of a specially crafted formation, co-propelled by eight Soul Transformation cultivators. Xiao Qi utilized the resonance between the Star Iron and Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, continuously deducing the spatial structure around the Sea Eye.
He discovered something astonishing: a mysterious connection existed between the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and the Star Iron from Beyond the Realm. When the two treasures approached each other, the star map on the Star Iron became clearer, even revealing some previously hidden information.
"The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl... perhaps isn't as simple as just stabilizing space." Xiao Qi mused thoughtfully.
In the final deduction, he saw a stunning scene: when the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl's power was fully released, a brief safe passage would appear around the Sea Eye. This passage led directly to the Sea Eye's core, but could only exist for an extremely short time.
"This is our chance." Xiao Qi addressed the elite squad. "In the instant the passage appears, we must rush in and stop the demonic entity before it completes its return ceremony."
Everyone understood this might be their only chance. Once missed, they would face not only the fully restored demonic entity, but might also awaken the slumbering Lord of Gui Xu.
On the night before departure, Xiao Qi stood alone by the sea, gazing at the distant horizon. The Sea-Stabilizing Pearl in his palm shimmered with dreamlike radiance under the moonlight, as if narrating ancient secrets.
"Regardless, we must succeed." He gripped the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl tightly, determination flickering in his eyes.
When dawn came and the fleet sailed toward the Gui Xu Sea Eye, the entire cultivation world watched this expedition that would determine the world's fate. And in the depths of the Sea Eye, the demonic entity's whispers had become increasingly clear...