Chapter 204: The Mysterious Qinghai
Everyone craned their necks, gazing at the colossal creature that stood at the center of the lake. It was an immense sea serpent, with a body diameter exceeding thirty meters at its thickest point. Its skin bore dark blue-black hues with crimson spots, a testament to its incredible toughness. The area around its neck showed signs of injuries caused by explosives, oozing blood that had tainted the distant lake surface red.
However, these wounds appeared inconsequential on such a colossal creature. It had only exposed its upper body, towering almost skyward, leaving everyone guessing about the true extent of its submerged lower half. Evolved from ancient cobras, sea serpents possessed venom several tens to hundreds of times more potent than king cobras. A sea serpent of this size could potentially poison every living creature in Qinghai Lake.
This was by far the largest creature they had ever encountered. The length of the Qinghai Dragon far exceeded that of the Devil Pine. They couldn’t find anything to compare it to, nor could they aptly describe the profound shock they experienced upon witnessing this superlife.
The Qinghai Dragon stood at the center of Qinghai Lake, at least four to five kilometers away from them. However, that seemingly distant gap could be closed in an instant if it chose to extend its neck down. No one uttered a word, for silence was their best defense. With their diminutive size and the cover of the trees behind them, the Qinghai Dragon might not even notice their presence.
Tang Tingzhi whispered to Cong Xia, “Can you sense anything?”
Cong Xia swallowed hard, “No, it’s too far.”
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“Eblal kp vbl pktdyz pvasdtla?”
“R’x nsdqkaxkdt kv qwavbla.”
“Ls, esd’v tlv vss nzspl vs kv.”
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“Alau olzz, dso…” Ya. Fwd’p osaep olal nwv pbsav obld, fwpv yp vbl qktbvla flv yrrasynble vbl Ckdtbyk Paytsd, vbl nszsppyz nalyvwal pweeldzu srldle kvp xswvb yde qsanlqwzzu lmrlzzle y xyppkhl flv sq oyvla! Mbl qktbvla flv oyp kdpvydvzu ldtwzqle.
Mr. Sun urgently shouted, “Xiao Zhang!”
The fighter jet was hit hard by the water jet, like a toy being thrown about, losing all control. It crashed into a distant forest, carrying several bombs that detonated, causing a massive explosion and shaking the surroundings.
Mr. Sun sighed deeply, lowering his head in sorrow.
The entire event unfolded in a matter of seconds, catching everyone off guard. A fighter jet had been annihilated by the Qinghai Dragon. The billowing smoke in the distance made them acutely aware of the terror posed by this superlife.
After expelling the water, the Qinghai Dragon suddenly swung its body violently. In the far distance, a colossal tail emerged, ruthlessly slapping the lake’s surface. It was using its body to churn the lake! As it did so, numerous large fish leaped out of the water in panic. The Qinghai Dragon opened its mouth and swallowed three large fish, tilting its head back to gulp them down.
“It’s feeding…”
Zhuang Yao said, “After hibernation, snakes are always very hungry. The first thing they do when they wake up is to eat. At this time, their temper can be quite bad.”
Without Zhuang Yao’s explanation, everyone could see that the Qinghai Dragon was in a foul mood. It continued to churn Qinghai Lake, forcing many fish to leap out of the water. Meanwhile, it enjoyed its first meal after hibernation with gusto. What seemed like large fish to them was merely shrimp in the Qinghai Dragon’s eyes. They were all swallowed up, creating chaos in the process. In the limited space of Qinghai Lake, the competition among these fish, all of them oversized, was intense.
Cheng Tianbi said, “Let’s take action. Once it’s full, it will either deal with us or go back to sleep.”
Rong Lan nodded, “Let’s move.”
Mr. Sun said, “Rong Lan, while this sea snake is busy eating, take Cong Xia with you and go ahead to confirm the location of the Puppet Jade. Only you can fully elementalize. It’s a risky task, but we have no other choice.”
