Following the Consortium delegation's decision, a pulse of biological information radiated rapidly across the entire island and out into its surrounding waters.
This was not merely a signal to awaken the active conscious entity, but also an acceleration cue.
Because the "Sea Salamander" was not yet fully conditioned, upon receiving this information, its implanted glands would release massive amounts of growth hormones in a short period, forcibly accelerating this semi-mature entity into full maturity.
Mr. Chi knew that doing so meant the active conscious entity would not survive much longer. But now that it had already been discovered and targeted, even if it could resist for a time, it would inevitably be wiped out in the end. It was better to unleash it against that man, buying himself precious time to retreat.
The Government Affairs Hall had brought the fight right to their doorstep this time; the Municipal Council was utterly finished. There was no reason for him to stay here any longer, lest he be dragged down with them.
He shot an anxious glance at the submarine still being readied, thinking to himself, "I hope it can hold him off for a little while."
Meanwhile, in midair, Chen Chuan suddenly sensed something. At that very moment, Hongfu responded, "Unusual biological information transmission detected, extending up to five kilometers beyond the island. Suspected awakening signal for a conscious entity."
Chen Chuan asked, "Hongfu, can you pinpoint the exact location of the active conscious entity?"
Hongfu replied, "Connected to Fumu's field enhancement. Filtering field interference..."
After a dozen seconds, Hongfu spoke again: "Based on analysis of the information attenuation frequencies, a plaque phenomenon exists in the Great Black Reef islands at the three o'clock direction of White Bird District. The probability of the target's presence exceeds eighty percent."
Chen Chuan glanced at the map display. That was not the main island of White Bird District, but an archipelago of reefs three kilometers out. Nevertheless, this matched his expectations.
He had judged earlier that this active conscious entity was likely an amphibious type.
The creature had been transported by sea. Passing through all the checkpoints along the route and reaching Jibei Dao smoothly required extensive precautions. An amphibious type capable of existing on the seabed was the simplest option, as it could bypass a great deal of detection equipment in advance.
He tapped his boundary credential, ordering the combat airship to remain on standby. Then, fixing his gaze in a certain direction, he stomped hard against empty air. With a boom, a rolling rumble like thunder resonated across the horizon. The veil of rain was torn completely open, leaving only a brilliant streak of light slashing through the sky.
Before long, he cleared White Bird District and arrived in the airspace above the reefs.
There were plenty of small reefs outside White Bird District. This one looked utterly ordinary; if not for its proximity to shore and several relatively large rocks, it wouldn't even have had a name. Yet the moment he arrived, he knew he had found the right place.
For he could sense that a unique living organism was beneath the water—not through field information or anything of the sort, but through a psychic touch between creatures on the same level.
He raised a hand, a bright radiance flickering in his palm. But after only a moment, it faded away. He abandoned the idea of blasting the creature directly.
He did not know the creature's exact nature. Remembering the Guardian Spider he had dealt with earlier, if this organism was similar, its residual tissues could contaminate the surrounding waters. If he couldn't cleanse it thoroughly in one blow, there would be many lingering hazards. It was better to wait for it to surface.
He relaxed the field around his body and dropped swiftly from the sky. Only when he neared the ground did his outer field cushion his descent, setting him down steadily upon the reef. Directly behind him lay White Bird District, where lights and neon intertwined through the pouring rain.
Beneath the seawater, under the sand at the reef's base, a pair of eyes snapped open. The massive body began to stir, slowly rising from the ocean floor.
Triggered by the awakening signal sent earlier, the countless mutated tissues within its body had already sprung to life, releasing huge amounts of growth-stimulating hormones from its internal glands.
As it rose, its body swelled at a pace visible to the naked eye. Bones and muscles matured with extreme speed. Fissures split across the surface of its skin, only to be rapidly sealed by newly formed tissue, taking on an even thicker and tougher texture.
Chen Chuan watched below. He heard bubbling sounds rising from beneath the water, followed by a cluster of light flickering there, as if a colossal luminescent body were gradually approaching the surface.
A moment later, the water roiled, and an enormous figure roughly twenty meters long surfaced. It resembled a giant mutated salamander with near-translucent skin, beneath which densely packed, glowing blood vessels were clearly visible.
Its gills flexed open and shut slowly, venting wisps of pale gas that formed a thin, peculiar mist over the sea, accompanied by the occasional hiss of released vapor.
Hongfu said, "High-energy reaction detected. Scan results indicate the target is an active conscious entity of Second-Tier potential."
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted slightly. Second-Tier potential—that placed it on the same tier as Hongfu.
