Chapter 1285: Third-Stage Divine Ability, On to the Next Upgrade

"Hah, hah————"

Liang Qu sprawled flat, collapsed on the ground, lacking even the strength to heave his chest; a muffled panting was squeezed from his throat, just like wind blowing through a mountain cave.

He panted violently like a fish flopping onto a riverbank.

Saliva stuck like glue, his head muzzy as if filled with cement, every strand of muscle trembling, spasming, not a shred of strength could be squeezed out, his brain had completely lost control, movement could only rely on the body's instinct.

Even the first time the River Lord bestowed favor, it could not compare to the pain of this ascension. Merely a moment's experience was already enough to kill an ordinary Martial Master a hundred times over.

Truly no spare energy to investigate the gains.

Roughly half a shichen passed in a daze.

His fingers began to regain sensation; afterward this sensation spread along his fingers, bit by bit, to his forearms, to his shoulders, to his spine, to the back of his head and his buttocks; the meditation cushion, soaked with sweat, had turned icy cold, clear tactile feedback returning.

Another half a shichen passed, the sky outside the window thoroughly darkened.

No candles lit, the cultivation room pitch black.

The panting in the darkness gradually faded, breathing rhythm completely returned to normal, muscles no longer spasming, Liang Qu felt he could move simply, fingertips rubbing the floor beneath him, he attempted to roll over, prop himself up————

Whoosh.

Vision abruptly shifted.

Body swayed slightly, the unsteadiness of standing after exhaustion.

The meditation cushion on the ground, the desk by the wall, the window on the wall————

He scanned a full circle.

The change in height difference in his vision left Liang Qu's gaze slightly blank.

What happened?

Clearly he wanted to roll over, prop up, then borrow his upper body to try to stand, but who knew the next second, the intermediate steps of "rolling over", "propping up" were completely deleted, leaving only the result of standing————

Glancing at the teapot and teacup on the table, Liang Qu attempted to reach out————

Whoosh.

The exhausted trembling appeared again.

He lowered his head.

The teacup was already gripped in his hand, the cup empty inside, only two tea leaves left that had been steeped for several days, his body still thirsty, but there were already traces of moisture in his oral cavity.

Liang Qu was truly astonished this time.

What situation.

He moved on his own?

He looked at the window, the hot river wind blowing in.

He looked at the meditation cushion, the water stains on the cushion controlled dry.

He looked at the book pages, lowered his head————

Paper and brush already held in hand, the ink in the inkstone gently rippling, reflecting shimmering light.

Concrete thoughts had not fully formed, merely probing out like a snail's antennae; wherever Liang Qu's gaze fell, there would appear the "result" he wanted, but the intermediate "process" was completely "deleted".

Is it the third divine ability?

Liang Qu tried several times, a thought moved in his heart, he thought of something.

Introspect his own body.

The four hundred-plus times root sea symbolized a boundless sea of clouds.

In the sea of clouds there was heart fire, there was a peach tree; above the sea of clouds, three towering immortal islands, the third Longting Xiandao, buildings soaring, surprisingly even more towering than the second Longting Xiandao.

Comparing again with the scale of the first immortal island————

Liang Qu's heart shook.

Third stage!

This is absolutely a third-stage creation art!

Current self, actually has two third-grade creation arts?

Dao, art, Qi. The three influence each other, wanting to raise any one is not simple.

Current four hundred-plus times root sea already extraordinary, merely ten layers of favor, unexpectedly raised two arts to third stage so fast————

The seventeen-layer River Lord only barely let the second divine ability reach second stage.

Release perception.

The Yinglong Killing Scripture's encompassed range had completed three expansions, from the ninth layer's fifty zhang to sixty zhang, completely encompassing the entire creation treasure ship sailing on the river surface, the breeze flowing in the cabin, every structure reflected in the palm-observation pattern.

Martial artists are keen to Qi mechanisms, living things hard to escape tracks, but there is no scanner-like ability; Liang Qu's perception of water domains relies on controlling water, letting water flow, naturally imprinting objects' shapes, but now, within sixty zhang range, without water, he can equally rely on air currents to observe every inch of space in minute detail!

Da He Li finished work and returned home, tidied the hair on top of his head, flopped flopped the nest turned fluffy, embraced his wife, prepared to rest; a sudden breeze in the room, it raised its head, looked left and right, climbed up again to open the window, clamped a piece of paper in the crack then closed it.

Ta Ta dropped the ship's anchor, stopped the ship at the river bend, ran to the deck, performed a set of otter claws, led by example, urging the Martial Hall disciples to evening practice.

