Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 575: A Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

The water construct appeared to be a humanoid figure formed entirely of water, but its power manifested in a manner entirely different from human physical strength and true qi. It was not like the feeble water elementals summoned by Western mages, nor did it need to transform itself into waves.

Within it, there existed a boundless ocean, as vast and deep as the true sea, and with an equally crushing pressure. No matter how hard an ordinary person struck it, they would fail to deal any damage, and they may even hurt themselves from the recoil. In contrast, a casual wave of its hand could unleash devastating, colossal waves, overwhelming and unstoppable by ordinary human strength.

When one threw a punch and it responded in kind, the clash was a test of human flesh and true qi against something akin to the depths of the ocean. Every one of its movements was effectively a spell, a kind of water magic. Each drop of water it sent out could be deadly, while the mist it raised could act as a prison, either crushing a person to a pulp under pressure or sealing off their nose and mouth, suffocating them. With a single thought, it could draw moisture from inside its enemy, a trick like the one it used on Cui Wenjing, destroying the body from within.

It did not need to chant or gesture—its very nature aligned with what Xia Longyuan had described as a natural caster. Every single one of its movements was an embodiment of water magic itself.

Ever since Zhao Changhe set sail, he had been contemplating this issue. Starting from his encounters with Hua Zhenming and with the Black Tortoise inheritance obtained from Lady Three, he had trained day in and day out, punching waves and breaking currents at the depths of the ocean. And now, he had finally achieved some capabilities against water.

When a single punch could break a massive wave, it mattered not if the wave took human form or the form of a tortoise—there was no longer any difference. No matter what tricks were being pulled, with enough preparation, all tricks became futile.

His saber turned into a blood-red arc, striking down from above. Simultaneously, his sword turned into a golden arrow, piercing through the rainbow bridge and reaching the moon itself.

It was almost as if the blood-red arc had a line cutting through its center, creating an image similar to the Taiji.

Every time they clashed, the sound of crashing waves reverberated. It was as if countless turbulent waves were crashing upon the shore, splashing water in all directions. The water splattered onto the approaching fishmen, penetrating their bodies, leaving them dead or maimed.

Against such a lifeform, Zhao Changhe’s usual techniques had limited effectiveness. He could not manipulate the vicious qi within the water elemental, nor could he evoke fear. It all came down to his understanding of water and his mastery over energy.

Yet he managed to fight it to a standstill.

The water construct roared in frustration but could not break through Zhao Changhe’s defense to reach Xia Chichi. In a moment of carelessness, it even got stabbed in the abdomen, the water within gushing out.

Zhao Changhe chuckled. “Hoh, so you can be wounded... Losing energy is your version of losing blood, and from the looks of it, you can’t replenish your energy faster than you’re expending it. It looks like the Sea Emperor’s tech still has issues with energy efficiency, eh?”

Roar!

Dragon Bird swung in a fierce sweep, a crescent slash cutting across the lake’s surface, raising massive waves.

With the water construct distracted, Xia Chichi no longer faced any real threats. She weaved through the frenzied attacks of the fishmen around her. While her right hand parried their wild attacks, her left hand touched the Azure Dragon sculpture, attempting to use her Azure Dragon Divine Art.

At that moment, a thunderous roar seemed to erupt within her mind, leaving her with the sense that her vision was being expanded far beyond its usual limits.

She could not tell if the Azure Dragon constellation in the sky was descending toward the ground or if she herself was ascending, climbing the rainbow bridge into the celestial dome, gazing closely at the shifting stars.

It seemed that the stars representing the Azure Dragon constellation connected into one unified whole, and then... they began to move.

They took on the form of a dragon, winding and twisting in front of her.

And within her soul sea, the star chart that had been illuminated by her Azure Dragon Divine Art was also drawn along, moving in unison with it. What happened in her soul sea itself was even more mystical as a dragon appeared to be swimming through it, as if overlooking the world beneath it.

But then... that was all that happened.

For some unknown reason, it seemed to be only a change in form. She gained no further insights, nor did she feel any increase in power. It felt as if her cultivation of the Azure Dragon Divine art had just triggered some kind of identity verification yet held no deeper significance.

What’s the point of just being able to look at a dragon? If this is all there is, then I could have just looked three cun below Zhao Changhe’s navel. What am I missing?

