130: Great Wilderness Bloodline

The vast marsh stretched endlessly, the water's surface shimmering as it reflected the sky's light and the shadows of clouds.

Countless small, silver-bright fish occasionally darted out of the water, drawing brief arcs before splashing back with a 'plop', sending out ripples.

His Divine Sense spread downward like invisible ripples. Beneath the deep water was another world entirely: massive shadows patrolled silently, and lurking aquatic beasts launched sudden attacks, kicking up clouds of murky mud. The Law of the jungle played out silently and cruelly in these depths.

Having finished a decade-long session of secluded cultivation and emerged from his retreat, Gao De was in no hurry to summon his subordinates, nor did he immediately go searching for targets to test the gains from his seclusion.

He needed a little time for his mind, which had been immersed in cultivation and Bloodline transformation for so long, to readjust to the aura of this vast world.

With a thought, he did not manifest his massive Jiaoren form. Instead, he maintained his Half-Jiaoren form and restrained the vast majority of his Demonic Qi. Like an ordinary member of the aquatic race, he silently left the core area of the Flower Burial Plain's hive.

He chose to head north.

At the northern shore of the Flower Burial Plain, the water gradually deepened, its color turning as black as ink.

Further north lay waters that connected to the true depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh—waters that were even more unfamiliar and possessed a more primal, wild nature.

That was a place he had not yet set foot in, and one he still needed to treat with caution.

His figure moved leisurely through the water, not fast, but with the composure of one inspecting their own territory.

He glided past a dense patch of aquatic grass, startling several Spirit-Glow Fish that were nibbling on leaves; he passed by an underwater hill of jagged rocks, sensing several bursts of Demonic Qi equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage warily retracting into the depths of their caves; he also saw a flock of Iron-Beaked Ghost-Head Ducks frolicking on the distant surface, seemingly unaware of this 'neighbor' passing by with a hidden aura.

A fresh breeze brushed over the water, bringing moist vapor and the fragrance of vegetation, as well as the faint, powerful Demonic Qi and the strange scent of unknown spiritual plants wafting from the deeper waters ahead.

Gao De took a deep breath, as if exhaling the stagnation of ten years of seclusion.

His vertical pupils, like Purple Lightning, calmly scanned this territory that belonged to him yet connected to infinite unknowns. The thoughts in his mind, which had been somewhat sluggish due to the long retreat, gradually became active and clear again.

This inspection was both a relaxation and a re-confirmation of the edges and frontiers of his territory. The path to dragon transformation was long, and it naturally required a balance of tension and release.

Continuing north, the landscape began to change. It was no longer flat water or plains, but a wondrous sight where mountains and water met.

Towering peaks rose like the backs of giant beasts, stubbornly protruding above the vast surface of the water.

Beneath the mountains were deep valleys completely flooded by the surging waters, turning these peaks that were once on land into isolated islands standing in the water.

Gao De slowed down, his Divine Sense spreading out like a fine net over these underwater valleys.

The underwater valleys beneath each 'isolated island' had formed a relatively independent ecological zone.

He could clearly perceive that a large number of aquatic beasts resided within them.

These aquatic beasts were of various species: there were 'Armored Crocodiles' covered in bone armor and shaped like giant lizards; 'Thousand-Tentacle Monsters' with numerous tentacles, skilled in camouflage and parasitism; and schools of 'Ghost-Face Fish' with sharp fangs... These groups were quite large, ranging in strength from the first to the third rank, and seemed to be flourishing.

However, upon closer observation, Gao De discovered something unusual.

These groups seemed... too 'pure'.

Each valley was basically occupied by only one type of aquatic beast, clearly demarcated from one another with little mixing.

Furthermore, after searching for a long time, he failed to find a single individual whose Bloodline was significantly higher than its kin, whose intelligence had awakened, and who could rule a region—an existence that could be called a 'Leader' or a 'Yao King'.

The strongest were merely individuals who had reached the third rank through instinct and brute force, muddled and only knowing how to hunt and guard their own little patch of land, lacking higher-level wisdom and leadership.

“Strange...”

Gao De hovered in the water, frowning slightly. “With so many groups occupying valleys where Spiritual Qi isn't thin, how can not a single one awaken their intelligence, condense Demonic Power, and truly step onto the path of cultivation?”

This defied common sense.

In the depths of Yunmeng Marsh, Spiritual Qi was denser and Opportunities were more plentiful; logically, it should be easier for powerful Yao creatures to be born.

The scene before him was more like... something, or some kind of Law, was restricting these aquatic beasts from evolving to a higher level? Or perhaps, those individuals with a bit of potential and awakened intelligence were 'harvested' in advance by some force?

