Chapter 5: The Secret Ocean (Part 2)

As soon as the Giant Dwelling Dragon appeared, it let out a loud roar, startling everyone. Qi Nanshan asked, “Is this your Spirit Beast?” He stepped forward to take a closer look. Guo Shier immediately sensed the dragon’s extreme unease—a tremor in its soul, clearly showing that it feared Qi Nanshan.

Qi Nanshan smiled and said, “It’s afraid of me? Hehe, don’t worry, I have no ill intentions toward you.” He spoke to the dragon.

Monier giggled, “You’re talking to it? Can it understand?”

The Giant Dwelling Dragon wagged its massive tail affectionately and let out a soft roar; it was evident that it had relaxed. Monier was stunned. She knew this dragon talisman was made of withered wood and hadn’t expected it to be so sentient. She was left speechless.

Guo Shier mounted the dragon’s back and said, “Let’s go into the water and take a look.”

Monier replied, “Let’s get on it. Everyone, don’t rush into the water yet. I’ll use a virtual talisman to secure us.” She used a virtual talisman to anchor everyone to the dragon’s back and added, “Use your own talismans to protect yourselves. You can’t breathe underwater, but with protective talismans, it should be fine.”

When Qi Nanshan flew onto the dragon’s back, everyone felt the dragon’s unease again. Qi Nanshan understood this as well and sighed bitterly, “The legacy of the Black Talisman people is truly detested by heaven and men—even a Spirit Beast dislikes them. Ugh, it’s terrible.”

Eagle Demon laughed, “I’ve never been to the sea before. Hehe, time to see it.”

Guo Shier urged the Giant Dwelling Dragon to plunge into the ocean. Being an amphibious dragon-type mutant, it feared water at all. Ancient Flame Sparrows and Dark-Winged Demon Scorpions wouldn’t dare dive into the sea like this.

The dragon dived into the sea, let out an excited roar, and plunged downward. Guo Shier quickly activated his protective talisman armor. With Monier’s virtual talismans providing protection, he sat steadily on the dragon’s back.

As waves splashed around, the dragon surged upward from the water, its four thick legs paddling vigorously while its large tail swayed gently. Its body cut through the water like an arrow, moving forward at great speed. In just a moment, it had moved far away from the coastline.

After emerging from the water, everyone looked pale. Monier said, “It’s a pity we don’t have water-avoidance talismans. Relying solely on protective talismans is insufficient. We can’t dive deeper, our movements aren’t as agile, and if we encounter powerful mutant sea beasts… we’ll have a hard time fighting back.”

Guo Shier said, “Let’s operate on the sea surface and try to avoid the seabed as much as possible. It’s a pity… I guess most of the good things are on the seabed; there won’t be much on the surface. Let’s head ahead first and see if there are any islands or something—maybe we can find something.”
Qi Nanshan said, “I don’t know if there are islands, but let’s go check.”
Guo Shier thought for a moment and said, “If nothing else works, we can fly over… Hehe, if we were still at Beifu Gate, we’d probably be helpless in this sea area. But now with flying talismans, crossing the sea shouldn’t be difficult.”
Monier shook her head slightly. She sensed something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint it, so she didn’t say much and remained on high alert.
Driven by Guo Shier, the Giant Nesting Dragon grew faster and faster. For stability and safety, he made the dragon return to its original size—over a hundred meters long, it looked like a floating island.
The dragon’s speed was enhanced by the swaying of its huge tail, stirring the seawater and creating a continuous rushing sound. Though not as fast as flying, it was definitely faster than the speedboats Guo Shier had seen in his past life. The white waves generated by the dragon’s tail left a long white trail behind it.
A flock of seabirds followed behind, diving into the water from time to time to catch fish stunned by the dragon’s tail.
They kept going nonstop for a whole day. The Giant Nesting Dragon was a Spirit Beast and knew no fatigue, and Guo Shier was also extraordinary. An ordinary beast control talisman master would have given up long ago, but he didn’t feel tired at all.
A dark line appeared in the distance. Qi Nanshan narrowed his eyes and said, “There’s land ahead!”
Eagle Demon said, “Wait a moment. I’ll fly up to take a look.” He asked Monier to cancel the virtual talisman that held her in place, then soared into the air. After a while, he landed and said, “It’s quite large… Well, I can’t tell if it’s an island or a peninsula. It’s foggy, but it seems to cover a large area.”
Guo Shier said, “Let’s go take a look… Fortunately, there aren’t any dangerous creatures in this sea area. We’ve been safe all the way.”
Qi Nanshan said, “This mutated Spirit Beast is of a high rank. Ordinary mutated sea beasts won’t dare to bother us.” In fact, because he was on the back of the Giant Nesting Dragon, even mutated sea beasts several ranks higher wouldn’t dare to attack. The Black Talisman User’s skill of burning souls was truly terrifying—both humans and beasts avoided it at all costs.

Gradually, everyone could see the land clearly. It was a range of mountains covered in dense forests, shrouded in mist, with flocks of birds circling in the sky. The size of the forest was unknown, but it gave off a gloomy atmosphere, and the cacophony of birds’ cries was chilling.

