Chapter 1375

The fire trees and silver flowers glowed orange-red all over, shining brightly.

The Sea Mane King, one of the Three Hegemons among the Seven Great Overlords of the Eastern Sea, wielded the authority of malevolent generation.

The Mantis King, a peak demon king of the Eastern Sea, possessed supreme strength—his fists could cleave rivers.

The first wave of attack was indeed formidable in momentum.

Inside the hall, the dragonfolk elders holding their breath had trembling pupils, staring fixedly until, high above, the lightning ceased to flash, the radiant beams no longer shot forth, and the mist-like white vapor slowly dissipated; the silver pupils of the Dragon Sect expanded to the edges.

The scorching water flow lowered in temperature, and the river water rushing toward them turned cool and refreshing.

Bai Yuan hovered in midair, looking down, casting a shadow; the Sea Mane King lowered his head, the triangular plates on his back drooping downward, while the Mantis King likewise clung tightly to his shrimp claws, crawling on the ground!

Drawing in a great breath, an inexplicable emotion welled up from his lower abdomen, striking his heart hard; Long Zong Yin's voice trembled: "Great, Great Elder, won—won?"

"Mm." Long Chen lifted his head to gaze, then heard a choked sob, turned to look, and chuckled: "How come you're crying too? At your age, you're not even as old as me and Yi Mei—what's the big deal?"

Long Zong Yin sharply inhaled through his nose, wiped his tears with the base of his palm, and burst out in unprecedented vulgarity: "You don't know shit! Just you and Elder Yi, relying on your status as sect masters and the pillars of the clan, using cultivation as an excuse, dumping everything on me to handle, while you two stay clean-handed and carefree—do you even know what's really going on in the clan? Only I, year after year, count the heads, year after year, year after year, year after year, and each year there are fewer."

"Third Grandfather." Long Eying pressed down on Long Zong Yin's trembling shoulder, silently rubbing it, "Everything's better now—don't be sad."

"It's not sadness—what's there to be sad about?" Long Zong Yin wiped again and again, "It's just that now things are better, I couldn't hold back."

Long Chen kept smiling, never knowing how to comfort others, so he said nothing more.

He lifted his head to gaze at Bai Yuan, reached out, and pressed his hand firmly onto Long Zong Yin's shoulder beside him, giving it a hard pat.

Continuation, prosperity, and glory—

Continuation is one aspect, prosperity another, glory the third.

Continuation brings peace to people, prosperity brings satisfaction, glory brings fearlessness.

It felt as if everything had returned.

In a daze, he seemed to have grown younger by over a hundred years.

His parents were still alive, Long Jun was still there, and beside him, Long Zong Yin had turned into a little brat, shouting loudly about wanting to beat the neighborhood brat into eating fish dung, his head stuck in a reef and unable to get out.

Once a carefree youth, he often held a candle and wandered at night.

【Intimidation of the Disloyal, Virtue Spreads to Huaijiang】

【River Dominion +0.2】

【Great Achievement in Prosperity, Fame Shines Bright】

【River Dominion +0.1】

【River Dominion: 12.7 (River Spring Consideration: 92.0499)】.

The Jade Cauldron trembled, radiance surged.

A dominion of 0.3—Bai Yuan glanced at it, withdrew his attention, was about to speak, when mountain roars and sea cries echoed in his ears; dragonfolk, dragon sturgeons, and merfolk surged forth from all directions, shouting in unison, hailing the Water Lord.

"My worthy brother, invincible under heaven!"

"Second Brother. Too fierce!"

The Whale King, the Crow King, and the Sword King all came rushing out in a crowd, amazed beyond measure.

The Sea Mane King came fast, fell fast—first wave of attack, easily dispelled.

The entire confrontation lasted less than a quarter of an hour, swift and decisive, neither side suffering serious harm—no wonder he had been so calm earlier, still telling dragon-snake jokes even at the doorstep.

The Whale King was even more astonished: this March, no position fruit, yet this monkey could fight him to a draw; with a position fruit, he'd have been outright outclassed among demon kings, right?

