On the vast platform of the War Base, countless martial artists watched the movements in the depths of the ocean.
"What's going on? Why did everything suddenly become calm after Chief Jia Yi went down there?"
"Could the battle already be over?"
The God of War-level martial artists looked shocked on the surface, but they were actually concealing the unease in their hearts.
After Councilor Shen Mu went down, intense Mentalist force fluctuations had erupted from the depths of the sea.
According to the Mentalists within the base, Councilor Shen Mu should have been engaged in a battle of mental strength against the East Sea Azure Dragon.
Then, an incomparably brilliant white radiance had burst forth from the ocean depths, illuminating the seabed for thousands of meters around it and leaving everyone unsure of what had happened.
Even if they wanted to provide support, they were helpless. Although laser weapons were powerful, they posed little threat to King-Level Monsters beneath the water's surface. Worse still, if they accidentally injured Councilor Shen Mu, the consequences would be severe.
Fortunately, Chief Jia Yi arrived at the crucial moment. After learning that Councilor Shen Mu had entered the sea to fight the East Sea Azure Dragon, his expression changed drastically, and he rushed over to provide support.
Splash!
Suddenly, endless waves surged across the sea, and everyone witnessed an astonishing sight.
The vast ocean parted to either side, as if an invisible hand had sliced it open. Immediately afterward, people saw a ferocious, long creature covered in azure scales emerge from the ocean depths.
The azure dragon scales reflected a faint, cold gleam beneath the sunlight. A terrifying pressure from a higher level of life swept outward, making everyone tense from head to toe.
Shen Mu, dressed in a black combat uniform, stood alone atop the Azure Dragon's head. Beside the East Sea Azure Dragon, Jia Yi walked through the air, dense earth-yellow Genetic Force surging around him as his expression turned somewhat complicated.
"Chief Jia Yi! Councilor Shen Mu!"
A God of War-level martial artist from the War Base hurried forward to meet them.
"Lift the alarm. The crisis is over," Jia Yi said to the God of War-level martial artist.
Shen Mu then added, "The East Sea Azure Dragon has already been tamed by me. From now on, it will guard the Luan River Estuary. Of course, if Azure Dragon shows any intention of attacking the War Base, you have authorization to attack."
High in the sky, a dark-blue King-Class Fighter flew toward Changshan City.
Inside the fighter, Shen Mu was speaking with Hong, the Dojo Master.
"I heard that you suppressed the East Sea Azure Dragon. What exactly happened?"
Hong understood the East Sea Azure Dragon's strength fairly well. Although it was only Planet-Level Rank Two, it possessed formidable mental power.
Its actual combat strength might not have matched the other councilors of the War God Palace, but if the battle took place beneath the sea, aside from Hong himself and Thunder God, no one was confident they could defeat it.
"The actual situation wasn't that serious. The East Sea Azure Dragon never intended to attack humanity in the first place. It was fleeing for its life."
"Fleeing for its life?"
Shen Mu's words surprised Hong. His first thought was that the two Beast Emperors of the sea had targeted the Azure Dragon.
"Was it targeted by the two Beast Emperors?"
Seeing Hong fill in the blanks himself, Shen Mu naturally went along with it. "That's right. The East Sea Azure Dragon's strength had improved, and its Genetic Force had also advanced to Planet-Level. After killing the Poisonous Jellyfish King, it made the Octopus Beast Emperor sense a threat..."
After hearing Shen Mu's explanation, Hong finally understood.
It made sense if the East Sea Azure Dragon had possessed no hostile intent from the start. Otherwise, he truly could not understand how Shen Mu had defeated it and even tamed it.
"Although the East Sea Azure Dragon has been tamed by you, you still need to maintain a certain level of vigilance. You understand what I mean, right?"
Hong deliberately explained himself to prevent Shen Mu from misunderstanding.
"That's only proper. I've already explained the specifics to Jia Yi. From now on, the East Sea Azure Dragon will guard the Luan River Estuary and stop all large monsters from passing through the Luan River and advancing inland.
"Of course, the War Base must also protect the East Sea Azure Dragon's safety. If the Octopus Beast Emperor attacks it, laser weapons must be used to support the East Sea Azure Dragon."
Human laser cannons were quite powerful. They could directly kill monsters below Planet-Level in an instant.
Even Planet-Level monsters would suffer severe injuries if struck. If multiple lasers attacked at once, even the two Beast Emperors of the sea could possibly fall.
During the Great Nirvana Era, the rise of Hong and Thunder God had merely given humanity a place to survive. Only after laser cannons were successfully developed was the end of the Great Nirvana Era declared.
"Alright, I understand the situation. I haven't yet congratulated you on advancing both your mental power and Genetic Force to Planet-Level during this battle."
"I have the Dojo Master to thank for his guidance."
After chatting for a few more moments, Hong said that the War God Palace would soon announce Shen Mu's suppression and taming of the East Sea Azure Dragon to the entire world. By then, Shen Mu's status would likely be directly comparable to that of the other councilors of the War God Palace.
After ending the call, Shen Mu had already returned home.
By then, Chen Wen and Shen Gang had received intelligence that Shen Mu was fighting the East Sea Azure Dragon. When they saw his fighter return safely, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Son, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I wasn't hurt. What is the East Sea Azure Dragon, anyway? It was no match for your son."
Shen Mu comforted Chen Wen, whose eyes were slightly red, as well as Shen Gang, who was clearly worried but deliberately kept a stern face.
After returning home, Shen Mu took out his phone and reassured concerned relatives and friends such as Tang Yongqing and Chu Qiang. Then, he once again chose to enter seclusion.
Inside the secluded training chamber forged from Kelo Alloy, Shen Mu sat cross-legged atop a meditation cushion.
Within Shen Mu's body, a transparent crystal sphere circulated with a faint glow. Complex, chaotic secret patterns intertwined and shifted across its surface, winding and flowing like living creatures.
This was Shen Mu's Primal Nucleus, the foundation of his life. It bore an innate secret technique called "Houtian."
An innate secret technique required no learning. It could be used naturally.
This Houtian secret technique possessed only one ability: to analyze and solidify the innate secret techniques of other lifeforms.
As long as Shen Mu obtained another lifeform's genetic material or hereditary information, he could analyze and acquire that lifeform's secret technique.
However, this ability had a limit on the number of uses. Beginning at Planet-Level, each time he advanced into a new major realm, he could analyze and acquire one secret technique.
Now that Shen Mu had just broken through to Planet-Level, he could analyze and acquire one brand-new secret technique.
Countless streams of mental power churned within Shen Mu's sea of consciousness as he desperately recalled the secret techniques he knew.
There was no need to mention the Avatar Secret Technique. It was practically mandatory. It indirectly increased one's talent and combat strength, and it could even save one's life at a critical moment. It would be outrageous not to choose it.
Besides that, several other secret techniques were especially eye-catching, such as the "Ocean Transformation" secret technique that could grant one an enormous divine body, and the World Tree's "Control Space-Time" secret technique.
And those were only the techniques Shen Mu knew. After all, the secret techniques that had appeared in the original work were only an infinitesimal fraction of this real world. There were surely many techniques Shen Mu did not know about.
Late at night, the alloy door of the training chamber opened. Shen Mu emerged with fine blood vessels visible in his eyes, yet his gaze was exceptionally bright.
The next instant, Shen Mu appeared atop the rooftop, gazing at the scattered stars in the heavens.
Under the clear night sky, a magnificent band of light stretched from the northeastern horizon toward the southern horizon. That was the vast Milky Way.
The boundless starry sky seemed close enough to touch.
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