Chapter 1421

Faint shadows spread and flowed, pouring down, covering Shahe, shrouding the pleasure barges, pushing all the way to the distant horizon. At the river's end, several bald, barren hills stood without vegetation to shield them, leaving only cliffside granite; the yellowed, white-haired small mountains were no longer dazzling.

The winter cold was severe, with no sunlight, the chill crept up the limbs.

Clouds!

Majestic clouds!

Under heaven, there is only one immortal, appearing and disappearing mysteriously, accompanying the wind and clouds.

Liang Qu understood clearly in his heart, and was also mentally prepared.

The yin-yang rift reopening and recreating the Yellow Sand Dragon King—on the surface, there are two major events; secretly, there is even the restoration of the Great Li Taizu and the Dragon Monarch's reincarnation as the Dragon King. Such major affairs—how could they lack heavyweight spectators?

He, however, was not afraid.

Everyone was waiting, everyone was parrying moves.

To tear faces apart requires real swords and spears, not nonviolent non-cooperation. Beiting, Nanjian, and Dashun—combined, they have two and a half immortals. If they draw real swords and spears, there is great risk, let alone the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Now, no matter who, none have obtained fully satisfactory gains; whether seeing or not seeing, knowing in the heart or guessing, those who actively tear faces apart will not be the opposing side—the initiative lies in their hands.

It is———

Liang Qu caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, his field of vision suddenly emptied; light followed the gap between the Yellow Sand River and the white clouds, extending endlessly into the distance, letting his mind follow suit into emptiness.

The surging Shahe was fully visible—only a few demon kings and great demons' heads broke the surface.

That dragon monarch, which should have hovered before the boat, stretching a thousand zhang, so large a being, suddenly vanished without trace. Liang Qu was startled, looked around, searched in a circle, and only then saw a trace behind the crowd, on one side of the pleasure barge—the dragon's whiskers no longer floated.

All right, no need to worry about exploding from anger.

The Sacred Emperor set aside the imperial edict, stepped forward, and bowed to the auspicious clouds in the sky.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of Dashun, I pay my respects to the Whale Sovereign!"

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Whale Sovereign."

Liang Qu, Zhang Longxiang, Su Wang, Chong Wang, and the civil and military officials all turned in unison toward the clouds to pay respects.

The auspicious clouds poured downward like a waterfall, spreading across the river surface, forming a towering cloud giant.

The shadows of the white clouds and the giant intertwined and overlapped, leaving the broad deck one-third darker.

The cloud giant gazed northward: "When Linchuan spoke of this to me recently, I did not believe it—until the facts lay before my eyes. Great Li Taizu, truly a peerless talent—perhaps he has already stepped onto the path of transforming into a rainbow. A pity, though I have never met Great Li, from historical records I see he was overly domineering, which truly worries the whale."

The Sacred Emperor laughed: "Speaking of talent, where does the Whale Sovereign fall short? From ancient times to now, Great Li is the first post-heavenly immortal, and the Whale Sovereign is likewise the first post-heavenly sovereign—where is the hierarchy?"

As for Great Li Taizu's character—indeed fierce, but who in ancient annals has not been seen? Now, seeing his achievements surpass those of the ancients. Ultimately submerged in the current of history, the Whale Sovereign has always been lenient, and is also a close friend of my Linchuan ancestors. Dashun and the Whale Clan advance and retreat together—what is there to fear?

"Hahaha, quite right—who in ancient annals has not been seen? Now, seeing achievements surpass the ancients." The cloud giant laughed heartily, then turned his gaze toward the Dragon King behind the pleasure barge, eyes full of emotion: "The longer one lives, the more one can see the development and prosperity of your human race."

"From ancient times to now, one sovereign, two kings, all living things under heaven—lifespans boundless, occasional falls, but today for the first time, humans have given birth to a heavenly-earthly spirit object—also good. The Yellow Sand River has always been violent; being able to lessen flood disasters and protect both banks is welcome."

