Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Revelation (Part 2)

The deep sea is a place untouched by light.

Recently, the high-level pollutants dwelling in the ocean had been deeply annoyed.

For some inexplicable reason, a perfect evolution with an incredibly high pollution value had suddenly appeared in the abyss. Survivors whispered it was a giant, black sea cucumber.

The ocean was vast, its territories clearly divided. Peace had reigned. But this newcomer had no respect for the rules. It swam the trenches daily, picking fights. It was infuriating.

Rumor had it this black monstrosity had already slaughtered three high-level pollutants.

Global evolution had only begun three centuries ago—not nearly enough time for pollutants to develop complex emotions or true civilization.

Two lion's mane jellyfish communicated with translucent tendrils.

Heard about the sea cucumber thing?

Yeah. So creepy. The anglerfish from the neighboring trench got bitten to death…

Why would a sea cucumber like seafood?

But I hear anglerfish liver is really tasty…

As they conversed, a pitch-black shadow glided past them.

The massive black dragon moved through the water in utter silence, but the thick scent of blood clinging to it was terrifying. Its tail was severed halfway, giving it the distant, lumbering appearance of a giant sea cucumber.

Other denizens of the deep gave it a wide berth, desperate to avoid becoming its next meal.

Once it was gone, the two small jellyfish reemerged.

So scary… Is that really a sea cucumber?

Too dark. Can’t tell. I haven’t evolved eyes yet. Waaah.

But, come to think of it… this is the blue whale’s territory…

Fresh wounds marred the black dragon's scales from another clash with a leviathan. It still wasn’t fully accustomed to its new body, swimming through the water with an awkward, dog-paddling motion.

It returned to R'lyeh.

Since the Mother Worm’s death, this place had become its lair.

The blue whale had possessed a single, brilliant eye, as large as a football, gleaming like a sapphire.

The great black dragon used its claws to dig a pit in the seabed, then carefully placed the gemstone inside.

The pit already held other treasures: a white pearl, golden coral, and a small, black diamond medal.

Shiny. Pretty. Yan-Yan might like these.

Digging was a necessity.

R'lyeh’s protective barrier had failed. Anything left on the open seafloor would be swept away by the currents.

After burying its hoard, the dragon settled its massive body over the mound, pressing the earth flat. It rested its head on its own truncated tail, exhaustion seeping into its bones. The fight had left its share of minor injuries.

Most creatures in the natural world healed through eating and sleeping. The clever ones might chew certain herbs.

Tang Xun’an was not an animal. But he was learning to live like one.

As he slept, he dreamed.

He dreamed of clear moonlight piercing the deep sea. Tiny points of light, like pearls, drifted downward into the abyss.

Countless motes of light dissolved in the water, and the dark, oppressive sea became clear and luminous.

Where the light touched, everything was purified.

The mysterious depths grew peaceful once more.

An exceptional concentration of these lights gathered upon his own form.

The black dragon’s tail twitched, a feeble attempt to rouse itself.

But a gentle, irresistible force pressed down on his eyelids, like a comforting hand.

He could feel his wounds closing. New muscle and scales knitted over his immense frame.

He could change back.

A hand rested on his forehead. A voice, soft yet clear, spoke. "Tang Xun’an."

Tang Xun’an couldn’t make out the face within the radiance, but he knew. It was Lu Yan.

Lu Yan said, "When you wake, you will see the new world I’ve made for you."

It was what Tang Xun’an had wanted. What he would have loved.

Yet, hearing these words, Tang Xun’an felt no joy. Only a cold, rising dread.

He reached up, his clawed hand snapping shut around Lu Yan’s wrist.

But the shimmering figure had no substance. Tang Xun’an’s grasp closed on nothing but water, soft and warm.

Like a tear shed by a merciful god.

In the deep sea, the black dragon’s golden eyes snapped open.

After so many days in the abyss, it had grown accustomed to perpetual darkness. Now, blinding white light flooded the waters.

In an instant, Tang Xun’an understood.

He spread the mighty wings upon his back.

The colossal black dragon surged upward. Within breaths, it shattered the thick ice sheet and burst onto the ocean’s surface.

"Lu Yan—!"

With desperate, single-minded purpose, it flew toward the giant silver moon sinking beneath the horizon. It called out, a mournful cry, racing toward the edge of the world.

The dragon’s roar carried for miles.

Satellites, which had never ceased their vigil despite the eternal night, captured the scene.

Instantly, alarms blared within the Prevention and Control Center.

"What is that?!" Director Wang’s face was practically pressed to the screen. "—Tang Xun’an?!"

Though its size was monstrous, enough to mistake it for a pollutant, the sensors detected zero contamination radiating from the great serpent.

Bai Ze was instantly ecstatic. "Location! Where is the satellite tracking it?!"

On the monitors, the black dragon streaked forward, swift as a gale, its outstretched wings blotting out the sky.

The expressions of all personnel in the room were a mix of confusion and awe. "What is Team Leader Tang doing? Where has he been? Is that really him?"

"You won’t find another dragon like that in the whole world. Of course it’s him!" Bai Ze’s declaration was ironclad.

Someone adjusted the zoom. From several kilometers high, it seemed the black dragon… was chasing the moon.

The dragon flew with impossible speed, yet against the moon’s glacial descent, its efforts seemed pathetically small.

It released another roar, raw and piercing.

But no one heard the tremor that followed.

"Don’t go… If you must… take me with you…"

He had lived a long life. He had no regrets.

To any who witnessed it, the scene was absurd.

How could anyone catch the moon?

But this time, the moon paused for him.

The giant, full orb, moments from being swallowed by the sea, suddenly dimmed.

The black dragon stumbled forward, a tiny comet hurtling toward a planet.

It caught nothing. It crashed only into an afterimage.

The enormous moon was gone.

The black dragon hovered, stunned. From its throat tore a single, heart-wrenching cry of anguish.

…

…

Ten thousand miles away.

City K.

Having been away so long, the furnishings of his home felt unfamiliar for a fleeting moment.

A figure materialized on the bed in the bedroom.

Lu Yan flexed the joints of his hands and feet, reacquainting himself with his body.

His eyes were a beautiful silver, like two captive moons.

Lu Yan opened the wardrobe, changed into fresh clothes before the mirror.

In his ear, the system’s voice held a tone caught between relief and lament. [You have forsaken eternal life.]

Lu Yan smiled. "No. I have forsaken eternal loneliness."

After gathering all the fragments of himself, Lu Yan had indeed been offered a chance. Apotheosis.

It had existed for eons, witnessing countless cycles of creation and ruin.

It possessed immortality, but no consciousness of its own.

He had been an Old One, a ruler.

This time, the god chose to exist as "Lu Yan."

Lu Yan opened a suitcase and packed a set of Tang Xun’an’s clothes inside. "Let’s go," he said. "Time to bring him home."

Tang Xun’an had been waiting for him since he was nineteen. He had waited long enough.

[End of Main Story]