Ambush

The Wei River is muddy; even outside of the flood season, it remains turbid year-round.

The yellow waters surged and churned, making it difficult to find the water spirit amidst such turbidity.

After searching upstream along the Wei River for more than twenty miles, Tian Fen, who was piloting the Imperial Shuttle, was panting heavily but still couldn't find the troublesome water demon.

"Could it be over by the Jing River?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the murky river surface but didn't see the water demon's corpse that Sima Tan and the others had mentioned.

He asked in confusion, while Tian Fen scanned his surroundings, constantly searching for the cultivator who had cast the curse.

Normally, with Zhang Xuezhou speaking up, Tian Fen would have thought the inspection of the Wei River would have ended there, and he could go check on the investigations of others.

However, the Imperial Shuttle was attacked by Incantation Technique, and the matter began to involve him. Tian Fen did not think things were as simple as they seemed on the surface.

"You take the helm of the Sky Shuttle," Tian Fen invited. "I'll take a pill to recover and also search as thoroughly as possible!"

"So... I, Tian, was once handsome and dashing?"

Zhang Xuezhou hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Tian Fen had withdrawn the Law Power that activated the Sky Shuttle, he had no choice but to unleash a burst of Law Power and recite Tian Fen's rather narcissistic incantation.

The activation incantation for Law Treasure is no different from that of a voice-activated electronic door lock. This type of incantation is a matter of personal privacy, and only larger magical Law Treasure would have this feature. Smaller Law Treasure simply do not have this feature.

Correspondingly, these types of Law Treasure are much easier to control than ordinary Law Treasure.

For example, the black and white horses that Zhang Xuezhou picked up could travel thousands of miles without needing to be trained.

Taking over Tian Fen's Sky Shuttle was not difficult for him at this time, but the Law Power he could mobilize was limited, and since there were two people riding together, it could only fly about two or three hundred miles.

"Your cultivation is inferior to mine, and this is your first time using the Sky-Riding Shuttle. Just let me adjust and recover after flying it thirty or forty miles. When you're controlling the Law Treasure, don't be too rigid. Just imagine you're riding on clouds... Your skill in controlling Law Treasure weapons is not bad!"

Tian Fen was about to offer some guidance, but he realized there wasn't much to teach. Zhang Xuezhou handled the Imperial Shuttle with ease and naturalness, as if it were his own precious treasure.

"Lord Dongfang's abilities are quite impressive!"

He exclaimed in admiration, thinking that Zhang Xuezhou had known about controlling the Sky Shuttle in advance and had been watching him control it, which was why he had the current level of skill.

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was efficient in handling matters, Tian Fen felt very reassured and popped three Spirit-Forging Pill into her mouth.

Spirit-Forging Pill Forging Pill, Tian Fen tried his best to use its effects to restore his internal Law Power as quickly as possible.

For Tian Fen, who was ambushed by Incantation Technique, he had to maintain his spellcasting state and guard against possible accidents or avoid being entangled by the Incantation Technique.

His gaze swept over the churning waters of the Wei River, but he couldn't fathom how the water demons had suddenly become adept at using Incantation Technique, or even how they had secretly harmed him without his knowledge.

"Were you fighting in the river?"

The idea that humans fight on land and aquatic creatures fight in the water makes perfect sense.

As he continued his patrol, Tian Fen realized he had been looking in the wrong direction. He suspected the aquatic creatures were likely engaged in a fierce battle deep within the river.

However, this differed from the intelligence gathered by Sima Tan and others, which greatly troubled Tian Fen.

He also lacked the ability to go underwater and couldn't dive to the bottom to gather information.

"Lord Dongfang, something's not right!"

After searching for a while without success, Tian Fen could only consult with Zhang Xuezhou, who possessed the same Law Treasure.

"The rain is still falling, and we haven't seen a single water demon," Tian Fen said.

"Could it be over the Jing River?" Zhang Xuezhou reiterated his view.

