Chapter 189: 189.Chapter 187: Donghai Displays Sanctity, True Dragon Appears!

189. Chapter 187: Donghai Displays Sanctity, True Dragon Appears!

The sea area adjacent to Donghai and the public sea had more than ten light-blue vessels docked here, almost blending with the sea surface, bright red flags fluttering under the blue sky and white clouds, solemn and imposing.

The Great Xia Navy was patrolling nearby, and upon receiving news of an approaching sea storm, they hastily withdrew and returned.

Although they were not greatly affected, the footage from the monitoring video showed that this waterspout was enormous in scale; once sucked in, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Colonel Fan Haiqing frowned slightly, watching the waterspout ravaging the sea in the video, and said, 'A waterspout of this magnitude—could the meteorological department have failed to detect it?'

The naval meteorological department differs from ordinary meteorological observation; it serves the state and military, its equipment is the most advanced high-end, and if a waterspout had been forecast in advance, it would absolutely prohibit vessels from going out on missions.

This time we were lucky, not being sucked in, but if any warship suffered damage, it would be an immeasurable loss for Great Xia.

Major Wei Yifan shook his head, 'When we set out to sea, we even consulted the meteorological department; the weather along the route these past few days has been very stable, there was simply no such large-scale maritime disaster.'

'That's strange—even the meteorological department didn't detect it.'

A hint of deep thought crossed Fan Haiqing's face; the naval meteorological department dare not claim a hundred percent detection rate, but for a disaster of this scale, they could basically ensure no mistakes.

'Any feedback from land? Did the waterspout make landfall?'

If the waterspout landed, it would likely inflict massive losses on the coastal economy; thinking of this, Fan Haiqing's brow grew heavier.

'The meteorological department said the waterspout never made landfall; it vanished suddenly midway through its course, and afterward they studied it, finding that the sea conditions at the time were insufficient to form a waterspout, and they could not determine why it disappeared.'

Such an explanation hardly sounds like a military meteorological station, more like some amateur's guess; in fact, the naval meteorological office had really done its best, but this waterspout incident was simply too strange.

'Request the latest information from the meteorological department; let's go check the vicinity.'

Under the leadership of Colonel Fan Haiqing and Major Wei Yifan, several warships set out, heading toward the sea area where the waterspout had formed.

……

The boundless sea stretched out, sky and horizon indistinguishable, a pure blue world; flocks of seagulls chased after the rolling waves, heading this way.

It appeared peaceful and tranquil, the water rippling with faint undulations, but upon closer look, undercurrents seemed to surge in the depths.

The seagulls circling in the sky sensed something, flapped their wings, and immediately changed direction, flying elsewhere.

The warship of the Divine Illumination Country had already approached the small red dot shown on the radar detector.

'Reporting, sir, the instruments indicate that the creature should be right nearby.'

Shan Ye Hongyi gazed at the deep blue sea and said, 'Could it be some special marine creature? Deploy the submersible scope to observe.'

Through electronic monitoring, Shan Ye Hongyi and the others could clearly see the underwater scene: green algae plants, various fish and shrimp, a colorful marine world unfolding before their eyes.

The submersible scope continually moved toward the exact position indicated by the red dot, drawing ever closer.

Everyone stared fixedly at the screen, wanting to see what creature it was—so mysterious that even the database had no information on it.

The previously clear seawater suddenly turned turbid, and the image became a blur.

Shan Ye Hongyi frowned and said, 'How did it suddenly become unclear?'

The operator pressed a few buttons on the control panel, 'Perhaps the camera lens is obstructed by something.'

In the blurry image, a vague shadow could be seen, presumably that creature, but due to the angle they could not tell how large it was.

The picture grew darker, and the creature in the darkness seemed to be watching them; although the video showed nothing, everyone felt a sense of being observed, an inexplicable unease rising in their hearts.

'Adjust the angle and take a look.'

