Chapter 307. The Dragon Palace in the Midst of the Water (1)

Chi Shuishui was surprised at seeing Zhou Xuchuan, and then she laughed.

How foolish!

Water immersion arts allowed one to exert their strength on top of the sea, but one's true strength would increase significantly below the waters.

Moreover, no matter how great a martial artist Zhou Xuchuan was, it would be difficult for him to exert his full strength underwater, meaning that the gap between their strength would be quite wide.

I'll make you regret coming to our territory!

Chi Shuishui's eyes lit up as she went on the offensive.

Swoosh!

The way she swam, moving her lower body as if she were flicking her tail, was reminiscent of a shark that had found its prey.

Appearing in front of Zhou Xuchuan in an instant, Chi Shuishui swung her right leg with all her might.

Thoom.

All movement underwater was limited due to water resistance. One's speed and strength would decrease, which was the key reason martial artists were significantly weaker beneath the waves.

However, water immersion arts allowed one to partially ignore water resistance through one's qi. Thus, practitioners of water immersion arts could exert their full strength underwater.

Boom!

An ascendent-grade water immersion art went one step further, allowing one to ignore water resistance and make use of the water pressure to increase one's power.

The Water Dragon Tail's Kick of the South Sea Dragon Gate was like that as well.

Chi Shuishui's kick, which seemed as though it wouldn't have any strength or speed due to water resistance, produced tremendous power as it fell on Zhou Xuchuan.

Chi Shuishui had no doubt that Zhou Xuchuan would be hit by her right leg and fall, but...

What...?!

Her right leg split through the air as if she were fumbling around.

Arrogance is another name for a formless poison.

Zhou Xuchuan twisted to avoid Chi Shuishui's kick, and his eyes gleamed as he stared at her.

The fifth stage of the Water Man Art wasn't as strong as the Water Dragon Tail's Kick. Although he had cultivated a water immersion art of his own, there were still limits.

Had it not been for his high cultivation base, he wouldn't have been able to display strength at the peak of the Harmony Realm beneath the surface.

The gap between the Harmony Realm and the Coruscant Realm was as vast as the gap between Transcendent Realm Experts and Harmony Realm Masters.

Heup!

Zhou Xuchuan swung his sword while his figure was still twisted from dodging the oncoming attack. He used his Water Man Art to minimize water resistance and increase the strength of his attack.

The force surrounding the blade of the sword cut through the water and thrust toward Chi Shuishui's side.

"...!"

Chi Shuishui bit her lips and moved her left leg. Before she could even think, her body reacted to the crisis, making her move pretty fast.

Swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh!

Chi Shuishui didn't swing her legs as hard as before. She bobbed up and down as if an earthquake had occurred in the water.

Swoosh, Swoosh, Swoosh!

The intrigue of underwater combat wasn't only about one's martial arts. The art of strategy was involved as well, utilizing the terrain, or rather, the currents. On land, kicking hard would only create wind, but it was a completely different story underwater.

The currents and water pressure were rapidly becoming chaotic. The steady flow of water began to swirl all over the place, causing changes in the sea.

They had fallen into a whirlpool.

The tangled currents of water struck at Zhou Xuchuan's sword from all directions. His blade, which had been drawing a single line through the waves, trembled for a moment. Amidst the opening, Chi Shuishui surrendered to the currents to quickly retreat to the rear.

Hmph!

Chi Shuishui didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to admit that she found herself in a crisis, underwater, of all places. No, she couldn't admit it. However, she had to admit it. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to win.

Come together!

Swoosh!

A hundred South Sea Dragon Gate warriors moved at once. It was like watching a school of fish.

Amidst the whirlpool made of people, Zhou Xuchuan raised his unceasing qi, his reserves widening like the ocean.

I have to move first, so I won't get caught up in them.

People could never defeat nature. However, sometimes, people could make

use

of nature. The hundred South Sea Dragon Gate warriors were doing just that. Their attack, which was creating an ocean current, made Zhou Xuchuan feel worried.

Although the attack couldn't control the entire sea, it was still amazing to be able to control a part of the sea.

Zhou Xuchuan rode the strong ocean current as if he were gliding on ice before plunging his sword into one of the South Sea Dragon Gate warrior's abdomen.

Gurgle!

