Suppression

The North Sea Dragon King, hearing Su Qing's words, finally let go of the apprehension he had been holding onto.

He knew that since Su Qing had said as much, she had truly made up her mind to help him.

Indeed, seeking Su Qing's help was the right decision...

The only slight drawback was that he had done some superfluous things to get Su Qing to help, which had, to some extent, annoyed her.

But even so, she was still willing to lend a hand...

This showed her broad-mindedness.

Compared to her, he seemed like a petty person.

However, this didn't matter. As long as the North Sea's calamity could be resolved and the people living there could live in peace and prosperity, what did it matter if he acted a little petty?

He didn't want to become like the East Sea Dragon King.

Thinking this, the North Sea Dragon King exhaled a deep, turbid breath. After a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke:

"Sovereign Yuanjun must have already noticed, haven't you? The North Sea's water has become incredibly murky and dark, and even the Dragon Palace, within this darkness, is like a weak firefly in the night."

"Yes, I did notice... The North Sea is not the West Sea; its waters are not naturally this inky black. So, what exactly happened here? Senior Dragon King, please explain it directly. I don't want to have to guess about such matters! I need a more accurate description and explanation."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, speaking with a hint of displeasure.

The North Sea Dragon King was slightly taken aback, a look of embarrassment appearing on his face.

However, even after being reprimanded, he dared not argue. He merely cleared his throat and apologized:

"Ahem, my apologies... It is this old man's fault."

"The incident began about half a month ago... One day, half a month ago, an earthquake occurred on the seabed."

"After this earthquake, a rift valley opened up behind the Dragon Palace. Initially, we didn't pay it much mind, as such occurrences are common after undersea earthquakes."

"However, ever since that rift valley appeared, black water has been continuously gushing out of it."

"This black water is exceptionally strange. Not only is it extremely polluting, contaminating a tenth of the seawater in just a few days, but if one is directly entangled by this black water, even a Divine Immortal Realm demon will gradually lose themselves and go mad."

"The most troublesome thing is that after the seawater is polluted by this black water, it also gains a certain ability to affect one's mind."

"As a result, many obedient and well-behaved demon beasts in the sea have gone berserk due to the influence of this black water... beginning to cause chaos in the sea."

"Even many animals that were not originally demon beasts have been affected by it..."

"Alas."

"Furthermore, due to the black water's pollution, the North Sea's celestial phenomena have also gone awry... Sovereign Yuanjun must have witnessed this on your journey here, correct?"

At this point, the Old Dragon King paused slightly, seemingly waiting for Su Qing to ask a question.

But Su Qing merely watched him silently, showing no intention of speaking.

So, he cleared his throat and continued.

"We also tried to suppress the black water... but it was a drop in the bucket; we simply couldn't stop the black water from flowing out."

The Old Dragon King sighed, saying:

"I also reported it to the Heavenly Court, but the Heavenly Court's procedures are always lengthy. And now, the Jade Emperor no longer grants audiences to the various mortal deities except during morning court. Even if I wanted to meet the Jade Emperor directly to explain this matter and ask for his help in suppressing the black water, I am powerless. And if I wait until the morning court to see the Jade Emperor... that would be next year, by which time the North Sea would be unrecognizable. Therefore... this time, I can only rely on you, Sovereign Yuanjun."

The Old Dragon King was actually quite helpless and frustrated with the Heavenly Court's ways...

But no matter how speechless or frustrated he was, he couldn't change anything.

All he could do was try every possible means to find a glimmer of hope.

Su Qing heard this and knew that the Old Dragon King had nothing more to say about the black water...

So she nodded and said, "Although my strength is decent, my foundation is shallow... and there isn't much I can do. You might not be able to rely on me too much! All I can say is that I will do my best. If it truly doesn't work, then you should go to the Western Buddhist Court and ask the Buddha for help."

The Heavenly Court was definitely unreliable for the time being...

After all, the Heavenly Court was extremely busy.

So Su Qing simply directed him to seek help from the Buddha.

Even if he couldn't find the Buddha, finding Guanyin Bodhisattva would most likely solve the problem.