Long Eying cultivating downstairs.

Long Yao, Long Li setting up a small pot, cooking a small stove, complaining a certain servant's hands and feet not clean, which Martial Hall disciple secretly watching them, a face of foolish appearance————

Liang Qu seemed to transform into wind, flowing past every person's side, everyone "vividly portrayed".

Passing through all rooms, looking again at the tea on the desk, Liang Qu retracted the third divine ability.

This time there was no that kind of disjointed "result sensation", walking steps closer, picking up teapot, pouring water, drinking tea, in one smooth flow, but still very astonishing, because Liang Qu discovered his body actually had a kind of "preemptive sensation" ahead of consciousness.

Surpassing instinct, movements flowing like clouds and water, perfectly natural.

Completely without Liang Qu controlling the body, issuing commands, more like a thought emerges from himself, the body itself completes the whole set of actions, handles all details, even handles them extremely perfectly, clean and neat, straight to the essence, not exaggerated, nearly "Dao"!

Liang Qu faintly realized.

【Martial Bones somewhat transformed】

This is the transformation!

The heavenly dragon coils around the spine, spreading toward the four limbs and hundred bones.

Ten layers of the Yinglong — truly and genuinely — brought certain changes to his body, his martial bones, granting a kind of "natural instinct" where the body leads consciousness, just like 【Wandering the Six Voids】, moving with the wind, acting with the wind, nothing and formless!

Since it leads, it is naturally faster.

Liang Qu's martial bones have not transformed for the first time.

From dragon sinews and tiger bones, to Seizing Dragon and Subduing Tiger, and then once more after that.

【Water King Ape transforms into Water Ape Great Sage】

【Seizing Dragon Subduing Tiger bones slightly strengthened, gained vajra indestructibility nature.】

At present it should count as the fourth transformation.

In the past, the Yinglong's favor first brought Liang Qu 【Wandering the Six Voids】, riding the wind to roam, saving him cultivation in movement arts; now it has advanced a step further, fused into instinct!

"Everything relies entirely on nature? The third divine ability 【Yinglong Killing Sutra】 is itself a special field," receiving what comes and sending off what goes, weakening enemy methods, strengthening one's own techniques, and even deflecting various attack directions.

Same root, same source — this characteristic of 【Wandering the Six Voids】 would be exerted to the extreme, speed to the extreme, so fast that even I myself almost cannot perceive it, thereby triggering a sense of fracture in the "deletion" process?"

Liang Qu clicked his tongue.

Speed even oneself cannot detect — what about the enemy?

Two sides confront each other, slapped in the face without knowing who did it?

Just thinking about it is thrilling.

Not bad!

Martial bone transformation, divine ability realm.

These are not all the gains, merely another transformation of 【Wandering the Six Voids】, and 【Wandering the Six Voids】 is only a part of the Yinglong's favor!

【Wandering the Six Voids, guiding tail to draw rivers, holding the Heavenly Pass, grasping the Earthly Axis, roaming the boundless, Water Edict, Wind Edict】

Water Edict!

Wind Edict!

"Edict" — a bundle, a stalk, binding and urging, admonition also.

"Command" — a person kneeling and sitting.

The severity of the two characters "Edict Command" can be glimpsed; their effect also lives up to this severity.

Picking up the teapot, still pouring water into the cup.

Because it was not guest tea, but for quenching thirst in the cultivation room, the cup was not small, with a capacity of roughly two fists, about the same as a normal mug.

Gazing at the tea water in the cup.

Liang Qu's index finger traced ripples, forming a talisman out of thin air, just like his master Yang Dongxiong's divine ability 【Great Clearing Subdue Demons】, able to leave knife marks in the void, forming a knife array.

He formed an edict in the void, pointing it into the water.

"Crack."

The water cup cracked, splitting into four or five pieces.

The tea water crossed the vessel, flowing down, "smashing" onto the table.

The entire table seemed as if an iron cake had been smashed onto it, a crack pressed out, the two sides collapsing, until the tea water dripped onto the Creation Treasure Ship.

The planks emitted a faint creaking sound, but in the end it was treasure wood, easily bearing the tea water.

But in the outside world, the entire Creation Treasure Ship's draft suddenly deepened three inches!

In the past, the Creation Treasure Ship was gifted by the Saint Emperor when Liang Qu hunted tigers, initially only twelve zhang; later at Entering Zhen Xiang it grew to eighteen zhang, sixty meters; at sealing king, it surged again, towering at thirty zhang, a hundred meters huge, accommodating hundreds or even thousands of people with ease; a ship of this size, sinking a full three inches, the internal weight increased by at least two hundred thousand catties!

