Chapter 337 - 336: Fishing for Treasures

Above the Capital City, a ripple from a Secret Realm blossomed from the direction of the Imperial City, blanketing the heavens and earth. In an instant, the tokens of more than two hundred thousand people vibrated, answering its call.

This was power at the level of the Harmonization Realm. They could alter the entrances and exits of a Secret Realm, just as the Netherworld had now moved the entrance to this Great Secret Realm to the Capital City.

Furthermore, for beings at their level, traversing a Great Realm was a matter of a single thought, accomplished by expending a portion of their Spirit Charm. Their comprehension of the Laws of the Spatial Realm had already reached a very high state.

Enveloping two hundred thousand people at once was also not a difficult task.

SWISH...

Holding Snow’s hand, Jiang Qiu suddenly felt a surging aura sweep through his body. The disguise concealing his Realm shattered, and it felt as though all his secrets were being laid bare.

It was the probe of a Harmonization Realm expert!

’My Dao Entry Realm cultivation is impossible to hide,’ Jiang Qiu’s expression shifted slightly, though he didn’t panic. ’But this level of cultivation is still too insignificant in the context of the entire Great Realm to be worth mentioning.’

’As for my Dragon Race bloodline, as long as I don’t intentionally reveal it, who could possibly detect it?’

’If I just stay low-key, maybe I can use the time in the Great Secret Realm to cultivate, capture the Dragon Spirit Fish, and help Snow break through to the Dao Entry Realm.’

With this thought, his vision flashed white and his hand tightened. He and Snow had vanished from the tavern in the Capital City. When he opened his eyes again, an endless night shrouded the heavens and earth. As far as the eye could see, the ocean was boundless, its surface placid and still.

Standing on the shore, Jiang Qiu was lost in a daze. His eyes darted left and right. Everything he saw was strangely mystical.

In this world, the sky was a perpetual night, the sea was boundless, and the air was filled with what looked like fireflies made of water vapor, illuminating everything like stars.

The world was always dim, as was the seawater, which clearly reflected the vista above.

Behind him, a forest of trees stood tall. They all resembled bamboo, rising section by section, with long, slender branches and leaves.

"Wow, Senior Brother, you’ve become a Soul Body too!" Snow circled him, her Dragon Eyes sparkling with endless fascination.

"Huh?"

Finally coming to his senses, Jiang Qiu sized up his own form. He was now a Soul Body. He couldn’t feel the traits of his Dragon Body, but he still retained the appearance of his physical form and even possessed some of its same functions.

This state of existence was very similar to Snow’s.

’My physical body has been sealed away in the void. Is this the Law of this Great Secret Realm?’ After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Qiu began to understand. He looked up at the sky. ’Every Great Realm is enveloped by the void. My body is probably adrift out there right now.’

’When I first crossed into the Northern Boundary, my body also drifted in the void. The only difference was that the Laws of the Northern Boundary could directly create a brand new body for me to survive in.’

’But it’s different now. My body is just gone, and my soul has nothing to anchor it. Still, existing as a Soul Body doesn’t seem to have any adverse effects. This world must be specifically designed to accommodate them.’

BUZZ—

With a single thought, he scanned the area. There were no other Cultivators who had arrived with him for miles around. He felt no fluctuations of life, as if this were a Death Realm.

Thankfully, the Yin Net was still accessible. Cultivators from the Yin Yang Great Realm were already chatting excitedly about their experiences: "Holy crap! This world is incredible! We show up directly as Soul Bodies! A stone tablet here says there are tons of Treasures of Heaven and Earth for nourishing the soul!"

"This is amazing! Isn’t this place basically a paradise for us Cultivators from the Yin Yang Great Realm?!"

"Paradise, my ass! I landed in some mountains. It looked like it used to be a valley that produced Treasures of Heaven and Earth, but everything inside has already withered away. There’s no Spirit Charm at all."

"Exactly. Haven’t you all noticed? There’s no other type of Spirit Charm here. There’s only this lifeless Nether Dark Spirit Charm, and I don’t dare absorb it..."

"What a bunch of Peeping Dao Realm cowards. I’m a Dao Entry Realm prodigy! I’ll absorb some to show you guys... (User has disconnected)"

"This is bizarre, truly bizarre. What are we even supposed to do here? There are no native creatures. Are we expected to figure out the rules of this place on our own?"

The chatter on the Yin Net was endless. After watching for a while, Jiang Qiu managed to glean a few useful pieces of information. He could confirm that everyone had been scattered into different areas. He was likely on an island, but not necessarily the same one as others.

A Fusion Realm expert speculated that finding the Dragon Spirit Fish was likely the key to clearing this trial, with the hope of receiving an inheritance or some other great fortuitous encounter.

As for where the Dragon Spirit Fish could be found...

"Senior Brother, there’s a stone tablet over here!"

Hearing Snow’s distant shout, Jiang Qiu’s eyes widened. He hurried over and saw that there was, indeed, a moss-covered stone tablet set in the earth.

The script was entirely in Ancient Inscriptions. Fortunately, as someone capable of setting up Advanced Arrays, Jiang Qiu could read it: "With the soul as bait, fish the great waters, and a Dragon Spirit Fish will eventually take the hook..."

It described how to acquire a Dragon Spirit Fish. The description wasn’t very detailed; it read more like the hasty, final words of a dying person.

Just then, he checked the Yin Net again, where a new, popular message had appeared. It was from the Half-Step Fusion Realm expert known as the Elder: "Everyone, I’ve found a stone tablet. It says this Dragon Spirit Realm was once a world with incredibly abundant Spirit Charm. Unfortunately, it suffered a great calamity. A piece of a True Dragon’s body is buried here, which caused all the Spirit Charm to wither."

"However, this also gave birth to the Dragon Spirit Fish, as well as some special spiritual creatures. If you wish to obtain a Dragon Spirit Fish, or even glimpse the legendary body of the True Dragon, you must prepare a fishing rod and fish in these great waters..."

"Holy crap, that Senior is amazing! He can actually read the tablet?! That’s supposed to be difficult, obscure Ancient Inscription!"

"You’re kidding me, fishing? All the living things here are dead, and we came here to go fishing?!"

"What’s so bad about it? If it was a free-for-all to snatch treasures, we’d stand no chance against those peak Harmonization Realm experts. What kind of high standards are there for fishing?"

"I doubt it’s that easy..."

Fishing?

’So, the treasures of this world are obtained by fishing. But what am I supposed to fish with? I don’t even have a rod.’

"Senior Brother, I found an old fishing rod! It’s still usable!"

Snow’s crisp voice rang out again. Jiang Qiu stared blankly for a moment, then turned to look. Several kilometers away, the Dragon Maiden, now the size of a sesame seed in the distance, was hopping up and down. Beside her was the faint outline of a fishing platform.

It was also on the coast. The fishing platform didn’t look very large, just big enough for one person to sit on. Fortunately, since the sea was perfectly calm with no crashing waves, the platform hadn’t been destroyed.

He rushed over. A closer look revealed it was indeed a crude fishing platform built from bamboo, complete with a simple bamboo chair. The fishing rod, which should have been resting on the ground, was now in Snow’s hands. She swung it back and forth, looking quite playful.

’Hm... ever since we arrived in this Dragon Spirit Secret Realm, Snow hasn’t been so clingy. But she keeps finding things that my own senses can’t detect.’