85: Yunze Water Club

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Gao De's Water Mansion had basically restored order. Although the earth veins were not fully recovered, they had stabilized, and the quality of Spiritual Qi no longer declined.

His own injuries had long since healed, and his cultivation at the Third Order Early Stage Realm had become more solid. His mastery of the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon's various Divine Abilities grew increasingly refined.

His refinement of that dragon pearl fossil had also progressed by a sliver. Though extremely faint, it gave him a sense of reassurance.

Before setting out, he checked the Water Mansion's defenses once more, instructing Turtle Three Thousand, Crab Eighteen, and the others to be cautious. If a powerful enemy invaded, they were to abandon the perimeter and retreat to protect the core, leaving everything else for discussion upon his return.

Subsequently, Gao De circulated the Water Origin Breath Concealment Technique, restraining his massive Demonic Qi and pressure to the absolute limit, maintaining it only at the level of an ordinary Third Order Early Stage.

He remained in his flood dragon form, but reduced his size to just over ten zhang long, appearing less shocking to the world.

The Purple Lightning flickering around his body was also much more restrained, with only faint strands of electricity wandering between his scales.

Following the guidance in the 'Yunze Token', he left Dongting Lake and headed deep into the northeastern region of the Yunmeng Great Marsh.

Thousand Streams Valley was not a well-known peril, but rather a hidden water valley located at the intersection of multiple underground rivers and surface water systems. Its terrain was complex, its water element abundant, and it naturally possessed the characteristic of interfering with Divine Sense probes, making it an ideal gathering place for the Yao Race.

When Gao De arrived at the entrance of Thousand Streams Valley, he could already sense over a dozen Demonic Qi signatures of varying strengths coming from within. The strongest among them had actually reached the Third Order Late Stage, and there were two or three Third Order Mid-Stage auras, while the rest were similar to the 'Third Order Early Stage' he was displaying.

“Is the newcomer Fellow Daoist 'Purple Lightning'?” a gentle voice rang out. The ripples at the entrance parted, and an old man wearing a black robe, with a primitive face and a unicorn horn on his forehead, revealed himself. His aura was precisely at the Third Order Mid-Stage.

His true form seemed to be an old flood dragon or some kind of rhinoceros-like water beast.

“It is,” Gao De replied with a slight nod, his voice deep.

“This old man is Xuan Ji, serving as the host for this Water Assembly. Fellow Daoist, please follow me.” The old demon calling himself Xuan Ji maintained a neither humble nor arrogant attitude as he stepped aside to lead the way.

Gao De followed him into Thousand Streams Valley.

The valley contained a hidden world of its own. The light was dim but not oppressive, with countless glowing mosses and crystals dotting the rock walls, reflecting off a vast and tranquil dark pool below.

Naturally formed stone platforms were distributed around the pool, already occupied by Yao Race members of various forms.

Some maintained a half-human, half-demon state, like a bird-type Demon King with sharp eyes and feathered robes; others fully manifested their true forms, like a strange fish coiled in the deep water zone with only part of its bone-spiked back exposed; still others, like Xuan Ji, had completely transformed into a semi-human form, their behavior no different from human Cultivators.

Gao De's arrival immediately drew many gazes.

Even after being restrained, his flood dragon body remained extraordinary, and the faint Dragon Might he exuded—which caused some aquatic races to feel instinctive pressure—both declared his extraordinariness.

In particular, the restrained Purple Lightning aura caused a look of surprise to flash in the eyes of several keen-eyed Demon Kings.

“Oh? This must be the Fellow Daoist 'Purple Lightning' who has recently risen to fame and caused the Green Wave Sect to suffer a loss? Truly an extraordinary presence!” A booming voice rang out from a burly man on the central stone platform. He had blue-black skin and exuded a powerful Third Order Late Stage aura. His true form seemed to be a powerful Crocodile Dragon.

“Fellow Daoist Hei Qiu overpraises me; it was merely luck,” Gao De responded neutrally. Based on the information he had gathered earlier, he recognized this person as a veteran Demon King from the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh named Hei Qiu. He was powerful and one of the core initiators of the 'Yunze Water Assembly'.

