Chapter 25: Seizing the Cauldron

Sishui.

Moonlight is shattered by the heavy cloud layer, speckled onto the Sishui River's surface, like floating silver scales.

The evening breeze brushes the reeds, rustling.

Yu Lin stands alone on the riverbank, taking it all in.

What to do?

I'm here to take the Cauldron.

Zhang Qing, that man, Yu Lin doesn't trust.

After all, it's their first meeting; he is too lazy to investigate what the person is really like.

Moreover, it concerns the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, such a divine artifact.

Two would be fine, but now there's only one............. how to split it?

Yu Lin admits he is a selfish fellow.

"Huh."

He takes a few deep breaths, and nanomaterial immediately covers his head.

The next moment.

"Plop."

He jumps straight into the Sishui.

The movement is graceful, the splash small; it would score an 8.6.

Because Yu Lin has 1.4 died.

The river water is more rapid than imagined.

Just after entering the water, an undertow wraps around his legs, like countless invisible hands pulling.

If it weren't for the Mysterious-level battle suit's water-repelling property, which forms a thin water-repelling field on his surface, it wouldn't be this simple!

He activates the scanner on his combat wrist, and a pale blue beam draws a thin line in the water, illuminating a range of several meters ahead—

The riverbed is rugged, scattered with broken pottery, rusted arrowheads, and even half a sunken ship's wreckage; the wooden framework has long been corroded by the current into countless holes.

Yu Lin can no longer tell how far he has swum.

Just as he prepares to give up and head ashore to rest, suddenly—

"Boom!"

A sudden undertow crashes from the side; its force instantly throws him off balance!

"Not good!"

Yu Lin immediately uses "Ultimate", channeling all remaining true qi into his body! He hopes to resist this force with it!

However, his stamina is already near its limit, and he is ultimately swept by the undertow, helplessly carried toward an unknown direction.

The current accelerates, his vision whirls.

Yu Lin feels like a fallen leaf, not knowing where the river will carry him.

Ahead, the outline of the riverbank rapidly approaches in the darkness.

At this speed, even with the battle suit's cushioning, injury is inevitable!

"Here it comes!"

Yu Lin tenses his whole body, preparing to brace the impact—

"Swoosh!"

The anticipated collision does not occur.

His body passes through the "riverbank" unhindered, as if it were only a phantom!

The next second, the current abruptly vanishes, a sense of weightlessness hits, and he crashes heavily onto the hard ground!

"Cough...!"

Yu Lin hums low, rolls over and rises, the battle suit's helmet automatically retracts, revealing his slightly pale face.

He looks around and finds this place is not the river bottom.

Rather, it resembles an underground cavern.

From the ceiling hang glowing stalactites, like inverted swords, casting a faint blue glow. The ground is dry, covered with a layer of fine silver sand, soft as a carpet underfoot.

And at the very center of the cavern—

A Bronze Cauldron stands silently.

The cauldron stands on three legs, steady as a mountain; its belly round as the heavens, engraved with mountains, rivers, birds and beasts, all vivid.

Upon closer look, the patterns seem alive, with mountains undulating like dragons and snakes, clouds swirling, and a faint Divine Dragon silhouette visible.

"Hmm?"

Yu Lin freezes for a moment.

Because he sees the Divine Dragon waving its claws toward him, as if signaling him to approach.

He lifts his hand, rubs his eyes, and looks again.

"Kid, the Dragon Lord is calling you, come quickly."

"......."

"What? Do you want the Dragon Lord to come find you?"

"Yu Lin has seen the Divine Cauldron."

Yu Lin steps forward and bows to the Divine Dragon.

But at the same time he is puzzled.

Because the Divine Dragon speaks Mandarin, how did it learn it?

Or are you saying Mandarin was already in circulation at this time?

Yu Lin usually communicates with Liu Bang and the others using the pronunciation of this era!

"I'll give you credit for being perceptive," the Divine Dragon said, seeing his puzzled expression, as if having guessed his thoughts, it stuck its head out of the Cauldron and opened its mouth:

"Language is merely a means of expression; speaking is speaking, understanding is understanding."

"Dragon Lord, the words I speak are not about how I say them, but about how you understand them."

"Whatever you can understand, that is what I say; otherwise, with so many languages in the world, I, Dragon Lord, don't have the patience to learn them one by one."

"This is true divine power! Got it?"

"Also, from now on don't call it Divine Cauldron; call me Dragon Lord. A cauldron is a cauldron, a dragon is a dragon."

