Chapter 93: Chapter 66: Three Years (1/6)_1

Translator: 549690339

Observant of the giant turtle’s corpse, sinking like a mountain into the depths, Xu Yang’s expression remained impassive, calm as a still pond. Only the myriad “Water Army” arrayed behind him breathed a collective sigh of relief.

This giant turtle was truly formidable.

Xu Yang had meticulously planned his attack, striking when the turtle once again ventured into the Forbidden Area, brimming with Blackwater Spiritual Energy but not yet burdened, personally leading the various Water Army units in a coordinated assault, seizing every advantage of timing, location, and harmony.

This was the fifteenth year since he had last acted against the giant turtle, and it would also be the last.

After fifteen years of stealth and accumulating strength, he had waited until he could unleash a ferocious and merciless strike, leaving no room for mercy, determined to succeed in one fell swoop.

The giant turtle was thus at a disadvantage.

Even so, its resistance was still astounding. Its numerous feigned life-threatening struggles were mere illusions, for it still harbored hope of escape. In the end, it exerted all its strength in a desperate attempt to break through the encirclement and reach the shore.

Once ashore, it could escape for its life. After all, the majority of Xu Yang’s Water Army were from the Aquatic Clan and lacked the ability to fight on land, whereas this Black Water Mystical Tortoise was amphibious and could survive on land as well.

But if it knew this, how could Xu Yang be unprepared?

He could forego the spoils of war, allowing the giant turtle to perish within the Black Water Forbidden Area, but he would never let the tiger return to the mountain or the dragon to the sea, allowing the turtle to escape and become a thorn in his side, lurking while he slept peacefully.

Therefore, he had long prepared a “Mysterious Department” Water Army.

Mystical, meaning black—this so-called Mysterious Department Water Army was simply an army of Demon Monsters from the Blackwater River.

Unlike the sparse Electro Department, which numbered only a hundred or so, the Mysterious Department Water Army was numerous. All Demon Monsters and even Spirit Monsters with the awakened talent for “water control” had been incorporated into the Mysterious Department Water Army by Xu Yang.

With fifteen years of accumulation, supported by Blackwater Spiritual Energy and cultivation techniques, the size of the Mysterious Department had reached five thousand.

Five thousand Demon Monsters, the Mysterious Department in formation, collectively exercising their power to “control water.” What a sight, what a spectacle!

Half of the Blackwater River would be at their command!

Even though the giant turtle was a unique Alien Beast, a Black Water Mystical Tortoise, how could it contend with five thousand Mysterious Department Water Army soldiers with their combined power?

The Mysterious Department, controlling the water, layered interception after interception, staunchly blockading the giant turtle in the Blackwater River, fundamentally denying it any opportunity to break free and rush onto land.

Finally, after adding Xu Yang and the forces of the Electro Department, intense fighting raged for three days. Life and death struggles ensued, until the giant turtle was worn down to its death.

The Mysterious Department Water Army suffered heavy casualties as a result.

Members of the Electro Department were also completely exhausted.

Even Xu Yang, this “Dragon King,” had expended considerable Yuan Qi.

But these sacrifices, these losses, they were all worth it.

From now on, in the Blackwater River, Xu’s Green Fish would reign supreme!

Xu Yang flicked his tail and emerged like a dragon beside the giant turtle’s corpse, beginning to savor this hard-won victory.

As for the Black Water Forbidden Area… there was no rush to explore.

Because he had been exploring it for a long time already.

In those fifteen years, not only the giant turtle was exploring the Forbidden Area; Xu Yang was too, absorbing Blackwater Spiritual Energy and enhancing his own strength.

Thus, both parties had explored for more than a decade, yet nothing was found, and to this day, no trace of the Divine Mansion had been seen. Perhaps the giant turtle had lied, and there was no Divine Mansion at all?

Xu Yang did not think so.

The giant turtle had proven with its life that it firmly believed such a Mansion existed within the Forbidden Area.

