Chapter 439: Water Flow and the East China Sea

The “shen” is a type of exotic beast, shaped like a clam shell, capable of expelling and swallowing luminous pearls.

Clouds often appear over the sea, resembling palaces, towers, battlements, figures, carriages, and official regalia, all clearly visible; this phenomenon is called a “mirage” or said to be “caused by the Qi of the flood dragon and shen.”

The so-called mirage city, faintly visible over the sea, with its ethereal light stretching from near to far, is a type of exotic beast extremely skilled in illusionary arts; the ‘shen Qi’ it expels can even be directly used as raw material for large-scale illusions.

And the ‘mirage’ conjured by the shen’s main body is indistinguishable from reality.

Records from ancient times state: “The shen exhales Qi to form pavilions, where flying birds alight to rest.”

Even flying birds would rest on the pavilions formed by the shen’s exhaled Qi, unable to discern any flaw.

Li Qi had just passed through a mirage without realizing it.

At this moment, this great shen opened its clam mouth, expelling a luminous pearl imbued with the Qi of the great yin, from which a lifelike, illusory beauty gradually materialized.

With a round fan lightly held, her soft hair and tilted bun, she exuded a charming allure that instantly captivated one’s Spirit Soul, and upon closer inspection, one could not tear their gaze away, almost comparable to the Lingxiao Flower Goddess when she danced.

“Young Master, your servant has done everything as you instructed; may your servant now depart?” The beauty’s cherry lips parted, emitting a voice that evoked pity.

“Mistress Shen, you may leave; what happens next is no longer your concern, nor did you ever do this.” At this moment, from beneath the water, below the surface of the sea, a black shadow flickered in and out of sight, surging and transforming with bizarre movements!

Before long, a demon dragon emerged!

When the demon dragon appears, the sea waves churn, and the turtles and alligators stir, causing a commotion!

As the demon dragon surfaced, its originally smooth and sleek body suddenly bristled with fury, its demon dragon scales unfurling, flat as if carved by a knife, sharp as a sword, layered and interwoven.

For a time, all the waters surged, the鸣湍迭濑 roared, erupting like thunder and wind, and the surrounding currents converged, even turning the surrounding water black; fish and shrimp were all stunned in place, rigid and unable to move.

Upon seeing the demon dragon appear, the beautiful and soft Mistress Shen finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She dared not ask more, immediately burrowing into the shen shell, and as the heavy shell closed, she quickly dove into the water and swiftly slipped away.

A demon dragon of this rank is undoubtedly the overlord of this sea region.

And this demon dragon before them is definitely a standout among demon dragons; just by looking at the Qi on its body and its uncontrollable scales, this demon dragon has perhaps reached the limit of its current Cultivation and is already contemplating the matter of transforming into a Dragon.

The transformation of a demon dragon into a True Dragon is not impossible.

In fact, due to the True Dragon’s fertility rate, a considerable number of True Dragons are actually transformed from demon dragons, so demon dragons can also be said to be True Dragon reserves.

It’s just that the difficulty is truly absurdly high, and there is only one outcome for failure: death.

A demon dragon’s transformation into a Dragon is a complete metamorphosis, requiring the demon dragon to travel to land, that is, to the mainland of the world, choose a water vein as a starting point, and begin its journey through the waters.

Before embarking on the water journey, the demon dragon will face a choice: either simply restrain its power and ascend without undertaking the water journey, thereby giving up the chance to transform into a Dragon but preserving its life.

If it chooses to embark on the water journey, there is no turning back; otherwise, it will generally be killed on the spot by its own Cultivation.

The entire process of the water journey is extremely difficult; its essence is to drain the water veins it passes through, using the power of these water veins to wash away its flesh and blood, crush its Dragon bones, and finally, with the essence accumulated along the way, reconstruct its Physical Body when the Dragon enters the great sea, only then can it transform into a True Dragon.

During the water journey, it’s impossible for there to be no disturbance; wanting to head east all the way, directly into the vast sea via rivers, is equivalent to self-mutilation while simultaneously scattering the unleashed power.

Therefore, demon dragons undertaking the water journey usually cause major floods along the way, even to the extent of devastating thousands of miles, submerging countless homes, and destroying the water vein they traverse.

Thus, water gods, officials, heroes, and chivalrous individuals along the way will all obstruct the demon dragon, slaying the demon dragon undertaking the water journey to prevent a great calamity.

Such events have occurred many times in the past: a demon dragon undertaking a water journey would cause floods, then be intercepted and slain by various people; water gods would stop it, officials would stop it, and it would have to overcome countless difficulties along the way to successfully complete the water journey.

If the demon dragon could fight at its full strength, it wouldn’t be so frustrating, but the most crucial point is that the water journey requires the destruction of its original bones and flesh and the reconstruction of its body; therefore, once the water journey begins, at least 60% of the demon dragon’s power must be used for self-destruction, meaning it severely injures itself at the start of the water journey and then drags its injured body eastward.

