Chapter 33: The Blooms on the Other Shore

In Lin Qiu’s line of sight, halfway up the Ancient City Stele, a blood-red line began to emerge, swiftly sketching out a mysterious symbol.

“What is this pattern?!”

His gaze turned astonished. The symbol was composed of countless lines—just a glance made his head spin. Wispy lines, like fine fibers, extended rapidly, rendering a pattern that grew ever more complex. Though dizzying to look at, with careful observation it seemed almost three-dimensional, as if a mysterious flower were sealed within the stele.

“This is the Flower of the Other Shore, blooming without leaves,” the system explained, always precise and timely.

“The Flower of the Other Shore?” Lin Qiu’s eyes flickered with an unusual light. It was the Blossom of the Underworld. The flower’s demonic red stunned the senses, captivating the soul. One look could make you sink into its spell for ten thousand years, never to awaken.

“Host, guard your mind—the Flower of the Other Shore can devour the spirit,” the system warned. “Without spirit, life loses its soul and becomes nothing but a walking corpse.”

The system’s words startled him. He tried to turn away, cold sweat dripping, but found his eyes riveted to the flower as if nailed in place. The effort to turn his head revealed an invisible force pulling him back, painfully tugging at his eyeballs. Terror seized him; he tried to close his eyes, only to discover that even closing them was a luxury.

“System, I can’t move!” Lin Qiu’s voice trembled with panic.

“No matter. As long as your spirit remains firm, the Flower of the Other Shore cannot harm you,” the system replied, indifferent, then fell silent. No matter how Lin Qiu called, it did not answer again.

“Always unreliable at the crucial moment!” Lin Qiu gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening. When he was still a fish, he had no eyelids and never needed to blink. Now, in his human form—no, more precisely, his human-like appearance—he possessed eyelids. Without blinking, his eyes grew dry, then swollen and red over time. Soon, a cracking, tearing pain began to torment him.

Tears streamed from Lin Qiu’s eyes, but no matter how he struggled, he could neither turn his head nor avert his gaze.

“Am I going blind? I don’t want to be a blind man!”

Fear gripped his heart, yet he did not see what was happening around the stele. The other merfolk, those with ill intentions, had tears run dry and blood trickling from their eyes. Even their other six orifices—ears, mouth, nose—began to bleed. The blood did not fall to the ground; it hovered midair, held aloft by some mysterious force.

The blood in the air began to writhe, separating into countless tendrils that spread through the space. The tendrils entwined, weaving together in midair to form a Flower of the Other Shore. But unlike the flower on the stele, this one had only roots and stems, no bloom.

Blooming without leaves—two Flowers of the Other Shore gazed at each other across the void. Their existence seemed to partition off another dimension. Both flowers—one with petals, one with leaves—swayed gently, releasing countless shimmering motes of light.

The motes drifted through the air, finally gathering above Lin Qiu’s head to coalesce into a starry sky made of glowing points. Radiant beams fell from this sky, bathing Lin Qiu’s head, body, every inch of him.

The glow seeped into his pores, and Lin Qiu’s body began to shine. At last, he was transformed into a being of pure light.

Ancient City Stele and the blood-formed Flower of the Other Shore in the void swayed, showering more motes upon him. When Lin Qiu’s figure was completely hidden by the light, the stele shuddered gently. Even the ancient city outside trembled.

“Could it be that a fish is about to succeed?” Over the city, the immense turtle’s eyes widened in disbelief. Its finger moved, and the treasure-light hanging overhead rippled outward like waves, spreading in all directions.

Before the stele, the Flower of the Other Shore bloomed. A regal aura dispersed from the source of light. The merfolk bleeding from their seven orifices were swept away by this invisible force, instantly disintegrating into dust that drifted to the ground.

Within the City Lord’s Mansion, only one source of light remained, slowly radiating eternal brilliance.

On the Ancient City Stele, the Flower of the Other Shore began to wither, sprouting leaves. The flower outside lost its leaves but grew new ones. They stood opposed, separated across the void, never to meet in life or death, like eternities passing each other by.

No one knew how much time passed. The flowers bloomed and faded, eventually disappearing from the void. The stele no longer showed the Flower of the Other Shore, and the blood-red progress bar underneath soared, filling the stele in the blink of an eye.

Blood light surged across the stele as if an overflowing vat were about to spill. The stone was drenched, the top brimming.

The source of light began to dim. Faintly, a figure could be seen curled up as if sleeping peacefully in the amniotic fluid of life’s origin.

No one knew how long passed. With a soft pop, the membrane of light ruptured, and the dormant figure inside stretched limbs and stood upright from nowhere.

“I…” A bewildered voice emerged from the person’s lips. “Who am I?” The words were laced with confusion.

Those eyes were lost, scanning the surroundings, seeing only unfamiliar things. On his forehead, a red Flower of the Other Shore slowly bloomed. Unlike the previous flowers, this one bore both petals and leaves.

Perhaps it was the world’s only Flower of the Other Shore where blossom and leaf met.

As the flower appeared, confusion faded from the man’s eyes. Blood light receded from the stele, which returned to its ancient, unadorned state. Yet, if one looked closely, the pattern of the flower with both blossom and leaf now adorned it.

“I am Lin Qiu, master of the Infinite Devouring System. In my past life, a human; this life, an orca. This is the Ancient City, this is the City Lord’s Mansion.”

A low murmur escaped the man’s lips—Lin Qiu’s lips. He gazed at his flawless hand, and a faint smile slowly curled his mouth.

“From today onward, I am the Lord of the Ancient City of the Other Shore. The Flower of the Other Shore blooms…”

He spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, his face intoxicated with delight. His smile grew ever more confident.

A deep, resounding voice, piercing the hearts of fish, rang out: “Sovereign over all beneath heaven!”

And outside, the world erupted!

Above the ancient city, within the treasure orb suspended as the moon, a figure appeared—a youth with arms outstretched, his face radiant with confidence and domineering pride.