"The Whale Sovereign is wise and holy. Now, with the Dragon King guarding the Yellow Sand River, future river products will surely abound; the great carp of the Yellow Sand River is a peerless wonder under heaven."

"The Whale Sovereign enjoys wandering the world, viewing the mountains. If, in two or three years, the Whale Sovereign can come to attend the banquet, I, all of Dashun, will surely extend a warm welcome."

"Excellent!" The cloud giant's eyes fell upon Liang Qu: "That banquet in Pingyang long ago—memory still fresh."

Liang Qu stepped forward: "To have the Whale Sovereign's concern is not without honor. If the Whale Sovereign wishes to come, the Yellow River banquet—I shall still prepare it for the Whale Sovereign as before!"

"Good, a word is enough."

Liang Qu grinned: "A word is enough!"

The Sacred Emperor resumed his bow: "The Whale Sovereign, wandering clouds and cranes, enjoys interesting things, joyful things—thus does not spare heavenly treasures and earthly riches, holding the Eastern Sea Great Hunt, bestowing favors upon martial sages across the world—everyone is surely sharpening weapons and feeding horses, looking forward with anticipation.

Our Dashun martial sages cannot wait any longer, eager for the Great Hunt to open, to seize first place—some even practice without sleep or rest, three years without returning home, seizing time to break through, tempering themselves, shedding blood and sweat; many complaints from wives and children have been memorialized and sent to me—I truly do not know how lively it will be when it opens.

Now, the five-year limit has only two years remaining. For the sake of holding the Great Hunt, the Whale Sovereign will surely be immensely busy, managing myriad affairs—whether coming to the Yellow Sand River is to view the yin-yang rift, the Dragon King's birth, or if there is some other need?"

"Indeed busy. Today I came, not only to view the rift and the Dragon King, but also with a request." The cloud giant flicked his finger—a wisp of flowing cloud flew toward the Dragon King.

The Dragon King's pupils widened, as if strained, yet he did not turn his head or leap into the Yellow Sand River.

The flowing cloud hovered before him, slowly condensing into a card, spinning in midair.

The Whale Sovereign said: "It is simply to see the newborn Dragon King, to invite him to join this prosperous age together. The White Dragon King is cold in temperament and may not come; I thought there was no hope of inviting the Dragon King, but never expected—circumstances have shifted."

"Hiss———" Liang Qu drew a sharp breath of cold air: "The Huang Long King also participates—such a top-tier contemporary joining in—how are we to take first place?"

The cloud giant laughed heartily: "What does the Huai Wang have to fear? Back when you came to my Cloud Heaven Palace as an advisor, was it not precisely because you feared hard strength-on-strength, others unwilling to join, so you proposed the shark-tear point system?"

"Also true." Liang Qu stroked his chin: "But, Your Majesty the Whale Sovereign, I have a new idea—why not let the Huang Long King, such a strong one, serve as the gatekeeper beast?"

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Liang Qu explained: "That is—set up a treasure, let the Huang Long King guard it; whoever finds and defeats it can obtain the treasure, and defeating it once will trigger a 'cooldown'; after a fixed time, another duel can proceed."

The Dragon King: "?"

In the "Eye Recognition Method," I felt the old Dragon King's piercing gaze, but Liang Qu thought: we cannot simply follow the other's words, be proper contestants, participate, compete.

Though I do not know the other's true purpose, meddling to disrupt is correct.

"Somewhat interesting." Zhang Longxiang's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

The Sacred Emperor nodded: "Indeed novel and many, surely entertaining—but the decision rests with the Whale Sovereign."

"A very good idea, worth considering." The cloud giant nodded: "Besides sending the invitation, there is a second matter."

"Please command." The Sacred Emperor made a bow.

"Great Li Taizu's mighty fame— I have long enjoyed wandering the clouds, and I am truly curious about this netherworld."

