Chapter 198: The Mystery of Qinghai
Suddenly, Lord Ming squinted his eyes. Immediately, a tremendously powerful energy swept over them. The energy fluctuation was even greater and more astonishing than the energy generated by their advancements. It pressed down on them so intensely that breathing became almost impossible!
Shen Changze widened his eyes, his complexion changing as his breathing grew rapid. The two stared at each other, feeling the energy boiling within their bodies. It was as if nothing else in the world could resonate more strongly than this. They felt as if they were inherently one.
As the energy retracted, the oppressing feeling vanished without a trace. Unable to contain his curiosity, Cong Xia blurted out, “You can hide energy fluctuations?”
Lord Ming glanced at Cong Xia indifferently, “Why not?”
No wonder there was no energy disturbance when Lord Ming and Shen Changze met. Lord Ming had evolved to the point where he could control his energy fluctuations at will. Apart from elemental transformation, they had discovered another future-evolved ability.
Lord Ming gazed at Shen Changze and sighed, “Indeed, it’s you… Unfortunately, you are too weak.”
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Fbld Ubydtgl alvsavle nszezu, “Ebyv eslp xu pvaldtvb byhl vs es okvb usw?”
Nsae Ykdt’p zkrp nwahle kdvs y pxkzl, “Gqvla yzz, ol pbyal vbl pyxl yvvakcwvl. Zlv, usw rspplpp sdzu vbl pvaldtvb sq y Fvytl 2 Ohszhla. Cwkvl ekpyrrskdvkdt. Ekvb pwnb pvaldtvb, usw eyale vs nsxl vs Ckdtbyk yde lhld bsrl vs scvykd Vwrrlv Kyelp? Rv pllxp zkjl yd shlalpvkxyvksd sq uswa yckzkvklp.”
Hbwydt Zys xsnjle okvb y pxkzl, “Ohld kq usw wpl uswa pvaldtvb vs vbl qwzzlpv, usw’e cyalzu tlv uswa bydep sd sdl sa vos Vwrrlv Kyelp. Tsolhla, ol rspplpp y pwcpvydvkyz yxswdv. Zlv, usw nyd’v lhld pvlr swv sq blal vs vyjl y zssj. Tkekdt yde esxkdyvkdt Ckdtbyk, obyv’p ps kxralppkhl ycswv vbyv?”
Nsae Ykdt’p tygl qzknjlale, “Zswdtpvla, altyaezlpp sq bso xydu Vwrrlv Kyelp usw byhl, vblu osd’v xyvvla vs usw qasx dso sd. Ckdtbyk kp y rzynl sq ds alvwad. Rq usw okpb vs zkhl nsxqsavyczu kd vbkp ‘kdpktdkqknydv Ckdtbyk,’ cl xkdeqwz sq uswa osaep.”
“R esd’v clzklhl vbyv Ckdtbyk kp y rzynl sq ds alvwad. Typ Ckdtbyk plyzle kvplzq sqq?” Hbwydt Zys qlyazlppzu nsdqasdvle bkx, “Ebu es usw pyu vblal’p ds alvwad kd Ckdtbyk? Tyhl usw vakle? Ebyv lmynvzu byp byrrldle kd Ckdtbyk?”
Nsae Ykdt zlydle cynj sd vbl psqy, vssj y pkr sq vly, yde nyzxzu pyke, “Zsw’al dsv osavbu sq jdsokdt vbyv ulv.”
Hbwydt Zys pyke, “El nyxl vs Ckdtbyk vs wdayhlz vbl xupvlaklp blal. Rq usw oydv vs prlde uswa ldvkal zkql blal okvbswv zlyhkdt, vbyv’p uswa nbsknl. Jwv kq usw esd’v oydv vs ekl blal, usw’zz elqkdkvlzu dlle wp.”
Nsae Ykdt zssjle yv vblx yde ypjle, “Slzukdt sd usw? Ebyv xyjlp usw vbkdj ps?”
“We came from outside and possess information entirely different from yours. When you feel helpless, we might not be.”
Lord Ming fell silent for a moment. “While Qinghai doesn’t have a lid, it does have an energy barrier. No matter which direction you walk in, you’ll eventually enter the mist and return to Qinghai. It’s like an infinite loop of a maze. Due to the vastness and low population density, the puzzle remains unsolved.”
