Chapter 1467: I Will Be the First Immortal of Heaven and Earth (Two-in-One)

The flower-and-bird double-month canopy bed has six pillars; the six pillars jointly support a nanmu top cover, the top cover has hanging eaves, the hanging eaves are carved with cross-pattern flowers, and in the middle hangs a copper luan bird, its curved feathers brushed with gold lacquer, its two wings thin and delicate, shimmering with a layer of oil-green iridescence in the light, trembling just now, as if vibrating its wings to soar high.

"How long will you be gone? When, hmm————will you be able to return."

"Not too long, wait a moment————done. This time we must eliminate the Fourth Will; the Fifth Will is already a Half-Immortal. The Fourth Will, according to current divination and speculation, is very likely a flesh-body immortal without a Grand Position Fruit, holding vacant authority, existing as a pillar."

Rising and falling wrapped in warm waves, every pore opens in relaxation.

"Very urgent?"

"Mm, if left alone, the authority will be taken. Worst case, it becomes complete and fully steps into the next realm, unstoppable by anyone, everyone waits in line to be beheaded. Best case, it still transforms into a True Immortal, but must face four netherworld furnaces, pressure greatly increased."

"Pah, what beheading, speaking nonsense. You say, why would————would you sleep for so long? Ten thousand years ago you could defeat the Mirage Dragon, ten thousand years later————so heavily wounded?"

The two wings gradually cease, the luan bird lands to rest. Long Eying lowers her head, her hair draping onto Liang Qu's chest.

Jet-black hair tips turn golden and crisply lustrous in the light, clear, fine, and smooth, like a curtain.

Five fingers pass through the gaps; Liang Qu grasps the hair and slides downward, as if in early summer going into the fields, grabbing a handful of sturdy, lush green crops, the whole hand entwined.

Tranquil silence.

Long Eying lets out a nasal hum, leans down, and gently presses forward.

Liang Qu cannot help but part his lips, his Adam's apple rolling; a moment later he recovers, draws a breath: "Considered two possibilities: either the cooperation in the middle went wrong back then, already been trapped once, or it combines with the three-thousand-year cycle, forced to act, causing an accident. Or the Old Dragon Lord is far stronger than the Mirage Dragon, merely, the latter possibility is smaller, the Old Dragon Lord personally said the other party's state had issues."

"If the Fifth self-destructs, it can let the Fourth awaken briefly; after the Fourth self-destructs, what if it prematurely awakens the ones even further ahead?"

Liang Qu tilts his head up, gazing: "Then it will require an Immortal to act; I also keep a back-up move, and————if the two truly have grievances, their contradiction can surface before the Hunting Assembly, just right to mutually sabotage each other's schemes, muddying the waters."

Long Eying hesitates: "Then————could it all be an illusion, from start to finish, never having slept at all, the Fourth, the Fifth————

Never————never mattered at all."

Silence.

Liang Qu's eyes flicker: "Possible, all possible, who can calculate everything? Just arrows on the bowstring, respond to each move as it comes, hiss————"

The luan bird shakes violently, abruptly stops; its metal oil-color wings tremble out afterimages, like in youth bumping into a desk, snapping a three-inch steel ruler.

Long Eying pants, her whole body limp, body trembling slightly. Liang Qu exhales two breaths, reaches out with his palm heel to wipe the sweat from her forehead, lowers his head to kiss.

The luan bird's wings cut through the sunlight, its tone gradually slowing.

"Alright, you go sleep, I'll go out————"

Palm pressing on the bed, Liang Qu summons the Dragon Dragon Lingxiao, preparing to set off, but is suddenly grabbed by the arm by Long Eying and pressed back down.

Head smashes onto the pillow.

Eyes meet.

Tiny dust motes rotate in the sunlight.

Bodies pressing against each other; because of sweat, skin becomes slippery. Liang Qu can clearly feel, clearly experience, Eying pressing his waist and sliding upward, gradually growing dragon horns, manifesting a dragon tail, finally all changes vanish, only becoming someone he must look up to.

His whole person inevitably rekindles excitement; waiting until Eying towers a head above him, looking down, in his surprised gaze, she leans down and presses close.

Nothing can be seen anymore; vision a pitch darkness, leaving only a fragrance in his nostrils.

The two embrace tightly.

Full, fatty softness completely buries Liang Qu's head; just sweated, soft and yielding, hot and steaming, like gripping agarwood in winter, rubbing hard, body heat and friction making the wood's honey fragrance steam forth, rich and pervasive, carrying an astonishing sweet scent.

Some more solid power grows from the heart, thriving and flourishing.

Calm, peaceful.

Long Eying holds his head, gently soothing.

