Chapter 232: Heaven Grants Him Long Life, Three Kings Appear!

"Moo~" The whale dragon thrashed violently.

Four sea ships, including three thousand Liu Tianning, were being dragged by the whale dragon.

The dying struggles of this colossal beast were terrifying—a massive black cloud vortex appeared in the sky, even affecting Liu Tianning's seasonal orders and cloud arts.

"Release!"

Liu Tianning shouted.

"Release the chains!"

Pei Yuanchang immediately ordered the ship's mechanism masters.

"Click-click-click-click-click~" The mechanisms turned, the winch wheels spinning rapidly as the chains sank section by section into the sea.

The whale dragon instinctively dove, trying to shake off its enemies.

But the resilient vines in Liu Tianning's hands and the chain chains on the ships were long enough.

The whale dragon dove five hundred meters, yet remained firmly bound.

"Retract!"

At Liu Tianning's command, the resilient vines and the chain chains on the ships began to pull back, wrestling with the whale dragon.

Intense pain forced the whale dragon to rise from five hundred meters underwater, breaking the surface again.

"Smack!"

A fish tail over three hundred meters long slammed the sea, sending wild waves crashing against Liu Tianning and the surrounding ships.

"Crack-crack-crack~"

The sixth-rank resilient vines were peeling away layer after layer of their outer skin.

"This thing's strength is immense," Xia Jing stared at the colossal beast below.

"Its vitality is also robust," Chen Shijie's eyes gleamed, "After so many attacks, its life energy hasn't dropped much."

"Someone's coming."

Zhao Xing frowned, gazing eastward.

At that moment, Ji Ye and Ji Chen, the two brothers who had retreated, sailed their warship closer.

Clearly, they had noticed the anomaly.

Such a massive commotion couldn't possibly go unnoticed.

"Whale dragon? Such a huge whale dragon?!" Ji Ye was stunned; upon seeing the whale dragon's size, his heart pounded.

"A great opportunity—this whale dragon is undoubtedly the greatest fortune in the Eternal Night Sea!"

"Issue orders!"

"Put all five warships on combat readiness, deploy every mechanical puppet! Wait for my command!"

"Broadcast the whale dragon's coordinates to all exploration teams!"

"Young Master, do not," his strategist's face turned pale—he knew exactly what Ji Ye intended. "Liu Tianning may not kill the whale dragon, but he certainly has the power to kill us."

"Do you think I'm this foolish?" Ji Ye sneered. "Let Liu Tianning fight the giant first. Spread the news—I'll reap the benefits while they fight!"

"With so many exploration teams coming, how can Liu Tianning kill them all?"

"The whale dragon's value is great enough—I refuse to believe no one will be tempted!"

"Young Master, had this been two months ago, your plan might have worked. Now it's impossible—even if those exploration teams pretend to agree, they won't lift a finger," advised strategist Zhang Wensong.

"Enough counsel. Do as I say!"

The strategist looked at Ji Ye, his eyes filled with disappointment.

After leaving the room, Zhang Wensong looked up at the sky and shook his head.

"When Qin Chongwen and Brother Huangfu Song were killed, he dared not act. Now, for the whale dragon, he dares."

"Two months ago, when the six exploration teams didn't revere Liu Tianning, he didn't unite against them. Now, two months later, after everyone's already reaped their share, he wants to unite…"

A hint of contempt surfaced in Zhang Wensong's eyes: "A boy not worth plotting with—sticking with him will surely bring disaster."

Thinking this, Zhang Wensong went to his room, packed up all Ji Ye's previous rewards—even his ornate robes—he laid them on the table.

Then he flew straight to Ji Chen's ship.

The Thirteenth Prince Ji Chen also noticed the whale dragon's commotion and was tempted, wanting a share.

But the strategist advised: "If Your Highness acts, you may not seize the whale dragon, but you will surely offend Liu Tianning—the future leader of the Benwo Sect."

"Then what should I do, Mr.?" Ji Chen asked.

