We're Thieves, He's a Guest

"Why is it that being born as a human being brings such a different fate!"

Inside the water dungeon, Gongsun Hong looked on with envy, unable to understand why they were imprisoned while Zhang Xuezhou could get the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to come to his rescue, even though they were meeting for the first time.

"That's precious dragon saliva. The dragon kings' saliva is extremely high-grade and usually dissipates into the sea. I never expected it would get all over him!"

Zhang Xuezhou was unaware of the value of goods, while Gongsun Hong was extremely discerning.

Ordinary people would believe that catching a centipede can be used as medicine, let alone these dragon kings.

Even the saliva of the Dragon Kings is a top-grade medicinal ingredient.

Ambergris, which is sought after by ordinary people, is a medicinal material formed from the saliva of dragon kings contaminated with various substances in the sea. Some also believe that it is a special fragrance formed from dragon excrement over a long period of time.

But regardless of the type, it's all inextricably linked to dragons.

As the leaders of the dragons, the dragon kings' saliva is even more precious.

Gongsun Hong only regretted that he wasn't in Zhang Xuezhou's water dungeon, otherwise he would have drunk as much as his stomach could hold.

"If Ciqing knew what he had been through these past two years, he wouldn't feel any envy," Dong Zhongshu sighed.

"How envious! This is top-grade ambergris. If you swallow a whole bellyful, you'll never be affected by any curse in your life!" Gongsun Hong said, "You may hear of so-and-so being cursed in the Three Realms, but have you ever heard of a Dragon King being cursed?"

"While he was asleep, the Imperial Medical Academy mistook him for a patient and pried his head open," Dong Zhongshu said quietly.

"Uh... this is fate, you really can't force it!"

Gongsun Hong's envy made Zhang Xuezhou want to vomit blood, feeling that the other party was wasting his talents.

Leaving aside the Dragon Pearl, a treasure of the Dragon Clan, the sheer quantity of top-grade dragon saliva alone was enough to make Gongsun Hong feel deeply regretful.

But when Dong Zhongshu mentioned that Zhang Xuezhou's head had been pried open, Gongsun Hong lost his envy.

"His head was pried open, so wouldn't that sever the two bridges between heaven and earth, making it virtually impossible for him to reach the True Self Realm in the future?" Gongsun Hong asked.

"It's not just the True Self Realm; even the Divine Ability Realm would be incredibly difficult for him," Dong Zhongshu said. "For him, even the rarest heavenly materials and earthly treasures have limited uses. Are you still envious, Ciqing?"

"I used to wish I could take his place, but now I can only say that this is 'fate'!"

Gongsun Hong thought for a few seconds, and then couldn't help but sigh.

If the upper limit is fixed, no amount of luck or fortune will help.

What is a rare treasure to ordinary people may be nothing more than a mouthful of saliva to Zhang Xuezhou.

"On the other hand, why are we the thieves and he the guest?" Gongsun Hong asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps he didn't come here as secretly as we did!"

Dong Zhongshu also looked helpless.

He and Gongsun Hong relied on their cultivation levels to sneak into the water, never expecting such a terrifyingly powerful expert to lurk beneath the surface.

With a simple wave of their hand underwater, the other party bound them with water ropes, making it difficult for them to move.

If his opponent had been ruthless, Dong Zhongshu felt it wouldn't be surprising if he had died on the spot.

Of course, this wasn't because Dong Zhongshu was incompetent, but rather because he was in the territory of the Dragon Kings' domain.

Having lost the advantage of terrain, his defeat was swift and decisive.

Unless the other party intends to kill, Dong Zhongshu will not even bother to put up a futile resistance.

He continued to cast spells, constantly revitalizing the stone wall, hoping to escape by using his fossilization technique.

"This water prison draws upon the power of the waters of Gaoyou Lake. Only earth can overcome water. The key to breaking the water prison lies in that steep cliff. Previously, it was inconvenient for him to send demons to guard us. Now that the water prison is unguarded, it's our chance to leave," Gongsun Hong whispered, pointing. "Zhongshu can try pushing towards that cliff."

"This water palace hasn't been repaired for long, and the Law Power is decayed and outdated. We should have a good chance of breaking the array and escaping using our techniques," Dong Zhongshu said. "Since you suggest it, then I'll focus my attack on that cliff!"

"Fortunately, Zhongshu's Technique Method are numerous; otherwise, we would not only have failed to escape, but we might have starved to death here," Gongsun Hong said in a low voice.

"A skill in many things is not a skill in one thing," Dong Zhongshu shook his head and said, "You think I'm proficient in everything, but if someone uses brute force to overcome my skills, everything I have will crumble like dry leaves!"

Thinking of how he was bound by the Dragon King of this Water Palace with a simple water rope technique and could not break free, Dong Zhongshu vaguely realized that even if his cultivation level were one realm higher, he would still be in the same predicament.

He is undoubtedly outstanding among human beings, but when faced with certain ancient beings, he is as naive as a child.

Time is the most terrifying weapon of these beings. An oil seller can become skilled through decades of practice, and his abilities seem almost supernatural. How much more so for these great cultivators who have lived for hundreds of years.

When facing these people, every Technique Method they cast must be mastered to perfection and completely under their control.

He might lose not only in a contest of the same Technique Method, but even if he possesses methods to counter his opponent, he might still be defeated.

Water can extinguish fire, and fire can extinguish water!

Dong Zhongshu murmured to himself, feeling utterly exhausted as he tried to defeat these powerful cultivators.

To solve this problem, he needs to continue refining his cultivation until he can gain a foothold among these cultivators.

Following Gongsun Hong's instructions, he changed the direction of the fossilization technique. He felt the wall that had been continuously dissipating the power of the fossilization technique loosen, and stone chips immediately rolled down.

The stone wall wasn't very thick; the Technique Method attack only penetrated about two meters before a stream of clear water gushed in from the entrance, quickly filling the water prison.

"Reverse!"

Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong were delighted.

After Gongsun Hong cast a spell, the water that had been gushing in turned outward, pushing the two of them out of the cave.

The pressure from underwater and the faint light from above rushed in simultaneously, forcing the two to use both hands and feet.

Just over ten seconds later, the two were able to see the sunlight again.

The two emerged from the back of that cliff, and quickly climbed up using both hands and feet.

Several large boats were drifting on the lake in Gaoyou, with soldiers on board looking around. Occasionally, fishermen would cast their nets downwards, seemingly searching for them.

"Hello!"

Gongsun Hong waved repeatedly towards the large ship in the distance.

Having located the Water Palace, he clearly wanted to leave. What happened next was a matter for the King of Jiangdu; whether or not he could break through the Water Palace was none of his concern.

"Difficult!"

Gongsun Hong felt the matter was settled, while Dong Zhongshu felt it had been botched.

He wanted to find a water palace, not one that would leave the King of Jiangdu helpless or even in danger.

His aim was to get close to the King of Jiangdu, not to push him to his death.

There is indeed a water palace in Jiangdu, but the fact that the master of this water palace could easily invite the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to be imprisoned in the water dungeon is beyond the scope of normal response.

Regardless of the master of this water mansion's abilities on land, he is Sacred Land -level being in the water, and only top-tier True Self Realm cultivators can contend with him.