Especially when it’s about to reach the estuary, at that time, the demon dragon’s flesh, blood, and bones are almost entirely gone; sometimes, only one or half a Dragon head can be seen struggling through the water.

Let alone dealing with interceptions, at this point, even maintaining consciousness is difficult.

But if all this can be accomplished, when the Dragon enters the great sea, it can undergo a complete metamorphosis, transforming from a demon dragon body into a True Dragon, becoming one of the true masters of the East Sea.

Such a difficult and arduous journey, crossing countless life-and-death thresholds along the way, to become a True Dragon.

And… most crucially, the mainland adjacent to the East Sea… is the Tang Nation, the place with the lowest difficulty and shortest water journey distance, which is the land of humanity.

Therefore, humanity has already slain countless heads of demon dragons undertaking the water journey, and the animosity between the two sides has gradually accumulated because of this.

In the past, in an era when humanity had not yet mastered the ability to summon wind and rain, demon dragons, knowing their own shortcomings, in order to resolve animosity and to avoid so many people intercepting them during their water journey, once proactively showed goodwill, bringing clouds and rain for humanity and being responsible for the well-being of various regions.

With this relationship, that period was the peak for Dragon transformations.

Unfortunately, humanity today no longer needs demon dragons to bring rain, so now, Dragon transformation cannot go through the human realm; one can only detour through the Western Regions or Shaman God Mountain, or the mainland north of Penglai to enter the sea, increasing the distance of the water journey by several times, naturally making Dragon transformation even more difficult.

As for going through the middle… humanity won’t bother with all that; if you come to undertake the water journey and want to cause floods, I’ll just kill you, without any hesitation, and without caring about being perceived as bullying the weak.

And this demon dragon before us, its Cultivation is so full that even its scales can’t contain it, directly bursting open, clearly indicating it has reached the brink of Dragon transformation; one more step, and it will either remain a demon dragon for life, or choose to take a risk and undertake the water journey to transform into a Dragon.

But he doesn’t seem urgent, instead watching Mistress Shen depart, then looking in the direction Li Qi left, muttering to himself: “The Young Master of Shaman God Mountain… seems to be nothing special, not even recognizing a mirage; in that case, I can decide on my water journey path ahead of time.”

With that, the demon dragon dove into the water, as if his brief appearance was only to reassure that Mistress Shen.

However, at the same time, hundreds of miles away, Li Qi was gazing in this direction.

The old steed uneasily kicked its hooves; even at such a distance, it seemed to vaguely sense some unsettling aura.

Clearly, Li Qi had long since recognized it as an illusion.

Shen Qi, there’s nothing special about it; let alone just a shen clam, Li Qi had seen the Qi of a Shen Dragon before, which was the True Dragon Qi after a shen completed its water journey and transformed into a Dragon; that was used against him by a student from Chang'an at a banquet before he enrolled in the Imperial Academy. (See Chapter 264 for details)

In front of True Knowledge Dao Resonance, this kind of shen Qi had no effect whatsoever, as if it didn’t exist.

Li Qi merely played along, wanting to see what was behind it, and incidentally observing the illusions created by the shen Qi.

Those illusions were not entirely fabricated; they were real, tangible East Sea life, and one could learn from them, including the positioning method Li Qi learned, which was also real.

It’s just… that shen didn’t need to be concerned, but that demon dragon couldn’t be ignored.

“Fifth rank… about to advance to Fourth rank, so strong.” Li Qi gazed into the distance, unable to help but exclaim.

Indeed, very strong; among the Fifth rank, it would be difficult to find one stronger than this demon dragon; Li Qi even had a feeling that even if this demon dragon fought Yang Ning to the death, the outcome would be a fifty-fifty chance.

To be able to fight Yang Ning to a fifty-fifty chance, how strong must that be?

He was very familiar with the path of demon beasts who Cultivate the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution.

Demon beasts Cultivate, striving to transform into demon dragons.

demon dragons can then evolve into various creatures that Li Qi calls sub-species Dragons, such as jiao, chi, qiu, pan, and so on.

Of course, ‘sub-species Dragon’ is a name Li Qi came up with himself; in reality, it’s not quite like that.

Jiao, chi, qiu, pan, actually, none of them are Dragons, but separate species, including old steed, which is a Dragon Steed, also falls into this category, and like the so-called ‘demon dragons,’ they are all just flattering themselves.

However, among these species, if they wish, they can all transform into True Dragons through the water journey.

Among them, the demon dragon is the most skilled in combat and the easiest to evolve into a True Dragon.

It’s just… can a demon dragon of this level actually transform into a Dragon?

Honestly, Li Qi thought it was doubtful.

Li Qi had also heard about the difficulty of the water journey; merely being similar to Yang Ning, the success rate is estimated to be less than 50%, and that 50% chance is only if he has extensive connections and the water gods and other people along the way don’t make things difficult for him.