"Help Liu Tianning," said the strategist. "The whale dragon's commotion will draw countless watchers. At this moment, Your Highness should shield Liu Tianning from those troubles."

"Whether Liu Tianning wants it or not, as long as Your Highness takes this action, he must owe you this favor."

Ji Chen clapped his hands. "Mr. speaks wisely. Whoever attacks Liu Tianning, I'll attack them."

…………

After being bound, the whale dragon struggled for three days and three nights.

Liu Tianning and Pei Yuanchang's four sea ships drifted with it for three days and three nights.

Such a massive disturbance could not be hidden from other exploration teams.

Around the whale dragon, first came Liu Tianning and Pei Yuanchang's forces.

Beyond them, the outer ring consisted of Ji Ye and Ji Chen's two top-tier exploration teams.

Then came Xing Ming's united exploration team, the Grandson of the Tianjue King, and the Younger Son of the Liang Wang, Ji Dan's exploration team.

During this time, the fifth-rank cultivators aboard the Wanfa Tower Ship and Hailan Warship were all prepared for battle.

To prevent anyone from interfering with Liu Tianning or stabbing him in the back.

Someone actually did stab him—in the second night, Ji Ye's warship moved to intercept the whale dragon's drifting zone.

But before the Wanfa Tower Ship and Hailan Warship could act, someone stepped forward to shield Liu Tianning.

It was Ji Ye's older brother, the Thirteenth Prince Ji Chen.

The younger brother draws his blade, the older brother blocks it.

This forced all other factions hoping to take advantage to watch helplessly from outside.

Because these two brothers were fighting, they blocked the path.

And at the Chen hour on the fourth day.

The dragon whale's struggles finally weakened.

At seven ticks past noon.

The dragon whale lost all resistance; Liu Tianning seized the opportunity and shattered its life-soul.

Thus, although the dragon whale's body had not yet died, its soul had already been extinguished.

"Sssssss~"

The tough vines retracted from the dragon whale's body and returned into Liu Tianning's body.

At this point, all other factions could only sigh in regret, abandoning their hopes of profiting from the chaos.

"Zhao Xing, come here."

Liu Tianning stood on the dragon whale's back and waved to Zhao Xing.

"Yes."

Zhao Xing immediately flew toward the dragon whale.

As for the others, they remained watching from the boat.

Since Liu Tianning had not called them, they could only wait.

"Master, is it dead?"

"In a sense, yes—but its life essence remains." Liu Tianning smiled faintly. "I never expected that after consuming so many treasures, I would today encounter this dragon whale, born of heaven and earth's creativity."

Liu Tianning pointed a finger.

"Puch!"

On the dragon whale's back, a golden glow suddenly emerged.

"Pūtōng~ Pūtōng~"

The golden glow pulsed, contracting and expanding.

The Dragon Whale Heart!

Zhao Xing forced himself to hold back his urge to rush forward, merely watching the heart.

The dragon whale's heart was too large—even the largest cabin of the Blood Shadow Airship could not contain it.

And this part contained the greatest concentration of spiritual essence.

"The Dragon Whale Heart, its fins, its flesh—all are potent tonics," said Liu Tianning. "But for you and me, only the essence-blood within this heart is useful."

Liu Tianning pointed again; the heart split open, and golden blood began to flow out.

"Gulung~" A fist-sized clump of golden blood floated before Zhao Xing. "Eat it. Eat as much as you can."

"Thank you, Master." Zhao Xing no longer hesitated, opened his mouth, and sucked the golden blood inside.

"Pūtōng~" "Pūtōng~"

As the golden blood entered his body, Zhao Xing felt his own heart begin to pound violently.

His entire body swelled, and a golden phantom appeared around him—the phantom resembled Zhao Xing, but scaled up tenfold, like a giant.

Streams of qi flowed around him; upon closer look, these moving currents took the shape of a dragon whale.

Unlike the "fatness" of Long Xiao or Xia Jing.

