Cangming fought his way all the way back to Hanhai Dragon Palace.
The surrounding sea area was unrecognizable. Countless corpses and wreckage floated above the seabed.
There were the shattered shells of shrimp soldiers, the severed claws of crab generals, and the torn tail fins of merfolk warriors.
Some corpses still held their combat stances, weapons gripped tightly in their hands, though the light had long since faded from their eyes.
The black spots crawled over these dead husks like mold, even beginning to aggregate and wriggle upon the bodies, sprouting flesh buds.
"Again..."
Cangming's eyes twitched. With a swing of his halberd, water blades sliced through like wheels, hacking several black-spot monsters that had just crawled out of the corpses into fragments.
The monsters turned into black water and sank into the silt of the seabed.
They were endless.
Cangming's heart grew heavier.
How long had it been since he left the Eastern Region?
From coming out of seclusion to attend the banquet to his return, only a few days had passed, yet the Eastern Region had fallen to such a state.
Shanhe Pass was broken, the defensive lines had collapsed layer by layer, and now even the inner reaches of the Endless Sea, where the Dragon Palace was located, were covered in traces of the black spots.
The remains drifting through the seabed with the undercurrents were all the Dragon Ancestor’s subjects.
They were the clansmen who had cheered at his imperial father’s birthday banquet, shouting long live the Eastern Region.
"Damn it... Damn it all!"
Cangming gritted his teeth, his speed increasing further.
He did not dare to stop, nor did he even dare to look at those familiar corpses a second longer.
The closer he got to the Dragon Palace, the more frequent the signs of battle became.
When he reached the outskirts of the palace, he saw that the entire Hanhai Dragon Palace was currently enveloped in a field of purple poison fire.
The flames burned fiercely in the deep sea; not only were they not extinguished by the seawater, but they even caused the surrounding water to boil and churn.
Any black-spot monsters that approached were instantly rotted upon touching the flames, then dissipated into wisps of black smoke.
Cangming's pupils constricted. Even from a distance, he could feel the terrifying toxins contained within that poison fire.
Even though he had reached the seventh-stage, he would likely lose a layer of skin if he accidentally touched it.
But there was no time to think. Water vapor surged around Cangming, forming a blue barrier to protect his body as he plunged into the sea of fire without hesitation.
Sizzle—
The moment the barrier contacted the flames, a series of corrosive sounds erupted.
The lethal poison seeped in along with the water, and Cangming felt a searing pain on his skin.
The one inside seemed to sense an intruder. A moment later, the flames slowly parted in the middle, opening a gap just wide enough for one person to pass.
Cangming darted inside, turning into a streak of light as he rushed through the passage.
As soon as he entered, the flames behind him closed up again, completely isolating the black-spot monsters outside.
Cangming landed on the plaza in front of the Dragon Palace. Looking back, he saw the flame passage had vanished, and the entire palace was once again tightly wrapped in the sea of purple fire.
Only then did he clearly see the scene inside.
A deep purple, divine bird was standing on a single leg atop the highest eave of the Dragon Palace.
Its body was slender, its feathers shimmering with radiant light, and lethal poison flames flickered at the tip of every plume.
However, that beautiful coat of feathers was currently missing several patches, looking as though they had been forcibly plucked out.
Poison-Wing had its beak wide open, gasping for breath, its chest heaving violently.
Yet every time a black-spot monster attempted to tear through the fire curtain, it forced itself to take a breath and spit out poison fire, immediately mending the gap torn by the monster.
"Damn it, this is exhausting for Lord Bird..."
Poison-Wing cursed inwardly while spitting fire.
Trying to be an Auspicious One like Brother Rat really wasn't fucking easy.
On the plaza below Poison-Wing, the sounds of slaughter reached the heavens.
Cang Che’s silver armor had long been stained black as his halberd danced in his hands.
He led a group of whale guards, stubbornly protecting a large number of low-level sea race members behind him.
Occasionally, a few fish that slipped through the net would pass the poison fire barrier and lunge toward the crowd screaming, only to be swiftly cut down by Cang Che.
"Che'er!"
Cangming strode forward. "How are you?"
"Big Brother?!"
Cang Che was stunned at first, then a burst of ecstatic light erupted in his eyes.
"Big Brother, why are you back!"
He turned around, wanting to grab Cangming's hand, but nearly fell over due to exhaustion.
Cangming caught him, his gaze falling on the empty left sleeve, and his expression instantly turned dark.
"What happened to your arm?!"
Cangming's voice was trembling.
Cang Che glanced at his empty left shoulder following his brother's gaze, then casually wiped the blood and filth from his face and grinned.
"Oh, this."
"Three days ago, the Blackwater Trench defense line collapsed. I took the whale guards to cover the retreat and was bitten by a black-spot monster."
"The rot spread too fast for the arm to be saved. I was afraid the black spots would reach my brain along the arm, so I chopped it off myself."
He spoke lightly, but Cangming could imagine the danger at that moment.
How much resolve did it take to cut off one's own arm?
Cang Che shrugged. "Anyway, I can use the halberd with my left hand too. It's no big deal."
Cangming looked at him in silence.
This younger brother of his had been competitive and vain since childhood, caring most about his appearance.
Normally, if he suffered even a minor injury, he would probably hide in the palace and cry for three days and nights.
But now, he spoke of it so casually, even smiling.
Cangming knew he didn't lack care; he just didn't have the time to care.
"Does it hurt?" Cangming asked.
"It hurts," Cang Che nodded honestly. "But I can bear it."
"But it's fine."
Cang Che smiled again, looking up at Poison-Wing on the eaves.
"Lord Primal Phoenix arrived just in time and burned away a massive area of black spots with a mouthful of poison fire. Otherwise, my life would have been forfeit there."
Cangming followed his gaze.
Poison-Wing on the eaves had clearly heard their conversation.
However, it was currently focusing all its strength on maintaining the flames and had no time to be distracted.
It only spared a glance in their direction, gave a "hmpf," and continued to spit poison fire.
One bird cry: thirty percent arrogance, thirty percent disdain, and forty percent pure exhaustion and annoyance.
Cangming: "..."
This Lord Primal Phoenix's temper seemed a bit... special?
Cang Che didn't want to waste more words on the topic of his arm and quickly changed the subject.
"Big Brother, how is things on Lord Dragon Ancestor's side? The struggle for the Golden Buddha... was it won?"
Cangming took a deep breath and nodded, giving a brief summary of the situation in the provincial capital.
"The Lord will definitely win."
"The Golden Buddha is about to descend. Once the false god is slain, the Lord will soon return with the hope of the Eastern Region's revival."
"That's good, that's good..."
Cang Che's tightly strung nerves finally relaxed a little, and his eyes instantly reddened.
"Our Imperial Father's efforts were not in vain. We... we are saved."
He turned to look toward the depths of the Dragon Palace, his tone becoming urgent.
"Big Brother, the black spots in the Endless Sea are being held back for now by me and Lord Primal Phoenix."
"But at the sea eye... the situation is even worse."
Cang Che's voice choked up slightly.
"A few days ago, Imperial Father extracted his heart's blood to force himself out of seclusion, which greatly damaged his vitality. Now, after the earthquake, the black spots erupting from the sea eye are getting more and more intense..."
"Lord Rat sent word that Imperial Father... might not be able to hold on much longer."
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