History Has Fallen Ill-Chapter 125 : Yin Dragon, Yang Tiger — Ferry of the World-Crossing Treasure Raft

Chapter 125: Yin Dragon, Yang Tiger — Ferry of the World-Crossing Treasure Raft
“Now this really is… an unexpected delight!”
Jiang Yan calmed the Shadow-Eating Serpent. In truth, it was by tracing this faint thread of causality that he had approached the Ou Tide Secret Society, only to uncover the mysterious ritual within.
He had initially assumed it was related to the Ming Dynasty’s Dragon-Tiger Qi, but unexpectedly, it was Xiangliu.
“This truly is an unexpected delight!”
The ancient fiend deity Xiangliu possessed nine heads, each controlling a different path.
One of them—the Head of Shadow—had been severed by a mysterious entity and transformed into a colossal Sick Domain buried deep in the River of History, known as the Shadow Demon Kingdom, from which many smaller Sick Domains emerged.
The source material for the Shadow-Eating Serpent, the dual-tailed Hook Snake, came from one of these.
The remaining eight heads had no records, possibly already slain or in hiding.
But each head... was a supreme path.
“No wonder the Shadow-Eating Serpent had developed the embryonic form of a third head. Despite devouring over a thousand shadows, it had long been unable to fully give birth to it. So it turns out... it still lacked one essential medicinal ingredient!”
Jiang Yan mused. The Shadow-Eating Serpent’s evolutionary path required it to devour other descendants of Xiangliu, constantly undergoing atavistic regression until it eventually transformed into a mythic creature.
The dual-tailed Hook Snake had died because the second head of Xiangliu had drained most of its nutrients before it was slain by a History Walker. Yet, even with abundant food, evolution remained difficult.
The serpent’s two existing heads were already illogical births from a Demon-God Embryo.
Who cares what ancient fiend deity it was? The children born of me must be healthy and strong.
Henceforth, to grow more heads, the Xiangliu bloodline had to be refined, new souls had to be birthed, and different paths had to be borne.
“If the Shadow-Eating Serpent reaches its peak, it might even surpass Xiangliu and become a ten-headed serpent mastering ten paths!”
But this time… which head’s path did it belong to?
Jiang Yan was full of anticipation. He shifted his gaze to the divine statue and pondered aloud, “Five Peaks flag… Ming Dynasty attire… could it be the great pirate, Five Peaks shipmaster Wang Zhi?”
“I think so too,” Secretary Yao replied gravely.
Wang Zhi was a pirate during the Ming Dynasty, his influence spanning the coastal regions, Goryeo, and White Sakura. Exploiting the Ming Dynasty’s maritime ban, he rallied his gang and White Sakura ronin to carve out his own dominion, styling himself the Prince of Hui.
At his peak, his forces numbered tens of thousands. Though perhaps exaggerated, his direct command still boasted 5,000 men.
Even Qi Jiguang was a junior in comparison and rose in rank by eradicating Wang Zhi’s remnants.
During Wang Zhi’s time, pirate raids along the coast did decrease, but that didn’t make him a good man.
He simply switched to extorting protection fees and exploiting loopholes in the maritime ban to rake in profits, exacerbating the Wokou menace.
Wang Zhi smuggled gunpowder, firearms, and weapons to various White Sakura warlords, forcing them to submit in exchange for arms.
Anyone who defied him would see their enemies supplied instead. He directly or indirectly orchestrated several large-scale wars, becoming the uncrowned king of White Sakura for a time.
And yet, such a man was admired by many in White Sakura—even honored with statues.
In official history, he was captured by Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang’s superior, through a ruse of amnesty. He was executed and his head displayed by the southern inspectors.
Before his death, he sighed, “If I alone die, I fear the people of the Two Zhe regions will suffer.”
Sure enough, his death left the pirate forces leaderless, and the Wokou scourge surged once more.
In short, Wang Zhi remains a polarizing figure in history. Some say he empowered the Wokou; others claim he was willing to guard the Ming borders. His willingness to accept imperial summons showed he still bore a heart for the Ming.
After history mutated, he must have become a pirate who hated the Ming to the bone.
But no one expected... that he would carry Xiangliu’s bloodline path.
Thinking this, Jiang Yan turned to You Haisheng and said flatly:
“Tell me your plan.”
“……”
You Haisheng’s expression darkened. He shut his eyes and stayed silent.
The more you say, the more you err. Better to say nothing at all.
So long as he didn’t confess, he still had value.
The real members of the Ou Tide Secret Society would rescue him.
No way Jiang Yan would dare to kill him...
