Chapter 1519

Liang Qu's only impression of the major position fruit was "control".

So far.

All the position fruits he had obtained and handled—Feng, Yi, and the Four Disasters—amounting to no less than two handfuls, he had already discovered a pattern: all minor position fruits were disaster-affiliated, with authority suffixed as some kind of calamity; all medium position fruits were governance-affiliated, with authority suffixed as some kind of righteousness.

The affiliation and authority suffix of a position fruit are clearly its most prominent feature.

And the only information he possessed about the major position fruit was the first time Huaijiang's favor was fulfilled, simultaneously displayed with Chang You and Wu Guo as 【Huai Jun】!

【Swallowing the boat, surging to the sea bottom, high waves riding Penglai. Immortals parting the clouds emerge, but see only the gold and silver terrace.】

【When things reach extremity they reverse, when affairs reach extremity they change; governance is the guide, overcoming control comes first.】

【The Huai waters surge vast, with a god subduing them; where the banners point, myriad spirits follow in reverence.】

【Huai Jun】

【Authority: Du Yu】

【Affiliation: Yu】

【Virtue lies in nurturing, all things flourish and are at peace; when Huai Jun appears, tribute and tax flow smoothly.】

【Refinement ritual: Zhen Huai】

The "affiliation" and authority of the position fruit, unexpectedly, unified as "Yu"!

Yu, originally meaning "to resist", is a sacrificial rite to ward off disaster and calamity.

Also meaning "to govern", to drive and control all things.

Combined with the Heavenly Origin, this emergence seems to be a major position fruit, merely incompletely nurtured, capable of the first self-nurturing with two aspects in one body.

There is reason to suspect that disaster and governance unified is one of the fundamental characteristics of the major position fruit.

"Major position fruit———"

The Old Dragon Lord's eyes showed contemplation, as if fallen into distant memory.

True comprehension of the furnace!

The most precious thing under heaven.

In Liang Qu's gaze full of anticipation, the Old Dragon Lord opened his mouth: "Why don't you ask the Xiao Shenlong? I was born a Dragon Lord, a demon emperor, never really cultivated, how could I know about the Xiao Shenlong? It has undergone the complete experience from demon king to demon emperor."

Liang Qu: "?"

The Third Prince poked his head out, spun around once: "Right! The Old Ancestors can also do that.

Liang Qu's breath hitched.

Upon careful thought, there's nothing wrong with it.

The Old Dragon Lord is an innate demon emperor; what does he know about cultivation? Just like the Holy Emperor, Lan Ji Cai, and the Grand Manager teaching him love experience.

It's just that his relationship with the Old Dragon Lord is better than his with the dragon. They died together, shared weal and woe, chatted and farted together, the Old Dragon Lord even secretly watched him for years, their relationship close, leading to problems, subconsciously he just wants to first seek the Old Dragon Lord.

"Fortunately, I myself was also widely sociable back then, often gathering with Lin Chuan and others; though I never cultivated, I've heard of it and know quite a bit." The Old Dragon Lord felt pleased with himself, "You didn't ask the wrong dragon."

Liang Qu bowed: "Then I shall not seek the near and neglect the far; I wash my ears and listen respectfully."

"What do you think—between the minor and major position fruits, whose authority is stronger?" the Old Dragon Lord asked.

"A normal answer would be that the medium position fruit's authority is stronger, 'medium' naturally being greater than 'minor', but since the Dragon Lord deliberately asked this way, the answer certainly won't be so straightforward, so perhaps the minor and medium position fruits are actually equally strong?"

The Old Dragon Lord's interest waned: "Boring. You should say medium is stronger than minor, then I'll throw out a different viewpoint, and you'll be greatly shocked."

Liang Qu grinned: "Minor position fruits are more destructive, medium position fruits more creative—this is like Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong, incomparable things."

"Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong? Who is that? Never heard of him."

"Meaning the Dragon Elephant King fighting the Huai King.

, 5

"Then isn't that you winning?"

"Also right, then what about the Xiao Shenlong fighting the Dragon Lord?"

", this metaphor is good! That's the meaning."

