Chapter 1365: Swallowing the River (Two-in-One)

In the center of the Huai River, the wind was calm and the waves still.

The three elders Long Chen, Long Qingyi, and Long Zong Yin personally guarded the Long Gong's main hall; Long Eying temporarily sealed the vortex waterways, ordering idle fish and such to temporarily leave the Long Gong center and go to the area outside the second-tier city.

To the east of the plaza, rows of sky-reaching pillars supported the rock, standing erect to form a huge landmass for amphibious habitation; river otters lay floating on the water around the land, the vast sunlight blinding, baked until they truly couldn't stand it, one rubbed its face, held its breath, and dove down with a splash, wanting to seek some coolness in the depths.

The river otter quickly passed through the sun-warmed surface layer; threads of coolness drilled through the gaps in its fur into its skin, making every claw comfortably spread open.

Until a streak of chaotic current appeared before its eyes.

Its fur bristled backward; the river otter froze, stopped diving, hugged its stinging bottom, spun a circle to look down on the Long Gong, and slowly sank by inertia.

Ripples appeared at the bottom of the water; the ripples disturbed the current, looking exactly like the air in the distance converging into heat waves in midsummer.

Myriads of bubbles rose from the Long Gong center; scalding white smoke drifted from door cracks and windows, floating and swaying like seaweed clusters; molten-steel-like bright red flowing water moved at the bottom, like a volcanic eruption, land cracking open, magma flowing within.

Unknowingly, the rising white smoke had already stuck to the river otter's bottom; it leaped up violently, the comfortable coolness vanishing without a trace, scorching heat searing its bottom; the river otter cried out loudly, covered its bottom, and flailed upward.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Water bubbles swelled and burst one after another, blooming splashes; one river otter after another, one giant river beaver after another, one giant frog after another climbed onto the land, rushing toward the center in panic.

The river water boiled; scorching steam rushed into the sky.

The steam met cold air and turned into white mist, emitting thunderous roars; tens of thousands of tons of water continuously evaporated upward, turning into heavy rain in the high sky and falling down, but before reaching the water surface, mist drifted out in mid-air.

The green waterweeds were cooked soft and rotten in the blink of an eye, their color turning yellow and black, collapsing on the ground.

Scalding water currents howled out, skimming along the Long Gong steps, converging into tier after tier of scorching waterfalls, surging in all directions.

The boiling water fumed the fish until their eyes ached; the fat fish sweated profusely, looking left and right, having received no divine command, commanding the Dragon Man Grand Elder to quickly issue orders.

Long Chen's hem fluttered; he shouted: "Eying."

The ice mountain crashed down, enveloping the land; cold and heat clashed, making a sizzling sound.

A huge ice wall rose encircling the Long Gong, blocking the scorching steam.

The river surface cracked; the water vapor cycle surged violently; the center of the Huai River Great Marsh was covered by lead-gray dark clouds; a sky-obscuring mushroom cloud bloomed, lightning flashing and thunder roaring.

In the shallows, fishermen stopped their boats and gazed at the dark clouds, ill at ease.

However, this little commotion alone radiated nowhere near tens of thousands of li away. A deeper level of awe-inspiring pressure seeped out from the Long Gong center, instantly sweeping across the Huai River!

Like a true dragon reviving, raising its head and chanting long.

The entire Huai River violently shuddered; stone pillars collapsed, roof tiles fell, mud and sand rose together!

Long Zong Yin stared wide-eyed.

"What's wrong, Sister? Ill at ease. Is there a problem with the accounts somewhere?"

Pink wrist-feet extended; Lady Hai Yun rolled up the ore Hai Fangzhu hadn't held steady and dropped on the ground, put it into the warehouse, and pasted a number tag on it.

Ever since the third month when Bai Yuan and the East Sea Demon King became half-brothers, opening waterways and connecting well with the East Sea, giving the Eight-Clawed Clan a "skin-changing" business window anew, over a dozen Demon Kings greatly enriched the Huai River commodity types, busy beyond measure.

Most importantly, in the Huai River, the Frog King and Turtle King were easy to deal with; no need to watch anyone's face; life was more comfortable than the days in the sea merchant circles before.

