Chapter 55

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Chapter 55: Title

"Chief, will that white Carp appear today?" Zhu Xin hugged an armful of snacks, eyeing Tang Tong who sat serenely slicing a cantaloupe.

"Not a clue." Tang Tong finished arranging the melon wedges and pried open a crate of strawberries nearby.

Only she could commandeer military helicopters to airlift crates of fruit and snacks—a privilege others could scarcely dream of.

The Special Bureau answered solely to central authority, existing beyond bureaucratic shackles. It wielded military-political powers yet transcended them entirely.

"What if it doesn’t show? What’ll we do with all this?" Zhu Xin’s cheek twitched, never imagining her superior’s true demeanor.

The reality clashed starkly with rumors. Accompanying Tang Tong on her first mission left Zhu Xin thoroughly drained.

"We feast."

"Play some music. Glorious day, isn’t it?" Tang Tong popped a strawberry between her lips, glancing sideways at her subordinate.

Zhu Xin deliberately ignored this abuse of authority.

Moments after melodies began floating, Zhu Xin emerged to find Tang Tong lobbing strawberries into the water. Approaching curiously, she wondered—had the white Carp arrived?

Zhu Xin guessed partially right. More than one pale silhouette glided beneath the surface.

The white Carp nibbled a strawberry, somehow gulping it whole before nuzzling affectionately against a dark-scaled companion.

"Second Brother, you try too!"

When Ao Ming escorted Ao Lan from deep sea shallows, his younger brother had pestered him endlessly to assume Carp form, insisting their true draconic selves would terrify humans.

Expecting grave matters, Ao Ming now watched his sibling shamelessly mooch snacks. His temple pulsed as memories of Ao Yuan’s warnings surfaced. A tail-slap caught Ao Lan across the snout.

"This is your ‘important matter’?"

"Mhm! Mhm!" Unfazed by the light swat, Ao Lan circled eagerly. "Second Brother, eat! Eat!"

Ao Ming swallowed his frustration. By human, fish, or dragon reckoning, Little San remained a mere three-year-old.

Brother-beating was forbidden.

"Brought company? Feast away." Tang Tong lazily upended the last cantaloupe chunks into the water.

Ao Ming sighed as his excitable brother dove after sinking fruit. A flick of magic sent currents buoying the treats upward—foolish kin demanded indulgence. Since Ao Yuan cherished them both, he’d mirror their eldest’s patience.

"Thanks, Second Brother!" Ao Lan chirruped, scales brushing Ao Ming’s flank.

After ninety minutes of feeding, the black Carp ignored every morsel while tending its white companion.

"Doesn’t the dark one eat?" Zhu Xin inquired, cracking almonds.

"Pure disdain." Tang Tong tossed a peeled longan downward. That obsidian silhouette increasingly resembled the black dragon from surveillance footage.

Earlier suspicions crystallized—these were undoubtedly the dragons who’d departed with the golden one. Curious though—where was their gilded leader now?

Division 2’s morning report confirmed the white Carp’s intellect matched a human toddler’s: 4-5 years old, brimming with curiosity and bold experimentation.

To be honest, Tang Tong wasn’t particularly surprised when she saw the analysis results. Yesterday while feeding the fish, she’d already noticed this particular Carp could be best described as naively trusting.

Even common Carps wouldn’t approach humans so readily, yet this one showed absolutely no fear of them.

Utterly fearless.

The black Carp differed from its white counterpart – appearing more like an elder brother with less innocent simplicity, at least in Tang Tong’s perception. Final confirmation would require more detailed observations.

If all three dragons were like the white dragon, the Special Bureau’s task would become simpler. Even with formidable destructive power, such childlike creatures couldn’t be considered serious threats.

The morning sea glittered under a breathtaking sunrise.

After hours of continuous feeding, the white dragon showed no signs of stopping. Zhu Xin massaged her orange-peeling-weary fingers.

"How much longer?"

She checked her watch – nearly four hours already. This appetite would be unbelievable even for ordinary fish.

Beneath the waves:

"Time to leave."

