32: Fangshi

Gao De reined in his aura, maintaining his Breath Concealment state. Like a shadow merged with the water itself, he stealthily moved towards Black Water Stream along a pre-planned, relatively hidden route.

He deliberately avoided main waterways and known territories of powerful Yao Beasts, making his route winding and circuitous.

As he passed through a relatively open body of water with moderate depth, he sensed a different kind of “human presence” from afar.

Not far ahead, the floating platform market, built on the lake surface below where the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce's flying boat had previously hovered, had not dispersed with the departure of the flying boat. Instead, it seemed to have become even more prosperous!

The scale of the platform seemed to have expanded, and many of the originally illusory images of pavilions and towers had now materialized into substantial buildings.

With green tiles and wooden buildings, flying eaves and intricate brackets, though not luxurious, it already had the rudimentary form of a permanent market.

Banners clearly belonging to different forces fluttered gently above these buildings—there were cloud-patterned water banners representing the Green Wave Sect, Family crests of the Lin Family and Zhu Family, and even some insignia Gao De had never seen before, belonging to other immortal Cultivation Families or small Sects.

Evidently, all parties saw the potential of this trading point, temporarily opened by the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce but spontaneously formed due to its excellent geographical location. They flocked here to establish strongholds and seize the initiative.

On the platform, Cultivators and Yao Race figures came and went endlessly.

Streaks of escape light of various colors, like meteors, occasionally descended from the sky or rose from the platform, disappearing into the distance.

There were Human Cultivators riding Flying Swords with flowing robes, and also variousoutliers riding strange flying Magical Artifacts, or even tamed Yao Beasts.

On the water surface around the platform, some Yao Race members, showing parts of their true forms or appearing entirely in their true forms, could be seen swimming and communicating, maintaining a delicate, non-aggressive distance from the Human Cultivators.

Faint sounds of chatter and hawking drifted from afar with the lake breeze. Although not as bustling as when the flying boat was present, it was much livelier than what Gao De's Demon Soldiers had investigated months ago.

This place had already become a new trading center for low-tier Cultivators and the Yao Race, connecting Dongting Lake, the edge of Yunmeng Great Marsh, and even more distant regions.

“It has indeed become a permanent place,” Gao De mused inwardly.

The existence of this market presented both advantages and disadvantages for him.

The advantage was that it would become an important hub for information. By cross-referencing the tianji mirror with actual observations here, he could more accurately grasp the situation's dynamics. The disadvantage was the complex mix of people, meaning approaching here increased the risk of exposure.

Naturally, he wouldn't get close, nor did he have any intention of going in to browse.

He merely observed calmly from afar for a moment, like a passerby.

He saw Cultivators flying out of the market, heading directly towards Yunmeng Great Marsh, and also saw Yao Race members, satisfied with their gains, diving into the water to leave.

“It seems I'm not the only one heading to Black Water Stream to try my luck.” From the frequent ascents and descents of escape light pointing towards Yunmeng Great Marsh, Gao De sensed an undercurrent.

The anomaly in Black Water Stream had clearly attracted a considerable number of interested parties.

He no longer lingered, sinking deeper into the water, bypassing this increasingly prosperous market area, and silently continuing his stealthy journey towards Black Water Stream.

The clamor behind him gradually faded, while the waters ahead became increasingly deep and silent, as if foretelling an impending storm.

This brief glimpse further convinced Gao De that the matter of Black Water Stream was no secret; a multi-factional game of chess had already begun.

And he had to be even more careful to find his own faint glimmer of light amidst this chaos... Gao De, with ten elite Demon Soldiers, stealthily advanced towards Black Water Stream like shadows gliding through the water.

He chose a route that avoided main waterways and known areas of frequent Cultivator activity, specifically picking secluded paths with dense water plants and complex undercurrents.

Along the way, he did not relax his attention on the tianji mirror.

On one hand, he continued to monitor the latest developments in Black Water Stream, where eagle cries and Dragon roars were faintly audible in the uploaded videos, and energy collision fluctuations, though distant, could be vaguely sensed, indicating that a major battle had clearly erupted;

On the other hand, he also used his Divided Soul to browse several public domains in the local Dongting Lake area to understand the situation behind them.

Soon, a message circulating among local Cultivators caught his attention.