“What about the instruments? Doesn’t the other fighter jet have them?” Rong Lan asked.
“The remaining fighter jet carries a wide-range detector for the Puppet Jade, with an effective range of 700 meters to one kilometer, but it’s not a precision instrument. It can’t accurately pinpoint the location of the Puppet Jade. Bringing it along won’t be of any use. The precision instrument was lost when the other fighter jet crashed.”
Liu Fengyu frowned, “Then go back and get the precision instrument. Is it necessary for Cong Xia to take this risk?”
Tang Tingzhi shook his head, “It’s a four-hour round trip to Xining from here, and we don’t have four hours to spare. We need to launch an attack as soon as possible, or the Qinghai Dragon will either return to the lakebed or retaliate against us. Now is the best opportunity; we can’t afford to miss it.”
Cheng Tianbi added, “I’ll go with you.” He was concerned about Cong Xia, and everyone had witnessed how the fighter jet had crashed.
“No need, with my speed, it won’t be able to catch me,” Rong Lan replied. As he finished speaking, his clothes disappeared, instantly transforming into a beam of light that enveloped Cong Xia. Like an arrow, they flew towards the Qinghai Dragon.
Cong Xia exclaimed loudly. He had never experienced such speed in his life. The surroundings had been completely distorted, and he couldn’t see anything. He only felt a blinding light in front of him, suspended in mid-air, feeling incredibly weightless. His heart was racing at an alarming pace, causing panic, as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat any second.
When he could see the surroundings again, he realized he was standing on something. He looked down, and the “ground” beneath his feet had dark blue patterns. He was startled; he was standing on the head of the Qinghai Dragon!
“Where is the Puppet Jade?” he asked.
Cong Xia looked around the surrounding golden light. “I can sense it; the Puppet Jade is nearby, underneath, somewhere on the Qinghai Dragon’s head.”
“Somewhere on the head? Its head is so massive, and the Puppet Jade is the size of a fingernail. You need to be more precise.” Rong Lan wrapped him up again, and Cong Xia’s body continued to descend. A gigantic golden glass sphere flashed before him. When he realized it was the eye of the Qinghai Dragon, he was terrified.
“Can you feel it? Hurry!”
“It’s nearby, right in the front, here on its face.”
The Qinghai Dragon stood still for half a second, then suddenly opened its mouth and lunged toward Cong Xia.
Cong Xia’s eyes widened; the massive mouth blocked out the entire sky, and he couldn’t see anything other than the complex structures inside the Qinghai Dragon’s mouth. A strong fishy smell overwhelmed him. The Qinghai Dragon’s crimson tongue shot out, and its mouth was filled with scales and fins left over from devouring fish. The entire oral cavity resembled a brutal battlefield, a bloody tomb. At the same moment the Qinghai Dragon opened its mouth, Cong Xia felt a strong energy fluctuation from the Puppet Jade!
Rong Lan accelerated, pulling Cong Xia several meters away, narrowly escaping the fate of being swallowed by the Qinghai Dragon. The Qinghai Dragon repeated its previous move, forcefully spewing a pile of partially digested fish carcasses from its mouth. This time, it wasn’t water but a mixture of fish remains that gushed out. The several-ton pile of fish surged towards them, and due to the vast area, Rong Lan had nowhere to hide. He formed a hand to cover Cong Xia’s eyes and then emitted a brilliant light. Between them and the Qinghai Dragon appeared a cross-shaped laser beam. It started tiny and expanded rapidly. When it collided with the fish remains, it had grown a hundredfold, splitting the large mass of fish carcasses into four parts. Simultaneously, the Qinghai Dragon shut its eyes.
This heart-pounding scene left the onlookers on the shore in suspense.
Having dodged the attack, Cong Xia felt a quarter of Rong Lan’s energy vanish instantly. He didn’t have time to dwell on it and shouted, “The Puppet Jade is in its mouth, right inside its mouth!”