Shan Ye Hongyi leaned in a bit, wanting to see more clearly.

The dark screen resembled a lurking beast that picks and devours people, never knowing what scene will appear the next second.

Splash!

At that moment, a huge green eye suddenly appeared on the screen!

An unknown creature was observing them through the camera!

Under the tremendous impact, Shan Ye Hongyi couldn't help but step back a few paces.

Although they were the ones observing, they suddenly felt as if they were being watched, unable to tell for a moment who was the observer.

At the instant they saw that eye, everyone felt as if plunged into an abyss, their whole bodies enveloped by icy seawater, the immense deep-sea pressure crushing down on them, nearly making it impossible to breathe.

That gaze was indescribable in words; by the time they regained their senses, the green eye had vanished.

It seemed what they had just seen was merely an illusion.

'That eye——'

Before Shan Ye Hongyi could finish his words, the screen transmitted a violent jolt, and soon a large red cross appeared, indicating that the submersible scope and command console had lost contact.

The air fell silent; everyone remained immersed in the scene just witnessed.

After a long while, someone swallowed and broke the silence: 'Just what was that creature?'

'Could it be an octopus?'

'How could an octopus's eye be green?'

'Maybe it's a lanternfish? The green eye we saw might just be light refraction.'

'That's also possible; perhaps it's a reflection from fish scales.'

The ocean covers 71% of Earth's surface, the largest known frontier for exploration; although technology advances rapidly, humanity has so far surveyed only 5% of the seas, leaving the remaining 95% unknown.

For humanity, the sea is full of danger, yet it also holds an inexplicable allure, driving us to discover what lies within.

Just like the people of the Divine Illumination Country before us, after shock came excitement and eagerness, wanting to find out what this creature actually is.

They were confident that their advanced warships were enough to conquer this sea area.

'Let's haul this creature up; I want to see exactly what it is.'

Those who lack reverence for nature will ultimately suffer its backlash.

The sea wind suddenly grew urgent, the deep blue water turning an intense dark green as a massive wave crashed over, stirring countless ripples and undulations, even causing the ships to sway slightly.

But those aboard paid it no mind; accustomed to life at sea, such minor sway had long become second nature.

A massive shadow loomed beneath these waters, the sea itself turning somber, as judgment descended at this very moment.

The unknown creature detected by the Divine Illumination Country was none other than Ye Qin.

Two sea areas were very close; in order to absorb the nearby water spirit energy, he unknowingly came to the high seas, where he happened to be detected by the Divine Illumination Country's instruments.

Looking at the ships above, even trying to spy on his own trail, Ye Qin's emerald-green pupils flashed a cold expression.

Sometime ago, a large mass of dark clouds began to swirl above the ships, and the waves in this sea area became turbulent.

"Bang!"

Just as everyone was preparing to haul in the catch, a dull thud came from the hull, as if something was striking it.

The violent impact made Yamano Kouichi unsteady on his feet; if not for his quick reflexes grabbing the railing, he would have fallen. He shouted loudly, "Damn it! What's going on?"

"A creature is striking the hull!"

Without a doubt, it must be the creature beneath the sea; in Yamano Kouichi's eyes, such action is clearly a provocation.

A sinister glint crossed Yamano Kouichi's eyes: "Aim at the creature's exact position and attack with torpedoes—dead or alive."

His subordinate adjutant hesitated, "But such a commotion is too big; might it attract people from other countries? What if they think we're attacking?"

"This is the high seas—what's there to fear? And there's no 'what if'; if anything happens, I'll take responsibility!"

With Yamano Kouichi's words as assurance, everyone finally relaxed.

The torpedo loader quickly finished loading, and the combat personnel placed their right index finger on the launch button.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Fire!"

Watching the position of the little red dot on the indicator, the launch button was quickly pressed down.

A torpedo, traveling at 55 knots like a hurricane, swiftly struck the sea surface.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a muffled roar, like a monster's bellow, the smell of gunpowder drifted over the sea surface, and instantly several splashes erupted.

