18: riding the clouds

The powerful enemy retreated, and the deep pool returned to silence, with only the gurgling of the Spiritual Vein spring eye and the energy ripples in the water that had not yet completely settled.

Gao De still felt a lingering fear and dared not relax in the slightest. He immediately coiled above the spring eye, fully operating the now-different "Dragon Transformation Merit" to consolidate his newly broken-through Second Order Realm.

This time, the consolidation Cultivation was completely different from usual.

Perhaps it was because the Breakthrough had triggered a deeper Bloodline potential, or perhaps the dragon blood grass and ancient beast fragmented bone had provided unimaginable assistance at the moment of his Breakthrough. He discovered that the growth of his Bloodline concentration did not stop after reaching fifty percent, but instead continued to climb at an astonishing speed during the consolidation process!

Fifty-one... fifty-five... sixty... sixty-five... The majestic power was like a river bursting its banks, surging and circulating within his body. With every Great Cycle, his Bloodline became a bit purer, and his Demonic Power became a bit more refined.

His newly grown unicorn horn flickered with an eerie light, faintly drawing in the surrounding water Spiritual Qi and a trace of indiscernible power of heaven and earth.

The scales on his webbed feet became denser and tougher, his movements in the water aligning with a certain mysterious rhythm.

After an unknown amount of time, when the surging power within his body finally calmed down completely and perfectly merged with his brand-new Yao body, Gao De looked inward at himself in shock.

[Current Dragon Fish Bloodline: 70%!]

To think it had actually risen to seventy percent in the process of consolidating his Realm! This far exceeded his initial expectations! Fifty percent was a qualitative change, while seventy percent meant his Dragon Fish Bloodline had reached a quite rich level, not far from truly undergoing Dragon Transformation!

Along with the significant increase in Bloodline, more Legacy information flooded into the depths of his consciousness like a long-prepared gift.

The subsequent chapter of "Dragon Transformation Merit" — the Cloud-Sailing Chapter!

This chapter not only contained more profound Demonic Power tempering and Dragon body strengthening methods, but more importantly, it recorded a Divine Ability that the Yao Race dreamed of — Cloud-Sailing and Mist-Riding!

Although with his current Second Order Early Stage cultivation and 70% Bloodline concentration, he could only perform the most rudimentary "Cloud-Sailing," the condensed cloud Qi was thin, the flight speed was not very fast, the height and duration were limited, and it consumed a huge amount of Demonic Power. But... this was flight, after all!

For aquatic Yao Race, breaking free from the constraints of the water and soaring into the sky was an important sign of a leap in strength and life level!

Gao De could not suppress the excitement and curiosity in his heart as he operated his Demonic Power according to the method.

He saw the water vapor around him quickly gather, mixing with the faint Demonic Qi emitted from his body, and finally forming a slightly thin gray-black cloud Qi about ten feet in size beneath his webbed feet.

With a thought, the cloud Qi supported his body and slowly left the water surface, rising into the air above the pool!

An unprecedented feeling welled up in his heart! Freed from the buoyancy and resistance of the water and placed in the open air, although the cloud Qi was shaky and flying was far less agile and swift than in the water, this feeling of freedom and the broadness of his vision made his mind surge!

He circled cautiously above the pool's mouth a few times, familiarizing himself with this brand-new way of moving.

Although it was clumsy and the consumption was quite large, this was undoubtedly an extremely valuable trump card — whether for traveling, chasing, escaping, or scouting enemy movements from the air, it was of great significance!

After familiarizing himself for a moment, he slowly descended back into the pool, dispersed the cloud Qi, and felt the slightly consumed Demonic Power, his heart filled with joy.

"Seventy percent Bloodline... Cloud-Sailing and Mist-Riding..." Gao De felt the earth-shaking changes in himself.

Now, if he encountered those Second Order Yao Beasts outside the pool again, with his stronger Bloodline pressure, more pure Demonic Power, and this ability to take to the sky, even if he couldn't win for sure, he definitely had the strength to fight, or even the confidence to defeat them!

He stood at a brand-new starting point.

It was time to leave this relatively comfortable but development-limiting deep pool.

He needed a broader stage, more intense competition, and... a greater Opportunity that would allow his Bloodline to progress toward eighty percent, ninety percent, and eventually the final Dragon Transformation!

His gaze seemed to penetrate the pool water, looking toward the deeper parts of Dongting Lake, toward the unknown waters where legendary Yao Kings resided and where opportunities and risks coexisted.