The Sacred Emperor expressed surprise: "You wish to go to the netherworld?"

"I dare not." The cloud giant shook his head, teasing: "But there are precedents—currently unclear about Great Li Taizu's condition, how could this sovereign dare to rashly enter? Yet I have a longing—formerly, I wished the Great Hunt's arena to become a triad of water, land, and air; now with an added netherworld, if we could make the Great Hunt span four different environments, how wonderful that would be? Even to see what souls look like———"

The Sacred Emperor drew a sharp breath of cool air, hearing the implication: "Is the Whale Sovereign wishing us to negotiate?"

The Whale Sovereign was embarrassed: "I know this matter is difficult, but having wandered mountains and rivers across the world, only unheard-of things can greatly arouse my curiosity—without even a glance, my heart truly itches unbearably.

This yin-yang rift happens to be opened above the Yellow Sand River, within your Dashun territory.

Rest assured—I will leave behind strong ones of the Whale Clan to assist the Dashun Emperor. And I will not let you labor in vain—if this matter can be settled, with gains obtained, useful information gained through exchange and communication can come to me for reward substitution—more is better."

The Sacred Emperor's face showed difficulty, he lowered his head in thought for a long while, gritted his teeth: "I am willing to serve the Whale Sovereign's cause! But the netherworld is deceitful, also created by immortals—even if communication and exploration occur, great results may not necessarily come———"

"No matter, just do your best; you needn't do anything extra. If anyone loses their life because of it, that would be my fault instead."

"Whale Emperor, you overestimate your words."

"Just these two matters; I shall not disturb you further."

"Respectfully seeing off the Whale Emperor."

Everyone bowed in unison.

The dim deck grew bright again; on this cold winter day, the warmth of sunlight once more covered their backs.

The white clouds departed, leaving only two white clouds behind.

"Phew—"

Everyone present, whether they knew or not, all let out a breath of relief in unspoken accord.

A Demon Emperor, no less.

The Dragon Lord raised a claw and wiped a handful of sweat.

Two white clouds drooped and flowed down, landing on the ground and turning into two slightly smaller cloud giants: "Cloud Goose / Cloud Amber, paying respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Shun."

"You two, please rise."

The Sage Emperor raised both hands in a virtual lift, exchanged a few pleasantries with the two Demon Kings, then without changing expression, grasped the writing brush once more and issued an edict onto the reflective cloth.

Si Nan's taut nerves relaxed again; the high ponytail that had tensed at the Whale Emperor's arrival swayed once more.

"So close, so close — what Great Li Taizu, what East Sea Whale Emperor, don't let them affect my flood control!"

"Hurry up and finish the control, kick the Huai King out of the flood control team!"

"With the Dragon Lord's assistance, within one year, to dredge the Yellow Sand River — not just the thirty thousand li of elevated riverbed, not just the upstream silting and blockage, the lands of soil erosion, a million li, major and minor tributaries, the entire Yellow Sand River — can it be done?"

Liang Qu raised both hands high, receiving and holding the imperial edict.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty! I will certainly not fail this trust!"

"Good! Hard work to you all, hard work to the Dragon Lord!"

Receiving the appointment edicts, the various people dispersed.

The Yellow Sand River Demon Kings and great demons were familiar with Liang Qu, vying to ask about the situation; they did not know the Dragon Lord's reincarnation details, and one after another probed the relationship between the new Dragon King and the Jianghuai Dragon Lord.

Three great rivers — the Yellow Sand River is far inferior to the Huaijiang; how can it be called a Lord?

"Dragon Lord is His Majesty's title of respect for the Dragon King, wishing to regard it with the status of Yellow Sand River Monarch, as equals, not an ordinary enfeoffed—

King." Liang Qu simply glossed over the title.

The Demon Kings suddenly understood, and one after another congratulated the Dragon Lord.

Afterward, the three Dragon clans' eyes showed eagerness; Liang Qu looked at the Dragon Lord.