"Anyone hurt?" Bai Yuan scanned the circle, showing no excitement.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Long Binglin stepped forward, "The Long Gong is nurtured by the Old Dragon Lord, protected by the Old Dragon Lord; in times of great war, they had already hidden in advance—no one was injured."

"Good." Bai Yuan nodded, then lowered his gaze to the Sea Mane King and the Mantis King.

The Sea Mane King sighed slightly, rose, and apologized: "Ape King, your methods are sublime; I am ashamed to fall short, so I will not further disgrace myself—farewell."

His position fruit came from inheritance, so even in ancient times of strange beings, he had prepared; all his divine abilities revolved around his position fruit, and his weaknesses were equally evident—his strongest move, which was always advantageous, was countered by Bai Yuan, leaving him with no other means of struggle.

As for the Mantis King, needless to say—he couldn't match Bai Yuan in direct combat, and now he had lost his own support as well—

"Is the Sea Mane King leaving just like that? The Jade Kirin is on the road, perhaps also coming to contend for the Water Lord's position; if another batch of Great Creation Elixir arrives, they could still join forces." Bai Yuan spoke to retain him.

The demon kings all glanced sideways.

No way, you're actually serious?

Are you risking your life for the elixir? Really want to fight ten of them?

The Whale King's heart leapt—he just wanted to cover this white-haired monkey's mouth; other position fruits aren't untouchable, but the Sea Mane King's? He truly doesn't want to touch it.

"No thanks." The Sea Mane King shook his head.

The demon kings all let out a relieved breath.

The Sea Mane King continued: "I don't know if the Ape King believes it or not, but perhaps other beasts truly have thoughts, holding back, waiting for the right moment. My clan, having mastered the position fruit and able to pass it down, originally had no beasts daring to offend, nor any need to contend with other beasts.

Had it not been for the Ape King's widespread announcement, which truly presented a great opportunity—almost an invitation—I wouldn't have come this far; perhaps my words were too vague, I don't know if the Ape King can understand."

"I see." Bai Yuan nodded.

Many people are just honest folk, content with their lives, never committing wrongdoing their whole lives; seeing a cash transport vehicle, they wouldn't think much of it—but one day, suddenly said: as long as you win an arm-wrestle against the guards, you can go up and grab a bag of cash; even if you lose, it's fine—just pay two hundred tickets, win or lose, it's completely legal—who wouldn't want to go up and play?

Cultivation is the same—if you don't come, you betray your own Dao-heart; a clear path lies before you; this time, if you don't come when given the chance, decades or centuries later, in old age, you'll regret it, and it will only add obstacles to your state of mind.

"And the Mantis King?"

The Mantis King's mouthparts twitched—he also wanted to follow and leave.

"If so, why leave at all?" Bai Yuan urged again, "No fight, no acquaintance; guests are guests; the Sea Mane King is so sincere, he's an honored guest; if it weren't for his straightforwardness, we'd have to determine a winner, and even I would need to go to great trouble.

Within the Four Seas, all are brothers; the Five Continents tremble and harmonize as precious; the banquet shall open—Sea Mane King and Mantis King, why not attend together? How about it?"

The Sea Mane King exclaimed in surprise: "Attend the banquet?"

"Naturally. Lose, and the Water Lord yields his position; win, and just treat it as a sparring match." Bai Yuan emphasized once more.

The Sea Mane King remained silent.

"This guy—" the Whale King heard, glanced sideways, and admitted, "This monkey has a bit of the Dragon Lord's bearing."

"Yes, yes." The Crow King hurriedly spoke up; this Sea Mane King was damn formidable, everyone knew its strength, it didn't show its face much normally, a rare chance — if they could pull it into their camp————

A long while.

The Sea Mane King looked at the Mantis King; the Mantis King flicked its shrimp pincers twice.

"Good!" The Sea Mane King raised its claw, bowed slightly, "Then many thanks for the Ape King's hospitality, much trouble to you."

"No trouble, no trouble, quickly take a seat!" Bai Yuan grinned, "Just now I thought of a couple more Jiao Dragon anecdotes! Let me tell them to everyone."

