Chapter 69

On Bai Li Ying's fair countenance lay a trace of helplessness; her fair countenance bore a charming smile as she spoke.

"Father, you know this: I devote myself wholly to cultivation; my heart holds only the path to immortality. Worldly affection, before immortality, is merely a small scene, not worth mentioning."

"What's more, my feelings toward Brother Zhang are nothing but admiration—I admire his compassionate, world‑saving conduct and his steadfast adherence to the Dao; there is nothing else."

Hearing this, Bai Nu glanced up and down at Bai Li Ying, shook his head and let out a solitary sigh.

"You're mistaken, daughter. Without having experienced emotion, how can one discern the emotion gate and transcend the mundane? Without having walked the red dust, how can one free oneself from it and forge an immortal's heart?"

"That Zhang Jian is a fine match; if you two can together penetrate the emotion gate, it will surely benefit your future cultivation."

"You must trust your father; my judgment of people is never wrong."

"……"

Bai Li Ying found his words somewhat strange, a hint of speechlessness in her eyes.

A thousand years ago, Bai Nu had said similar words, but that was to Prince Mian Yu Qing; in the end he wasn't just deceived by Prince Mian, suffering a great loss.

Seeing Bai Li Ying's calm expression, Bai Nu instantly realized he could not persuade this strong‑willed daughter, and so he stopped trying.

"Forget it; perhaps your persistence will be right!"

Bai Nu then also felt quite bored.

At that moment Bai Nu's heart stirred; a thick strand of blood‑red energy suddenly emanated from his body and, in an instant, condensed into a red‑bottomed pearl with golden patterns that fell into Bai Li Ying's hand.

"This is the reward I promised you, Father—a drop of flood‑dragon essence blood, hoping it will help you smoothly embark on the path to becoming a dragon."

Gazing at the flood‑dragon essence blood in her hand, Bai Li Ying's eyes lit up; she knew her foundation‑building opportunity had arrived.

"Thank you, Father, for your favor!"

Bai Nu shook his head and added: "Furthermore, I can transmit ahead of time the White Water Dragon Palace's Destiny‑Pattern Forging Method."

"Destiny‑Pattern Forging Method?"

Bai Li Ying's expression froze; Bai Nu smiled faintly and said calmly:

"Daughter, after forging your Dao foundation, your destiny will manifest. The destiny seal starts blank, like a white sheet for us to write upon; if you are wealthy and influential, you can borrow your family's financial power to form a wealthy destiny, which will aid you somewhat in trade."

"If you are a noble or high official, you can rely on the court's ritual vessels to manifest a blue‑purple destiny."

"If you are a cultivator, you can draw on your sect or your own special spiritual roots; your fortune can manifest an unparalleled, heaven‑mandated immortal destiny and other special destinies, which will benefit you to some extent, especially when contemplating the supreme principles of heaven and earth, where a certain bias may arise."

"As for the Divine Dao, various orthodox traditions among different beings also have their inheritances."

"Moreover, our White Water Dragon Palace lineage has long possessed an inheritance of the destiny seal known as the Flood Dragon Power, which can manifest this special destiny with the aid of the White Water's veins, offering some help for your transformation into a dragon."

Bai Li Ying felt somewhat shaken; upon hearing this secret, her heart surged with waves, but one could imagine that the inheritance of forging such a destiny seal must be the core legacy of the White Water Dragon Palace.

A look of joy appeared on Bai Li Ying's fair countenance; after a moment's thought she asked again: "Father, can a person forge only one kind of destiny?"

Bai Nu shook his head slightly and said: "Of course not, but most cultivators and non‑human beings can forge only one destiny seal. Yet those with vast fortune and strong foundations can, when forging their Dao foundation, have their destiny seal nourished by great fortune, giving it greater capacity; if opportunity permits, they can forge additional subsidiary destinies."

"Naturally, our White Water Dragon Palace also possesses an advanced destiny seal; after you attain the Yin Spirit, you can then cultivate the destiny of the True Dragon."

Bai Li Ying's eyes flickered upon hearing this, a bright hue appearing in their depths.

