Zhou Chun seemingly caught Zhou Daoyiâs subtle movement and grasped the thoughts in his heart, Zhou Daoyi couldnât help but shake his head, indicating that he shouldnât overthink.
Then, speaking in a low voice, he said, "This place is not for staying long, we should head back first."
Having realized that the place they stumbled upon was none other than the perilous Dragon Abyss Marsh, Zhou Daoyi completely abandoned the idea of exploring around.
Now, he only wished to hurry back to the Zhou Family and distance themselves from this dangerous place.
Although Zhou Chun was very curious about the Scale Frog Alien Clan and wanted to observe and study this alien race more, he knew that now was not the time.
Regretfully, he followed Zhou Daoyi back to their starting point and once again had the Green Flood Dragon carry them through the underground waterway to return to their clan.
After going upstream against the current for another day, the Green Flood Dragon finally carried Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun back to the original pool.
Upon leaving the pool, Zhou Chun could clearly sense the reluctance the Green Flood Dragon felt as it returned to Zhou Daoyiâs Spirit Beast Pouch.
Clearly, the experience of swimming freely in the underground river was very comforting for the newly transformed Flood Dragon.
Shortly after, Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun returned to their family, went to meet the Supreme Elder Zhou Mingde, and reported the details of their unusual underground journey.
"The endpoint of the underground river actually leads directly to the Dragon Abyss Marsh!"
"This is truly astonishing!"
In the cave dwelling, after hearing Zhou Daoyi recount the journey through the underground river, Zhou Mingde also showed a shocked expression and couldnât help but exclaim in wonder.
It had always been such that the three ways to reach the Dragon Abyss Marsh were by the rivers and lands aboveground or through the sky.
No one ever imagined that there could be a fourth route leading to the Dragon Abyss Marsh!
And this fourth route was more hidden, efficient, and safer compared to the previous three.
Upon this realization, Zhou Mingde couldnât help but sigh deeply, "What a pity! What a pity our Zhou Familyâs strength is still too weak."
"Otherwise, if we controlled this secret passage that leads directly to Dragon Abyss Marsh, even if we only developed one or two percent of the rich Spiritual Object resources there, it could create a powerful force!"
The richness of Dragon Abyss Marsh can be seen by just looking at the Dragon Transformation Sect.
Over eight hundred years ago, the Dragon Transformation Sect had nearly ninety percent of its experts annihilated, and most of its wealth was plundered and divided among others.
Yet, in just over eight hundred years, the Dragon Transformation Sect, with the backing of Dragon Abyss Marsh, had once again accumulated a vast amount of wealth, amassing a force capable of challenging the entire Jingguo Country.
Therefore, Zhou Mingdeâs sigh contained no exaggeration.
Unfortunately, as he had sighed, the Zhou Familyâs strength was still too insignificant to develop the Dragon Abyss Marsh.
Even without the intervention of the Flood Dragon Clan within the marsh, just the other powerful Demon Beasts that lived there were more than enough to annihilate the small Zhou Family many times over.
"Although we canât develop the resources of Dragon Abyss Marsh for the time being, the discovery of this secret passage provides a strategic escape route for our family,"
"In the future, if our family truly faces the crisis of extinction, we can at least quickly distance ourselves from Jingguo Country through this passage!"
As Zhou Daoyi reached this point, his brows suddenly furrowed.
Because he realized that, for this plan to be effective, the Flood Dragon Nest would have to be constructed there.
Only by having a third-stage Flood Dragon guard this important waterway could they ensure that it wouldnât be discovered by outsiders.
Moreover, with the Green Flood Dragon making its lair there, it could also integrate the Demon Beasts in the underground river, turning them into a force the Zhou Family could utilize.
"Daoyi, what are your thoughts? Do you think itâs suitable to build the Green Flood Dragonâs nest there?"
Zhou Mingdeâs gaze was fixed on Zhou Daoyi, indeed he brought up the construction of the Flood Dragon Nest.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi immediately said in a deep voice, "I believe itâs not impossible to build the Flood Dragon Nest there, but if thatâs the case, it would be best if I were to retreat and cultivate in seclusion there to ensure that no major issues arise!"
"Retreat and cultivate there?"
Zhou Mingde was momentarily stunned, then frowned and said, "Is that appropriate? The cultivation environment there shouldnât be as good as the familyâs, right?"
"The environment canât compare to the familyâs, but if Iâm not there to oversee things at all times, Iâm worried that Qingqing will venture into Dragon Abyss Marsh by herself, and the consequences of that would be unpredictable!"
Zhou Daoyi shook his head helplessly, revealing his concerns.
"Letâs not rush to make a decision then, letâs continue searching in the vicinity of the mountain gate to see if we can find a more suitable location for the Flood Dragon Nest," Zhou Mingde said, still reluctant to come to a hasty conclusion.
Zhou Daoyi needed to work towards reaching the Purple Mansion in the future. If he went to such a remote place for seclusion now, it was uncertain how much time would be lost.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Zhou Mingde didnât want him to leave the family.
So, over the next few months, Zhou Daoyi was also walking around the Zhou Family Mountain with the Green Flood Dragon, looking for the right place.
But even the Misty Swamp, thousands of miles away from the Zhou Family, wasnât as appealing in the eyes of the Green Flood Dragon as the underground river.
This made Zhou Daoyi even more worried.
He knew clearly that what the Green Flood Dragon truly longed for probably wasnât the underground river, but the Dragon Abyss Marsh they had visited before.
Considering that Dragon Abyss Marsh could serve as the main base for the Flood Dragon Clan, there must be something there attracting the Flood Dragons.
Having been there and seen its vastness, the Green Flood Dragon naturally became disinterested in ordinary waters.
But this made Zhou Daoyi even more hesitant to let it build a nest there.
He didnât want the third-order Flood Dragon he had nurtured at great cost and effort to end up leaving with someone else.
Such a blow would be more painful to him than death.
And while Zhou Daoyi was worrying about how to appease and persuade the Green Flood Dragon to build its nest elsewhere, Lin Hongyu from the Dragon Transformation Sect had finally sent over the latest intelligence.
"The message has been confirmed. In half a monthâs time, the target will go alone to attend a celebration at their birthplace. The moment they leave their clan will be the best opportunity for us to act!"
In the cave dwelling, Zhou Mingde, holding the message and a map from Lin Hongyuâs side, passed them to Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun to examine.
The two opened the map and saw the location of the targetâs birth clan, which was approximately seventeen to eighteen hundred miles from the border of Yunzhou, with treacherous Wasteland Territory in betweenâa place where there were still many gathering spots of the Human Clan established by the Dragon Transformation Sect.
"Itâs too far. According to the description on this map, even if we succeed in our mission, returning safely to Jingguo Country will still be a great challenge!"
"The borderlands of the Dragon Transformation Sect are certainly overseen by Golden Core Stage cultivators in secret. Once our actions commence, they will surely intercept and kill us personally!"
Zhou Daoyi shook his head and spoke out his inner worries, his face filled with concern.
Stay tuned with empire
"Thatâs why the underground secret passage you discovered last time can now be put to good use," Zhou Mingde said, pointing at a spot on the map and continuing, "Look here, this is Dragon Abyss Marsh, just under five hundred miles from the targetâs birth clan, we can reach it in one go!"
"Even if the enemy gets wind of it, they will surely position their forces in this area close to Yunzhou. By the time they realize whatâs happening, we will already have entered Dragon Abyss Marsh," he said, looking up gravely at Zhou Chun and the others.
"So now we must ascertain just how far the exit of the underground river that flows into Dragon Abyss Marsh is from the location on this map!"