Chapter 649: 不可说

Although deeply stirred upon seeing the second divine Golden Crow, Ji Yuan outwardly displayed an exaggerated surprise, mirroring the two dragons. Hearing Qing You's words, Ji Yuan rubbed his forehead and whispered, "Two suns don't fly together; it's simply a rotation of duties..."

Upon seeing the second divine Golden Crow, Ji Yuan couldn't help but wonder if there might be a third.

The current situation had completely surpassed the understanding and imagination of Old Dragon Ying Hong and Qing You, so they primarily deferred to Ji Yuan's judgment.

"Mr. Ji, do you have any other concerns?"

It was clear, even to Qing You, let alone Old Dragon Ying Hong who knew Ji Yuan well, that Ji Yuan's worry had not lessened. Ji Yuan looked at the two and stated frankly, "I am not certain how many Golden Crows there are. We need to observe for a longer period."

Suppressing their inner shock, the three observed from their position for half the night before withdrawing.

Over the next nearly three months, all four True Dragons, accompanied by Ji Yuan, repeatedly visited the underwater mountain range to witness the Golden Crow resting on the Fusang tree. Ji Yuan, in particular, came every day. After the five of them discussed it, no other Flood Dragons were permitted to observe, not because of danger, but due to other considerations.

Throughout these three months, the five only ever observed the two Golden Crows they had initially seen. The two birds almost never appeared on the Fusang tree simultaneously, generally alternating their presence each night.

After the initial trepidation and shock gradually subsided, Ji Yuan and the others even cautiously attempted to approach the divine Fusang tree during the day. However, they discovered something else: while the Fusang tree was indeed much clearer in daylight, and seemingly visible, no matter how close they came, they only experienced an illusion of proximity, never being able to truly touch the divine tree. At night, approaching it was even more out of the question.

Nearly two full years had passed since they left the Desolate Sea. By the end of the third month, that night, Ji Yuan and the four Dragon Lords once again gathered outside the mountain range, silently gazing at the Golden Crow resting on a distant branch of the Fusang tree.

"Tonight is New Year's Eve again; the human world must be very lively!" Old Dragon Ying Hong stroked his beard as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the distant divine Fusang tree and the Golden Crow, but his peripheral vision remained on Ji Yuan. He knew his friend cared deeply about such important human festivals, especially the moment the new spring arrived.

"Indeed, after tonight, we can finally return."

The five now stood upon an ice platform, a treasure belonging to Dragon Lord Qing You, crafted from ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice. While the group was impervious to the ambient heat, standing on the ice platform certainly made them much more comfortable.

Qing You appeared the youngest of the four Dragon Lords and was the only one without a beard in his human form. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the distant Golden Crow and sighed, "I never expected that on this expedition, we wouldn't find the vile worm, yet we would be fortunate enough to witness such an astonishing secret."

"Indeed," Gong Rong echoed, "I never imagined the sun was alive, let alone a divine Golden Crow!"

Gong Rong nodded in agreement, but Ji Yuan, upon hearing this, subtly furrowed his brow without offering any comment. In his mind, Ji Yuan acknowledged the Golden Crow as the spirit of the sun, yet he also had a suspicion that the Golden Crow might not be the complete sun itself. Perhaps the Golden Crow relied on a celestial body, and it was their union that formed the true sun. However, there was no need to share this thought with the True Dragons.

In recent days, Ji Yuan had contemplated many things, taking the opportunity to delve deeper into matters he had previously overlooked. For instance, he had once believed in the concept of a 'round sky and square earth', which might be broadly correct but not entirely precise. This was because there was indeed a time difference across the land; in vastly distant places, one area might be experiencing dawn while another remained in darkness.

It was only upon observing the "sun" that he recognized these phenomena. This did not necessarily imply that the land was spherical; it could also be that it possessed regional undulations, as he had previously speculated, though these undulations were far vaster and more pronounced than he had imagined.

As for whether the land was spherical, there was no need to dwell on it. Not only from a sensory perspective, but also because no one had ever heard of anyone traveling straight in one direction and returning to their starting point. As recorded by bored dragons of old, after leaving the Desolate Sea and persistently flying or swimming in one direction for extended periods, one could reach the so-called "Earth's Extremes," a location with an extremely harsh environment.

However, Ji Yuan quickly refuted his own assumption. He suddenly realized that this subtle "time difference" had no precise pattern. Along a single line, there might be areas with slight time differences, while in distant places, there could be areas where the time was nearly identical. This indicated that regional topography remained the primary factor, such as vast, slowly sinking basins or colossal mountains that obstructed the light.

Ying Hong, stroking his beard, looked at the distant divine Fusang tree and softly reminded the other four, "It will be midnight soon. Everyone, compose yourselves."

All of them watched the Fusang tree attentively. Ji Yuan, in particular, silently calculated the passage of time in his mind. Even in this remote corner of the world, he could feel the year's accumulated turbid qi and the surging clear qi gradually gathering and separating, poised to usher in a new annual cycle at midnight.

But before midnight arrived, the Golden Crow on the Fusang tree let out a cry.

"Wuuuuu-ah—!"

As Ji Yuan and the others waited with a slight tension, the distant, unreachable golden-red radiance gradually diminished until it was so faint that only a shimmering red halo remained.

