Chapter 451 - 22: Clan and the Water God’s Divine Soul

Of course, they hadn’t changed their forms—they had only survived because of the water. The Earth People, however, weren’t so lucky. Despite living upon the land, they couldn’t endure the transition of the Era simply by burying themselves in the soil.

"...I will do it well."

Elias fell silent for a moment at Su Zhou’s words. He then nodded slightly and said with determination, "Protecting the people of Naisel City is my duty!"

"You people of this world really have a strong sense of responsibility... Then again, that makes sense. Without that sense of duty, the Shelter Cities could never have survived for a thousand years in this apocalypse."

After this brief moment of reflection, Su Zhou bid Elias farewell and headed into the Maze.

Previously, a number of adventurers and citizens had taken refuge in the Maze. But the Water God, searching for its Divine Hall, had unleashed the waters of the three lakes, flooding the entire complex... Their fates, naturally, were not pleasant. The vast majority drowned in the torrential flood, and the few who survived now suffered from severe aquaphobia, recuperating in the city.

With such a casual act, nearly ten thousand lives had been snuffed out. The thought spurred Su Zhou to move faster. The massive Wingless Dragon tore through the atmosphere at subsonic speed.

Having advanced to the Commander Tier and transformed into his True Body, Su Zhou’s physical strength was thousands of times greater than before. However, moving at supersonic speeds was simply too draining. After all, his strength had increased, but so had his body and mass. Not even the Great Cycle of Heaven and Earth Wind Armor could propel a behemoth weighing several thousand tons to fly at the supersonic speed of a rocket. Subsonic cruising was the absolute limit for this form.

But even this was terrifyingly fast. In this form, practically no missile could get an accurate lock on Su Zhou. He could fly out of the blast radius long before any projectile could hit him. Meanwhile, an ordinary large-scale artillery barrage was hardly worth mentioning against his Dragon Scales. In contrast, a single blast of his Breath could destroy a skyscraper. A full-powered Breath, like the one he used in his clash with the Water God, could flatten an entire small town with a single sweep.

Short of a full-on nuclear strike, there were no longer any weapons on Earth that could kill the current Su Zhou. This truly lived up to the Commander Tier’s reputation in Tartadis as a well-deserved ’Near-God Power’.

Su Zhou descended into the Maze, following the familiar path with ease. Partway through, he took out the Water God’s Evil Soul.

It was a magnificent, dreamlike object, so beautiful it seemed unreal—a true work of art. One half was as dark as the murky sea in the dead of night, while the other was as brilliant as sunlit waves. A sea of light and a tide of darkness cycled in endless alternation.

Su Zhou silently gazed at the Evil Soul. A moment later, he began to ponder how he should use the spoils left behind by this powerful enemy.

’First, the Heart of the Ocean Current. It grants the power to control water. A weapon with this Attaching Spirit would deal massive Water Element damage with every strike and inflict various negative effects like ’Suffocation,’ ’Slow,’ ’Freeze,’ and ’Loss of Water Element Control.’ But I don’t need this Attaching Spirit. It’s redundant with my own Water Control Ability, and besides, I don’t have a weapon to use right now.’

’Then there’s the Nine Seas·Torrential Wave Scepter. This Soul Weapon represents the Water God’s Authority over the Power of Water. Wielding this scepter in the ocean, one could use its Orbit to summon colossal, destructive tidal waves. It can create hurricanes and torrential rains that blanket the heavens and earth, or even form a massive whirlpool capable of swallowing an entire aircraft carrier fleet. On Earth, this would be a strategic-level weather weapon. Still, there’s something a bit... off about it.’

’And the legacy of the Power of Water God is likely the Water God’s personal Cultivation Technique... Ugh, it’s tempting, but I already have the Mingxun Dragon Transformation Technique. Both are Water Attribute, but the Water God’s Cultivation Technique might not accommodate a human form as well as the Mingxun Dragon Transformation Technique does... And that’s not even mentioning that I think, at their peak, the Celestial Pool Dragon King is stronger than the Water God. Besides, this thing clearly isn’t a very versatile Cultivation Technique.’

Su Zhou weighed his options and came to a conclusion: simply devouring it to greatly increase his affinity for Water Spiritual Power and enhance the effects of ’Water Assistance’ was in his best interest. ’I already have the Mingxun Dragon Transformation Technique, which can control wind and rain. Water Assistance will help me accelerate my Cultivation of this technique. In the mid-to-late game, that will completely replace the need for this Attaching Spirit, Soul Weapon, and legacy, yielding a much greater return.’

As for the early game, to be honest, his own abilities couldn’t compare. But that was normal. It was like a late-game carry getting dominated by a support spamming abilities in the early game.

Right now, however, Su Zhou’s biggest concern was a potential battle against the Wind God or an incarnation of the Silent Lord. Against either of them, controlling water currents would be largely useless. This world wasn’t exactly filled with lakes and oceans; a Shelter City like Naisel, surrounded by three lakes, was a rare exception.

Having made his choice, he didn’t hesitate. Su Zhou tossed it directly into his mouth. His enormous dragon maw closed, and his sharp teeth ground together.

GULP. He swallowed it.

The Water God’s Evil Soul tasted like an ice-cold soda on a summer day. It was hard to pinpoint the exact flavor—it was simply cool, refreshing, and accompanied by a tingling, stimulating sensation. If he had to make a comparison, it was a bit like iced ginger ale. It dissolved into pure, refined Spiritual Power that permeated Su Zhou’s entire body, greatly enhancing his Talent for all Water Attributes.

As an aside, Su Zhou also ate the Evil Souls of the Water God’s followers he had collected earlier. Compared to the flavor of the Water God’s own Evil Soul, these were rather bland, like weak soda water.

By this time, Su Zhou had already reached the seventh level of the Maze.