Rong Lan exclaimed, “Are you sure?”
“Positive!”
Rong Lan muttered, “Of all places, it had to be in its mouth…” He wrapped up Cong Xia and hurriedly flew back towards the shore.
The Qinghai Dragon extended its neck to chase them, but when its neck reached the shoreline, it hesitated and stopped in its tracks.
The two of them returned to the shore, and Rong Lan used his powers to reshape his clothes. He gently placed Cong Xia on the ground. At that moment, Cong Xia felt like his brain had been stirred into a haze, and he vomited violently.
Rong Lan looked at him and said, “I tried to control the speed as much as I could.”
Cong Xia coughed and replied weakly, “Control… “
Mr. Sun interjected, “Rong Lan did control the speed. If he had gone at full speed, you would have died long ago, and all your facial features would have either shifted or detached from your body. It would have been a gruesome sight.”
Cheng Tianbi helped Cong Xia up and gave him some water. He patted his back and asked, “Feeling better?”
Cong Xia’s face was pale, and he said, “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.” He trembled as he continued, “The Puppet Jade is in the Qinghai Dragon’s mouth, but its mouth is massive. I couldn’t get any closer for a more precise location.”
Zhuang Yao glanced at the Qinghai Dragon in the distance. It was still devouring voraciously, seemingly trying to make up for months of energy loss. Regardless of whether it would attack them after getting full, they couldn’t afford to let it go. He said, “So, it means you’ll have to enter its mouth to retrieve the fingernail-sized Puppet Jade.”
Cong Xia was taken aback and lowered his head in silence. After a while, he spoke in a low voice, “Alright.”
Cheng Tianbi clenched his fists, holding back his words. Reason told him that Cong Xia had to take this risk, even though he vehemently opposed it. To complete the mission, he couldn’t interfere.
Zhuang Yao looked at Cheng Tianbi and said, “We’ll distract the Qinghai Dragon. Cheng Tianbi, you’re responsible for taking Cong Xia into the Qinghai Dragon’s mouth.”
Rong Lan suggested, “Let me do it.”
Mr. Sun shook his head and said, “Zhuang Yao’s arrangement makes sense. I had you take Cong Xia earlier because of your speed and ability to evade attacks. However, to enter the Qinghai Dragon’s mouth unnoticed, Cheng Tianbi is more suitable. A snake’s eyes are sensitive to bright light, especially when they’ve spent a long time in the dark depths of the lake. Wind, on the other hand, is invisible and colorless. With the entire team’s attention, you can enter stealthily.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded and said, “I will ensure his safe entry.”
Mr. Sun continued, “I’m deploying the operational plan now. You two should prepare. I’ll give you the signal when we have fully captured its attention.”
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia replied in unison, “Understood.”
In addition to the natural force-evolved individuals, Rong Lan and Tang Tingzhi each selected twelve unique beings capable of flight. This included Song Qi, who had wanted to bring the parrot, but the parrot took one look at the Qinghai Dragon and screeched before running away, much to Song Qi’s chagrin.
The Qinghai Dragon’s feeding speed was gradually slowing down, indicating it was nearing satiety. Animals are least alert when they are about to be full, making it the best time to act.
Zhuang Yao reminded Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia, “The sea snake has strong venom hidden in its teeth. You must be extremely cautious. If it attempts to swallow or dive into the water, you must leave immediately. Once it takes you underwater, your chances of survival will be slim.”
“Understood.”
Mr. Sun discussed the operational plan with the team and then said, “Let’s stick to this deployment and move out. Everyone, be vigilant. Once they obtain the Puppet Jade, you must retreat immediately. There’s no need to fight it to the death. It won’t come ashore to attack us. There’s no reason to engage it in a life-and-death struggle, understand? If it really comes down to it, Rong Lan, Xiao Shen, you two are our last resort. I don’t know what the consequences of your cooperation might be, so it’s better not to try it lightly.”
