Chapter 1245

"Strange, where are they?"

Liang Qu stood suspended in the air, looking down at the great river flowing eastward.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang was not in some towering, magnificent, or luxurious palace, but rather in the wilderness outside the city of Heyuan Prefecture, where there was no sign of human life. Several mountain peaks were covered in white snow, and a great river wound its way through, with yellow-green withered grass submerging his ankles.

The water surface was calm, with large fish occasionally flicking their tails to stir up ripples. A pair of wild rabbits poked their heads out from the shrubs on the mountainside, their red eyes vigilantly staring at the "little person" in the sky, or perhaps mistaking him for some hawk circling to hunt.

He walked on the empty air.

The "River-Center Stone" clearly indicated he was nearby, yet he could find no one, nor could he sense any Qi.

"Hmm."

Liang Qu lowered his head.

He hadn't found the specific Qi, but the flowing river water clearly reflected a person's silhouette.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The great river shook. Countless large fish were startled, leaping into the air in panic to hide. The accumulated snow on the mountain peaks fractured and collapsed, causing an avalanche that poured down like a flood, raising a massive cloud of snow dust that blotted out the sky and covered the earth.

An earthquake?

No.

A Dragon-Elephant turning over!

The great river was split in two, its flow severed.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang, naked, "stretched across" the riverbed. Though he was a "small" person, in Liang Qu's perception, he had transformed into a mountain range, a long river, sitting upon the earth.

His chest rose and fell, the earth pulsed, and all things flourished.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang opened his eyes and met Liang Qu's gaze in the sky.

"Count Baron Xingyi? Oh, Prince Huai!"

"Official business is busy, the road from north to south is long, and I haven't seen the Dragon-Elephant King for a long time."

Liang Qu bowed.

He remembered now.

"My martial bones are named 'Cauldron Suppressing Mountains and Rivers.' I use the sinking sand of the Sha River to grind my muscles and bones, borrow the surging undercurrents to temper my meridians, and rely on the earth's pulse to nourish my growth."

"When I was in the Perfected Form Realm, the old supervisor of the Imperial Board of Astronomy weighed my bones and calculated that a single finger bone weighed eighty-one jin. Now, it has likely increased several times over."

The words of the Hanging Void Temple were still vivid in his memory; this was clearly some unique method of cultivation.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang sat up and took a step, walking out of the riverbed. The phantoms of the mountain range and the long river dissipated, and heaven and earth returned to tranquility. He grabbed his robe from the ground, draped it over himself, and scanned Liang Qu up and down: "Does General He have arrangements?"

"General He has no arrangements. At the moment, we are not engaging in open warfare at the front lines. I am commanding the siege of the Northern Court's logistics, cutting the flesh with a dull knife. Today, after a great victory, I found some free time and thought I would meet with the Dragon-Elephant King—first to reminisce with an old friend, and second, to discuss what we have gained in our Dao."

Zhang Zhang Longxiang nodded: "Wait a moment."

Liang Qu and Zhang Zhang Longxiang moved together, two "River-Center Stones" shifting and drawing close, kicking up great waves that crashed against the remaining reefs.

In the city of Shuofang Terrace, the Wolf Lord's nerves were taut, and the remaining kings all withdrew from their meditative states, standing by in full readiness.

—

At the Golden Royal Court far in the rear, the Great Khan watched the star chart. Who knew why the two had met? Was it to discuss battle plans?

Perhaps a simple consensus between the two was all it would take to ignite a massive war!

The past two years had been too chaotic, too fast.

The fall of the two Nascent Soul experts, Pandong and Kugu of the Southern Frontier, and the expulsion of the Flood Dragon from the Huai River—the changes in the world's landscape were too great.

Whether it was the sudden appearance of the White Ape or Liang Qu's destructive power, everything was bizarre and suspicious, breaking the common sense of the world. Not to mention everyone fearing for their own safety, at the very least, no one dared to be careless.

Dark clouds gathered, and great waves surged.

The great river of heaven and earth rolled over every reef, colliding to create beautiful spray. A few meters apart, the water ripples were gentle, and the large fish foraging in the river were completely unaware.

The maidservants in the grass were sleeping in each other's arms, and the servants in the woodshed were snoring soundly.

Fatty Fish followed the Old Toad, having changed into a set of dusty servant clothes. They struggled to squeeze into their spherical bodies, creating swimming rings, and buttoned up a row of buttons with both hands and whiskers, disguising themselves before winding through the Northern Court King's mansion, avoiding all the guards.

Large footprints left water stains.

