Chapter 124 - 123: Transforming into a Soaring Serpent, Painting with Breath, Flooding the People for Profit
As the saying goes, the Great Dao has two branches!
One simple, one complex!
The Divine Technique Su Bai had just acquired, the [Soaring Transformation Technique], was a prime example of the complex path.
That was why Su Bai had spent Experience Points to upgrade it!
And now, with the constant infusion of Experience Points, the [Soaring Transformation Technique] Su Bai had obtained from the Soaring Demon had evolved into an Eighth-Grade Divine Technique!
[Soaring Snake Transformation]!
’Time to test the power of this Divine Technique!’
The next moment, Su Bai began his experiment.
With a POOF!
Su Bai’s form instantly dissipated inside the room, leaving behind only a wisp of white mist!
When he opened his eyes again, Su Bai found himself sitting among the clouds!
His body had also undergone a noticeable transformation!
A dragon’s head, five claws, black pupils, and a long, slender body!
His entire form was covered in a layer of smooth scales that shimmered with a brilliant gold!
He was nearly a hundred meters long, with Dragon Horns like jadeite!
In the watery mist, his form was nearly transparent, making him almost impossible to spot!
Colorful clouds and mist swirled around him, like stars clustering around the moon!
After his initial shock, Su Bai found it all rather amusing.
He controlled his new dragon body, coiling and surging through the clouds!
He swooped down, passing through layer after layer of clouds, and saw the Imperial City below.
The Xia Imperial City was blanketed in a misty rain, and the pedestrians below looked like scurrying ants.
After transforming into the Soaring Snake, Su Bai’s speed had increased by an unknown, incredible amount!
With but a single thought, he could circle the entire Imperial City.
’This kind of speed is almost as fast as the spread of Divine Thoughts!’
Su Bai clicked his tongue in amazement.
[Soaring Snake Transformation]! Truly worthy of being an Eighth-Grade Divine Technique!
Its flight speed alone was enough to qualify it as Eighth Grade!
Just as Su Bai was lost in thought, he heard gasps of surprise from below!
’Trouble!’
Su Bai subconsciously assumed his dragon form had been exposed.
But when he looked down, he found that the citizens of the Imperial City hadn’t noticed him at all.
Instead, their gazes passed right through his nearly transparent body, fixed on the sky above!
Su Bai looked up toward the horizon and froze!
Magnificent, life-like treasure halls, illuminated by brilliant rainbows, were scattered across the dome of the sky!
Immortals with ethereal grace strolled back and forth on bustling streets, creating a scene like a lively Immortal Realm in the heavens!
Countless people had stopped in their tracks, looking up and exclaiming in wonder!
It turned out to be a mirage!
Su Bai subconsciously exhaled a breath of Dragon Qi, and yet another strange Mirage appeared before his eyes!
’How interesting!’
A delighted expression appeared on Su Bai’s face. He began to swallow clouds and spit mist, like a master painter with practiced skill.
Across the dome of the sky, he painted one lifelike Mirage after another!
There was a fairy holding a rabbit, crossing a river under the moon, her dark brows curved in a faint smile, her ribbons fluttering in the wind!
There were children holding paper dolls, playing and laughing with their friends, their joy pure and innocent.
There were farm women sowing seeds in the spring rain, working from sunrise to sunset, content in their simple lives.
There was an old man carrying a jug of wine, climbing a tower with carefree grace, inviting the moon to drink with him, the picture of nonchalant elegance!
There were the harmonious chirps of summer cicadas and the joyful leaps of fish!
There was a gentle breeze brushing through a fine rain, and the setting sun reflecting off an evening bell!
...
Within the Xia Imperial City, the countless citizens’ initial shock turned into delight!
Beautiful scenes can lift anyone’s spirits.
They were soothing, allowing people to forget their troubles for a little while!
On the city streets, everyone from the actors leaning on railings to gaze, to the scholars who had come for the imperial exams, to the vendors hawking their vegetables, had their heads tilted back, completely mesmerized!
One magnificent, dreamlike scene after another unfolded before their eyes!
They let the fine raindrops sprinkle over them, soaking their hair and beards and seeping into their robes!
They felt only relaxation, comfort, and ease!
The corners of their mouths couldn’t help but curve upward.
It had been too long... far too long.