"Be more careful, be more cautious, you must protect yourself well."

The back of his head cradled, Liang Qu mumbles muffled; he cannot breathe smoothly, nor does he need to breathe, just like soaking in a hot spring, relaxing body and mind, drowsy, instinctively squeezing in, rubbing, pressing with his face.

"Leave now, going right away?"

"No." Liang Qu's voice muffled, "Leave now, go tomorrow. They were just elevated by me, their strength needs to adapt; I'll check the situation first."

"Then there's still time; I'll give you a tread, a press, wait for you to return at home."

Liang Qu's eyes brighten, face showing hope: "Good, can————use Lady's thighs to press me?"

"Mm-hmm, where?"

"Hmm————"

Liang Qu tests: "Face?"

"Can. Want to see what I wear? Here there are————" Long Eying twists her body, pulls open the bedside drawer; inside the drawer boxes of brand-new gauze socks are neatly stacked, she rummages slightly, "Black? White? Glossy? Flesh-colored you always said not as good as natural, didn't prepare; thigh-high, or————"

"Want nothing." Liang Qu comfortably rolls over, lying prone, "Bare feet."

Long Eying's mouth corners curve, pushes the drawer back.

"Good!"

A lovely body walks in the sunlight; the dragon girl spreads her arms, steps along the muscle lines on the spine, like a swallow skimming a lake, wingtips brushing water, together with the copper luan bird plated in golden radiance.

The wings' shadow gradually shifts left half an inch; outside the window dark clouds push in, the room dims.

"Huala."

The Dragon Dragon Lingxiao flaps hunting, rolling up the fine light dust in the air, wrapping into clothes; stretching a great lazy waist, Liang Qu replenishes energy, flicks the canopy-top luan bird, strides across the threshold.

Inward vision of self.

Inside the Lower Dantian, the brilliant sun is dyed by silver radiance, transforming into a gentle moon!

Clear sky vanishes without trace; dark clouds gather in the sky, low pressure makes the water surface ripple, fish probe the surface, gulping air.

Gazing at the sky for a long while, Liang Qu ascends to the top floor.

Everyone is in meditation adjusting breath, still adapting to the changing growing power; no one notices his arrival. Only Lan Jicai before the Four-Wilds Celestial Instrument catches sight of a figure, picks up the clay pot on the table and walks over; as he nears, Lan Jicai's nose tip twitches slightly, face showing suspicion.

"Cough." Liang Qu coughs once; before coming he only gave a simple rinse, but Eying's permeation is too strong; he pretends not to know, takes the clay pot and sweeps a glance, six strands of xuanhuang long qi, "Three strands?"

"Mm, one strand to the East Sea, one strand to the Tusi Valley, one strand to the Golden Wang Ting." Lan Jicai feels he may have overthought, takes out a map and gestures.

"Understood. Time set? Any auspicious hour, to ask for a good omen?"

"At mao time tomorrow morning." Liang Ji Cai smiled.

"Sounds good."

Liang Qu grinned, then stepped on the window and leapt into the flooded pool!

Plop.

Lightning flashed within the dark clouds, illuminating heaven and earth.

The soles of Bai Xi's feet stepped on camel hair, Long Eying wrapped in her garments, walked to the window, and saw the splashing water.

All eyes turned to the world, "Bai Yuan" approached, one person and one beast, moving swiftly, taking the Yellow Sand River as center, three newly established water channels merged with Xuanhuang Qi.

During construction, merging two strands of Xuanhuang Qi, within half a year these three channels will be sufficient to transport the Yaolong Wu Sheng!

"Pa ta."

Rainwater splashed the window ledge, the downpour poured all night, the flooded pool brimmed with ripples, the leaping water droplets turned the dark lake surface white, large water droplets rolled off the emerald lotus leaves.

Ge Zu opened his eyes, gazed at the sky, his heart illusory, his expression bewildered.

He woke in mid-July, stood here in August, and to this day he still has a weightless sensation as if stepping into mire, utterly unreal, hardly knowing what he is doing, dazedly letting himself be pulled over to fight desperately with the deceased Great Taizu of Da Li from ten thousand years ago, like a dream, like an illusion.

He asked many things about Liang Qu, one after another, like hailstones striking him, then as if punched, he shouted and flew out, arriving here.

Crack.

Lightning branched out, illuminating the silhouettes at the gate, everyone's hearts stirred, they turned their heads.

Liang Qu stood there.

Unlike the earlier chaotic seating, the Martial Saints and the Great Xi batches were clearly distinct, rising one after another.

At the central point, a huge black coffin lay across, appearing only three feet high, about one meter from outside, yet the coffin's interior was pitch black, bottomless, as if facing an abyss.