The various phenomena of the Black Water also indicated that within the Forbidden Area, there must be something divine and mystical, even if it wasn’t the divine seal of the Divine Mansion, some other treasures were present.

The reason they had not found any clues for so long was most likely one of two possibilities: either the Forbidden Area was too vast, and the exploration was insufficient, or internal Formations were causing confusion and isolation.

In this regard, Xu Yang didn’t have a good solution, only the most straightforward approach to breaking it down.

Endure!

The Forbidden Area is wide and unfathomable?

Then explore bit by bit, one day it will all be clear.

Internal Formations causing obstructions?

Then erode it little by little, not believing the Formation’s power will not diminish.

Even if the power doesn’t diminish, Xu Yang could still absorb Blackwater Spiritual Energy, continuously enhancing his power. As long as his strength surpassed the level of the Formation, he would naturally be able to overcome the obstacles of the Formation and locate the Divine Mansion.

Not to mention he had subordinates, various departments of the Water Army,
myriads of Demon Monsters, all of whom could grow with the aid of Blackwater Spiritual Energy and join him in exploring the Forbidden Area and searching for the Divine Mansion.

Many hands make light work, and the same goes for many fish.

Therefore, one word—endure!

Leave it to time, and it will solve all difficulties.

Of course, that’s provided you live long enough; otherwise, as it solves all things, it will also solve you.

In this regard, Xu Yang was quite confident.

In the Blackwater River, the Green Fish persisted and wore down all resistance.

Quietly accumulating, quietly exploring.

On the other side, in the real world…

“Twenty years as fish and dragon, three years lying amongst yellow millet dreams!”

“The great dream must finally awaken, and it is I who truly am!”

Xu Yang opened his eyes, sat up, and stretched his limbs, with a sound like the roaring of tigers and leopards.

“Three years!”

The era of the Great Tang had ended, and he had drifted into the Black Water Realm in his dreams, making it more than three years now.

Three years was neither long nor short.

But a lot can change, perhaps even a transformation as drastic as the heavens turning and the earth overturning.

Xu Yang got up, washed himself clean, and then as usual went outside.

“Screech!! ! ”

A cry pierced the sky, and a daunting shadow descended, completely covering Xu Yang.

Turning his head, he followed the sound and saw a golden eagle with wings wide enough to span more than three yards, its feathers as tough as steel. Only its sharp talons and beak shone with a brilliant golden light, their hooked shape chilling to behold.

“Screech!”

Following the golden eagle, many fierce birds arrived, the largest of which were a cormorant and a peacock.

The cormorant and peacock, along with the many fierce birds, closely followed the golden eagle, landing around Xu Yang.

“Screech! ”

The golden eagle landed, crying out once more. In a somewhat comical fashion, it shuffled its claws closer to Xu Yang, rubbed its large head against his shoulder, and then settled down beside him, staring at him with eager eyes.

If it had a tail, it probably would have spiraled into the air. Xu Yang shook his head in response, “Not today, some other time.”

“Screech…’

The golden eagle let out a pitiful cry but dared not persist, resigning itself to sit obediently.

Xu Yang paid it no mind and picked up two large wooden buckets to collect the fish and shrimp from the basket traps and net cages.

After moving back and forth, he filled ten large buckets and added five bags of rice and one bag of White Jade Rice before today’s bird feed was ready.

“It’s a good thing I only have to feed them every ten days, three meals a month. If it were every day, who could keep up?

Watching the golden eagle and the flock of voracious birds feast, Xu Yang shook his head, wondering if he should hire some people to help out on the island or continue using Enlightening Transmutation to create worker Spirit Monsters.

As for the former… better not, too many people bring trouble, and it’s not very secure, especially since he has to enter his dreams.

The latter is an option, though he’ll have to wait a bit longer.

Although he had transferred over the cultivation skills for the Green Fish, and could now also transmute Alien beasts and bestow them with Spirit Wisdom, this transmutation came at a cost. It required the consumption of abilities such as strength, Spiritual Energy, and Qi Blood.