“We entered the mist too, in that Spider Forest. Yet, we still arrived in Xining.”
“Indeed, you can come in, but you can’t leave. If you don’t believe it, you can try. My speed is 800 kilometers per hour. In this place, I could leave Qinghai in just ten minutes. Yet, no matter what I do, I can’t get out.” Lord Ming glanced at them. “I want to see what great suggestions you have.”
Tang Tingzhi said, “We lack sufficient information.”
“Mr. Sun said this matter is related to the Puppet Jades.” Lord Ming continued, “You should know Mr. Sun, right?”
“We do.” The Mr. Sun Lord Ming mentioned was the one who might have reached the Fourth Stage as a cerebral-domain Evolver.
“Mr. Sun proposed gathering all the existing Puppet Jades in Qinghai to prevent them from scattering and forming an energy field. Do you want the Puppet Jades? I can tell you, there are five in Qinghai. One with me, one with someone in the west. One at the bottom of Qinghai Lake, and two in Golmud. Bringing these five together is more difficult than leaving Qinghai. Moreover, it’s just a hypothesis.” Lord Ming swept his eyes. “Do you know what’s at the bottom of Qinghai Lake? Or what’s in Golmud? You know nothing, yet you dare to boast about solving the Qinghai mystery. Quite amusing.”
Cong Xia said, “We don’t know. You can tell us. We might be your last chance to leave Qinghai. Instead of mocking us here, are you really not willing to give it a try?”
Lord Ming shook his head with a hint of ambiguity. “I’m not obligated to provide you with any information. In my eyes, you’re too weak, not worthy of cooperation. If you think you’re capable, go and see Qinghai Lake. If you can retrieve a Puppet Jade from the Qinghai Dragon’s grasp, then I’ll reconsider.”
Zhuang Yao sneered, “Arrogant. You’re afraid, aren’t you? You’ve failed so many times that you’re too scared to even attempt it. Don’t forget, Qinghai doesn’t belong to just you. We can also go west.”
Lord Ming’s eyes gleamed coldly. “You’re free to go, but once you head west, you’ll be my enemies. You might not even make it to the west, as I’ll eliminate you all on the way.”
Zhuang Yao sarcastically smiled, “You overestimate your own strength.”
“Feel free to try.” Lord Ming raised an eyebrow. A quick silver streak flashed by a vase on the coffee table, and then the vase was sliced neatly in half at the waist, the cut as smooth as new, as if it had been grazed by a laser. He said, “I hope your necks are sturdier than this vase.”
Tang Tingzhi stood up and said expressionlessly, “Let’s go back.”
Lord Ming smiled lightly. “You’ve come a long way as guests. I’d still be willing to have a meal with you and hear about the outside world.”
Zhuang Yao chuckled. “Lord Ming should go see it for himself. Oh, right, I forgot, you can’t leave.” He shrugged and walked out.
Lord Ming’s gaze followed the footsteps of the group until they disappeared at the door. Meng Qing appeared, “Lord Ming…”
Lord Ming waved his hand. “As expected, they’re after the Puppet Jades. Have you contacted Mr. Sun?”
“We’ve already established contact and will bring him back soon.”
“Good, as soon as possible. I need to see him immediately.”
“Damn, that Lord Ming is so arrogant?” Deng Xiao jumped up upon hearing the description from the others. “I really want to meet him and see how powerful he truly is. He’s just a human after all, why act so pompous?”
“Extremely powerful,” Yao Qianjiang said in a deep voice. “Even if the four of us join forces against him, the outcome isn’t certain.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “There’s always someone better out there. It’s quite normal.”
Shen Changze clenched his fist. “He knows a lot but refuses to tell us. What is he thinking?”
Tang Tingzhi sighed. “Lack of trust aside, he knows we’re here for the Puppet Jades. He probably harbors hostility toward us. The situation in Qinghai is incredibly complex. We’ve only scratched the surface and have a lot more to understand and address.”
Wu Yu asked, “What’s the plan from here?”
Zhuang Yao said, “I think the most urgent thing now is to meet Mr. Sun. He can’t possibly be content staying in Qinghai forever. His understanding of Qinghai and the overall situation must surpass that of Lord Ming. If we can meet him, many of our questions will be answered.”