"I don't know either." Hai Fangzhu covered his chest, "It's just a few points of heart palpitations."

"Heart palpitations?" Lady Hai Yun panicked, "Done for, done for! Could it be a sudden whim? The Dragon Waterspout returning again? Hurry go find the Ape King————"

"Don't panic, it's not a sudden whim, not too similar to a sudden whim, it comes from————" Hai Fangzhu looked up, "What's coming from the Central Court?"

"Aiya, what else could it be, is the Ape King tinkering with something again?"

The words had just fallen.

"Boom—"

The palace trembled; not just the ore, the treasures on the shelves all toppled over together!

"Wu Wu Cangshou, Wu Wu Cangshou!"

"Great King, Grandpa Shou went into seclusion last year, it's been over a year, you forgot?"

"Secluded too long, truly a bit muddled." The Turtle King covered his forehead, "Sword One, Sword Two, you two quickly go to the Long Gong, ask the Ape King what's going on, is he about to achieve the Monarch Position."

"Monarch Position?"

The Sword Shrimp were greatly shocked and lost color.

The Frog King woke with a start from a dream, flipped over and sat up: "Da Pang, where's the Elder?"

Da Pang was tidying the shelves, arranging boats: "The Elder went out early this morning, said the scorching heat was unbearable, went to A Fei's old man's house to eat ice cream, not in the clan grounds."

"Then it's fine."

The Frog King lay down, stuck out his belly, and continued snoring like thunder.

The Imperial Capital.

The Imperial Observatory.

"Strange, truly strange, such a strong Heaven and Earth Grand Trend! Could a Fruit have manifested in the world?" Lan Jicai flipped through documents, staring fixedly at the Huai River center, "At the Long Gong? Could a Dragon Monarch be emerging? It shouldn't be, no one walked the Water Path———— has the time come? And this commotion, the Huai River center, how could it be a Minor Fruit?"

Lan Jicai swallowed a mouthful of saliva, unable to understand this situation.

A Dragon Monarch manifesting?

Doesn't look like it.

No omen, no sign.

The commotion isn't right either; the commotion is too small; precisely speaking, it looks like a Dragon Monarch reviving, but in reality it's just turning over in a dream, a false gunshot.

If it truly is Bai Yuan achieving the Crucible, then this world, whether Southern Frontier or Northern Court, all must send a congratulatory gift.

Moreover, Liang Qu and Bai Yuan have an extraordinary relationship, and his strength is also extremely close; if it truly————

"Heiya, this kid has gotten prosperous enough, won't he become an Immortal later?"

Up and down the Huai River, the River Chiefs and River Earls observing water levels reacted instinctively, terrified it was an earth dragon turning over, and ran for their lives.

A monk stood on the accumulated snow, watching the huge avalanche triggered by the river's trembling pour down.

"Tusi, Tusi, big trouble!"

"Great Khan! Great Khan!"

First it was Great Shun, then it was Nanjiang, Beiting, and the Great Snow Mountains.

First it was the Demon King, then it was the great demon and the demon.

Even to — the heavens above.

The capital's alchemy workshop.

The furnace fire blazed fiercely.

One batch after another of good fortune elixirs were arranged, yet those refining the elixirs here were not Shun's top alchemist master Shuo, nor were they Tu Song, Yu Cong, and a few other renowned alchemy masters.

Today, these masters all stepped back, respectfully attending to one side.

Those in loose robes lay sideways on the arhat bed, one hand propping their head, seeming like sleeping arhats, eyes closed, not gazing at the furnace fire in the cauldron, only occasionally at certain moments grabbing a good fortune elixir and tossing it in, the furnace flames blazing fiercely upward.

Shuo could guarantee that at such high temperature, if it were him, this precious elixir would have long been burned to ash by a single flame, yet here the liquid melted like water, flowing into the center.

No technique, no skill.

Just ordinary fire refining, and then the elixir became stronger by a fraction.

Suddenly.

The immortal opened his eyes.

"You all watch here, don't let the fire go out, I'm going out for a bit."

Shuo bowed: "I solemnly obey the immortal's command!"

At the mouth of the Huai River entering the sea, the stirred-up silt slowly settled.

"Did you feel that?"

"You felt it too?"

