Chapter 698: Chapter 363: Divine Bird’s Wings Broken! Xuanming Loses His Boat, Daoist Jade Girl Arrives Riding a Dragon! (Part 2)

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Li Xian fled into the lake, and after traveling three to five miles, the sky was still clear, with endless blue and bright sunshine overhead. The spring warmth filled his heart. The deeper he went, the more dense fog began to rise on the lake surface, and the warm sun became increasingly cold.

It became difficult to distinguish north, south, east, and west. Li Xian stood on a floating iron boat; he had long planned to escape into Dongran Lake, secretly preparing for this time. Ordinary wooden boats were not resilient enough for the challenges, so he constructed a small boat out of "floating iron." These iron boats were solid yet light and could float on water. They were more than capable of resisting the wind, chaotic currents, and menacing fish attacks.

He bent down, lightly skimming the water with his hand. Cupping water in his palm, he observed for a moment and said, "We are fifteen to sixteen miles away from the Water Altar, entering the Black Water Lake Domain. The water here is dark and cold." He played the celestial music of Yin Yang, causing the water in his palm to transform into mist and dissipate.

A map was spread open in his palm, depicting the water domain around the Water Altar for hundreds of miles. Li Xian, being on good terms with Yan Hao, was gifted with the Water Altar’s map.

Now ensnared in a dilemma, he mused to himself, "It seems my decision was right; pleading for mercy from the enemy is like handing my life over. Instead of this, I’d rather hide within the world. If I cannot escape, I’d rather die at the hands of nature than become a slave to sin."

The fog surrounded him as far as he could see. The lake water was dark and chilling, the surface as ink, hiding endless terror. Li Xian used his sword as an oar, leveraging the ’Sinking River Sword’ for its water-manipulating traits, moving swiftly. He pondered, "I have barely entered the Second Realm and have just shot down the divine bird. They will definitely pursue me. The water here is deep and eerie; if I sink, everything is against me—time, place, and harmony. I must act cautiously and escape quickly."

Looking around, he recognized this as a ’Dense Fog Predicament’. The thick fog obscured the view, causing ordinary compasses to be useless. Without aim within the fog, one naturally steers back to the Water Altar, or loses track forever, trapped in the lake’s depths.

Li Xian had navigated this predicament several times, each time passing by this difficult situation. Jin Shichang’s martial arts were unique, able to ’eat water’ to track, whereas Li Xian didn’t possess such skills. Instead, he relied on careful observation along the way and his deep understanding of the Five Elements to see the predicament and break it, countering each move. He had devised many solutions in mind, though none tested until circumstances forced him to attempt breaking the enigma.

Equipped with a compass, its needle flailed in chaos, directions indescribable. The local terrain’s Five Elements disrupted the landscape’s dynamic. He thought, "My ghastly cloak can invert Yin Yang and disrupt the Five Elements. I wonder if it can block the local Five Element predicament." He covered the compass with his ghastly cloak.

The compass gradually stabilized, the needle pointing consistently to one direction. Li Xian rejoiced—he could distinguish directions, not solving the mystery, but gaining a reference. He navigated the boat accordingly and after half a day, heard faint strange noises from the southwest.

The dense fog obstructed sight and hearing. Li Xian thought, "Could it be the pursuers? Their capabilities are formidable; caution is paramount." An idea struck him. He took out a piece of rice paper, folded it into a small boat, plucked a hairpin, and rooted it onto the boat. He pushed the paper boat away, using it as distant eyes and ears.

The small boat traveled several miles and indeed heard the sound of oars paddling through waves. Nangong Xuanming, alone on a boat, stumbled close to Li Xian.

As it turned out, Nangong Xuanming and Zhao Ranran had entered the lake simultaneously, but Nangong Xuanming lagged and lost sight of Zhao Ranran. His skills weren’t weak and barely allowed him to discern direction.

Li Xian considered, "He is in the Third Realm, unafraid of water. His family skills are profound; retreating is best!" Gently paddling, his boat silently sped away. Suddenly, the speed surged ahead; a whirlpool lay ahead.

Li Xian’s keen eyes detected it a few hundred meters earlier. He turned the bow just in time, narrowly avoiding peril. He wiped cold sweat, thinking, "Though the whirlpool isn’t large, getting caught would mean certain death. The deadliest aspect of the Dense Fog Predicament is these constant whirlpools!"

Paddling southwestward, he encountered two more whirlpools. Quickly, he turned his boat aside, escaping early, understanding more, "I am like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers! No wonder the elders would rather become sin slaves than escape into the lake. Bearing humiliation momentarily doesn’t mean ill fate. Being swept into a whirlpool, buried in the lake’s depths, is most terrifying."

He resolutely declared, "I’d rather risk danger than succumb to it. I want to see what lies further west!" He avoided two whirlpools from afar, focusing on navigating for several miles.

Suddenly, a loud "donglong" echoed. Li Xian paddled again, the boat wouldn’t budge. Frowning, he felt the boat strike a reef. Jumping into the water to investigate, he saw odd rocks underwater trapping the floating iron boat between crevices.

Li Xian was secretly grateful for the sturdy design of the floating iron boat; otherwise, it would’ve been damaged. He struck at the strange rocks with the Sinking River Sword, producing a "clang" noise, leaving only a scratch on the rocks.

Li Xian exclaimed, realizing this was a predicament of "water within earth, earth within metal, metal within grass." These rocks resembled reefs, containing essence iron and foreign minerals, extremely tough underwater. They couldn’t be shattered or cut through. Moreover, floating water grass was nearby. Forcing a break might cause water flow to entangle them.

Reaching this point, he had no choice but to abandon the boat. However, the vast lake without a boat was like snow without clothing or coal without shoes... unable to move an inch, one might manage for a while but ultimately decline over time!

Li Xian slashed several times, but the water grass began to entwine. He quickly used the Golden Light Technique to leap out of the water, climbing back to the boat, drenched all over. He looked into the water grass, finding numerous skeletons—common fishermen, Flower Cage disciples, and Water Altar locals... those who died here became nutrients for the water grass.

"What a predicament! What a predicament!"

Li Xian praised, immediately contemplating how to break the situation. He thought, having heavily damaged the Sinking River Sword, forcing a path through the rocks risked breaking it further. The answer must lie in using softness to overcome hardness. At once, he stirred water with the sword, employing the "Jade Palm" Palm Power.