Xia Chichi was not discouraged. It was normal for such things to be difficult to decipher. If it were easy, they would not still be using such primitive, brutal sacrificial rituals. In fact, they were not even offering these sacrifices to the sculpture but rather to the Sea Emperor. Their aim was to help the Sea Emperor recover to his full strength so that he could then violently obtain the secrets here.

Even the Sea Emperor, powerful though he was, had been unable to access these things, which was why the secrets here were still undiscovered. This was the reason why Xia Longyuan had sent her here.

Xia Chichi then recalled how Zhao Changhe unlocked the mechanism for the cave behind the waterfall back at Beimang, and she realized that the same may apply here. Iceheart flicked around her fingers, and she suddenly slashed open her left palm.

Blood smeared across the Azure Dragon sculpture, and it began to emit a faint golden light.

A reaction!

Xia Chichi looked back up at the sky and then inward at her soul sea, comparing the differences.

The dragon in her soul sea was connected to her alone, corresponding to her personal cultivation, and reflecting her understanding and conceptualization of the Azure Dragon constellation. However, the dragon in the sky was an external manifestation of this place, and there had to be something off about it.

The direction of her thoughts was indeed correct... Xia Chichi found a subtle but crucial difference.

In her soul sea, the star corresponding to the heart of the dragon, the mansion of Xin, glowed especially brightly.

The dragon in the sky, however, had all its stars glowing at equal brightness. At first glance, it seemed perfectly normal, but in truth, this uniformity was precisely what was off.

The star that should have corresponded to the mansion of Xin seemed to be missing for the dragon in the sky.

If I restore it, would that reveal the secrets of this place?

Xia Chichi gently caressed the statue. After countless years of erosion, it was rough and abstract, with no clear slots for embedding anything. She paused for a moment, reaching into her robes to grasp the Azure Dragon Seal that she and Zhao Changhe had once obtained together.

If she had anything that could be called the heart of the Azure Dragon, it would most likely be this seal. Though the statue was covered in dents and crevices, it did not require searching for the exact place to fit it—it just needed its heart to be restored.

It was a puzzle too abstract for outsiders to comprehend. Furthermore, even if they did figure it out, nobody else possessed the Azure Dragon Seal.

Xia Chichi was nearly certain that this was the answer.

She glanced up. Zhao Changhe was still in the midst of a fierce battle with the water construct, and she hesitated.

Zhao Changhe had said that she could perhaps help them gain the upper hand by figuring out what to do with the statue. While that might be true, the specific outcome that would come from completing the statue was unpredictable.

It was certain that if she chose not to solve it, nothing further would happen. However, once the riddle was solved, the Sea Emperor would not remain idle, and the moment Xia Longyuan and Hai Pinglan had been waiting for would come. The situation would quickly spiral beyond their control. This place would then become a true battlefield of gods and demons, and that was not something they could handle simply by being in possession of some special artifact.

But if she did not solve it, would simply turning away do them any good?

Why do we always have to be pawns, bait for others...

When she was alone, it was impossible to act freely, but now her husband had arrived and she was not on her own anymore. Zhao Changhe had become so powerful that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to turn the tables...

Xia Chichi’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly murmured aloud, “My blood on the statue made it glow. Did you all see that?”

Those watching from the shadows shared the same unspoken thought: what is she planning on doing now?

“The statue is already primed. Now, all it lacks is the key. From now on, anyone can open it... that is, as long as they have the key.” Xia Chichi slowly retreated from the lake. Then, she pulled out the Azure Dragon Seal and threw it into the air. “Here is the key! Feel free to fight for it amongst yourselves!”

As if they were of one mind, just as Xia Chichi threw the seal, Zhao Changhe forced the water construct back with a powerful strike, using the momentum to retreat rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he landed beside Xia Chichi.

The couple naturally clasped hands and fled together.

Without a single word exchanged, they knew each other’s intentions perfectly. By the time they were both clear of the lake, the Azure Dragon Seal had not even reached the apex of its arc yet...

The very next moment after they left, a dragon’s roar resounded from somewhere, and the water construct that had been contending with Zhao Changhe suddenly transformed into a water dragon, rushing straight toward the Azure Dragon Seal.

A golden fist appeared in the air, punching the water dragon viciously.

The grand phenomenon everyone had anticipated had not even been triggered yet, but the drama had already unfolded. The intended protagonists had left, hand in hand, stepping under the moon away from the island.

Boom!

The island began to tremble violently, and it was unknown what kind of battle had erupted inside. Bright lights pierced the heavens, thick clouds obscured the stars, and the world fell into darkness as thunder roared and lightning flashed.