"Just now the Huai River, did it tremble?"

"It seems — "

Several large snakes simultaneously raised their heads, facing each other, instantly in tacit understanding, pupils dilated.

The tremor came and went in an instant; if not for mutual verification, one might truly think it was an illusion, a great terror rising from the hearts of the several large snakes.

"Quick, quick go tell the Black Viper Great Snake!"

【Spanning the Great River, shining like the sun】

【River Dominion +1】

【River Dominion: 12.4 (River Favor: 92.0499)】

The Long Gong Hall, the throne towering high.

Bai Yuan closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged, exhaling vital energy, two small white dragons circling, eighty thousand fine hairs flowing with the waves, fierce and domineering, boiling and exalted.

The bluish-gray cauldron walls connected heaven and earth, gray mist swirling.

Liang Qu followed the water's rise and fall, gazing up at the sky.

At the horizon, twenty-one long air currents twisted, they were too fine to see, only when swaying to a certain angle could a hint of color be seen, like twinkling stars in the sky.

At the center of the long air currents, sun and moon appeared together.

The crimson gold small gourd floated like a great sun, as always, unchanged through eternity.

And beside the crimson gold small gourd, suddenly appeared a "Stone Monkey"!

A faint blue-green color flowed across the rock's surface, this hint of blue-green unnoticeable, more like white porcelain stained with a bit of dye.

The rock as a whole was smooth, glowing like jade, shaped like a cashew, and at the bend of this "cashew," there was indeed a monkey curled up with knees drawn to chest!

The monkey's half-exposed face, eyes tightly shut, four ears, as if carved halfway into a stone sculpture.

【98】【When things reach extremes they reverse, when affairs reach extremes they change, the ominous monkey as guide, transform disaster into priority.】

【99】【Strange beasts cause floods, voices like lamentations, deluge disasters spread widely】

【100】【Chang You Fruit】

【101】【Authority: Flood Slaughter】

【102】【Attribute: Disaster】

【103】【Misfortune becomes prolonged rain, rivers and lakes overflow, Chang You moves the three rivers to boil and surge.】

【104】【Obtainment Ritual: Consume ten points of dominion, can link to Chang You Fruit.】

【105】【Refinement Ritual: Swallow the river, spit out the river.】

【106】【Advancement Ritual: Lock waves, calm the vast sea, stabilize the sea, quell flood waves, relieve water disasters, store flood slaughter, to pacify the four directions, can advance to the dominion attribute fruit — Wu Fruit.】

【107】 【Interface Ritual: Chang You Fruit, He Yu Fruit, Hua She Fruit, Ying Fruit, gathering the four calamities, the Water Sovereign as king, can illuminate the flood boundary.】

【108】Chang You!

【109】The second minor rank fruit!

【110】Liang Qu's mouth was dry, he licked his lips, suppressed his excitement, reached out to grab.

【111】Unlike grabbing the Mei Fruit when he nearly died, facing the Mei Fruit before was only Zhen Xiang, today it is for Yaoling, and moreover it is Bai Yuan's true self.

【112】The stone monkey fell into his palm, immense force suddenly surged, striking Liang Qu so hard he almost let go.

【113】Pfft!

【114】His palm split open with fresh blood, bones cracked with faint ugly lines, but if he endured, after withstanding the first wave of impact —

【115】He could hold on!

【116】Golden light flashed, the rivers encircled.

【117】The fissures on his knuckles healed rapidly, forcibly contracting, the "cashew" pressing against his palm, stabilizing in an instant!

【118】Unlike the Mei Fruit's scorching and drought, the rich blood seemed about to be sucked dry, the Chang You Fruit gave Liang Qu a feeling of immense, surging power, not merely heaviness. Gravity was balanced and downward, this force chaotic and disordered.

【119】Precisely speaking, it was floodwaters rushing forth, like a mad spirit scouring to the front, yet blocked by the high mountain, the two colliding fiercely, that moment's magnificent force all condensed in Liang Qu's palm.

【120】Using one hand to block the surging floodwaters, the force unbalanced, not downward, an ordinary Zhen Xiang taking it would likely have his entire arm explode.

