Chapter 516: Whose Doomsday Has Arrived?

Holding the heavy lotus bud, if it had been him half an hour ago, he might have turned it over and over, savoring its beauty. But now, he had no leisure for such things; he immediately bent down to blow on the flower.

This was a required action for all participants: once the King Lotus was found, they had to blow open its bud for the Lotus Fragrance Festival activities to continue.

Only then could the King Lotus be cut. The attacker was, of course, Fan Sheng.

He also saw Jia Yu's actions, but the bet had been made between Zhongsun Mou and He Lingchuan; who won or lost was none of his concern. He had only one goal:

To kill He Lingchuan.

Thus, Jia Yu calmly bent down and blew a strong breath into the lotus bud.

Energized by the breath, the lotus bud slowly opened at a visible rate.

Only then did its blood-red petals, crimson-gold stripes, and gold-tinged green lotus pedestal fully reveal themselves.

The entire lotus flower was over three feet in diameter, larger than a washbasin. It truly lived up to its name, the King Lotus.

A golden light flashed across the lotus surface, then shot straight into the sky! Even on a cloudy day, this golden light was exceptionally conspicuous.

The spectators eagerly looking on from around Chaohu Tower immediately pointed at the golden pillar of light and cried out:

"It's lit, it's lit, they found it!" The crowd erupted in a clamor:

"Was it only three-quarters of an hour this time? That's too fast!"

"It's unreasonably fast! Did someone cheat?" "Which team took first place?"

Someone overly curious slapped their forehead and exclaimed, "That big bet, who won and who lost? I hope the Cen Manor won!"

"Even if they win, they won't give you a single copper coin!" "But I can win money today!"

As everyone debated, the golden pillar of light suddenly dispersed.

This was another strange occurrence, sparking widespread discussion. In previous years, the pillar of light would last at least for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before fading.

Fortunately, the subsequent procedures remained unchanged:

Over a hundred thousand lotus buds in the labyrinth seemed to receive a command, simultaneously bursting into bloom. Even the more than a hundred water lilies in the weir beneath Chaohu Tower instantly unfurled.

Such a miraculous sight, even when witnessed annually, consistently drew thunderous applause.

"The lotus flowers have bloomed!" In Baishajue's summer, the city's lotus flowers only fully bloomed at this very moment.

The best season for admiring lotuses began today and would last for about forty days. During this period, new lotus buds would continue to grow, unconstrained by the King Lotus.

At this moment, Magistrate Tian, beaming, addressed the distinguished guests on the tower: "The lotus flowers have opened; please come down to attend the ceremony."

The Lotus Fragrance Festival was just about to officially begin. The venue below the tower had long been set up, awaiting the guests to take their seats.

The crowd naturally followed suit and moved down the tower.

As for the wager between the Prince's Special Envoy and the Lingsu City Inspector, it still lay on the table, guarded by a dedicated attendant.

Unknown to anyone, the King Lotus in the Lotus Palace snapped with a *crack* before anyone could even cut it.

Jia Yu, holding the lotus flower, was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

He had the King Lotus, but his boat was damaged, and the Prince's Special Envoy was being hunted.

How was he to return?

Another boat approached from the opposite side, carrying guards from the Cen Manor.

They had been tracking He Lingchuan the whole way; Fan Sheng had dived into the water, while the guards waited on the boat for his return.

Seeing what Jia Yu held, he immediately poled his boat closer, intending to seize it by force.

After pouncing on the boat, He Lingchuan immediately rolled into the water, not forgetting to throw something out.

His posture resembled an alligator diving into water—ungainly but quick and effective.

Water was the best cover; any attack would lose more than one layer of power. He had already tested it: the average depth of the Lotus Palace water was about five feet, with the northeast corner they entered being slightly deeper at six feet. Only lotuses blessed by lotus demons could grow to such colossal sizes, towering significantly above the water even in six-foot depths.

This depth exceeded that of an ordinary lotus pond, giving him ample room to maneuver.

He Lingchuan wouldn't claim to be a master swimmer, but chasing fish in murky water posed no problem for him.

Which lotus pond didn't have mud at its bottom? Though vast, the Lotus Palace was no exception. As soon as he entered the water, he first stirred up the bottom, clouding the water.

As mud and sand churned up, Fan Sheng, who was above water, could no longer see him.

But at that very moment, dozens of palm-sized shadows suddenly darted out from the surrounding water, biting at his entire body, specifically targeting vital areas.

These creatures had the bodies of pomfrets, but their fins and bellies were blood-red. When their mouths were closed, they looked benevolent, but when open, they revealed razor-sharp teeth. Their attack frequency was terrifyingly fast, capable of darting in five times per second, meaning five bites on a person. Each time, they wildly thrashed their caudal fins from side to side, hoping to tear off larger chunks of flesh.

A single piranha-like fish was manageable, but dozens of them together were a drowning person's nightmare.

Fortunately, a faint blue glow emanated from He Lingchuan's body.

The Soul Mirror's protective power automatically activated, reducing the incoming damage to less than ten percent. But it also cried out in unison, "Hey, quickly think of something! I can't hold out much longer; these things are vicious!"

Even ten percent damage was still very painful. He Lingchuan couldn't help but curse it, "What good are you?"

Holding the precious pearl, he could breathe underwater, which didn't stop him from cursing.

Of course, he knew very well that the mirror's protective barrier was already excellent; in the ruins of Thousand Star City, it had even blocked Uncle Da's full power. Its current rapid retreat was simply due to the overwhelming collective attack power of these piranha-like fish.

