Within Hải Long Thành, stone walls trembled, and vaulted ceilings cracked. The clash of weapons rang out amidst the dark, azure waters, like the mournful beat of funeral drums echoing from the ocean depths.
Pursuit Through the Labyrinth
Nguyễn Tinh Vân had vanished like a silent undercurrent. Hắc Trường Uy roared:
"After him! Get the secret manual at any cost!"
The forces of Hắc Y Môn surged into the hidden passage, leaving crimson trails swirling through the currents.
Quang Minh held Bích Thủy, murmuring:
"Do you still have strength?"
Bích Thủy forced a smile, her face pale:
"Have you forgotten who I am? So long as I draw breath, I can still play my flute."
With that, she blew several low, resonant notes. Sound waves rippled through the tunnel, as though searching for Nguyễn Tinh Vân's hidden presence.
Quang Minh gripped his sword tightly, his gaze deep as the sea:
"If we don't hurry, Hắc Trường Uy will seize the manual. Then… all under heaven will fall into chaos."
The Secret on the Fishskin Scroll
The tunnel twisted like a dragon's entrails, moss clinging to the damp green stone. Suddenly, Quang Minh spotted a dark trail of blood smeared across the wall.
Bích Thủy inhaled sharply:
"That's Nguyễn Tinh Vân's blood!"
Following the bloody trail, they reached a narrow chamber. There, Nguyễn Tinh Vân sat slumped against the wall, his face deathly pale, lips tinged purple. In his hand he clutched the fishskin scroll.
Quang Minh cried out:
"Elder!"
Nguyễn Tinh Vân opened his eyes. Though weak, his gaze remained fathomless:
"I… do not have much time left."
Bích Thủy hurried to administer medicine, but he waved her off:
"It's useless. My internal force has spiraled out of control. I know… I shall never leave Hải Long Thành alive."
He fixed his eyes on Quang Minh, voice hoarse:
"On this fishskin scroll… lies a secret even greater than the Five Elements Unified."
Quang Minh stared in shock:
"Even greater?!"
Nguyễn Tinh Vân withdrew a small piece of cloth from his sleeve. Upon it lay crimson markings like blood, forming a pattern of ancient symbols.
"This… is the Dragon Soul Diagram."
Dragon Soul Diagram – Martial Art Beyond Heaven
Nguyễn Tinh Vân spoke slowly, each word seeming to splinter from his chest:
"The Dragon Soul Diagram not only details the practice of the Five Elements Unified. It also contains a supreme martial art known as Hóa Long Thần Công – The Divine Art of Transforming into a Dragon."
Bích Thủy's eyes widened in astonishment:
"The Divine Art of Transforming into a Dragon?"
Nguyễn Tinh Vân nodded:
"This art… no longer relies upon the five elements. It draws all the energies of heaven and earth into a single human body, allowing the practitioner to transcend the limits of humanity. Blades and swords cannot wound him, poisons have no effect, and his inner power becomes as boundless as the sea."
He let out a long, ragged breath, blood trickling from the corner of his lips:
"Yet… to practice Hóa Long Thần Công is to pay a terrible price… for one must sacrifice much of one's own humanity."
Quang Minh stared at him, voice choking:
"Meaning… one becomes a monster?"
Nguyễn Tinh Vân nodded gravely:
"Yes. The higher one's martial arts soar… the harder it becomes to keep one's heart untainted."
Climax: The Manual Falls into Enemy Hands
Suddenly, urgent footsteps thundered closer. Hắc Trường Uy, leading his black-clad troops, burst in. His eyes glinted with murderous light:
"At last… I've found the old man!"
He struck Nguyễn Tinh Vân square in the chest, hurling him against the stone wall. The fishskin scroll flew from his grasp, spiraling through the water.
Quang Minh roared and lunged forward. But Hắc Trường Uy snatched up the scroll, eyes gleaming like those of a wild beast:
"The Divine Art of Transforming into a Dragon… is mine at last!"
Bích Thủy screamed:
"Don't touch it!"
She played a high, piercing note on her flute, sharp as a blade. But Hắc Trường Uy raised the Tàng Long jade fragment, blocking the sonic attack, stepping back without a scratch.
Nguyễn Tinh Vân screamed, blood pouring from his wounds:
"If you master Hóa Long Thần Công… the world will fall into ruin!"
Hắc Trường Uy laughed maniacally:
"The world? Only the strong deserve to rule it!"
In that same instant, a thunderous explosion shook Hải Long Thành. Stone walls buckled and collapsed. Torrents of bubbles surged upward as massive slabs of stone crashed down.
Bích Thủy cried out in terror:
"Hải Long Thành… it's collapsing!"
Quang Minh gripped her hand tightly:
"Even if the palace crumbles and the sea swallows us whole… I will reclaim that fishskin scroll!"
Quang Minh's eyes flared with determination. Drawing his sword, he charged straight at Hắc Trường Uy.
Amid swirling currents and shattering stone, swordlight flashed and blood billowed like red clouds in a stormy sea.
The life-and-death battle that would decide the fate of Jianghu… had truly begun.