"Thump... thump... thump... thump... thump..."

From the direction of the Fusang tree, the heart-pounding drumbeats suddenly rang out. This made the four Dragon Lords instinctively want to retreat, as they had learned over this period that drum sounds accompanied both sunrise and sunset, and hearing them always evoked a sense of danger. Yet, as True Dragons, they possessed sufficient composure. Seeing Ji Yuan stand firm, the four dragons remained still, not even uttering a question.

Faintly, a blurry chariot, carrying that red halo, ascended and moved away from the divine Fusang tree. The drumbeats grew progressively distant, gradually fading from their hearing.

This was the only time during their observations that Ji Yuan and the four dragons witnessed the Fusang tree devoid of a Golden Crow at night. Ji Yuan remained still, and the four dragons continued to stand with him on the ice platform.

It was only moments later, when midnight truly arrived and the turbid qi in the world settled while the clear qi ascended, that Ji Yuan slowly exhaled.

"As expected..."

Indeed, the drumbeats he had heard at sea long ago, and the unreachable crimson halo on the horizon, were precisely those of the Golden Crow's chariot.

"Mr. Ji, what exactly was 'as expected'?" Qing You asked curiously. Surprisingly, over this period, he, the Azure Dragon, had conversed with Ji Yuan the most, not his old friend Ying Hong, nor the Old Yellow Dragon, and certainly not Gong Rong.

"My meaning," Ji Yuan replied, "is that, as I suspected, at least during this transition from old to new, the Golden Crow embarks on a journey. I just don't know if it's merely to observe the New Year or if it has another purpose."

Ji Yuan's expression of deep contemplation, with his furrowed brows, easily led others to speculate that he was somehow predicting or even calculating the affairs of the Golden Crow. Even now, the four dragons had not fully recovered from the shock of seeing the Golden Crows. Ji Yuan, however, not only seemed to understand the divine Fusang tree and the Golden Crows, but also appeared to be calculating their every move, prompting much thought among the dragons. Among them, Old Dragon Ying Hong's reflections were especially profound; on one hand, he felt his long-held suspicions were correct, yet simultaneously, he felt his conjectures had not been bold enough.

Ji Yuan was unaware that the four dragons were entirely preoccupied with thoughts about him. He assumed their silence stemmed from their individual contemplations. After a brief wait, Ji Yuan finally broke the silence.

"Let's go. We likely won't need to return here for a while. We've been at sea for two full years; it might take another year to get back."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan's aged eyes turned earnestly to the four Dragon Lords. "Dragon Lords, regarding what we have witnessed, it would be best not to spread it unless absolutely necessary. Of course, I am not demanding this of you, merely offering a word of caution."

"Rest assured, Mr. Ji, we understand."

"Indeed, we are not ones to blab," another chimed in. "That's right."

The other three Dragon Lords responded verbally, while Old Dragon Ying Hong merely offered a slight nod. The depth of his friendship with Ji Yuan meant no further words were needed. Ji Yuan smiled upon hearing their replies. He knew that their "promise not to tell" wasn't entirely reliable, and the commitment itself was quite lenient, especially coming from demon-cultivating True Dragons. Nevertheless, he still offered a slight bow with cupped hands towards the four dragons, who immediately returned the gesture. Afterwards, Qing You put away the ice platform, and the five of them departed the underwater mountain range, manipulating the water to travel back.

The over three hundred Flood Dragons had already moved far away from the exceptionally strange Desolate Sea region, waiting in a relatively safe outer area. Huang Yu Zhong's Crystal Palace had also been set up on the seabed there, serving as a resting place for the dragons.

As the waiting period stretched on, the dragons inevitably grew a little anxious. Although a few months meant nothing to a dragon, the current circumstances were, after all, quite unique.

Among these Flood Dragons, over a hundred had vaguely glimpsed the divine Fusang tree initially and had together experienced escaping the "danger of the setting sun." The other two hundred had not. Furthermore, none of the three hundred Flood Dragons had visited that perilous area or seen the Golden Crow afterward.

"Ruoli, Father and Uncle Ji have been gone for almost four months now. When do you think they'll return, and what exactly did they see?"

On a terrace within the Crystal Palace, Ying Feng and Ying Ruoli sat at a crystal table, accompanied by several other Flood Dragons who were subordinates of the Old Dragon. Like the rest of their kind, everyone felt a degree of restlessness. Although Ying Ruoli's heart was not as tranquil as still water, she was at least calmer than most of the other dragons.

"Brother," Ruoli replied, "Since Uncle Ji and the Dragon Lords didn't allow us to follow, there must be a reason. Their cultivation is profound, so they will certainly be fine. We just need to wait patiently."

Another Flood Dragon beside them mused, "It must be an extraordinary secret, and extremely dangerous at that."

This was a platitude Ying Feng had heard many times. Just as he was about to say something, a sudden stir in his heart prompted him. The surrounding Flood Dragons also rose, looking into the distance, where the sound of dragon roars could be heard.

Not long after, Huang Yu Zhong retracted the Crystal Palace, and the three hundred Flood Dragons began their journey back. Throughout the entire process, neither Ji Yuan nor the four Dragon Lords said much to the other Flood Dragons, leaving them feeling an intense itch of curiosity, yet they dared not disobey the Dragon Lords' commands.