They hadn’t felt this relaxed in a very long time!
After growing up, the heavy burdens of life had settled on their shoulders, making a truly pure smile a rare sight on their faces.
More often than not, life forced them into a "wry smile" instead!
The children, as if it were a festival, played happily in the streets and alleys, clapping their hands, dancing, and running about...
On this day, countless magnificent and dreamlike Mirages appeared in the sky above the Xia Imperial City!
Splendid and varied!
It would become a beautiful story told for generations to come!
This was probably the most interesting Divine Technique Su Bai had acquired so far.
The Divine Technique [Soaring Snake Transformation]!
It was truly wonderful!
...
「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Ever since obtaining this Divine Technique, Su Bai suddenly felt that the overcast skies and fine rain weren’t so bad after all.
The water vapor and mist between heaven and earth had become incredibly familiar to him. Now, even without transforming into the Soaring Snake, his flight speed was greatly enhanced!
Moreover, as long as there were clouds or mist, he could freely switch between his True Body and illusory forms, blending the real and the unreal!
Now, whenever Su Bai used this Divine Technique, he would become like light and shadow, hazy and indistinct, carrying an air of mystery.
’It’s better to be plain and unremarkable!’
Looking at his reflection, Su Bai used a small trick to slightly blur and soften his facial features, only then feeling a little more at ease.
Previously, upgrading the Divine Technique had cost Su Bai nearly six million Experience Points. He still had three million left from the amount he’d obtained from the Soaring Demon.
Adding the Experience Points he had accumulated during this time, Su Bai decided to raise his Martial Arts Cultivation to the Fourth Level of the Spirit Transformation Realm!
BOOM!!
The golden ocean in his mind expanded outward, its aura growing deeper and richer!
Even Su Bai’s Divine Sense surged as a result!
...
"Time to play in the water!"
In the streets and alleys, many children with makeshift rain covers on their heads darted through the lanes with their high-pitched voices, SPLASHING through the puddles on the roadside.
They ran happily, clapping their hands in delight!
Su Bai, dressed in the robes of the Prison Suppression Bureau with a long saber at his waist and holding an oil-paper umbrella, paused his steps.
He watched several figures in straw raincoats ride past on horseback, and his expression relaxed slightly.
’The men from the Water Department have been frequently entering and exiting the Imperial City lately. They should have some initial countermeasures for the sudden increase in the underground water veins.’
He thought to himself that the recent surge in water veins was likely related to the Soaring Demon he had slain earlier.
’With officials from the Water Department coordinating and working together, the issue of the growing water veins should be fine.’
With these thoughts, Su Bai walked toward the prison.
"Brother Su Bai! Brother Su Bai!"
He had just stepped into the prison when he saw Zhang Wei standing beside several Martial Artists from the Prison Suppression Bureau, waving at him!
Curious, Su Bai walked over and saw several people trailing behind Zhang Wei.
They wore cangues, their hair was disheveled, their faces were grimy, and they all looked miserable!
A glance at their hands, their skin, and their round bellies revealed that these men were used to living in comfort and luxury!
Aside from looking disheveled, they didn’t seem to have any other injuries. They probably hadn’t even been interrogated yet.
A sweep of his Divine Thoughts!
Su Bai found their Cultivation to be incredibly weak. Most were at the Tongxuan level, with only one at the Qi Sea realm!
He frowned at once. "Why bring them here? With their level of Cultivation, they could have been interrogated at the C-Class Prison."
"I know, right!"
Zhang Wei nodded. "But this whole affair really has nothing to do with their Cultivation!"
"It’s mainly that what these people did... it’s just so damn inhuman!"
Hearing this, Su Bai’s expression shifted slightly.
"Explain."
Zhang Wei explained helplessly, "You know how it’s been raining nonstop lately, like there’s a hole in the sky."
"In several counties and small towns near the Imperial City, the water levels in the river basins have skyrocketed, and new water veins have even appeared out of nowhere!"
"In the long run, this is a good thing. But to prevent flooding disasters, the higher-ups in the imperial court ordered the Water Department to immediately rush to these areas to manage drainage and flood control!"
"But in the end..."
At this point, Zhang Wei cursed angrily, "These damned officials actually broke the dikes to intentionally cause a flood!"
"They reported a disaster to get relief funds—flooding the people to swindle the money!"