Water Passage and the Sights of the Eastern Sea

Shen is a mythical beast shaped like a clam shell, capable of swallowing and spitting out pearls.

Sometimes, clouds appear in the sea, resembling palaces, pavilions, city walls, figures, carriages, and canopies, all clearly visible. This is called a "sea market" or "the work of the mirages of dragons and sea monsters."

The so-called mirage city is faintly visible on the sea, and the misty light is close yet far away. This is a strange beast that is extremely skilled in illusion. The 'mirage energy' it exhales can even be used directly as raw material for large-scale illusions.

The Mirage Castle created by the true form of the shen are indistinguishable from the real ones.

There are ancient records that say, "The mirage exhales and transforms into pavilions, where birds fly to rest and roost."

Even birds would rest on the pavilions formed by the mirage's breath, revealing no flaw whatsoever.

Li Qi had just passed through the Mirage Castle without even realizing it.

At this moment, the giant mirage opened its mouth and revealed a bright pearl filled with the Taiyin Qi, on which a beautiful woman, seemingly real yet ethereal, gradually materialized.

With a round fan and light trousers, her hair loosely styled in a bun, she exudes a soft and charming allure. At first glance, she captivates the eye, and upon closer inspection, one cannot look away. She is almost comparable to the Trumpet Flower God dancing.

"My lord, I have done everything you said. Now may I leave?" The beauty's cherry lips parted slightly, uttering a voice that evoked tenderness.

"Mirage Maiden, just leave. What happens afterward has nothing to do with you, and you never did it anyway." At this moment, a dark shadow appeared and disappeared in the water, beneath the surface of the sea, rushing about and changing in strange ways!

Before long, a vicious dragon suddenly surged up!

Flood Dragon appears, stirring the sea; turtles and alligators surge about, frolicking wildly!

The Flood Dragon emerged from the water, its originally smooth and glossy long body suddenly bursting forth in a fierce rage. Its scales opened, flat as if cut by a knife, sharp as if cut by a sword, folded and stitched together.

In an instant, the water surged and roared, rushing and cascading like thunder and wind. The waters flowed in all directions, and even the surrounding water turned black. Fish and shrimp were all stunned and stood frozen in place, unable to move.

Upon seeing the Flood Dragon appear, the beautiful and gentle Mirage Maiden finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't dare ask any more questions, and immediately crawled into the mirage shell. As the heavy shell closed, she quickly disappeared into the water and slipped away.

Flood Dragon of this rank are undoubtedly the overlords of this sea area.

The Flood Dragon before us is undoubtedly one of the best among Flood Dragon. Judging from its aura and the uncontrollable scales, this Flood Dragon may have already reached the limit of its current cultivation and is already thinking about Dragon Transformation.

It is not impossible for Flood Dragon to transform into a real dragon.

In fact, due to the high birth rate of true dragons, a considerable number of true dragons are actually transformed from Flood Dragon), so Flood Dragon can also be considered as a reserve force of true dragons.

The difficulty is ridiculously high, and there's only one outcome of failure: death.

The transformation of Flood Dragon into Dragon Transformation dragon is a metamorphosis, requiring the Flood Dragon to travel to the land, to the continent of the world, to choose a water vein as its starting point, and to begin its journey across the water.

Before venturing into the water, the Flood Dragon will face a choice: to simply restrain its power and advance instead of venturing into the water. This would mean giving up the opportunity to Dragon Transformation, but it would save its life.

Once you've chosen to go by water, there's no going back; otherwise, you'll usually be killed on the spot by your own cultivation level.

The entire process of traversing water is extremely difficult. Essentially, it involves draining the water veins along the way, using the power of these water veins to wash away one's own flesh and blood, crush one's own Dragon Bone, and finally using the essence accumulated along the way when the dragon enters the sea to reshape its physical body, so that it can transform into a true dragon.

It's impossible to travel without making a sound while moving along the water. If you want to go all the way east, through rivers and into the sea, it's like harming yourself while simultaneously scattering the force you generate outwards.

Therefore, when Flood Dragon travels through water, it usually causes major Water Calamity along its path, sometimes even causing widespread devastation, submerging countless homes, and destroying the waterway it travels through.

Therefore, along the way, water gods, officials, heroes, and righteous knights would all try to stop the Flood Dragon, kill Flood Dragon, and prevent a calamity.

Such things have happened many times in the past. When Flood Dragon moves through the water and causes Water Calamity, it will be intercepted and killed by various people. The water god will block it, the officials will block it, and it is unknown how many difficulties it will take to successfully move through the water.

If the Flood Dragon could fight at its peak, it wouldn't be so frustrating. The most crucial point is that the purpose of the water-walking technique is to destroy the original bones and flesh and reshape the body. Therefore, once the water-walking begins, the Flood Dragon will have to use at least 60% of its power for self-destruction. This means that the dragon will first seriously injure itself before dragging its severely injured body eastward.

