Chapter 1164

Clang clang clang.

The bell rang urgently and densely, mixed with the thunder of lightning shaking heaven and earth, one after another the bronze bells trembled, sending the alarm to every corner of Qinggu Valley.

In the valley, the twenty-seven strongholds were in an uproar, those half-dressed rushed out of their rooms, asking what was happening.

The noisy shouts and curses never ceased.

Li Xianghan's expression suddenly changed, and she blew a whistle.

The mice inside the house, big and small, received the order, jumped and fluttered their hooves, driving the snakes and insects into the jars, biting the ropes and leaping across, binding the myriad insect jars in the insect chamber, and loading them onto the cart.

A yellow mouse leapt and kicked open the door bolt, another two black mice scrambled up and down, and finally the white mouse crouched on the door bolt, raised its paw to greet the guards to come pull the cart.

"Crack crack crack." Bai Awei opened and closed his mouthparts.

"That's the refuge bronze bell," Li Xianghan spoke rapidly, her hands never stopping, stuffing her most precious clothes, elixirs, and trinkets into a rhino-hide small box, "When the refuge bronze bell sounds, it proves that something major has immediately occurred in the stronghold.

All clanspeople must, by rule, enter the ritual-equipped mountain caves for refuge, but we need not worry, for we have made preparations in advance, fearing accidental casualties, the valley has the Laozu Sect in command, so there will be no danger, perhaps nothing will happen at all, just follow close behind me."

Li Xianghan comforted Bai Awei with her words, but her heart trembled, unable to imagine what great matter could have occurred.

Could there be trouble on the front lines? Though Qinggu Valley lies in the central heartland of Nanjiang, even if Meng Yi is useless and the front lines however defeated and retreating,

how could the Great Shun possibly push all the way here?

Moreover, before Liang Qu descended upon the front lines, they had always held the advantage in Nanjiang, so just how formidable could that Marquis Yiyi of Great Shun be?

"Holy Maiden, have you finished packing? The clan elder urges, set aside the non-essentials for now, just keep the mother gu of the gu worms, hurry and follow me to refuge." Huang Shu arrived at the door, drenched through, rainwater dripping from the straw leaves folded by his raincoat with a patter.

"Huang Shu, what exactly is happening outside?" Li Xianghan carried two leather packs on her back, Bai Awei landed on the pack, one person and one worm followed behind the guard pushing the cart, walking up the mountain suspended plank path, merging into the crowd, "Out of nowhere, how did we come to the point of needing refuge?"

Huang Shu removed his bamboo hat and held it up to shield Li Xianghan from the rain.

"The front line at Pan Da has been defeated, the Tian Long gathered at Linjiang number no less than ten or more, moreover two demon kings have broken free, fleeing south into the heartland of Nanjiang,

the Laozu Sect says, it is possible they will come to our Qinggu Valley."

"What!?"

Lightning split half the sky, in the mountain forest instantly illuminated, Li Xianghan was pushed and jostled by the crowd forward, the guards rudely shoved aside the way, letting the Holy Maiden go first.

Bai Awei did not understand Nanjiang speech, he tugged at Li Xianghan, discovering she was dazed and confused.

After a moment.

"Two demon kings, allowed to run wild? Why didn't the stronghold stop them?"

"Holy Maiden, it's not easy to stop them." Huang Shu helplessly said, "We currently don't know the situation, those two demon kings both have the ability to traverse, their whereabouts uncertain. Moreover, the Laozu Sect said, the situation is special, they are like dogs biting dogs.

Not stopping them is still okay to say, perhaps they just flew past from above. Stopping them, everyone would clash, instead causing residual losses, the tusi has not issued orders, nor has time to, now each stronghold merely considers itself powerless, unwilling to get involved."

Two water demons, causing the stronghold to be in chaos like chickens flying and dogs jumping.

Li Xianghan bit her lips tightly.

"Who are the two demon kings?"

Huang Shu raised his hand to shield from the rain: "One is the flood dragon from the great marshes of Jianghuai, the other unclear, the Laozu Sect said it suddenly appeared, observing the flood dragon's movements, suspecting it is the white ape that achieved universal promotion mid-last year, died and resurrected, because of it last year and this year.

Now we are no longer certain of their relationship, whether they are truly colluding with the Great Shun to set a trap. If not, then the white ape deliberately came to Nanjiang, intending for us to intervene, aiming to muddy the waters, and we cannot let it have its way."

Li Xianghan gritted her teeth.

"Beasts feigning transformation, since ancient times——"

"Shh, Holy Maiden, such words must not be spoken recklessly."

Silence.

The forest gloom unclear, the plank path trembled, children cried and shouted, rain blurred people's conversation.