Rong Lan and Shen Changze exchanged a glance, and everyone nodded in agreement.
Rong Lan transformed into a golden light and swiftly charged towards the Qinghai Dragon. Shen Changze and Al spread their wings and flew towards the lake’s edge. Yao Qianjiang sat in a small boat, and Wu Yu sat atop the Lin Dao. They took off with over a dozen beings capable of aerial combat. Song Qi cast a strand of silk from his fingertips, which wound around the boat’s, and he flew along.
Cheng Tianbi held Cong Xia’s hand and flew in the opposite direction.
The Qinghai Dragon noticed the approaching team and ceased its feeding. Its massive golden snake eyes fixed malevolently on them.
Rong Lan was the first to reach the Qinghai Dragon, emitting intense light straight into the dragon’s eyes. It hissed and once again closed its eyes. In the air, Rong Lan again drew a cross-shaped laser beam, hitting the Qinghai Dragon’s head. The Qinghai Dragon, agile as it was, couldn’t dodge it due to its massive size. It was hit again, infuriating it. The Qinghai Lake became chaotic, and its violent body movements created waves. Countless large fish jumped out of the water, their mouths open, trying to devour the people flying over them.
The laser beam struck the Qinghai Dragon accurately, causing a cross-shaped wound on its body. The wound was larger than a person, tearing through its tough skin and flesh. However, due to its massive size, the wound didn’t have a significant impact on the dragon. The intense pain further enraged it. It opened its enormous mouth and spat out a long, red tongue-like organ. This organ flew at incredible speed, and Rong Lan barely avoided it. However, the others couldn’t react quickly enough. The tongue shot straight at Wu Yu.
Wu Yu shouted and erected an ice wall in front of him. The tongue struck the ice wall with a loud bang, shattering it. Then, propelled by inertia, Wu Yu and Lin Dao were slapped into the water. As soon as he hit the water, Wu Yu froze a large area, preventing the Qinghai Dragon’s tongue from reaching him. He didn’t dare linger and immediately climbed back onto the Lin Dao’s back. A large fish lunged at him, and he threw a massive ice spear into its mouth.
Shen Changze continuously threw large fireballs toward the Qinghai Dragon and gradually approached it, attempting to climb onto its body. Al cleared the area around them of the large water creatures that kept leaping out of the water. Although these creatures posed no real threat to the natural force evolved individuals, they hindered their attacks.
Rong Lan released the cross-shaped laser beam again. Despite the Qinghai Dragon’s agility, its massive size made it unable to dodge. It was hit once more, causing it to fly into a rage. It thrashed its body violently, creating tumultuous waves on the lake. Countless creatures leaped out of the water, and the Qinghai Dragon’s stomach contents, mixed with its venom, were hurled toward Rong Lan.
Rong Lan had already moved away and Yao Qianjiang who was next to him couldn’t move fast enough. As the barrage of debris and venom approached, Yao Qianjiang swiftly drew water from the lake, creating a massive water wall like a majestic waterfall. The chaotic debris and venom slammed into the water wall, but not all of it was blocked. Some of the toxic materials, mixed with venom, were heading toward Yao Qianjiang. If he got hit by that venom, it would be life-threatening.
Rong Lan had moved farther away and had to turn back to rescue Yao Qianjiang. Wu Yu reached Yao Qianjiang first and grabbed his arm. Both of them released powerful water energy. The energy was so strong that Rong Lan was amazed. In front of them, the enormous water wall froze, trapping the debris and venom within it. The ice even spread toward the lake and covered the Qinghai Dragon’s body, forcing it to retreat.
Zhuang Yao shouted, “Conserve your energy! Cheng Tianbi, Cong Xia, now’s the time!”
Cheng Tianbi transformed half of his body into wind elements and wrapped Cong Xia within it. Quietly, they flew from behind the Qinghai Dragon, trying to find an opportunity to enter its mouth. The Qinghai Dragon’s attention was entirely absorbed by the ice wall, and it didn’t notice a tiny human flying toward it.
