75: Yangzhou goes online

Carrying the three great treasures obtained from the Hundred Beasts Sect's secret vault, Gao De relied on the Lightning Evasion Technique and the Water Origin Breath Concealment Technique to escape the perilous waters of the Thousand Reef Vortex without incident. He concealed his tracks all the way and quietly returned to the Deep Pool Water Mansion.

As soon as he returned to the core of the Water Mansion, before he even had time to carefully inventory his gains, an indescribable sensation—as if the entire "network" was slightly trembling—was transmitted through his secret connection with the tianji mirror.

The Heavenly Secret Realm seemed to be swept by some massive news, and the activity of the information flow far exceeded the usual.

Gao De's heart stirred. For the time being, he set aside the storage equipment containing the Myriad Beast Supremacy True Spirit Method Jade Slip, the hundred beasts blood tempering pill, and that mysterious dragon beast egg, and immersed his Divine Sense into the tianji mirror.

Upon entering that vast world of information, countless flickering points of light and Divine Thought fluctuations of intense discussion rushed toward him.

The hottest topics, pinned at the very top, were all shockingly related to the same event:

[Explosive News! The Era of Pioneering has begun! The second pioneering caravan has successfully arrived in Ancient Yangzhou!]

[Live Connection: A Fellow Daoist from 'Biluo Sea' in Ancient Yangzhou is now online to answer questions from all parties!]

[Official Announcement: Latest investigation regarding the disappearance of the first exploration flying boat—no wreckage found, nor the Ten-Thousand-Mile Lotus Pond presented in the video; the target area is abnormally empty.]

Gao De's Divine Sense quickly swept over this information, and waves of emotion rose in his heart.

The first thing that caught his attention was the investigation results regarding the first flying boat.

"No wreckage found... target area abnormally empty..." This conclusion matched the eerie situation he had previously learned about, where the "lotus pond and the flying boat disappeared together."

The official wording was cautious, but the information revealed between the lines was even more unsettling.

That wasn't a simple accident; rather, some incomprehensible "abnormality" had occurred along with that entire region.

The mystery hidden behind this matter was likely deeper than imagined.

But soon, his attention was drawn to the even more explosive news of the "successful pioneering."

The second cross-province pioneering caravan, named "Polang," had actually succeeded in reaching the territory of Ancient Yangzhou after enduring many hardships—a place that had been cut off by mist and obstacles for countless years!

Furthermore, they had already established preliminary stable communication nodes, allowing Cultivators in some parts of Yangzhou to access the Heavenly Secret Realm!

This meant that the lands of the Nine Provinces, which had been isolated for an unknown number of ages, were finally welcoming reconnection!

Although it might currently only be a very small-scale and unstable connection, its symbolic and historical significance was epoch-making!

Gao De's Divine Sense entered the most bustling discussion area and immediately felt a "style" completely different from that of the Chu State Cultivators.

Many Divine Thoughts with unfamiliar regional prefix tags were exceptionally active:

[Yangzhou · Biluo Sea - Chaoyin Pavilion Disciple]: "Greetings to all Fellow Daoists of the Chu Land! I have long heard that the Chu Land is a place of outstanding people and spiritual land; today I finally get to see it! My Biluo Sea specializes in 'Tide Spirit Stones' and 'Thousand-Year Coral Crystals.' Are any Fellow Daoists interested?"

[Yangzhou · Wanzhu Mountain - Loose Cultivator]: "Hahaha, finally connected! How does the spirit wine of the Chu Land taste? My Wanzhu Mountain's 'Green Bamboo Brew' is a masterpiece, containing Wood Qi, though it's unfortunately not easy to carry..."

[Yangzhou · Jinshi Gorge - Artifact Refiner]: "Urgently seeking to purchase 'geng metal essence' and 'Earth Core Fire Essence'! Can exchange with my Jinshi Gorge's specialty 'Floating Mithril' or third-grade Puppet beasts!"