"Alright…" Ao Lan replied reluctantly, though his cravings had been sufficiently satisfied. He couldn’t break his promise to Second Brother.

Two hours meant precisely two hours, lest future outings be forfeited.

"Second Brother, let’s find a quiet spot to sunbathe! The sunlight’s so warm," the white Carp cooed sweetly.

Numerous islets dotted the seascape – larger ones inhabited, while smaller ones stood barren of even animal life.

Unlike his carefree sibling, Ao Ming had patrolled these waters. He knew which isles remained untouched by humans.

"Hn." The black Carp acquiesced. A deserted island posed no complications.

With powerful tail flicks, the monochrome pair descended into deeper waters, gradually vanishing from Tang Tong and Zhu Xin’s view.

On a secluded island’s rocky shore, a black-clad youth lounged against stone formations. Nearby coiled a silvery dragonling, no longer than a human arm.

"No approaching humans," Ao Ming stated.

"But they’re so weak! Why?" The silver dragon’s fledgling horns gleamed as sea breeze ruffled the silken mane flowing from crown to tail-tip.

Ao Lan tilted his head, genuinely perplexed.

"Unknown."

"If even Second Brother doesn’t know, only Elder Brother might." The little dragon flicked his tail contentedly, then suddenly launched himself into Ao Ming’s embrace.

"Sleepy…" Ao Lan yawned dramatically, nuzzling against his sibling.

"Rest then."

"We’ll return to the palace at sunset…" The dragonling mumbled, already half-asleep. While the deep sea posed no discomfort, he infinitely preferred sunlit surfaces to lightless abyssal depths.

"Hn."

*

"Successful?"

The hull-mounted camera’s feed revealed crystal-clear images when magnified – two Carps, black and white, captured in perfect detail.

"Got them," Zhu Xin confirmed.

"Organize the information and forward it to Division 2," Tang Tong instructed, gazing at the shimmering sea in the distance, her eyes narrowing slightly with contemplation.

She felt certain the black Carp had glanced back at her during its final moments.

Had it been only the white dragon, Tang Tong would have been ninety percent confident of its return tomorrow. But the unpredictable presence of the black dragon cast uncertainty over their plans.

What if they didn’t appear…

"If they don’t come tomorrow, Chief, should we consider alternative measures?" Zhu Xin’s question pulled Tang Tong from her thoughts.

"The BBQ Grill and meat provisions remain. Should they abstain from visiting, we’ll host a seaside barbecue regardless," Tang Tong replied with breezy pragmatism, gesturing toward the cruise ship’s equipment. The meat had arrived alongside fruit supplies – after all, dragons hardly struck her as herbivores. This backup plan had been devised in case the scaled visitors proved disinterested in produce.

The following dawn found Ao Ming being hauled to the surface once more by the insatiable Ao Lan, whose appetite brought shame upon the dignity of their dragon race.

"Second Brother’s the finest!" Ao Lan chirped, well aware of his sibling’s protective nature. His nostrils suddenly flared. "Wait – do you smell that? Heavenly!"

"The aroma drifts from above."

"It seems positively delectable!"

Ao Ming maintained his customary composure. Yesterday’s encounter had revealed the humans’ deliberate scheming, though their ultimate purpose remained veiled. Observing Ao Lan’s salivating anticipation, he concluded preserving dignity outweighed secrecy. The younger dragon’s assessment held truth – these fragile creatures posed no threat.

"Yearning to ascend?"

"Mmm… Though I know you’ll refuse…" Ao Lan’s voice trailed off mournfully.

"Proceed then."

"Truly?!"

"Preferable to enduring your disgraceful antics below," Ao Ming retorted, shifting effortlessly into his obsidian draconic form. With a sinuous twist, he swept them both onto the vessel’s deck.

Before Tang Tong and Zhu Xin materialized a youth clad in black silks, cradling a pearlescent serpentine form.

The women froze mid-motion, Tang Tong recovering first. Her hands never ceased tending the sizzling grill as she addressed the newcomers. "When friends visit from distant realms, shared barbecue becomes celebration."