If it were before, Ye Qin might still have feared the torpedo's power, after all, thermal weapons aren't easy to resist!

But after he transformed into a flood dragon, his body's hardness became incomparable; ordinary thermal weapons now held no fear for him.

His green scales were like the toughest armor; a few torpedoes couldn't pierce his defense.

Moreover, his speed was extreme—you couldn't even touch the edge of his scales, let alone hit him.

For a moment, the originally murky sea surface became even more blurred, deep green shifting to black-green, forming an unfathomable rift.

Those deep-green eyes stared silently from the edge of the abyss, emitting a chilling light.

The Divine Illumination Country's actions caused no substantial harm to Ye Qin, but they angered him.

The tiny vessel was like a lone boat adrift in the vast ocean, liable to be dragged under at any moment, yet those aboard remained oblivious to the impending danger.

The surging aura above the seawater made people increasingly uneasy.

Seeing the little red dot still active on the display, a soldier couldn't help but widen his eyes and blurt out, "How is this possible!"

After firing several torpedoes in succession without hitting, Yamano Kouichi couldn't help but suspect the loader hadn't aimed properly, his tone edged with agitation.

"What's wrong with you? You can't even hit such a big target."

Contrary to their speculation, the creature is enormous; logically, it should be easy to aim at.

"Captain, its speed is simply too fast."

The loader also had unspeakable bitterness: at such speed, the human eye cannot discern it, and even with instruments, the torpedo's impact point will slightly deviate.

Even more strangely, they had clearly set the coordinates, yet the torpedo's launch coordinates differed from the start.

It seemed as if some mysterious force in the ocean was altering the torpedo's trajectory.

The red dot on the instrument kept circling the ship, obviously lingering nearby, as if mocking their incompetence.

Yamano Kouichi had reason to suspect whether this creature possessed extraordinarily high intelligence.

After all, with such speed, if it wanted to flee, they couldn't stop it.

While dodging torpedoes, it also seized the moment to strike the hull; the shaking sensation grew stronger—initially everyone could barely stand, but later even gripping the railing felt like they might fall.

At this moment, Yamano Kouichi still hadn't realized the seriousness; his expression was somewhat disdainful, as warships have anti-vibration tests—even facing ocean storms, they can pass unharmed, so this impact posed no threat to them.

"Continue the attack!"

However, the next moment, a deafening roar suddenly came.

The entire ship tilted to one side, huge waves already submerged the warship's safety line, and white spray drenched everyone to the bone.

Even the ship's bulkheads shed debris, and cracks appeared on the glass.

An unprecedented chill rose in everyone's hearts; though this ship isn't the largest among warships, it's still sizable—what kind of creature could produce such an impact?

"Beep beep beep!"

A piercing alarm sounded, and simultaneously a red exclamation mark appeared on the display, like a loud slap striking Yamano Kouichi's face.

"Captain, it's bad—our hull has been damaged; if this continues, we face unimaginable danger."

Yamano Kouichi's face turned from blue to white: "How is it possible? How could a carbon-based creature possibly move a destroyer!"

However, no matter how much he disbelieved, the facts lay before him.

By this point, they still didn't know what this creature was; that hidden being beneath the ocean had given them a tremendous threat, far beyond Yamano Kouichi's expectations.

They were on the ocean while the opponent lurked beneath—one in the light, one in the dark, a situation highly unfavorable to them.

Now it seems that unless they deploy a cruiser, they simply cannot match it.

Yamano Kouichi made a swift decision: "Turn around, leave this sea area, and summon the fleet again."

A massive shadow, like a deep-sea beast, opened its bloody maw and clung tightly behind the Divine Illumination Country's ships; now wanting to flee, it was already too late.

The helmsman watched the little red dot on the instrument follow like a shadow, his face showing a hint of terror: "Captain, captain, the creature is keeping up!"

