Chapter 92

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Chapter 92: The Giant Serpent Rises

"The Tablet of Heavenly Dao is a spiritual stone embodying the will of heaven, chronicling the marvels of the universe. The inscription ‘Life is but a dream’ was etched due to the Li bloodline," Qin Chu Yi explained, her eyes ablaze with intensity as they pierced through the depths of the Deep Sea. "Li Fusheng, a descendant of the Sword Master and bearer of the Li bloodline, is a remarkable figure. Her aunt, Li Ruomeng, achieved the Human King stage in her twenties and fought valiantly on the battlefield of the heavens. After her sacrifice in battle, she returned to the world, her flesh and blood fortifying the seals of the battlefield of the heavens."

"To have one’s name inscribed on the Tablet of Heavenly Dao is to be recognized as an extraordinary genius, one whose actions sway the fate of the human race. Hence, Li Fusheng has become a prime target for the Black Wind Alliance and the Alien Race Hunting Hall, who seek her demise at any cost."

A gentle smile played on Qin Chu Yi’s lips. "Now that she has ascended to the Human King stage and entered the battlefield of the heavens, she is beyond the reach of covert assassinations and targeted attacks. In the years to come, she will confront alien races on the battlefield of the heavens, wielding her long sword with honor. This is the ultimate retribution a human genius can deliver against foreign adversaries. Thus, the resonance of heaven and earth resounds."

The resonance of heaven and earth—Li Fusheng is indeed a figure capable of stirring the cosmos.

Ming He’s gaze was sharp and lucid as she committed the name to memory, yearning for the day she might witness the prowess of such a powerful ally on the battlefield of the heavens.

"Roar!"

Ming He, holding onto Qin Chu Yi, ascended through the waters, the sky above a pristine blue, the clouds shifting and churning. They emerged once more upon the East Sea.

Suddenly, a dragon’s roar thundered like a tolling bell. Ming He glanced sideways to see a serpentine dragon undulating in the dark currents of the Deep Sea. Its black scales shimmered under the sun’s rays, its head crowned with horns, its vertical pupils icy and reflecting the cold-blooded nature of a beast. Its five claws sliced through the waves, sharp enough to rend the void.

Could it be… the Giant Serpent of the East Sea stirring the waters?

Ming He’s heart faltered as she met the dragon’s chilling gaze. It seemed… to be targeting her?

Instinctively, she pushed Qin Chu Yi aside, drawing her sword and advancing rather than retreating. Excitement surged within her; she had long heard tales of the East Sea Giant Serpent but now beheld it with her own eyes.

"Ming He!" Qin Chu Yi cried out, her immediate reaction to draw her sword and pursue Ming He. She was determined to stand by Ming He’s side, sharing life and death with her.

"Roar!"

The dragon lifted its head once more and roared, its tail coiling around Qin Chu Yi and gently casting her onto an island in the East Sea. Despite the force, Qin Chu Yi’s garments remained dry; the dragon meant her no harm.

"Young Master," Zhan Qing Yi murmured, grasping Qin Chu Yi’s arm. "The dragon harbors no ill will toward Ming He." Perhaps it was merely toying with her?

Qin Chu Yi paused, her gaze lifting toward the sea. The Sword Cultivator in Blue stood steadfast upon the waves, the Blue Sea Sword in hand, unyielding against the surging tides, then moved her sword to command the heavens.

A stream of light cascaded from the sword tip, embodying the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Technique, with a hint of the sword array spoken of by Nineteen.

Ming He, having undergone the Soul Mastery Baptism, was no longer the helpless fish of yore. Yet, the dragon, as the guardian spirit beast of the East Sea, was a formidable foe. Even if all four of them united, they might not prevail, let alone Ming He alone.

As Qin Chu Yi pondered this, her anxiety eased slightly. Still, her eyes remained fixed on Ming He, filled with unmistakable affection, prompting a sigh from Zhan Qing Yi.

Ming He, aware of what Zhan Qing Yi observed, understood the dragon’s focus was on her and recognized its lack of murderous intent. Otherwise, she would have fled with Qin Chu Yi long ago.

