The southern waters of the East China Sea were a stark contrast to the vibrant vitality surrounding the Dragon Palace.
Gone was the glowing blue aura that usually permeated the sea—here, the water was pitch black, thick as diluted rot. Occasionally, withered coral branches drifted by, their twigs clinging to dark green toxic mist. It was the residual miasma left by the Stone Lichen Jellyfish, corrosive enough to eat away at even primordial water spirits.
Ao Xuan stood atop a cyan-gold cloud, his dragon eyes piercing the murky depths. Below, the seabed was crisscrossed with cracked gullies, oozing a faint spiritual energy so weak it was barely perceptible. Only scattered flickers of emerald light danced on the black seabed—embers of spiritual veins not yet fully corrupted.
"Your Majesty, the miasma in the southern seas is thicker than anticipated." Qing He extended a fingertip, sending a streak of green light soaring. But the moment her wood essence touched the water, it was corroded by the dark green toxic mist. "If we don't dispel the miasma first, the Cuttlefish clan's detection arts won't penetrate the abyssal depths."
Beside her, Mo Yuan's ink mist churned, and several palm-sized cuttlefish spirits emerged. Translucent with pores covering their tentacles—specialized for sensing spiritual veins—they dived less than a hundred zhang before convulsing and floating back up. Their tentacles had turned dark green, clearly severely injured.
"Your Majesty, the Stone Lichen Jellyfish's poison mist is mixed with chaotic miasma," Mo Yuan recalled the cuttlefish spirits, his voice grave. "My clan excels at stealth, not detoxification. Forcing our way deeper will cost us many lives."
Ao Xuan lifted a hand, letting a wisp of pale blue water energy drift into the sea. The moment it touched the dark green toxic mist, it exploded like oil hitting fire. The mist retaliated, coiling toward his wrist. Ao Xuan's eyes narrowed, and a spark of Pangu's merit golden light burst from his fingertip—like a sharp sword, it pierced the mist, incinerating it instantly and clearing the water for several zhang around.
"Chaotic miasma can only be purified with merit or primordial spiritual energy," Ao Xuan said, turning to Qing He. "Try channeling primordial spiritual liquid with your wood essence origin, then trigger a spiritual liquid tide across this sea area. Your wood spirit power is rooted in primordium, capable of restraining chaotic miasma. With my water energy to assist, we should be able to carve a path."
Qing He nodded, forming hand seals. The jade bead atop her Qing He Staff blazed to life, sending a surge of pure wood essence shooting into the sky, piercing the sea surface and reaching the Nine Heavens. Soon, a emerald green cloud drifted overhead, pouring down fine spiritual rain. Each drop glowed with crystal green light, and when they fell into the pitch-black sea, they sizzled loudly.
The dark green toxic mist melted away like snow under the sun. The sea water faded from black to gray at a visible rate, revealing the brown seabed below.
Seeing this, Mo Yuan gave the order: "Cuttlefish clan, move out! Use the Water Mirror Technique to probe for spiritual veins. Report any abnormalities immediately!"
Dozens of cuttlefish spirits dived again, this time shielded by Qing He's wood essence, penetrating the depths smoothly. After about an hourglass's worth of time, one cuttlefish spirit shot upward, its tentacles pointing southeast. "My lord! There's a spiritual vein fluctuation a hundred zhang to the southeast—and... an extremely ferocious aura!"
Ao Xuan's figure blurred, darting toward the southeast first. The others followed closely. As they neared the area, a bone-chilling cold emanated from beneath the seabed, accompanied by a strong stench of decay. Even the newly purified water began to tinge green.
"It's the Bone-Rot Poison Squid!" Xie Ao roared suddenly. The Black Tortoise Guard formed the Profound Water Array instantly, their shields glowing with pale blue light. "This beast is a descendant of chaotic fiends. It feeds on spiritual vein essence, and the poison sacs on its tentacles can spray Bone-Rot Miasma—deadlier than the Stone Lichen Jellyfish's toxic mist!"
Before he finished speaking, the seabed shook violently. A jet-black tentacle as thick as a water bucket erupted from a gully, covered in dark purple tumors oozing yellow-green venom. It smashed toward the leading cuttlefish spirit.
"Look out!" Mo Yuan's ink mist surged, forming a black barrier in front of the cuttlefish spirit. With a deafening crash, the barrier shattered. Mo Yuan grunted, a trickle of black blood spilling from his lips—he'd suffered severe injuries from just one blow.
Having missed its target, dozens more tentacles burst from the seabed, writhing like giant black pythons toward the group. The tumors on the tentacles burst, spraying yellow-green venom that contaminated the newly purified water, filling the air with a pungent stench.
"Black Tortoise Guard, form the Tortoise Shell Array!" Xie Ao roared. The guards quickly gathered, their shields stacking into a massive black iron shield that blocked the venom and tentacles. The light on the shield flickered intensely; each impact sent guards staggering back, clearly unable to hold on for long.
Seeing this, Qing He waved her hands, summoning glowing green vines from the sea. Like flexible whips, they coiled around the incoming tentacles. The vines glowed with wood essence, growing wildly the moment they touched the tentacles, trying to strangle them. But the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's tentacles were extremely hard, and the vines withered rapidly under the venom's corrosion.
"This beast's venom counteracts wood spirit power, Qing He—fall back!" Ao Xuan said. The Azure Dragon Reverse Scale Sword at his waist unsheathed with a hiss. A cyan-gold sword light sliced through the water, chopping toward the thickest tentacle. The light fell, and the tentacle snapped off, spraying black blood that made the sea water boil.
"Roar—!"