Fatty Fish was worried. Both of them were naturally burly, as wide as they were tall, completely different from humans. If they put on clothes, wouldn't it be what the Heavenly God called "covering one's ears to steal a bell"?

"Stop."

The voice was shrill, like a palace eunuch. It was the Little Lip Dragon from the Heavenly God's side. Fatty Fish broke out in a cold sweat. The Old Toad leading the way remained calm and collected, turning back to bow.

The steward scanned them up and down. Fatty Fish lowered its head, its whiskers secretly gathering strength.

After a long while.

"You two, before dark, go and chop all that firewood."

Gibberish. Neither frog understood Northern Court language, so they nodded repeatedly.

The steward nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave. Fatty Fish was overjoyed—it worked! Northern Court people were truly stupid! They couldn't even tell the difference between a human and a frog. Seeing the Old Toad not even looking back and continuing forward, it stopped hiding its burly muscles, puffed out its chest, held its head high, and marched proudly, popping two buttons and embedding itself into a pillar.

Marching with vigor.

Nodding to the guards, waving to the maidservants.

All the way to the treasury.

Suddenly.

Fatty Fish bumped into the Old Toad, which had slammed on the brakes.

The Old Toad raised its webbed feet, narrowed its eyes, and glanced left and right.

"Something's not right!"

"My Lord! Master! I didn't know you two were visiting, please, come in—"

In the mansion's veranda, the house steward led the way respectfully.

Suhebalu was tall and burly, appearing at the same time as the golden-crowned monk. Suhebalu lagged half a step behind "Garma Chilie." In the golden-crowned monk's pupils, a glimmer of gold flickered eerily.

The three walked to a certain corner, and "Garma Chilie" stopped.

The steward was confused: "Master?"

"Garma Chilie" scanned the area, observed his surroundings, pressed his palms together, walked to the pillar, pulled off a button embedded in the pillar, and rolled it between his fingertips.

The steward was terrified, apologizing in a panic: "I don't know who did this. There was definitely no button here this morning. I didn't expect it to offend the Master's eyes and damage the King's house. I will find out who did it and punish them severely—"

"I'm afraid you won't be able to punish them."

The wilderness was boundless, and heaven and earth were vast.

The blood-red setting sun half-sank into the earth, illuminating the entire grassland in orange-yellow. The withered grass, buried to the ankles, bent and swayed. Besides the cold, there was an added sense of desolation.

Liang Qu and Zhang Zhang Longxiang found two rocks and sat opposite each other.

The firewood ignited instantly, emitting light, crackling and popping. The rabbit's skin and meat separated completely, skewered on branches, roasting slowly and oozing oil, adding a touch of leisure and wild interest.

The hawks circling in the sky were not hawks; the two rabbits ultimately could not escape the fate of being eaten.

"Mind's Eye?" Zhang Zhang Longxiang was surprised. "A derivation above the Heart Fire?"

"Exactly!"

Originally, Liang Qu had been full of excitement, wanting to teach what the Mind's Eye was, just like the scene when he first met Zhang Zhang Longxiang. But now that they had truly met, it had turned into sitting and talking.

His interest waned.

Without the Spirit-Transforming White Ape, in terms of raw strength alone, Liang Qu was still no match for the tenth-stage Martial Saint Zhang Zhang Longxiang. Even if he could inflict injury, with a great battle imminent, it was not a good time for sparring.

However—

Seeing Zhang Zhang Longxiang's surprise, Liang Qu still felt a secret thrill, pointing to his forehead: "Above the Heart Fire, the Mind's Eye is like possessing a third field of vision! Located above the center of the eyebrows!"

The Mind's Eye was not a unique product of the River Lord's favor.

Although it was indeed related to the River Lord's favor, its essence was a product of Liang Qu's awakening of the Heart Fire after jumping back and forth ten times between beheading the flood dragon and being beheaded by it, nearly driving him into a mental breakdown.

"What is it like?"

"Like this!"

His eyes closed, then opened, glowing with golden-red, brilliant like molten gold.

A point of golden light pulsed at the center of Liang Qu's eyebrows, illuminating Zhang Zhang Longxiang. His figure sitting on the rock was clearly pulled apart, simultaneously revealing several flaws.

The setting sun in the sky faded rapidly, almost turning into black and white.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang's hair stood on end—not out of fear, but an instinctive reaction to being spied upon. He changed his posture, and the several flaws vanished, turning him into a body without leaks!