Zhu Xin remained transfixed by the luminous Xiao Bai dragon until the black clothed youth settled gracefully nearby. His striking features, though youthful, bore the promise of breathtaking beauty that would one day enthrall maidens across realms.

The white dragon maintained obedient silence under Second Brother’s gaze, though its golden eyes followed every morsel on the grill.

"I’m Tang Tong. My distracted companion is Zhu Xin, my assistant."

"Might we know our guests’ names?"

Zhu Xin marveled at her Chief’s composure – had she not known better, she’d have thought they hosted ordinary visitors rather than mythic beings.

Ao Ming’s draconic pride initially balked at answering mortals. Yet witnessing Xiao Bai’s barely-contained drooling, he relented. Elder Brother’s warnings had forbidden interaction, not commanded hostility.

Having dwelled in the Yellow River’s depths for decades before the Awakening of Spiritual Energy granted his transformation into a dragon, Ao Ming understood humankind far better than his guileless younger sibling ever could.

“Dragon race, Ao Ming.”

“I am Ao Lan,” the white dragon swiftly interjected as his Second Brother spoke.

A dragon speaking, another taking human form—it was unclear which spectacle proved more startling.

“Would you like some?” Tang Tong inquired with a cheerful lilt, extending a skewer of grilled meat dusted with pepper and seasoning toward Ao Lan nestled in Ao Ming’s embrace.

This white dragon appeared far more approachable than his obsidian-scaled counterpart, whose vigilant guardianship radiated like summer heat.

Curious—did Carps retain their communal bonds even after metamorphosis into dragons? Tang Tong’s polished smile concealed her musings as flawlessly as night conceals stars.

“Second Brother, may I revert?” Ao Lan’s eyes gleamed at the aromatic offering.

“Hn.”

At Ao Ming’s assent, the white dragon coalesced into a pearlescent sphere cradled against black robes, crescent-eyed and dimple-cheeked as he grasped the proffered treat.

“Second Brother, share?”

“Eat, little tide.”

Second Brother? So the obsidian guardian was kin. Tang Tong catalogued this revelation as diligently as a scribe chronicling dynasties.

Zhu Xin’s knives danced across preparation boards while Tang Tong coaxed chirruping laughter from the dragonling. The black dragon’s vigilance never wavered, though he permitted the interaction like a storm cloud tolerating sunlight.

A glance passed between the women. Zhu Xin seamlessly assumed nurturing duties while Tang Tong approached the silent sentinel.

“Ao Ming.” Her address hovered between formality and familiarity.

He regarded her with eyes like frozen meridian lakes.

“The Dragon Gate above the Yellow River—quite the spectacle.” She smiled at his faint frown. “No ill intent. I assure you.”

The card gleamed between them. “Tang Tong, Chief of the Special Bureau’s Comprehensive Section 5. Zhongxia extends greetings.”

Her arm remained steady as ceremonial steel. “Perhaps friendship blooms where myths walk.”

In Zhongxia’s annals, dragons soared above mere spirits—they were ancestors’ breath given form, the pulse beneath “descendants of dragons.”

The fourteen-year-old’s gaze leveled with hers. “What does Zhongxia seek?”

“Rather, what might the dragon race desire?” Her unwavering hand defied refusal.

Ao Ming’s sleeve whispered as the card vanished within. Tang Tong’s gesture swept toward restless waves. “Your journey from Yellow River to East Sea stirred questions. Might I inquire…” Her pause held unspoken curiosity about the absent golden dragon.

“Dragons belong to seas.” His smile could have etched jade.

“Merely that?”

"What do you wish to hear?" Ao Ming’s impatience began to surface.

Noticing his irritation, Tang Tong smoothly shifted the conversation. "The white dragon is your brother, yes? He appears quite fond of human cuisine."

"We’d be happy to provide more provisions if he desires."

"Are you proposing a transaction?" Ao Ming fixed his gaze upon her.

"Feeding two dragons remains well within Zhongxia’s agricultural capacity," Tang Tong responded cheerfully. "Not a transaction, but rather an opportunity to cultivate mutual goodwill."

A fist-sized pearl materialized in Ao Ming’s palm, its luminous surface glowing with subtle radiance. Tang Tong momentarily lost herself in its ethereal shimmer.