The treetops sheltered the plank path, with another curtain of rain, a rough glance, almost impossible to notice.

The crowd flowed like blood around the mountain body, trickling along, muddy water splashed by passersby fell on the peony silk shoe uppers, blooming into black spots, Li Xianghan frowned her nose in disgust.

Looking outward.

Stream after stream, rushing down from the mountain body, converging in the valley, nearly forming a great river.

"Quick, ahead is where we arrive, reaching beside the Laozu Sect, the Holy Maiden will be safe, we'll just consider today a hardship, sleep a night, and tomorrow will be fine." Huang Shu shouted.

The guards pushed the cart forward.

Bai Awei on the leather pack suddenly turned his head.

Li Xianghan's eyes were sharp, seeing the Laozu Sect emerge from the mountain cave, stand on the plank path, she realized something, turned back, the torrential rain poured down, striking the banana leaves, then sliding onto the bamboo hat, forming a circle, dispersing into a rain curtain.

Another bolt of lightning flashed, Li Xianghan saw clearly the gloom in the mountain forest, at some point the mountain stream suddenly surged violently, overflowing both banks' mountain peaks, then being blocked outside by a transparent barrier.

The flood pressed, sand and mud turbid, countless silvery-white bubbles churned chaotically, two golden pupils pierced the white vapor, leaving only a vast outline,

revealing sharp canine teeth, looking down from above.

The pupils gradually dilated, Li Xianghan halted her breath, staring blankly, her small heart clenched into a knot.

In the white vapor, the golden pupils turned, suddenly two points of piercing light plunged into the sea of consciousness, her heart violently jumped to her throat.

Li Xianghan felt she had been glanced at, immense fear loomed overhead.

Splash.

The ape shadow vanished, before the floodwaters could swirl and fill, the long dragon reappeared, golden eyes shining like the sun, before and after almost no gap, as if instantly transformed from ape to dragon.

The electric light faded.

The forest plunged into darkness, deathly silent, the floodwaters receded, the dragon and ape vanished without trace,

"Boom—."

A warm current trickled from her lower abdomen, like a thin little snake, along her thighs round and plump like a tadpole, crawling onto the plank bridge, seeping into the gaps.

Heavy rain poured.

"Truly frightening, fortunately we have the Laozu Sect, otherwise the flood would have drowned us, Holy Maiden, let's go, having come this far, it should be fine, we'll just wait and see."

Huang Shu, whose breath had paused, came to his senses, gripped his bamboo hat, and woke Li Xianghan.

"Oh, good, good——. —"

In his mind, the golden eyes lingered, unblinking, as if staring at the blazing sun on a clear day; whenever he looked elsewhere, a bright spot remained in his field of vision. Li Xianghan nodded repeatedly, took a step forward, his ankles sore and weak, slipping—luckily, Uncle Huang caught him with one hand, holding him suspended in midair, preventing a fall.

The mouse leapt out of the skin box, dodging the trampling crowd, hopping left and right, and retrieved the slipped embroidered shoe.

At the mouth of the dark cave, the Old Ancestor of Qionggu Valley stood with hands behind his back, watching the Holy Maiden Li Xianghan enter the cavern in a daze, while the guards behind him rushed forward in terror to report.

"Old Ancestor, the three strands of Heaven and Earth Vital Energy in the stronghold have vanished!"

Silence for a moment.

"Understood, then—" the Old Ancestor turned and entered the cave, "may it dispel disaster and ward off misfortune."

Leaving Qionggu Valley, Bai Yuan and the flood dragon followed one after the other, the distance between them continually shrinking.

Maneuvering across a thousand miles, like two small fish tangled in a fish tank.

Both relied on river currents to navigate, so their movements followed a general direction, differing only in distance; as long as they briefly shared the same space, the flood dragon could seal the area and launch an attack. Yet the flood dragon discovered that, upon rebirth, Bai Yuan was not only stronger but also far more agile in maneuvering.

"Left, right, left, left, left, spin around, charge straight—"

Inside the Whirlpool Palace, the fat catfish's long whiskers served as reins, its head as a saddle; the old toad sat boldly astride, legs splayed, urging the fish forward.

Liang Qu closed his eyes.

Relying solely on river sensation and the old toad's commands, he charged through the southern tribes like a bull in a china shop.

【Obtain one strand of Hanming Qi; if fused with the essence of ten thousand marshes, it will produce a spirit fish, capable of elevating the Verdant.】

【Obtain one strand of Chaoyuan Qi; if fused with the essence of ten thousand marshes, it will produce a spirit fish, capable of elevating the Verdant.】

【Obtain one strand of Ganlu Condensed Qi; if fused with the essence of ten thousand marshes·】

Within the Marsh Cauldron, eight strands of vital energy flowed and interwove, each of a different hue, resembling the three-colored rotating columns before a barber shop.

