Chapter 743: Time Reverses, the Divine Needle that Stabilizes the Sea!

Speaking of strength, the Fire Master and Cloud Master are sufficient.

They can bear the pressure; there's no need to fear the Bird Master or the Heavenly Court's edge.

Even when calculating top-tier combat strength openly, both sides have peak powerhouses holding down the fort, making them akin to a great trend!

Moreover, each has the support of an ancestral witch behind them, making their potential power great.

Unfortunately.

It is precisely because these two great 'ruffians' are strong enough that Dan Zhu dare not easily entrust the 'inheritance'.

Otherwise……

I fear it would be a one-way trip.

Once the Fire Master and Cloud Master change their minds and covet the four seas, presenting the dragon clan's foundation like this now—wouldn't that be tantamount to suicide?!

Even if the Dragon Forefather returns then, the situation cannot be changed.

After all, behind the Fire Master stands Nüwa!

Nüwa and the Dragon Ancestor have a grudge…… Unless the Dragon Forefather is willing to abandon Pangu, this is an unsolvable knot that could choke one's neck, and Nüwa certainly wouldn't mind twisting it a bit.

And the Cloud Master?

This looks weak at first glance, but its leader—Xuanyuan—is a hero who rose thanks to the selfless sacrifice of Di Jiang Zu Wu, and he also holds the Taiji Diagram and Pangu Banner, maintaining the Wu Clan's current orthodoxy!

Such a person's sudden rise indicates too many hidden secrets behind them; who dares to underestimate?

Dan Zhu cannot see clearly, cannot gauge, fearing to fall into a trap and lift a stone only to drop it on his own foot.

Therefore, those two seemingly perfect guardians are not even in his consideration.

The target he needs to find is someone with some ambition and ability but lacking foundation, whose wisdom can conceal and safeguard the dragon clan's precious treasure without letting it be lost.

And because his strength and foundation are insufficient, when the Dragon Master is restored or the Dragon Forefather returns, the precious treasure can be easily reclaimed, without worrying about his ambition being hard to control and causing disaster.

Such a candidate, Dan Zhu has already screened out.

"Ah."

Dan Zhu thought of this, yet let out a sigh…… To temporarily entrust his power's foundation to another for safekeeping truly feels awful inside.

There is shame, there is unwillingness, and there is helplessness.

"It is our incompetence that has brought down the Dragon Master's prestige; we deserve ten thousand deaths!"

"When the lord is humiliated, the minister dies; the generals are grievous and indignant, each glaring angrily, wishing to cut the enemy into a thousand pieces."

"Afterward, they will then commit suicide."

"Heaven and earth still have formation, endurance, decay, and emptiness; the human way cannot escape rise and fall—how could our Dragon Master completely escape such a law?" Dan Zhu then laughed, saying, "Even if we decline, we must still have the world remember that our Dragon Master once shone upon heaven and earth!"

"Right now…… perfect!"

"The enemy launching such a grand war, scattering our forces, destroying our reputation—naturally it's not a small skirmish."

Dan Zhu's eyes gleamed: "Having trimmed the branches and leaves, the next step should be to destroy the trunk."

"Our defense system could be considered perfect and flawless, set up by the late father emperor, containing boundless wisdom, not easily broken by ordinary means."

"This is the most solid fortress; how could ordinary means dismantle it?"

"Only power of the same origin can infiltrate, erode, deceive the guard's program, with minimal cost, thoroughly destroy from within."

"Few in the world possess such ability…… As far as I know, there are two such ancient gods in the Heavenly Court!"

"Shangyang!"

"Jimeng!"

"Roughly calculating, they should be arriving soon!"

"The two Yao Marshals, riding wind and rain to carry out slaughter, give great face to our already declining Dragon Master."

"However, thinking they can easily wipe us out is overestimating…… Even if we die, we will knock out a few of their teeth!"

Dan Zhu slowly rose: "Four Seas Four Dragon Kings!"

"At that time, are you willing to follow me to the death, bear the greatest pressure, and give young talents, the seeds of hope, a chance to escape and ascend to heaven?"

"We dare not decline, it is exactly our wish!" The four Dragon Kings shouted loudly, their eyes full of fighting spirit and resolve to die!

"Good!" Dan Zhu's face lit up with a brilliant smile, "Then…… when our last breath comes, I will ignite the entire Dragon Master, let it burn, let it blossom, turn into the most splendid fireworks, attempting to perish together with the enemy, leaving them a heart‑rending memory, lighting up this span of history's sky."

Dan Zhu, he never thought he could survive!

As long as the seeds of hope can escape, he will make the enemy understand——

"Even if the dragon can be big or small, stretch or shrink, it understands what it means to compromise."

"But."

"The dragon's spirit forever harbors a hint of fierce will!"