"What does this signify, Mr. Ao Ming?"

"Your mortal kind requires currency. Consider this compensation for Ao Lan’s consumption." The dragon casually tossed the pearl into her arms.

Countless such treasures filled the oceanic palace – this particular specimen had been casually plucked during Ao Lan’s earlier excursion. Having absorbed Spiritual Energy through millennia of dormancy, it transcended mere ordinary products to become a true spiritual item.

"I care not for your political schemes," Ao Ming stated dismissively. "Should you persist, perhaps my elder brother might indulge you during his leisure."

"This single pearl could fund a decade’s provisions!" Tang Tong chuckled ruefully. The tables had turned amusingly – she, accustomed to financial persuasion, now found herself on the receiving end of draconic largesse. Ao Ming indeed embodied the dragon race’s legendary lavishness.

"Your mentioned brother would be…?"

"The golden dragon accompanying us to the Eastern Sea. As you bear no malice, I’ll convey your request – nothing more." Throughout this exchange, Ao Ming’s attention never wavered from his enthusiastically feasting sibling.

Following his gaze, Tang Tong suppressed a smile. So even among celestial beings, sibling devotion existed? Their current progress clearly flowed from Xiao Bai dragon’s influence.

"How shall we arrange contact if your brother consents? Should we seek you, or await your approach?" After seven days adrift, Tang Tong’s anticipation grew palpable – mission completion neared.

After contemplative silence, Ao Ming decreed: "Station watchers here. Should my brother agree, he’ll manifest within three days."

"Our gratitude-"

"Spare your courtesies. Simply cease your trickery toward Little San." His derisive snort left no doubt about perceiving their schemes.

Unfazed by the exposure, Tang Tong maintained her diplomatic smile. "The vessel still carries gifts intended for your brother. Please take them before departing."

Ao Ming’s brow furrowed in refusal, eager to conclude this entanglement.

"The pearl’s value far exceeds our provisions," she countered. "Your brother’s enjoyment matters, does it not?"

With resigned grace, Ao Ming swept his sleeve across the supplies, vanishing the entire cache.

"Farewell, Sister Zhu Xin! Apricot treats await next time!" Ao Lan waved wistfully while being led away.

Post-departure protocols followed swiftly. "Coordinate the watch detail," Tang Tong instructed Zhu Xin after making her call. "Immediate alert for any draconic activity."

"Understood, Chief."

Three days later, instead of the anticipated golden dragon, the black dragon Ao Ming reappeared aboard ship.

"The elder remains absent. Continue waiting," declared the obsidian-clad youth before dissolving into air.

The bewildered guards hesitated – their briefing about the black dragon prevented weapon draws, though comprehension lagged behind protocol.

The news swiftly reached Zhu Xin, who promptly relayed it to Tang Tong.

"Since we agreed to wait, we’ll extend our patience a few more days," Tang Tong declared from her office chair, fingertips drumming rhythmically against polished wood as she vocalized her thoughts.

The call’s conclusion left Tang Tong with multiplying uncertainties.

The black dragon’s three-day reference for the golden dragon’s absence had initially suggested a predetermined deadline rather than actual companionship with the white dragon. This revised timeline’s vagueness now hinted at complications derailing their schedule.

*

Beneath ocean depths, a golden serpentine form sliced through dark waters, breaching the Jiuzhou barrier with ease to enter uncharted seas.

Ao Yuan’s scaled body rippled through saline currents.

The moment he crossed the barrier’s threshold, an ephemeral surveillance brushed his consciousness before vanishing.

Foreign waters teemed with nightmarish hybrids beyond anticipation – grotesque fusions of humanoid features and aquatic biology that defied natural order. His three-day reconnaissance mission had dragged on for ten sun cycles.

Dread coiled in Ao Yuan’s draconic heart. If outer waters harbored such multitudes, the inner seas’ infestation must dwarf initial estimates. But what catalyst spawned this sudden proliferation?

Could imperial nectar be responsible? Impossible – the celestial essence kindled intelligence without warping flesh.