“Hehe, being able to gain an advantage over two Cultivators of the same rank is not just luck,” a feminine voice chimed in. It came from a thousand-year-old demon plant growing by the pool, its branches and leaves dancing slowly like tentacles. Its aura was also at the Third Order Mid-Stage.

Gao De merely nodded slightly without saying much. He found an empty stone platform near the edge with a wide view, coiled himself upon it, and silently observed every Demon King present.

The format of the gathering was quite casual, not a formal meeting.

The Demon Kings either chatted in small groups or independently sampled the spirit fruits and fine wines provided by the Water Assembly on the stone platforms before them.

Some Demon Kings directly displayed items they wished to exchange or stated their need for certain resources, bargaining with other Demon Kings.

After Gao De had been sitting quietly for a moment, a Green Shrimp Demon General approached him and respectfully handed over a Jade Slip: “Lord Purple Lightning, this is the list of items some Fellow Daoists are willing to exchange publicly at this Water Assembly, as well as some purchase requests. Please take a look.”

Gao De scanned it with his Divine Sense. Inside were dozens of Materials, Spirit Medicines, and even incomplete Cultivation Techniques and secret arts. He quickly found what he needed:

· “sunken water jade essence”, a Third Order spirit material containing pure water element and earth essence. It is an excellent auxiliary material for stabilizing and channeling earth veins. — Provided by a Third Order Mid-Stage Black Turtle Demon King.

· “Lightning-Struck Wood Core”, requires a thousand-year-old spirit tree to be struck by heavenly lightning without dying. Its core contains a sliver of heavenly lightning vitality and is a top-grade auxiliary material for refining lightning-attribute Magic Treasures. — Sought by a Third Order Early Stage Lightning Ape Demon King, willing to exchange with “earth vein milk marrow”.

Gao De's heart stirred; both of these items were very useful to him.

The “sunken water jade essence” could accelerate the recovery of the Water Mansion's earth veins, while the “Lightning-Struck Wood Core” was an excellent material for strengthening the “thunder fang formation-breaking halberd”!

He pondered for a moment, first turning his Divine Sense toward that Black Turtle Demon King, who had been resting with his eyes closed as if uninterested in everything around him.

“Fellow Daoist Black Turtle, I wonder what you wish to exchange for this 'sunken water jade essence'?” Gao De asked via voice transmission.

The Black Turtle Demon King slowly opened his cloudy eyes, glanced at Gao De, and replied slowly: “This item... this old man wishes to exchange it for a 'Spirit Nourishing Pearl', or a treasure of equivalent effect that can nourish the Divine Soul and delay decay.”

Hearing this, Gao De understood.

This old turtle's Lifespan was likely running out, and he had begun to seek items to extend his life and nourish his spirit.

The “Spirit Nourishing Pearl” was a treasure that could only be nurtured by great clam-type demons, and was something that could be sought but not easily found.

He did not have such an item in his possession, but he did have Medicinal Pills from the Hundred Beasts Sect.

“I do not have a Spirit Nourishing Pearl. However, I have a pill called the 'hundred beasts blood tempering pill'. Although its main purpose is to temper the Bloodline and Physical Body, it contains vast vitality and the essence of a hundred beasts. It also has miraculous effects on nourishing the Divine Soul and delaying the decay of the Physical Body. I wonder if Fellow Daoist is interested?” Gao De tentatively took out a sealed hundred beasts blood tempering pill, supporting it with Demonic Power, and sent it through the air to the Black Turtle Demon King.

The old turtle's nose twitched slightly, a glint flashed in his cloudy eyes, and after sensing it carefully for a moment, he slowly nodded: “This pill... indeed possesses extraordinary vitality. It can be exchanged.” He directly pushed over the fist-sized piece of “sunken water jade essence” that was emitting a soft blue light.

The transaction was completed smoothly. Gao De felt a slight joy in his heart; this was a good start.

Next, he turned his gaze toward the Lightning Ape Demon King, who appeared somewhat anxious.

The Lightning Ape had a robust physique with tiny electric arcs jumping around his body, but his aura seemed somewhat unstable, as if he had suffered an internal injury.

“Fellow Daoist Lightning Ape, I might have a lead on the 'Lightning-Struck Wood Core' you want.” Gao De did not directly say he had it, but instead used a more cautious phrasing. “I wonder where you intend to use it? And what is the quality of that 'earth vein milk marrow'?”