Boom!
The next moment, he felt a searing pain throughout his body. His face twisted in agony as he opened his mouth—but not a sound came out.
Agony to the core!
An invisible Heart Monkey arm pierced into his body, grasping his heart and brain, fabricating corresponding inner demons, and began extracting memories.
Heart Monkey Technique — Witnessing Truth of Soul-Search!
This technique was much safer than ordinary soul-searching—it didn’t turn the target into an imbecile. The process just hurt a little.
But… was that even a drawback?
You Haisheng spoke through gritted teeth, pained: “The Ou Tide Secret Society has always been striving to enter the Silver Dynasty. With the aid of maritime merchant ancestors within the Corpse-Dissolution Court, and the struggle and sacrifice of many generations, we finally gained access. We met the original maritime merchant ancestors and established cooperation.
“With their help, we acquired vast resources, cultivated numerous elites, and developed Silver Dragon-Tiger Qi body cultivators. Eventually, the first True Person emerged.”
“These people stayed quiet and pulled all this off?”
Secretary Yao frowned. The Bureau of Historical Revision had warned countless times not to trust humans from Sick Domains.
Ancestors? Please—they feast on descendants!
These merchants, all for profit, were truly courting death.
Jiang Yan nodded and gestured for him to continue.
You Haisheng continued: “But like the historical Ming, the Silver Dynasty maintained its maritime ban. All high-grade extraordinary materials and artifacts were monopolized by the upper class, with barely any reaching the market.
“To reap greater benefits, one needed the favor of those bigwigs. And sometimes, even if you offered yourself up like a dog, they’d still ignore you.
“Then last year, things took a sudden turn.
“One of the maritime merchant ancestors in the Silver Dynasty gleefully informed us—a certain bigshot had taken an interest in our Ou Tide Secret Society’s potential. He was willing to offer us limitless resources, secret arts, even the cultivation method for Silver Law Cultivators. But the price... was our help in freeing him from the Sick Domain, so he could descend into the real world.”
As his voice faded, the room was stunned.
This guy wasn’t just colluding with Sick Domain forces—he was trying to smuggle something through!
If a big one slipped through... the entire real world would be in chaos!
Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who is this so-called bigshot?”
“I don’t know!”
You Haisheng tried his best to shut his mouth, but the Heart Monkey Technique directly manipulated his mind, leaving him utterly helpless—even suicide was impossible.
He could only watch as he helplessly spilled the secret:
“The maritime merchant ancestors said he’s someone capable of influencing the entire Silver Dynasty. There are only a few such people in the imperial court. We didn’t dare investigate further, but we can be sure—he’s definitely a Heaven Official!”
Heaven Official...
One of the few at the pinnacle of power in the Silver Dynasty...
Maybe he could investigate further through Chen Shui, find out who exactly it was?
Jiang Yan shifted his thoughts, saying meaningfully, “Wang Zhi… was just his experiment?”
You Haisheng responded, “Correct. That bigshot gave us the【Yin Dragon, Yang Tiger — Ferry of the World-Crossing Treasure Raft Ritual】. Using faith as the anchor, he could safely descend into the real world. But since it hadn’t been tested before, he gave us Wang Zhi’s soul.
“After his mutation, he became an Ancient Talisman user, but was casually crushed to death by that bigshot. His meritorious deeds were stripped away, and his soul was refined into a puppet. As for his body, it was turned into a【World-Crossing Treasure Raft】. Once the coordinates are locked in, it can set off from the Silver Dynasty. Because it was segmented, the pressure to surface became lighter.
“In the real world, we forged the divine statue of the【Tide-Calming Sea King】using Wang Zhi’s soul. Under that bigshot’s instructions, it was distributed among numerous spirit fish to form a living altar. Even if fed with flesh, it could erase all traces.
“By absorbing Mountain and River Dragon Vein Qi, we granted it the traits of a mountain and river spirit. Combined with the secret spreading of faith, incense power could be gathered to bestow a divine role. When the time is right, the treasure raft will land in the real world. Once the two reunite, he can restore his cultivation.”
“Reckless lunatics!”
Secretary Yao and the others glared angrily.
They fought to maintain order in the real world and resist mutation, only to find these merchants were stirring up chaos—transporting mutated bigshots from the Silver Dynasty into their backyard.
Jiang Yan raised his hand, instantly quieting the once-clamorous scene, and said calmly, “Aren’t you afraid… that this is the Silver Dynasty’s method to land in the real world without shedding a drop of blood?”
If these bigshots had a safe method of entering the real world...
What would they do?
Naturally, bring their foundations, power, and glory with them.
