84: Exchange Gathering

In the intervals between supervising the Water Mansion's repairs and stabilizing the earth veins, Gao De sank more of his mind into the Heavenly Secret Realm, patiently searching for any clues related to the "Qianjiang Dragon King."

There was indeed very little reliable information about this Fourth Order Late Stage flood dragon; most of it was vague and shrouded in the colors of legend.

It was only known that he had gained fame very early. Thousands of years ago, he had occupied the Qian River basin of the Yunmeng Great Marsh with a Fourth Order cultivation, calling himself the Dragon King. His strength was unfathomable, making even the Human Race's Nascent Soul Cultivators quite wary.

Gao De carefully sorted through this fragmented information, and as his understanding of the Dragon Clan deepened, he gradually discovered several key points.

This Qianjiang Dragon King was not a local great demon who had risen through cultivation; rather, he possessed Fourth Order cultivation upon his "first appearance." This meant his true age likely far exceeded the known "thousands of years," and his Origins might involve even older secrets.

Although the Dragon Clan's Lifespan far exceeds that of ordinary Yao Race, a Fourth Order Late Stage flood dragon's theoretical Lifespan limit is close to ten thousand years.

However, the Qianjiang Dragon King's known active period has already lasted thousands of years. Adding the unknown years before that, Gao De guessed that his total Lifespan was likely approaching its limit.

What concerned Gao De even more was that back then, the Qianjiang Dragon King had not hesitated to descend upon Lake in person to relentlessly pursue Demon King Fushui for the sake of a dragon pearl.

While a dragon pearl could certainly increase a flood dragon's power, its core value lay in the True Dragon Origin mysteries it contained, which concerned the possibility of impacting a higher Realm and breaking the shackles of Lifespan.

"Thousands of years of activity... approaching or perhaps even exceeding the normal Lifespan limit... a near-manic desire for the dragon pearl..."

Light flickered in Gao De's jiao pupils as a clear deduction gradually took shape: this Qianjiang Dragon King was likely truly in his twilight years, with perhaps less than a thousand years of Lifespan remaining, or even only a few centuries.

His pursuit of the dragon pearl at any cost was fundamentally not just to simply enhance his strength, but to grasp this final life-saving straw. He intended to use the power of the dragon pearl to forcibly strike for the ethereal Fifth Order Demon God Realm, hoping to complete a leap in life level and extend his Dao and life before his Lifespan was exhausted.

This deduction was like a cold bolt of lightning flashing through his heart, making Gao De suddenly see the light while also feeling a bone-chilling cold and unprecedented urgency.

If the Qianjiang Dragon King successfully broke through to the Fifth Order and his Lifespan greatly increased, he might show a little care for this "stray" clansman due to Bloodline Origins, perhaps even becoming a temporary reliance.

However, how difficult is the path of cultivation, especially breaking through a major Realm? The possibility of failure far outweighs success.

How desperate, mad, and unpredictable would a Fourth Order Late Stage flood dragon become when facing the end of his life after failing to break through?

At that time, he would certainly seek to extend his life at all costs.

And what a perilous situation would he, this "offspring" with the same Bloodline Origin, carrying a mysterious dragon pearl fossil, and potentially seen as the best "supplement" or "continuation of hope," fall into?

Would he be captured to have his Bloodline Origin extracted, or simply be devoured to replenish the Dragon King's Origin Qi?

"Fortune is where misfortune lurks..." Gao De repeated this ancient saying in a low voice.

The deterrence and peace previously gained through the "Dragon Prince Offspring" rumors now seemed more like a sharp sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

The gaze of that never-before-met "ancestor" might, due to the pressure of Lifespan, be cast upon him once again, and with even greater focus.

"I must never place my own safety on a hollow blood relationship or the mercy of a dying old dragon!" Gao De's gaze was as sharp as a blade, and the sense of crisis in his heart rose to its Peak. "Before that day possibly arrives, I must possess the strength to protect myself, and even in the worst case, to struggle for survival or even strike back!"