Long Eying gazed at the two chatting idly, slightly pursing her lips in a smile.

The Old Dragon Lord raised his dragon claw to praise Liang Qu, saying: "In my observation and that of several immortals, the 'minor' and 'medium' of minor and medium position fruits are merely the view of ordinary people, not an inherent superiority or inferiority in the things themselves.

The reversal of destruction is creation; destruction is easy, creation difficult, thus making people feel destructive position fruits are 'minor', creative ones 'major'.

Moreover, because there exists a greater major position fruit, the greater creation becomes 'medium'; in truth, minor and medium position fruits have equal authority strength, are interrelated inside and out, like spear and shield, and only at the major position fruit does it become different.

Liang Qu nodded, guessing: "Is the major position fruit destruction and creation unified as one, while its destructive and creative powers are both stronger than those of minor and medium position fruits?"

"!" The Old Dragon Lord exclaimed, "You guessed correctly, no mistake—if minor and medium are equivalent, then the major position fruit will obviously be stronger! And it will display greater inclusiveness, not merely the previous minor and medium authorities."

"Inclusiveness?"

"Hmm, let me think————" the Old Dragon Lord mused, "Yes, the difference between divine powers and the art of creation—you know that, right?"

Liang Qu had a flash of inspiration: "Entering Zhen Xiang divine power transforming into Ying Dragon's art of creation, and between the arts of creation, they can mutually connect, deriving forth similar or opposite fourth and fifth divine powers."

"No mistake, the major position fruit is just like that—for example, your elevation can also descend, and upon reaching the major position fruit, you will certainly be able to extend other characteristic authorities."

Besides Shou Mang and Ju Shou, other————

Xia and Dong, perhaps?

Liang Qu pondered, recalling Zhang Xiang Wang's owl-holding.

From devouring to digesting all negativity, then to now "storage"—this storage is absolutely a characteristic outside the "spear" and "shield".

The Old Dragon Lord continued: "Unlike the art of creation, which must develop to create new divine powers, the major position fruit is like an instinct.

Moreover, if encountering a similar minor position fruit divine power, it can directly override" the minor position fruit's authority, rendering you unable to exert effect, naturally governing the opponent generally."

"Wait a moment?" Liang Qu interrupted, "Did the Dragon Lord say it can directly override"?

"Yes! Just being able to have a higher————uh————"

"Priority?"

"Yes, priority! You're quite talented at describing things. A power usually can't affect another power, like Zhang Longxiang's devouring—it can't devour what you unleash in chaos, nor can it devour your downgrade. But if he were a Great Rank Fruit, he could swallow your effect."

Liang Qu's pupils dilated.

In an instant, it was as if lightning flashed through his mind, and amidst the dark clouds overhead, a patch of daylight exploded!

A problem that had troubled him for a long time leapt into his mind.

There's a way, there's a way!

Joy and excitement surged up simultaneously.

With a cry, Liang Qu embraced the nearby Long Eying, kissing her fiercely, causing the Third Prince to clutch his tail and cover his eyes, while Long Eying blushed slightly.

The Old Dragon Lord couldn't make heads or tails of it, not knowing why Liang Qu suddenly started singing and dancing.

Could it be that I possess the formidable ability to deliver a thunderous rebuke?

"Ah, so that's it, so that's it—the authority of the Great Rank Fruit can take effect on Middle and Small Rank Fruits!"

Huai Jun, Yu Jun, Ying Long, Chuan Zhu—

The Great Rank Fruit is indeed extraordinary.

Combining all the information, Liang Qu suspected that all Great Rank Fruits are the ultimate expression of some concept, and they possess a certain dominion over similar Middle and Small Rank Fruits' authorities.

But with this certain dominion, what's the point of pairing it with Middle and Small Rank Fruits for boundary rituals? And what unique changes would occur after pairing?

Liang Qu hurriedly asked: "Then how is the furnace formed? Just how strong are immortals? With the Great Rank Fruit, does the Awakened Realm Flood Dragon become like the Hunting Tiger and Entering Zhen Xiang, also requiring three steps?"