Consolidate cultivation, familiarize himself with the newly obtained Divine Ability, and then... set off!

...Half a year passed quietly in dedicated Cultivation and cautious investigation.

The dividend of the leap in strength brought by breaking through to the Second Order Wisdom Attainment Realm had been completely digested and absorbed by Gao De. His cultivation growth had returned to a stable period relying on slow, painstaking work. Because his Bloodline concentration was as high as 70%, the requirement for resources was even higher, and his progress speed actually seemed a bit slow.

He knew he had to find new and more powerful Opportunities to continue rapidly advancing his path to Dragon Transformation.

During this half-year, relying on the Divine Ability of [Cloud-Sailing and Mist-Riding] and his stronger concealment ability, he had quietly returned to the coastal waters near the Green Wave Sect's sphere of influence several times to gather news. The information he obtained was quite intriguing.

The interior of the Green Wave Sect did not seem peaceful. There were rumors that several Inner Sect Disciples had died unexpectedly while out for training or performing missions. The Sect claimed to the outside world that they had encountered powerful Yao Beasts or dangerous Secret Realms, but there were faint whispers mentioning possible internal infighting.

What made Gao De's heart tighten even more was that Senior Brother Wang Jue, whom he had seen colluding with Yao Beasts years ago, had actually successfully established his foundation and formally become a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder of the Green Wave Sect!

This meant that the strength and status of that hidden conspiracy group within the Sect had both improved, making them even more dangerous.

Meanwhile, the confrontation between the Lin and Zhu families continued. Small-scale conflicts between the two sides in the disputed waters occurred from time to time, with losses on both sides, but they were all restrained within a certain range, as if they were all waiting for something.

Gao De judged by observing the Spiritual Qi fluctuations in the Zhu Family's waters and the increasingly anxious aura of the two clan-guarding Pig Dragons — the egg-laying period of the Zhu Family's mother crocodile was in the coming days!

This was a delicate and dangerous moment. The Lin Family was likely to take this Opportunity to launch a fatal blow, while the Zhu Family would surely defend strictly.

The entire northern waters of Dongting Lake were filled with an oppressive atmosphere of an impending great war.

"I can't wait any longer." In the deep pool, Gao De opened his cold vertical pupils, a flash of decisiveness in his eyes.

The conflict between the Lin and Zhu families was an Opportunity for him to fish in troubled waters, but his own strength was the foundation.

Now that his cultivation progress had slowed down, he had to rely on external forces.

His thoughts fell on the Hundred Beasts Sect Storage Pouch buried deep beneath the silt at the bottom of the lake.

Half a year had passed, and those two black and red streaks of light from before had never reappeared; they had presumably given up the search.

Now that his strength had greatly increased, reaching the Second Order, and his wisdom had fully opened, his understanding and ability to crack Formations and Restrictions were far beyond what they used to be.

It was time to take out this "inheritance" that was a hot potato but might contain a huge Opportunity.

He planned carefully. He chose to set out on a dark and windy night when the waves on the lake were slightly larger.

Returning to the old place, he was even more cautious. First, he repeatedly scanned from a distance with his Spiritual Sense to confirm that there were no traces of any ambushes or surveillance Spells around.

Then, he operated his Demonic Power, cautiously controlling the water flow like the most precise machinery, peeling away the silt above layer by layer.

Before long, that old Storage Pouch, neither metal nor wood and carved with beast patterns, appeared before his "eyes" again, still emitting that extremely faint and unique fluctuation.

Gao De didn't touch it with his hands — although his newly grown webbed feet could barely manage to do so.

He still used the [Water Control Art], condensing an invisible hand of water to gently lift it up.

He didn't immediately try to open it. A Storage Pouch concerning a Sect's secret Treasure Trove would surely have powerful Restrictions set upon it. Rushing to break it would likely trigger self-destruction or alert the original owner's tracking mark.

He wrapped it in a dense layer of water spheres and then added several layers of simple Demonic Techniques to hide and isolate its aura before swallowing it into his belly for temporary storage.

After succeeding, he did not linger. He immediately performed a Water Escape, moving away from the place at the fastest speed, taking several large detours to confirm that there were absolutely no tails before returning to his old nest in the deep pool on the west bank.

Next, he would face a new challenge: how to safely open this Storage Pouch and obtain the "Hundred Beasts Sect Secret Treasure Trove" within.

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