Zhao Xing's "fatness" now was the expansion of life force.

The human race's life essence has an upper limit—this is heaven and earth's restriction upon all races.

Even at the same sixth-rank, humans live far shorter lives than spirit turtles, due to this limitation of life essence.

Now, this restriction was shattered by the immense lifespan and spiritual essence; Zhao Xing's lifespan limit had risen!

"A phenomenon of life," Liu Tianning watched this scene, then swallowed a clump of golden blood himself.

But the golden phantom around Liu Tianning was fainter.

This was because he absorbed it faster—in an instant, the golden phantom vanished into his body.

Liu Tianning began consuming the second clump of golden blood, while Zhao Xing was still digesting the first.

By the time Liu Tianning reached the fourth clump, Zhao Xing's golden phantom slowly faded.

He began consuming the second clump of blood.

The two master and disciple stood on the whale's back, absorbing.

Liu Tianning continued until he had consumed the tenth clump of golden blood, then stopped.

Afterwards, Liu Tianning gazed at the sky, lost in thought.

……

Zhao Xing absorbed more slowly, but he too consumed ten clumps of golden blood.

The golden phantom vanished from his body; Zhao Xing stood up, stunned.

"Did the dragon whale's spiritual essence really grant me 200 extra years?"

He looked at a record on his panel.

【You consumed heavenly and earthly spiritual essence; heaven bestowed extended life. Your additional lifespan increased by 200 years.】

【You consumed heavenly and earthly spiritual essence; you now understand your own fate.】

The panel also changed.

【Remaining Lifespan: 478 years】

Zhao Xing gazed at the panel and began to ponder as well.

"At the Sixth Rank realm, one normally lives only three hundred years; previously, my extra lifespan increased to 178 years and then remained utterly motionless. By estimation, under normal circumstances, if I do not cultivate, do not receive promotion, and consume no lifespan-extending treasures, my destined life span is merely 122 years."

"A natural lifespan of 122 years, plus the 178 years gained through the dynasty's fortune, longevity spiritual essence, and other amplifications, totals exactly 300 years, precisely matching the theoretical lifespan limit of the Sixth Rank."

"Now, I am twenty-two years old, yet I can still live for another 478 years."

"This equates to my lifespan limit already being comparable to that of the Fourth Rank."

"Does this mean that if I reach the First Rank, I will be able to break the theoretical 800-year lifespan limit of First Rank officials?" Zhao Xing pondered.

Logically speaking, this limit should only be broken during the era of Wu Di.

Yet beneath heaven, nothing is impossible, and the ascension of a grotto-heaven is a rarity seen once in several hundred thousand years.

Perhaps I have truly already broken the 800-year limit.

"Old Liu also consumed it ten times," Zhao Xing thought secretly. "If my speculation is correct, he should be in the same situation."

Verifying this speculation is actually quite simple.

When I ascend to the Fifth Rank and undergo the baptism of the dynasty's fortune, if my lifespan can still increase, it will mean that after consuming the Dragon Whale's spiritual essence, the theoretical lifespan limit has already been broken.

If, upon reaching the Fifth and Fourth Ranks, my lifespan does not increase, it will signify that the heavenly and earthly limits of the great world have not been broken, and I merely obtained a Fourth Rank lifespan early within the Ten Sun Grotto-Heaven.

Possessing a Fourth Rank lifespan at the Sixth Rank is itself a benefit; even without ever receiving promotion, one could live for five hundred years.

One must know that Tan Tai Ming, a Fourth Rank official, theoretically can only live five hundred years, and normally he would not even reach that theoretical lifespan.

"It must be that the limit has been broken, which is why the panel displays the phrase 'Heaven Bestows Longevity'!"

"Once heavenly longevity is broken, the next lifespan bottleneck for officials is a thousand years."

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Xing raised his head.

He saw that the heart still radiated Jin Guang; he and Liu Tianning had merely consumed half of it.