Ganlu condensed, and again, ganlu condensed.

Pan Da produced two strands of ganlu-condensed qi in the Kuzhou hukeng workshop.

Liang Qu broke through three major strongholds in the southern regions, gaining another three strands of ganlu-condensed qi—one per stronghold—so that he had now harvested five strands of ganlu-condensed qi in total.

How could there be so much, and all of the same water-type vital energy?

"An anomaly has arisen in the southern lands: blood sacrifices of the common folk, an attempt to forge a false god, causing great uproar. Among those sacrificed are over three hundred of our Great Shun subjects; the situation is now quite tense, and I have heard the Northern Court is also deeply concerned——."

The news from the Huangzhou Great Hunt surfaced before his eyes.

No time to think further, nor the energy to do so.

Above the Eastern Sea, turtles, frogs, and fish surged forward toward the South Sea, approaching the southern territories!

The southern territories, Northern Court, Great Shun, sea islands, snow mountains, and all under heaven—none failed to take notice.

The "Eye Recognition Method" cannot detect gazes of a hundred thousand li, let alone a million li, but Liang Qu knows the Heavenly Dragons of the world are watching.

"Be careful!" the old toad shouted.

The golden eyes snapped open, like a prickling sensation on the back.

Boom! Boom!

The water parted, Bai Yuan emerged, and behind him, the flood dragon simultaneously flickered, opening its massive maw.

Bang!

Countless black inks exploded, like an octopus spewing ink; the dragon's jaws snapped shut, and Bai Yuan shattered into smoke.

The Whirlpool Palace successively bolstered and exchanged the fat catfish's 【Water Ink Phantom Body】 and the little clam dragon's 【From Illusion to Substance】; the water flow became a pushing force, lifting Bai Yuan to surge forward, breaking through the sealed heaven and earth, then flickering once more.

The flood dragon's mood was unpredictable; previously, its refinement had been flawed, it had eaten its fill, and though it had prepared for Bai Yuan's demise, seeing him not only alive but even stronger, it still exceeded expectations.

The nine-tailed fox has nine lives—let us see how many times the monkey can survive!

The dragon's tail drew water.

"Ha hu, ha hu——"

As if spring wind thawing ice.

The last trace of green light in the heart faded and vanished; at the moment Bai Yuan flickered and paused, the riverbed vegetation surged violently, as if deep underground gushed forth emerald spring water, spreading along the flat riverbed to the horizon—endless vitality bursting forth.

Crack, crack, crack.

Tendons and bones cracked, the whole body tingled unbearably, as if in a single instant, every cell stretched, expelling all the waste that had lain dormant for half a year, renewed.

Liang Qu nearly overextended his wings, seized by the flood dragon as an opportunity to swallow him whole; a powerful, intensely comfortable ease welled from his heart, like waking from a spring afternoon's dream.

The first thunder awakens the hibernating creatures; a hundred things stir in the spring warmth.

The initial yang shocks the hibernating; the bright light bathes the earth.

Bai Yuan leapt with thunderlight, one after another, the riverbed bursting forth with coiled greenery.

In the watery realm, heaven's favor descended again and again!

Behind him, the flood dragon's killing intent soared to the heavens; long-dormant blood boiled, tense and thrilling, everything vivid beyond compare! Bai Yuan bared his lips, revealing crimson gums, feeling his heart's violent pounding, and laughed loudly in the river.

To be alive—how wonderful!

Not over yet!

The green light faded completely, white light shot into the sky.

The spirit fish's silkworm cocoon utterly dissolved and collapsed, merging into this reborn flesh.

The qi sea, restored and surging to thirteen thousand times its original size, suddenly doubled.

Beneath the immortal isle, layered clouds surged like white waves.

Twenty-three thousand six hundred times.

A feeling of support and restraint never before experienced filled the heart, swelling the lower dantian.

The qi wave surged to the heavens, the great river's flow severed.

Liang Qu felt his qi sea's limit for the first time.

Thereafter, the expanding spring green light that had spread outward was entirely retracted, converging to a single point.

Wherever Bai Yuan passed, the verdant forests turned gray and withered like deep autumn, all vitality extinguished.

Wansheng Baoyuan spun rapidly, automatically opening the fourth realm, Gang Lian, and then replenishing the innate!

"Pa-da pa-da——"

Liang Qu raised his hand, horrified to discover that the flesh on his hand was rotting and melting, dripping like pus from skin to muscle to bone, yet the process was completely painless, even slightly comfortable.