"Normally, I would agree that it's unlikely this place is over by the Jing River," Tian Fen said. "But given the curse on the Imperial Shuttle, I think there must be something going on over the Wei River, otherwise I wouldn't have been cursed for no reason!"

"You're right, my lord!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He didn't refute Tian Fen, but Zhang Xuezhou felt a bit like going to the Jing River to check on the situation.

The curse on Tian Fen's Sky Shuttle had little to do with the continuous rain; he came to stop the rain, not to find the curse caster for Tian Fen.

"This isn't just a simple conflict between aquatic creatures causing this rainfall; it seems to be tinged with conspiracy," Tian Fen frowned. "I don't think any aquatic conflict would warrant such prolonged rainfall; something big must have happened!"

"That's right, Lord Marquis, you suspect something major might have happened?" Zhang Xuezhou nodded and asked.

"There are only a handful of things that could make the aquatic tribe break the rules," Tian Fen said. "Either the aquatic dragon king is assassinated, or the aquatic tribe's most treasured heirloom is stolen!"

"The Dragon King has been assassinated..."

"The Four Dragon Kings are not of the Yinglong clan. These dragons were terrified thousands of years ago and have rarely been involved in conflicts since. The possibility of them being assassinated is very low!"

What do you mean?

"Someone must have stolen the aquatic tribe's heirloom!"

Tian Fen confidently explained the reason, implying that someone must have been pulling the floodwaters to Chang'an City, which caused the continuous rain.

"What you say makes a lot of sense, Lord Marquis," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"The one who secretly cast the curse to harm people must be one of the masterminds," Tian Fen said. "I've heard that the Dragon Pearl of the East Sea is a treasure passed down through generations of dragons. They may have stolen this treasure and then framed our Great Han Dynasty, hoping to create conflict between the court and the aquatic tribes!"

"What you say makes perfect sense, Lord Marquis!"

Tian Fen made a series of wild guesses, and just when Zhang Xuezhou thought what he was saying made some sense, he immediately felt that what he was saying made absolutely no sense.

If Ao Li truly valued the Dragon Ball that much, the other party wouldn't have been so slow to realize it, only reacting nearly twenty days later.

Even if he damaged the Dragon Balls, it was only about ten days ago.

Zhang Xuezhou thought it was impossible that the search for the Dragon Balls caused the rain.

"Shall we search the area thoroughly again?"

Zhang Xuezhou piloted the Sky Shuttle, thinking he could check the situation at the spot where Ao Li had fallen into the water.

If that's the location of Ao Li's Water Mansion, and he's using it to create rain, then at least we can find out the source of the rain-making spell.

"Once our court clashes with the aquatic tribes, they might seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and frame the aquatic tribes for it. Oh dear, they've already ambushed me; this must be the conspiracy!"

As Zhang Xuezhou steered the Sky Shuttle toward flight, Tian Fen was still pondering the connection between the two.

It wasn't until the shuttle began to shake violently that Tian Fen suddenly stood up.

"Your Law Power is depleted so quickly... It's Incantation Technique! We're under attack!"

Tian Fen had to admit that Zhang Xuezhou was indeed skilled at flying, and his level of control over the Sky Shuttle was only slightly inferior to his own.

It's unlikely that the opponent would make such a mistake while controlling the Sky Shuttle, unless their Law Power was significantly depleted.

Just as Tian Fen asked a question, a swarm of black flying mosquitoes appeared on the Imperial Shuttle without anyone noticing, and even unknowingly covered Zhang Xuezhou's body.

Before Tian Fen Tian Fen use his magic to wipe out these little creatures, he felt a sharp pain in his body as the numbing sensation of being bitten by flying ants surged into his mind.

"Law!"

He was terrified and let out a low shout. Golden light appeared all over Tian Fen's body, and four talismans appeared in front of and behind him, then transformed into a protective spell.

Before he could regain his footing and unleash his magic, Tian Fen felt the out-of-control Sky Shuttle plunge heavily into the water. In a split second, four water monkeys emerged from the murky river and dragged him directly into the water.