He had once heard Hongfu mention that active conscious entities were also divided into five tiers. Across the entire country's Wuyi Academies, entities with Hongfu's potential tier numbered no more than five. Every active conscious entity was capable of autonomous growth, and their potential tier represented the upper limit of their development without external intervention.
The active conscious entity before him had attained this tier, matching Hongfu in upper potential limit. However, that was assuming it reached full maturity. The true strength of an active conscious entity lay not merely in physical might, but in the autonomous consciousness that formed spontaneously within it and its vast, effective information capacity—with the latter being the most critical factor.
The Sea Salamander had now clambered slowly onto the reef. Its movements were sluggish yet powerful, its thick forelimbs stepping with a rhythmic weight. As it moved forward, its torso and long tail emerged; the tail swayed gently beneath the water, stirring swirling eddies.
Rain fell upon it from the sky, instantly boiling away into a thin veil of water vapor against its skin. As its body temperature climbed, vast amounts of steam billowed out.
Chen Chuan watched it for a few moments. His understanding of active conscious entities was limited, but drawing upon his instincts and analysis as a martial artist, he could confirm this one was purely an offensive type, unlike the Guardian Spider.
Sure enough, Hongfu reached a conclusion at the same time: "Field feedback indicates the target is non-contaminating."
Chen Chuan nodded. Since that was the case, he had no further reservations. Flicking a finger, he sent a sphere of light shooting downward. It expanded in an instant and detonated against the Sea Salamander with a boom. The force of this spiritual shock was nearly identical to the one he had unleashed against the Guardian Spider.
Yet this strike failed to produce the same effect. When the brilliance dissipated, ribbons of flickering luminous smoke could be seen drifting across the creature's body. Each pulsation of this phenomenon caused faint vibrations in the surrounding waters, sending ripple after ripple across the surface of the sea.
This was in fact a high-energy field born from the active conscious entity's massive accumulation of power—energy fueled not only by its own reserves, but by rapidly overdrafting its life force in a short span.
At that moment, the dense cluster of short, horned spines along the Sea Salamander's dorsal ridge suddenly flashed, and an intensely glaring beam of light shot straight at him.
Chen Chuan was prepared before the motion even began. Tilting his head, he let the beam streak past. In that exact fraction of a second, the colossal silhouette lunged forward right behind the light, its massive jaws tearing wide as if to snap him in half.
Yet he made no move to evade. Instead, he stepped proactively forward, clenched his fist, and drove a punch upward before the jaws could snap shut.
Boom! The punch struck right beneath the Sea Salamander's lower jaw. The violent burst of luminous flames instantly shattered the surface barrier, and the surging force crashed inward, knocking the beast's head reeling upward.
That strike was merely the opening move. A follow-up kick snapped in immediately after. Another thunderous dull boom resonated, and amid the bursting flash of fields and light at the point of impact, the Sea Salamander's colossal twenty-meter body was kicked clean into the air!
Chen Chuan tilted his body slightly. A cluster of light flashed rapidly in his lower hand, which he whipped forcefully upward!
Boom!
A massive burst of blinding light detonated overhead, illuminating the reef and the surrounding seas.
Chen Chuan reached out and plunged the Xuejun Saber into the ground, gripped the hilt, and drew it back out. He settled into a preparatory stance. After a brief pause, the brilliant radiance above faded away, and the massive body plummeted downward, scorched and blackened from the impacts.
His eyes locked onto the falling beast. As the colossal frame dropped before him, he leaped forward with explosive force, swinging both arms outward in a slash. Shing! An arc of light flashed across the sky above the island. Where the blade passed, the giant body was cleaved cleanly in half from head to tail! Torrents of high-energy fluid and tissue fluids splashed across the ground, rapidly corroding the stone below into pitted hollows.
The two severed halves parted. One dropped onto the reef, while the other tumbled into the sea.
Having slashed through, Chen Chuan carried his momentum forward, then halted abruptly. With a flourish of his saber, he turned back to face the half remaining on land. He opened his palm; in a flash of light accompanied by a rumbling roar, the severed half, along with the section of the reef drenched in its blood, vanished into nothingness.
Yet there was still the other half.
He turned to look and found that the other half was no longer where it had landed in the water—it appeared to have fled.
He was not in the least surprised.
Active conscious entities of high potential naturally possessed formidable regenerative abilities, and this entity seemed particularly enhanced in that regard. It was surprisingly cunning as well: the half left on shore remained completely motionless, leading one to believe it was dead, while the half that plunged into the sea made a swift escape.
Yet this was nothing more than a futile struggle.
Holding the Xuejun Saber, Chen Chuan strode forward and walked into the sea.
……
……
Chapter 913