Currently, Xu Yang had neither Spiritual Energy nor Qi Blood to spare and could only consume his own physical strength.

Although it was only his reserves being depleted, not the limit of his abilities, recovery still required significant time.

He was on the verge of breakthrough, poised to step into the Condensing Spirit realm, and could not afford any damage.

Therefore, he had to refuse the golden eagle’s earlier request for transmutation.

After feeding the eagles, Xu Yang carried several large bags of rice to the lakeside “net cage farming base.”

The net cages were arranged neatly in rows, clearly delineated!

Xu Yang poured the regular rice mixed with fodder into the net cages for the regular fish breeds.

“Gurgle gurgle!”

As the feed hit the water, the surface bubbled with activity as a swirling mass of fish surged forth, clamoring for the food.

Xu Yang observed for a moment and then, with a motion of his hand, urged his True Qi to draw out several evolved big fish from the cages, relocating them to a separate area.

Next, he turned and picked up the last bag, emptying it to release grains of White Jade Rice, full and gleaming like pearls, into the lake.

“Plop plop plop!”

Once the White Jade Rice was in the water, the lake immediately erupted with activity. Exotic fish of all kinds surfaced, each vying to snag the grains of rice.

“Not bad!”

Gazing upon the dazzling array of precious exotic fish in the water, Xu Yang nodded in satisfaction.

Having acquired abilities such as “Spirit Beast Transmutation” and “Dragon King’s Command” after sending back the cultivation techniques for the Green Fish, he then decided to focus his farming efforts on fish.

Although Dongting Lake couldn’t compare with the favorably-endowed Blackwater River, which was suffused with Blackwater Spiritual Qi, Xu Yang had still managed to breed numerous exotic fish over the years with his farming skills and food supply. Some had even reached the level of “Spirit Monsters.”

Now, Xu Yang quickly channeled his True Qi, pulling a Spirit Monster-tiered big Green Fish from the lake.

This would be his main meal for the day.

He tossed the Green Fish into one of the net cages as a reserve food supply.

Afterward, Xu Yang turned and headed into the field to begin harvesting this season’s ripe White Jade Rice.

That’s right, White Jade Rice. After three years of “superior breeding,” all the rice cultivated on the island was now White Jade Rice. The ordinary rice he had just used to feed the fish was leftover stock that would be gone once all used up.

Xu Yang not only ate White Jade Rice himself but also used it to feed the birds and fish.

Such was the result of his three years of diligent farming.

The island was small, and arable land was limited, but leveraging his “agricultural” skill, Xu Yang still managed to reap bountiful harvests. A harvest cycle of one month yielded over a thousand pounds of White Jade
Rice.

And there was more than just White Jade Rice—there were the superior variants, Yellow Jade Rice!

The grains of White Jade Rice were plump like pearls, rich in nutritive Essence, and eating them could enhance one’s Qi Blood.

Yellow Jade Rice grains, though smaller and less plump, contained a unique force that could slightly augment one’s Divine Soul with consumption.

To Xu Yang, its value far surpassed that of White Jade Rice.

Unfortunately, it was scarce!

The few fields on the island would yield over a thousand pounds of White Jade Rice from this harvest, but less than ten pounds of Yellow Jade Rice were not even enough to satisfy Xu Yang’s personal needs.

If there had been ample supply, using it to nourish the Alien beasts, along with his farming skills and Enlightening Transmutation, would have produced remarkable effects.

Alas, such extravagance wasn’t possible at this stage.

After harvesting the rice fields, Xu Yang visited the herb fields, checking for pests and diseases before departing.

Was that the end?

Not quite!

Xu Yang took another bucket of fish and shrimp, along with a bag of White Jade Rice, to another part of the farming base.

“Eat up, I’ll need your help later.”

Smiling at the tranquil lake, he poured a whole bucket of fish and shrimp and a large bag of White Jade Rice into it.

“Crackle crackle!”

The water’s surface roiled with action as electric currents sparked, and several golden Electric eels led hundreds of their smaller kin to feast on the meal.