153: Deep water ripples

Turtle Three Thousand's efficiency was as swift as ever.

A few days later, he brought the initial compiled intelligence and once again arrived outside Gao De's Immortal Cave where he was in seclusion.

"My Lord, regarding the deep water anomaly you sensed, your old servant has investigated through multiple secret channels," Turtle Three Thousand's voice came through the Restriction, carrying its usual steadiness, but upon closer listening, there seemed to be a hint of solemnity. "Synthesizing various fragmented pieces of information and some extremely ancient legends, the situation... might be more complex than anticipated."

Gao De's mind stirred, and the cave's Restriction opened. "Come in and speak."

Turtle Three Thousand entered, presenting a specially made Jade Slip, and simultaneously supplemented verbally: "Firstly, according to reliable sources, it is indeed as My Lord sensed: in recent months, there have been abnormal water spirit tides surging in the waters near the 'Sunken Abyss Sea Eye' in the extreme west to southwest of Yunmeng Marsh. The range is extremely wide, but the core fluctuations are extremely subtle, making them difficult to detect for beings above the third rank or those possessing special sensory Divine Abilities.

Some aquatic creatures that have been active nearby for a long time merely felt that the water currents there were more turbulent and chaotic than in previous years, and occasionally ancient water Vicious Beasts would become restless, but they didn't connect it to much."

"Sunken Abyss Sea Eye?" Gao De's Divine Thought swept over the approximate location and topographic sketch marked on the Jade Slip.

That was one of the most dangerous known water regions in Yunmeng Marsh. It was said to be bottomless, with undercurrents, whirlpools, water pressure, and ancient Vicious Beasts entrenched within, forming a natural death forbidden zone. Even ordinary third-rank beings dared not easily venture into its core area.

"Precisely. However, theKey points is not there," Turtle Three Thousand continued. "Your subordinate ordered people to consult some ancient hydrological notes secretly collected by the Chamber of Commerce, fragments of Loose Cultivator travelogues, and even, at a special cost, exchanged for an incomplete 'Ancient Records of the Great Marsh' from a declining Cultivation Family in the Heavenly Secret Realm.

Among them, scattered records linked the anomaly of the 'Sunken Abyss Sea Eye' to an even more ethereal legend."

He paused, seemingly organizing his words: "Legend has it that in the deepest part of the Sunken Abyss Sea Eye, or in some unknown space connected to its waterpulse, an ancient 'Great Sage Overturning Seas' had an imperial palace or separate residence, also known as 'Town Abyss Palace'.

This Great Sage was not a Human Cultivator but a peerless Great Demon who ruled Yunmeng Marsh and the surrounding ten thousand li of waterpulse in ancient times. Its true form is said to have been an 'Overturning Sea Dragon Whale,' possessing immense Divine Abilities, capable of overturning rivers and seas and suppressing waterpulse. After its disappearance, the imperial palace fell silent, hidden within the Void Realm waterpulse, only possibly revealing a trace during specific celestial phenomena or when the water spirit Qi of Yunmeng Marsh undergoes a certain periodic grand cycle."

"It is said that the Yunmeng Dragon King also tried to search for it after unifying the rivers, lakes, and seas, but for some unknown reason, he later gave up."

"Great Sage Overturning Seas? Town Abyss Palace?" Gao De's dragon eyes narrowed slightly, and lightning flickered in his vertical pupils.

This legend sounded quite absurd and distant, but considering the 'Yushui Sect Lan Yuan Remnant Slip' he obtained, in ancient times, this Yunmeng Marsh region, besides the Yunmeng Dragon King of the past few tens of thousands of years, clearly had forces and existences far beyond the current level.

The theory of a Great Demon's imperial palace might not be groundless.

"This legend is extremely rare, and its versions are chaotic, mostly regarded as baseless. But combining the direction and characteristics of this anomaly, as well as... some discoveries from Lin Xiaofan, it seems to have gained a bit more credibility," Turtle Three Thousand said.

"What did Xiaofan discover?" Gao De asked.

"Your old servant inquired with Xiaofan as you instructed. Not only does he deeply study the 'Records of Water Classics Anomalies,' but over the years, to cultivate Spirit Fish, he has almost traversed various water systems in Yunmeng Marsh, gaining a profound understanding of water quality, waterpulse, and the habits of aquatic creatures.