The Dragon Lord waved a claw: "Since it was left by the predecessor, then let them all enter my command; saves me from creating anew. The rest, everything as before, just don't delay the flood control."

The three Dragon clans were overjoyed beyond expectation, immediately pledging guarantee.

After the water beasts, came the Jianghuai Dragon People and the Dragon Sturgeon clan.

"Dragon Lord!" The three Dragon People elders wept without voice.

The Dragon Lord was just about to speak.

"Ah—"

Liang Qu tilted his head to the sky and sighed long.

"The wind sighs, the Huai waters cold; the hero departs, never to return. Times change, people leave and tea grows cold; dragons depart and waters turn cold. Back then, the Dragon People clan, the Dragon Fresh clan — how glorious? The Jiao People clan — how flourishing? In a mere hundred years, past events like smoke, nothing left at all.

Such a huge clan, only a few little cats remain, and even that is the result of the Turtle King and Frog King's protection; otherwise they would have long since vanished completely in the long river of history. When I took over, there weren't even enough usable people — truly the whole clan mobilized, making me busy as can be. Even land fiefs, I had to find hedgehogs and Jin Mao tigers to manage. Tragic and lamentable.

Now I'm even worrying — where to find people to fill these vacancies—"

"Pfft!"

Long Yanrui couldn't hold it in, and let Long Binglin smack the back of his head: "Be serious."

Long Eying followed Liang Qu in gazing at the old Dragon Lord.

Dragon Lord:

Truly dragons depart and waters turn cold; in a mere hundred years, the descendants are already shaped like monkeys. Only the older generation can bring a trace of warmth to its icy dragon heart.

A moment.

Two clusters of essence blood, one large one small, suspended in midair — the large cluster dark red, the small cluster golden red, colors differing.

The Dragon People and Dragon Sturgeon stared fixedly, swallowing saliva.

The Dragon Lord's complexion turned visibly pale; essence blood is special blood combined with cultivation — draw too much and one might even fall a realm, and recovery is slow.

"Oh my, standing on ceremony, aren't we." Liang Qu slapped his thigh hard, beaming, "The old Dragon Lord just revived, should be resting properly, yet forced out such a large cluster. With our such deep monarch-friendship, look what a fuss this has become."

The old Dragon Lord was wordless: "My cultivation ultimately doesn't compare to the past; I am merely a fledgling dragon. This large cluster, roughly three thousand Wolf Smoke's worth — you all handle it. For the coming year, that's all there is. The small cluster, you brat take it. If you can return the four Creation Treasure Fish to me to replenish, perhaps I can condense a bit more."

Long Zong Yin looked at Liang Qu.

Liang Qu pretended not to hear, reached out and accepted it.

This essence blood — Binglin and Yanrui don't need it; the key is the number of juniors cultivated, that is the backbone, the pillar.

Liang Qu directly cut it proportionally: "Twelve hundred to the Dragon People, nine hundred to the Dragon Sturgeon, remaining nine hundred divided among the Yellow Sand River three clans, three hundred per clan. What do the three elders think? After all, the Dragon King revived, we ought to win them over a bit."

"No problem."

"Then the three elders go handle it, help transfer it."

"Understood."

Everything handled and divided, Liang Qu raised the imperial edict: "Old Dragon Lord, from now until before the New Year, you familiarize yourself with the entire Yellow Sand River waterways, as well as the original flood control progress and targets — about ten days or so. After the New Year, resume flood control, how about it? I'll have Si Nan teach you; she arranges affairs very systematically."

"You decide."

"Done, Dragon Lord magnanimous!"

Liang Qu is not a talent for governance; economics and such he can manage — keeps tossing out ideas — but concrete execution still relies on Long Zong Yin, the Hedgehog, Si Nan, and these people.

After swiftly handling the arrangements and sending Si Nan over to assist the Old Dragon Lord, Liang Qu crashed into the quiet room.