Fingers, arms, shoulders, chest, thighs—all detached from the body, melted, vision half-dark, Liang Qu's right eye saw his own eyeball fall out, trailing nerves and blood vessels, slipping through the gaps in the hand bones into the river.

Then a point of green light surged forward, like a silkworm cocoon wrapping, growing new bones and flesh.

【Silkworm sleep breaks cocoon, silk severed for rebirth; drinking dew and eating wind, returning to origin and true form.】

Even the primordial yang has returned?

Within the twenty-three-thousand-fold qi sea, the Yin-Yang Lingzong Gong's nurtured pale gold star fruit violently transformed into golden yellow moon fruit, then the outer shell sprouted ten cracks, splitting open, and a dark gold sun wheel rotated.

Blood and flesh flooded the river; the Jiaolong's heart trembled in shock, witnessing the pursuit, Bai Yuan's aura surged violently, utterly bewildered by what was happening.

Could my slaughtering actions have actually helped Bai Yuan achieve some strange ritual requiring death and rebirth, refining some kind of position fruit?

Liang Qu, Bai Yuan, myself, the disk, all the Martial Saints, all the Demon Kings—are we all caught in this karmic cycle here?

The Jiaolong dared not be careless.

Position fruits in the world are myriad and strange; refining them under controlled conditions is even more stringent.

Likewise, the benefits of successfully refining a position fruit are unparalleled—it is a sovereign authority, supreme; if the world's position fruit possesses the power of death and rebirth, it feels not the slightest bit strange, even somewhat hesitant, wondering whether my pursuit would not cause Bai Yuan to undergo further transformation.

The body grew lighter and lighter, overwhelming power surged endlessly, perception range exploded, in the Jiaolong's pursuit, Liang Qu straight shuttled through Nanjiang, completing an unprecedented rebirth and transformation, sensing the Turtle King and Toad King approaching.

"Toad Lord, turn around, go back!"

The old toad violently tugged its beard.

"Right!"

【Obtaining sweet dew condenses qi into a thread; if fused with the essence of ten thousand marshes, it gives birth to a spirit fish, capable of ascending to the verdant.】

【Obtaining.】

【Obtaining.】

In the Marsh Cauldron, another three threads of long qi floated up, totaling eleven threads, and again sweet dew condensing qi appeared.

No time to observe the long qi's effect, Bai Yuan's back flared with a stabbing pain, gaze like needles, no dodging, five fingers spread, clasped hands into a fist, twisted the body, pushed forward.

One punch blasted out, squarely hitting the Jiaolong's skull.

Dong!

Ripples surged, shocking waves shook the heavens, within a ten-li radius, fish schools rotted.

With a crack, white bone jabbed out from the forearm, Bai Yuan flew backward, laughing as he broke the arm bone, damaged flesh and blood healed at breakneck speed, a backflip plunged into the river current, vanished without trace.

The Jiaolong froze in place, retreated half a step, a faint pain came from the skull, but even more unbelievable was its hesitation and weakness when facing Bai Yuan, as if in its feeble days, witnessing a great demon brush past shoulder to shoulder—this was a realm-based crushing, a natural enemy.

This—

How could this be possible?

Both being Demon Kings, their strength differs as clouds and mud.

A thread of murderous intent arose in the Jiaolong's heart.

Strange, wondrous, eerie.

Swimming upstream into the river, entering the Dragon Palace, refining the Dragon Pearl to this day, it has never felt so urgently the desire to exterminate a demon.

Poisonous snakes flick their tongues, geckos climb walls.

The Nanjiang tribal chieftains stared fixedly at the star disk, witnessing two demon kings act as if in an uninhabited land, wanton and unrestrained, with no one to stop them.

On the front line, the disk's body died, momentum plummeted, the positions of the ten-odd celestial dragons in battle, clearly shifted from Linjiang to Lucang River and Lao'ai Mountain.

Qinzhou fell!

Zhen Xiang suffered over a hundred casualties, the celestial dragon disk fell, half of Lingnan swallowed and then spat out—let alone making the Great Shun pay reparations—"

"Pfft!"

"Dad!"

"Chieftain!"

Violent rain lashed down like whips, striking the ground, rolling mudflows entangled trees, smashed into the rivers.

Nanjiang Great Qing keenly sensed, one dragon and one ape turned into the heart of Nanjiang, as if no one were there, circling once, tracing a meteor arc, straight for Lucang River.

Back again!

The Great dared not look behind, they faced north.

Pfft!

Water waves shattered.

A large anchor flew sideways, smashing the mountain peak.