"The giant whale's marrow will still be of help to you." Liu Tianning turned around. "You have two hours left to consume it."

"Teacher, what do you mean?" Zhao Xing asked, puzzled and confused.

Liu Tianning pointed at the Dragon Whale's heart and said, "I told you before that during my Fifth Rank stage, I have already consumed every lifespan-extending treasure available."

"The fact that the heavenly spiritual essence contained within this Dragon Whale's heart still allows me to continue absorbing it means my lifespan limit has already been broken."

"This matter is of great importance; I have already reported it to Luo Hou Wang." Liu Tianning said. "A titled king will arrive shortly to deal with this Dragon Whale."

"Therefore, you must hurry."

Hearing Liu Tianning speak thus, Zhao Xing immediately began to absorb the Dragon Whale's marrow.

Liu Tianning's Three Thousand Dharma Bodies had long since divided the Dragon Whale into many parts.

Now he only needed to eat what was already prepared.

"Dragon Whale Marrow."

Zhao Xing held a massive dragon bone and cracked it to suck out the marrow.

Hot, a scorching sensation instantly spread throughout his entire body; Zhao Xing felt as though he had been thrown into a smelting furnace.

His skin, flesh and blood, acupoints, meridians, and bones were all coated in a layer of gold.

"Ah—" Zhao Xing fell to his knees, his face contorted in pain.

The Dragon Whale's marrow contained Yuan Po spiritual essence; its effect was to strengthen the physical body!

This Dragon Whale was truly a treasure from head to toe.

"Huff~ huff~"

One hour later.

Zhao Xing panted, sweat flowing endlessly.

Now, his bones and body all radiated Jin Guang.

【You have consumed Dragon Whale bone marrow; your constitution has undergone transformation, evolving from 'Initial Golden Bone Formation' to 'Great Completion of Golden Bone'!】

"Huh?" Zhao Xing froze in shock.

The Dragon Whale's marrow had actually forcibly pulled his physical body up to the level of 'Great Completion of Golden Bone'.

He casually grabbed a bone; originally, Dragon Whale bone was extremely hard, requiring a divine weapon to shatter.

But now, with just a slight application of force from him—

"Snap!"

The hard Dragon Whale bone was actually crushed.

Looking at his own palm, Zhao Xing fell into deep thought.

His physical strength had increased by who knew how many times.

Moreover, a sense of ease arose within his sea of consciousness.

"The Life Soul resides in the womb; my physical body has grown stronger, and my Life Soul no longer feels cramped, becoming free and at ease."

A stronger physical body is a good thing.

When enemies close in, one will not die from a single blow, and one's vitality becomes more tenacious.

In the future, entering the Yuan Po realm will also be somewhat easier.

"If I encounter some magical prohibition zone or extreme environment, possessing these golden bones and having a slight mastery of fist and foot techniques will greatly enhance my ability to preserve my life."

There was nothing else worthwhile to consume next; the remaining parts were of no use to Zhao Xing.

Unless he could break through his current realm.

By the time he finished absorbing the Dragon Whale's marrow, two hours had already passed.

…………

Two hours later, a Golden Dragon Warship appeared in the Extreme Night Sea.

On the warship flew a banner, upon which a bow and arrow radiated a faint Jin Guang.

"Luo Hou Wang's warship?"

"Why has he come?"

The various factions in the Eternal Night Sea could not help but be astonished.

Since the spiritual beauty of the Ten Yang Cave Heaven erupted, this was the first time the Three Kings had appeared in public.

The Golden Dragon warship flew alongside the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship.

"Whoosh~"

Afterwards, three phantom shadows landed on the back of the Dragon Whale.

They were King Tianyan, Luo Hou Wang, and Ling De Wang.

"Subordinate Zhao Xing pays his respects to Luo Hou Wang, King Tianyan, and Ling De Wang."

"No need for ceremony." Luo Hou Wang nodded lightly.

Then the Three Kings glanced at the Dragon Whale, especially that golden Dragon Whale heart.