The mortally wounded South Sea Dragon Gate warrior couldn't hold his breath anymore as bubbles foamed over him.

It's said that they're mermen of the Dragon Palace, but it seems that they're still humans.

They were just martial artists who had mastered a water immersion art.

Zhou Xuchuan raised his head slightly and saw the ninety-nine remaining South Sea Dragon Gate warriors rushing in toward him from all directions with their eyes blazing.

Should I use poison?

A green light glimmered briefly in his left eye.

No. If something goes wrong and that Gan Yezi gets hurt while inside that Dragon Palace or whatever, or if Shengji gets so excited that he ends up falling into the sea, it'll be a disaster. I'll have to put the poison away.

Swish!

The moment he finished his thoughts, a trident came aiming for his neck.

Swoosh!

Zhou Xuchuan twisted, easily dodging the trident. Then, he drew a semicircle with his sword.

Gurgle!!!

The South Sea Dragon Gate warrior groaned in pain as he grabbed at the line of blood drawn on his chest. The trident he was holding in his hand also fell slowly into the depths.

Zhou Xuchuan snatched the trident with his free hand, pulled his arm back, and flexed. His well-trained biceps bulged, and his tendons stood out.

Ha!

While he didn't exhale, he shouted internally as he hurled his left arm forward with all his might, throwing the trident.

Swoosh!

"...!"

Chi Shuishui felt goosebumps all over her. The trident flew in a diagonal line, and it was so fast that she wondered whether it was thrown underwater or not.

As if an explosion had shot it forward, the trident spewed bubbles from the tip of its prongs as it made a beeline for Chi Shuishui's heart while piercing the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors.

It's dangerous...!

Chi Shuishui tried to evade by moving her legs like a tail once again, but it was too late.

Squelch!

Agh!

She desperately twisted to make sure that the trident wouldn't hit her heart, and she ended up getting hit on the left shoulder.

Dragon's Tail!

This bastard dares!

Just who the hell do you think you're throwing a trident at?!

The angry South Sea Dragon Gate warriors thrust their spears at Zhou Xuchuan. More than twenty spears flew toward him from above, below, and on both sides.

So they're gathering here.

Even though there were still a lot of South Sea Dragon Gate warriors left, Zhou Xuchuan didn't even blink. He stared indifferently at them until the spears neared him. As soon as the spears were close enough, he immediately spun on the spot.

Thud, thud, thud!

Twenty trident prongs clashed against each other, but the generated noises weren't the sounds of metal clashing against metal. Actually, the noises sounded dull.

Whew...

The gathered spearheads were entangled like a net. Zhou Xuchuan hung under the net like a bat, bending his knees.

Let's go!

He lifted his heels and pushed off the net made of spears, shooting forward.

He wasn't shooting up; he actually flew down. He brought his arms and legs close to increase his speed as he barreled toward the seabed. The pressure on him increased as he went deeper—about two jins every three zhang.

However, the additional pressure didn't matter whatsoever. He wrapped a defensive qi barrier around himself to eliminate the increased pressure and minimized its effects using the Water Man Art's qi circulation method.

Boom!

Right as the sunlight streaming out from the surface was about to be absorbed by the sea and disappear, he finally arrived at the bottom.

Just what the hell is he doing...?

Chi Shuishui looked down at Zhou Xuchuan, perplexed. Since she couldn't figure out what the swordsman was doing, she was confused.

Wait, there's no way!

What she expected ended up happening...

BOOM!

The seabed that Zhou Xuchuan had landed on was still shaking as the impact of his fall had yet to subside. The deep-sea fish hiding in the darkness were startled and tried to escape down the trench.

Just then, Zhou Xuchuan shot up.

BOOM!

If you want to make use of the sea, then I'll make use of the sea, too.

He blasted qi out of his Yongquan acupoint to bolster his propulsion.

Just like the harpoons Zhuge Shengji had shot out of the pirate ships, he shot through the water, making a long hole in the sea currents.

However, he didn't just shoot up in a straight line. Radiating his qi to the max, he purposefully affected the surrounding environment. Then, he took control over the qi through the qi manipulation technique of the Green Eyes Ten Thousand Poisons Art's Poison Manipulation Art.

