98: turbulent situation

Today, Gao De was in the quiet room converted from the main hall of the former Green Wave Sect at Qianjiao Cliff, flipping through a Jade Slip regarding the study of Ancient Water Mansion Restrictions, when Turtle Three Thousand came to report.

"Master, the remaining properties of the Green Wave Sect have been initially sorted out. Three main mineral veins, including one Black Iron and two low-grade Spirit Stone mines, have resumed mining. The five herb gardens are growing well and have been assigned specialized personnel for care. The former Green Wave Market has also reopened, though foot traffic is sparse and will take time to recover," Turtle Three Thousand reported in detail.

"Mm." Gao De put down the Jade Slip. "There's no rush for the market; just keep it stable. Mining must be done in moderation; do not drain the pond to catch the fish. The focus should still be on internal integration and enhancing our strength."

"Your wisdom is clear, Master." Turtle Three Thousand nodded, then presented another Jade Slip. "This was found in the storehouse. It seems to record some abnormal activities and resource withdrawal records of True Person Lan Tao's Disciples during their final period. I thought it might be of some value."

Gao De took the Jade Slip and immersed his Divine Thought into it.

The content recorded inside was very fragmented, but when pieced together, it outlined a clear profile: after True Person Qing Bo's fall, True Person Lan Tao had already been secretly transferring the Sect's core assets and had consulted records regarding 'Teleportation Arrays' and 'Guiche Immortal City' multiple times.

The final resource withdrawal, which included a large amount of rare Materials used for sustaining life and sealing oneself, occurred just shortly after Gao De dispatched his troops.

"It seems this old fellow Lan Tao had long prepared to abandon the Sect and escape alone." Gao De sneered. "He likely used this Teleportation Array to send himself and his close Disciples to some hidden location, seeking to evade my pursuit or wait for the trouble to blow over."

He wasn't too surprised.

In the cultivation world, such acts of selfishness and abandoning Disciples at critical moments were not rare.

"Fine, a stray dog, even if alive, is unlikely to pose a threat in the short term. Right now, we have more important matters." Gao De tossed the Jade Slip aside and looked into the distance.

Integrating the legacy of the Green Wave Sect had greatly expanded his influence, but it also brought new challenges and opportunities.

Internally, time was needed for assimilation and coordination. Externally, the threat of the Qianjiang Dragon King, the existence of that Fourth-Tier Thunder Tiger in the Ancient Thunder Pool, and the potential reshuffling of the Three Kingdoms' forces were all like swords hanging over his head.

"Pass down the order: the Water Mansion and Qianjiao Cliff are to enter a state of semi-alert. Increase the allocation of resources, prioritizing the cultivation of core generals like Crab Eighteen and Shrimp No Shadow to enhance their strength as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, increase manpower to closely monitor the movements of the Qianjiang Dragon King and any activity in the Ancient Thunder Pool area."

"Yes, Master!" Turtle Three Thousand took the order and left.

Gao De slowly stood up and walked outside the hall, overlooking the Qianjiao Cliff below, which was beginning to take shape but still appeared somewhat chaotic.

Human Cultivators and Yao Race soldiers were mixed together, each busy with their tasks.

From a tiny dragon blood Blackfish to the current Purple Lightning Flood Dragon King, occupying a strategic point between water and land, with over five hundred Demon Soldiers under his command, and having incorporated Human Cultivators while controlling mineral veins and markets.

The prototype of his power had already been established.

But this was far from enough.

The path to dragon transformation was long and arduous. He knew that the real challenges might have only just begun.

Whether it was potential enemies or the distant goal of becoming a Dragon, he could not afford the slightest negligence.

He took a deep breath, feeling the surging dragon blood within his body and the slowly rotating dragon pearl fossil in his Dantian, his gaze becoming firm and sharp once more.

The next step should be to further explore the Dragon Palace Secret Passage and seek opportunities to enhance his Bloodline and strength.

After all, only by being strong enough himself could he truly gain a foothold in this treacherous world, until... soaring through the Nine Heavens!

...Time passed quietly. Since the destruction of the Green Wave Sect and Gao De taking over its legacy, more than a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

During this month, Gao De sat in Qianjiao Cliff and the Deep Pool Water Mansion, putting all his effort into digesting his gains.

Under the assistance of Human Cultivators, the equipment and training of the Demon Soldiers under his command had significantly improved; several mineral veins and herb gardens had also gradually gotten on track, starting to produce resources steadily.

The entire force was like a precision-operating machine; though not yet powerful enough, it already radiated vibrant vitality.

Gao De himself was not idle either.

Besides his daily cultivation of the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, refining his Bloodline, and familiarizing himself with the new Divine Ability "Thunder Shadow Shuttle," most of his mind was immersed in the miscellaneous Jade Slips he had plundered, catching up on various knowledge about this world. In particular, his understanding of the history of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, the Qian River basin, and the surrounding major state powers deepened day by day.

Of course, he never forgot to use the tianji mirror to closely monitor the changing situation outside, especially the movements in the northeast—the Ancient Thunder Pool.

Today, he had just finished a round of cultivation and habitually connected to the tianji mirror, his Divine Sense sinking into the torrent of converging information.

Soon, several pieces of news labeled as "hot news" caught his attention.

[Upheaval in the Ancient Thunder Pool! The Fourth-Tier Thunder Tiger Demon King publicly claims her territory!]

[Thunder Tiger occupies the mountain, a hundred demons come to join! Has the Ancient Thunder Pool become a Yao Race paradise?]

[Breaking News: The Wu-Chu Cultivator Alliance attempted to expel the Thunder Tiger but suffered heavy losses and retreated!]