That's right.

This is the edict Liang Qu just issued.

"This water, weighs a thousand jun!"

The tea water on the ground was controlled into the air, transforming into various shapes; Liang Qu incomparably clearly experienced this puddle of water's unreasonably extreme weight.

"This water, light as nothing."

The treasure ship that had just sunk suddenly rose three inches.

The disciples standing stake on the deck only felt their soles grow heavy, baffled.

Inside the cultivation room, the liquid flowed directly in midair, completely unaffected by gravity.

"This water, hard as refined steel."

"This water, viscous as glue."

One attempt after another, one exploration after another.

"This wind, slices iron like mud!"

"This wind, circles in place!"

Air currents wrapped the table, loose wood shavings dancing.

Until Liang Qu withdrew all edicts, everything returned to normal.

However even so, it still is not the full extent of the edicts' ability.

Repeatedly experimenting in the cultivation room, Liang Qu finally confirmed.

Within 【Yinglong Killing Sutra】's sixty zhang radius, two hundred meters, this range does not require him to unfold the third divine ability; he can freely issue edicts without any consumption.

Just like the young dragon driving divine abilities without consuming the Qi Sea. He can make water turn into steel; the edict upper limit is unknown, because there is no young dragon to try to break conceptual edicts like "indestructible."

And leaving 【Yinglong Killing Sutra】's scope.

Edict states can be preserved!

Depending on situation and concept strength, permanently preserved edicts will separate out a portion of Liang Qu's root sea; after dissolution, that separated portion of root sea can likewise return.

For example, Liang Qu could use a hundredfold root sea to leave behind a water domain equivalent to this strength or range of "indestructible"!

"This water has spirit! As if a living person!"

A long while.

The tea water didn't move at all.

Alright.

This kind of decree doesn't work.

The dream of creating over four hundred little strongmen to help control the waters shattered.

Liang Qu quickly figured out the upper limit of this ability, then leaned against the window.

"This water weighs a thousand jun."

In an instant.

A vast body of water five li long and five li wide suddenly sank, smashing onto the riverbed, pressing down several chi, then merging back into the water; as the heavy water embedded into the riverbed and continued flowing eastward, massive amounts of mud and sand were shoveled up like by bulldozers, rapidly forming low levees that quickly silted up and blocked the flow.

Liang Qu immediately revoked the decree, and everything returned to normal.

"Five li isn't the limit; with a bit more effort, I should be able to change everything within a range fifty li long and wide, or even larger————"

Liang Qu pondered.

A Martial Saint is already a non-human existence, naturally capable of sustaining extraordinary scenery; if Liang Qu wishes, using decrees he can completely transform an area into a "Valley of Chaotic Winds" or a "Domain of Heavy Water"!

When he ascends in the future, he could also become the master of "Boundless Waters".

Even————

"This water cannot flow."

Boom!

In the center of the Yellow Shahe, the current circled around, and an open space was forcibly created!

"Handling breached levees and water control will be much more convenient from now on————"

"What's going on?"

"Wu wu wu!"

"Awesome! Come quick and look!"

All kinds of marvels; the Martial Hall disciples could no longer cultivate seriously, watching the Yellow Shahe's waves surge to the heavens, all sorts of strange phenomena appearing, as if the Ape King was controlling water and flushing sand, but there seemed to be some difference.

"It's definitely the Elder again! Ten days of seclusion, comes out to stir up trouble!"

Long Yao and Long Li held small bowls, crouching at the window muttering.

"There should still be room for improvement; tomorrow I'll try using my tail to cleave a river————"

The first time he obtained 【Cleaving River with Tail】, he struggled to dig even a small ditch, but Liang Qu felt that after ten layers of Favor, this ability had also strengthened, and he could try using it to create lakes.

After a series of ability explorations, Liang Qu discovered his body had already completely recovered.

Re-establishing connection with the Ze Ding.

【Ze Spirit Favor: Martial Dao Connecting to God Seventeenth Layer (River Lord Di Jun); Yinglong Patterns: Ten Layers: Tian Wu Yu Patterns:

Two Layers】

【River Dominance: 5.4 (River Favor Degree: 83.4712)】

Aside from abilities, the second biggest gain from this sublimation is undoubtedly the Dominance and Favor Degree added by Yinglong Favor; if there could be two more sacrifices, he could completely rush to 6.4!

Not far from ten!

Last month it was only a bit over three points; in the blink of an eye it's nearly doubled.

Current Dominance is far more important than Water Marsh Essence.