Instead of using poison, however, he used pure qi in its place and leveraged the increasing buoyancy. Moreover, instead of moving directly, he pivoted in the middle of his path and spun around, creating a whirlpool as he moved.

He looked like a whale shooting out water; his movements created a pillar of water behind him that swept away the South Sea Dragon Gate warriors nearby.

There's no way a human can exert that much strength!

Chi Shuishui's expression was stained with fear. She couldn't even dare to think of escaping. She felt like she was looking at the feared enemy of the Pulao, the third of the nine sons of the Dragon King from mythology.

It felt like she was looking at the gigantic whale itself.[1]

No matter how large a school of fish was, they were useless in front of a whale.

Its massive body and cavernous mouth would make them helpless.

THRUM!

The calm sea was now engulfed by a storm.

The South Sea Dragon Gate warriors couldn't withstand the thick stream of water rising from underneath, and they were swept away by its waves, soaring away in a great mass.

BOOM!

A thunderous roar echoed, and it sounded like the heavens and the earth were collapsing.

The deafening sound was so loud it shook Chi Shuishui's brain. It wasn't just her brain. The six ships waiting in the nearby waters also screamed as they rocked back and forth in the waves.

"

Urgh!

"

"The Dragon King is angry!"

"It's the Sea God! The Sea God is angry!"

It was the pillar of the ocean.

A water pillar that could only be described as a mountain rose several feet high from below, obscuring everyone's vision.

Seawater fell from the sky like rain, and a seven-colored rainbow spread beautifully in the air. Given the circumstances, however, there was no time for them to look at it leisurely.

"S-someone's falling!"

What fell from the sky wasn't just water. People dropped from the sky, struck the surface, and sank. Obviously, they were the warriors of the South Sea Dragon Gate.

They were so shocked by the rising current from below that they only opened their eyes in midair. They flinched in realization, but all they could do was kick in midair.

They couldn't do anything about their situation as they plummeted beneath gravity's influence.

Thud! Thud!

"

Urgh!

"

"

Argh!

"

Considering they had fallen from a height of countless zhang, there was no way that they were okay. It sounded as if they had been hit with not just a mere slap, but by a blunt object. It wasn't just a painful impact; some felt like those who had fallen from such a height had actually ended up dying.

"Shoot!"

The land men were demons.

Twang!

While the waves were rocking the ship, Zhuge Shengji, who had been waiting on board, glared at the falling men and gave an order. In response, Chu Lian and other Gold Will Sword Sect warriors gave the command and rained down harpoons on the enemies.

Gurgle.

Gulp!

Bubbles rose from under the water—no, it wasn't just bubbles, as blood spurted up here and there.

"I-is this really okay?!"

Hua Bisheng looked down at the water and was terrified. He wondered if Zhou Xuchuan had gotten caught up in that chaos.

However, that worry was fleeting, as he was busy holding onto the ship's mast and giving orders in the face of the fierce, swelling waves..

***

Blood flowed from the arm that was punctured by the trident.

To stop the bleeding, Chi Shuishui tore off a piece of cloth from the little clothing she wore and wrapped them around the wound before pressing a few acupoints to stop the bleeding.

Just where the hell did such an outrageous person come from...?!

Chi Shuishui bit her lips and swam away.

Somehow managing to hold on until the end and escape the relentless current that was blowing upward from below, she escaped toward the nearby sea trench without looking back. She couldn't care less even though she knew that she would be criticized for abandoning her subordinates.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She had to return to the Dragon Palace immediately and inform them of the crisis.

Otherwise, they would all be wiped out.

She could have gone to the shore to ask the Dragon's Scale for help, as the Dragon Palace was right next door. In other words, there was no need to go that far.

However, she still decided to swim desperately. She swam for about thirty minutes, and fortunately, she managed to escape.

"Ha... ha..."

As soon as she raised her head above the water, air reached her lungs through her nose and mouth. With a weary mind, she opened her eyes with difficulty, and a cave large enough to accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of people appeared before her.

There was no sunlight, but the ceiling and walls were radiant with countless crystals like stars in the night sky.

"As expected, the Dragon Palace's true identity was just an underwater cave."

"...!" Chi Shuishui trembled and slowly turned her head to find Zhou Xuchuan at the end of her gaze.

1. It's said that the Pulao lets out a roar every time it sees its feared enemy, the giant whale. ☜