Unsheathed

Chapter 262 (3): A Lone Boat, A Handsome Young Boy

A few days passed, and Osmanthus Island arrived at the fifth scene along its route, the Flood Dragon Trench.

Because the old man had reminded him of this scene once again, Chen Ping'an decided to give himself half a day of rest. After notifying Jin Su about this, the Osmanthus girl arrived at the Guimai courtyard at noon on the day. She told Chen Ping'an that it was time to head down the mountain to enjoy the scene.

Because he was an osmanthus guest of the Fan Clan, there was a special and serene path for him to take down the mountain. There were few people on this path, and Jin Su explained the origin of the Flood Dragon Trench to him as they walked side-by-side.

Many flood dragons and their kin resided in that ocean trench, most of them with impure and mixed bloodlines. The pure-blooded ones among them would use their innate abilities to travel to the several continents on land. They would soar through the skies and manipulate clouds and unleash rain. A return trip would require them to travel on the wind for tens of thousands of kilometers, and when they finally returned to their den, they would be absolutely exhausted.

Eithout the restriction of rules and without commands from a deity, there would often be flood dragons who used their mystical powers to wantonly unleash rain. Such actions would commonly result in disaster. Because of this, flood dragons would often become "evil flood dragons" in the eyes of ordinary people. Thus, they would be relentlessly hunted by local Qi refiners, who sought to both help the mortal people and obtain the flood dragons' bodies, which were natural treasure troves.

Chen Ping'an was startled by this information, and he hurriedly hastened his pace toward the foot of the mountain on Osmanthus Island. He was born in Jewel Small World, and this was where the last True Dragon in the world had been slain. As such, he definitely had to take a look at the true appearance of flood dragons. Could those spiritual beings in the Flood Dragon Trench be considered as descendants or disciples of True Dragons?

It wasn't long before Chen Ping'an arrived at the foot of the mountain. There were numerous small boats moored along the dock of the island, and the boatmen standing in them were all Qi refiners from the Fan Clan who were very familiar with traveling across the Flood Dragon Trench. Osmanthus Island made a guarantee to its passengers that as long as they didn't make loud noises or recklessly disturb the flood dragon kin with their mystical powers, they definitely wouldn't face any danger. Even if there were dangers, the Golden Core Tier cultivators on Osmanthus Island would immediately head over to assist them.

Osmanthus guests didn't need to pay extra to board these small boats. This was fortunate for Chen Ping'an, because he would have been willing to pay even a couple snowflake coins for this experience.

He and Jin Su boarded a small boat, helmed by an elderly man. Chen Ping'an discovered that the old man was holding a three-meter-long bamboo pole in his hand, and there was a column of talismanic symbols engraved on the pole.

Among these talismanic symbols, there were four ancient and worm-like characters that looked like the phrase "concentrate on the task at hand" recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book. The talisman including this phrase was called the Lock Slashing Talisman, an extremely high-level talisman.

The Authentic Death-Avoiding Book told cultivators that traces of blood would ooze from the talisman once it was successfully formed. This was nothing to worry about, and it simply evidenced the talisman reaching a stage of great accomplishment.

Seeing this, Chen Ping'an asked Jin Su about the name of the talisman on the bamboo pole. Jin Su was completely stumped, as if she had never considered this matter before. She went over to ask the boatman, and the old man smiled and replied, "Truth be told, I don't know either! My master couldn't explain it either when he passed the boat and bamboo pole down to me, and I heard that these objects have existed ever since the Fan clan opened this route. We boatmen on Osmanthus Island say that it's a Dragon Beating Pole that can scare away the flood dragon kin in the water. In reality, however, none of us believe this ourselves. Instead, we trust this more..."

The old man grabbed a handful of paper humans and paper horses folded from snow-white foil paper from the bag beside his feet. "If we encounter flood dragons swimming by under our boat, we simply need to grab a handful of these and toss them into the water. The flood dragon kin will quickly disperse afterward, and this has always worked for us.

"If we want to detour around the Flood Dragon Trench, that will add an extra 100,000 kilometers to our journey. Fortunately, the Flood Dragon Trench only looks and feels terrifying on the surface. In reality, however, Osmanthus Island has never had any issues with the flood dragons for the past several hundred years. In other words, there's nothing for you to worry about."

The boatman laughed heartily, and it was clear that he was an honest and frank old man. "In any case, if something untoward were to truly take place, that would genuinely be a catastrophic disaster that even Osmanthus Island would find difficult to flee from, to say nothing of our small boat. There are so many flood dragons and related species present, so just how frightening would it be if they all made waves in unison? If you ask me, I'd say that even a Nascent Tier sword immortal might find it difficult to escape from the flood dragons if they dare to challenge them here."

There was displeasure on Jin Su's face as she grumbled, "There's a guest onboard, so why are you saying such inauspicious things?"

The old boatman blushed with shame and relented, "I'll stop, I'll stop. Please take a seat, Young Master. We'll head over to enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Flood Dragon Trench right away. I guarantee that everything will be safe and sound..."