Every dragon whelp received fractured wisdom from ancestral sovereigns through inherited memories, their inheritance lottery dictated by bloodline quirks. Marine lore comprised part of this erratic legacy.

Ao Yuan’s powerful tail propelled him faster than torpedoes, leaving Ao Ming and Ao Lan’s capabilities far behind. When aquatic speed proved inadequate, he ascended through thunderheads, his passage trailed by rain curtains veiling celestial flight from mortal eyes. Pacific waves gave way to Atlantic depths beneath his cloud-dancing form.

Diving into colder currents, he surveyed abyssal plains now writhing with aberrant life. Monstrous congregations swarmed at thousand-meter depths, dwarfing previous encounters.

"This profanation of marine sanctity…" Ao Yuan’s rumble disturbed schools of bioluminescent fish. As Hua Xia’s ancient sovereigns of waterways, his kind once patrolled every liquid realm. Though modern domains had shrunk, oceanic stewardship remained their birthright.

Yet these passive aberrations presented an ethical quandary. Without overt hostility, his draconic honor forbade preemptive strikes. The wrongness clinging to their mutated forms nevertheless set his claws twitching.

Calculating elapsed days, he cursed silently. This extended absence would ignite Ao Ming and Ao Lan’s fury.

……

Within Kunlun’s hellish valley where jagged peaks clawed at smog-choked skies:

"Ten days observing this accursed portal – resolved to act at last?" Leng Xingwen’s feigned nonchalance with his folding fan contrasted with eyes betraying gravity.

Li Canghai’s scarred hand rested on sheathed steel. "The gatekeeper remains absent?"

"Vanished." The fan snapped shut. "Your summons here confirms their lethal intent."

"An ill wind blows from that threshold." Li Canghai’s gaze remained fixed on the obsidian archway. "Seal it permanently."

Nearby, Fei Ran observed silently as caged livestock bleated their way toward the pulsating gate.

“Master, the method you mentioned for opening the door won’t pose any problems, will it?”

“It won’t.”

Having studied the Bronze Door extensively, Fei Ran concluded it existed in a liminal state between the tangible and ethereal. This spatial portal defied ordinary means of opening, though creating a temporary fissure in its fabric might still be feasible.

The valley housed one spatial dimension, while the door itself formed a separate reality within it—an entire formation solidified into architecture.

“To craft such a seal… the creator must’ve been extraordinary. Using formations to imprison an entity and morph it into a gateway sealing off entire dimensions.” Regret tinged Fei Ran’s voice, his admiration for the ancient master palpable.

Opening the door fully remained impossible, both beyond Fei Ran’s capabilities and unwise—should horrors lurk beyond, unleashing them would spell doom. A mere crack posed lesser risks, reparable if consequences arose.

“Human curiosity truly overreaches,” Hu Mei murmured nearby.

“Spent too long with that she-tiger? Keep babbling ‘humans’ like you’re not one. Ready for finals?” Yang Xingyu flicked her head with a smirk.

“The sheep are gathered,” Zou Cheng announced.

“Slaughter them all.” Fei Ran’s gaze remained icy as he surveyed the flock. “Bleed them dry and pile the carcasses near the door. I’ll attempt fracturing the seal.”

Men wrestled sheep to the ground, blades slicing through throats and limbs. Blood cascaded, drenching the earth with its metallic stench until nausea gripped every witness. Each sacrificed animal thrown against the Bronze Door withered instantly into bleached skeletons.

Fifty carcasses later, a crimson light pulsed across the door’s surface. Fei Ran’s jade brush flickered as he channeled spiritual energy.

“Non-combatants retreat beyond twenty meters!”

His earlier warnings ensured only expedition members remained—fighters bearing weapons and survival packs, poised to breach the unknown.

The seals barred escape from within, yet permitted entry. This critical flaw struck Fei Ran only now as his brush traced glowing patterns. Cold sweat dripped from his brow.

“Fall back! No one enters!”

“Explain.” Leng Xingwen’s sharp eyes caught Fei Ran’s distress.

“The formation allows entry but blocks return. Retreat now—I can sustain this for sixty seconds!”

