Chapter 818: Hostility

"Is this the Long Yuan Path?"

"The Elder has keen eyes. The Long Yuan Path is five hundred eighty-six *li* long, reaching forty-six *li* at its widest. Its depth is unknown to any beast. The abyss is divided into three stepped platforms, with the scenery changing on each level.

Outside rumors say the deepest part of the Long Yuan Path leads to an abyssal dead zone—no light, no algae, no warmth, devoid of life. In reality, it is a vast expanse of cold springs, teeming with life and serving as the habitat for the Dragon Sturgeon."

"Cold springs?"

"The cold of these springs is not a matter of temperature, but of 'cold descent.' The Green Water Pool in the Turtle Clan's territory is one such Great Marsh cold spring—a river within a river, water within water. However, not all cold springs are blessed lands; some are inferior, and others are filled with potent toxins, stretching for a hundred *li* as dead zones."

"Sounds like a brine pool."

"A brine pool?"

Long Binglin was puzzled.

Considering Liang Qu's penchant for tinkering with gourmet food.

Some kind of salty brine?

Large fish swam by, their shadows stretching out.

Liang Qu offered no further explanation, standing on the fish head to overlook the land.

Long Yuan Path, Long Yuan Path—as the name suggests, its shape is that of a canyon abyss.

After hosting a banquet for the imperial envoy at noon and visiting the Turtle King's territory in the afternoon, followed by another half-day of travel, the setting sun slanted down. The orange-red light diffused through the water, and the remaining faint glow only served to highlight the canyon's endless pitch-black darkness.

Both sides of the abyss lacked much life, consisting only of bare, hard rock walls, with turbulent currents occasionally flying out from the gaps.

*Slap! *

The Fat Catfish scratched its belly, looking quite disdainful—mere turbulent currents.

A moment later.

"Sss-hah! Sss-hah!"

The Fat Catfish thrashed its head and tail, looking exactly like a big-headed fish that had been tossed onto the shore, struggling frantically to dodge the flying currents.

Pain.

Too painful.

The currents, which had seemed weak and unremarkable, had become incredibly fierce in the blink of an eye.

On the contrary, Round Head, once it unleashed the group resonance, shared the burden of the currents, feeling no pressure at all.

*Crack, crack, crack. *

Frost covered the area as Long Eying condensed a suit of ice armor for the Fat Catfish.

"Eh-heh!"

The Fat Catfish stroked its fins upward; the ice helmet looked fierce and domineering, with a small ice spike pointing toward the sky in the center. Like a bull that had grown horns, it charged forward relentlessly.

"With the currents so fierce, how do the Dragon Sturgeon come out on ordinary days?"

Liang Qu raised his hand to pinch the white flow, crushing it with force.

Once past the first rock platform, the power of the currents in the Long Yuan Path surged dramatically. He didn't know how they emerged—it was as if they condensed out of thin air. Even with the Fat Catfish's seventh evolution and its peak Spirit Monster status, it still felt pain.

Surely the Dragon Sturgeon in the Long Yuan Path weren't all tougher than the Fat Catfish, right?

"Dragon Sturgeon are known for their thick hides and sensitive perception. Moreover, the currents in the abyss are not this fierce at all times. The Elder can view this as a training ground for the Dragon Sturgeon. Having lived here for a long time, even Great Spirit Monsters can enter and exit safely. Besides, when the currents hit a monster's body, it is merely painful. For those with a firm will, enduring it is actually..."

The Fat Catfish squinted at him with dissatisfaction.

Liang Qu nodded: "The perception is indeed sensitive."

"Hm?"

Long Binglin grasped the subtext and gazed into the distance.

In the endless darkness, shadows were faintly wriggling, yet their fierce aura was like a blazing torch.

The Ze Ding trembled.

【Absorbed a wisp of Dragon-kind aura.】

【Consuming four wisps of Dragon-kind aura can generate one Ying Dragon pattern.】

【Dragon-kind aura: 4】

Four wisps.

It was complete!

*Whoosh. *

In the darkness, a white tail suddenly appeared, like a great whale leaping through water. It lashed out with force, and a vast, rushing torrent poured out, slapping the currents in the distant abyss clean away, leaving the area for dozens of *li* around clear and empty!

*Boom, rumble. *

The vibration behind them echoed, and rock dust fell like a brown waterfall.

"No wonder they aren't afraid. With such ability, why would the juniors in the clan need to worry?"

The Fat Catfish and Round Head stood motionless with their tails planted.