【When things reach their extreme they must reverse; when matters reach their extreme they must change. The calamity monkey serves as the guide, turning disaster into precedence.】

【Strange beasts traverse the flood, their cries like chanting sighs; inundation disaster spreads laterally.】

【Changyou Fruit】

【Authority: Flood Sha】

【Attribute: Calamity】

【Calamity manifests as prolonged rain, rivers and streams overflow; Changyou stirs the Three Rivers into boiling surges.】

【Ritual Acquisition: Consume ten points of Dominance, can hook-connect with Changyou Fruit.】

【Ritual Refinement: Swallow River, Spit River】

【Ritual Advancement: Lock waves to pacify the vast ocean, suppress the sea to settle flood waves, subjugate water calamities, store away Flood Sha, to pacify the four directions — can advance to Governance Attribute Position Fruit: Wu Fruit.】

【Realm Ritual: Changyou Fruit, Heyu Fruit, Huashe Fruit, Ying Fruit — the four calamities gather, the Water Lord reigns, can guide the manifestation of the Bright Flood Realm.】

Changyou!

The second Minor Position Fruit!

Liang Qu's mouth was dry and tongue parched; he licked his lips, forcibly suppressing his excitement, and reached out to grab it.

Unlike the near-death experience when seizing the Mei Fruit — back then he faced the Mei Fruit merely at Entering Zhen Xiang, but today he does so for Yaoling, and moreover as Bai Yuan's true body.

The stone monkey landed in his palm; vast, mighty power suddenly surged, blasting Liang Qu so he nearly let go.

Pfft!

Fresh blood blossomed in his palm, bones cracked with fine ugly fissures, but — hold on, endure past the first wave of impact —

Can grab it!

Golden light flickered, rivers encircled.

The fine ugly cracks on his finger bones healed rapidly; he forcibly clenched, and the instant the "Waist Fruit" pressed against his palm, it stabilized!

Unlike the Mei Fruit's scorching heat and drought, which made even his rich blood feel like it would be sucked dry, the Changyou Fruit gave Liang Qu the sensation of incomparably vast, surging power — and not merely heavy. Gravity is balanced, directed downward; this power is chaotic and disorderly.

Precisely speaking, it is flood waters rushing forth, surging to the forefront like a mad spirit, yet blocked by high mountains, and finally the two crashing violently together — that instant of majestic power, all concentrated into Liang Qu's palm.

Using one hand to block the onrushing flood waters, the force is unbalanced, not directed downward; an ordinary Entering Zhen Xiang cultivator attempting to take it would likely have their entire arm blown apart.

"What a commotion."

"Burning then taking back a bit of rule————"

Liang Qu was slightly Xu Lijie, his palms and arms trembling lightly; he released his perception, saw the boiling water in the central courtyard, saw the instantaneous trembling of the Jianghuai. This commotion was much greater than when he collected the Mei Fruit in the past.

The two ought to have no difference in superiority; is it due to compatibility?

The Han Mei was merely because the Blue Lake environment was suitable, coupled with the Great Snow Mountain ripening it, that it was nurtured.

Chang You was truly and genuinely taken from the Huaijiang.

Close your eyes.

The ash-gray tripod walls vanished without a trace.

The grand hall was vast and empty, scorching water currents and heat waves surging; Chang You truly descended into the world, the central courtyard waters instantly agitated, all water currents becoming chaotic and disorderly.

Outside the Ling Palace, Ling people, Jiao people, and fat fish fell down one after another.

Waterways closed in chaos, shrimp tails flicking; Sword One and Sword Two, rushing over, plunged headfirst into the mud and sand, surprised to discover they suddenly could not swim anymore, their strength seeming to land in empty space, with no place to leverage.

For a thousand li around, it was as if an imperial edict forbidding swimming had been issued.

"What kind of position fruit is this?"

A voice suddenly rang out.

"Greetings, Immortal." Bai Yuan abruptly rose, the fat one bowing in salute to the wide-robed figure, showing no surprise at the person appearing before him, "This fruit is named Chang You, Fruit of the Flood."

The wide-robed figure found it novel: "Never seen it; can I take a look?"

"Immortal, please look."

The stone monkey fell into the wide-robed figure's hands; the wide-robed figure played with it, pinching it lightly.

The chaotic currents vanished without a trace.