Yet, the dragon’s playful intent was clear.

With this thought, she flicked her wrist, her long sword creating ripples aimed at the dragon. The droplets of water transformed into her profound understanding of swordsmanship.

With one sword, she danced among the stars; with another, she brought down the heavens. In an instant, seven swords emerged, intertwining in a mesmerizing display—this was the greatest boon granted to her by the Soul Mastery Baptism within the ancient palace.

"Swish!"

The sword tip released a droplet of water onto the dragon’s body, creating a gentle ripple, yet it failed to breach the dragon’s defenses; the dragon remained unscathed.

The dragon lifted its head and sprayed a burst of water toward Ming He, soaking her blue robe, which tore, leaving small holes, as if she wore a rag.

In a moment, the dragon’s tail coiled around her, casting her onto the East Sea island, though not as gently as it had done for Qin Chu Yi.

"Bang!"

Ming He landed heavily on the flagstone of the island, wincing in pain. Qin Chu Yi helped her up, brushed off the dust, and casually draped a white robe over her shoulders. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Ming He replied, meeting Qin Chu Yi’s tender gaze, feeling inexplicably flustered.

“The guardian spirit beast of the East Sea, Dragon Mountain, greets the Young Master of the Qin Clan,” the dragon said, floating above the East Sea and bowing its head slightly toward Qin Chu Yi, its tone respectful.

“You are…” Qin Chu Yi frowned, realizing she had never heard of this name before.

“Young Master, it is a dragon subdued by the lord of the Eastern Region, tasked with guarding the East Sea and the Eastern Region,” Zhan Qing Yi explained.

The Young Master of the Qin Clan had countless responsibilities, so it was natural that he wouldn’t remember every detail; otherwise, what use would there be for her as a shadow guardian?

“There were anomalies in the depths of the sea earlier, and I had to retreat into seclusion for cultivation. I failed to detect the infiltration of the Soaring Snake Clan and the Black Wind Alliance, which put Young Master Qin in danger. This is my negligence,” the dragon said, its voice tinged with remorse. “When my master returns from the battlefield, I will accept my punishment. As for the black-clothed men who continued to pursue Miss Ming He, I have dealt with them. However, regarding the Envoy of the Black Wind Alliance, Yóu Lìng…”

The dragon’s vertical pupils flickered with a complex expression. “Her ancestors have ties with me, and for certain reasons, I cannot act against her. I am left with no choice.”

Ancestors, ties, certain reasons?

Qin Chu Yi’s eyes flickered slightly as she silently noted these points, then lowered her gaze. “It’s fine. The matters of the Black Wind Alliance will be handled by the human race. The spirit master need only focus on protecting the East Sea.”

“Protecting the East Sea is a duty entrusted to me by my master. I dare not accept the title of ‘spirit master’ from Young Master Qin,” the dragon said, turning its gaze to Ming He, a hint of amusement in its vertical pupils. “Little Fellow, though I teased you earlier, setting aside certain matters, you are quite remarkable and worthy of being called a genius of the human race.”

It raised its head slightly, its dragon claw shimmering as it presented a scale to Ming He. “The dragon clan does not practice swordsmanship, and I know nothing of it. This scale is one of my vital scales, gifted to you today. It is one of the few things I can do for the human race. As for what you can glean from it, that depends on your own abilities.”

After speaking, the dragon cast a deep glance at the purple storage pouch at Ming He’s waist. With a flick of its tail, it stirred the waves, and its figure vanished.

The dragon’s vital scale?

Ming He reached out to take the scale, as thin as a cicada’s wing, and felt a slight tremor in her heart. Even a single scale was extraordinary.

“Ming He, why did you push me away when you confronted the dragon earlier?” Qin Chu Yi asked, her expression serious, her eyes filled with unspoken emotions.

“I sensed it was coming for me,” Ming He replied, tucking the scale away, unsure of Qin Chu Yi’s meaning.

