48: Healing

While Gao De hid within the stone crevice, silently licking his wounds and circulating Demonic Power to repair his damaged right claw and shaken Divine Soul, he did not completely sever his faint connection with the tianji mirror.

Diving a sliver of his mind into it, he immediately discovered that the local and surrounding area forums, which had been somewhat quiet due to the war between the Lin and Zhu families, were once again ignited by a new hot topic!

And the protagonist of this hot topic was precisely that strange depression on the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh from which he had just escaped with his life!

Clearly, besides himself and that team of annihilated Sect Cultivators, others had sensed the abnormal energy eruption there. Some might have even glimpsed the terrifying sight of the Pulao remains manifesting from a distance.

Various posts were popping up like mushrooms after rain:

【Breaking News! Ancient ruins discovered on the edge of Yunmeng Marsh! Suspected Dragon Clan connection!】

【Eyewitness Account: Eerie blue light piercing the sky, soul-stealing strange sounds. A Foundation Establishment team is suspected to be completely wiped out!】

【In-depth Analysis: The energy patterns in that depression are seventy percent similar to the 'Dragon Language Runes' recorded in ancient texts!】

【Seeking a team! Exploring the newly emerged Dragon Clan ruins. Requirement: Late Stage Qi Refining or above, proficient in Formations or Divine Soul defense!】

【Buying any items flowing out from the outskirts of the ruins at high prices, including stone blocks, soil, and water samples!】

The discussion was extremely heated, with all sorts of guesses. Some swore it was the fall site of an ancient water god; others speculated it was the site of a Dragon Palace detached courtyard. Of course, there were also scattered posts mentioning keywords like 'Pulao' and 'frog croaks,' but compared to 'Bai Ze's' sharp deductions, these were vague and lacked supporting evidence.

The annihilation of that team of Cultivators cast a bloody and dangerous veil over the area, but it simultaneously stimulated the greed of more Cultivators and Yao Race members who were confident in their strength or relied on luck.

Gao De even saw a joint statement released by the Green Wave Sect and the Lin Family, declaring they would conduct 'necessary investigation and maintenance' on that area, warning unrelated personnel not to approach. Their words already treated that depression as their own sphere of influence.

"They move fast," Gao De sneered in his heart.

The Green Wave Sect and the Lin Family had just finished digesting the Zhu Family's legacy and immediately reached out for this newly appeared Opportunity.

However, they likely didn't realize the true horror of those Pulao remains. If they rushed in blindly, their end might not be much better than that team of Cultivators.

He also noticed several anonymous posts subtly inquiring if anyone had brought out a 'heavy stone block emitting an eerie blue light' from the ruins.

This gave him a start. It seemed the stone he had picked up on a whim might be more valuable than he imagined.

"I can't show my face for now, nor can I sell this stone," Gao De decided immediately.

Right now, at the height of the storm, the appearance of any item related to those ruins could draw unnecessary attention and trouble.

The Green Wave Sect and the Lin Family were currently in their prime; it wasn't wise to have a direct conflict.

He carefully put away the eerie blue light stone block, placing it alongside the dragon pearl fossil within his Dantian to be nurtured.

The dragon pearl fossil seemed to maintain a faint attraction to this stone. Perhaps with long-term contact, it could extract some beneficial energy from it.

The priority was still healing and increasing his strength.

Although this encounter was dangerous, it also allowed him to see his current shortcomings: when facing the Divine Soul attacks of high-level beings, his defensive means were too singular, mainly relying on the passive interference of Unicorn Law-Breaking and the slight restraint of Subtle Ripple Thunder Light, lacking specialized protective techniques or Magical Artifacts.

If those remains hadn't been in an incomplete state, he might not have even had a chance to escape.

"I need to find a secret technique to strengthen the Divine Soul or defend against Divine Soul attacks." Gao De noted this requirement and began to look for information on related Cultivation Techniques or treasures through the tianji mirror's anonymous channels, in a way that wouldn't cause anyone to connect it back to him.

At the same time, he paid more attention to the cultivation of Subtle Ripple Thunder Light.

The Power of Thunder seemed to have a natural restraint against evil and Divine Souls. If he could strengthen it, he would have more confidence when facing similar situations in the future.

Time passed slowly as Gao De concentrated on healing and keeping a low profile while monitoring the outside world.

The cracks in his claw bones slowly healed under the nourishment of the dragon pearl fossil's pure energy, and his damaged Meridians gradually recovered. He even gained a blessing in disguise; after the stimulation of that extreme exhaustion and life-and-death crisis, he felt his Demonic Power had become more condensed, and his control over his strength had become a bit more refined.

Under the long-term soaking with the dragon pearl fossil, the eerie light on the surface of the stone block seemed to have become more restrained, and the faint Divine Soul power inside became more docile. Occasionally, a sliver would escape, which Gao De would carefully guide to temper his own Divine Soul strength. Although the effect was minuscule, it was consistent.

Discussions about the 'Dragon Clan ruins' were still heated outside, but the Green Wave Sect and the Lin Family seemed to have realized the danger after preliminary exploration. Progress was slow, and no news of substantial gains came out. Instead, news of several groups of treasure hunters who didn't believe in the danger failing there continued to spread, making the area's fearsome reputation grow even stronger.

On this day, Gao De's injuries had finally mostly recovered, and his right claw was no longer a problem.

He was preparing to end his seclusion when Turtle Three Thousand sent a new piece of news through the Water Mansion's communication Formation. It seemed unrelated to the previous ruins, but it made his heart skip a beat.

"My Lord, the spies we arranged near Demon King Fushui's old territory report that things seem to be a bit unstable there recently."

"Oh? Tell me more," Gao De said in a deep voice.

"It's said that those few third-rank turtle grandsons left behind by Demon King Fushui seem to be having internal disputes.

It seems to be over the control of certain 'permissions' or treasure vaults left behind after the Demon King's departure.

One of the more hot-tempered Turtle Young Lords even had a conflict with another a few days ago, affecting many aquatic tribes."

Demon King Fushui's old territory? Internal disputes?

A flash of light crossed Gao De's eyes.

Demon King Fushui had occupied the bottom of Dongting Lake for a thousand years. Although he was gone, the foundation he left behind was definitely not to be underestimated.

Those 'permissions' and treasure vaults likely included the entrance to the Dragon Palace Ruins he might have discovered!

Now that they were in-fighting, wouldn't that mean... A bold thought rose in Gao De's heart.

Perhaps, before delving into the peril-filled Yunmeng Great Marsh, he could first find a way to get clues about the possible Dragon Palace Ruins at the bottom of Dongting Lake from these incompetent descendants of Demon King Fushui?

This was far safer than trying his luck at the edge of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, and it was more targeted.

"Continue to monitor closely. Focus on the specific content of their disputes, and... if any Turtle Young Lord seems easier to deal with, or is in a more desperate situation," Gao De instructed, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman wins.

This ancient proverb seemed to apply regardless of the world.

His gaze once again turned toward the depths of Dongting Lake. This time, the target was directly aimed at the legacy left by Demon King Fushui.