52: Jiaolong Returns

Outside, the Joint Investigation Team disappeared without a trace after venturing deep into the Yunmeng Great Marsh, sparking widespread speculation. Meanwhile, those foreign merchant caravans gradually established a foothold in the Dongting Lake region, bringing continuous prosperity and chaos.

The Lin Family and the Green Wave Sect attempted to maintain order, but they seemed somewhat overwhelmed when facing the intricate and complex web of various forces.

Following Gao De’s instructions, Turtle Three Thousand low-key blended into the marketplace. Taking advantage of the convenience brought by the merchant caravans, he secretly gathered information on the resources Gao De needed—specifically treasures related to restoring Demonic Power, nourishing the Divine Soul, and Undergoing Tribulation. He also kept an eye out for any rumors regarding Dragon Clan ruins or the secrets of the Yunmeng Marsh.

On this day, the Demonic Power within Gao De surged, having already reached the limit of the Second Tier Mid-stage. The small Bottleneck leading to the Late Stage was right before his eyes, within his reach.

He felt his condition had been tuned to its Peak. Just as he was preparing to make a push in one go, Turtle Three Thousand brought a rather unexpected piece of news.

"My Lord, your servant heard a rumor in the marketplace, though I know not its truth," Turtle Three Thousand said cautiously. "It is said that among the private spirit boats following the investigation team, there is a merchant caravan from the 'Hundred Ingenuities Sect' of Jingzhou Province. They are skilled in refining various mechanical Puppets and ingenious Magical Artifacts.

"They have brought a prized treasure this time. It is said to be a mechanical beast modeled after the ancient Water-Parting Golden-Eyed Beast. Not only can it move freely in water, but it also possesses a singular function—it can, to a certain extent, evade or even absorb the power of low-tier thunder and fire!"

"Evade and absorb the power of thunder and fire?" Gao De suddenly snapped his eyes open, golden light erupting from them!

This function was practically tailor-made for him to endure the Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation!

Although the power of the Heavenly Tribulation was unpredictable and the effectiveness of a mere imitation mechanism might not be great, even if it could only weaken it by a sliver, it could play a decisive role at a critical moment!

"Is the news reliable? What is the price of that mechanical beast?" Gao De asked in a heavy voice.

"The source of the news is several Loose Cultivators who often traffic in information; there should be some basis to it.

"As for the price... the people from the Hundred Ingenuities Sect are being very secretive. They only say it is not for sale and wish to exchange it for a water-attribute ancient Yao core or a rare spiritual material of equal value," Turtle Three Thousand replied.

"An ancient Yao core? Rare spiritual material?" Gao De pondered.

He did not have a ready-made ancient Yao core on hand, but the metal fragments and tattered Jade Slips obtained from the Dragon Palace barracks, as well as that eerie blue light stone block from the Mythical Dragon Son ruins, might be recognized as "rare spiritual materials."

"Continue to investigate and confirm the specific effects of that mechanical beast. Meanwhile, find a way to contact the people from the Hundred Ingenuities Sect anonymously. Probe them to see if they have any interest in the items we have," Gao De ordered.

He was quite interested in this mechanical beast!

"Yes!" Turtle Three Thousand took the order and left.

Gao De suppressed the urge to immediately charge toward the Second Tier Late-stage and decided to wait a step.

If he could obtain that mechanical beast, his certainty in Undergoing Tribulation would increase greatly.

Before then, he needed to maintain his condition to respond at any time to potential trading opportunities.

His path of Dragon Transformation seemed to have encountered a new variable once again.

Resources, Opportunities, and planning—none could be lacking.

Gao De took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a light of calm and determination.

No matter what lay ahead, he would hack through the thorns and move steadily toward the Realm of the True Dragon!

Returning to the depths of the Water Mansion.

Gao De suppressed the impulse to immediately strike at the Second Tier Late-stage Bottleneck, maintaining his state at the Peak, like a fully drawn bowstring held but not released.

He felt that if he could truly get his hands on that mechanical beast capable of evading thunder and fire, the help it would provide for his tribulation might be more important than simply raising his Realm by a minor stage.

He diverted a portion of his mind to continue consolidating the various changes brought by his 90% Bloodline, practicing the combination of the Dragon Might Domain and Subtle Ripple Thunder Light, and deducing more combat applications for the Mirage Phantom.

Most of his attention was focused on the movements regarding the Hundred Ingenuities Sect and that mechanical beast in the marketplace through the tianji mirror and Turtle Three Thousand's reports.

Turtle Three Thousand lived up to his scheming nature; after a few days, he brought more detailed intelligence:

"My Lord, it has been basically confirmed. The Hundred Ingenuities Sect's mechanical beast is named the 'thunder-controlling Alligator Dragon Puppet.' It uses Thousand-Year Sunken Ironwood as its core, mixed with several types of lightning-evading spiritual materials, and its surface is carved with complex Spirit-Guiding Runes.

"According to what they've revealed privately, this Puppet can indeed absorb a portion of lightning power and convert it into its own motive force. It has a good defensive effect against thunder and fire attacks below the Third Tier.

"But they are adamant about the exchange conditions: it must be a water-attribute ancient Yao core or an ancient spiritual material containing pure Dragon Clan aura. They will not consider anything else."

"Ancient spiritual material containing pure Dragon Clan aura..." Gao De's gaze swept over several items in his Storage Pouch.

The metal fragments and tattered Jade Slips from the Dragon Palace barracks were old enough, but the Dragon Clan aura had almost completely dissipated.

Only the eerie blue light stone block obtained from the Mythical Dragon Son's remains was not only ancient but also contained a sliver of the Mythical Dragon Son's residual Divine Soul power. Its essence undoubtedly fell within the scope of "Dragon Clan aura"!