Who would have thought this creature would hold such a grudge!

Immediately, the familiar impact sensation came one after another.

The whole ship shook and swayed; though it was a scout warship, it now resembled a small boat tossed in a storm, constantly in danger of capsizing.

"Attack! Stop this creature's movements!"

Shan Ye Hongyi's voice was filled with agitation, no longer the previous calm and contempt; the torpedoes still had no effect and could not stop the creature's advance, like a clay ox entering the sea—only raising huge splashes, achieving nothing.

The surging seawater howled and raged; the suddenly wind‑whipped waves, like a giant beast constantly rolling within, sought to swallow any ship that dared challenge its authority, only then could its anger be quelled.

Shan Ye Hongyi gazed at the blackened sea, his heart full of regret; the sky's dark clouds grew heavier, merging with the sea until he could no longer tell where sky ended and sea began.

Such an apocalyptic scene made every face show terror; they had sailed the sea for years and never witnessed such a spectacle.

In the blink of an eye, the creature struck again; in that instant, Shan Ye Hongyi saw its huge green tail slash the surface, parting the sea in two, as if greeting its sovereign.

Its scales flashed an eerie green light before quickly disappearing into the depths, bringing endless fear and pressure; he stared wide‑eyed, his eyeballs almost popping out.

"Freak, monster!"

Overwhelmed by terror, Shan Ye Hongyi lost his balance; added to the ship's violent shaking, he was about to fall overboard, but a nearby crew member reacted swiftly and pulled him back.

Shan Ye Hongyi swallowed, his face full of terror after narrowly escaping death; that tail belonged to no known creature on earth—it had to be a deep‑sea monster.

"There's a monster—run!"

Although no one knew exactly what Shan Ye Hongyi had seen, his appearance filled the others with dread, an indescribable fear welling up in their hearts.

In this sea area only the ships of Shenzhao Guo were present; there was no one to call for help.

"Quickly send a distress signal to see if any ships are nearby."

The signal had been sent, but no reply came after a short while.

Shan Ye Hongyi was panic‑stricken; having just glimpsed the monster's true form, he was nearly scared out of his wits, and no matter what they tried, they could not shake off the huge shadow lurking in the sea.

The impact noise grew louder, like the footsteps of death; if time could be reversed, Shan Ye Hongyi would certainly not have chosen to pursue this order.

He would not even set foot in this sea area!

Now no one dared stay on deck; a moment's carelessness would plunge them into the endless ocean, so they could only desperately pray for a miracle in their hearts.

But it was too late; the readout on the display had reached the hull's maximum tolerance, a red exclamation mark stabbing at everyone's vision.

……

Meanwhile, the Daxia Navy had been patrolling the sea surface, detecting no weather abnormalities and was about to return when the instruments emitted a series of beeps.

"Colonel, we have received a distress signal."

The signal's source was not far away; acting on humanitarian principles, Fan Haiqing ordered the warship to change course and head toward the transmission point.

"Let's see which country is in trouble—if there's profit, we'll loot it."

Just as they entered the high‑seas zone, the formerly azure water turned dark‑green, and a massive wave slammed into them, foretelling unrest in this area.

Fan Haiqing and his party had come from the south, where the sea was sunny and the weather clear—completely opposite to here.

Gazing at the distant overcast sky, Wei Yifan stared, saying, "The weather differs too greatly."

"Marine weather changes in an instant; no one knows whether the next second will be overcast or clear."

As they spoke, the salty sea breeze brought a few whiffs of something unusual; Fan Haiqing frowned, "I feel like I smell gunpowder."

Wei Yifan sniffed the air, "Indeed."

At the same time, a thumping boom came from the waters ahead.

The two exchanged glances, both sensing something odd; the sudden distress signal, the gunpowder smell, and these huge disturbances all indicated that this sea area was not calm.

"Warships are firing……"

"There are no drills nearby; it can't be combat, can it?"

