Chapter 714: Mad Water Epidemic (2)

Next was the matter of finding the optimal balance.

A balance between the consumption of Spiritual Qi and the amount of Floating Power generated.

Lü Zhong didn’t plan to handle this personally. With so many disciples and Elders under him, delegating the task would save a great deal of time and effort.

The smelting of the ore would also be handed over to his Incarnation.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Using cultivators to mine stone was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The mining of the Gravity Silver vein concluded quickly, yielding a total of over a million catties of raw ore. Because the quality of the ore varied, after being smelted by his Incarnation, the final output was just over ten thousand catties of Gravity Silver.

Lü Zhong decided to use this Gravity Silver for the construction of the fortress.

But that was a matter for another time.

For now, even with the blueprints of the Inverted Giant Peak to serve as a reference for the new fortress, Lü Zhong was severely short on manpower. Construction was simply not possible.

Thus, it required long-term planning.

…

Life returned to normal, and Lü Zhong resumed his cultivation.

Day by day, his Magical Power grew, little by little.

During this time, he made a special trip out of seclusion.

Tianwen and Yaoyun had finally gotten together. The two held their wedding ceremony in Tide Cave and became Dao Companions. A little over a month later, Yaoyun became pregnant, making Lü Zhong’s previous prediction come true. He would soon be a grandfather.

After this interlude, Lü Zhong returned to his seclusion.

And so, eight years passed.

On this day, Lü Zhong closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes in his cultivation.

As always, his cultivation was still growing slowly.

Fortunately, it had grown considerably since before he entered seclusion.

Slow wasn’t scary; what was scary was no progress at all, to have his cultivation stagnate completely. As long as his cultivation was still growing, it meant he had a chance of advancing to the Divinity Transformation realm.

A moment later, Lü Zhong arrived before the Kongsang Divine Wood.

Caocao had already finished her communion. Shuini and his wife, Yu Feng’Er, were also there. Judging by the three women’s excited expressions, it was clear Caocao had made a great discovery.

“How did it go?” Lü Zhong asked.

“Master, after communicating with the Divine Wood, I’ve confirmed that if it fuses with the Spirit Tree, it can grow to the Fourth Realm at least. It will also be able to release Spiritual Qi, equivalent to a Tier Four large-scale Spirit Vein.” Su Caocao’s face was etched with deep weariness, but she couldn’t suppress her joyful mood.

“A Tier Four large-scale Spirit Vein… that should be enough,” Lü Zhong said with a nod.

Supplemented with Pills, the cultivation speed of Shuini and the others wouldn’t be any slower than if they were absorbing Tier Five Spiritual Qi. And since it was a large-scale Spirit Vein, his plantation plans wouldn’t be too greatly affected either.

Not to mention the benefits the Kongsang Divine Wood reaching the Fourth Realm would bring to the Mountain and River Map.

“This is a rare win-win situation!” Lü Zhong said with a smiling nod.

“Hahaha, this is all thanks to Caocao,” Yu Feng’Er said, taking Su Caocao’s arm.

Shuini smiled beside them.

…

In the southwest of the Heaven-Suspended Sea, there was a Water Monarch Envoy’s Mansion.

At this moment, the sound of conversation drifted from within the hall.

Centipede sat on the high seat. His frame was already immense, and with two pairs of secondary arms under his ribs, he nearly filled the Water Monarch’s throne. His expression was placid as he shifted his gaze to a figure in the hall—his subordinate, the Demon Shark General.

“Reporting to the Water Monarch, my boys have discovered the tracks of a group of cultivators!” the Demon Shark General said in a droning voice, signaling for a subordinate to present a Memory Shell.

“A group of cultivators? Why not just one…” Centipede was a bit confused.

As a Water Monarch under the Eight Directions Palace, he had naturally heard about the killing of Great Saint Jin Guang’s Grand Commander. He’d heard that Great Saint Jin Guang had flown into a terrible rage over it. But even after begging the old tortoise of Jade Mushroom Palace and paying a hefty price to find the culprit’s whereabouts, he came up with nothing. Instead, the whole affair became a laughingstock in the South Endless Sea.

After watching the contents of the Memory Shell, Centipede waved his hand dismissively.

“Coral Palace is in trouble. What does that have to do with my Eight Directions Palace? Since this group of cultivators isn’t entering the sea, there’s no need to bother with them. Let them do whatever they want in the Heaven-Suspended Sea.”

“Water Monarch, should this matter be reported up…?”