"How strong—" the Old Dragon Lord pondered for a moment, then countered, "Do you remember the cultivation methods of your human race?"

"Naturally, I know—the Four Gates and Seven Ways."

The Old Dragon Lord spoke slowly: "The Four Gates and Seven Ways—the Four Gates are the foundation. With the Four Gates, a person becomes strong enough to open up their own self, thus establishing horses as stakes, wolf smoke forming meridians, the Hunting Tiger building towers, and Entering Zhen Xiang forming the heavenly palace—

These three correspond to point, line, and surface, just like in the vast ocean of Wang Yang, where everyone is a water droplet, and as you begin cultivation, you begin to grow.

At first, you can merge with other water droplets, but your essence remains unchanged. Gradually, you become a grain of sand among them—hard and unmeltable, water no longer affects you—"

The Old Dragon Lord pointed his claw at the Shahe River.

The rolling waves vanished instantly, the turbid muddy water became clear, and within the clarity, a grain of sand appeared. Immediately, more and more grains gathered, rising above the water surface, forming a reef.

Liang Qu clearly understood the meaning of these words.

Origin.

Cultivation is about enhancing one's own origin—the stronger one's origin, the weaker the world's corresponding origin becomes, rendering ordinary treasures useless, and ordinary people's attacks and destruction ineffective.

"The Flood Dragon is the reef in this great river—normally, nothing can destroy it, but even so, there is still a path forward."

The dragon claw lifted.

The reef continued to gather, gradually accumulating, and turned into a dam.

Yet the dam was not sturdy, allowing the relentless flood of the Shahe River to violently collapse it, causing the dam to sink and flatten, becoming the riverbed pressed into the ground.

Liang Qu's pupils flickered.

The Flood Dragon is the "stone in the river," the furnace is the "riverbed"—now made concrete through demonstration.

The Old Dragon Lord said: "The Heavenly Dragon is the reef, the furnace is the riverbed—you should understand this. In truth, I feel it's because I couldn't become a dam that directly blocks water, so I became the riverbed. Yet the riverbed similarly can govern the flow of the entire great river.

The reef maintains itself against the current, the riverbed governs a stretch of the world—this roughly is the difference between the two.

"Then how does one become a riverbed from a reef?"

"The Awakened Realm Flood Dragon has already reached the pinnacle of ordinary cultivation. To become a riverbed, one's mass is insufficient no matter what, so one needs the Great Rank Fruit, the participation of heavenly and earthly authority, to increase one's mass, and use authority's point, line, and surface within to carve out extra space.

Introducing heavenly and earthly authority—there are two ways: self-nurturing and directly using existing ones. You know this best.

As for how to become—

According to my knowledge, if one self-nurtures into a furnace, they merge deeply, with no steps, continuously growing until becoming a riverbed. But if one becomes a Great Rank Fruit through a Middle Rank Fruit, then growth occurs simultaneously during the promotion ritual.

As they say, at the instant of promotion, you'll be like a bubble, endlessly expanding, expanding, until looking down upon the mortal realm—more beautiful than any enjoyment."

Liang Qu didn't care whether it was beautiful or not; after going around in circles, he deduced one thing.

"So the Awakened Realm Flood Dragon, upon obtaining the Great Rank Fruit, directly reacts and becomes the furnace, with no barriers? As long as one doesn't reach the thirteenth rank, one won't become an immortal?"

"Isn't the Awakened Realm and the Great Rank Fruit just the barrier?" the Old Dragon Lord said, somewhat speechless. "You brat, did you get the Rank Fruit too easily? How many years does it take to self-nurture one? Among several self-nurtured ones, how many can become a Great Rank Fruit?"

Liang Qu coughed once.

The Old Dragon Lord suddenly said: "I believe the birth of a Great Rank Fruit must always accompany life activity, initially having no physical form."

"Initially no physical form?" Liang Qu didn't grasp this meaning.

"Small and Middle Rank Fruits, upon first birth, become concrete objects—like your魅果, appearing not as a red-gold small gourd? Look at the Great Rank Fruit—I reckon I am the only Great Rank Fruit nurtured by heaven and earth? Yet it is a living being."

