Chapter 1400: Counterattack, Inside and Outside United

"Damn it!"

The Third Prince slapped his forehead, his face turning deathly pale. The Ancestral Forefathers are dead but not stiff, and they're coming back to life—what do we do with their inheritance? What do we do with their enormous immortal island? Won't those ten breaths of lip energy demand to be returned?

"Damn it!"

Liang Qu slapped his forehead, his expression stiffening. Will not perish, flesh not perish—isn't that just like the "gods" in storybooks? Believers remain, the god never perishes, and as long as someone remembers, they never die? How are we supposed to deal with Old Yin Whale and the Yin-Yang Folk? No wonder so many immortals don't want to offend the dead.

One man and one dragon both slapped their foreheads, faces showing terror.

Cloud mist at the horizon transformed into a dragon, thread upon thread of white mist drifting faintly.

The staircase led into the clouds, three persons and one dragon strolling upon it.

Zhang Longxiang blinked strangely, looked at Liang Qu's expression, thought for a moment, and added: "I am not a furnace, my understanding of furnaces is not comprehensive; perhaps I didn't explain clearly, or perhaps Huai Wang misunderstood—there's nothing as terrifying as you imagine."

"It's the mindset." The Mirage Dragon spoke.

"Mindset?"

Liang Qu and the little Mirage Dragon looked up.

"Relying on others' power, borrowing a tiger's might, a donkey wearing a tiger's skin, united as one." The Sacred Emperor stepped onto the stairs, "New recruits in the army, before battle, always tremble with fear, but when two armies truly clash, they're not afraid—surrounded by comrades, they gain courage; this is momentum." Students in the academy who know nothing, gathering in twos and threes, dare to bully classmates—this too is momentum.

The reason the True Gang with Form is stronger than the True Gang without Form is precisely because the True Gang behind oneself is vaster—with mountains, rivers, sun, and moon, with immortal islands and myriad immortals, borrowing a tiger's might more, giving people more courage. As the saying goes, when narrow paths meet, the brave prevail—numbers, heavenly and earthly support, vast scale, all under one heart—these all give people strength.

Even feigning strength, making the opponent feel inferior, weakness can be achieved—it's not about immortality or indestructibility, but rather some kind of — "

"Subconscious? Self-hypnosis?" Liang Qu blurted out.

"Subconscious? Hypnosis?" The Sacred Emperor pondered, then smiled, "These words are somewhat fitting—nowadays Jianghuai thrives, the Mirage Clan multiplies endlessly, Your Excellency the Mirage Dragon naturally has a better and better mindset, state improving steadily."

"Exactly, in the Furnace Contention, whether immortals or demon emperors, there's no absolute superiority in strength—it's indeed hard to annihilate the other side." The dragon admitted, "Because it's difficult to beat the opponent into feeling completely unable to resist or struggle, to the point of mutual destruction."

"Ah, I see — "

Liang Qu let out a breath.

Not "believers thinking of me," not that exaggerated. The cultivation path of the Four Passes and Seven Ways is not faith leading to divinity; at its core, power returns to the individual—just that as one advances, bodily weaknesses diminish, and personal mindset and will occupy an especially large proportion.

Otherwise, why would there be a three-thousand-year slumber?

Well, not bad—damn it!

This damn thing isn't just about defeating them—it's about crushing Old Yin Whale and the Yin-Yang Folk to the point they feel completely unable to resist.

Can a normal furnace achieve that?

One demon emperor, one first post-heavenly immortal from ten thousand years ago—

Scheming for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, plotting from the yang realm to the yin realm, from the mortal world to the heavenly sun—who would easily have their will obliterated?

Two sixty-year cycles are approaching, plus what was just said—the Yin-Yang Folk are about to recover—

"Wait, why is the Great Li Taizu's revival related to the furnace's will?"

The Sacred Emperor looked at the Mirage Dragon.

The Mirage Dragon said: "Because of you."

"Me?"