Gao De's jiao pupils constricted as he read carefully.

The news stated that the Fourth-Tier Thunder Tiger, which possessed the "Dragon Son, associated with law" Bloodline, did not go into hiding with her cub or flee far away after successfully establishing her prestige by scattering many Cultivators.

On the contrary, she had grandly occupied the core area of the Ancient Thunder Pool!

According to eyewitness accounts, at the center of the original Dragon Lake (Thunder Pool), a mountain peak several hundred meters high, entirely entwined with blue-purple thunder, had risen from the ground at some unknown time!

The mountain peak was rugged and steep, appearing as if it were condensed from the purest Power of Thunder mixed with earth and rock. An entrance to a cave could be vaguely seen at the summit, with ear-splitting tiger roars occasionally echoing out, possessing terrifying might.

That Thunder Tiger had actually used a great Divine Ability to remodel the terrain, creating an excellent thunder nest for herself!

What made the surrounding human forces even more uneasy was that this Thunder Tiger seemed to have no intention of staying isolated in one corner.

With the Ancient Thunder Pool as the center, she had marked out a territory spanning hundreds of miles and began to actively recruit and subdue the Yao Race in the surrounding areas!

Relying on her absolute strength as a Fourth-Tier Demon King and that trace of the ancient Divine Beast "Dragon Son, associated with law" Bloodline pressure, within just over a month, many powerful Yao Beasts, Demon Generals, and even some scattered Demon Cultivators had gone to join her, including several at the Third-Tier.

The area around the Ancient Thunder Pool had already become a burgeoning Yao Race sphere of influence, where ordinary Human Cultivators dared not set foot.

During this period, the "Cultivator Alliance" temporarily formed by several damaged Sects from the Wu State and Chu State, unwilling to give up on the potential opportunities in the Ancient Thunder Pool—especially the Thunder Tiger's cub, which would be of immeasurable value if captured, and considering that the Thunder Tiger's strength had not yet recovered—organized a tentative attack.

The result, however, was a disastrous defeat.

The Thunder Tiger didn't even have to act personally. Some of the powerful Demon Generals she had newly recruited, with the help of the rich thunder environment in the Ancient Thunder Pool region and the simple Restrictions she had laid down, defeated this team led by several Golden Cores, causing them to lose a Core Formation Cultivator.

After this battle, no one dared to easily provoke her again.

The name of the Ancient Thunder Pool's Thunder Tiger Demon King was thoroughly established, becoming a powerful Demon King who occupied a region and could be compared to the Qianjiang Dragon King.

"Occupying the geographic advantage, recruiting troops, establishing prestige in all directions... This mother tiger's ambitions are not small." Gao De put down the Jade Slip, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of his chair as he fell into thought.

This Thunder Tiger's behavior pattern was completely different from most Yao Beasts he knew that acted on instinct; she was more like a ruler with high intelligence and human-like thinking.

She clearly understood her strengths and weaknesses, knew how to utilize the environment, and even more so how to accumulate power. As expected, even Yao Beasts, once they reached the Fourth-Tier, no longer acted impulsively and brainlessly as before.

"She has just given birth and needs a stable environment and resources to recover and nurture her offspring. Publicly occupying the Ancient Thunder Pool and recruiting the Yao Race allows her to quickly form a force for self-protection and better gather resources." Gao De quickly analyzed her motives. "Moreover, her choice to establish prestige at this time is likely because she saw the Opportunity when the Qianjiang Dragon King's Lifespan is near its end and the surrounding human forces are unprecedentedly weak."

A powerful, intelligent, and rapidly expanding neighbor was both a potential threat and an Opportunity for Gao De.

The threat lay in the fact that although their spheres of influence did not directly border each other, they were both in the vast region of Dongting Lake and the Ancient Thunder Pool, making future collisions almost inevitable.

Especially since Gao De possessed Dragon Clan blood, he might be seen as a potential competitor by any powerful Yao Race with a sense of territory.

The Opportunity lay in the fact that this Thunder Tiger attracted most of the firepower and attention from the Wu and Chu States, invisibly creating a better external environment for Gao De to digest the Green Wave Sect's legacy and develop quietly.

Moreover, a stable and orderly Yao Race force might, in some cases, be easier to deal with than chaotic and fragmented human Sects... of course, provided one has the strength to be taken seriously by the other party.

Furthermore, that Thunder Tiger's "Dragon Son, associated with law" Bloodline was also something that made Gao De salivate.

"Qianjiang Dragon King... Ancient Thunder Pool Thunder Tiger..." Gao De murmured to himself, feeling the invisible but increasingly tense undercurrents in the air.

This body of water, and even the entire border region of the three countries, seemed to be brewing a massive storm.

Old powerhouses were in their twilight, new kings were rising, and human forces were suffering setbacks... everything indicated that the old order was about to be broken.

He had to hurry.

The exploration of the Dragon Palace Secret Passage must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Only there could he possibly find the key to quickly enhancing his strength and coping with future changes.

"Turtle Three Thousand," Gao De transmitted his voice.

"Your subordinate is here." Turtle Three Thousand's figure quickly appeared outside the quiet room.

"Prepare yourself. In three days, this King will be going out for a period of time." Gao De's tone was resolute. "The affairs of the Water Mansion and Qianjiao Cliff will be under your full responsibility. If there are important matters, you can contact me urgently through the tianji mirror."

"Yes! Rest assured, Master, I will do my utmost!" Turtle Three Thousand responded solemnly.

Gao De nodded, his gaze once again turning toward the distance, as if penetrating through layers of water curtains and mountains to see that deep and mysterious entrance to the Dragon Palace."