Liang Qu fell into thought.

The Old Dragon Lord continued: "People need the Great Rank Fruit to aid the furnace, and the Great Rank Fruit also needs people. Whoever appears, there must always be life activity in between. Every appearance of a Great Rank Fruit represents that the initial nurturing of the furnace must inevitably fall.

Or rather, the Great Rank Fruit is the initial furnace, the initial furnace is the Great Rank Fruit—they are one entity. You cannot have your soul taken and still live, because the concept of 'you' no longer exists."

Liang Qu gazed at the Old Dragon Lord before him, lost in thought.

Does that fire-attributed Great Rank Fruit also represent the fall of a furnace?

Who would it be?

And for the Great Li Taizu to refine it, must he imprison the Old Dragon Lord, slowly "digest" him?

Essentially, is he refining the Old Dragon Lord while simultaneously refining the Great Rank Fruit?

The Old Dragon Lord asked again: "Do you remember what I said about the Great Rank Fruit's dominion and coverage?"

"I know." Liang Qu nodded.

"You currently have no Great Rank Fruit, so ripples will appear all over your body, generating a certain resistance to Rank Fruit authority. Assuming you had a Great Rank Fruit, mutual fusion would make this resistance and opposition reach even greater heights.

Already akin to having formed one's own heaven and earth—time or space, both are part of this world, this universe. Nothing can harm you, thus lifespan is endless, merely requiring sleep once every three thousand years."

The effect of Middle and Small Rank Fruits on the furnace is smaller than imagined.

Liang Qu recorded: "So after the furnace, can one no longer self-nurture Rank Fruits?"

The old dragon king was stunned for a moment, then pondered: "You didn't say it, but I hadn't thought of it—it should be so. Self-nurturing, in your case, is the result of your joint effort with heaven and earth, condensing heavenly and earthly authority. Once the furnace is formed, you have already half-separated from this heaven and earth; the difficulty of condensation is too great."

As expected from the speculation.

Reaching the utmost of one's inherent nature, while simultaneously possessing sufficient root sea to connect with the nurturing of heaven and earth, is the key to self-nurtured fruition.

The furnace finds it difficult to continue self-nurturing—not because there is no second extremity, but because it cannot connect with heaven and earth.

Liang Qu stroked his chin.

The river wind was vast and mighty.

The Yellow Shahe waters flowed turbidly eastward.

Knowing the information is now largely clear, Liang Qu asked the final question: "Dragon King, your great fruition should now be in the hands of the Third Immortal, right? I don't know what authority and effect it has? Besides the two initial great fruitions, are there any other medium or"

"small fruitions that have fallen out?"

"My authority—" the old dragon king truly had a look of reminiscence in his eyes this time, "if we speak only of destruction and creation, one is collapse, the other is salvation."

Liang Qu recorded seriously: "What specific function?"

"Collapse can cause any structured thing to crumble and become ineffective. Salvation can let things themselves regain growth, like withered wood meeting spring, a dry well coming back to life, a person without a heart can still live, a person without a brain can still think. And it lets a thing have no shackles, allowing infinite growth."

The old dragon king glanced at Long Eying, feeling somewhat embarrassed, mentally muttering how this brat always brings his wife wherever he goes.

"It's somewhat similar to Jumang's universal illumination—"

Liang Qu pondered.

His Jumang, under universal illumination, can also let things keep growing.

Belonging to fundamentally different origins, yet having derived the same characteristic?

"Not the same. My salvation removes shackles, with no upper limit." The old dragon king seemed to see through Liang Qu's thought, feeling looked down upon, and emphasized strongly.

"No upper limit?"

"The thirteenth stage is the awakened realm; my salvation can let the fourteenth and fifteenth stages appear. The fourth immortal of the Great Li Taizu should have been nurtured this way; otherwise, it couldn't rely solely on quantity piling up. With salvation, his half-dead, half-alive world would have no shackles at all and could expand endlessly." The old dragon king pondered.

"?"

