92: Chapter 92 Nineteen

Behind the white jade tower ship, about a hundred yards away, a pillar of water shot into the sky without warning!

The water column was over a dozen zhang high, the white spray refracting brilliant colors under the setting sun.

A figure broke through the water curtain like a Dragon emerging from the sea, carrying a spray of water, and shot toward the fading dragon gate at astonishing speed!

"Who is that?!"

"Is he courting death? The dragon gate is about to close!"

"Charging over now without a summoning token, isn't that just asking for death?"

The sea surface erupted into an uproar instantly!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

On the deck, the smile on Zhao Yuanjing's face froze, then turned into undisguised mockery and pity.

"Fool," he spat out the two words in a low voice.

Without a summoning token, trespassing into the dragon gate has only one outcome—the destruction of the Divine Soul!

This was stated personally by the envoy from above the Dragon Fetus Realm; it was no joke.

This fellow, appearing out of nowhere, wants to force his way in when the dragon gate is about to close?

He clearly has a death wish!

Wu Huo, the Blue-clothed Woman, the swarthy man, and others also turned to look, their eyes filled with surprise and a hint of indifferent pity.

Another poor wretch whose head was turned by the reputation of the Dragon Abyss Palace.

However, what happened next caused everyone's mockery and pity to instantly freeze on their faces, turning into incredulous shock!

The figure was extremely fast, reaching the dragon gate in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the dragon gate had largely faded; the vortex inside had almost stopped, its light dim, on the verge of disappearing completely.

Yet the figure did not pause, plunging headfirst into the azure halo that was about to vanish!

"Hum—!"

The moment he stepped inside, a sudden change occurred!

The dragon gate, which had been on the verge of vanishing, seemed to be injected with new power, shaking violently!

The dim runes on the gate frame suddenly relit like ignited sparks, becoming even more brilliant and dazzling than ever before!

The stagnant vortex inside the gate roared back to life, spinning rapidly and erupting with powerful suction and azure light!

A radiance, brighter and denser than when anyone else had passed through, descended from the gate frame, enveloping the intruder completely!

"This... this is..."

"The dragon gate has been reactivated?!"

"How is that possible?! Unless..."

Exclamations rose and fell across the sea.

On the deck, Zhao Yuanjing's pupils contracted sharply, the mockery on his face completely freezing into incredulous horror.

He stared fixedly at the figure shrouded in the brilliant light within the dragon gate.

Within the light, the figure was clearly holding something.

A warm, cyan token was emitting a soft yet firm glow, reflecting and harmonizing with the light of the dragon gate!

A summoning token!

He also had a summoning token!

"He... why is he only arriving now?!"

Zhao Yuanjing whispered, his voice betraying a loss of composure he hadn't even realized.

Not just him, but the other seventeen people on the deck, including the consistently cold Blue-clothed Woman and the mature Wu Huo, were all filled with shock.

Arriving at the last moment, holding the token!

Moreover, judging by the violent reaction of the dragon gate, the summoning token in this person's hand seemed... rather unusual?

The light lasted for about three breaths before slowly fading.

After completing the verification, the dragon gate's light finally dimmed completely, and then the entire portal, formed of seawater and azure light, vanished like a bubble with a soft "pop," as if it had never existed.

Only that figure remained, standing safely on the sea surface where the dragon gate had been.

The water mist gradually dispersed, revealing his true appearance.

A youth who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen.

He wore simple, dark gray cloth robes—the fabric was ordinary and even a bit worn, but washed clean.

His black hair was tied back loosely with a wooden hairpin, and a few stray locks were blown by the sea breeze, clinging to his angular cheeks.

His face could not be called handsome, but it had distinct lines and a straight nose bridge.

His eyes, in particular, were as calm as a deep pool, and at this moment, under the setting sun, they seemed to flicker with golden flames.

What was most striking was his smile.

He tilted his head slightly, looking toward the white jade tower ship, his lips curving up to reveal two rows of clean, neat teeth.

The smile was clean and bright, carrying a trace of relief and joy, as if he had pierced through the wind and waves to finally reach the other shore.

Then, under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he moved, treading on the sea as if it were flat ground, and arrived beneath the tower ship in a few steps.

The Azure Water Flood Dragon turned its massive head, its cold, vertical pupils staring at him, and it exhaled a fishy white mist from its nostrils, seemingly dissatisfied with this "last-minute intruder."

The youth, however, seemed not to notice, even looking up to smile at the Azure Water Flood Dragon before grabbing the dangling white jade ladder and climbing up nimbly with hands and feet.

His movements were not as elegant as Zhao Yuanjing's, nor as light as the Blue-clothed Woman's; they even carried a certain worldly, pragmatic, and casual air.

But it was this very casualness that seemed particularly jarring at this moment.

"Thud."

The youth jumped onto the deck and steadied himself.

Eighteen pairs of eyes on the deck focused on him in unison.

Curiosity, scrutiny, surprise, wariness, displeasure... various emotions wove into an invisible net.

The youth, however, seemed oblivious.

He raised a hand, wiped the remaining water droplets from his face with a relatively dry sleeve, scanned these future "fellow disciples" on the deck, and finally settled his gaze on the Middle-aged Scholar at the bow.

He bowed, performed a salute, and said in a clear, smiling voice:

"Junior Jiang Hanzhou greets the envoy. I am not late, am I?"

As his words fell, silence descended on the deck.

There was only the sound of the sea breeze whipping against the sails and the occasional sound of the Azure Water Flood Dragon paddling through the water.

The Middle-aged Scholar's gaze fell on Jiang Hanzhou, observing him calmly for several breaths.

In those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything, a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer seemed to flash.

He did not answer Jiang Hanzhou's question, only nodding slightly, then turned around to face the front of the ship and spoke indifferently:

"The people are gathered. Set sail."

"Roar—!!!"

The Azure Water Flood Dragon let out a heaven-shaking Dragon cry, its thick neck straining, and the pale gold runic chains wrapped around its body clattered loudly.

The white jade tower ship shuddered slightly; the seawater around the hull parted naturally as if supported by an invisible force, and it began to accelerate slowly, sailing toward the deep sea where the sun was setting and twilight was rising.

Behind the ship, only the hundreds of onlookers in the Seven Star Reef area, still immersed in shock and confusion, remained, along with the sea surface gradually being swallowed by the twilight.