The Flood Dragon Trench was an ancient ocean trench, and the water was so clear that one could see the bottom of the ocean in many places. It was more than five kilometers wide, and it stretched for thousands of kilometers in length. Flood dragons and their kin lay along this trench, and they came in many sizes and colors. Some were as thin as an arm, while others were as thick as massive tree trunks. It was rumored that the eyes of the largest flood dragons were as large as big boulders.

Scales visibly glimmered under the water, and the sight of this instilled fear in people and scared them into silence. They didn't dare to speak, lest they disturb the flood dragons and bring calamitous wrath upon themselves.

The old boatman suddenly pointed at someplace in the sky. "Look over there, Young Master, that's an exhausted flood dragon returning to the trench after controlling the rain over a piece of land. Oh, it seems like it's quite heavily wounded as well. It was most likely treated as a target by the Qi refiners in Southern Whirl Continent, and they probably pursued it for a long time. Indeed, not every flood dragon is fortunate enough to make it back alive.

"Some of them die while returning, and their corpses often become surprise windfalls for passing intercontinental vessels. However, Osmanthus Island is very kind, and we won't drag the floating corpses of the flood dragons onto the island. Instead, we'll place them on the reef of the island and bring them back to the Flood Dragon Trench..."

Chen Ping'an and Jin Su looked in the direction that the old boatman was pointing in, and they saw a colossal figure plummeting from the sea of clouds and crashing into the sea in the distance. There was a gigantic splash. Fortunately, the exhausted flood dragon had landed several kilometers away from Osmanthus Island, and its violent landing had little effect on the small boats traveling across the sea. The small boats simply rocked back and forth with a bit more vigor.

The small boats slowly drifted forward along the two sides of Osmanthus Island, and they would almost never stray too far from the shore of the island. They would only be one or two kilometers away at most. The seawater was clear, and the numerous small boats were like hovering swords that had stopped in midair. Meanwhile, there were many slumbering and playing flood dragons in the depths of the sea. They appeared like dragons lying coiled on top of mountains, and the sight of this made people forget that they were enjoying this spectacle from the surface of the sea.

Chen Ping'an suddenly furrowed his brow.

He reached back and wrapped his hand around the hilt of a sword in his sword case as he asked in a solemn voice, "Are these flood dragons and their kin considered among mountain and water spirits?"

The old boatman simply regarded this as a naive question from the young boy. The small boat was now a kilometer away from Osmanthus Island, and they were soon going to arrive above the deepest stretch of the Flood Dragon Trench. Looking down, the water was so deep that they couldn't see the bottom anymore. Perhaps the young boy was feeling a little afraid?

The boatman smiled and replied, "In the ancient past, these flood dragons and their kin were regarded as royal beings of heaven and earth. But times have changed, and the situation is also different. You are not wrong; these creatures can only be regarded as some of many mountain and water spirits now."

He chuckled before continuing, "Don't be scared, Young Master. Osmanthus Island is a regular visitor here. According to the genealogical records of the Fan Clan, one of our ancestors even witnessed an intense battle between two Nascent Tier Qi refiners in this area. Even though the Flood Dragon Trench was itching to make a move, in the end, not a single flood dragon leaped out from the water. Thus, the rule that prohibits passengers from making loud noises is actually just Osmanthus Island trying to scare ordinary guests. Since Young Master is an osmanthus guest, I'll stop trying to act mysterious in front of you as well.."

Jin Su shot an annoyed glare at the old boatman. After all, how could he reveal the secrets of the Fan Clan so carelessly?

The old boatman shrank back a little and continued to steer the small boat. From time to time, he would grab a handful of snow-white paper humans and paper horses and toss them into the water. Apart from these, there were also exquisitely crafted paper buildings and paper vehicles.

Then, suddenly, the old boatman's eyes suddenly widened in shock as he gazed somewhere in front of them. "Oh no! Someone's trying to frame Osmanthus Island!"

Aunt Gui flew over to the small boat from Osmanthus Palace atop the mountain at almost the exact same moment. She and the old boatman looked toward the small boat at the very front, and she was clearly fuming. "Someone brought a Dragon King Basket and used it to capture a young flood dragon playing in the shallows!"

The old boatman stood up and asked, "Perhaps Jiang Beihai is purposely exacting revenge? They chose to disembark halfway through the journey, and we ordered Ma Zhi to secretly follow them for ten whole days. However, Ma Zhi didn't discover anything amiss. Or perhaps someone from the Ding Clan is secretly causing trouble? But where would the Ding Clan get a Dragon King Basket? Maybe it's the Fu Clan? The Fu Clan does indeed have a Dragon King Basket, but they don't have any reason to screw us over..."

Aunt Gui shook her head and said, "It's hard to say right now, and the most important thing is to appease the Flood Dragon Trench. Otherwise, if we anger the flood dragons here, even cultivators at the Upper Five Tiers will struggle to help us, no matter how willing they are. They'll also be helpless! The thousands of people on Osmanthus Island... Damn, what should we do? They've already locked their gazes on us! If anyone dares to travel through the sky right now..."