Ninth and Tenth, Yinglong Grows Wings; the Dominance added by two Favors is a complete qualitative change.

Liang Qu even felt that farming Dominance this way has extremely high cost-effectiveness, which made him involuntarily turn his attention to the last Favor.

"How does Tian Wu upgrade?"

His gaze fell on the currently most "feeble" of the three Favors.

Tian Wu!

Tian Wu's promotion conditions are also different.

Three Favors, three conditions, three kinds of gains.

River Lord uses Heaven and Earth's Long Qi, plus Martial Dao talent; no Favor, no Dominance.

Yinglong uses Dragon species Qi, grants abilities, has Favor, has Dominance.

Tian Wu uses Tiger species, also grants abilities, and one strand of Tiger species Qi can raise one layer.

However it's not that Liang Qu doesn't want to upgrade; the mist control ability Tian Wu gives is really not very useful. Before, when his strength was weak, he couldn't even fully control water, like an old man peeing; mist control could assist. But after his strength grew, his control became meticulous, mist control is completely redundant, and its vision-blocking effect isn't significant either — experts can all sense Qi mechanisms.

Most critically, Liang Qu doesn't know what exactly this thing needs for "Tiger species Qi"!

Two layers of Tian Wu Favor: one came from the "Tiger Devouring Man You" in the Jianghuai Great Marsh, obtained together with the "Weishi Fa"; one came from the Yunshang Xiandao, the Mirage Tiger in the Mirage Dragon's inheritance trial.

But pure "Tiger species Qi" is useless; otherwise, the White Tiger old mother of the Jin Mao Tiger encountered at Xuankong Temple should have reached the third layer long ago.

A mosquito is still meat no matter how small; real tiger species can upgrade. No matter how useless, he has to get it, and see if mist control can produce some novel effects.

Liang Qu can only guess; perhaps it needs "Water Tiger" or "Sea Tiger".

Where would he go find this thing?

Roaming the Jianghuai Great Marsh for so long, there were snakes, frogs, porcupinefish and the like, but he simply never heard of any tiger-type great yaoguai.

Mountain Lord, Mountain Lord; there is no land beast more standard than this thing.

"Could it require a four-legged water beast?"

Liang Qu suddenly remembered the Qilin clan that A Fei contacted.

There are no tigers in the water; the four-legged Qilin is already the closest in form to a land beast.

【177】 "No harm in trying; nothing to lose, if it works it's a huge profit."

Whether there are jujubes or not, beat the tree with three poles — no loss if there aren't any, pure profit if there are.

"If there's a chance, I'll give it a try."

Keeping a thread of awareness, Liang Qu gathered all his thoughts and continued adjusting his Qi flow.

Not to familiarize himself with his body, but to welcome the next impact.

Exactly.

He intended to break through again!

Just now, as his awareness flowed through the entire treasure ship, Liang Qu incidentally learned that today was late August, just about matching the scheduled time.

He had far too many Peerless Merits on hand; half a month, one portion a month, was far too slow — he would have to consume them for a year or more.

From early on, roughly around the festival season, Liang Qu had the idea of refining a single "Ten Complete Great Tonifying Pill" that could achieve the work of a lifetime in one dose; it had to be packed with as many water-attributed Creation Great Medicines as possible, preferably with similar-yet-dissimilar properties, the medicinal potency had to completely impact the Root Sea, a single herb combining both traits would be best, and it had to be consumable within three days of refinement.

Such compound requirements, with too many qualifiers, had no precedent; even the pill formula had to be specially researched.

Fortunately, in May this year, when Liang Qu was researching the Divine Ability Token with Lan Jicai in the Imperial Capital, the Pill Workshop jointly with the Imperial Medical Academy finally developed a suitable pill formula, giving a satisfactory answer — a "Super Great Tonifying Pill" worth seven Peerless Merits! More potent, more fierce than the Dao Ascension Heaven Pill and such awarded as the Grand Hunt's first prize! The alchemy cost alone required half a Peerless Merit! It could be called the Pill Workshop's peak masterpiece of the past ten years!

One month of preparation, three months of refinement, estimated delivery within one hundred twenty days.

Early June, Liang Qu's remaining Peerless Merits: eight and a half, Root Sea four hundred twenty-five.

Thereafter, late June, mid-July, until now.

Remaining Peerless Merits, exactly seven; the Root Sea within his body had also risen to four hundred forty-six times!

Simultaneously.

Just now, Long Pingjiang sent word.

After ninety-nine eighty-one days of refinement, today when all the Favor was fully digested.

The Great Pill will be completed!

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