He recalled that about three years ago, he once ventured into a cold spring near the outer reaches of Yunmeng to search for a special kind of aquatic plant. At that time, he already felt that the water spirit Qi in that nearby water region carried a faint, unusual sense of 'sedimentation' and 'heaviness,' as if there was an invisible 'suppression' in the water.

At the time, he only thought it was due to the special geology deep within the Sea Eye and didn't think much of it. Now, hearing of the anomaly, he realizes there might be a connection.

Additionally, he mentioned that at the end of the 'Records of Water Classics Anomalies' remnant slip, there is a vague and unclear seal script. After years of contemplation, he suspects it is related to ancient characters like 'Water Mansion,' 'suppression,' and 'whaleswallow,' but due to its severe incompleteness, it cannot be continuously interpreted."

Water Mansion, suppression, whaleswallow... these words subtly echo the legends of 'Town Abyss Palace' and 'Overturning Sea Dragon Whale'.

Gao De fell silent for a moment, digesting this information.

A relic located in one of Yunmeng Marsh's most dangerous water regions, possibly related to an ancient Great Demon, beginning to reveal traces due to unknown reasons... this was undoubtedly a huge and dangerous temptation. The Opportunity might be astonishing, but the danger would also be fatal.

"You have done very well. The value of this intelligence far exceeds expectations." Gao De affirmed Turtle Three Thousand's work. "Regarding the legend of 'Town Abyss Palace' and any subtle changes in the Sunken Abyss Sea Eye recently, continue to gather information, spare no expense, but be even more discreet. At the same time, strengthen surveillance of the Qianjiao Cliff territory, especially the western water regions, and pay attention to whether other forces or powerful existences have also noticed the anomaly."

"Your old servant understands."

"Also, notify Green Edge and Iron Pincer to select the most elite, loyal, and skilled subordinates in deep-water stealth and survival to form a small exploration team. The number doesn't need to be large; quality is key, and pay attention to secrecy." Gao De began to issue substantive preparatory instructions.

"Yes! Is My Lord planning to..." Turtle Three Thousand hesitated.

"Just preparing for a rainy day," Gao De interrupted his question, his dragon eyes deep with light. "The time is not yet ripe, the intelligence is unclear, how can we act rashly? First, prepare and observe the changes. If that 'Town Abyss Palace' truly has an Opportunity appear, then even the monsters and demons from Yunmeng Marsh and even further afield will likely be alarmed. We need to have enough strength to protect ourselves and, in the chaos, see if we can seize a sliver of Opportunity for ourselves."

"My Lord is wise! Your old servant will go arrange it now." Turtle Three Thousand understood, bowed, and withdrew.

Silence returned to the spirit cave, with only the Dragon Pearl's radiance quietly flowing.

Gao De fell into contemplation. "Great Sage Overturning Seas... Town Abyss Palace... Yushui Sect... Yunmeng Water Eye..." These clues, like scattered beads, swirled in his mind. Were they connected? Or were they independent ancient legacies?

"In any case, this anomaly in the 'Sunken Abyss Sea Eye' is indeed a variable worth paying attention to." Gao De realized that his 'hibernating and developing' phase might face a new turning point due to this unexpected discovery.

Should he continue to hide deeply, waiting for his strength to advance further? Or should he actively prepare to snatch chestnuts from the fire in the potential chaos?

His character dictated that he would choose the latter—but never recklessly. Thorough preparation, accurate intelligence, and careful timing were all indispensable.

"It seems that refining a few specialized exploration Magic Treasures also needs to be put on the agenda," Gao De mused.

His Artifact Refining skills, with the improvement of his cultivation and his comprehension of related miscellaneous studies in the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, were no longer what they once were. Using the remnants of his old scales, claws, and teeth shed during his previous transformation, combined with some treasured deep-water cold iron, water-repelling pearls, and calming ripple stones, he might be able to refine special Magical Artifacts suitable for extreme deep-water environments.

He closed his eyes again, his mind partly immersed in deducing strategies for deep-water environments, and partly beginning to conceive the refining diagrams for the required Magic Treasures.

Beneath the calm surface of Qianjiao Cliff, an undercurrent targeting an unknown deep-water Opportunity began to quietly surge.

Training troops, refining artifacts, collecting intelligence... everything was proceeding in an orderly yet extremely secretive manner.

Gao De was like a seasoned chess player, silently setting up his pieces before they were even placed, waiting for the moment when the chessboard would change dramatically.

And his next crucial Opportunity on the path to dragon transformation might be hidden in that dark abyss known as the 'Sunken Abyss Sea Eye'.