The immortals can claim their own divine beasts. Once a contract is formed, the deity and beast are bound together. If the master does not break the contract before passing away, the divine beast will perish along with them.
And this was Ye Hong's lifeline.
His parents had been framed for colluding with the demons and plotting a rebellion. Ye Hong had nearly lost his life obtaining a formation that could forcibly bind any beast as his divine beast, without needing the beast's consent.
Ye Hong placed his hopes on the Fourth Princess of the North Sea, the daughter most cherished by the Dragon King.
Her father was the Dragon King of the North Sea, and her mother was Ningluo, an immortal of the divine race. She herself was not very powerful, so forcibly binding her would not do too much damage to his spirit.
If he made her his divine beast, her parents would surely do everything they could to protect him for their daughter's sake. That would give him time to clear his parents' names.
But after going through hell and back, he nearly died in the process of forming the contract. Once it was complete, the little dragon tremblingly told him,
"I... I'm not Fourth Sister. I'm the sixth."
"My mother is just an ordinary... clam spirit."
Couple: A gentle, never-say-die son of an imperial historian × the neglected Sixth Dragon Princess of the Dragon King of the North Sea
Happy ending.
Many liberties have been taken, so there's no need to scrutinize the details. The story also draws on the traditional mythological conception of the Three Realms.
Theme: No matter how difficult things get, never give up.