A deep roar echoed from beneath the seabed. Then, a colossal fiend emerged from the gully. Pitch-black and mountain-sized, it had a squid's head lined with sharp fangs, its eye sockets glowing with yellow-green ghost fire. Dozens of tentacles writhed in the sea, each exuding world-shattering power—it was the Bone-Rot Poison Squid!
Enraged, the Bone-Rot Poison Squid opened its maw, spewing a cloud of black miasma mixed with countless tiny bone fragments—its namesake, Bone-Rot Miasma. The moment the miasma appeared, the surrounding sea water began to freeze. Black ice crystals formed on the Black Tortoise Guard's shields, evidence of its intense corrosive and freezing power.
Ao Xuan's eyes narrowed. He channeled the full power of the Water Law within him, summoning a surging tide of water energy from his palm that took the form of a cyan-gold dragon. It crashed into the Bone-Rot Miasma, triggering a violent explosion of energy. The cyan-gold light and black miasma clashed, neither yielding for a moment.
"Mo Yuan, distract its vision! Xie Ao, have the Black Tortoise Guard flank it from both sides—aim for its eye sockets!" Ao Xuan shouted, swinging his sword again. An even more powerful sword light streaked toward the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's head.
Mo Yuan formed hand seals instantly, dissolving into black liquid that merged with the sea, transforming into two black dragons. They darted toward the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's eyes. The fiend waved its tentacles to swat them away, but the dragons dodged nimbly, coiling around its eye sockets and spitting ink that blinded it instantly.
"Now!" Xie Ao roared. The Black Tortoise Guard split into two teams, wielding spears glowing with pale blue water energy. They stabbed toward the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's eye sockets, piercing several inches into its skin.
"Roar—!"
The Bone-Rot Poison Squid let out a pained roar. Blinded by ink and wounded by spears, it flew into a frenzy. It thrashed its tentacles wildly, stirring up towering waves that sent Black Tortoise Guard soldiers flying—many were seriously injured.
Ao Xuan snorted coldly.
With a flash of movement, he transformed into his true form: a ten-thousand-zhang Azure Dragon coiling through the sea. His cyan-gold dragon body shimmered, and his claws crackled with immense power. He dive-bombed downward, slamming his claws into the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's head, while letting out a dragon's roar.
The sonic wave, infused with primordial dragon's might, surged toward the fiend like a tangible tide.
Struck by the sound, the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's massive body trembled violently, its movements slowing instantly. Ao Xuan seized the opportunity, driving his claws deep into its eye sockets and injecting a surge of merit golden light. The light erupted within the fiend's body, purifying the chaotic miasma in an instant and freezing its movements completely.
"Will you submit?" Ao Xuan's voice, heavy with dragon's might, echoed in the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's consciousness. "Submit, and I shall spare your life—let you guard this spiritual vein. Defy me, and your soul shall be annihilated today!"
With the chaotic miasma purged from its consciousness, the Bone-Rot Poison Squid's intelligence cleared. It felt the dragon's might and Creation Merit emanating from Ao Xuan, knowing it stood no chance. Resistance meant certain death.
Slowly, it lowered its head, its tentacles ceasing their thrashing—clearly choosing to submit.
Satisfied, Ao Xuan retracted his claws and transformed back into human form, sheathing his sword. "Since you submit, you must abide by the Dragon Palace's laws. Harm no aquatic beings of the East China Sea, and guard this spiritual vein faithfully. Defy me, and there shall be no mercy!"
The Bone-Rot Poison Squid let out a deep growl in response.
Meanwhile, Mo Yuan and Qing He rushed to check on the Black Tortoise Guard's wounded. Qing He waved her hands, sending green light streaming into the injured soldiers' bodies, healing their wounds. Mo Yuan recalled his ink mist, inspecting the surrounding area.
"Your Majesty, the spiritual vein fluctuation below is growing stronger!" an excited cuttlefish spirit reported. "Beneath the seabed lies a massive spiritual crystal vein—its primordial water energy is several times denser than the Dragon Palace's spiritual eye!"
Ao Xuan's eyes lit up. He darted toward the seabed, with the others following. Passing through the gullies, they emerged into a vast open space: a huge vein of pale blue spiritual crystals stretched before them, each glowing with a warm luster, radiating pure primordial water energy. The surrounding spiritual aura was so thick it almost solidified.
"It's truly an abyssal spiritual crystal vein!" Xuan Cang exclaimed excitedly. "With this vein, the East China Sea's clans will never lack cultivation resources again!"
Qing He nodded, her eyes filled with joy. "This vein hasn't been corrupted by chaotic miasma. With proper mining, it will provide the Dragon Palace with an endless supply of spiritual energy, purify the surrounding seas, and restore vitality to the southern waters."
Ao Xuan smiled as he gazed at the vein. This spiritual vein exploration had not only uncovered a new resource but also subdued a powerful fiend like the Bone-Rot Poison Squid—adding a valuable asset to the Dragon Palace's strength.
He turned to the group, his voice solemn. "Mo Yuan, dispatch the Cuttlefish clan to set up arrays here to guard the vein. Xie Ao, leave a detachment of the Black Tortoise Guard to assist the Bone-Rot Poison Squid. Qing He, draft a mining plan immediately to ensure fair resource distribution among all clans."
"We shall obey!" the group replied in unison.
The once-polluted sea water continued to purify, leaving only a barrier of contaminated water and arrays to protect the vein. Ao Xuan stood atop the crystal vein, nodding as he watched the water clear in the distance. Then, he led the group back toward the Dragon Palace.
Beneath the waves, the Bone-Rot Poison Squid stood guard over the vein, its contaminated water mingling with the arrays to form a solid barrier. The Black Tortoise Guard patrolled in formation—adding a new foundation to the East China Sea Dragon Palace's prosperity.