Chapter 48: The Boiling Abyss

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The freezing seawater seeping through the jade floor wasn't just liquid; it was a living, psionic conduit designed to drown the spirit before it touched the flesh. The "Abyssal Tide" stood in the center of the cracking hall, her watery robes expanding into a tidal wave that threatened to swallow the elite of the cultivation world.

"You built your throne on the bones of a fallen star," the woman hissed, her voice a chilling echo of the deep trench. "But the ocean has a long memory. The Gamma strain you carry is a fragment of my divinity."

Scarlett Night didn't retreat. She stepped to the edge of the floating stage, her star-star cloak billowing in the sudden gale. She didn't draw a talisman for water-repelling; she tapped the Stellar Navigator on her belt with a rhythmic, coding sequence.

"System," Scarlett’s voice was cold, amplified by the Ark’s sub-space relays. "Identify the biological signature of the intruder."

"Analysis complete," the AI responded. "Subject 003-Gamma Variation: 'The Kraken Protocol'. Psionic density: 400% above standard Siren levels. Recommendation: Thermal Evaporation."

"Thermal Evaporation? I like the sound of that," Caleb growled, stepping beside Scarlett.

He didn't wait for the water to reach them. He slammed his palms against the jade floor, the silver-gold tattoos on his arms flaring with a brilliance that made the Sect Leaders shield their eyes. He wasn't just using strength; he was rerouting the Ark’s fusion core through his own body as a conductor.

"You want to drown us?" Caleb’s voice was a harmony of the Alpha’s roar and the ship’s hum. "Let’s see how your ocean handles a sun."

"System Command: Kinetic-Thermal Conversion. Target: Floor Grid 7 through 90."

The jade floor didn't just heat up; it turned into a glowing, orange-white surface of molten energy. The freezing Abyssal water didn't have time to flow; it hit the floor and instantly turned into super-heated steam.

HISS.

The auction hall was suddenly filled with a blinding white fog, but for Scarlett and Caleb, the tactical HUDs in their eyes showed the enemy as clearly as day.

"The guests!" Scarlett commanded, her jade brush drawing a massive "VACUUM" rune in the air.

She funneled the ship's atmospheric scrubbers into the rune. Within seconds, the scalding steam was sucked into the ceiling vents, leaving the Abyssal Tide standing alone on a scorched, glowing floor. Her water-robes were steaming, her face a mask of shock as her psionic conduit was literally evaporated.

"Your 'divinity' is just a high-pressure biological adaptation," Scarlett said, walking down the steps of the stage, her golden eyes burning with the authority of the Sovereign Navigator. "And in my house, I control the pressure."

The Abyssal Tide let out a psychic scream, her form dissolving into a swarm of razor-toothed sea-ghasts. They flew through the air like liquid arrows, aimed at the guests.

Caleb moved faster than a thought. He didn't shift; he simply vibrated. Using the Ark’s high-frequency sonic arrays, he created a wall of sound that shattered the sea-ghasts into mist before they could reach the first row of cultivators.

"Enough games," Caleb whispered. He appeared in front of the woman in a blur of silver light, his hand grabbing her throat. "Tell your 'Empire' that the North is closed. And if they send another drop of water, I’ll boil their entire ocean dry."

He threw her into the center of the stage.

Scarlett stepped forward, pointing her jade brush at the woman’s forehead. "I’m not killing you. I’m sending you back with a gift. System! Upload the 'Prometheus Virus' into her psionic link."

"Upload initiated," the AI chimed. "The 'Creators' will now have a permanent back-door in their own deep-sea network."

The Abyssal Tide shrieked as golden data-lines surged through her body. With a final flash of light, she vanished, forced back to the depths by the Ark’s spatial recall.

The silence that followed was deafening. The Sect Leaders and Merchant Princes looked at the scorched floor, then at the King and the Star-Weaver. They had seen the power to evaporate an ocean in seconds.

"The auction," Scarlett announced, her voice calm as if she hadn't just fought a sea-god, "is still in session. Does anyone else wish to bid on the Neural-Qi Interface?"

The bids that followed were frantic, desperate, and filled with a new, absolute loyalty.

Later that night, as the mountain returned to its quiet hum, Scarlett and Caleb stood on the observation deck.

"They're coming from everywhere now, aren't they?" Caleb asked, looking at the Navigator’s display of dozens of new signals rising from the planet's hidden places.

"The world is waking up, Caleb," Scarlett said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "The 'Experiments' are all coming out to see who the new masters are. We just proved we can handle the fire and the water. But the earth and the air are still waiting."

Caleb pulled her closer, his golden eyes reflecting the stars they were destined to rule. "Let them come. We have a lot of hot pot to eat before we're finished with this world."