“But I’ve heard that Mr. Sun’s whereabouts are unpredictable.”
“We’ll send people to gather information and then wait. During this time, we’ll send a few people to Qinghai Lake to take a look. It’s not far from Xining, just over a hundred kilometers away. We’ll see if the demonized Qinghai Lake is truly as terrifying as it seems.”
“Deng Xiao said, ‘I want to go.'”
Xiao Zhou said, “I’m definitely going too.”
“Wu Yu, arrange for Lin Diao to take us there. If anyone else wants to go, make sure not to exceed ten people.”
Wu Yu nodded. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”
Early the next day, Cheng Tianbi, Cong Xia, and Zhuang Yao, along with Yao Qianjiang, Xiao Zhou, Shen Changze, and Shan Ming, a total of seven people, boarded a Lin Diao and flew towards Qinghai Lake.
Qinghai Lake was very close to Xining. On this clear day, they flew for about twenty minutes and could already see the expanse of the emerald green lake from above. Its vastness was truly breathtaking.
As they were getting closer, Cheng Tianbi shouted, “Fly a bit higher, no lower than two hundred meters. I heard that the lake monster often preys on birds in the sky. We should fly higher to catch a glimpse of the Qinghai Dragon’s shadow.”
Xiao Zhou shivered and quickly directed the group of Lin Diao to fly higher.
They finally arrived over Qinghai Lake. As China’s largest saltwater lake, the vast expanse of the jade lake stretched endlessly beneath them. The lake was adorned with pristine white snow at its edges, and its surface acted like a massive mirror, reflecting the entire azure sky above it. It was so beautiful that it left them breathless.
The tranquil appearance of the lake was deceiving, concealing the immense and potentially lethal life that existed beneath its serene surface.
“Look!” Cong Xia shouted, pointing below.
Xiao Zhou ascended a few dozen meters higher. Although they still couldn’t capture the entirety of the lake within their view, they could clearly see a dark shape emerging from the lakebed. This shadow was massive, resembling a large blemish on a mirror. It was circular in shape, as if something was coiled motionless at the bottom of the lake. Despite its stillness, the fact that such a massive black shape had appeared out of nowhere on the lakebed, coupled with the presence of evolved large aquatic creatures, fueled people’s wild speculations. During this season, the legendary “Qinghai Dragon” was likely in hibernation. Regardless, who would have the courage to dive in and test it?
Shan Ming said, “It might be just a rock or the remains of some animal. If there really is a dragon at the bottom of the lake, why hasn’t anyone seen it after two years?”
Zhuang Yao said, “Their argument is that this dark shape didn’t exist before the apocalypse, and it has been appearing and growing larger over time. It fits the characteristics of mutated animals. Plus, most of the people who have seen it have likely died. Few people come to this area, not even birds dare to come here. The fact that no one has seen it isn’t that surprising. Also, due to its coiled shape resembling a snake, they named it the ‘Qinghai Dragon.'”
“What if one day it grows larger than Qinghai Lake itself?”
Zhuang Yao shook his head. “That’s unlikely. Qinghai Lake covers over four thousand square kilometers. Compared to the whole lake, it’s still relatively small. Even the Devil’s Pine wouldn’t amount to much when compared to Qinghai Lake.”
“Is the Puppet Jade really on it?”
“Extremely likely. Otherwise, why would it have grown so large? If the Puppet Jade is on it, that’s a good thing. Otherwise, searching the entire Qinghai Lake would be a massive undertaking. Regardless of how difficult the task is, having a clear goal is a good start.”
Cheng Tianbi asked, “Can you estimate its size?”
Zhuang Yao fell silent for a moment. “We need to get closer to make a more accurate estimate… Firstly, we don’t know what shape it is. If it’s serpentine, it would need to be at least six hundred meters long. If it’s circular, its diameter would be similar to the thickness of the Devil’s Pine trunk, around two kilometers. In its eyes, we’re as tiny as ants. If we could safely dive to the lakebed and get closer, it wouldn’t be difficult. The real challenge is that we can’t descend.”
Shen Changze suggested, “Let’s lower our altitude to get a better look.”
Xiao Zhou guided the Lin Diao to descend a bit, allowing them a clearer view of the dark shape.
