131 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 131: Dark River Beneath Qingyuan City lies a hidden river, buried several dozen meters underground. Within the domain governed by Tianji Sect, there are numerous spiritual stone veins. As the city of Qingyuan expanded, it consumed a section of these abandoned mines. With Tianji Sect’s deliberate yet secret manipulation, these places became the breeding ground for a burgeoning black market. Illegal transactions, outlawed by the Thirteen Immortal Sects, and perilous structures littered along the remnants of mining tunnels stretch downwards, forming an unnoticed, pervasive underground current. However, demon clan spies must have a keener understanding of the black market than those confined above ground, making it harder to conceal individuals below. Xiang Shi Yan had a sudden flash of inspiration about a true subterranean stream, accidentally discovered during mining operations. Yet, due to its concealed passage and limited space—sometimes merely enough for a person to stand on—it remains mostly untouched. Apart from the mountaintop Tianji Sect nearby, the most clandestine place is the natural cave deep below, isolated from the world, with flowing water dissipating any traces, undisturbed by outsiders. Although Xiang Shi Yan knew where the black market entrance was, an introduction was still necessary. "Oh? Isn't this Manager Wang? What a rare guest." The most bustling street market on the southwestern side of Qingyuan City was packed with chatter due to the gathering of major sects. Xiang Shi Yan followed the shopkeeper of Songhe Hall to an auction house on the street corner, indistinguishable from any other at first glance. It was noon, and there were barely any customers inside, save for a clerk who warmly greeted them upon seeing Manager Wang. The old matron discreetly glanced at the white-clad woman behind her, and, seeing no reaction, she smiled and greeted the clerk, "What good things do you have recently?" The clerk hesitated, glancing at Xiang Shi Yan behind the old matron. Another look from the old matron, accompanied by a cautious hand gesture, signaled that she was a "big fish." "My apologies, my apologies." The clerk forced a flattering smile, "What might you wish to purchase? Which level?" Xiang Shi Yan raised her hand slightly, and the old matron leaned over to listen to her whisper, "The deeper, the better." "We're heading to the seventh level." The clerk gave her a strange look, knowing nothing of value was on the seventh level—mostly human trafficking, a business the Sect could not tolerate, hiding it in the most obscure depths. If caught, it wouldn't be amusing... The Tianji Sect was ruthless, taxing heavily on black industries. If they ever crossed the line, they wouldn't hesitate to shut down the black market for a year or two. Xiang Shi Yan understood his concerns; Tianji Sect often engaged in undercover operations. Qin Miao, once pursued, had hidden within the black market, spending lavishly on female slaves, dropping spirit stones like rain. Tianji Sect spent generously on whatever Qin Miao needed, later shutting down the seventh level entirely. Despite the ruthlessness of those in the trade, they had to acquiesce, paying exorbitant taxes and fines. It wasn't outright robbery, but might as well have been. Anyone who protested found themselves having their livelihood cut off, and no business could proceed without Tianji Sect's approval. The black market knew Tianji Sect was like mountain bandits; they plucked everything they passed. Currently, the seventh level still traded in human trafficking, though by the middle of the narrative, after several exploitations by Tianji Sect, such enterprises naturally couldn't continue. Who would willingly go bankrupt and risk being imprisoned for centuries? The clerk remained silent, hesitantly eyeing the ethereal woman. Most "goods" on the seventh level were young, attractive girls—was this guest looking for something similar? The clerk, of low cultivation, couldn’t gauge the depth of her abilities but sensed he couldn’t afford to offend her. However, consequences of letting her through would fall on him. As his hand discreetly reached beneath the counter, as a mere attendant caught in the middle, calling for backup seemed the plausible path, rather than dealing with these two on his own. Breaking in wasn't impossible, but Xiang Shi Yan preferred not to draw unnecessary attention. In broad daylight with few customers, and without bothering to disguise herself, any keen observer might quickly discern her identity. With a slight gesture from Xiang Shi Yan, the old matron adeptly pulled the clerk aside. With a scolding tone, she whispered angrily to him, "What are you doing? How will you explain if you drive this valuable customer away?" "It's not that I don't want to open the door, but the seventh level... What would a senior do with people bought from there?" Indeed, the boss didn’t seem like the type to frequent the seventh