His goals became exceptionally clear and urgent: increase strength at all costs, break through to Third Order Mid-Stage as soon as possible, and advance toward the Late Stage and even Peak; accelerate the collection of his own shed Materials and auxiliary spiritual Materials like "geng metal thunder stone" to refine his natal demon artifacts, "purple scale earth-shaking armor" and "thunder fang formation-breaking halberd," as quickly as possible; deeply mine the "Guard Martial Treasury" of the Dragon Palace Secret Passage and the Hundred Beasts Sect Legacy to rapidly strengthen his Foundation; and build a tighter intelligence network, extending his reach into the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh and the Qian River basin, striving to grasp any minute change in the Qianjiang Dragon King's status at the first opportunity.

At the same time, he looked internally at the dragon pearl fossil slowly rotating in his Dantian, blending with his own flood dragon pearl and constantly reviving, his heart filled with complex emotions.

"The Qianjiang Dragon King wants to use a dragon pearl to break through... and I just happen to have one inside me..." This dragon pearl fossil was his unexpected opportunity, but it could also be the fuse that ignited the ultimate crisis.

Whether he would become the nourishment for another's life extension or the cornerstone for his own ascent to the summit would ultimately depend only on the depth of his own strength.

Gao De suppressed his churning emotions and transformed all the urgency and sense of crisis into a firm will to Cultivate. He focused his mind, fully guiding the medicinal power and the Spiritual Qi gathered by the Water Mansion—though its quality was no longer what it used to be—it still had some effect in repairing his injuries, refining his flood dragon pearl, and impacting the Bottleneck of the Third Order Early Stage.

Time had never been as precious as it was at this moment.

He had to race against time to arm himself to the teeth and turn the Water Mansion into a true war fortress before this crisis, which might originate from his Bloodline and concerned his life or death, officially descended.

The undercurrents of Dongting Lake were now tightly intertwined with the Lifespan countdown of that ancient Dragon King in the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, pushing Gao De's path of dragon transformation into a grander and more murderous chessboard.

Every step had to be like walking on thin ice, yet he had to forge ahead bravely... The repair work of the Water Mansion was proceeding in an orderly manner under Gao De's oversight and the full execution of Turtle Three Thousand and other demon generals.

The disorder of the earth veins had been initially channeled; although the quality of Spiritual Qi had not recovered, at least it was no longer deteriorating.

The damaged Formation core was repaired, and a batch of basic Formation Flags were rearranged on the periphery, raising a necessary, if not solid, barrier once again.

Most of the injured Demon Soldiers had improved with an ample supply of medicine, and the originally low morale within the Water Mansion was gradually recovering.

Just as they were resting and accumulating strength, an unexpected "letter" was delivered to the Deep Pool Water Mansion through a secret aquatic channel.

What was presented to Gao De was not a Jade Slip or talisman paper, but a palm-sized iridescent scale shimmering with faint Demonic Power fluctuations.

The scale was hard in texture and vibrant with flowing light, clearly originating from some high-tier Yao Race.

Gao De probed it with his Divine Sense, and a stream of not powerful but quite pure Demonic Power information flowed into his Sea of Consciousness: "By the shores of Lake, a new Flood Dragon King has appeared, showing divine abilities and aweing all directions. Now there is the 'Yunze Water Assembly,' an elegant gathering for us fellows to exchange techniques and resources. Hearing that Fellow Daoist has a deep Foundation and extraordinary potential, I specially offer one 'Yunze Token' and sincerely invite Fellow Daoist to the 'Thousand Streams Valley' in three months to discuss the Great Dao and make good friends."

The signature was a blurred mark composed of water ripples, emitting several strands of Demonic Qi of varying strengths but all reaching the Third Order level, indicating this was an organization maintained by multiple Demon Kings.

