54: The dragon departed

Time passed, and Dongting Lake spent several years trembling under the terrifying pressure of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon.

The Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon coiled there, its massive Divine Sense acting like an indefatigable radar, scanning every corner of the lake area day and night, searching for any clues related to Demon King Fushui or the dragon pearl fossil.

It overturned several underwater caves suspected of being ruins, interrogated, and even searched the souls of some old demons who had contact with Demon King Fushui, stirring up storms of blood.

The Lin family and the Green Wave Sect kept their doors tightly shut, silent as cicadas in winter.

Many foreign merchant caravans had long since been unable to withstand the pressure and chose to evacuate; those who remained had also ceased almost all external activities, suffering heavy losses.

The entire cultivation world in the Dongting Lake area seemed to have been pressed on pause, plunged into a dead, desolate silence.

However, after several years, the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon seemed to have gained nothing.

Demon King Fushui had disappeared without a trace with the dragon pearl fossil, leaving no concrete clues behind.

The old turtle's thousands of years of management and concealment methods clearly exceeded the tracking ability of this violent Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon.

The continuous lack of results seemed to gradually wear down its patience.

In the terrifying pressure enveloping the lake area, the anger remained, but there seemed to be an additional, imperceptible trace of... fatigue and restlessness.

Finally, on this day, a dragon roar filled with unwillingness and violence resounded through the sky, shaking the lake water into a frenzy!

The massive cyan flood dragon shadow shot up from the center of the lake, circled in the air several times, and its cold vertical pupils swept over this stretch of water where it had labored in vain one last time.

Then, it transformed into a cyan rainbow and broke through the air, heading straight towards the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh without looking back!

It had given up.

It chose to return to the Yunmeng Great Marsh, to that vast, dangerous, yet more familiar and ancient marshland that was more conducive to its Cultivate and concealment, returning to its lair, perhaps without completely giving up on secretly tracking the whereabouts of the dragon pearl fossil.

The cloud of death that had shrouded Dongting Lake for years dissipated abruptly with the departure of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon.

The long-suppressed lake area seemed to be injected with vitality in an instant.

On the tianji mirror, the previously lifeless local forum exploded instantly!

"It's gone! That jinx has finally left!"

"Heaven has eyes! This old man thought he would live under its shadow for the rest of his life!"

"Quick! Go see what's happening outside!"

"The Lin family has issued a notice announcing the lifting of the alert and the reopening of the market!"

"The territory of those turtle bastards is now ownerless! What an opportunity!"

The ecstasy of surviving a disaster, along with greed for the power and resource vacuum, instantly replaced the previous fear.

Various factions, like vipers waking from hibernation, began to move quietly, flicking their tongues, eyeing the now "delicious" Dongting Lake.

The Lin family and the Green Wave Sect were the first to take action, quickly taking over and cleaning up the core areas and important resource points that originally belonged to Demon King Fushui and his descendants.

The remaining foreign merchant caravans also began to become active again, attempting to recoup their losses.

Some aquatic tribes that had originally been attached to Demon King Fushui fell into chaos, leaderless, either fighting on their own or seeking new backers.

Undercurrents began to surge again, and a new landscape began to be reshaped upon the ruins.

However, Gao De, hidden deep within the secret Water Mansion, remained unusually calm about this.

Through the tianji mirror, he perceived the changes in the outside world, and after Turtle Three Thousand confirmed the news that the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon had indeed left, he did not immediately lift the lockdown on the Water Mansion.

"Master, that Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon has left. Should we..." Turtle Three Thousand asked tentatively, as it could also feel the enticing opportunities outside.

"No rush." Gao De's voice was calm and waveless, interrupting him.

"Although the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon has left, its lingering prestige remains. The outside world is currently a mix of fish and dragons, and the Lin family and the Green Wave Sect are trying to establish authority. It is not a wise move for us to appear rashly."

He saw it very clearly.

The departure of the Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon was not the end of the crisis, but the beginning of a new round of chaos.

Going out now would easily make them targets for various factions to establish their authority or compete for benefits.

His Water Mansion had been hidden until now, having barely escaped a disaster, and he absolutely could not let all his previous efforts go to waste because of a moment of impulse.

"Pass down the order: the Water Mansion's lockdown status will remain unchanged. Everyone, continue to Cultivate in seclusion; no one is allowed to act rashly!" Gao De emphasized again.

"You may continue to collect information from the outside, but no member is allowed to leave!"

"Yes! Master is far-sighted, this subordinate admires you!" Turtle Three Thousand's heart tightened, and he quickly responded, extinguishing that little thought.

Gao De himself remained coiled on the Spiritual Vein.

He did not disrupt his own rhythm because of the changes in the outside world.

These few years of extreme dormancy and honing had not been in vain.

His cultivation had been completely stabilized at the Second Tier Late-stage, and he had even taken a small step towards the Great Perfection.

His Demonic Power was pure and condensed, and his control over his various Divine Abilities was becoming increasingly proficient.

More importantly, his Heart-Nature had undergone a thorough precipitation, becoming more stable and resilient.

"My path lies in my own Breakthrough, in the Dragon Transformation. The disputes and resources of the outside world are merely icing on the cake, definitely not the foundation." Gao De was clear-minded.

He once again poured all his focus into his Cultivate.

His goal was clear—to charge towards the Second Tier Peak and adjust his state to the best, making the final and most sufficient preparations for condensing the flood dragon pearl and passing the Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation!

The dragon pearl fossil rotated slowly within his Dantian, resonating with his Bloodline.

The many mysteries in his Legacy memory were chewed over and comprehended by him repeatedly.

He began to consciously compress and purify his Demonic Power, simulating the process of condensing the flood dragon pearl, familiarizing himself with that extreme sense of condensation and control of power.

Outside the Water Mansion, winds and clouds rose again, and struggles and killings were reenacted.

Inside the Water Mansion, the hidden Dragon remained unused, quietly waiting for the Lightning Tribulation to descend.

Gao De was like the most patient hunter, silently honing that arrow that would surely shock the world amidst the noisy background.

He was just waiting for himself to reach Perfection, at which point he would trigger the Heavenly Tribulation and complete the most critical leap in his life level at the edge of this Dongting Lake and even the Yunmeng Great Marsh!

By then, whether it was the hegemony of the Lin family or the schemes of the Green Wave Sect, everything would seem insignificant in front of his Dragon body. His stage was destined to be in the deeper, more vast Yunmeng Great Marsh!