Liang Qu frowned, could it be that his activities in the yin realm produced some butterfly effect?

"You seized the Dragon Palace, ruled Jianghuai, the world knows the Bai Yuan but not the Dragon Lord—if my Mirage Clan thrives, then the Dragon Lord is Jianghe declining, its momentum under your influence, ever diminishing, this loss and that gain—Great Li Taizu will surely become easier to refine and revive."

"But the Dragon people and Dragon Sturgeon clan are developing just like the Mirage Clan?"

"Not the same—first, Great Li Taizu's strength is growing; second, the Dragon Lord has vanished for less than a hundred years, while I fell ten thousand years ago—one from great to small, one from nothing to existence—

"Everyone, who currently rules Jianghuai—isn't it the Bai Yuan?" Zhang Longxiang interjected.

"The Bai Yuan is me."

Zhang Longxiang slightly furrowed his brows, silently pondering.

A long while.

Zhang Longxiang: "?"

He suddenly lifted his head, gazing at the Sacred Emperor, at the cloud dragon above. The Sacred Emperor, the White Dragon—actually, not one of them had any expression.

Zhang Longxiang: "???"

"Now that it's come to this, no hiding it from Dragon Xiang Wang—I am the innate river spirit, and the innate river spirit is me." Liang Qu embraced Zhang Longxiang's shoulder, raised his thumb, pointing at his chest, "Just a little mix-up in the middle—perhaps Heaven and Earth let Great Li Taizu and the Whale Emperor kick him, causing the river spirit to be born prematurely—I was fortunate, swallowed that premature infant, and became what I am now."

Zhang Longxiang: "??????"

Another long while.

Zhang Longxiang fell silent.

Seeing Zhang Longxiang no longer asking, Liang Qu wondered: "So saying this, Great Li Taizu's revival is truly because of me?"

"The Mirage Dragon Excellency is joking—there is a cause, but not significant." The Sacred Emperor arrived before the immortal palace gates, "Now already the third-generation Dragon Lord, Great Li Taizu's strength grows daily; even if refining the Dragon Lord, it's far easier than before.

Moreover, regarding the furnace, bodily growth is equally difficult—flesh not perishing means no leaks or gaps, not complete and continuous creation from nothing; the Mirage Dragon Excellency's state is good, more due to current reliance on the immortal island's mental condition, not easily worn down, but long-enduring.

The Mirage Dragon sighed and nodded: "My existence, my essence," has already allowed Great Li Taizu to be completely refined—if he wishes to be reborn, he must start from scratch."

"Huu—"

The little Lip Dragon exhaled, overjoyed.

Can the family business be inherited again?

"Huu—"

Liang Qu exhaled.

hearing it, it seems, appears, somewhat, not so utterly unstoppable?

Zhang Longxiang glanced at the little Mirage Dragon, then at Liang Qu, rubbed his chin, silently pondering.

Are this Third Prince and Liang Qu also the same —

"I can feel the accumulation of the Dream Dynasty growing deeper and deeper—Great Li Taizu's nature is obsessive, authoritarian, nearly tyrannical; when he revives, he will surely take great action."

"I came today precisely to discuss this." The Sacred Emperor said calmly, "Precisely because Great Li Taizu's nature is authoritarian, when his great undertaking nears completion, Great Shun, Northern Court, and Southern Border will all cease to exist."

"Really?" Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise.

"Exactly so—with the Yinglong, there is a three-hundred-year kingdom; with the furnace, there is a three-thousand-year dynasty.

The world has Northern Court, Great Shun, and Southern Frontier—three great powers. This is merely the ink stain left behind by the immortals who never truly departed, spreading outward. Once Great Li emerges, this ink stain will all turn into profound black!

Now Southern Frontier and Northern Court are both settled, north and south free of worry, national strength unprecedented. Since the founding ancestor of Great Li is about to revive, why not strike first? Launch the assault! Take their cities, seize their fruits! The Prince of Huai will respond from within, while the Dragon-Elephant leads the army in external warfare!

>