Si Nan held the register pages, suppressing his excitement, and stepped forward with small steps.

"Dragon Lord, Great Dragon————"

Quiet room.

Four Crafting Treasure Fish of differing forms were arrayed side by side, alongside a small clump of golden-red blood.

Liang Qu remembered the Phoenix Immortal essence was over two million, still in its ordinary state before the Dragon Lord; these five items, in the Yellow Sand River, were not as powerful as Huaijiang, yet they were in a Dragon King state, so they should be equivalent, calculating to just enough to fill the ten million gap.

Only, Liang Qu communicated with the Ze Ding and first examined one item.

The Dragon King appeared, shaking heaven and earth, disturbing the spiritual mechanisms of heaven and earth; in the core area, the Ze Ding collected nine strands of Long Qi in one go, and who knew if there were more in the unknown places.

Among the nine strands, five strands of Long Qi were very special.

Returning Long Qi!

Hidden Long Qi!

Transforming Long Qi!

Swimming Long Qi!

Vibrant Life Qi!

【Returning Long Qi: The dragon returns to its homeland, attains its rightful place————】

【Hidden Long Qi: The divine dragon hides in the deep spring, fierce beasts tread the high ridge; hide the dragon within the body, await the opportune moment, soar through the nine heavens————】

【Transforming Long Qi: The dragon filters back to the earth's axis, the kun transforms aspiring to the heavenly pool; metamorphose into a dragon, the dragon chants over the marsh————】

【Swimming Long Qi: The yang fish leaps and soars, flaps wings and shakes scales————】

【Vibrant Life Qi: Sprouting reaches all, ten thousand things anew. Moisture boundless, grace infinite. Witherered things, once more revive with life————】

Vibrant Life needs no mention; recovery types are all very useful, can serve as consumables, directly "consumed away".

Transforming, Returning, Hidden, Swimming — these four Long Qi are very special; four Long Qi, colors not the same.

One white, one yellow, one green, one blue.

【Can consume fifty thousand essence to merge Transforming Long Qi, Returning Long Qi, Hidden Long Qi, Swimming Long Qi into Profound Long Qi.】

Can four-in-one become Profound Long Qi!

Set Long Qi!

The last set Long Qi was still the one obtained from General Yuan — the Four Seasons Sequential Long Qi!

Long Qi appearing because of a Dragon King's birth — how many times in the world can a Dragon King be born?

Fifty thousand essence, four-in-one.

Liang Qu chose to refuse use.

Save where to save, spend where to spend; accumulate ten million essence to point the Dragon King.

Fifty thousand essence, enough for several Red Blood Lions.

"Frog Duke!"

The old toad was riding a Legless Frog, leading a large group galloping across the Yellow Sand River, netting treasure fish; hearing this, he reined in for a sudden stop.

"What containers to hold these four Long Qi?"

Liang Qu quickly released them, then the Ze Ding retrieved them, lest the Long Qi dilute and return to heaven and earth.

The old toad glanced: "Dragon scales! Anything else?"

"Nothing else."

"Quick quick quick, fish ahead, Legless Frog, charge! Oh~~~ who lives in————"

"Frog Duke, Frog Duke————"

The voices gradually faded away.

Liang Qu flashed again.

"Dragon Lord!"

Peng Ze.

The Time Worm shrieked sharply, ping-pang-ping-pang.

Liang Qu spread out four dragon scales; the Time Worm closed its mouth and appeared before him.

Whoosh!

Inside the small cave, the Time Worm coiled within the dragon scales, bit the thread end, secreted glue, pulled it onto itself; the long-missed barbershop three-color rotating light appeared once more.

Liang Qu looked and felt it wasn't as easy as when handling the Four Seasons Long Qi before; the difference between glue sticking to wood and glue sticking to steel.

"Huh, what Long Qi is this?"

General Yuan was surprised and doubtful.

From these four Long Qi, it sensed characteristics similar to its own Sequential type.

Even — very covetous!