Fish Takes the Bait

In the depths of the sea, flood dragons traversed the waters, casting vast shadows. Wherever they passed, all living things lay dormant.

Just then, a luminous pearl fell from the heavens and hovered above the sea. The radiance it scattered dispelled the darkness of the ocean floor.

Buzz. Bathed in moonlight, Raging Tide True Lord, whose mind had been muddled as if he had fallen into a dream, suddenly felt his bloodline stir. Without hesitation, he followed his instincts and swam toward that pearl even faster.

Splash! Cleaving through waves like an arrow loosed from the bow, Raging Tide True Lord drew close to the pearl in an instant.

"I will devour it..."

Dazed and entranced, Raging Tide True Lord stared at the pearl standing amid the sea and radiating pure moonlight, his face full of obsession. The Beast-Gathering Art and Bird-Tuning Art, combined with the power of the Dragon-Fishing Rod, had completely bewildered his mind.

Buzz. His flood-dragon body stretched out as Raging Tide True Lord leaped from the seabed, opening his bloody maw and charging into the air, intending to swallow the pearl whole.

But at that moment, a talismanic mark on his body erupted with searing heat, jolting his muddled mind awake.

"True Lord, wake up..."

His voice brimming with anxiety, the Secret-Keeping Demon King repeatedly called out to Raging Tide True Lord, trying to rouse his mind.

Raging Tide True Lord leaving Jellyfish Palace was no secret. Not long after his true body departed from Jellyfish Palace, the Secret-Keeping Demon King learned of it. He had found it deeply strange at the time. Raging Tide True Lord had only just declared a full withdrawal—why would he suddenly leave Jellyfish Palace at such a time?

For that reason, he had immediately tried to contact Raging Tide True