After father and daughter transmitted the secret arts, Bai Li Ying originally intended to turn and leave, but she hesitated slightly and could not help asking: "Father, then how should we deal with the Governor's Mansion?"

Bai Nu's warm eyes suddenly hardened; he glanced at Bai Li Ying and said: "The name of the Cave Spirit Temple may frighten others, but it cannot intimidate me—just a mere temple warden of a county seat, thinking it can restrain me and make me hesitate!"

"If I wish to kill, even if the State Preceptor Sect Leader of the Cave Spirit Temple comes, he may not necessarily stop me!"

"Soon I will perform a ritual to first undermine his foundations, causing him to collapse and perish on his own!"

Bai Nu's eyes gleamed cold and fierce; although he could not strike directly, as the Dragon Lord, once he seeks revenge, who could withstand him!

Bai Li Ying fell silent upon seeing this; she understood her father better than anyone else—though he sometimes bursts with heroic generosity, his bones still hold a fierce, cold beastly nature, for he is ultimately a serpent transformed into a flood dragon.

"However, this matter is also self‑invited by the Governor's Mansion."

The White Water Dragon Palace had no grudge against him, yet it joined forces with the Well Dragon King in an attempt to seize the White Water!

After Bai Nu transmitted several layers of foundation‑building secret arts, he let Bai Li Ying depart on her own.

Having resumed control of the White Water Divine Bureau, he still has many things to do.

……

Dragon Lock Dam, inner villa

After finishing his chores, Zhang Jian relaxed; to oppose the Governor's Mansion, the Three Great Families naturally step forward. Upon learning that the Governor's Mansion is tangled in great trouble and cannot attend to itself, the Three Great Families will not idle—they will devise ways to snipe at the Governor's Mansion, cause it more trouble, and simultaneously help the Gu Family emerge from its predicament.

As for toppling the Governor's Mansion, a suitable opportunity is still required.

Zhang Jian has already entrusted the Dragon Girl to help seek this opportunity; the Governor's Mansion attacked official ships on the White Water, which now appears flawless, but that is only to ordinary people.

As for the river deity of the White Water, that may not necessarily be the case.

Just wait for the moment to arrive; capturing Governor Yu may not be very difficult.

……

In the depths of the separate villa, dense sword light blazed fiercely; under the sunlight, a figure holding the Dragon Roar Sword seemed to continuously swing the sword toward the sun, as if imprinting the scorching sun onto the sword technique; the Dragon Roar Sword drew upon the spiritual qi that fills heaven and earth, gradually staining his body with a layer of crimson.

This flying sword technique is not only for refining the sword, but also for tempering the cultivator's physique.

Man and sword become one; the two cultivate together, complementing each other.

After Zhang Jian forged his Dao foundation, he grew ever more adept at this sword technique; the circulation of heavenly and earthly power outside his body resonated with his internal circulation, as if he had grasped some ultimate truths of heaven and earth in the void, gaining some understanding of the movements of sun and moon.

The long sword in his hand, when swung, can draw forth the power of sun and moon, as if ice and fire were attached; moreover, it gains an extremely sharp edge capable of slaying heretical demons and evil cults.

Zhang Jian has preliminarily mastered this flying sword technique; he only needs to combine the application of the Sun-Moon Sword Technique and the Lung-Metal Sword Talisman to turn it into a killing move.

Besides this, arriving at this pass also includes the Minor Wind and Thunder Technique.

Zhang Jian knows he still needs a great deal of time in arduous practice to successfully cultivate these techniques; for cultivators like them who have just entered the gate of the Great Dao, these techniques are the key to establishing themselves.

Zhang Jian pondered how to truly master the flying sword technique; suddenly, a fluctuation of his keen spiritual sense occurred, and his gaze abruptly turned toward the outside of the separate villa.

In his keen spiritual sense, a completely unfamiliar spiritual opportunity appeared out of thin air outside the courtyard, and at the same time a vast and heavy spiritual pressure swept over.

In an instant, he saw the pond's depths churning with rising waves, as a huge object emerged.