level. Manager Wang wiped non-existent sweat from his brow, throwing a wary look at Xiang Shi Yan. Only after receiving her tacit approval did he dare lie, "Why are you prying so much into their business? Haven't you ever seen female customers head to the seventh level? Perhaps they’re acquiring medicinal guides... And for leisure, why do you ask?" The clerk, younger and easily muddled by Manager Wang's well-versed words, obediently took the waist token and led Xiang Shi Yan to the seventh level entrance. The abandoned mining pits of Qingyuan City had been refurbished, widened, and interconnected, maintained by spiritual arrays. It looked sturdier than expected, resembling a typical market. As Xiang Shi Yan descended on a stone platform, the upper layers buzzed with activity even in daylight, the crowd would be even larger at night. The seventh level, however, was desolate, almost devoid of activity. Yet Xiang Shi Yan knew the inconspicuous doors on the rock walls each led to expansive halls where humans and demons bid over captives. The mere thought made her nauseous, though her purpose here was different. Without prior preparation, she couldn’t possibly rescue everyone alone. Hearing Xiang Shi Yan's sigh, Manager Wang ingratiatingly approached, "Anything you’re interested in, please let me know. I’ll ensure you won’t be disappointed." Xiang Shi Yan abruptly grasped her jaw, even though Manager Wang was at the Jindan stage, she couldn’t break free from the woman’s grip. Bewildered by her own misstep, she met Xiang Shi Yan's cold gaze, suddenly feeling helpless. "Embezzling funds, collaborating to sell overpriced elixirs sullying Songhe Hall's reputation... I can forgive those; you haven't crossed my line. This is good." Xiang Shi Yan, eyes glacial, warned, "Some trades should never be touched. Do you understand?" "Yes, yes, I will remember." Manager Wang muttered through a clenched jaw, her fear genuine, immensely relieved she hadn’t overreached. Releasing her, Xiang Shi Yan flicked her sleeve, walking deeper, "I have matters to attend to; you may leave." "But, ma'am... beyond here, there's nothing..." Manager Wang rubbed her aching jaw, perplexedly watching Xiang Shi Yan walk away. The white-clad woman treaded lightly, passing through the cave with ease, moving away from the seventh level's lights, enveloped by darkness. Xiang Shi Yan paused, attuning her ears to the faint sound of the hidden river’s flow, then followed the sound. She refrained from using her spiritual sense to probe the area immediately. These were remnants of spiritual stone veins, with lingering spiritual energy embedded in the walls. Neither spiritual senses nor artifacts could effectively function. This was why Xiang Shi Yan suspected this place. Demon spies would utilize tools to detect demonic energy; unless beyond reach (captured by Tianji Sect), they must be where such tools are ineffectual, deep underground. The path from the mine to the dark river’s entrance was narrow, hardly allowing a person through. There were traces as if something heavy had been dragged along—a desolate corridor rarely seen by anyone, with still-fresh, visible marks. Bending down, she noticed scuff marks where someone had kicked the walls, puzzled by the overly obvious clues, which seemed suspiciously deliberate. Xiang Shi Yan pursed her lips, a foreboding familiarity creeping in. Exiting the abandoned passage, there was no longer a platform to stand on; before her was a continuous dark water flow. The river passed through multiple spiritual stone veins, its torrents daunting, with spiritual energy potentially penetrating every corner. Moxu Peak often received rain tinged with spiritual energy, carrying a chill difficult to resist—she understood the river's treachery. Prepared, Xiang Shi Yan immersed herself into the dark river, surrendering to its currents to carry her deeper. Such spirit-imbued rivers could aid cultivation, though drawing and guiding the turbulent energies posed risks to meridians. Hence, in the original work, when Qin Miao escaped through here, the pursuers dared not follow, allowing his escape. Xiang Shi Yan steadied her mind, wrapping herself in a barrier to try to ward off the spiritual turbulences within the water. Over time, she had suffered considerable meridian damage, but had since carefully attended to her recovery with countless rare herbs and elixirs. Though not fully healed, she had mostly recovered. Nonetheless, she was not prepared for the severity of the currents in Qingyuan City's underflow. In no time, she felt a piercing pain spreading through her limbs. Casting spells underwater was difficult. Xiang Shi Yan surfaced to catch her breath several times, yet after drifting for a while, a dizzy sensation overcame her, an inexplicable feeling that something touched her limbs— It wasn’t her imagination! Something cold and gelatinous coiled around her ankle, trying to drag her into the murky depths. Xiang Shi Yan quickly formed a seal, releasing frost that encased the