Just then, a whirlpool suddenly appeared on the surface of the lake out of nowhere. Zhuang Yao exclaimed, “Fly higher!”
As if in the nick of time, the serene emerald lake was shattered, and water surged into the sky. Riding atop the water surge was a silvery-gray giant fish. It was massive, at least seventy to eighty meters long, and its silver scales reflected the sunlight like mirrors, making it painful to look at. The fish leaped dozens of meters high, opening its enormous mouth. From their angle, they were met with a gaping maw about forty to fifty meters in diameter, its interior alive and quivering. They looked as small as ants inside that gaping mouth, even though the fish didn’t have teeth.
The giant mouth closed rapidly, and during the closing process, it stirred the surrounding air. They were jolted by the wind and waves, with Zhuang Yao nearly tumbling off Xiao Zhou. A rush of salty, fishy air hit their noses as they desperately ascended against the cold wind. They were afraid of being swallowed by the fish. It was an indescribably heart-pounding sensation.
With a tremendous thud, the fish’s mouth closed. They were out of danger, and relief washed over them, leaving them drenched in cold sweat. But before they could catch their breath, the lake’s surface stirred once again. This time, not a giant fish leaped out, but a fish face emerged from the water. It was an unscaled, black fish with an extremely ugly appearance. Its head alone was three or four times larger than the entire silver-scaled fish from before. The giant mouth looked like a universe, with sharp teeth neatly arranged within it, a horrifying sight. The large black fish snapped its jaws shut around the silver-scaled fish. Teeth met flesh, and blood splattered everywhere. The once impressively large silver-scaled fish was now struggling like a shrimp in the jaws of the massive black fish. It was finally dragged into the depths of the lake.
Everything returned to calm, as if the scene had never occurred. The tranquil jade-green lake surface bore no trace of what had just transpired, yet beneath it, countless fierce battles unfolded, an unimaginable spectacle.
The group hovered in the sky, speechless for a long time.
Finally, Cong Xia said with a mournful face, “I’ve heard that there are things in the sea even larger than this.”
Zhuang Yao’s voice quivered slightly, “Of course, no matter how large Qinghai Lake is, it’s still just a lake. The vastness of the sea…”
Shan Ming’s face turned pale. “Damn it, something this big, we’ll need cannons to deal with it. The few of us aren’t even enough to be lodged in its teeth.”
Cheng Tianbi said solemnly, “We absolutely can’t go into the water. We’ll have to find a way to lure the Qinghai Dragon out of the water.”
Shen Changze added, “Right, going into the water is a death sentence. Unless…” He looked at Yao Qianjiang.
Yao Qianjiang raised an eyebrow. “Unless I break through to the third rank and achieve complete elementalization. Otherwise, I’m not going down there, for sure.”
Shan Ming chimed in, “By the time you break through to the third rank, it would be too late.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “It’s coming soon. We’re able to cultivate faster here than outside. At this rate, it’ll take me less than half a year to reach the third rank. And you, you’ll have enough time in a year.”
Zhuang Yao shook his head. “We might not be able to wait that long. Cheng Tianbi is right. We can’t go into the water. But, Your Highness, you don’t need to wait until complete elementalization. Once you’ve elementalized, if the distance your body can separate is more than seventy, no, sixty meters, that’s sufficient. You could place your eyes underwater and help us investigate. I’ve mentioned before, Qinghai Lake isn’t deep. Its deepest point is only seventy-five meters. This shouldn’t take a year, right?”
Yao Qianjiang shook his head. “No, it shouldn’t. I can already achieve half of what you mentioned.”
Zhuang Yao nodded. “Instruments aren’t useful now. People can’t stand by the lake, nor can they be in the air. Aside from personally going to see, there’s currently no effective way to understand the lake’s depths. You are our greatest hope. Focus on cultivation during this time. If a part of your body can go underwater, we’ll definitely find a way to lure the Qinghai Dragon to the surface.”
Yao Qianjiang sighed, looking at the deep and vast lake. Thoughts of the enormous and ferocious aquatic creatures lurking below made him a bit apprehensive. Despite being invisible to those fish after his elementalization, anyone in his place would find it nerve-wracking to pass by those enormous fish.
“Let’s go back, it’s too cold.” Zhuang Yao said.
