56: Disappointed

Turtle Three Thousand carefully opened the specially made jade box in the Artifact Refining workshop temporarily rented by the Hundred Ingenuities Sect.

The eerie blue light stone block was revealed, and its ancient aura, along with the faint yet pure Divine Soul power within, immediately drew the attention of the several Hundred Ingenuities Sect Cultivators present, especially the goat-bearded old man in charge, whose eyes flashed with a glimmer of light.

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However, Gao De's Divine Sense, attached to Turtle Three Thousand's Sea of Consciousness, sank with disappointment after carefully 'observing' the thunder-controlling Alligator Dragon puppet solemnly displayed in the center of the Formation.

The external appearance of this mechanical beast indeed imitated a Water-Avoiding Golden-Eyed Beast, looking quite mighty. The Materials used were solid, and the runes on its surface flowed with extraordinary spiritual light.

But under Gao De's keen perception and judgment from his Dragon Clan Legacy memories, its core 'thunder-controlling' mechanism appeared rather crude.

Those so-called spirit-guiding runes could at most guide and disperse some scattered, low-intensity lightning energy. For the ferocious tribulation lightning of the Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation, which condensed the power of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, its effect would likely be negligible. It might even be directly damaged under the impact of the tribulation lightning due to its unstable structure, becoming a burden instead.

"Flashy but impractical, merely a facade," Gao De instantly judged.

This thing might have some effect against ordinary lightning spells or natural lightning, but it definitely couldn't withstand the might of a Heavenly Tribulation.

Exchanging it for the eerie blue light stone block containing the remnant Soul Power of Mythical Dragon Son was simply a losing deal.

Just as the goat-bearded old man was beaming with smiles, ready to boast and haggle, Turtle Three Thousand decisively closed the jade box, interrupting him with a calm voice: "Though this item is ingenious, it is not what I need. Farewell."

With that, ignoring the astonished and pleading expressions of the Hundred Ingenuities Sect Cultivators, Turtle Three Thousand turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

On the way back to the Water Mansion, Gao De's Divine Sense retracted. In his quiet room, he slowly opened his eyes, a trace of helplessness flashing through them, but more so, calmness.

External objects are ultimately unreliable; Undergoing Tribulation must ultimately rely on one's own hard strength.

"My Lord, that mechanical beast..." Turtle Three Thousand returned, somewhat uneasy.

"It's alright. If this path doesn't work, we'll find another way. Treasures for Undergoing Tribulation are inherently hard to find, so don't worry about it," Gao De didn't blame him. "Just continue to look for other clues."

The matter was thus dropped. Gao De continued to immerse himself in his own Cultivation and preparations, placing more hope on the dragon pearl fossil and his increasingly pure Bloodline and Demonic Power.

Time flew by, and several more years passed in peaceful Cultivation.

However, on this day, a piece of news, like a clap of thunder, once again broke the surface calm of the Dongting Lake region and reached Gao De's ears through the tianji mirror and Turtle Three Thousand's channels—

That Genius Disciple of the Green Wave Sect, hailed as a Core Formation seed, had actually succeeded in Core Formation after decades of secluded Cultivation!

As soon as the news broke, the entire Dongting Lake and even wider areas were shaken!

Golden Core Cultivator! This was the mark of truly entering the ranks of high-level immortal Cultivators, with a Lifespan of five hundred years and the ability to move mountains and overturn seas!

The Green Wave Sect originally only had one Golden Core Old Ancestor overseeing it, but now with another one, its strength instantly soared, firmly establishing its hegemonic position in the surrounding area, unshakeable by anyone!

The entire Green Wave Sect was overjoyed and immediately issued invitations, preparing to hold a grand Golden Core Ceremony, inviting forces from all sides to attend and celebrate. Its intention was both to show off its military might and to further consolidate its authority and establish order.

As the Lin Family, the Green Wave Sect's foremost subordinate force, they felt even more honored and eagerly prepared generous gifts. The Lin Family Old Ancestor even personally came forward, assisting the Green Wave Sect in preparing for the grand ceremony with an extremely humble attitude, yet also using this Opportunity to further consolidate and elevate their family's status within the Green Wave Sect's system.

For a time, the situation changed again, and everyone's attention turned to the Green Wave Sect.