"Interesting. Mind's Eye... never heard of it!" Zhang Zhang Longxiang stared fixedly at Liang Qu's forehead, feeling no envy, only curiosity. "How did you comprehend it?"

The Heart Fire was related to a person's life experiences, like sparks flying when steel breaks.

What about the Mind's Eye?

No matter how high a mountain is, it has a foot; no matter how long a river is, it has a source.

Anything that exists in the world must have a path leading to it.

"Experiencing illusions?"

"Yes!"

"It sounds somewhat similar to meditative empty fighting," Zhang Zhang Longxiang said.

Meditative empty fighting, that is, practicing combat in one's mind, was similar to the method Liang Qu used to temper his skills when he first started.

However, ordinary meditation could never achieve—

Zhang Zhang Longxiang's eyes flashed. He thought of Liang Qu's "signature move" and suddenly understood why he had come to find him, laughing dumbfoundedly.

"So that's it."

Liang Qu grinned: "Dragon-Elephant King, in the past, you gave up all your strength and restrained all your momentum to pass through that narrow opening. Now, I am also quite different."

"Try it!" Zhang Zhang Longxiang said concisely. "But not today."

The setting sun shone down, and the button reflected a dazzling golden light.

"Garma Chilie" rolled his fingertips, remaining motionless for a long time.

—

The Sick Tiger Suhebalu took half a step forward: "Venerable One?"

Venerable One?

Not Master?

The steward's pupils trembled, and he looked up in horror.

In the Great Snow Mountain Lotus Sect, any Perfected Form expert or highly respected Hunting Tiger expert could be addressed as "Master." Most of the Northern Court tribes invited this level of expert for blessings, prayers, and initiations.

But the title "Venerable One"... that shouldn't be. Since when could the Venerable Ones of the Great Snow Mountain come to the Northern Court so freely? Wasn't it said that all Nascent Soul experts had "River-Center Stones" and couldn't hide?

"They are already here," Garma Chilie said.

The button was embedded back into the pillar.

Suhebalu's expression was solemn, his hand covering the curved blade at his waist. The momentum was so majestic that the steward nearly fainted.

"Garma Chilie's" eyes glowed with golden light that spread rapidly.

Great Snow Mountain.

The walls were full of stone caves, candles burning brightly. In each cave, half a person tall, sat a high-ranking Venerable God, with a ritual bowl placed in front, the amber liquid rippling with a faint glow.

Drip.

Milky ghee dripped down, merging into the oil pool below. The three-zhang-long, three-zhang-wide square pool rippled.

In the ghee pool, an old monk in a red robe sat in meditation. The boiling ghee rose and fell, reaching his waist, and two points of golden light flickered in his eyes as well.

Inside the royal treasury, the Old Toad tied up its yellow leather bag and let out a satisfied burp, patting its belly.

"Stop eating."

It called out twice, but Fatty Fish didn't react. It lay on its stomach, mouth wide open, kicking its two legs, turning around like a shovel. The Old Toad was furious and jumped up to hammer its large head.

"Hmm?"

Stuffing the last of the precious plants into its cheeks and wiping the residue clean with its whiskers, Fatty Fish raised its large head.

The Old Toad slung the yellow leather bag onto its back and burped: "Go tell Liang Qing, that Sick Tiger has come, and there's a big monk too. I reckon he used a method similar to yours, descending into a Heavenly Perfected Form expert! A bit evil. They're already at the main gate—no, they're in the hallway! It's a bit tricky!"

"It's cooked."

Liang Qu took the charred, brownish-yellow roasted rabbit, tore off a leg, and put it in his mouth. His initial anticipation immediately turned into disappointment.

Wild rabbit meat was tough, lacked oil, hadn't been marinated beforehand, and lacked sufficient seasoning for stewing or stir-frying. It couldn't be very delicious, and even the Dragon-Elephant King couldn't change that.

After becoming a tenth-stage Martial Saint, one could go without food for years. Daily eating was either for pleasure or cultivation, and this was neither delicious nor nutritious—

He cast his gaze over.

"When I was in the Western Army, I was always alone. An old general advised me to integrate more into the group. I found it difficult, as I wasn't used to being with others. He taught me that if we just ate something together, I wouldn't feel so unaccustomed anymore."

"That's true."

Not to mention.

Two grown men sitting and talking in the wilderness, looking at each other—if they didn't have something to do, it would be quite awkward. Having an extra task made it much better.

"Are you planning to cultivate your own Fruit of Position?"

"Yes."

Liang Qu was surprised by Zhang Zhang Longxiang's directness, but not surprised that he could see through his idea of cultivating his own Fruit of Position.