tendril before it could tighten. With a swift movement, she shattered it. But more tendrils relentlessly entwined around her, seemingly unaffected by the icy cold she conjured, as if the earlier retreat was merely a feint. The tendrils, emboldened, wound around her arms and waist, feeling neither alive nor like any underwater plants she might have brushed against accidentally. They persisted in dragging her down, and fearing she might not match this entity's aquatic prowess, Xiang Shi Yan kicked against a nearby rock to propel herself back, conjuring light to drive the tendrils away again. "Gulgh!" Inadvertently swallowing some water, she made a muffled noise as her face briefly broke the surface. Her spiritual sense faltered in the turbulent river, incapable of discerning the nature of her attacker. Instead, the tendrils seemed to sprout from nowhere. Whatever it was, it would soon return. Drifting above and below the water, she vigilantly avoided the whirlpools and, after what seemed an eternity, finally sensed what she had come to find. Propelling herself like a flying fish, she emerged onto a rocky ledge, much broader than the narrow ledge she initially entered the cave on. Lips pressed tightly together, Xiang Shi Yan showed no sign of the torment her body had just endured from the energy disturbances akin to being struck squarely in the chest. Two men, trussed up back-to-back, lay nearby, drenched and unconscious. Despite being demons, they couldn't maintain their disguised forms under distress, sprouting conspicuous feathered crests on their heads and plumage across their bodies. These were the missing demons, abducted to the depths of this underground river. Likely, they couldn’t even shield themselves when dragged into the river, suffering significant meridian damage; even one in unconsciousness still frowned with unease. Whether they had been tortured remained unknown... Although she ventured here specifically to locate these missing individuals, Xiang Shi Yan was still taken aback by actually finding them, for she initially came only to take a chance without a definitive plan for handling whoever was responsible for their abduction. The narrative hadn't mentioned river monsters in the area Qin Miao traversed—a place so flaring with rampant spiritual energies couldn't sustain large entities. Thus, what had entangled her were likely not beasts. Or rather, not definitively human either. She refrained from rash actions, warily keeping her gaze on the water, cautiously retreating two steps. Suddenly, two thick water columns erupted from the river, hurtling towards Xiang Shi Yan. Lightly dodging one, she found herself momentarily immobilized before the second one, standing rigid in place. The water column didn’t pierce through her but instead ensnared her left arm, hauling her into the air. Droplets dangled from the tips of her shoes, and Xiang Shi Yan realized, “The earlier tendrils were a decoy, meant to ensure I wouldn’t notice you binding me securely.” Such masterful water manipulation she had seen before; the water was merely a medium, with a core of concentrated spiritual energy controlling a vast area. From the moment she leaped into the river, she had unwittingly delivered herself into her opponent’s grasp. The turbulent dark river calmed instantly, swelling slightly before a clear, humanoid form of water emerged. The water silhouette approached her slowly, leaving wet trails behind. Once face-to-face with her, Xiang Shi Yan calmed herself, silently maintaining eye contact, searching the shifting form for its eyes. "Xuan Jiu, Elder." The water shape rippled, forming a smiley face: “Didn’t I tell you I don’t like that title?” “Pardon the offense.” “Quite forward of you to pay an unannounced visit to the Lunar Sovereign, isn’t it?” “I was unaware the cave formed by the erosion of this underground river had a rightful owner. My intrusion into the senior's domain was unintentional,” Xiang Shi Yan stated, strategically humble given her precarious situation. Xuan Jiu, nonetheless, showed her no mercy, morphing the water column into numerous tendrils, binding Xiang Shi Yan's hands together, enclosing her fingers in swirling water, rendering spellcasting impossible. The pain from her twisted arms worried her, as Xuan Jiu could easily snap them if she applied the slightest pressure, but Xiang Shi Yan's demeanor remained stoic, her gaze locked onto the liquid figure before her. Though the cave was dim, Xiang Shi Yan, able to perceive through spiritual sense, found herself temporarily blinded as Xuan Jiu lit up a few spirit lights. Upon reopening her eyes, the translucent form shimmered beautifully under the glow, revealing internal fluctuations and a hint of a smile. The demoness pressed her against the wall, her icy fingers prodding Xiang Shi Yan's face, “We seem to be entwined by fate. This time, I won’t let you escape so easily.” Author’s Note: On the fourth day of daily updates! No pop-up ads on this site. Permanent domain: (xbanxia.com)