The Giant Perch Dragon suddenly shook, and Guo Shier said, “There are hidden reefs!” Fortunately, the Giant Perch Dragon was a spirit beast, not a ship, so it quickly climbed over them using its strong limbs. There were countless huge hidden reefs along the shore; ordinary people would never be able to get ashore.

The Giant Perch Dragon moved at great speed. With its tall stature and long body, its thick limbs were strong and powerful. Its huge claws gripped rocks and reefs, producing a cracking sound as those hard stones shattered one after another, leaving behind countless fragments along the way.

As the Giant Perch Dragon stepped onto the shore, flocks of birds were startled and took off in a rush, emitting noisy cries.

Guo Shier sighed, “This place… I guess no one has been here before.”

Qi Nanshan said, “Not necessarily.”

Guo Shier asked, “Should we enter the dense forest?”

Monier smiled and said, “Let’s go in and take a look. Who knows what’s there? If we can find some useful materials, it won’t be a waste of the trip. But in my opinion, such secret realms usually don’t have very good materials.”

Guo Shier wondered, “Why?”

Monier replied, “Only extreme secret realms contain valuable things. That’s common sense. Ordinary secret realms… like the continent we’re on, don’t have many good things.”

Guo Shier said, “I seem to have heard of extreme secret realms. Master, what are extreme secret realms?”

Monier explained, “Extreme secret realms refer to those with extreme environments, such as the Realm of Fire, the Realm of Water, the Realm of Cold, the Realm of Thunder, and so on. These realms are extremely dangerous—not only because of the harsh environment but also because there might be mutated or alienated beasts, which makes them even more perilous. Yet, such realms often hide treasures. If one can discover them and explore inside, the rewards will be greater than exploring hundreds of ordinary realms like this.”

Although Qi Nanshan had already reached the rank of Junior Great Sage Master, his knowledge still fell far short of Monier’s. He was stunned and said, “Uh, extreme secret realms… what kind of special materials do they have?”

Monier rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t even know this? I really don’t understand how you managed to rise to the rank of Grand Sage!” Seeing Guo Shier’s troubled expression, she softened her tone and said, “Alright, for the sake of our baby… Well, extreme secret realms aren’t very useful to us sages. Those who are truly useful are those above the rank of Grand Sage—they desperately need the materials found there. So… baby, if you discover such a realm, remember… the first thing is to record its coordinates, and the second is to leave immediately.”
Guo Shier asked in surprise, “Is it because it’s very dangerous?”
Monier shook her head. “It’s not just dangerous… it’s extremely dangerous! It’s almost impossible for a sage to survive once they enter. Only those at the rank of High Sage can explore a little. From what I’ve heard, even High Sages should try not to stay there for long.”
Guo Shier nodded. He knew that much experience was gained through painful lessons. Since there were such legends, he should take them seriously—or else he would suffer.
Eagle Demon stared at the dense primeval forest and said, “Shier, let’s go in!”
Guo Shier casually cast a spell, causing the giant Qilong’s massive body to shrink rapidly to about fifteen or sixteen meters long. He said, “This will make it easier to move.”
Eagle Demon was puzzled. “We can just fly in; we can fold up the Qilong.”
Monier stopped them. “Don’t fold it up… Flying in the air makes it impossible to see what’s below. We won’t be able to find any useful materials. Come on up.”
Everyone returned to the Qilong’s back. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Let’s go!”
The Qilong raised its head and roared, then surged forward with a loud noise. The ancient trees as thick as human arms in its path were shattered to pieces. The Qilong brutally used its body to clear a path.
Sitting on the Qilong’s head, Guo Shier watched as it charged forward, breaking through obstacles. The ancient trees and vines blocking its way collapsed with a crash, scattering countless poisonous insects and monsters in panic. The Qilong soon grew impatient. It opened its mouth wide, and a blue glow flashed before it was suddenly ejected.
Crack! Crack! Crack… Boom!
A semi-circular beam of light shot straight forward. In an instant, all the ancient trees and vines in front were torn apart at the roots, and thick clouds of dust rose, revealing a path ahead.
Guo Shier was both surprised and delighted. “Ah? Ha! The Qilong actually has an attack method! Haha… This is amazing!”

Monier took a close look at the Giant Perch Dragon and said calmly, “It seems the Giant Perch Dragon has advanced. Impressive—it’s very difficult for Spirit Beasts to advance.”
Previously, the Giant Perch Dragon could only attack with fierce bites and claws, along with swipes from its huge tail; it had no other offensive methods. Now that it had acquired long-range attacks, its strength had at least doubled, which filled Guo Shier with great joy.
Roar!
Suddenly, a provocative roar came from afar. The Giant Perch Dragon immediately became enraged, raising its head and letting out a thunderous roar. It slightly changed direction and charged toward where the roar was coming from. Guo Shier didn’t stop it; he thought that since the Giant Perch Dragon dared to go, its strength must be roughly on par with the opponent’s. With them, a group of skilled professionals, winning shouldn’t be a problem.
Eagle Demon watched the distance cautiously and whispered, “What’s that thing roaring?”