There have been other successful cases of water journeys in the past; once, a demon dragon was known for its kindness, generosity, and chivalry, enjoying unparalleled renown and universal praise, reaching the level of a ‘great hero.’

This is not something one can achieve just by having a good heart; it requires truly strong capabilities and genuine righteousness in one’s heart.

This demon dragon ultimately succeeded in its water journey because no one intercepted it along the way; instead, countless people escorted it, helping it in its time of difficulty.

Therefore, according to Li Qi’s thoughts, this demon dragon’s need must be to undertake the water journey, and its strength is probably already at its peak, unlikely to improve further.

So next, this demon dragon will likely have to rely on connections.

Is he the connection it values? Or… is he preparing to make himself into a snack to give to others in order to forge other connections?

Forget it, being new here, one must be wary of others, but there’s no need to make enemies prematurely; I’ll just pretend not to know, maintain my guard, and wait for the opponent’s next move.

Before the opponent’s next action, it’s better to go to East Isle first.

Rent a boat in East Isle and head to the deep sea area.

Whether it’s Li Qi wanting to encounter True Dragons or the ingredients for the Peng Hai Cauldron, they are all in the deep sea.

With this thought, Li Qi turned, mounted the old steed, and hurried towards East Isle.

— — — — — — — —

Along the way, Li Qi saw many terrifying beasts and a host of unique small creatures.

There were giant turtles lying on sandbanks, with trees growing on their backs, like abyssal islands.

There were flying snakes swimming in the mist, their snake skin impenetrable, with holes that opened and closed, sometimes emitting light, resembling a Dragon’s body.

There were large fish, a thousand zhang long, with blue spots on their scales and horns on their noses, fond of dancing; Li Qi, observing from afar, saw five-colored clouds in the water, and upon closer inspection, it was this fish spraying water to create the clouds.

Then there were Divine Whales, suddenly swimming alone, their colossal scales piercing the clouds, their massive fins poised, their skulls forming mountains, their flowing fat creating abysses, leaping with scales upon the waves, exhaling mist that converged, spitting water that formed streams, their decaying skeletons becoming illusory islands, and their fallen eyes becoming luminous moons that were coveted.

There was also a ten-clawed giant monster, about five zhang long, weighing eight hundred jin, with thousands of smaller fish following it; Li Qi caught and roasted it, and its meat was very sweet, boneless and tender.

There were also flying fish, with two wings, flying as swiftly as birds; when they touched fishing lines, light would shoot into the tide, and when they took off, they couldn’t discern direction, eagerly throwing themselves into Li Qi’s embrace; when cooked, their taste was exquisite.

There were birds shaped like quails, transformed from toads; when they entered the water, they were like shrimp, and when they emerged, they transformed into birds, with mottled wings and black claws, chirping.

There were also large shrimp, the largest weighing seventy or eighty jin, with heads a chi in diameter, shaped like Dragons, with brilliant colors; they had two large antennae like fingers, seven or eight chi long, and their eyes glowed red like blood amber; their meat, when eaten, was plump, sweet, and slightly coarser than regular shrimp.

Besides these, Li Qi also encountered huge waves.

The sky was originally clear, but the next second, the weather suddenly changed dramatically; in the blink of an eye, thunder and clouds surged, raising thousand-meter giant waves; countless fish and shrimp were lifted into the air and drowned, breaking through waves and冲涛; then a giant monster was seen churning in the water, Li Qi could not see it clearly, only countless white splashes, like millions of ice and snow falling from the sky, or as if whipped by furious thunder, snow dancing in mid-air, a dazzling sight; then, in another glance, the giant monster was already gone, and the weather turned clear again.

He also saw a wondrous sight: countless seaweeds and algae gathered, like an underwater forest, with corals growing together in a myriad of colors; small fish swam through them, living on underwater rocks, the seaweeds like leaves; the entire sea area was dark green during the day, but at night, countless tiny insects were seen in the water.

These tiny insects fed on seaweed and had colorful light; they slept during the day and rose at night to eat algae; when billions of tiny insects moved together, their brilliant light shone, illuminating the entire sea area like a rosy glow, with all five colors present, their flames illuminating three thousand li, no less brilliant than during the day.

Traveling along, in just a few days, Li Qi was utterly amazed.

This… is the Dao Orthodoxy of the East Sea.

The Dao of Heaven’s Evolution is also the Dao practiced by the True Dragons.

It’s a complete natural competition; living beings in this place, actively or passively, exert their strength, becoming more adapted to the environment through cruel natural selection.

And the True Dragon, is probably the ultimate of the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution, the legendary perfect creature.

As creatures that can crush most enemies purely by Bloodline, True Dragons have reached the pinnacle of the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution.

Therefore, all life aims towards ‘Dragon transformation’; once transformed into a Dragon, it means they have also reached the limit of life.

They can even become stronger by sleeping, without Cultivating, simply relying on their genes to easily traverse Outer Void…

Li Qi’s horizons were once again broadened, which made him even more curious about East Isle.