Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Dragon-Seeking Manual

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Zhou Qi rose to his full height, his bare upper body displaying well-proportioned muscles, and beneath his jade-like skin lay explosive power. His physical defense and attack capabilities had reached a new level. With his training at a pause, it was time to search for the Dragon Pearl.

Zhou Qi scanned the valley ahead, which was still shrouded in a grayish-white haze, the aura of malevolence intensifying, brimming with destruction and murderous intent. His silken shorts, woven from celestial silkworm threads, were nearly worn to their limit, showing signs of dissolution. He had no choice but to abandon the idea of both traveling and tempering his body simultaneously. Drawing out the Dragon’s Reverse Scale, he began to sprint at full speed.

Half a day passed. At his current pace, he had traveled several thousand kilometers, yet not a trace of the Soul-Burying Sea appeared; instead, he encountered countless skeletal remains that turned to ash at the slightest touch. Though Zhou Qi had entered this place through the valley, the terrain had flattened and opened up, all around looking the same. He no longer distinguished the path behind him, nor did he know where to head next.

During this time, Zhou Qi caught faint, intermittent roars that resembled those of a dragon; yet whenever he concentrated to listen closely, the sounds faded away. According to the great dragon’s words, the range of this malevolent aura should not have extended so far. To truly enter the Dragon-Burying Valley, other secrets might be required.

“Elder, I have reached the bounds of the Dragon-Burying Valley but have not found the Soul-Burying Sea. Please enlighten me,” Zhou Qi said helplessly, summoning the great dragon.

“You actually found the Dragon-Burying Valley,” the dragon rejoiced, its massive head nearly touching Zhou Qi’s own, though only a dragon soul, the overwhelming pressure still made Zhou Qi tense.

“Yes, I have entered the valley, but only endless malevolent energy appears; none of the Soul-Burying Sea you mentioned is visible.”

“You only need to follow the dragon’s aura. Wherever the dragon’s scent is strongest, that is the direction to go,” the dragon said, clearly displeased.

“I cannot sense the dragon’s aura, nor can I smell the dragon’s scent. Though I occasionally hear one or two dragon roars, I cannot tell their origin or distance,” Zhou Qi explained.

“Oh, I forgot you’re human. If you were dragonkin, you would know the way once inside. Fine, I will teach you a method called the Dragon-Seeking Technique,” the dragon said nonchalantly.

“Dragon-Seeking Technique?” Zhou Qi was delighted. “Seek dragon, divide gold, gaze upon entwined mountains; each entanglement is a barrier?”

“What nonsense? My Dragon-Seeking Technique is about sensing a dragon’s aura, a secret to find dragons.”

Zhou Qi was greatly disappointed, having hoped for a shortcut to fortune, only to find this technique was simply for locating dragons.

“Boy, what kind of expression is that? This technique was obtained by defeating a dragon slayer. It was hard-won. If not to help you acquire the Dragon Pearl, I wouldn’t do such a self-sacrificing thing,” the dragon said angrily.

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Zhou Qi was speechless and bowed respectfully. “Please, Elder, grant me the method.”

Seeing this, the dragon ceased its arrogance and transmitted a complex incantation into Zhou Qi’s mind.

After parting with the dragon, Zhou Qi tried silently reciting the incantation. Indeed, a faint sensation arose in his heart: a dragon’s aura lay five kilometers to the front-left. Following this intuition, he found only the same gray-white landscape, no dragon in sight.

He tried again, sensing an aura ten kilometers to the front-right. Upon arriving, there was nothing.

Not giving up, he tried once more and sensed it eight kilometers behind. Again, no dragon appeared when he reached it.

Zhou Qi began to seriously doubt the technique. Could it be like a broken tester pen—wherever you try, it’s the same?

Stopping, he felt as though he was merely going in circles. The dragon slayer who left this behind clearly hadn’t tested its efficacy.

“True Sovereign, what now? This dragon isn’t reliable, giving me this Dragon-Seeking Technique just to circle endlessly,” Zhou Qi called out, awakening the Heavenly Profound True Sovereign.

“Try again,” came the reply.

Following the advice, Zhou Qi still found nothing.

“Interesting,” the True Sovereign said. “Your path is not wrong; it’s a straight line. Your eyes deceive you—this must be a highly skilled illusion. Follow this feeling, and you won’t be mistaken.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qi’s heart steadied. He kept silently reciting the Dragon-Seeking Technique, chasing the aura. After half a day, he felt as if he had broken through an invisible barrier.

The scenery before him transformed drastically: a dark, gloomy sky; a black ocean stretching endlessly, with no sign of the opposite shore. Countless skeletons floated and sank within the sea, creating a grim and eerie atmosphere.

This was the Soul-Burying Sea? A sea that consumed countless lives?

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Zhou Qi approached the water, and a bone-chilling cold swept over him. He tried to channel his spiritual power, but it still could not activate. Without the ability to wield his sword, how could he cross?

Could he swim? But how could so many bones exist in the water? How did the dragonkin cross—by flying or swimming?

Yet the dragonkin’s physiology differed from other races. What they could do might not work for him. To cross the sea, he would need another method.

The black sea was lifeless and still; though called a sea, its water did not flow, resembling a stagnant pool. Zhou Qi extended his hand into the water, feeling a corrosive force emanating from it. Despite his tremendous physical strength, capable of withstanding low-grade spirit artifacts, this water posed a true threat.

He could resist it briefly, but prolonged exposure would surely corrode him. Likely, he would become just another skeleton before reaching the other side. The water was icy cold, freezing even one’s soul; standing at the shore, he already felt the chill. Submerging fully would be even worse.

Zhou Qi took out the Dragon’s Reverse Scale, but the corrosive and freezing sensations did not fade. It seemed he could not rely on it in the malevolent aura as before.

What to do? Zhou Qi pondered, looking at the skeletons floating and sinking in the sea. The True Sovereign remained awake but offered no further guidance. If he were to be guided in everything, then he would be no better than a second Heavenly Profound True Sovereign. Without asking, the True Sovereign chose silence; after all, a child must grow, and fledgling eagles must soar the skies.

I might need a boat impervious to seawater, Zhou Qi thought. A boat?

Impervious to seawater... Zhou Qi glanced at the skeletal remains endlessly floating and sinking. Were these bones not the perfect materials for building a boat? They had persisted here for so many years without decay; a boat made from them would surely cross this sea.

To gather the bones, he would need to swim out. His physical strength could manage this for a short time; bones within a five-li range would suffice to build a small boat. Yet the water’s soul-freezing chill remained a problem.

What about the Fire of Zhou Qi? His eyes brightened. The Fire of Zhou Qi erupted with astonishing range; if it could envelop his soul body, it would be more than enough.