"You’ve been at Mount Ling for a long time, and with Mount Ling previously busy dealing with the disaster of Marx, it’s no surprise you didn’t know this information," Sun Wukong said with a smile.

He was particularly pleased that Little Bailong had thought to come to him, his elder martial brother, for answers. It proved that his own wisdom was indeed recognized by Little Bailong.

The two brothers hadn’t seen each other for many years and naturally had endless topics to discuss. Also, Little Bailong, who could grasp the thoughts of Maitreya, wasn’t in a hurry to head to the Western Sea.

After all, this was just an initial probing. Even if he was a few days late, it wouldn’t matter much.

Since his journey to the scriptures, he had been meditating in seclusion at Mount Ling and hadn’t stepped out even half a step. Thus, he was somewhat behind on some news of the Three Realms.

The monkey was also very excited, pulling Little Bailong around Huaguo Mountain for a tour.

After spending several days at Huaguo Mountain, Little Bailong finally bade farewell to his elder martial brother.

"Elder martial brother, I’ve disturbed you for several days, but I must leave now as I still have duties to attend to."

"Go ahead, and if anyone in the Western Sea dares to bully you, just tell your elder brother," Sun Wukong instructed his martial brother. "I’ll see how I handle them."

Little Bailong smiled, nodded, and then, clouds appeared beneath his feet as he headed toward the Western Sea.

Since being caught by his father and taken to the Heavenly Court for burning the palace’s pearl, Little Bailong hadn’t returned to the Western Sea for a long time.

As his homeland drew nearer, the True Dragon who possessed the position of a Bodhisattva couldn’t help feeling a sense of timidity deep in his heart.

Everything here was so familiar; he had spent his childhood over these blue seas.

He had once naively thought that he would live forever on this ocean.

"Alas," sighed Little Bailong, his expression complex, with a mix of happiness and loss.

At that moment, a patrol of the Aquatic Races also noticed the figure of Little Bailong.

In this period, due to the defeat of the allied armies of the four seas, the prestige of the Dragon Palace had weakened, and many were restless, as the palace’s treasures were well known.

Previously, when the Dragon Palace was powerful and under the protection of the Heavenly Court, no one dared to provoke it. But now, with the Heavenly Court distracted with its own troubles and the Dragon Palace suffering a major defeat, it instantly became tempting prey for the greedy.

During this time, quite a few thieves slipped into the Dragon Palace. Fortunately, the Dragon Kings were cautious. The Dragon Palace was heavily guarded, so these thieves failed to achieve their goals.

However, this situation also angered the Dragon Clan. Thus, they organized a special sea patrol to intercept these malicious individuals before they could reach the seas.

Xie San was a Crab General of the Dragon Palace, previously unknown. This time, as the great army left, someone like him was naturally not among those summoned, thus sparing his life.

When the palace was under martial law and short of hands, people like him finally got a chance to shine, getting assigned to patrol the sea.

Now, Xie San, feeling triumphant, saw this as the moment of unveiling a clear sky and moonlight, where his pearl could finally shine brightly.

With this in mind, he had already firmly resolved to be devoted to his duty, to let the Dragon King see his capabilities, perhaps even earning himself a position as a Great General someday.

With those thoughts, he shouted loudly, "Everyone pay close attention! Let no suspicious area and no suspicious person go unchecked. If any mistakes occur, I’ll hold you responsible."

As the adage goes: once power is in hand, authority follows.

No sooner had Xie San taken office than he fully indulged in his seniority, rebuking and admonishing his subordinates which provoked general displeasure. However, due to their positions, they merely restrained themselves from openly breaking out.

Seeing this newly appointed officer reverting to old habits, a few Shrimp Soldiers quietly curled their lips, displaying utter disdain.

Xie San was still immersed in the joy of wielding power and did not notice their expressions.

"Who goes there?" a Shrimp Soldier suddenly shouted.

This voice instantly drew the attention of the distracted crowd, revealing a man clad in white standing by the sea, staring into space, lost in thought.

Xie San, upon seeing this, was thrilled. This was a golden opportunity for merit, as he had been worried about not having caught a single thief in recent days to report to his superiors. He had not expected such luck to present itself.

As for whether this man was a thief, what did it matter? If he declared him so, then so it would be, whether true or not.

"A mere thief dares target the Dragon Palace? Today I shall apprehend you by the law," Xie San shouted, charging forward with his underlings in tow.

However, he failed to notice that the Shrimp Soldiers deliberately lagged behind during the charge, thus creating a gap between them and Xie San.

When Xie San approached the man, he saw that he was tall and possessed an indescribable aura that made him feel slightly intimidated.

At that moment, the man in white slowly turned his head to see the excited Xie San approaching.

"When did I become a thief just for returning to the Dragon Palace?" Little Bailong said with self-mockery.

As an old servant of the Dragon Palace who had once encountered Ao Lie, Xie San felt that the man before him was vaguely familiar, yet he could not recall exactly who he was.

"Who are you, really?" Xie San asked.

His intuition told him that this man was very powerful, and that approaching him might be dangerous.

At the same time, the Shrimp Soldiers not far behind Xie San also rushed forward, intending to capture Little Bailong without a word.

After all, capturing these thieves had been significantly rewarding for the Dragon Palace before, enough for them to spend lavishly for a few days.

Seeing this, Little Bailong chuckled and shook his head. Then, he revealed his true form - a white True Dragon dancing in the sky, with a golden Merit Gold Wheel appearing behind his head. The awe-inspiring majesty immediately enveloped Heaven and Earth.

For the Aquatic Races, the Dragon Clan inherently possessed a suppression in terms of bloodline. Therefore, when Little Bailong revealed his True Dragon form, both Xie San and a group of Shrimp Soldiers trembled in fear, completely lacking the courage to confront him.

What’s more, the golden Merit Gold Wheel behind Little Bailong’s head also indicated that he was not to be trifled with. In the Three Realms, only those of a certain level of power could wield and refine a Merit Gold Wheel.

This object, existing between the tangible and the intangible, is manifested from accumulated merits. It can bring good fortune, avoid calamities, reveal one’s true mind and nature, and if one does not possess a profound Dharma Technique, even with the power of merit, they cannot refine such a wheel.

Therefore, it was a consensus within the Three Realms to show respect to such beings, as generally, those who possessed a Merit Gold Wheel tended not to be cruel or murderous. As long as one behaved properly, there would be no danger to one’s life.

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Palace, Dragon King Ao Run suddenly opened his eyes, sensing a familiar presence—it was unmistakably his son’s.

Just then, a dignified young man entered and eagerly said, "Father, is that not my younger brother’s presence outside?"