“No need. The Great Saint has been rushing about everywhere recently. As his subordinates, even if we can’t share his burdens, we should at least not disturb him with such trivial matters. By the way, has there been any definitive news about the Mad Water Epidemic over there?” As he spoke of this, Centipede couldn’t help but ask about the follow-up.

The Mad Water Epidemic was rampant; even High-tier Great Demons could fall ill. Ordinary medicines were useless, and once an outbreak occurred, it often affected vast stretches of the sea.

There was no cure for this plague; the only thing to do was help the afflicted find release.

The reason Thunderous Waves Great Saint was so busy was precisely to deal with these epidemics.

“I don’t know either. However, the Sea Patrol Whale Clan did bring some news. They say the Water Palace recently found a way to resolve the Mad Water Epidemic,” the Demon Shark General said in his droning voice.

“Has it been reported to the Great Saint?”

“I only just received the news and haven’t had time yet…” the Demon Shark General hesitated.

“Good! Remember to lock down this information! This Monarch is going to see the Great Saint. If I really manage to gain some benefit from this, I’ll be sure to give you a share when I return.” Centipede beamed, hurriedly descending from his throne. Then, taking long strides, his figure quickly swam out of the Water Monarch Envoy’s Mansion.

…

‘I’m still about eleven or twelve myriad li from the Zhulian Island Group.’

Lü Zhong flew through the sky, calculating his position as he went.

Then, he cast his gaze down at the sea below. The water was stained red, and the surface was covered with the countless corpses of Sea Beasts, among which were not a few mountain-sized figures.

Lü Zhong had seen many such scenes along his journey.

He had originally thought it was just normal slaughter, but now it seemed there was something strange afoot.

He didn’t want to get involved. It was an internal affair of the Water Race, after all; what need was there for an Immortal Cultivator to interfere? Besides, the number of Sea Beasts in the Boundless Sea was astronomical. Even if a million were slaughtered every day, it would be impossible to kill them all. In fact, it would just free up a large amount of living space, giving other Sea Beasts the opportunity to thrive.

In the end, nothing about the Boundless Sea really changed.

Just then, Lü Zhong’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A moment ago, a gaze had fallen upon him. Although it quickly moved away and didn’t seem to carry any malice, it still made him break out in a cold sweat. That was definitely the gaze of a Demon Saint.

No longer daring to travel at a leisurely pace, he immediately transformed into a meteor and fled into the distance.

“Great Saint, what are you looking at?”

Centipede followed Thunderous Waves Great Saint’s gaze and also looked up. But aside from a stretch of blackish, blood-red seawater and a dense, dark mass of corpses, he saw nothing.

“It’s nothing. Just a passing cultivator,” a bare-chested young man with blue hair and jade-green eyes said lightly.

This young man was Thunderous Waves Great Saint. His rise to power was a legendary tale among the Water Race. No one could have imagined that a mere Wave-Flipping Fish—just a common small fry found everywhere in the sea—could break through the limits of its bloodline and ultimately surpass all other demons to become a Great Saint.

“Shouldn’t you be guarding your Water Monarch’s Mansion? What business do you have with me?”

“Yes, Great Saint. I have joyous news to report! There is reliable information that the Water Palace has obtained a way to resolve the Mad Water Epidemic!” Hearing this, Centipede dismissed the thought that the cultivator might be the target Great Saint Jin Guang was looking for and spoke with a wide smile.

“Such a thing exists?” Thunderous Waves Great Saint raised an eyebrow, seeming not to quite believe it.

He was well aware of how terrible the Mad Water Epidemic was.

He had even researched it himself, but all his attempts had ended in failure.

He never expected the Water Palace to be the first to succeed.

“It’s absolutely true. The news came from the Sea Patrol Whale Clan. As you know, Great Saint, their clan has always made a living by passing on information, so they would never dare to spread falsehoods about something so important.” Centipede suppressed his eagerness for a reward and stated the facts.

“If it’s the Sea Patrol Whale Clan, then it has some credibility,” Thunderous Waves Great Saint said with a nod.

Immediately, he looked at Centipede with a smile, took out two glowing Demon Pills, and said, “You’ve worked hard. These two Demon Pills are from the Sea Fear Insect clan. Their ancestors and your Centipede clan share a common origin, so consuming them will be of great benefit to you. You might even be able to advance a tier with their help.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you for the reward, Great Saint!” Centipede was overjoyed.

He had never expected to receive such a great reward for simply delivering a message!

‘This trip was truly worth it!’