Utilizing the remains of the fifth immortal, the new "Guimu Ritual Canon"!

Around the central point, Ge Zu, Long Xiang Wang, Su Wang, Shi Wang, and Xin Dagai five people were at the core.

This operation values precision over numbers; including Liang Qu, besides the six, the remaining Martial Saints serve as a defensive line to prevent the netherworld from pouring out and sweeping the yang realm.

Su Wang is the only one among them without a position fruit, yet a Wu Sheng of the Awakened Realm, but he has a long sword lying across his knees.

The Di Jiang Sword, a half-honored artifact!

It once severed a jiao dragon in transit, forcing its head and tail to separate.

"When spoken of, it's slow; when it happens, it's fast—missing missing missing, swoosh swoosh swoosh————No one saw clearly, only the National Teacher, relying on a thousand hammerings and hundred refinings of combat instinct, seized the opportunity, a Lei Ting flying kick, at the moment the jiao dragon was about to succeed, kicked its head away, pressed the dragon horn, the sneak attack nearly failed, the Water Monarch's ascension became settled————"

Beside the coffin, the old toad flipped in mid-air, kicked its frog legs, double webbed feet clapped repeatedly, compiling its own unknown heroic deeds.

"National Teacher!" Liang Qu shouted, raising his head.

The old toad halted abruptly, clutched its belly, coughed once or twice, bearing its double webbed feet.

The floors were quiet and still.

Liang Qu stepped forward, his boots striking the floor with sound.

The Martial Saints and the Great Dagai retreated, parting, like splitting a peach mountain, like parting the Red Sea.

Bathed in gaze, walking through this crowd road, Liang Qu came to the front, turned around, and surveyed.

Shi Wang, Xin Dagai, Zhang Longxiang, Wolf Lord, Li Dagai, Bai Zu, Ying Mu————seen and unseen, all stood here at this moment.

The great army sets out with a marshal, the flanking army holds with a general, the vanguard officers lead the charge all along. The first time eliminating mountain ghosts, it was the third senior brother leading the team; the first time dealing with the Guimu Sect, it was Xiang Fang Su leading the team; dealing with Entering Entering Zhen Xiang, it was Su Guishan leading the team; in the Northern Court there is He Ning Yuan; in the Southern Border there is Xu Hai Tao————

He is young, his age small, in the past he always charged ahead more than strategizing. But today's operation, opposing the first person immortal of ten thousand years, opposing the accumulated surprise attacks of ten thousand years, the commander is not the Southern Border, not the Northern Court, not Zhang Longxiang, not Su Wang, and certainly not Ge Zu.

But him, himself.

Huai Wang!

"The Great Li Taizu is the first person immortal in the world, the first furnace." Liang Qu suddenly raised his index finger, without waiting for everyone's doubt, he continued, "The second person immortal, some say it's the Hegemon, some say it's the Da He Taizu, I'm uncertain, tentatively count it as Da He Taizu, the third, then is the Southern Border immortal."

Li Dagai did not understand why Liang Qu suddenly brought this up, but still felt proud of it.

Shi Wang and Xin Dagai listened silently.

Liang Qu raised his little thumb and big thumb in turn: "Fourth, the Wu Huang Tian Xian of Da Huang, fifth, the Northern Court immortal, sixth, the Lin Chuan immortal, my knowledge is lacking, my age extremely young, these six are all I know of, the entirety of person immortals in the world, Xin Dagai, you are Venerable and Respected, I don't know if what I say is correct?"

"No mistake." Xin Dagai shook his head, "If counting the Hegemon, then seven; without the Hegemon, then six."

"Then does Xin Dagai Xian think I will be the seventh?"

"What?"

Xin Dagai stared, then fell silent, he opened his mouth again, yet didn't know how to speak.

Liang Qu's smile was full, without waiting for an answer, he paced back recalling: "I am thirty-two this year, fourteen, fifteen began cultivation? Forget it, these don't matter.

The deepest impression is when I was eighteen, at the Heposuo office, Xu Tiling asked my age and cultivation, I felt strange, but I told the truth, Xu Tiling joyfully told me it was remarkable, could report to the imperial court for me, because I had hope of breaking records, to inspire cultivators worldwide, or gain a helping hand.

Truly a great matter, immense grace, fortunately, I succeeded, the previous tiger-hunting record holder was Yuan Yuwen, nineteen and a half, I raised it by one and a half years, I didn't think much, I was young then, didn't feel how proud one and a half years early was, very close.

Arriving at Entering Entering Zhen Xiang, again the same, I again received help, received grace, and succeeded, then just twenty-two, I broke Bai Guangyi's record, this time it was even more, I raised it by a full nine years, I began to feel I indeed had some extraordinariness.