These "netizens" from Yangzhou spoke with a pioneer's excitement and commercial urgency. The treasures, resources, and cultivation systems they mentioned were also quite different from those in the Chu State, triggering an unprecedented wave of discussion in the Heavenly Secret Realm.

Gao De even saw some information fragments about large Sects in Yangzhou, which shockingly included the name of the Myriad Beasts Sect!

Some Yangzhou Cultivators mentioned that the Myriad Beasts Sect remained a dominant hegemon in Yangzhou, and its beast mastery techniques were considered peak-level.

This stirred his heart, and he couldn't help but think of the Myriad Beast Supremacy True Spirit Method Incomplete Manual he had just acquired.

As a branch of the Myriad Beasts Sect, the Hundred Beasts Sect's Legacy must have countless ties to the main body in Yangzhou.

In the future, perhaps he could use the Heavenly Secret Realm to access more information about the Myriad Beasts Sect, or even complete the Incomplete Manual in his hands?

"The world is truly vast beyond imagination," Gao De sighed with emotion.

After his Dragon Transformation, he felt his horizons had broadened significantly, but this sudden "cross-province communication" brought by the Heavenly Secret Realm made him realize once again how vast and wonderful this world was.

Dongting Lake, Yunmeng Great Marsh, and even the entire Chu State were perhaps just a corner of this immense world.

At the same time, he keenly realized that as the trade route to Yangzhou was preliminarily opened, the exchange of resources, information, and even cultivation systems between the two great provinces would become increasingly frequent, which would inevitably bring new opportunities and challenges.

Some resources unique to Yangzhou might flow into the Chu State, while specialties of the Chu Land might find a market in Yangzhou.

Within this, there might be opportunities for him to quickly accumulate cultivation resources or even obtain the special Materials needed to refine a natal demon artifact!

He silently noted this information, especially the parts about the Myriad Beasts Sect and those Yangzhou specialties.

This provided new possibilities and directions for his future cultivation path.

Withdrawing from the Heavenly Secret Realm, Gao De's mind gradually calmed down.

The outside world was surging with winds and clouds, full of opportunities, but in the final analysis, one's own strength was the Foundation.

His gaze fell back onto those three treasures from the Hundred Beasts Sect.

The urgent priority was to digest these gains.

He first picked up that dark-gold Jade Slip, and the contents of the Myriad Beast Supremacy True Spirit Method (Incomplete Manual) flowed through his heart once more.

He focused on the parts regarding Yao Beast Bloodline cultivation and intelligence awakening, which would be of great use for managing the Water Mansion's Demon Soldiers and even for nurturing that Spirit Beast egg in the future.

Next, he opened the green jade pill bottle, and a strange fragrance that made one's blood boil permeated the air.

The hundred beasts blood tempering pill was exactly what he needed now—a top-grade Medicinal Pill to solidify his third-grade Early Stage Foundation and purify his Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Bloodline.

Finally, he looked at the purple-gold Spirit Beast bag. His Divine Sense probed inside again, feeling the majestic vitality and the restrained pressure within that Spirit Beast egg.

This egg had immense potential. Although its specific species was not yet known, and hatching and nurturing it would be no easy task, it required careful long-term planning.

"First, take the blood tempering pill to strengthen myself. Then, comprehend the beast mastery techniques and attempt to preliminarily refine this dragon egg. As for the changes in the Heavenly Secret Realm and the business opportunities in Yangzhou... it won't be too late to plan slowly after I emerge from seclusion."

Gao De settled his mind and set aside the external disturbances for the time being. He took out a hundred beasts blood tempering pill, placed it in his mouth, and then closed his dragon eyes. He began a new round of seclusion, circulating the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art.

Within the Water Mansion, spiritual mist surged, and thunder faintly appeared. His powerful aura slowly grew during the accumulation.

Outside the Water Mansion, a world that had become broader and more exciting due to the cross-province connection was quietly revealing a tip of the iceberg to him.