Ask the emperors of the old—who among them wouldn’t want immortality, but at the cost of eternal disease and suffering?
“I thought about that.”
You Haisheng answered honestly, “But with the Bureau of Historical Revision as backup, nothing too serious should happen. Besides, we’ve already gained some foothold in the Silver Dynasty. Even if it wins, we’ll enjoy glory and wealth either way. We’re hedging our bets.”
“Beasts!”
This thought emerged in everyone’s hearts. How was this any different from the scholars and merchants who once betrayed the Ming?
Wait—maybe they were of the same bloodline!
So-called maritime merchants… were just scholars in disguise.
Truly the same lineage!
The entire Ou Tide Secret Society deserves death!
Jiang Yan continued, “When does the ritual begin?”
“It’s already begun.”
You Haisheng forced out a grim smile. Though his body was under control, his gaze turned increasingly venomous.
“Everything was already prepared. Once the divine statue was reassembled, it would form the coordinate and summon the World-Crossing Treasure Raft. It has already begun to awaken.”
As his voice fell—
The divine statue began voraciously absorbing the power of the Mountain and River Dragon Veins. Inside its shattered shell, crimson flesh faintly emerged, rapidly crawling across the entire structure.
It looked like a grotesque fusion of flesh and porcelain.
Boom!
The human-sized statue suddenly swelled to three meters tall. Massive amounts of Silver Dragon-Tiger Qi seeped from its cracks, mending them like glue. Its aura surged wildly.
Law Seed — Initial Stage...
Law Seed — Mid Stage...
Law Seed — Peak High Stage.
Just one step away from reaching the pinnacle of the Law Seed realm!
Behind it, radiant light converged into a blue talisman projection, instantly spreading and casting a cerulean glow over the entire Ou Tide Secret Society stronghold.
In a flash, everything was engulfed by tides. Everyone found themselves aboard a gigantic, shattered treasure ship surrounded by raging waves, all paths sealed.
【Law Domain — Tide-Five Peaks Treasure Ship】
You Haisheng laughed, “Though Wang Zhi only becomes a complete Ancient Talisman user when fully fused, the Tide-Calming Sea King, forged from his soul, carries a Grade Six Ancient Talisman Law Domain.
“Even at Law Seed High Stage, paired with this Law Domain, he can force Law Seed Pinnacle experts to retreat. Inside the Law Domain, no outside help can be summoned. And as the World-Crossing Treasure Raft draws near, his strength will continue to grow.”
“Jiang Yan, your Talent is strong, but losing a third of your power under the Law Domain—can you really overturn the heavens?”
“I’ve told the truth this time, but since you didn’t ask all the right questions, I didn’t need to say everything. I’ve successfully delayed time.”
“Tide-Calming Sea King—kill them all!”
“ㄴㄴㄴㄴ……”
【Tide-Calming Sea King】lowered its head. Upon its faceless visage appeared a silver handprint, causing the face to cave in completely—
As if a hand had forcibly pressed it to death.
Boom!
That grotesque face turned to Jiang Yan, extending a massive hand wreathed in tidal might to crush him down.
In an instant, stormy waves surged forth, engulfing everything.
You Haisheng cackled madly, “No matter what, it’s a dead end. If I can drag down a top-tier genius like you with me, it’s worth it! Hahahahaha…”
Jiang Yan’s gaze remained calm. He said indifferently:
“After all this fishing… all I got were a few small fry?”
“What a boring farce.”
Boom!
A thunderous sound rang out. The assault from the Tide-Calming Sea King shattered instantly—its source, a silver boot stamping down.
At this moment, the three-meter-tall Tide-Calming Sea King struggled violently to resist, but its body was being forced deeper and deeper into the deck.
Standing before it was an eight-meter-tall Silver Ming King, Vajra wrath in his eyes, gazing down at the tiny creature beneath him.
Ssshhh—ssszzz!
With every breath, it inhaled and exhaled Silver Dragon-Tiger Qi, which lashed against the statue of the Tide-Calming Sea King, relentlessly tearing and fracturing its body.
Crack—crack—crack!
No matter how hard it struggled, the Tide-Calming Sea King couldn’t lift that foot. It could only watch helplessly as its body was squeezed and shattered.
“Wha… What!?”
You Haisheng saw this scene and froze, as though his throat had been sealed. His laughter halted abruptly.
Jiang Yan stood atop the Ming King’s head and said coolly:
“Since you call yourself the Tide-Calming Sea King…”
“Then I’ll give you a chance—”
“Before your life burns out, calm the storm within my heart!”