The message stated that with the rise of the market left by the Nine Dragons Chamber of Commerce, a large number of Cultivators had flocked to the Dongting Lake region. Amidst the mixed crowd, a group of ruthless rogue Cultivators had also taken advantage of the situation.

This group acted stealthily, struck viciously, and specifically targeted lone Qi Condensation Stage Cultivators and Loose Cultivators without backgrounds. They never left survivors, having committed several murders over the past few months, causing widespread panic among low-level Cultivators.

However, these rogue Cultivators also seemed to know their limits; their targets were only weak individuals, and they never attacked Foundation Establishment Cultivators or teams with Sect backgrounds.

Therefore, although their impact was negative, the Green Wave Sect and other major forces considered it merely a “skin ailment” and did not pay enough attention, only strengthening patrols near major waterways.

“rogue Cultivators...” A flicker of understanding passed through Gao De's cold vertical pupils. Where there is light, there is shadow; the prosperity of the market would naturally attract these blood-scenting jackals.

They chose weaker targets to control risk and avoid hitting a hard plate.

“Their strength might not be high, but their methods are probably quite insidious,” Gao De judged inwardly.

Those who dare to engage in such illicit business either possess strength far superior to their targets, allowing them to crush them, or they specialize in sneak attacks, poison, ambushes, and other underhanded tricks.

Judging by their willingness to only target Qi Condensation Cultivators, the strength of their core members is likely between Foundation Establishment Early Stage and Middle Stage, perhaps possessing one or two special evil Magical Artifacts or Talismans.

This news was only a minor warning for Gao De.

Although with his Second Tier Mid-stage strength, plus ten rank one Peak, well-trained Demon Soldiers, he wasn't afraid of this group of possibly only Foundation Establishment Stage rogue Cultivators, not to mention his movements underwater were hard to predict, and the poverty of the Yao Race was also a reason.

But “an open spear is easy to dodge, a hidden arrow is hard to guard against.” His main goal for this trip was Black Water Stream, and he didn't want to encounter any unexpected complications on the way, wasting time and Demonic Power.

He immediately issued stricter orders to the ten accompanying Demon Soldiers via Divine Sense: heighten vigilance, conceal their tracks, avoid all suspicious Cultivator traces, and if they encountered an unknown interception, not to engage, but to immediately disperse and withdraw according to the pre-arranged route.

At the same time, he paid more attention to the hydrological environment along the way. Since the rogue Cultivators primarily operated on the lake surface, it was relatively safe underwater, but he also had to guard against whether they possessed Water Escape Talismans or had trained aquatic spies.

He maintained his Breath Concealment talent in its fully activated state, and the Heaven Roaming Evasion secret technique was also in a semi-activated state, ready to burst with speed at any moment.

The ten Demon Soldiers maintained a “Rapid Water Formation,” silently following him, like a multi-headed water snake lurking in the deep water.

The journey was uneventful.

Perhaps because Gao De chose a sufficiently secluded route, or because his and the Demon Soldiers' stealth skills were excellent, or perhaps because the rogue Cultivators' attention was focused on more “plump” and “soft” targets, they did not encounter any interception.

Several days later, a body of water shrouded in hazy grey-black miasma appeared in Gao De's perception.

A faint sweet-fishy and sulfurous smell permeated the air, and the water flow became viscous and chaotic.

In the distance, the muffled roar of exploding Spells and the angry roars of Yao Beasts faintly reached him.

Black Water Stream, they had arrived.

Gao De stopped in a cluster of underwater reefs far from the main battlefield, signaling his Demon Soldiers to disperse and hide, forming aalert formation.

He did not rush to approach the core area; that was a battlefield for Third Tier bigshots, not something he could get involved in now.

Like the most patient crocodile, he lurked at the edge of the battlefield, his cold vertical pupils observing and waiting through the turbid water.

His objectives were clear: to pick up scraps, and to observe.

He was waiting for both warring parties to suffer heavy losses, or for valuable items to be thrown to the fringes by shockwaves.

He was observing the fighting styles of Third Tier Yao Beasts and potentially appearing Golden Core Cultivators, to gain experience;

He was also sensing the faint, chilling Dragon Qi that made his Bloodline stir, trying to pinpoint its source.