Chapter 219: The Black Water Flood Dragon Array
The ancient, resonant, and majestic voice of the Master of the Sacred City reverberated across the vast sea. It carried no overt killing intent, yet it possessed a form of suppression that acted directly upon the soul. The sea breeze seemed to grind to a halt, and the crashing waves fell silent. In that heartbeat, the entire Black Water Ghost Domain appeared to transform into a massive chessboard, and the figure sitting opposite was an existence that had lived for a millennium.
Aboard the black warship, everyone—including Thiet Phu, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator—felt a frigid chill race down their spines. They were facing an enemy whose depth they could not begin to fathom.
Only Tran Kien remained steadfast at the prow. He did not waver. Having inherited the complete Lac Viet legacy, his state of mind was as unshakeable as a primordial mountain. He gazed directly at the black jade palace atop the distant peak, his eyes perfectly calm.
"Hiding in the shadows for a thousand years," he spoke, his voice neither haughty nor humble. Augmented by his Primordial Chaos Qi, his words resounded across the waters like the tolling of a great bell. "You are not protectors of a legacy. You are merely a huddle of rats terrified of the light, cowards who have forgotten their own roots."
"Arrogant!" The ancient voice hummed with a trace of irritation. "A greenhorn junior still reeking of his mother's milk, having only just inherited a few crippled remnants of a legacy, dares to speak such drivel? Today, I shall let you witness the true majesty of the Sacred Dynasty!"
As the words fell, the four Black Water Flood Dragons surrounding the ship let out a simultaneous, earth-shaking roar. They did not attack haphazardly. These four Golden Core Realm demonic beasts, guided by a single unified will, began to shift their positions, manifesting a grand array!
The seawater surrounding the island suddenly surged upward, forming four colossal water pillars that connected the heavens and the earth. Positioned at the four cardinal directions, the dragons linked their auras, causing their collective power to skyrocket twofold, then threefold. A terrifying coercive pressure, carrying the untamed fury of the ocean, crashed down upon the black ship.
"The Four Symbols Water Array!" Thiet Phu roared in horror. "Exalted Lord, be careful! This is one of the supreme killing arrays of the aquatic tribes!"
Tran Kien narrowed his eyes. He knew this was the first trial the Master of the Sacred City had set for him. If he could not even pass these gatekeeping beasts, he would have no right to face the master himself.
"Everyone, to your stations!" he commanded, his voice devoid of panic, brimming with decisive authority. "Form the Blood Fiend Array! Defend with everything you have!"
"Understood!" Thiet Phu and nearly a hundred Blood Fiend Guards bellowed in unison. They rapidly shifted into a sturdy defensive formation. The blood-qi and killing intent of nearly a hundred men intertwined, forging a deep crimson shield that enveloped the ship.
"ROAAAAAR!!!"
The eastern flood dragon was the first to strike. It opened its maw, lined with jagged fangs, and spat a sphere of pitch-black water the size of a manor. Carrying a terrifying corrosive power, it blasted straight toward the blood-qi shield.
"BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!"
The shield shook violently, its luster dimming significantly. Nearly a hundred Blood Fiend Guards simultaneously coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood, their complexions turning ashen. An attack from a Golden Core demonic beast, even when dampened by a joint-defense array, was still far too devastating.
And this was merely the beginning. The remaining three dragons attacked in sequence. Four spheres of annihilation converged from all directions, leaving no path of survival.
"Exalted Lord!" Thiet Phu cried out in worry. At this rate, their shield would not hold for more than ten breaths.
Yet Tran Kien did not even look at the incoming attacks. His gaze was locked onto their array. He was analyzing. The Four Symbols Water Array was formidable, but every array possessed an 'Array Heart'—a flaw.
East, West, South, North... Four dragons guarding the four directions, borrowing the power of the sea to attack, he thought. But where does their source of power truly originate? It is not from themselves. It is from...
His eyes suddenly blazed with light. He looked toward the palace atop the mountain peak!
It is that palace! That palace is the main Array Heart, supplying energy and controlling these four dragons! These beasts are nothing more than four puppets!
"Thiet Phu!" Tran Kien shouted. "Hold firm for three more breaths with everything you have!"
Having spoken, he abandoned all defense. Alone, with a single saber, he soared into the air, launching himself off the ship. He did not charge toward the four flood dragons. Instead, he lunged straight for the island—straight for the palace atop the peak!
This was the stratagem of "Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao"! He would not strike at the soldiers; he would strike directly at the commander!
"Foolish! You think you can shatter the defenses of the Sacred City?" The ancient voice rang out, dripping with disdain.
Instantly, the northern flood dragon roared, abandoning its assault on the ship. It swiveled its massive frame and spat a pillar of black water to intercept Tran Kien's path.
But Tran Kien had long since anticipated this. He did not even attempt to evade.
"Lac Viet Heavenly Cycle Array - Outer Layer: Unhindered Lac Feathers!"
He required no bronze drum. He used himself as the Array Heart! The Primordial Chaos Qi within his body erupted. Thousands, tens of thousands of silver-white spiritual Lac birds manifested from the void, forming a tempest of sword-qi. Instead of clashing head-on with the water pillar, they spiraled in a magnificent arc, striking the flood dragon from its flank!
Struck by the sudden assault, the dragon shrieked in agony, its attack instantly interrupted.
Seizing that heartbeat of an opening, Tran Kien bypassed the obstruction and landed at the foot of the mountain.
He did not pause. Channeling power into his legs, his frame became like a loosed arrow, tearing along the treacherous mountain path as he lunged for the summit.
"Quite capable," the ancient voice noted with a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into chilling coldness. "But did you truly think it would be that simple?"
In that moment, a black silhouette flew out from the black jade palace, hovering in mid-air. It was not a beast, but a man.
It was an old man clad in black robes. His hair and beard were snow-white, yet his face was eerily smooth, devoid of a single wrinkle. The aura radiating from him was more powerful and sinister than all four flood dragons combined.
Mid-stage Golden Core Realm!
This was the true Master of the Sacred City.
He looked down at the ascending Tran Kien, a cruel smile curling his lips. "Inheritor of Lac Viet, your little game ends here."
The old man raised a hand. The sky above the island suddenly turned pitch-black. Countless phantoms and resentful wraiths erupted from the earth, forming a colossal river of resentment that crashed downward.
This was the true killing move!
Yet, facing such a hellish spectacle, Tran Kien merely offered a faint smile.
"Did you think," he said, "that I truly intended to attack the Sacred City?"
He came to a sudden halt. He stopped his ascent. Turning around, he gazed down at the vast sea and hoisted the Lac Hong Saber high.
"My target," he roared, "was never you."
"It was that flood dragon to the South!"
He had used himself as bait to draw the attention of both the commander and the northern dragon, creating a single, fatal gap in the array's synchronization.
"Saber Intent - A Thousand Hammers, A Hundred Refinements: Thunder Dragon Shatter!"
A black dragon wreathed in golden heavenly lightning let out a thunderous roar. It did not strike the mountain; instead, it plunged from the heavens with terminal velocity, slamming straight into the southern flood dragon—the very beast that was currently focused entirely on crushing the Blood Fiend Guards' shield!
The chessboard, once again, had been overturned.