The Lightning Ape Demon King's eyes lit up as he looked at Gao De: “I need the 'Lightning-Struck Wood Core' to harmonize the rampaging lightning spirit power in my body and treat an old injury! The 'earth vein milk marrow' was something I accidentally found in a grotto. Its quality is absolutely top-tier, containing pure earth spirit and vitality!” He pulled out a stone bottle and opened a tiny crack, allowing a thick and mellow Spiritual Qi to permeate the air.

Gao De sensed it; it was indeed good stuff, and it would also be beneficial for consolidating his cultivation.

He pondered and said: “The amount of 'Lightning-Struck Wood Core' I need is not small. This bottle of 'earth vein milk marrow' is likely not enough. If you can add some items of equivalent value, I can tell you the location of a perilous place where a thousand-year-old 'Lightning-Struck Wood' might exist.”

He did not directly take out the geng metal thunder stone, as that would be too eye-catching. Instead, he planned to exchange a real but dangerous lead.

The Lightning Ape Demon King hesitated, looked at Gao De, and felt the pure lightning aura within him. Seeming to feel that a fellow lightning Cultivator was trustworthy, he gritted his teeth and said: “Fine! I'll add three 'Thunder Roar Stones'! That's my limit!”

Thunder Roar Stones were also decent lightning-attribute Materials. Gao De knew when to stop and nodded in agreement. The two parties exchanged items and information. Gao De provided the coordinates of a mountain range deep in the Yunmeng Great Marsh where heavenly lightning frequently fell—information that came from Turtle Three Thousand's fortuitous encounter. Both were satisfied.

After these two transactions, Gao De was considered to have preliminary integrated into this circle. The gazes of many Demon Kings held less scrutiny and more recognition.

He also took the opportunity to chat with several Demon Kings, subtly probing for news about the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh and the Qian River basin, especially regarding the Qianjiang Dragon King.

Most Demon Kings were tight-lipped about this, their few words revealing a deep awe for that existence and the fact that the Qian River basin had seemed “unstable” recently, with frequent aquatic race activity, though no one knew the specific reason.

Only the veteran Demon King Hei Qiu, when Gao De was beating around the bush, gave him a meaningful look and transmitted: “Fellow Daoist Purple Lightning, for some existences, knowing more is not necessarily a good thing. Focus on managing your own waters and improving your strength; that is the Righteous Path.”

These words seemed like an admonishment, but they made Gao De even more certain that the situation regarding the Qianjiang Dragon King was by no means a groundless rumor, and that it might already be affecting the surrounding areas.

The gathering lasted for several days. During this time, some Demon Kings proposed sparring for entertainment. Gao De declined on the grounds of being a newcomer with shallow cultivation and did not fight, but he observed several battles, gaining a more direct understanding of the strength and methods of the surrounding Demon Kings.

As the Water Assembly ended and the Demon Kings departed one after another, Xuan Ji gave him a secret art Jade Slip, and Hei Qiu sought out Gao De once more.

“Fellow Daoist Purple Lightning, your Foundation is deep and your future is limitless. If you have time in the future, feel free to visit more often. This Yunmeng Great Marsh may seem calm, but it actually has countless undercurrents. For us of the Yao Race, cooperation benefits both.” Hei Qiu handed over a scale with an aura similar to the one he had when welcoming guests. “With this scale, you can contact me at any time or learn about the next Water Assembly.”

Gao De took the scale and thanked him. He knew that this counted as having gained a certain level of recognition from this loose Alliance.

Leaving Thousand Streams Valley, Gao De quickly returned to the Water Mansion. This trip had been very fruitful. Not only had he exchanged for the Materials he urgently needed, but he also had a clearer understanding of the surrounding situation and potential threats. More importantly, he had confirmed that the impact of the Qianjiang Dragon King's approaching end of Lifespan was spreading.

“The tree wants to be still, but the wind will not stop...” Gao De coiled in the core of the recovering Water Mansion, his gaze deep. “I must be faster!”

He put away the exchanged “sunken water jade essence” and “earth vein milk marrow” and began planning the next step: fully channeling the earth veins while preparing to start the preliminary work for refining his natal demon artifact. Improving his strength was a matter of extreme urgency.