In front of the Qinghai Dragon, four naturally evolved individuals were doing their best to attack it. The Qinghai Dragon was too massive; many powerful attacks could easily level a street but couldn’t deal a fatal blow to it. Its blood dyed Qinghai Lake red, and the venom it spewed had already killed two mutants and numerous fish. The team was nearly exhausted from dodging its attacks.
Rong Lan shouted, “Protect me so I can create an opportunity for them!”
“Okay.”
Rong Lan gritted his teeth and said, “Everyone, close your eyes.” A golden light once again flew towards the Qinghai Dragon, gradually becoming brighter until it exceeded the range of what animal eyes could withstand. Even the people on the shore, more than a kilometer away, couldn’t bear it and turned their heads. Rong Lan yelled, “I can’t hold on much longer, hurry up!”
Cheng Tianbi closed his eyes, relying on memory to find the direction. When the Qinghai Dragon closed its eyes and screamed with its mouth wide open, he plunged into the dragon’s mouth.
Rong Lan’s light faded as he flew to the top of the Qinghai Dragon’s head, revealing his human form. He looked exhausted and pale, indicating that he had expended too much energy and couldn’t perform such an attack again. He took the opportunity to rest.
After Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia entered the Qinghai Dragon’s mouth, their first sensation was the urge to vomit. It was incredibly foul, a mixture of blood and fishy odor, far worse than the scent of the Corpse King Flower from Lui Fengyu. At least they were accustomed to Lui Fengyu’s scent, and they had never experienced it in such a relatively confined space before. Whenever the Qinghai Dragon closed its mouth, it felt no different from being trapped in a stinky tank.
Beneath their feet was the soft oral cavity, and beside them were sharp, poisonous teeth. They carefully avoided the dragon’s tongue and moved inward along the oral cavity wall.
Cong Xia took out a flashlight and, despite feeling nauseous, swept the area, saying, “It’s over there; let’s go check it out.”
At this moment, the Qinghai Dragon twisted its body once more, opened its mouth, and screamed. Both of them lost their balance and fell into the bloody water, soaking half of their bodies. The worst part was that they heard a loud gurgling sound from the Qinghai Dragon’s stomach. They knew the dragon was preparing for the next attack, which was to vomit.
Both of them had grim expressions. Cheng Tianbi picked up Cong Xia and pressed him against the oral cavity wall. “Don’t worry, hold on tight and don’t move.”
Cong Xia nodded, trembling, and said, “We’re not far from the Puppet Jade.”
Just then, the Qinghai Dragon violently twisted its body again, opened its mouth, and both of them felt pressure coming from deep within the oral cavity. Shortly after, a stench ten times stronger than before hit their noses. Cong Xia almost lost it. The Qinghai Dragon opened its mouth, and light filtered in. They watched in horror as a large mass of fish corpses mixed with stomach acid gushed from deep within the oral cavity.
Cheng Tianbi firmly held Cong Xia against the oral cavity wall, using his own body to shield him. At the same time, he created a wind barrier around them. The force generated by the surge of food was tremendous. Fortunately, they were huddled in a corner; otherwise, they would have been swept away with the nauseating mess. Even so, they still endured a tremendous impact and were pushed toward the Qinghai Dragon’s teeth. Cheng Tianbi held Cong Xia tightly, enveloping both of them in the wind barrier. Additionally, their energy armor protected them, so they weren’t injured. However, they were covered in vomit and couldn’t get up for a while.
After this episode of vomiting finally passed, they didn’t know how the people outside were faring after the attack. However, they knew it was far from pleasant for them. Cheng Tianbi helped Cong Xia, who had been knocked unconscious, to his feet. “Quick, let’s find the Puppet Jade before it vomits again.”
The two of them hurriedly made their way toward the Puppet Jade’s location.
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