"This item might be worth a try." Gao De's thoughts raced.

For him, this stone currently served mainly to help temper his Divine Soul and was not irreplaceable.

Whereas the "thunder-controlling Alligator Dragon Puppet" was something needed for Undergoing Tribulation. After weighing the value, it was worth taking the risk.

"Turtle Three Thousand, find a way to get in touch with someone in charge from the Hundred Ingenuities Sect, and do it anonymously. Do not show the stone block directly. First, probe them by describing its characteristics: ancient, heavy, and containing a sliver of dragon-descendant Divine Soul power. See if they are interested.

"Remember, safety first. If the other party's attitude is aggressive or their background is complex, abandon the attempt immediately." Gao De instructed cautiously. He did not want to expose his connection to the Mythical Dragon Son ruins because of this.

"Your servant understands!" Turtle Three Thousand took the command and immediately set about the task.

While Gao De was waiting for news from Turtle Three Thousand, a piece of news even more shocking—and even carrying a hint of panic—spread through the entire Dongting Lake region in an instant via the tianji mirror and various channels like a storm!

That Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon that went off to hunt down Demon King Fushui several years ago has returned!

Some Cultivators claimed with absolute certainty that they witnessed a terrifying azure flood dragon shadow sweeping across the sky at the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh. Its pressure was so great that Yao Beasts within a hundred-mile radius lay low and dared not move!

It did not seem to stop and headed straight in the direction of Dongting Lake!

As soon as the news broke, the entire city was in an uproar!

A Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon! That was an existence equivalent to the Human Race's Nascent Soul Stage!

Why did it return? Was it to completely wipe out the remnants of Demon King Fushui's forces? Or was there something else in Dongting Lake that attracted it?

Or perhaps... was it related to that lost dragon pearl or the newly appeared Mythical Dragon Son ruins?

Whatever the reason, the arrival of a Late Fourth Stage flood dragon was undoubtedly subversive to the current power structure of Dongting Lake, where the highest combat power was only the Third Tier Young Lord Turtle!

All forces, including the foreign merchant caravans that had just established themselves, felt immense pressure and uncertainty.

The Green Wave Sect and the Lin Family immediately heightened their alertness and activated all defensive Formations; the atmosphere was unprecedentedly tense.

Those descendants of Demon King Fushui, who had been arguing incessantly over interests, also instantly ceased their clamor. They gathered together in terror to discuss countermeasures.

The moment Gao De learned of this news, his heart also shook violently!

"It's back..." He felt an invisible, suffocating pressure envelop the entire Dongting Lake.

Before such an existence, his Second Tier Mid-stage cultivation, which had just surpassed 90% Bloodline, was still like that of an ant.

"The plan must be accelerated!" Gao De made a judgment instantly.

The return of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon meant that future variables in the Dongting Lake region would increase sharply; there might be no more peaceful days.

He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible and condense a flood dragon pearl to have some power for self-preservation. Otherwise, once he was drawn into a higher-level struggle, life and death would be unpredictable.

He immediately contacted Turtle Three Thousand through Divine Sense, ordering that no matter how far the contact with the Hundred Ingenuities Sect had progressed, it should be temporarily suspended. All personnel were to return to the Water Mansion immediately and strengthen their concealment.

"My Lord, we just made some headway with the Hundred Ingenuities Sect. They showed great interest in the 'ancient dragon-descendant stone' we described and invited us to discuss it in detail at the 'Listening Wave Pavilion' in the marketplace in three days..." Turtle Three Thousand reported with some hesitation.

"Cancel it!" Gao De was decisive. "The situation is currently unclear, and the movements of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon are unknown. Any unnecessary contact could bring about a catastrophe. Put the matter of the mechanical beast aside for now."

"Yes!" Turtle Three Thousand did not dare to say more and immediately executed the order.

Gao De took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Within crisis, there were also opportunities.

The Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon's attention would inevitably be drawn by the remnants of Demon King Fushui, the Green Wave Sect, the Lin Family, and the potential clues of the dragon pearl. It might not notice a "small Dragon Fish" like him, lurking in a deep pool and hiding carefully.

This might be his last window of Opportunity to strike at his Realm and prepare for Dragon Transformation!

He no longer hesitated and once again immersed his entire mind into Cultivation.

Demonic Power surged and roared within his Meridians, launching a final, fierce assault on that Second Tier Late-stage Bottleneck!

Rumble—!

It was as if the sound of thunder echoed within his body. The majestic Demonic Power, like a burst dam, instantly crushed the barrier that had hindered him for so long!

Second Tier Late-stage!

A natural success!

Powerful Demonic Power instantly filled his entire body, nearly doubling his previous strength! His comprehension of the Law of Water became clearer, his Divine Sense range expanded further, and the Dragon Might around him became increasingly solid.

Gao De did not stop. Taking advantage of the momentum of the Breakthrough, he continued to circulate the Dragon Transformation Merit, frantically absorbing energy from the Water Mansion's Spiritual Vein and the dragon pearl fossil, consolidating his Second Tier Late-stage Realm and steadily advancing toward the level of Great Perfection.

There was only one thought in his heart: Get stronger! Get stronger faster! Before the storm fully descended, he had to possess enough power to protect himself in the vortex or even seize a sliver of Opportunity!

Outside the Water Mansion, dark clouds loomed over Dongting Lake, as if foreshadowing the impending storm.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Water Mansion, Gao De was like a reef hidden beneath the turbulent waves, silently accumulating the power to break through the water.

The path of Dragon Transformation had never been as urgent and clear as it was at this moment.