“And abandon our goal?” Zou Cheng’s jaw tightened. “We’ve passed the point of retreat.”

“We might be trapped forever!”

“Proceed.” Leng Xingwen steadied Fei Ran’s trembling hand. “Fortune favors the bold. No recriminations, whatever comes.”

“Fate governs life and death. Timidity won’t pave our dao.” As Leng Xingwen spoke, Fei Ran’s final stroke ignited the formation. The twenty-meter radius emptied.

“Return whole.” Hong Hai watched Zou Cheng vanish, assuming temporary command.

The teleported group materialized in sepulchral silence. Leng Xingwen, supporting Fei Ran’s slumped form, first noticed the anomaly—his spiritual energy coursed strangely through this alien dimension.

“Your cultivation…” Li Canghai was the second to notice the change.

“My cultivation has been restored,” Fei Ran answered. His power, once confined to Tier One, had unexpectedly surged back to the mid-stage of Tier Two, with faint signs of further breakthroughs.

“Could this space be a secret realm existing beyond yet tethered to our world?” Leng Xingwen mused with a raised eyebrow.

“Maintain vigilance,” Zou Cheng ordered.

The gray expanse stretched endlessly, a deathly silence hanging so thick it made them question their own mortality. Their surroundings offered nothing but ashen soil beneath their feet and empty void beyond.

“Where is this cursed place? Don’t tell me we’ve stumbled into the underworld,” Yang Xingyu quipped, his tone remarkably casual given their predicament.

“If this were the underworld, ghost messengers would’ve swarmed us by now,” Hu Mei retorted dryly.

“We’re inside the Bronze Door’s domain,” Fei Ran declared, straightening his posture. “My earlier teleportation formation remains detectable, but current spiritual energy levels prevent reactivation. We must bide our time.”

“Rest while you can,” Zou Cheng advised before addressing the group. “We came to uncover this space’s secrets. Leaving without answers isn’t an option.”

A silver light pillar suddenly erupted on the distant horizon, its brilliance piercing the gray monotony. Though diminished by distance, its sheer scale suggested a phenomenon spanning hundreds of meters.

The group stood transfixed long after the radiance faded.

“What…was that?” Hu Mei whispered, her fingers trembling despite the leagues separating them from the spectacle.

“That pressure…” Leng Xingwen’s knuckles whitened around his folded fan. “Even at this range, its aura eclipses ours completely.”

“Xiao Tianji himself would pale before such power.”

Li Canghai remained entranced by the vanished light’s origin point. “Dominating sword intent,” he breathed. “That pillar carried blade energy sharp enough to cleave fate itself.”

“Indeed,” Leng Xingwen agreed. “This reeks of the White Sword Cultivator’s handiwork.”

“Should we investigate?” All eyes turned to Zou Cheng as Leng Xingwen posed the question. The featureless plain offered no landmarks, leaving direction choice arbitrary.

Zou Cheng’s brow furrowed. “That outburst likely marked a battle.”

“Against no ordinary foe,” Leng Xingwen added grimly. “That strike…I doubt any of us could’ve withstood it.”

“We’ll approach cautiously.” Zou Cheng’s decision carried unspoken tension – whether encountering the mysterious swordsman spelled salvation or doom remained unclear.

Dust swirled around Ye Linlang’s borrowed form. These self-made abyssal creatures showed no mercy to their creator, their attacks unrelenting.

“Fire Demon.”

Her blade leveled at the towering fiend – sixteen meters of spiraled horns and whip-crack tail that gouged the earth with every movement. This endless charade with her fabricated abyssal denizens had worn thin, but now her audience arrived. Time to conclude the prologue.

The simulated abyssal environment served as her training ground, a dress rehearsal for the true catastrophe approaching in seven months. Let humanity first face diluted horrors – the Tier Seven Fire Demon before her would annihilate them prematurely.

Lower-tier abyssal creatures would test mortal cultivators. These enhanced variants? Merely distractions for Leng Xingwen’s meddlesome faction.

“System, initiate phase one.”

【Abyssal Invasion First Stage Simulation: Commencing.】