Ling Xiao did not hide his identity, stating his name plainly.
"Ling Xiao... you're quite clever, aren't you? You took the hint immediately and knew to name yourself after the great god." Bixiao laughed upon hearing this, looking at her sisters as if to prompt them to join in the joke and congratulate their "Fellow Daoist."
Yunxiao and Qiongxiao, however, first wore looks of suspicion, which rapidly morphed into sheer shock. "Ling Xiao... isn't that the name of the Island Lord?"
"Huh? Oh! Fellow Daoist, that's not a name you should just take on a whim! If that Great Divinity finds out, it will be a total catastrophe for you."
Bixiao finally reacted, putting a finger to her lips in a hushed gesture.
"For an existence of that level, one cannot even speak their name lightly!"
"I..." Ling Xiao was speechless. He spread his hands, completely giving up on explaining.
This was interesting. Truly interesting.
He didn't bother to clarify further, simply moving past the Sanxiao sisters to continue his harvest of Heaven and Earth Treasures.
"Hey! Fellow Daoist! That belongs to the Island Lord. You'd best not touch it; if he finds out, you'll be in deep trouble."
Seeing Ling Xiao harvesting the treasures as if no one were watching, Qiongxiao couldn't help but speak up as well.
"It's fine. An existence that powerful must have a heart as vast as the world; he won't bicker with me over a few herbs!" Ling Xiao laughed, taking the opportunity to praise himself.
"Fellow Daoist, I think it's better to be a bit more restrained. This is someone else's territory, after all!" Yunxiao spoke softly, her voice cool and tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction.
In her eyes, this "newly transformed" cultivator was far too ignorant of propriety—he was even a bit greedy. It was one thing to take a few things for cultivation, but he was sweeping the land as if it were his own home.
This behavior left a bad taste in her mouth.
Ling Xiao turned to look at the three women, feeling quite surprised. He could tell they were genuinely trying to protect the "Island Lord's" interests.
They are good comrades.
Just as he was about to say something, the entire island suddenly shuddered. Gargantuan waves rose toward the sky, and the seawater began to boil as if some peerless Vicious Beast were about to emerge.
"What is happening?!" The Sanxiao's expressions shifted, their gazes scanning the surroundings with the gravity of facing a mortal enemy.
Then, they watched as the waters outside the island burst open. A titanic Dragon Head emerged from the surface, its breath causing the infinite seawater to flow backward with a heaven-shaking pressure.
"The Dragon Clan!" The Sanxiao were filled with shock. As inhabitants of the Three Immortals Island, they were no strangers to their neighbors in the sea.
"Could this be the rumored Dragon Clan Leader?"
The sisters exchanged glances. From this dragon, they felt an unparalleled majesty—a Realm so far beyond their imagination that it made them tremble with fear.
But what happened next was even more shocking, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
The massive Dragon Head stretched further out of the water, bowed slightly, and spoke with profound respect: "Ao Zhan greets Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao!"
"Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao..."
The Sanxiao's gazes turned toward Ling Xiao in perfect unison. They felt as if their entire beings had gone numb.
"What he said just now was the truth... He really is Ling Xiao? The legendary existence?!"
At that moment, Ling Xiao unhurriedly tucked away the immortal herb in his hand and said with a faint smile, "Long time no see. You've done well; during my absence, the Three Immortals Island remained undisturbed."
It wasn't that he was intentionally trying to act superior; it was simply that the Dragon Clan, in his presence, truly held no prestige or standing.
"Tens of thousands of years have passed, and Fellow Daoist has become even more unfathomable."
Another voice rang out—old, weathered, yet monumental. Only then did the Sanxiao notice another figure standing atop the Dragon Head.
The figure looked hunched and aged, yet he radiated an invisible pressure even more potent than Ao Zhan's. Regardless of anything else, the status of someone who could stand atop the head of the Dragon Clan Leader was self-evident.
"Same to you. You seem to have made some progress as well." Ling Xiao's gaze was deep as he appraised the Old Dragon, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
Compared to their last meeting, the Old Dragon looked even older, yet the power within his body was far more substantial. This indicated that over the past few millennia, the Old Dragon had made significant strides.
A cunning old thing, intentionally playing weak...
If it were anyone else, they would have found it difficult to notice; they likely would have been fooled by the Old Dragon's frail exterior.
However, before Ling Xiao, there was no secret to be kept.
The Old Dragon's expression flickered for a fleeting second before he smoothed it over. He laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao overpraises me. I am old now; this is but a final burst of light before the end. I fear I won't last much longer."
On the surface, he was as steady as an old dog, but inwardly he was staggered.
He hadn't been offering empty flattery. Compared to their last meeting, Ling Xiao felt even more immeasurable—the two versions were on entirely different levels.
If he could have perhaps held his own against the previous Clone, he wouldn't even have the Battle Intent to try today.
He simply couldn't win.
Having lived so long, he possessed a very keen, experienced eye; he could read the situation and understood exactly where he stood.
Over these tens of thousands of years, countless younger members of the Dragon Clan had wanted to board the Three Immortals Island to scavenge for treasures, but he had strictly forbidden it.
Now, it looked like a brilliant decision. Had they done so, the East Sea would likely have been stained a different color today.
Ling Xiao listened to his words and said flatly, "If you've come today to claim credit for your service, you may leave. I am satisfied with the Dragon Clan's protection of the island."
"Not at all, not at all! Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao is too polite. We are neighbors; it was only right."
"Over the years, we've only fought off a few dozen waves of intruders—all small-time nobodies, not even worth mentioning."
"Isn't that right, Ao Zhan?"
As the Old Dragon finished, he gave a light stomp. Beneath him, Ao Zhan shuddered.
"Right, right! I handled them personally! If the Clan Elder hadn't stopped me, I would have chased them all the way back to their home bases!"
"No one touches Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao's things on my watch!"
The massive Dragon Head nodded repeatedly, causing the sea to heave and massive waves to slap against the island's shores.
This scene had left the Sanxiao utterly paralyzed. Was this truly the Dragon Clan Leader who suppressed the infinite sea regions?
Why did he look like a complete idiot?
And that Old Dragon standing on his head—his status was clearly even higher than Ao Zhan's, yet they could hear a clear note of sycophancy in his voice.
It was impossible to reconcile this with the Dragon Clan that had once dominated the heavens and earth.
The legends of the Island Lord's power were vast, but the reality was far more inconceivable. To have the Dragon Clan Leader and an Elder act with such respectful subservience proved just how terrifying Ling Xiao truly was.
"If you have business, speak. If not, be on your way." Ling Xiao was finding the duo's eagerness a bit hard to stomach.
Noble True Dragons were acting like common rascal snakes.
It was ruining the majestic image he held of them in his heart.
The Old Dragon's eyes lit up, and a rather unappealing smile creased his aged face.
"Actually, it is nothing major. I simply wished to invite Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao to the Dragon Palace as our guest."
He was sincere. This was the true goal of his visit: to bridge the gap with Ling Xiao and secure his goodwill for the Dragon Clan.