"This old man understands, this old man understands."

The Old Dragon King quickly nodded and said:

"Furthermore, Sovereign Yuanjun, please rest assured that even if you are unable to suppress this black water, this old man will certainly pay you the agreed-upon remuneration."

The Old Dragon King was still somewhat worried that Su Qing held a grudge, so he decided to emphasize the benefits, hoping Su Qing would put more effort into solving the problem.

After all...

Li Shan Lao Mu had told him... Su Qing would most likely be able to solve this problem.

That's right.

When he went to see Li Shan Lao Mu last time.

He wasn't actually asking Li Shan Lao Mu to intercede on his behalf...

Initially, when he went, he was indeed seeking Li Shan Lao Mu's help.

However, Li Shan Lao Mu did not intend to help, and instead, she indirectly recommended Su Qing, indicating that Su Qing would most likely be able to solve his problem.

That's why he immediately changed his tone.

He asked Li Shan Lao Mu to intercede for him, and asked Su Qing for help.

And Li Shan Lao Mu agreed to this quite readily...

And she did indeed help him with this favor.

Su Qing's presence here now was the best proof...

It was just a pity... that he had still done some superfluous things in the end.

Su Qing didn't know what the Old Dragon King was thinking; she merely nodded silently...

Seeing Su Qing remain silent, the Old Dragon King then asked, "By the way, Sovereign Yuanjun... what kind of remuneration do you desire? I was so preoccupied with the black water earlier that I forgot to ask about this."

Su Qing heard this, rubbed her chin, and smiled, saying, "It's actually very simple: I just need you to help me gather Incense Power and develop faith. I don't lack anything; whether it's Dharma treasures or spells, I'm not really short on them. What I lack right now is precisely Incense Power... so, you understand, right?"

Su Qing's words made the Old Dragon King slightly stunned...

This request seemed to be beyond his expectations. He had thought Su Qing would ask for many Dharma treasures or other such things, but he never expected her to ask for the most troublesome item.

Although Incense Power didn't cost money, developing it was always a troublesome affair, especially developing it for someone else.

However, no matter how troublesome this request was, he couldn't refuse now...

Even if it meant being busy for decades after agreeing to this, if it could solve the North Sea's troubles, then it would be worth it.

"This is not a difficult matter... As long as Sovereign Yuanjun needs it, I will certainly give my full support," the North Sea Dragon King nodded and said, "Furthermore, Sovereign Yuanjun can rest assured, I will absolutely not say one thing and do another..."

With that, the Dragon King swore an oath using a secret technique.

Su Qing watched, somewhat bewildered...

This Old Dragon King truly went to great lengths to make her feel at ease helping him!

Su Qing shook her head and said, "Don't worry, I wasn't concerned about that... Since you've gone this far, I naturally believe you."

The Dragon King, hearing this, immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "With Sovereign Yuanjun's words, I am also relieved."

Su Qing chuckled, saying nothing more, but simply stood up, patted her skirt, and said, "Let's go, take me to see what that rift valley is all about... Oh, is the black water still gushing out?"

The North Sea Dragon King nodded and said, "The black water is still gushing out now... If Sovereign Yuanjun were to tour the entire North Sea, you would likely find that the clean seawater of the North Sea is still continuously being polluted."

Su Qing nodded. She had only briefly observed the disaster from the sky earlier and hadn't paid attention to these details... so she was indeed unaware. Now, however, she understood.

"By the way, have you figured out what exactly this black water is?" Su Qing asked as she walked. "If we knew its composition and nature, we might find a way to completely clear it."

The North Sea Dragon King shook his head and said, "We searched through all our ancient texts, but we couldn't figure out what this thing is... Although the Dragon Palace's ancient texts are limited, they are still relatively comprehensive in the mortal world, yet even they couldn't clarify it."

"Is that so? Then it's troublesome... If even you can't figure it out, then I can't possibly tell at a glance. After all, my foundation is relatively shallow... I haven't read so many miscellaneous ancient texts. Therefore, I may not be able to deal with the effects of this black water. At most, I can try to suppress the black water back down to prevent it from gushing out further. As for the lingering effects, you will probably still need to ask the Heavenly Court to send people to deal with them..."