"Yunze Water Assembly... Thousand Streams Valley..." A flash of surprise crossed Gao De's eyes.

He had heard on the network before that in the vast Yunmeng Great Marsh and surrounding water systems, there existed some loose Alliances or exchange circles formed by Yao Race experts to deal with the pressure of Human Race Sects, exchange resources, or mediate disputes.

He just hadn't expected that after his battle with the Green Wave Sect, he would attract the attention and invitation of such an organization so quickly.

Turtle Three Thousand added from the side, "Master, this old servant has heard a little about the 'Yunze Water Assembly.' It is said to have existed for hundreds of years, and its members are mostly Third-Tier Demon Kings entrenched on the edges of the Yunmeng Great Marsh and around Dongting Lake. Its composition is complex and a mix of good and bad.

The initiators seem to be several Third Order Late Stage Demon Kings with deep seniority. Although such gatherings occasionally have rare items or valuable information circulating, one also needs to be wary of deception."

Gao De nodded slightly, understanding Turtle Three Thousand's concerns.

His Foundation was still shallow; rashly participating in a gathering of the same rank indeed carried both opportunities and risks.

On one hand, participating in the gathering might allow him to obtain precious information.

These local Demon Kings' understanding of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, the Qian River basin, and the situation of the three kingdoms should be far deeper than what he had pieced together through the Heavenly Secret Realm; perhaps he could find more definite word regarding the Qianjiang Dragon King.

At the same time, he also urgently needed auxiliary Materials for refining his natal demon artifacts. If he could barter with other Demon Kings, it might be more efficient than searching in the Heavenly Secret Realm.

Furthermore, getting to know the surrounding peers and understanding their temperaments and spheres of influence would also be beneficial for establishing himself here in the future.

But on the other hand, the risks could not be ignored. His identity as the "Dragon Prince Offspring" was sensitive and easily became a focus, which might attract unnecessary probing or hostility.

Although the gathering was nominally an "elegant assembly," situations of secret rivalry or even underhanded attacks were not necessarily absent.

What he needed to be even more vigilant about was whether this move was a diversionary tactic set by another party, intended to lure him away from the Water Mansion during its critical repair phase.

Gao De pondered for a moment, his gaze falling once again on that iridescent scale "Yunze Token." The several strands of Demon King auras contained within were real and identifiable; this organization should not be a sham.

"Reply to them," Gao De finally made a decision, his voice steady. "Say that 'Purple Lightning' thanks all Fellow Daoists for their regard. In three months, I will surely attend the meeting at 'Thousand Streams Valley' on time." He chose a simple code name for himself, "Purple Lightning," which both indicated his characteristics and was not overly flamboyant.

"Master, are you really going?" Crab Eighteen showed a look of worry.

"Go? Why wouldn't I go?" A sharp light flickered in Gao De's eyes. "Working behind closed doors is ultimately not a long-term plan. This is a good opportunity to see for myself what kind of characters these 'neighbors' around the Yunmeng Great Marsh are. It will also let them know that I, 'Purple Lightning,' am not someone who hides in fear."

He paused slightly and added, "However, I must make full preparations for this trip. During my absence, the Water Mansion must enter maximum alert, with the Formations running at full power. You all must guard the gates strictly and make no mistakes. I will go and return quickly."

Gao De knew well that blind hiding and retreating would not bring true safety.

Appearing at the right time and demonstrating strength and wisdom could instead win a certain amount of survival space and obtain key information.

This "Yunze Water Assembly" was both an external probe and an opportunity for an internal Breakthrough.

He needed to step out and personally experience the high-end landscape of these waters to explore more possibilities for the future of himself and the Water Mansion.

In the following days, while continuing to supervise repairs and his own cultivation, Gao De also began to make targeted preparations for this gathering.

Under the name of "Purple Lightning," he would take his first step, cautious yet firm, into the circle of Demon Kings of the Yunmeng Great Marsh.