Especially in the section just before reaching the estuary, the Flood Dragon's flesh and bones almost completely disappeared, and sometimes only half of its head could be seen struggling to move forward in the water.

Let alone dealing with an ambush, even staying conscious at this point is a difficult task.

But if all this can be accomplished, when the dragon enters the sea, it will be reborn, transforming from a jiaolong (a type of Flood Dragon -like creature) into a true dragon, becoming one of the true masters of the East Sea.

Such a difficult and arduous journey, one must cross countless life-and-death situations along the way, before one can become a true dragon.

Moreover... most importantly, the continent adjacent to the East China Sea is the Tang Kingdom, the place with the lowest difficulty and the shortest distance by water, and a land of Human Path.

Therefore, Human Path has cut off the heads of countless water Flood Dragon, and the enmity between the two sides has gradually accumulated as a result.

In the past, in an era when Human Path had not yet gained the power to control the wind and rain, the Flood Dragon, knowing they were in the wrong, took the initiative to make amends in order to resolve the enmity and to prevent too many people from intercepting them when they traveled across the waters. They would then use their power to control the wind and rain for Human Path and ensure the safety and well-being of various regions.

With this relationship established, that period was the peak time for Dragon Transformation.

Unfortunately, Human Path no longer needs Flood Dragon to bring rain, so Dragon Transformation can no longer travel through the human Human Path. They can only travel by water from the Western Regions, Wushen Mountain, or the northern continent of Penglai to enter the sea. The distance traveled by water has increased several times, making Dragon Transformation increasingly difficult.

As for taking the middle path... Human Path won't argue with you about that. If you try to cause Water Calamity, I'll kill you without hesitation, and I don't care about bullying the weak.

The Flood Dragon before them was brimming with cultivation, so much so that its scales could no longer contain it and had burst open. Clearly, it was on the verge of Dragon Transformation. If it took another step forward, it would either remain a Flood Dragon for life or take the risk of transforming into Dragon Transformation.

But he didn't seem to be in a hurry. Instead, he watched Mirage Maiden leave, then looked in the direction Li Qi had gone and muttered to himself, "Wushen Mountain... seems to be nothing special. He can't even recognize Mirage Castle. It seems I can decide on my water-based route in advance."

After speaking, the Flood Dragon plunged into the water, seemingly having only appeared briefly to Anxin the Mirage Maiden.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Li Qi was gazing at this scene from afar.

Old Ma kicked his hooves uneasily; even from this distance, he seemed to sense a certain unease.

Clearly, Li Qi had already seen through it all.

Mirage energy is nothing special. Let alone just a mirage clam, Li Qi had seen the Mirage Dragon Qi before. That was the aura of a true dragon formed from a mirage that had transformed into Dragon Transformation. A student from Chang'an used it on him at the banquet before entering the Imperial Academy. (See Chapter 264 for details)

In the face of True Knowledge Dao Charm, such mirages are completely ineffective, as if they were nothing at all.

Li Qi was simply playing along, wanting to see what was behind it all and also to observe the illusion created by the mirage.

Those illusions are not entirely fictional, but rather a real depiction of life in the East China Sea. You can learn something from watching them, including the positioning method that Li Qi learned, which is also real.

However... we don't need to worry about that mirage, but we can't help but worry about that Flood Dragon.

"Fifth rank... about to advance to fourth rank, so powerful." Li Qi gazed into the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

It is indeed very strong. Among the fifth-rank, it would be hard to find one stronger than this Flood Dragon. Li Qi even had a feeling that even if this Flood Dragon and Yang Ning fought to the death, the outcome would be fifty-fifty.

To be able to fight Yang Ning to a standstill, how strong must one be?

He was very clear about the path of the demons who followed the Way of Evolution.

The demon cultivates, striving to transform into Demon Dragon.

The Demon Dragon can evolve into various creatures that Li Qi calls subspecies of dragons, such as jiao, chi, qiu, and pan.

Of course, this subspecies of dragon was a name Li Qi came up with himself; it wasn't actually the case.

Jiao, Chi, Qiu, and Pan are not actually dragons, but rather separate species. Even the Old Ma, a Dragon Steed, is included in this category. Like the so-called 'Demon Dragon,' they are all just self-aggrandizement.

However, among these types, if one wishes, one can transform into a true dragon by traveling through water.

Among them, the Flood Dragon is the most warlike and the easiest to evolve into a true dragon.

But... is it possible for Flood Dragon of this size to Dragon Transformation?

To be honest, Li Qi thought it was unlikely.

Li Qi had heard about the difficulty of navigating water. If it was only similar to Yang Ning's, the success rate was estimated to be less than 50%. Even that 50% chance of success depended on his extensive connections and the fact that the water gods and other people passing by didn't make things difficult for him.

There have been other successful cases of water-walking in the past. There was once Flood Dragon who was kind, charitable, chivalrous and helpful. He was renowned and had a good reputation. He was considered a "great hero".