This seemingly vibrant, survival-of-the-fittest water region appeared to hide deeper secrets.

Gao De collected his thoughts and did not lightly enter any of the valleys.

He merely patrolled and observed from the outside, firmly memorizing the terrain, the distribution of groups, and that unusual 'absence'.

“It seems the depths of Yunmeng Marsh are even more complex than I imagined.”

He thought to himself. His mindset, which had been somewhat elated due to his Breakthrough, settled down once more, replaced by a more cautious scrutiny.

This inspection was both a relaxation and a re-confirmation of the edges and frontiers of his territory.

With a thought, Gao De's figure moved like lightning, silently diving into a valley occupied by 'Thousand-Tentacle Monsters'.

The strongest Thousand-Tentacle Monster leader in the valley, roughly at the Early Stage of the third rank, was waving its countless tentacles to drive away other creatures that dared to approach its nest.

It sensed the unfathomable yet restrained pressure from Gao De and instinctively let out a threatening hiss, its numerous tentacles rising like venomous snakes.

Gao De didn't even use a Divine Ability; he merely released a tiny sliver of his Dragon Might Domain.

The massive body of the Thousand-Tentacle Monster leader suddenly stiffened. All its tentacles went limp, and it prostrated itself in the mud, shivering violently, unable to even muster the thought of resistance.

Gao De extended a claw covered in purple scales and lightly touched the head of this Wild Beast.

Pure Demonic Power, carrying a sliver of Divine Sense, probed deep into its Bloodline like the most precise surgical knife, carefully analyzing its Origin.

A moment later, a flash of realization crossed Gao De's eyes, followed by even deeper contemplation.

“So that's how it is...”

In the Bloodline Origin of this Thousand-Tentacle Monster, as well as several other different types of Wild Beasts he had captured along the way, he found a trace of an extremely faint yet exceptionally ancient, stubborn, and... deathly still aura of a primeval Bloodline mark.

This trace of Bloodline was different from any dragon-descendant or potential Yao Race Bloodlines he knew. It was more like something Gao De had encountered before: a remnant of a Great Desolation Remnant Species from a much older era, long since phased out by the world.

This sliver of Great Desolation Bloodline was like a heavy shackle.

It granted these aquatic beasts powerful physical strength and certain unique innate talents adapted to this environment, allowing them to survive, thrive, and flourish here.

But at the same time, this Bloodline also contained a 'muddled' characteristic that was almost like a Law, greatly suppressing the possibility of them awakening their intelligence.

It was as if their path of evolution had been fixed in a certain direction from the very start by this ancient Bloodline—they could only become powerful 'beasts', and it was difficult for them to transform into wise 'Yao'.

“The Bloodline of a Great Desolation Remnant Species... existing so pervasively within the Wild Beasts of these waters...” Gao De withdrew his claw and released the limp Wild Beasts, letting them flee back into the depths of their nests in a panic.

He hovered in the cold water, his gaze sweeping over these isolated mountain-water islands standing like tombstones. A thought gradually became clear: in the distant past, this region was likely a habitat for Great Desolation Remnant Species, or perhaps even... a battlefield or a graveyard! These Wild Beasts were very likely the descendants of those ancient beings, or creatures that had been contaminated and assimilated by their Bloodline.

It was precisely because of this pervasive Great Desolation Bloodline shackle that this strange phenomenon of 'beasts but no Yao' existed.

“This place is not simple.” Gao De murmured to himself. This discovery was of no small significance.

The pervasive presence of the Great Desolation Remnant Species Bloodline meant that deep within these waters, there might be hidden massive secrets related to those ancient beings—perhaps even... remains, Legacies, or some kind of Origin power that had not yet dissipated!

This was both an unimaginable Opportunity and an inevitably accompanied by unknown, massive risks.

How powerful must those Great Desolation Remnant Species have been to leave such a pervasive Bloodline influence that hadn't vanished after so long? And how could their burial grounds be easy places to deal with?

Gao De suppressed the urge to immediately explore deeper. He needed more information and more thorough preparation.

“Time to head back.” He took one last look at this silent yet eerie cluster of isolated mountain-water islands before his figure silently vanished into the water, returning toward the Flower Burial Plain.

This inspection's harvest far exceeded his expectations.

Not only had he relaxed his mind, but he had also discovered a potential major secret.

Next, his priority would be to check on the developments of these past years and then find a way to search through various ancient texts—especially the remnants of the Yunhe Sect—for records concerning the Great Desolation Remnant Species and this specific water region.

Beneath the deep waters of Yunmeng Marsh, the buried history and secrets had already far exceeded his imagination.