Some forces that were originally dissatisfied with the Green Wave Sect occupying the Demon King Fushui's Legacy now completely gave up their thoughts.

The deterrent power of a newly advanced Golden Core Cultivator was immediately evident.

In the Water Mansion, Gao De's heart trembled slightly upon hearing this news.

"Golden Core Cultivator..." He felt an invisible pressure.

This meant that if he wanted to operate in this area in the future, he would need to be more careful.

A Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Sense was far beyond that of Foundation Establishment, and the resources and power they could mobilize were far beyond imagination.

But at the same time, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

The Green Wave Sect holding a grand celebration, various forces gathering, a mix of good and bad... wasn't this an excellent Opportunity for information gathering and clandestine transactions?

Resources and intelligence that were usually difficult to access might quietly flow during this grand event.

Moreover, the Green Wave Sect's and Lin Family's attention would inevitably be firmly drawn to the grand ceremony, and their monitoring of other areas would inevitably slacken.

Especially... the guarding of the Demon King Fushui's former territory?

Gao De pondered for a moment, a plan already forming in his mind.

He instructed Turtle Three Thousand: "The Green Wave Sect's Golden Core Ceremony is the top priority recently. Find a way to collect detailed information about the ceremony's process, the list of invited forces, and any special trade fairs or black market information that might appear during it.

At the same time, increase efforts, spare no expense, to acquire the Undergoing Tribulation resources I listed before! Take this Opportunity; you might gain something."

"Yes! My Lord!" Turtle Three Thousand's spirits lifted, knowing there was another important task to do.

"Furthermore," Gao De's gaze was profound, "focus on the Demon King Fushui's former territory, especially the situation on the night of the full moon.

See if the Green Wave Sect and the grand ceremony will affect the guard forces there."

"Understood!"

Turtle Three Thousand received the order and left.

Gao De, meanwhile, continued to sit cross-legged in the quiet room, but his mind was no longer entirely introverted.

He was like a patient fisherman, knowing that the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.

The emergence of this newly advanced Golden Core Cultivator from the Green Wave Sect stirred up the situation and brought new variables and possibilities.

He needed to maintain absolute calm and insight amidst this chaotic situation to seize that fleeting Opportunity for his impending Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation.

The external clamor and celebration seemed unrelated to him, yet subtly intertwined with his future path.

A latent Dragon in the abyss, quietly observing the changing winds and clouds, just waiting for the moment to strike like thunder.

Gao De, in secluded Cultivation, was awakened by his subordinate Demon Soldiers through specific frequency Divine Sense fluctuations.

A small team responsible for outer perimeter patrols discovered unusual traces at the edge of a remote algae forest far from the Water Mansion—several stealthy Turtle Demon figures, moving with extreme caution, perfectly hiding themselves using the algae forest and complex terrain. If not for Gao De's Demon Soldiers also being well-trained and familiar with water, they would have been almost undetectable.

After further secret tracking and observation, more detailed intelligence came back: this group of Turtle Demons numbered only eight, but three of them clearly emitted Tier 2 Demonic Power fluctuations!

What was particularly important was that, based on a unique talent they exhibited for manipulating water currents and ancient patterns faintly visible on their carapaces, one of the largest Turtle Demons, seemingly their leader, very likely inherited the core Baxia Bloodline of the Demon King Fushui!

After his repeated investigations, the news was confirmed, and an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy immediately welled up in Gao De's heart!

With the Demon King Fushui gone and his direct Tier 3 descendants slaughtered by the flood Dragon, these few Tier 2 Turtle Demons who had miraculously survived and inherited the precious Dragon Son Bloodline were simply a generous gift from the heavens to him!

Their Bloodline value was far incomparable to that of the giant salamander spirit egg from before!

"Baxia Bloodline... the Legacy of the Dragon Son... if I can devour and refine it, my chances of forming a flood dragon pearl will increase by at least 30%!" Gao De's eyes gleamed with determination.

However, the more so, the calmer he became. Although the prey was good, there was no room for error in the hunt.

This group of Turtle Demons acted so covertly, clearly knowing the principle that 'one who possesses a treasure becomes a target,' and they must have their own life-saving methods and keen perception of danger.