After learning that the Dragon Palace also didn't know the origin and composition of the black water, Su Qing immediately stated the extent of what she could do.

Everything should be made clear before starting.

Lest there be any quibbling over these matters later.

Although Su Qing didn't think this fellow had the guts to quibble with her on this, it was better to clarify in advance just in case.

The Old Dragon King, hearing Su Qing's words, quickly nodded and said, "Sovereign Yuanjun only needs to suppress this black water... As for the rest, Sovereign Yuanjun should do her best. If it cannot be done, this old man dares not ask for more from Sovereign Yuanjun."

Even if the Old Dragon King wasn't a clever man, he knew what to say at such a moment. Moreover, he wasn't foolish; he was a shrewd old fox who had lived for tens of thousands of years, so it was impossible for him to say or do the wrong thing at a time like this.

So Su Qing wasn't surprised by the Old Dragon King's answer at all...

As for the Old Dragon King's true thoughts.

Su Qing didn't care.

She would only do what she could.

The rest was beyond her consideration.

Thus, Su Qing followed the Old Dragon King towards the rift valley.

The rift valley was not far from the Dragon Palace; in just a short while, they had arrived near it.

Under the enhancement of her eye technique, Su Qing saw... countless streams of black water continuously gushing out from the scar-like rift valley.

And at the same time, Su Qing also noticed that the black water seemed to contain some peculiar power, as if it were spiritual energy, or something else entirely...

"Sovereign Yuanjun, do not stare at the black water for too long, nor get too close. This black water has the ability to affect one's mind. Please be careful, Sovereign Yuanjun... Although your strength is great, and this black water may not necessarily affect you, it's better to be safe than sorry."

The Old Dragon King, seeing Su Qing examining the rift valley, kindly offered a reminder.

Su Qing heard this and nodded slightly.

'This black water is truly peculiar... I'll have to ask Taishang Laojun later what exactly this thing is,' Su Qing thought, looking at the black water.

'But how should I suppress this black water? With my magic power, repairing this rift valley wouldn't be difficult... but would that stop the black water from spreading? I probably need the assistance of array formations as well. I just don't know if array formations will work, and if suppressing this black water requires some special operations.'

Su Qing thought, her gaze sweeping over the damaged array formations around the rift valley...

The Old Dragon King and his people had indeed tried to suppress it with array formations... but they had clearly failed.

But looking at these array formations, Su Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. These array formations didn't seem to have simply lost their effect; it was as if something had forcibly destroyed them...

Su Qing turned to the Old Dragon King and asked, "Did anything happen when you set up the array formations to suppress the black water?"

The Old Dragon King, hearing Su Qing's question, pondered for a moment before hastily replying, "The black water's counterattack was fierce... it forcibly destroyed the array formations we set up."

"So, the suppression actually had an effect, but your strength was too weak, which is why it failed?" Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow after hearing this answer.

The Old Dragon King's face flushed with embarrassment, and he nodded awkwardly...

Su Qing had cultivated for only a little over a thousand years, while he had cultivated for over twenty thousand years, yet his achievements were a mere fraction of hers, which was quite embarrassing...

And he was, moreover, the strongest being in the Dragon Palace...

Considering this, the entire Dragon Palace was somewhat disgraced.

However, Su Qing, seeing the Old Dragon King nod, couldn't help but feel relieved.

"You should have said so earlier! That would have made the trouble much smaller..."

Su Qing had originally thought that suppressing this black water would require some incredibly complicated operation!

It turned out, after all that, that the black water wasn't impossible to suppress; it was just that the people suppressing it weren't strong enough...

The Old Dragon King and his people weren't strong enough, but Su Qing's strength was quite good...

No matter how bad, she was still a Heavenly Immortal.

If she were to act to suppress it.

There would basically be no accidents.

She couldn't help but smile to herself, thinking, 'No wonder Li Shan Lao Mu said I would most likely be able to solve this problem... she must have already figured out the situation here long ago.'