The Ling people and Jiao people floated back up in the water, looking at each other in dismay.

A thousand li away, Sword One and Sword Two, propping themselves on the riverbed and hopping forward, discovered they could swim again.

"A bit interesting; the Huaijiang is vast and flowing, always the foremost of the narrow rivers, the sole Ling Lord; never heard of one starting from a bow-position fruit, even I was bluffed, thinking a fellow daoist had emerged horizontally into the world." The wide-robed figure sized up Bai Yuan top to bottom, "Mirage Ling, Ling Lord, the previous two terms, whether true Ling or transformation, at least conformed to the shape of the Huaijiang; your hand, a complete seventh-generation True Spirit, would also suffer from acclimatization issues?"

"Changing face and appearance, naturally one must start from the beginning."

The wide-robed figure shook his head, handing out the stone monkey: "Not yet the moment of final outcome, dare not speak of victory. The elixir is about the same as autumn's center; think of a way to hold on a bit longer."

"Many thanks for the Immortal's guidance."

"Huala."

Bubbles rose in profusion, dissipating in the water.

Liang Qu gripped the stone monkey tight.

With the held object switched, the Ling people and Jiao people who had just floated up crashed down again, Sword One and Sword Two poked into the ground headfirst, shaking off mud as they climbed out; schools of big bow fish, all as if come onto land, struggled and leapt.

Contending for the ground, they waited for over a quarter-hour; his furnace did not come, the chaotic currents vanished once more.

"Hu."

Like a reservoir opening its floodgates, profuse cold sweat dissipated along his hair into the water; Liang Qu let out a fierce breath of relief, glanced at the tightly shut grand doors, reached out and pressed his hand on them.

Fire trees and silver flowers blossomed with light.

The Ling people and Jiao people hovered in the water, completely unaware that someone had entered or exited the Ling Palace before.

On the plaza, beneath the fire trees and silver flowers, Ling Chen and the Ling clan elders had hot tears brimming, eyes full of anticipation, staring fixedly at the Ling Palace grand doors.

"Huala."

The grand doors swung open, stirring up a heat current.

Dark waterweeds snapped and fluttered; the hairy, big-brained one strode out.

The narrow-position elders flickered simultaneously, dropping to one knee.

"Great King!"

Golden eyes cast down; Bai Yuan shook his head: "At the top of a hundred-foot pole, one step further, yet not achieved Lordship."

The Ling clan's narrow-position elders were slightly disappointed, but quickly rallied; over a hundred years they had endured, now every advancement was getting closer and closer to the center: "Congratulations, Great King, standing a head taller, entering a realm deeper!"

"Congratulations, Great King, standing a head taller, entering a realm deeper!"

"Congratulations, Great King, standing a head taller, entering a realm deeper!"

Congratulations continued unbroken, resounding through the narrow-stepped Ling Palace, stretching straight to the horizon, then shaking the Great Marsh.

"Open the chaotically closed waterways.

"Yes!"

Xu!

Leaving only a blind instruction, Bai Yuan spoke no more, flickering and vanishing, leaping and traversing horizontally, ascending once more, leaving the Ling people and Water Zhen on the plaza with faces full of shock; it did not understand why, but could only rush into the waterway in a frantic hurry, following closely behind.

The Qintian Monitor, copper rings turning, the Four-Wilds Celestial Instrument once again captured "Stone in the River," this Huaijiang overlord having just obtained a position fruit, without the slightest hesitation, strikingly returned to the Huang Shahe!

The Shahe surged, vast and flowing eastward.

Bai Mao's large hand gripped the stone monkey.

The position fruit emerged from the marsh tripod, authority spontaneously permeating; the Water Zhen within the Huang Shahe immediately experienced the same encounter as the Great Marsh's central courtyard — heaven and earth, chaotic currents arising horizontally, nowhere to leverage, nowhere to rely on, one after another plunging into the mud.

Connecting with the Chang You position fruit is the first step.

Before advancing to a position fruit, one must first refine the position fruit!

【Heng Yi: Swallow River, Spit River】

Bai Yuan expelled all air, opened his mouth wide, bared his fangs, aimed at the rolling Huang Shahe, and fiercely inhaled!