"When this will erupt……"

"Friends, let's go watch the fireworks together!"

……

With resolute, regret‑less determination carried through, the Dragon Master began to act.

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner——the relocation of the populace, the revival of resources, the safekeeping of the precious treasure……

Etcetera, etcetera.

The preparations for rebirth through fire were quietly completed.

However, on the surface, the secrecy work was done well; the Dragon Master bluffed, deceiving the unaware personnel.

"Want to withdraw? Stop investing?"

"No problem!"

"Our Dragon Master, honest to young and old, reputation full, enthusiasm generous!"

"Above all, we value integrity!"

"We'll cash out for you right now!"

"But let's be frank: public is public, private is private, procedures still need to be carried out; you must follow the rules and procedures."

"First go to the xx department to fill out a form, then go to the xx association to submit the materials… after all, you breached the contract!"

"Also, keep your wits about you… my Dragon Clan highly values water control projects!"

"It's absolutely not like the rumors outside claiming the project cut corners, that using inferior water-control materials caused severe environmental pollution at the site, angering the natives and prompting them to resort to violent resistance."

"It's entirely the Bird Master meddling in human affairs! They deliberately arranged a 'water army' to stir trouble, inciting the natives to cause trouble!"

"We have already made the relevant evidence public; you can go check it out yourselves."

"In response, our Dragon Master strongly condemns this and will employ peak martial power as a warning… unless the Bird Master disregards the human race's greater good going forward, the situation will be eased and return to normal."

"Please, everyone, stay calm; there's no need to be so anxious—disrupting your own formation will cause countless investment profits to go down the drain!"

"The Dragon Master's spokesperson spoke nonsense, yet somehow sounded convincing."

"Mixing truth and falsehood, deceiving and misleading, while probing people's hearts to determine who is friend and who is foe."

"Friends, naturally, are treated with sincerity, completing the process in advance and subsidizing their supplies in difficult times."

"As for enemies……"

"Go to hell!"

"At the same time, a vast surge surged within the Dragon Master's depths, sweeping across and striking through the ages; the authority of the waterways was fully activated and set in motion, ready to utterly destroy the feeble water disaster of devastation."

"The Four Dragon Kings guarded the four directions, Dan Zhu held the center; together they appeared to be sorting out chaotic wind and rain, quelling rampant cloud tides, struggling against perilous disaster, soothing the wounds of the Eastern Barbarians, and letting everything return to the proper course."

"But in fact, they had already resolved to die!"

"Boom—rumble—rumble!"

"The boundless, immense dragon dharma-image arose in the endless ages, roaring across eternity, shaking the Myriad Heavens, entwined with wind and lightning, surrounded by clouds and rain, its scales formed of seven-colored mystic light—this is the true intent of the Great Dao of the seven great innate true waters!"

"The supreme authority within the universe shone forth, a key share of the Honghuang cosmos turning; though the dragon dharma-image is somewhat clumsy, it is activated by the Dragon Ancestor's heir and confidant together, not flawless but still overwhelmingly mighty, shaking the three realms and six paths, sweeping over all laws and phenomena."

"In a daze, time flowed backward!"

"An illusory long river immersing the Myriad Heavens and all worlds, flowing with a 'hualala' sound, ethereal and elusive yet giving a sense of omnipresence, cleansing heaven and earth, representing the image of time."

"River of Time!"

"Of course, this is not the genuine article, but the Zhouguang true water among the Honghuang seven great innate true waters exerting its power, driven by the dragon dharma-image's authority, to utterly crush the raging feeble-water disaster!"

"Such an investment is enormous."

"Because it is not the Dragon Ancestor himself, the originator of the Dao and pathfinder, who wishes to employ such means—the drain consumes the very essence of the borrower, an unparalleled mental and physical pressure that incurs a great karmic debt with heaven and earth and all living beings."

"But the Dragon Master no longer cares."

"Quelling the disaster is a pretense; the true aim is to try to take away a 'fortunate one'!"

"Ding-ding-dong-dong!"

"The illusory long river flowed, playing a wondrous melody… it ran counter to the true river's course, covering a portion of the heavens, correcting errors, reversing the process."

"In this era's greatly weakened version after the epoch shift, this can be called an extreme maneuver."

"For a moment, the collapsed waterways flowed backward, the unending rain curtains returned to the skies' edge—such a scene of time inverted and all phenomena reversed is truly heart‑shaking!"

"However, it's somewhat regrettable that such a spectacle involving temporal change and historical shift cannot be seen by ordinary folk…… it is the limit beyond ordinary perception, taking place in the subtle flow of time, and only after completion does it overlay and merge with reality, like diverging streams reuniting."

"All this appeared to proceed perfectly normally; the Dragon Master's top experts expended their strength investigating and sweeping away the disaster's cause, their breath gradually weakening, having fulfilled their duty, with no fault to be found."