The Lin Diao birds were eager to return. The sight from earlier had frightened them so much that they were now clamoring to fly in the direction of their departure.
When they returned to the hotel, it happened to be lunchtime. The room was warm, and after their high-altitude flight, their eyelashes were covered in frost. Being enveloped in the warmth of the room helped their hands and feet regain feeling. When they recounted their experience over Qinghai Lake, everyone was shocked.
“Damn, seriously? Such a massive fish?”
“Oh my god, how huge must that Qinghai Dragon be if we could see its shadow from above?”
“How do we steal the Puppet Jade from its mouth? No, what if the Puppet Jade isn’t in its mouth? What if it’s hidden in the mud at the bottom of the lake? How are we going to retrieve it?”
Tang Tingzhi clapped his hands. “Everyone, quiet down and listen to Zhuang Yao’s opinion.”
Zhuang Yao laid out the plan of using Yao Qianjiang’s elementalization ability. “If the Puppet Jade isn’t on the Qinghai Dragon, we’ll need to use instruments to search the over four-thousand-square-kilometer Qinghai Lake. Once we find it, things become simple. We’ll have the Prince go elementalized to retrieve it. If the Puppet Jade is on the Qinghai Dragon, then we’ll have to deal with killing it. Either way, it won’t be easy.”
Al smiled wryly. “Well, at least we’ll gain some experience dealing with marine creatures in the future.”
Deng Xiao licked his lips. “It all sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”
Xiao Zhou laughed and scolded, “You only think about eating. If you had seen that huge fish, you’d have been so scared you’d nearly wet your pants. Still want to eat? It’s probably going to eat you just as easily—no chewing, straight down the hatch.”
Deng Xiao grinned. “Let me teach you a trick. Just imagine it’s food, and you won’t be as scared.”
Xiao Zhou rolled his eyes. “I’d like to see if you’re scared when the time comes.”
Cong Xia said, “Alright, let’s eat quickly. Xiao Deng, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see those big fish, no need to rush.”
Deng Xiao vowed, “I’ll feed Abu a fish bigger than that, let it eat its fill all at once.”
Cong Xia laughed and ruffled his hair.
Zhuang Yao asked Tang Tingzhi, “Did anything happen with Lord Ming earlier today?”
“I found out that he sent someone to look for Mr. Sun. If they find him, he should be back soon. It seems he’s uncertain about what to do either, so he didn’t say much to us. But he didn’t outright refuse us either. Most likely, he’s planning to discuss it with Mr. Sun. This works out well, as we need to meet Mr. Sun.”
Zhuang Yao nodded. “People here say that Mr. Sun isn’t from Bright City. He often goes west. This person might be the only connection between the east and west. I have a feeling his stance will align more with ours.”
“Let’s hope so.”
For a few days, they stayed peacefully within the Bright Wall. During this time, they discreetly gathered information and didn’t make any significant moves. The local neighbors, male and female, old and young, had gradually become accustomed to this group of outsiders accompanied by a large number of mutated creatures. To the locals, since they couldn’t leave anyway, in order to live peacefully here, they wouldn’t do anything out of line. And Ming Zhuang hadn’t harassed them once during this period.
A week after arriving in Xining, they learned that the legendary Mr. Sun had returned. It wasn’t the intelligence personnel who informed them but rather the men, women, and children of Bright Wall, who were spreading the news. Their reverence for Mr. Sun wasn’t any less than their reverence for Lord Ming. When people are in an environment of extreme despair, it’s easy for them to attach themselves to and worship the strong. When this attachment and worship arise within a group, it intensifies these emotions. Over time, they would blindly deify the strong as their spiritual support. Currently, this was the scene within Bright Wall—both Lord Ming and Mr. Sun were their “saviors.”
They waited quietly for Mr. Sun to meet with them. Clearly, his return was for them.
As expected, in the afternoon of the same day, a slightly hunched old man with white-tinged hair visited. The old man appeared to be nearly seventy, yet his spirit was strong. He walked briskly, looking quite healthy.
Beside the old man was Meng Qing, and their identity was evident at a glance.
Cong Xia politely said, “Mr. Sun, I’ve heard so much about you.”
Mr. Sun nodded while scrutinizing them. Finally, he let out a sigh, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
***
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