"Oh, when I was the dragon king, I also had a trait I called 'All Rivers Return to One'—all water-attributed fruition authorities, as long as they are within the Jianghuai region, I can directly categorize and use them."

After a long while.

Liang Qu: "?"

"How so?" The old dragon king felt he had just put on another act.

Liang Qu immediately asked: "Then what is this trait?"

"Trait, uh, hard to describe.

This ability is not authority; I used to think all furnaces were like this, an effect of the great fruition, but later found it wasn't. If the Great Li Taizu had refined my fruition, he still couldn't directly use all water-attributed fruition authorities.

Later I discovered this ability only exists when self-nurtured fruition combines with the awakened realm—only such a fused nurturing produces the furnace.

Later, upon learning the lineage, or the Rainbow Path, I found this trait also seems to affect the lineage—different traits produce different lineages." The old dragon king said, "My trait is the ability to have all rivers return to one; the Great Li Taizu's trait feels like absolute."

"Absolute?"

"Exactly, absolute rule, absolute control."

"What about the Whale King's?"

Liang Qu's heart pounded thump-thump, feeling he had unearthed a very important piece of information.

Why does the 'Water Lord' not discriminate, why can it form lineages with any fruition—

The dragon horn corner, the furnace one place, the Rainbow Path one realm—becoming more and more exaggerated, lineages, or rather realm rituals, are very likely the Rainbow Path!

The old dragon king weighed his words: "The Whale King's trait should be absolute inclusiveness."

"Husband?"

"Nothing."

Liang Qu sat by the riverside, his head dizzy and swollen, as if about to burst open.

Trait!

Why can the 'Water Lord' form lineages with any medium or small fruition?

Why can the fruitions I obtained combine and produce all kinds of strange realms?

All fruitions, regardless of their nature, seem able to form realm rituals with the Water Lord—could it be that lineages only involve small fruitions, and great fruitions are irrelevant to anyone?

These questions have long troubled Liang Qu.

As a result, now he has suddenly had a thought, a ridiculous answer.

Could this damn trait be that of 'Wu Zhiqi'?

The source of the Water Lord of Wu Zhiqi is completely opposite to the general Water Lord!

How could a monkey running on a tree be a Water Lord?

So-called trait is actually just the 'Dao' of different furnaces!

Immediately a more terrifying thought arose.

If this special realm ritual is Wu Zhiqi's trait, then what absurd thing is the Whale King's inclusiveness trait? And what is the Great Li Taizu's absolute control trait?

Inclusiveness, the Great Hunt—

Liang Qu pinched the bridge of his nose, for a moment hoping this wasn't the answer.

Long Eying silently stroked Liang Qu's back.

"Huu—"

The heart fire burned, Liang Qu restrained his thoughts.

He can still grow, grow to the very end before needing to think too much.

Just do it.

With over six thousand times the root sea within his body, bringing an unparalleled sense of fusion.

The retired Dragon Sovereign is still a Dragon Sovereign, not ordinary.

The old Dragon Sovereign's words likewise brought him, who was in distress, a new line of thought.

The Whale Emperor and the Great Li Founding Ancestor are too strong; they accumulated in the furnace for several thousand, even tens of thousands of years.

As a "third-generation" Water Sovereign, Liang Qu is also very likely one of the "fusion materials"; upon entering the furnace, he becomes fully grown material, facing the blade head-on, with nowhere to hide.

But when Liang Qu first entered the furnace, what could he use to fight the Whale Emperor, which had accumulated for several thousand years, and the Great Li Founding Ancestor, which had accumulated for tens of thousands, possibly even having to fight two at once?

The only way is to bypass the furnace.

Transform into a rainbow.

If there is no transforming into a rainbow in the mortal world, then he will become the first to transform into a rainbow!

Based on the ritual information given by the Marsh Cauldron, Liang Qu has always suspected that the furnace is an incomplete transforming into a rainbow! A transforming into a rainbow lacking lineage!

The Cangming Realm constructed by Wu Guo, Qing Nü, and Ju Ling is precisely Liang Qu's closest lineage, with no alternative.

The prefix, the true body position fruit, are all in his hands.