Until heaven and man united, to piercing the heavens and absolute earth, to Yaolong, sorry, Long Xiang Wang————"

Zhang Longxiang shook his head.

Liang Qu continued laughing: "Following the seventy-ninth year, I was twenty-seven and a half, succeeded in Yaolong, raised it by thirteen years!

Now following the eighty-third year, four years, less than five, I have reached Yaolong ten stages, possessing a cultivated middle-position fruit, never having wasted lifespan or consumed life, having a full eight hundred years to live.

Therefore, I feel I will, I will be the seventh immortal of this age!

Moreover, from ancient times to now, shaking ancient and shining modern, the youngest person immortal! I will be the first to open heaven and earth! Since the Four Passes and Seven Ways, the most likely to become a rainbow!"

White-hot lightning illuminated the floors, thunderous rumbling rolled across the sky.

Earth-shaking sound, clanging and ringing.

Yaolong fell silent.

The noise of the heavy rain drowned out miscellaneous sounds.

Ge Zu's eyes held envy.

How wonderful.

"If I weren't stopped by others." Liang Qu's tone suddenly shifted. "The Netherworld can indeed grant eternal life, but that is merely a flawed world! A flawed immortality! After death, one becomes fertilizer for the Great Li's Taizu, piled up on the field ridges just like pig, cow, and sheep dung, fermenting into fertilizer!

Everyone standing here today does so for the Great Shun, for the Northern Court, for the Southern Frontier, and also for me, for themselves, for all the living.

This is a contest of orthodoxy, a contest for the path ahead, not a matter of seizing cities and territory, but of life and death survival! The Great Li can grant longevity; I can do even better than them! Because I am stronger, more talented, luckier!

Along the way, I have received the kindness of many people. Without these kindnesses, I, Liang Qu, would not have reached today. Then and there, just like here and now; one day when I succeed, I, Liang Qu, shall never dare to forget!"

The Lion King, Shen Damian, were all shaken.

The Wolf Lord, Li Physician, clenched their fists.

The Great Shun and the Southern Frontier, the Northern Court have had many frictions, but never has an immortal taken this bit of friction to heart.

If Liang Qu succeeds, can he lead everyone to eternal life?

Not alone, but with family, with friends?

"Go!"

Huge waves rolled in the Jishuitan, enveloping the coffin. Liang Qu spoke no further, taking the lead.

In the Imperial Capital, "River Stones" had long been piled into mountains. Following them down, they burrowed into the waterways, straight into the Yellow Sand River.

Atop the Wangyue Tower, the Sacred Emperor gazed into the distance.

The Tusi Valley, the Golden Royal Court, none were unconcerned.

The surging Shahe River flowed calmly. The Dragon King had managed the waters for half a year, his reputation spreading across both banks, with early results. Every year the summer floods brought many disasters; this year it was almost silent, only rising water, no breached dikes.

The sky had dark clouds, obscuring the heavenly light. A blood-red fissure stood thousands of zhang high. On the left side, rice and grain grew dense; on the right side, datura flourished. Inside and out, two worlds.

The Wolf Lord, Li Physician, and the others, the Fledgling Dragons, scattered in succession, converging into a defensive line. Liang Qu, Zhang Longxiang, the Su King, the Lion King, Shen Damian, Ge Zu, plus an old toad — six people and one frog stood arrayed in the high sky.

"A Fei, Pai Xiao Xing!"

A huge mouth opened, swallowing in an instant.

The Wolf Lord, Li Damian, froze, watching a big black fish burrow into a strange, somewhat repulsive tentacled creature, then vanish without a trace.

Liang Qu still has spatial divine abilities?

The physical body entered meditation. The Chong King stepped forward, poured in the Taizhu Pill, and closed the coffin.

The Blood River flowed in reverse!

At the Sky Fire Sect, eight figures clad in splendid robes sat with eyes closed in meditation.

Almost at the same moment Liang Qu and the others went against the current, eight figures flickered and vanished.

Red Spider Lilies filled the fields, swaying in the wind. Slender strap-like petals drooped and bloomed. Blood-colored rain poured down, scouring the profound yellow earth. The riverbank soil gradually moistened and crumbled, falling into the Blood River.

——

Inside the Blood River, ripples slowly spread. Pai Xiao Xing surfaced, stretching its limbs, its central mouthparts opening.

Two small eyeballs quietly emerged, looking left and right, then turning a circle, confirming safety. *Pipi* two cries, waving its fins to signal Pai Xiao Xing to retreat backward. The round little black fish puffed out its belly, flicked its tail, and leapt into the Blood River.

*Plop. *

The fat fish had just shown its head when a blood-colored light slashed down at it!