Yu Lin suddenly understood, nodded and said, "Thank you, Dragon Lord, for answering me."

"Then let me ask another question."

"Dragon Lord, which of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons are you?"

"Well…." Dragon Lord elongated his tone, but said nothing.

It looked at Yu Lin with a hint of profundity:

"Do you really want to know?"

Yu Lin, seeing it like that, felt something was off and shook his head, "Actually, I'm not that eager to know."

"It's fine if you don't want to say; I'll get to know it slowly later, okay?"

"That won't do," Dragon Lord shook his head, a trace of melancholy appearing on his draconic face:

"I've been stuck in this cursed place for an unknown number of years, and finally someone arrived."

"Go to the Cauldron, raise your hand and press it, see if you can seal it."

"Although I think it's unlikely, you kid aren't like a Human Emperor, lack imperial aura, and your strength is very weak; even Lao Yu would find you a burden when controlling the floods."

"But we have to try it anyway; what if it works? Go, go quickly."

"Don't fear death; Dragon Lord will cover you! It's only possible, perhaps, maybe… it might just hurt a little."

"If it succeeds, there will be many benefits!"

"........" Yu Lin listened to its words, tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Pain? Then forget it; I'm most afraid of pain."

"I'll go back and call others to try it."

"Goodbye."

Seeing Yu Lin turn to leave, Dragon Lord hurried forward, opened his mouth and bit his sleeve, pulling him back:

"A true man cannot say he's afraid of pain."

"If you succeed, I'll give you a tremendous benefit!"

"Alright?"

Yu Lin heard that, then smiled and said, "Fine."

"Then I'll give it a try."

In fact, he had already wanted to try, just calculating whether he could reap something more from Dragon Lord.............

He gathered his thoughts.

Yu Lin arrived at the Cauldron, raised his hand and pressed it.

Yu Lin's palm just touched the cold Bronze Cauldron surface, and the world before his eyes suddenly warped.

The cave, Dragon Lord... all vanished like smoke.

In their place was a scorching forge of cauldrons.

—The furnace spewed flames, the crimson molten copper churned like lava.

A towering man stood with his back to him, his bare torso rippling with muscle, sweat glittering like gold in the firelight. He wielded a massive hammer; each strike made the ground tremble, sparks flying where the hammer fell, and the outline of the Bronze Cauldron gradually took shape in the flames.

Da Yu.

Yu Lin felt a jolt in his heart.

This ancient Holy King lacked the legendary awe that made him unapproachable; instead, he seemed like an ordinary blacksmith, yet his resolve was as weighty as mountains and rivers.

"Clang—!"

The final hammer fell, the Cauldron hummed, sounding like a dragon's roar.

Da Yu straightened up, wiped his sweat, then suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the Cauldron.

"Done!"

In an instant, Golden Light shot upward!

The once lifeless Bronze Cauldron trembled violently, its mountain-and-river patterns writhing like living things, and the reliefs of birds and beasts all lifted their heads and roared.

The Cauldron's ears transformed into dragon shapes, its legs sprouted sharp claws, and the whole Cauldron resembled a sleeping giant beast awakening at this moment!

Even more astonishing—within the Cauldron's belly, a dragon silhouette spiraled out, scales and claws flashing, unmistakably the Dragon Lord Yu Lin had just seen!

"It's done!" Da Yu laughed heartily, his voice like a great bell.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he abruptly turned his head—

His gaze, like lightning, pierced Yu Lin!

A stare that spanned thousands of years.

Yu Lin's whole body froze, as if a primeval giant beast had fixed its eyes on him, his breath even halted.

But the next second, Da Yu grinned, showing a set of white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of roguishness:

"Yu Lin, take the Cauldron."

Da Yu pointed at Yu Lin, and the Bronze Cauldron instantly transformed into a beam of Golden Light that flew toward him!

Boom—!

In an instant, Yu Lin only felt an indescribable great power surge into his body, as if the weight of all the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces pressed upon his soul.

His consciousness was stretched to the brink of bursting, his vision went blank, and all he heard was the rumble of blood surging!

"Uh."

He tried to roar, but no sound came out.

The world is collapsing, time is twisting.

Yu Lin felt himself falling into a void of Chaos, his consciousness drifting like floating duckweed, directionless, endless.

He didn't know how long had passed.........

"Kid! Kid! Wake up!"

The voice of the Dragon Elder seemed to come from far away, gradually becoming clear.

"I didn't expect Lao Yu to actually approve you; that's even more surprising than Cauldron approving you!"

"It's simply a Miracle!"