Just as everyone puzzled over it, a shout rang out: "Chief, something's up ahead!"

Using the ship's binoculars, Fan Haiqing could see a warship rocking in the distance; after making out its flag, his expression changed.

"It's a Shenzhao Guo vessel, but I don't see any ship engaged with it."

The warship's situation looked dire; it could capsize at any moment.

"What's wrong with them?"

Because of the angle and distance, Fan Haiqing couldn't see the unknown creature repeatedly striking the ship's hull beneath the surface.

"Full speed ahead."

Although Daxia and Shenzhao Guo's relations were merely average, with constant friction and a superficial harmony, having seen this, Fan Haiqing and his crew could not stand idle—after all, they still wanted to profit from the chaos.

However, as they advanced, Fan Haiqing's pupils contracted; through the binoculars he caught a fleeting glimpse of a huge black shadow, and he exclaimed, "What is that!"

……

Meanwhile, Shenzhao Guo's forces immediately detected the approaching Daxia warship via radar, and the sailors burst into tears of joy.

"We're saved—there's a Daxia warship approaching from afar; it must have picked up our distress signal."

Shan Ye Hongyi's face lit up with excitement: "Great! May the Fusang deity bless us."

"Whoosh——"

Yet as everyone prayed for swift rescue, a huge splash sounded from the sea surface, as if something were breaking through.

The Shenzhao Guo sailors hurriedly turned to look, only to stare in horror.

"Heavens, what monster is this!"

Everyone's eyes widened, all color draining from their faces; from sheer terror their bodies trembled like a sieve.

Now at last they understood why Shan Ye Hongyi had previously acted so hysterically.

The creature before them was enough to make one's gallbladder burst.

Its green scales resembled armor covering the beast; its huge, towering horns rose like mountain peaks, its four claws flashed with sharpness, and its beastly eyes emitted a chilling glow like two giant lanterns—utterly uncanny.

Only its upper half appeared in their view; the other half lay beneath the sea, forming a vast shadow—what they saw was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Even so, they had to tilt their heads back to look up, and the pressure made their legs go weak.

As the creature's tail lightly swayed, the hull felt a violent impact.

Such a mountain-sized creature far exceeded their expectations.

Turns out this is the true form of that deep-sea beast!

At this moment, everyone's guts turned green with regret; if they had known this creature was so huge and ferocious, they would not have come near even if beaten to death.

"Is this a deep-sea giant beast?"

"No… this… this is a dragon!"

"Good heavens, what kind of being have we provoked? This is a legendary dragon that can summon wind and rain!"

At this moment, Ye Qin looked down from above upon these chattering humans; against his massive frame, the people of the Divine Illumination Kingdom were as tiny as ants, able to be crushed with a single claw.

The people of the Divine Illumination Kingdom had offended him first, and now they had seen his true form; they absolutely could not be allowed to leave alive.

"Roar!"

With a roar, Shan Ye Hongyi only felt his scalp go numb, his heart regretting provoking such a creature.

He could feel the icy, chilling gaze fall upon his head, like the gates of hell slowly opening, and suddenly he could not muster any thought of resistance.

Shan Ye Hongyi's knees went weak, and he actually knelt straight on the ground, his face full of despair and regret, for it was he who personally pushed everyone on the ship to the brink of death!

"Missiles, attack, attack!"

Ye Qin glanced away indifferently, a hazy mist emanating from his body as he summoned the treasure from the Upper Pure Temple Water Channel.

"Swish!"

The phantom of a giant sword descended from the heavens, carrying supreme pressure, hovering above Ye Qin's head, equal in height yet far larger than it!

And with the sword's appearance, the sea surface instantly stirred with wind and clouds, as a fierce wind swept in.

Under this fierce sword qi, even the sea surface was whipped into towering waves, as if they would pour back into the heavens; everywhere one looked was a blank expanse of white. (End of chapter)