Liang Qu was in no rush to fuse them, looking up to observe.

The owner of the white tail swam forward, slowly revealing its winding true form. Its entire body was white as mutton-fat jade, with complex dragon scales layered and intertwined. Two dragon whiskers fluttered and danced. Apart from the head, the fins were still those of a sturgeon; the entire body was truly no different from a white dragon!

Compared to the Dragon-men, the Dragon Sturgeon's Dragon-kind bloodline was even more self-evident!

"Senior Ao Qing! *2"

"Binglin, Eying?" Ao Qing's white whiskers fluttered, looking like an elder. "I wondered which two Grandmasters were visiting. Have you entered the Perfected Form Realm?"

"We were fortunate enough to be ranked among them."

"And beside you is..."

"From the Great Shun, Pingyang Prefecture..."

It was the exact same script as at the Turtle King's place.

As the husband of a Dragon Person, Ao Qing did not bother with Liang Qu's status in the imperial court. After exchanging a few polite words, he waved his large fin, and the water current enveloped the group of beasts, causing them to sink majestically. Between the second and third steps, a patch of "white mist" flowed.

Crossing the barrier of "white mist."

The currents in the abyss suddenly vanished.

The light became brilliant.

Liang Qu's pupils contracted slightly from the stimulation of the light. When he saw the surrounding environment clearly, he was shocked: at the bottom of the canyon, a "white river" was actually winding and flowing, crossing from east to west!

The cold spring manifested.

Landing on the ground.

Liang Qu reached out to grab it, but grabbed nothing.

Rather than a river, in reality, the boundary was not clearly defined; it was a layer of hazy "white mist" without any real tactile sensation.

Moving his attention away from the cold spring, fluorescent vines crisscrossed the two cliffs, providing good visibility. Dragon Sturgeon swam among them, inhabiting the mountain caves.

Sturgeon naturally have no scales, but Dragon Sturgeon are different.

Sensing their auras, almost all those above the Spirit Monster level had grown scales.

What a paradise on earth.

As a place of long-term residence, the Long Yuan Path's vitality was surging, clearly much more prosperous and refined than the small hill of the Dragon-man clan.

While they rested in a mountain cave, Ao Qing went to arrange a meal, leaving two Dragon Sturgeon to host them.

Inside the cave, stone tables and chairs were all provided, though the dimensions were slightly large, likely intended for visiting Dragon-man relatives. Liang Qu briefly familiarized himself with the environment and quietly leaned toward Long Eying.

"How come I feel like your distant 'relatives' don't really welcome us?"

Upon first seeing Ao Qing, there was even a faint "hostility" in the *Eye-Knowledge Method*.

Not strong.

About the level of an ox hair.

Ox hair, wood thorn, needle prick—different hostilities brought different feelings.

Generally speaking, ox hair belongs to jealousy, annoyance, or a spit of disdain—negative emotions that everyone has.

Humans are not saints; having greed, anger, and ignorance is perfectly normal.

Liang Qu usually ignored this level of "malice" to avoid being biased and looking at people through colored glasses. It was just that facing the pressure of a Great Demon, he would unconsciously amplify his own perception to capture details.

Both Long Eying and Long Binglin practiced the *Eye-Knowledge Method* and knew what he meant.

Long Binglin thought for a moment.

"In the past, the Dragon Sturgeon clan had no fewer Great Demons than the Dragon-man clan. It was just that in the wars against the East Snake and North Fish clans, the Dragon Sturgeon's massive size made them easier targets. Thus, sixty years ago, Ao Qing was the only Great Demon left in the Dragon Sturgeon clan—fewer than the Dragon-men.

Since then, Senior Ao Qing began to resist contact with the outside world and did not participate in the final battle over thirty years ago. In these decades, the two clans have only interacted a few times. Before, without the *Eye-Knowledge Method*, we hadn't noticed. I suppose even when we Dragon-men come, Senior Ao Qing feels disturbed."

Liang Qu suddenly understood.

It was understandable.

His peers were all dead, and the shackles of dragon blood meant it was destined there would be no more in the future.

In a life where one could see the end at a glance, perhaps there was a sense of loneliness?

Even for Great Demons and Demon Kings, they fundamentally could not escape sociality. Cultivating until the world was dead and walking alone in a desolate world offered no sense of accomplishment.

Making money, making money—isn't it just about gaining a comparative advantage?

Thinking of this.

He lit the jellyfish lamp in the cave.

"Binglin, Eying, guard me."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 819 =====