The old boatman's expression became stern, and he immediately ordered, "Everyone, immediately return to the island. Qi refiners on Osmanthus Island, don't rise into the air and leave without permission. Otherwise, the Flood Dragon Trench will view this as an act of provocation. Ma Zhi, please reveal your strength, lest our guests think that we're making a mountain out of a molehill!"

Ma Zhi drew a sword and furiously threw it into the air. The sword was as quick as lightning, and it was definitely quicker than the speed of Golden Core Tier cultivators traveling through the sky. However, the sword only managed to travel a few kilometers from Osmanthus Island before it was forcefully suppressed by a projection of a claw from the sea of clouds. The flying sword instantly shattered in the sky.

Ma Zhi threw another sword through the air, but the outcome was the same.

Aunt Gui turned to Jin Su and Chen Ping'an and said in a gentle voice, "The two of you can return to the Guimai courtyard first. No matter what happens, remember to hold onto the root of the osmanthus tree as if your life depends on it. Only by doing so will you have a sliver of a chance to live."

With a tap of her feet, Jin Su had already left the small boat and drifted back to the dock on Osmanthus Island. She turned around to look back.

The young boy with the sword case was surprisingly still in the small boat, and when he finally returned, there was a bamboo pole in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Jin Su asked.

"Perhaps the Dragon Beating Pole will genuinely be useful," Chen Ping'an replied.

Jin Su glanced at Chen Ping’an as if she were looking at a fool. She then turned around and dashed toward the mountain peak.

In the next instant, it was as if the mountain were collapsing and the earth were shattering as the entire Osmanthus Island suddenly sank more than three hundred meters. No...it wasn't that the island was sinking, but rather that the sea level for a few kilometers around Osmanthus Island was dropping altogether!

Following this sudden change, the Flood Dragon Trench, which had initially been located beneath the surface of the sea immediately appeared like a towering mountain range surrounding a canyon!

All of the flood dragons and their kin trained their eyes on Osmanthus Island. This was the true meaning of surging undercurrents.

Aunt Gui hovered forward and eventually came to a stop in mid-air. Using an ancient-sounding and difficult-to-understand language, she communicated something with a golden flood dragon in the distance. There was a cold expression on the flood dragon's face.

Subduing Demons, the sword that was forged by Sage Ruan Qiong, was already restlessly ringing in the sword case on Chen Ping'an's back.

Based on Ruan Qiong's advice, Chen Ping'an should flee as far away as possible if he came across such powerful beasts. However, where could Chen Ping'an flee right now?

He didn't run to the mountaintop to seek refuge in the Guimai courtyard, nor did he stand still and await death without doing anything.

Chen Ping'an glanced at the bamboo pole in his hand that was still lush green even after all these years. He pondered for a moment, and he decided to sit down cross-legged and rest the bamboo pole across his knees. He used his fingers to forcefully rub away the talismanic symbols that were different from the symbols recorded in the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book.

Relying on his memory, Chen Ping'an then retrieved the Wind and Snow Awl that Li Xisheng had gifted him. When he breathed on the tip of the brush to moisten it, the tip of the brush became vermilion red as if it had been dipped in concentrated ink.

The left-handed young boy smiled and placed the bamboo pole to his left. He then focused his mind and raised his hand.

With the calligraphy brush with the characters "writing as if assisted by the gods," he started to write on the bamboo pole the so-called Lock Slashing Talisman from the Authentic Death-Avoiding Book.

This was called making a last-ditch effort.

If this still didn't work, then he would have no option but to draw Subduing Demons, the sword forged by Sage Ruan Qiong. He would have to emulate the stunning feats from those ancient books, slaying flood dragons like those sword immortals of yore.

Sure enough, traces of blood materialized above the lush green bamboo pole after Chen Ping'an finished engraving the talismanic symbols.

This allowed the young boy to calm down slightly, and he held the bamboo pole in his hand as he leaped toward a lone boat floating on the sea, not moored to the island in time.

Standing in the small boat by himself, Chen Ping'an took a deep breath, then reached out and slapped the two sides of the boat. The small boat shot forward like an arrow.

Chen Ping'an rested the bamboo pole on his shoulder, grabbed the Sword Nurturing Gourd from his waist, and took a swig of wine. At the same time, he silently spoke to himself in his mind. Lock Slashing Talisman... What is it locking, and what is it slashing? It's best that it's ancient sword immortals slashing dragons, and it's best that it's locking dragons like the Iron Lock Well from my hometown. Let's see if it works like that.

Flood dragons and their kin filled the sea surrounding Osmanthus Island. It was clear that a huge calamity was about to befall them, one so severe that even immortals couldn't escape.

However, what appeared in the sights of the passengers on Osmanthus Island was a scene extremely carefree and dashing.

A lone boat leisurely drifted forward.

A young boy with a bamboo pole on his shoulder calmly drank wine.

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