To become a Nascent Soul expert before thirty, and then have a complete, magnificent eight hundred years ahead.

What a long span of time?

If he took half of it, spent four hundred years indulging in pleasure and debauchery, and returned still in his prime, he would still be at the same starting line as the other Martial Saints. It would be strange not to look forward to the Crucible.

Likewise, Zhang Zhang Longxiang was the same. Before Liang Qu appeared, Zhang Zhang Longxiang was number one.

"What path?"

"The lower position of a thousand strands of Qi, a thousand-fold Root Sea."

"That's not easy."

"Nothing is easy."

"That's true."

"What about the Dragon-Elephant King?"

"I also have a thousand strands of Qi."

"Oh?"

Liang Qu became interested.

A thousand-fold Root Sea must be before the third stage. Zhang Zhang Longxiang was already at the tenth stage, so—

"It's just a thousand strands of Qi, Xuanhuang Qi, not a thousand-fold Root Sea."

"Xuanhuang?" Liang Qu was amazed. "The Dragon-Elephant King uses Xuanhuang?"

"Heaven and Earth Qi has no distinction between superior, middle, and inferior. Obsessing over this will only lead to stagnation. Besides, Xuanhuang is compatible with my martial bones. When I consumed Qi, I consumed three strands at once."

Someone else besides himself had consumed more than one strand?

He had the Time Worm, but how did others handle the problem of multiple strands of Qi being incompatible?

Liang Qu pondered, and soon realized another point: "Does the Imperial Court not have a Xuanhuang Fruit of Position?"

"They do."

"Then why—"

"Xuanhuang Qi is the most neutral and balanced Qi in the world. It can even be used as an excellent medium for consuming Qi. The Xuanhuang Fruit of Position is also very special. It is likely the only Fruit of Position in the world that can coexist in multiple instances, and can even be fused and converted—what are you doing?"

"Knowledge point, gotta write it down, gotta write it down."

Liang Qu flipped out a small notebook from his Qiankun bag and picked a piece of charcoal of suitable thickness from the fire. "Xuanhuang Fruit of Position can be fused and converted, and then?"

"I only know that the Xuanhuang Fruit of Position can be altered in specific directions, and even self-cultivated. I don't know much more."

"Compared to the thousand-fold Root Sea method? Which one is simpler?"

"With your current progress, there's no need to switch."

An eye-opener.

It sounded like the Xuanhuang Fruit of Position was similar to a seed?

Could it also self-cultivate a Fruit of Position?

Liang Qu was thirsty for knowledge.

Zhang Zhang Longxiang was undoubtedly the Martial Saint with the broadest horizons he had come into contact with so far.

After all—

Duke Xu Yue probably never thought he could reach the Crucible, so he didn't pay much attention to information in this regard. The old monk was very young, a Martial Saint of over a hundred years, also possessing peerless talent, but his personality was too steady; he was walking the path of a Martial Saint first and not looking toward the Crucible, so he couldn't help Liang Qu much with his progress.

"I once asked Duke Xu Yue what lies beyond the Nascent Soul, and whether one can live forever. Duke Xu Yue said there is no such thing as living forever, but he didn't know how long the Crucible's lifespan was. What did he mean by that?"

"As far as I know, the Crucible has a lifespan of three thousand years."

"Three thousand years?" Liang Qu was shocked, then immediately thought of the Great Great Qian Dynasty's two thousand four hundred years of rule. Could it be— "Do immortals also die of old age?"

"This is the other side of the Crucible: the Crucible has 'no lifespan'."

"How can it have no lifespan?"

"The Nascent Soul has a lifespan of eight hundred years. After eight hundred years, that is the end. The Crucible is different. It is like the sun in the sky; after shining to the extreme, it will extinguish, but after a long extinction, it can reignite. This repeats, hence it is called the Crucible."

Liang Qu pondered.

At this moment, he thought of the Huai River Dragon Lord, who must appear every two sixty-year cycles, and at the same time, he thought of the Underworld Nascent Soul. The Underworld Nascent Soul was just like this; it didn't have the eight-hundred-year limit, but rather slept again and again. The more times it happened, the longer the sleep, and it was common for sects to be wiped out while they were sleeping.

What about the Dragon Lord?

Calculating by three thousand, the Dragon Lord should have slept several times. And there was the Whale Emperor, also an old thing—

The spirit link pulsed.

"Something wrong?" Zhang Zhang Longxiang noticed the change in Liang Qu's expression.

"Nothing, just bumped into an old friend."