"How is it?" Luo Hou Wang looked at King Tianyan.

"It indeed possesses divine strangeness." King Tianyan nodded, "It seems it has swallowed too much spiritual beauty, and has undergone a qualitative leap."

"Liu Tianning, take your disciples aboard the ship." Luo Hou Wang ordered.

"Yes." Liu Tianning immediately took Zhao Xing off the Dragon Whale and returned to the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship.

Immediately after, Luo Hou Wang, King Tianyan, and Ling De Wang sealed off the surrounding space.

Banners appeared and fell above the Dragon Whale.

Like a sky curtain, no one could see the situation inside.

…………

Four hours later, the sky curtain barrier dissipated.

The Dragon Whale heart had already disappeared, nobody knew where it had gone.

The Three Kings did not explain anything, boarded the Golden Dragon warship again, and left the Eternal Night Sea.

Zhao Xing watched the warship leave, lost in thought.

Spiritual beauty items from the Eternal Night Sea are useless once they leave the region, but it depends on who acts.

Clearly, the Three Kings used special means to take that heart away.

"I never heard of the Dragon Whale in my past life; it seems truly the Three Kings level acted, and sealed the news." Zhao Xing guessed.

However, Luo Hou Wang and the others only took the heart.

They paid no attention to the other parts at all.

Liu Tianning and Pei Pei Yuanchang cut up the precious parts of the Dragon Whale, which took another three days.

The other members on the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship also received Dragon Whale meat.

Although the quality was not as high as the Dragon Whale heart, it still held great attraction for Fifth Grade cultivators.

Especially the Dragon Whale bone marrow, which can strengthen the physical body; this is of immense help for subsequent advancement to Fourth Grade.

Chen Shijie, Xia Jing, Long Xiao, Ji Ji Ziyun, Murong Xue, Ji Ji Zixuan, Liu Cheng'an, Wu Ting... all members of Liu Tianning's exploration team had their share.

A few days later, many people became 'Fatties' due to excessive accumulation of primal energy.

Even the Mountain Cat ate until its belly was round and its body expanded by a size.

"It is time to return."

Zhao Xing stood on the Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship, looking down at the crowd dividing the fish food, and glanced at the almanac.

Today is already the second day of the seventh month!

"Now I have no further desires for the Ten Yang Cave Heaven; even if there are still some scraps left, it is of no consequence." Zhao Xing thought silently.

"Just use the excuse of digesting primal energy and refining spells to stay in Yangcheng and not go out."

The Ten Days of the Sun in the Sky is at the end of August, but Zhao Xing decided to wrap up at the beginning of July.

Because the harvest has already exceeded the original expectations, now is the time to extricate oneself.

No one knows if this time it will happen early, or what additional changes will occur.

On the third day of the seventh month, Zhao Xing followed Liu Tianning's Ten Thousand Dharma Tower Ship back to Yangcheng.

At this time, less than two months remained until the Ten Days of the Sun in the Sky.

Back at the Eighteen Locusts Liu Courtyard, Zhao Xing entered a dream to sort through the exploration experience of over three months, to prevent omissions.

Walking into the memory palace in the dream, when viewing the segment of 'Heavenly Gate Deduction', Zhao Xing's expression changed.

At this moment, he actively entered the gate to recall, and remembered this sealed memory.

"The Ten Days of the Sun in the Sky is actually related to the Xuantian Sect? Even possibly related to Liang Wang?" Zhao Xing pondered.

The original intention for sealing this memory at the very beginning was because his own body was too weak.

But now, knowing Liu Tianning's strength and discovering that Old Liu's backer is Luo Hou Wang, he has some other thoughts again.

"Xuantian Sect, Ten Days of the Sun in the Sky..." Zhao Xing pondered.

This volume should be wrapping up tomorrow, and the Qinggang Mining District won't be written about much more, so I'm a bit stuck; I'll write five thousand today, please forgive me.