These creatures were either minor demons or summoned beings, and ninety percent likely released by Fan Sheng. This was because, before the competition, Shuize had already ordered the fish to leave.

He Lingchuan cursed wildly in his mind while accelerating his swim away. A swarm of piranha-like fish pursued him relentlessly, attacking furiously.

"Hurry, hurry, think of something!" the mirror incessantly urged him. "Ouch! That hurts!"

The piranha-like fish first had to breach the mirror's protection to inflict significant damage on He Lingchuan. Like ants biting an elephant to death, the mirror couldn't withstand this rapid gnawing, especially with its added elemental power.

Although He Lingchuan was a fast swimmer, he hadn't gone two *zhang* before a sudden warning flashed in his mind. The Floating Life Blade, which had integrated with him, was signaling danger from—

Above!

Below Chaohu Tower, the dignitaries had already reached the sandbar by the lake.

The boats for lotus gathering would not return so quickly, so the Lotus Fragrance Festival ceremony had to proceed first.

The sand here was naturally fine and white, requiring no artificial upkeep. The sandbar was flat and open, offering an unobstructed view of Chaohu Lake. In the past ten years, seven Lotus Fragrance Festivals had opened here.

This year was no exception.

The weir, serving as the backdrop, was now brimming with blooming lotuses. Along the side of the sandbar, a large stretch of covered walkways, usually for tourists to rest and enjoy the scenery, now served as seating for the distinguished guests.

Meanwhile, commoners and merchants stood at the back, packed tightly together.

Magistrate Tian struck the chimes, drawing everyone's attention, before offering a few opening remarks with a beaming smile.

These were old speeches, so familiar that he could recite them backwards without a script. Next, Zhongsun Mou gracefully stepped onto the stage to deliver his address.

The entire audience erupted in warm applause.

The surrounding bailiffs and the "atmosphere team" blended into the crowd clapped particularly enthusiastically, which then encouraged everyone else to join in.

Although Zhongsun Mou had been preoccupied with worries lately, he didn't want to miss this occasion.

His speech was also flowery and ornate, acquiring a special charm when heard amidst the fragrant flowers and clear water.

As the merman's voice echoed across the sandbar, a child standing behind the covered walkway suddenly tugged at his mother's sleeve: "Look over there."

His mother was listening, eyes half-closed, to the ornate parallel prose being recited upfront, feeling somewhat drowsy.

She ignored him, but the child kept tugging. "What is it?"

The child pointed to the weir opposite: "There's something in there."

The mother glanced over; the lotus flowers swayed in the breeze. "What something?" "It looks like something moved under the lotus flowers."

"Nonsense."

No sooner had she spoken than the fine sand on the sandbar suddenly humped slightly, right beneath Zhongsun Mou's feet.

He, too, sensed something amiss, but continued his recitation, merely looking down. Suddenly, a gigantic, abyssal maw appeared beneath him.

Before he could react,

everything went black.

To the others in front, one moment the Inspector was standing perfectly fine on the sand, and the next, a massive creature suddenly burrowed up from beneath his feet and swallowed him whole, from bottom to top.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Inspector was gone.

The monster was truly massive and round, larger and rounder than a granary. Most of the guests in the covered walkways even had their view completely blocked by it.

Was this a giant... snail? Its hard shell bore strange markings.

But how could a monster carrying a shell have four legs? Wait, wait a minute, the Inspector was eaten by it!

The spectators were stunned.

Nobles, guards, commoners, and bailiffs alike were momentarily speechless. Wu Kai cried out in alarm, "Lord Zhongsun!"

Cen Boqing, meanwhile, sprang to his feet, slamming his hand on the table.

The monster had appeared in front of the weir, standing exactly where Zhongsun Mou had been. Cen Boqing felt that its tentacle-like eyes were staring directly at him, as if in defiance.

Zhongsun Mou's guards also reacted, rushing forward. Naturally, their master wouldn't have brought them onto the stage while he delivered his address.

If anything happened to Zhongsun Mou, they wouldn't fare well upon their return. The guards' eyes were bloodshot with fury; two of them, without hesitation, hurled their weapons forward.

They aimed for the monster's eyes and lower jaw, but its eyes suddenly retracted, causing the long spear to miss.

Another blade, however, struck the monster's cheek, sinking in two feet, with sticky fluid oozing in and out.

However, the creature was too massive; this one slash was like pricking a mouth with a toothpick—it certainly caused pain, but it wasn't a fatal wound.

Another spear came flying in; it was Cen Boqing, who had drawn his own weapon and hurled it like a javelin, shouting, "Kill it!"

His power, accuracy, and speed were far superior to those of the guards.

The monster suddenly opened its mouth and shot out a red cord, actually deflecting the long spear.

What on earth was that?

Cen Boqing, however, could tell that the red cord was its tongue.

What kind of monster was this, with snail-like tentacles yet a frog's tongue?

Cen Boqing gritted his teeth, while Uncle Wu's face turned pale.

Was this the monster Mai Xuewen used for hunting demons?

The spearhead fell in front of the covered walkway; guests and commoners cried out and retreated, while bailiffs and various family guards charged forward.

However, it was too late.

The monster buried and plunged its head into the sand, and its colossal body quickly submerged.

Various magical powers and artifacts struck its shell with dull clangs, but none pierced through, leaving only a few white marks.

The monster swiftly submerged into the sand, disappearing in an instant, as smoothly and seamlessly as a fish diving into water.