"Who knows how long has passed?"

"Perhaps it was an instant, or perhaps it was a vast expanse of time."

"In this newly self‑defined rivercourse, nothing is certain."

"When Dan Zhu led the Dragon Kings, having expended enormous effort and on the verge of fully resolving the issue, a layer of illusory mist shrouded in at some unknown moment, obscuring spiritual perception and muffling sound, occurring silently."

"The dragon dharma-image seemed utterly unaware."

"However, a thread of calm yet resolute light flickered in its depths."

"……"

"Your Highness Dan Zhu means well."

"Among the Xiahou clan, Wen Ming's expression was slightly subtle, a hand pressed upon a treasure chest: 'My Wen Ming's reputation, you can rest assured!'"

"You have given me such a treasure as temporary collateral for the original compensation; I will naturally keep it safe."

"Until one day, when someone deeply related to the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage and Majesty Shun, holding the bloodline Dao imprint, can draw it from me."

"Wen Ming patted his chest in assurance."

"As for the Xiahou clan, we are naturally at ease." said the Bixian divine general, dust‑wearied, "I still have pressing matters, so I cannot linger; I'll take my leave."

"Bixian bowed and withdrew."

"Conceal the sky, cross the sea; steal the heavens, swap the sun."

"This is the Dragon Master's preparation."

"To conceal the most fundamental treasure, naturally the most dangerous place is also the safest."

"Through normal, reasonable means, handing it to a figure the enemy would never expect is the best of the best."

"Wen Ming fits this standard perfectly."

"He once was a chief officer under Chonghua, seated in the first three rows before the Bird Master."

"His identity would not be easily searched."

"And his ambition……"

"Long ago, the Dragon Master had already invested in him!"

"They could see that in the eyes of this small clan leader burned a vigorous, fighting ambition…… such a person, once talented, is destined not to settle for being beneath others."

"Rather than betraying the Dragon Master, it is more likely he would silently amass wealth, deceiving the Bird Master's chief, Chonghua."

"That is enough!"

The Dragon Master isn't afraid that Wen Ming has ideas, has ambition... because what they need to strive for is just a period of time.

As long as, within this period, the Dragon Clan's precious treasure does not fall into the hands of someone who fundamentally cannot retrieve it, that is victory!

Wen Ming... is quite suitable.

——Not likely!

"Such a big gift package, such a decisive free giveaway, makes me feel a bit embarrassed."

After the Dragon Master's envoy left, Wen Ming then showed a strange expression: "Such a proper posture makes it hard for me to suppress the impulse to casually stab him twice."

"Looking at it this way, our work will go smoothly." He turned sideways toward a dim figure emerging from a hidden place beside, like illusory mist.

"Hey!" The figure chuckled lightly, "Old Dragon's child, clever is clever, but alas! His understanding of the integrity of the older generation is still shallow."

"How could he know... even if he underestimates our limits again, we still won't see the bottom!"

"Hahaha!" Wen Ming clapped and laughed loudly, "Don't even mention that little brat."

"It's just our old friends of the same generation; how many could know of our absurdity?"

"In this era, we are probably the only two who fight again after death!"

Donghuang Emperor and the Red Cloud Ancient God chatted and laughed happily.

They have departed from the great canon of the world, refreshing the bottom line of how the gods conduct themselves... One can imagine that in the future, merely killing opponents won't be enough; to be safe, one must also crush their bones and scatter their ashes!

Otherwise, one day they'll inexplicably suffer a harsh blow.

"Four Seas Water Situation Map, Water Element Shares..."

Wen Ming's eyes flickered, "Hmm, times change, these things differ somewhat from what I saw back then, evolving with the times."

"However, now that we have them in hand, we can begin forging the suppressive heavy weapon... which can both quell disasters and suppress the Four Seas."

"Fellow Daoist."

He looked toward the Red Cloud Ancient God.

"I understand." The Red Cloud Ancient God sighed lightly, "I will offer this remnant spirit light to aid the fellow Daoist's endeavors."

"However, I hope that, fellow Daoist, when you achieve success someday, you will fulfill my former wish."

"No problem."

Wen Ming smiled, "One day, fellow Daoist, you shall act as the overseer of the world's wealth, becoming the God of Wealth!"

"In that case, I can also rest easy to leave..." Red Cloud smiled, "The Dragon Ancestor will eventually have a Pangu day; competing with him is quite formidable, so early career change would also help avoid his sharpness."

As the words fell, one saw clouds rolling and unfolding, with myriad phenomena; a curtain of clouds swept across, surging through ancient and modern.

A ray of spiritual light fell into Wen Ming's hand, and was then reflected into a dark iron bar, breeding infinite weight, possessing the power to suppress the universe!

(End of chapter)