“Then you also knew it bore no murderous intent toward you?”

Ming He nodded. “Yes, I could feel it didn’t want to harm me. But I couldn’t be certain my instincts were accurate, so I had to push you away first, Senior Sister.”

She lifted her gaze, her Peach Blossom Eyes reflecting Qin Chu Yi’s figure, her expression earnest and clear. “Because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

She spoke without realizing how deeply her words resonated with Qin Chu Yi, as if they carried more weight than the thunderous cries of the Phoenix blood or the resounding toll of the Eastern Heaven Bell.

In that moment, Qin Chu Yi felt her heart race. She lowered her gaze to hide the emotions surging within, almost revealing her feelings to Ming He. But Ming He didn’t yet feel the same way.

Or perhaps, she didn’t feel strongly enough yet. Qin Chu Yi feared that if she confessed, Ming He might leave her.

She didn’t want to take that risk, nor could she, so she buried her feelings and waited.

“Is there truly a guardian spirit beast in the East Sea?” Qu Yanran, standing nearby, quickly grasped Qin Chu Yi’s emotions and interjected, genuinely puzzled.

She had spent most of her time in quiet meditation at the Floating Cloud Sect and truly hadn’t known the East Sea had such a guardian.

“Among the ancient fiends, the Phoenix Clan resides in seclusion in Wutong Heaven, indifferent to the dangers of the World of Martial Arts and the chaos brought by foreign races. Naturally, there are also ancient fiends who enter the world to protect it. It cannot be generalized,” Zhan Qing Yi said with a soft chuckle, her eyes lowered.

“Dragon Mountain, though subdued by the lord of the Eastern Region, is also closely tied to the dragon clan and the human race. The Azure Dragon, the king of the dragon clan, is revered as the foremost of the Four Great Divine Beasts. It once fought alongside the Sword Master on the battlefield of the heavens, so naturally, its descendants would be influenced by it.”

“Then why did the dragon initially tease Junior Sister Ming He?” Qu Yanran asked, her confusion evident, though her words already acknowledged Ming He’s identity.

“The dragon and phoenix have a long-standing friendship. Though this dragon may not have pure dragon blood, it still bears the dragon name, so it is the same,” Zhan Qing Yi said, her eyes playful as she glanced at Ming He. “She just rejected the proposal from the leader of the Phoenix Clan, and being drenched in water is a mild consequence.”

Ming He ignored Zhan Qing Yi’s teasing, her expression thoughtful. The dragon had teased her because she had rejected Feng Xin, yet it hadn’t stopped them from threatening Feng Xin in the Deep Sea ancient palace to hand over the Phoenix Fire Seed.

So, in fact, it supported the human race’s actions.

It seemed that the ancient fiends, like the human race, sometimes held different stances and made different choices; they could not be generalized.

“With the Donghua Realm coming to an end, our journey has not been in vain. What are your plans next?” Zhan Qing Yi asked Qin Chu Yi. “I must visit the Haoran Sect in the central region as a shadow guardian of the Qin Clan.”

A flicker of sadness passed through her eyes. Xie Feihe was a true disciple of the Haoran Sect, a figure of great importance. Moreover, many talented individuals had sacrificed their lives in the East Sea to protect them. Representing the Young Master to express gratitude and bid farewell was her duty as a shadow guardian.

“I want to return to the Liu Yun Sect for a while,” Ming He said, her gaze deep. “I have some questions for my Master.” She turned to Qu Yanran. “Senior Sister Qu, would you like to come along?”

“I…” Qu Yanran’s eyes brightened at Ming He’s words, but then dimmed. “Never mind. I… I’ll go next time.”

After a long pause, Qu Yanran responded with a downcast look.

“I’ll go back with you,” Qin Chu Yi said, handing the Phoenix Fire Seed to Zhan Qing Yi and lifting her gaze, her decision made. “After all, I am also a disciple of the Liu Yun Sect. What do you think?”

She smiled at Ming He, her emotions well-hidden, though she instinctively softened her usual coolness and pride in Ming He’s presence.