"So that's how you ended up on this island—"
"Who knew there'd be a formation here, and then I got trapped," Song Wanníng said, a trace of helplessness on her face, looking thoroughly frustrated.
The female beast cultivator in front of her didn't quite believe her at first, but Song Wanníng's aura was unmistakable. There was even a faint sense of suppressed dragon blood. That meant Song Wanníng's dragon bloodline was purer than her own.
Could she really be of the same kind?
The beast cultivator hesitated, unsure, but since Song Wanníng was a stranger, she didn't dare jump to conclusions. She simply stood to the side, cautiously watching.
Her expression wasn't like she recognized her.
Song Wanníng roughly figured it out and relaxed her tone. The beast cultivator looked youthful and clean, and her aura was surprisingly pleasant.
"I got stuck in this formation by accident. Can you help me get out?" Song Wanníng asked kindly, pointing to the formation.
"This formation's tricky. I think we need to deal with it properly," Song Wanníng added.
Her expression turned serious as she waved her hand, and a wave of red evil energy shot toward her, snarling and clawing.
She flicked out her Shenyou Mystic Flame to burn it, without causing too much trouble.
But the red energy caught the female beast cultivator's attention.
"There's something like this too?" she muttered, astonished.
Even after years living on the island, she had never seen anything like it. After a brief pause, she stepped forward to a nearby stone. A strand of seawater followed her, dousing the stone. The stone rattled and vanished into nothing.
The formation trapping Song Wanníng disappeared instantly, leaving no trace, as if it had never existed. The suffocating pressure on her chest lifted, and she finally stepped out of the formation.
The method left her momentarily silent. If nobody had come from outside, she could have been trapped there indefinitely. That was vicious.
"Thank you for saving me, Daoyou!" Song Wanníng said sincerely, her eyes glinting with gratitude.
Without this beast cultivator, she had no idea how long she would have been trapped.
The female beast cultivator waved her hand casually. "No worries. I just felt the formation was off, so I acted. But the formation's only sealed, not destroyed. Be careful not to trigger it again!"
She plopped onto the stone, pulled out a raw sea fish, and bit into it, blood smearing her mouth.
"You want some?" she asked, holding it out.
Song Wanníng shook her head and sat beside her.
Perhaps because of their shared dragon bloodline, Song Wanníng felt a strange sense of kinship with the beast cultivator.
The female beast cultivator found Song Wanníng easy to like too. While eating, she started chatting.
"Were you forced onto this island too?" she asked curiously.
"Huh?" Song Wanníng blinked, shaking her head.
"Oh, I thought you were unlucky like me!" The female beast cultivator sighed, frowning with frustration.
Song Wanníng asked why, and learned the reason she was stuck here.
"The Yao Clan is disgusting. Their ancestors had a grudge against the dragons. The dragons have been extinct for billions of years, but they just won't let it go.
I only awakened a little dragon blood, and they tried to kill me. If I hadn't gotten lucky and found this island, they would have skinned me alive."
The female beast cultivator's face darkened with anger. Even after ascending, life was harsher than the mortal realm.
Nobody could accept that.
"What's the Yao Clan's story?" Song Wanníng asked, curious.
"They're human. Long ago, their ancestors ascended to the Immortal Realm. One ancestor loved leaving offspring everywhere and, in a short hundred years, had over ten kids.
Following tradition, the Yao Clan believes more children bring more fortune, so they kept multiplying...
Many kids had average talent, but some were exceptional. Generation by generation, they became a huge clan!"
That was rare in the Immortal Realm, mostly dominated by sects, not families, since producing heirs was difficult.
The Yao Clan clearly enjoyed Heavenly Dao's favor to grow so powerful.
The female beast cultivator frowned even more. As long as the Yao Clan existed, she'd have to keep hiding.
Song Wanníng pondered for a moment. The Yao Clan wasn't ordinary.
Just as she was about to comment, a figure suddenly dashed in from the distance, cutting through the wind and waves at incredible speed.
The female beast cultivator jumped up, tense. "Shit, someone's tailing me!"
Her demeanor changed instantly, and the transparent dragon horns on her head became clear.
Song Wanníng looked at the figure. "Could it be someone from the Yao Clan?"
The female beast cultivator flinched. "Damn, the Yao Clan just won't die!"
She clenched her fists, furious.
The figure closed in fast, shouting from afar.
"Dragon, get out here now! If you don't return and kneel to apologize to the Yao Clan today, I'll skin you alive and you'll never rest in peace!"
"It's definitely someone from the Yao Clan!" The female beast cultivator twitched, irritated. "I was so careful, how did they tail me anyway?"
Song Wanníng narrowed her eyes. Being called a dragon by humans was a rare insult.
She sized up the person over the sea.
A Dixian in mid-stage cultivation, fair features, upright posture, eyes burning with killing intent.
Within a few breaths, he was only a few hundred meters from the island.
"Yao, I already told you, this has nothing to do with me," the female beast cultivator shouted. "Justice has its owners. Why're you harassing me?"
She attacked while scolding.
The Yao Clan disciple was ruthless, each move a killing strike.
As they fought, the sea shook violently.
Song Wanníng stood aside, not intervening. The Yao disciple noticed her.
"Ah, so there's an accomplice. Have the dragons really revived to plot something here?"
He imagined many things, thinking he'd uncovered their scheme, and wanted to report to the Yao Clan.
"You dragons should be completely extinct! You still dare to rise again? Dream on!"