As they stood at the bottom of the sea and stared at the massive gate that lay ahead, Austin and the
twelve zodiac animals were taken by shock and confusion.
They could sense the terrible aura that the gate emanated, and it was too similar for their comfort. They
had felt it once before from the palace in the depths of the Divine Tomb.
It was a profound and powerful aura.
"Well, should we break in and have a look?"
The black bull was itching to see what was on the other side.
As soon as it had finished speaking...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A heavy rumble came from the other side.
The gate began to tremble slightly.
It looked like something extremely powerful was attacking the gate and trying to make it to this side.
"That's it. That's the energy fluctuation we're looking for!"
Austin exclaimed.
The fluctuation he was talking about was the one that the chaotic world tree had sensed on Earth a
while back.
"I think there is something wrong with the gate, and something terrible is on the other side.
We'd better not touch it,"
Austin warned the animals.
He was afraid that they might destroy the gate on a whim. They were temperamental like that.
Splash!
All of a sudden,
the chains vibrated violently, and a huge black shadow descended to the bottom of the sea.
It was the flood dragon.
The length of the chains on its body were such that it could just reach the gate.
"There is something wrong with the gate again.
I'm sorry sirs. I'm going to use some spells to draw the runes.
If whatever is making that noise makes it to this side, I will be in trouble as well,"
the flood dragon told them. It sounded nervous.
"Go ahead."
Austin nodded.
The flood dragon stood in front of the gate and began to chant.
As it hummed the spells, it stretched out a claw and released energy to draw runes on the gate.
Very soon, the energy and laws of the surrounding space gathered close to the gate and then towards
it.
Not only that, Austin could clearly feel that the space within tens of thousands of miles around them
had changed drastically.
It was becoming increasingly stable every second.
"That's a brilliant law of space!"
Even the twelve zodiac animals were impressed by the sight.
And their exclamation was true. To be able to manipulate the very structural stability of space through
runes and spells was an incredible feat.
The master who had taught this method to the flood dragon hailed from the ancient times and yet,
his spells and runes still worked.
Even Austin and the twelve zodiac animals felt inferior on thinking about that.
After the flood dragon had completed its spells, it brought out a small yellow array flag and shot it into
the gate.
The gate finally quieted down.
"Sirs, this gate used to be very stable.
I've been watching over it for more than a million years and nothing much happened till recently.
Something must have gone terribly wrong
for it to become so unstable.
I'm afraid that something bad is going to happen.
The old man who imprisoned me here once told me that if there was something wrong with the gate,
the entire Sea of Chaos would suffer the consequences,"
the flood dragon informed them.
"Don't worry.
The Sea of Chaos won't get into trouble that easily.
You must keep guard here,"
Austin comforted it.
"Sirs, I don't want to stay here anymore!
Can you please help me?
I've been chained and shackled in this damned place for a long time. I'm sick and tired of it!
I was desperate. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought those humans down here. They are here only for
my companionship!"
The flood dragon knelt down in front of Austin and the twelve zodiac animals. It was crying and
complaining, hoping for an act of mercy that would free it from its wretched prison.
"You pulled those humans down here just because you were lonely?"
Austin was speechless upon hearing that.
So that was it! The ships, planes and humans that had gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle had been
taken here by the flood dragon because it felt lonely and wanted some companions.
"You are a selfish creature!
Did you ever consider how those humans might feel about being dragged down into deep sea?"
Austin rebuked it.
"I only wanted companions and did nothing to hurt them.
They did not suffer any loss either.
I have taught them to cultivate. They were mere mortals and now, they are powerful cultivators.
They are all very grateful to me,"
the flood dragon protested.
Austin unleashed his spiritual sense and saw that there were many human beings in each corner of the
small world.
They were all cultivators, and the flood dragon wasn't lying.
Some of them had even reached the Immortal Transforming Realm.
Cultivators at that realm were several times stronger than ordinary mortals and lived much longer.
"I'm a good flood dragon.
Please help me!"
the flood dragon begged once more.
"This gate needs you.
So you must continue your guard here."
Austin shook his head.
"No!
I have been chained for centuries!"
the flood dragon cried out desperately after hearing Austin's refusal.
"Maybe that is your fate.
Look, I don't think you have too many cultivation resources in this small world.
So the most I can do for you is give you some extra resources.
That should make up for some of your loneliness."
With a wave of his hand, Austin produced several Space Rings and handed them over to the flood
dragon.
"Thank you very much, sir!"
The flood dragon was indeed running out of resources. Austin's gift had arrived just in time.
"Alright, you must continue guarding this gate.
I will come back for you.
Maybe I will find a solution for the gate,"
Austin promised.
This time, his trip to Earth had been successful, since he had
managed to discover the reason behind the commotion on the planet.
This very gate at the bottom of the sea was causing the stir.
However, Austin couldn't figure out what was wrong with the gate now.
But he promised himself he would deal with it in the future.
"All right.
But if you find a way, you must come back and save me,"
the flood dragon pleaded.
"Okay, but you will not drag down human beings from the outside anymore,"
Austin warned it.
"If that is your order, I shall obey it,"
the flood dragon answered.
"Let's go,"
Austin said to the twelve zodiac animals.
They left the small world behind them in the depths of the ocean and returned to the surface.
"Huh! I hadn't expected I would find the secret of the Bermuda Triangle,"
Austin remarked with a smile as he looked down at the ocean that seemed still.
"How are Ivy and Sue doing?"
Austin unleashed his spiritual sense once again to check up on the girls.
The space where the Buddha had left his mark seemed dead silent. For the time being, there was no
movement there.
'The Buddha said that Ivy and Sue would cultivate with him for seven days.
I'd better not disturb them now,'
Austin thought to himself.
"Austin, since we now know why there was an abnormal energy fluctuation on Earth,
there is no need for us to stay here anymore.
You can stay here or go around if you like.
We are going for a walk,"
the tiger said.
"Alright."
Austin nodded.
The twelve zodiac animals then disappeared from Earth in an instant.
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