The Sea Mane King's heart stirred; Jiao Dragon anecdotes? Could it be some secret?

Inside the Long Gong Grand Hall, the towering Dashan gained two more "River Stones"!

"What's the situation, did they fight or not? Win or lose?"

Lan Jicai frowned slightly, looking at the stacked "River Stones".

They fought, and won.

Just as he finished asking, Lan Jicai answered himself: now all River Stones were piled together, but just now, when the Sea Mane King had just arrived, there was a very clear separation — one of the piled River Stones split off and mingled with the Sea Mane King and Mantis King, far from the rest.

So it was obvious: Bai Yuan soloed the Sea Mane King, one of the East Sea overlords, and the powerful Mantis King, and won smoothly!

Just fast, too fast.

Front to back less than a quarter-hour, fast enough to make one doubt.

"Could it be a positional fruit counter?" Lan Jicai guessed.

"Bai Yuan is strong, true, but the Sea Mane King and Mantis King aren't pushovers either; normally a two-on-one wouldn't be that fast. Authorities have no high or low, only whether they counter; only then can it be decided at first touch, the disadvantaged one conceding cleanly."

Thinking this, Lan Jicai couldn't help his thoughts diverging further.

What positional fruit does Bai Yuan actually hold? Water-attribute, how could it be that strong?

If so, does it again verify that his earlier divergence was correct? That Heaven and Earth truly made some adjustment to the Water Lord's strength, granting a different Authority?

Lan Jicai's mouth and tongue were parched; he hurriedly fixed his gaze on the Four-Wilds Sky-Spanning Instrument, on the approaching Jade Qilin, and the other stirring Yao Kings.

The Sea Mane King and Mantis King moved first, being in the East Sea, they arrived first; after them the Jade Qilin; and now, behind them, four more Yao Kings shifted!

Lan Jicai felt every step he took now led into a realm no predecessor had ever trod!

The next waves — can Bai Yuan block them too?

"Come come come, everyone, taste my Huaijiang treasure fish, Huaijiang specialty!"

The Long Gong Grand Hall was full of joy and laughter, utterly ignoring the Jade Qilin's approach and the other Yao Kings' movements.

The atmosphere was even more lively than before; Bai Yuan grabbed a string of huge sea grapes, chatting and laughing while probing the Ze Ding, digesting what he had just gained.

"So Authority can still be used like this————"

This harvest was not small.

First was the application of positional fruit Authority; Liang Qu's understanding of "Hong Sha" and "Luan Liu" deepened, usage more flexible.

This Sea Mane King guy, if it hadn't mastered the Chang You fruit to disrupt the opponent's divine ability, he truly might not have taken it down, ending in a stalemate, needing other Yao Kings to come help.

Authority against Authority won't produce two forces colliding, mutually annihilating, unable to take effect — unless they counter each other, it's mostly you do yours, I do mine.

"Hong Sha" cannot entangle the "E Sheng" Authority, but it can disrupt the "E Sheng" carrier! Turning the opponent's Authority from targeted attack into "diffuse reflection"!

At this point, combat shifts from clashing Authorities to clashing health bars.

"Another fifty-fifty trump card."

Liang Qu thought of when he first got 【Water Walk Thousand Li】, used it to threaten the old turtle — couldn't beat it, but could escape, enough to stand on undefeated ground.

"Hong Sha" is the same; whatever the opponent's Authority, as long as it's not a Furnace, crushing them from the "root", a single thought acting directly inside their body — they all need a carrier, fist or gang wind, to make contact attacks — thus all can become indiscriminate area attacks!

Coincidentally, Authority can stop but not reverse!

Thanks to the Sea Mane King giving him the inspiration, firing Authority on a live wire, realizing the huge role of "Hong Sha".

Besides the strength increase, the cognition of Authority improved.

【Awe the Unsubmissive, Virtue Spreads Huaijiang】

【Great Founding Merit, Renowned Fame Resounds】

The ruling degree Liang Qu wasn't surprised. He fought this battle, built this momentum, precisely for ruling degree; just the harvest exceeded expectations.