Unfortunately, this plan is far from "perfect," lacking two crucial conditions: the Water Sovereign as king, and the drought fiend transforming into Qing Nü.

Water Sovereign as king, all paying homage to the Water Sovereign—this premise exists without exception in the ritual.

Just one—how to become a Water Sovereign, the situation is diverse.

One, marsh spirit ascends, becomes Wu Zhiqi, directly a Water Sovereign, no problem.

Two, marsh spirit ascends, Wu Zhiqi, but not a complete form, requiring sovereignty or marsh essence, fully integrated.

Three, marsh spirit ascends, Wu Zhiqi, complete form, can become a Water Sovereign, additionally needing one great position fruit.

These three items can also combine to form a four that requires both two and three, while there is also always a missing position fruit, waiting to be uplifted, the Marsh State; the complete Marsh State—is it also a necessary condition to become a "Water Sovereign"?

These are still solvable.

The great position fruit is gestating, marsh essence is being gathered, the spiral fruit is being prepared.

It's merely insufficient, not a dead end; there is one truly dead-end point.

Qing Nü.

The second descent into the Yellow Springs, he never thought he could gather the Cangming Realm later; he had always been striving toward the Disaster Realm. At that time, he also had no success case of Awei and the fist, nor did he know the method of position fruit separation, worrying about having offended the fourth Celestial Empress, with no chance to descend into the Yellow Springs a third time, to achieve the condition of death without stiffness, life without water, then unable to refine, directly in the exile space giving the魅 fruit to be digested.

The result is a single-minded blockage at both ends.

Elevating Qing Nü, taking the Cangming Realm, fearing self-immolation, he would burst out all position fruits, cutting off the self-nurturing path of the great position fruit; thus, and the "three" of becoming king as Water Sovereign, would conflict with needing a great position fruit.

Death does not produce position fruits.

Rituals with cohesive effects do not produce position fruits.

But death combined with a specific method might just yield position fruits.

In short, special death!

Even if all are nurtured into great position fruits, bursting out requires re-refining, just as disastrous.

No one knows how similar this self-immolation sacrifice ascension is to the ritual for yielding position fruits, whether it is also one of the special deaths; but if there is even a one-in-ten-thousand possibility, the cost is too high for Liang Qu to accept.

Not elevating Qing Nü, making the Disaster Realm, again lacking a flood disaster.

Headache.

Liang Qu buried his face in Long Eying's chest, breathing deeply.

All his actions are based on known conditions at the time, deducing outcomes.

At that time, knowing Ju Ling had a destination, his own Chuan State could become the Yellow Springs State, aiding in yielding position fruits, without needing three descents into the Yellow Springs, he would never personally refine, no matter what.

How about not having a position fruit that foresees the future?

With the Marsh Cauldron giving accurate information, Liang Qu accidentally walked into a dead end; he only hopes the Great Li Founding Ancestor and Whale Emperor's "dead end" path is even more numerous.

Fortunately, this time the old Dragon Sovereign's words gave a completely new solution.

Known that the furnace is a chemical reaction of great position fruit and awakened境dragon融合, he can first obtain great position fruit, without needing the thirteenth level.

Also known that the authority of great position fruit can "cover" that of medium and small position fruits.

Understanding the past to know it cannot be advised, knowing the future can be pursued.

Inner vision of the self.

Left side of the sun, a qi cluster floats.

Fei Lian!

【Fei Lian】

【Authority: Flow Correct】

【Category: Govern】

Liang Qu gazed at his palm.

Can the wound flow? Can the refined position fruit flow?

Fei Lian cannot, what about Ying Long?

"Damn, when did self-immolation become the least important problem?"

Splash!

Water bursts open!

"Brother-in-law!" Long Yanrui leapt onto the riverbank.

"Yanrui, what's wrong?"

"This isn't already having dragon people begin breakthroughs, the elder asked me to come fetch long qi."

Liang Qu took out the "bird's nest" containing condensed sweet dew qi: "How is your cultivation of the Dragon Spirit Art?"

"Soon, the flood dragon side has already sent snakes to bring back many dragon people's remains.

,,