This isn't something that can be done simply by having a kind heart; it requires truly strong skills and a genuine sense of loyalty.

This Flood Dragon eventually succeeded in traversing the water because no one intercepted it along the way; instead, countless people escorted it and helped it when it encountered difficulties.

Therefore, according to Li Qi's thinking, the Flood Dragon's need is definitely to travel on water, and its strength is probably already at its peak, so it is unlikely to improve further.

So, this Flood Dragon will probably have to rely on connections from now on.

So, is he eyeing me as a connection? Or... is he planning to turn me into a snack and give me away to others in order to build connections with other people?

Well, it's good to be cautious when you're new here, but there's no need to make enemies beforehand. Just pretend you don't know anything, be prepared, and wait for their next move.

Before they take their next step, let's go to East Isle first.

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

Whether it's Li Qi's desire to make contact with the true dragons or the ingredients for the Sea Cooking Pot, they're all in the deep sea.

With this thought in mind, Li Qi turned around, mounted his Old Ma, and headed towards East Isle.

Along the way, Li Qi saw many terrifying beasts, as well as a bunch of unusual small creatures.

There is a giant tortoise lying among the sandy islets, on which trees grow, like an abyss island.

There was a flying serpent swimming in the mist. Its skin was so hard that it could not be cut. It had holes on it that opened and closed intermittently, and sometimes it would emit light, just like the body of a dragon.

There was a giant fish, a thousand feet long, with blue spots on its scales and horns on its nose. It loved to dance and play. Li Qi, who was watching from afar, saw five-colored clouds in the water. He went up to look at them and found that it was this fish that spouted water to form clouds.

Then there was a divine whale, solitary and solitary, its giant scales piercing the clouds, its massive fins coveting, its skull forming mountains, its flowing sap forming abysses, riding the waves and leaping with scales, its breath creating mist, its exhale forming a torrent, its remains becoming empty islands, its eyes falling to become the bright moon, which it gazing upon.

There was also a giant monster with ten claws, about five zhang long and weighing eight hundred jin. It had thousands of small fish following it. Li Qi caught them and roasted them. The meat was very sweet, boneless and tender.

There are also flying fish, which have two wings and fly as fast as birds. When they touch the fishing line, they emit light that reflects the tide. When they take off, they cannot tell which way to go and they vie to fly into Li Qi. When cooked, they taste very delicious.

I saw a bird that looked like a quail, which was transformed from a toad. When it entered the water, it was like a shrimp, and when it came out of the water, it turned into a bird with hemp wings and black claws, and its cry Jiujiu.

There are also large prawns, the giant ones weighing seventy or eighty catties, with heads as large as a foot in diameter, shaped like dragons, brightly colored, with two large whiskers as long as fingers, seven or eight feet long, with eyes that shine, red like blood amber, their meat is plump, sweet and delicious, and slightly coarser than ordinary prawns.

In addition, Li Qi also encountered a huge wave.

The sky was clear at first, but then suddenly the weather changed drastically. In the blink of an eye, thunder roared and clouds surged, creating towering waves thousands of meters high. Countless fish and shrimp leaped into the air and drowned, breaking through the waves. But then a giant monster was seen churning in the water. Li Qi couldn't see it clearly, only countless white splashes of water, like millions of snowflakes falling from the sky, or like angry thunder lashing down. Snowflakes danced in the air, a sight that was dazzling. But when he looked again, he found that the giant monster had disappeared without a trace, and the weather cleared up again.

Another amazing sight was seen: countless seaweed and algae gathered together, resembling an underwater forest; corals grew in abundance, displaying a dazzling array of colors; small fish swam among the rocks in the sea; the seaweed was like leaves; the entire sea area was a dark green during the day, but at night, countless small insects could be seen in the water.

The tiny insects feed on seaweed and have iridescent bodies. They sleep during the day and rise at night to feed on algae. When millions of tiny insects move together, their precious light shines brightly, making the entire sea area shimmer like a rosy cloud, displaying all five colors. Their radiance illuminates three thousand miles, no less dazzling than daytime.

The journey had only taken a few days, and Li Qi was amazed by what he had seen.

This... is the Dao Lineage of the East Sea.

The Way of Evolution is also the Way practiced by the True Dragons.

In a completely natural competition, organisms in this place, whether by choice or by force, exert their own strength and become more adapted to the environment through cruel natural selection.

The true dragon is probably the ultimate form of the Way of Evolution, a legendary perfect being.

As a creature that can crush most enemies purely through its bloodline, the True Dragon has reached the pinnacle of the Way of Evolution.

Therefore, all life is moving towards the goal of 'Dragon Transformation'. Once Dragon Transformation, it means that they have reached the limit of their life.

It's even possible to become stronger without cultivation, simply by sleeping, and easily traverse the outer void solely through genetics...

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