Among the three rulings, the best and most commonly gained is 【Spanning the Great River, Shining Like the Sun】; in the past fighting Jiao Dragons from East Huaijiang to West Huaijiang, from Huaijiang to Southern Frontier, back from Southern Frontier to Huaijiang, over a dozen Jiao Dragons participated, triggering countless wonders, rising rapidly.

This time the Sea Mane King was thunder loud, rain small — thought it'd be a fierce battle, result Chang You happened to counter; thought there'd be no ruling degree at all, didn't expect two more to pop out.

"Awe the Unsubmissive, Virtue Spreads Huaijiang — didn't appear after beating Jiao Dragons, is it because Jiao Dragons didn't submit?"

"Great Founding Merit — only the two River God Ceremonies had it; this year the Sage Emperor came and it didn't trigger, how did it appear this time?"

"Could it be some prosperity degree? Last year and year before, my Wang Jun prospered, just became Martial Saint, big changes; this year none? But why would beating the Sea Mane King increase 'prosperity degree' inside Huaijiang?"

Bai Yuan's golden eyes scanned around, looking at the joyful Dragon People, the Dragon Women teasing each other in corners, the solemn Long Zong Yin with slightly reddened eye rims, quite stern — unknowingly the whole Long Gong atmosphere seemed to quietly shift, every Dragon Person becoming "lively", "vivid".

"So it is — confidence returned."

Liang Qu was thoughtful.

People of strong nations, wealthy places, have a unique "vigor", mental outlook; this outlook in turn feeds development, thriving.

He solved the Dragon People's survival problem, true, but that only solved the basic survival issue, let them shed the pressure of racial extinction, didn't make the Dragon People flourish; moreover, many Dragon People don't even know how the problem was solved, their understanding of Bai Yuan's methods is very vague.

The Furnace's Kai Kui, Liang Qu only told Eying, Binglin, Yanrui — three people; even the elders don't know.

Thus, the already overlord-level Bai Yuan gained a positional fruit, then defeated the powerful Sea Mane King and Mantis King as proof — that is almost no more difficulties, no more obstacles, the rest is just proceeding step by step, a matter of time.

The confidence, fearlessness, bone-deep ease of when the Dragon Lord was alive surged forth all at once; that incomparably excellent Dragon Lord guard clan returned.

"Put that way, can more be triggered next?"

Bai Yuan's heart stirred; sensing the "River Stones" constantly shifting after the Sea Mane King stepped forward, he looked up toward outside the hall; the other Yao Kings also looked up.

After fighting the Sea Mane King, a bit more idle chat.

Sky white clouds rolling, clear wind auspicious clouds, peaceful qi rushing over.

The Jade Qilin arrived.

【Absorbing a strand of Zou-species Qi, one may gain Tian Wu's favor and obtain a Yu pattern.】

The Ze Ding trembled.

Good news, Tian Wu's favor can be upgraded.

Bad news, it's not Tiger-species Qi, it's Zou-species Qi, and the Jade Qilin is a Yao King, likewise only one strand; the two Qilin Greater Yao accompanying it have none at all.

Liang Qu was slightly surprised, his expression unchanged: "Let's go, more guest beasts have arrived."

The Yao Kings whose backsides hadn't even warmed their seats surged forth once more with a clatter.

All Yao Kings today stood in Bai Yuan's camp, come to lend support, but they all wanted to know just how many waves Bai Yuan could withstand alone.

Upon the plaza, deep blue radiance flowed over jade-white scales, long whiskers fluttering, figure lithe and vigorous, long horns winding.

More handsome, more dashing than all the Yao Kings present combined, the Jade Qilin stepped onto the plaza, with Qilin Greater Yao standing respectfully in attendance on its left and right.

"The Three Venerables of the North Sea, you've come to visit as well?" Bai Yuan laughed heartily, "I wonder if it's for a spar, or to attend the feast?"

"The North Sea Jade Qilin, hearing that the Ape King plucked the Position Fruit, has come specially to congratulate! Today's visit bears no intention of contending for the Monarch position, merely wishing to make a friend of the Ape King.

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