Chapter 1530: The Reappearance of Jingzhe (Two-in-One)

"Tens of thousands of people, all dreaming of a river of blood at the same time?" The Whale Emperor focused his mind; the giant manifested from white clouds possessed complete features, and upon hearing the Sage Emperor's words, his brows visibly furrowed.

A human figure flickered.

"What happened?"

Linchuan, the Straw Hat Elder, the Northern Court Immortal, and the newly ascended True Immortal Zhang Longxiang appeared simultaneously, looking toward their nominal leader.

The Sage Emperor stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Just now the Steward told me that last night and the night before, many people had the same dream upon entering sleep."

"The same dream?"

"Yes. In these people's dreams, there was a blood-colored long river, almost identical. If it were only one or two people, or people of a single county or region, it would be nothing, or perhaps they saw some marvel locally during the day, and thought of it by day and dreamed of it by night.

But the Central Plains, the Northern Court, the Southern Frontier, the Great Snow Mountain, and even the boundless sea domains — all have this phenomenon. The scope is extremely vast; the whole world has it.

Yet we have discovered no heaven-and-earth marvel. The only major event during this period is probably the Whale Emperor's Great Hunt, but the Great Hunt has absolutely nothing to do with a blood river."

"Is it the Great Li Founding Ancestor!?" Zhang Longxiang spoke at once, "I entered the Dream Dynasty together with the Huai King. If we speak of a blood river, only the Dream Dynasty created by the Great Li Founding Ancestor has an entire world revolving around a blood-colored long river!"

"Eight or nine out of ten." The Straw Hat Elder concurred, "In the past the Great Li Founding Ancestor was extremely paranoid, fearing someone would overthrow his rule. Immortality was not enough; every three thousand years of slumber he sought to sever, wanting to bring his loyal subordinates to rule for ten thousand generations.

Therefore the Great Li Dynasty warred with the Mirage Dragon. The foundation of the entire Dream Dynasty is also built upon dreams. Now there is both dream-entry and a blood river————"

The Northern Court Immortal spoke in a deep voice: "Why not come early, why not come late, why must it be at this moment? The Great Hunt took five years to prepare; we have awaited it for five years. It truly ruins the mood!"

"The Great Li Founding Ancestor's move this time is unexpected. I fear it is a ten-thousand-year dormancy, a complete awakening, coming with overwhelming force." Linchuan spoke deeply, "What does He want to do?"

"It is a dream. He wants to link everyone's dreams and expand his own dynasty." The Whale Emperor spoke, drawing everyone's gazes.

"What insight does the Whale Emperor have?" Zhang Longxiang asked.

The Whale Emperor said: "In the past on the Yellow Shahe, I also went to see. According to what Immortal Longxiang said back then, the Dream Dynasty was originally constructed by entrusting the wills of all the dead. Therefore, because the quality and quantity of the dead were insufficient, many aspects were reduced — for example, the stones in the river, for example, the accents.

By that analogy, expanding from the dreams of the netherworld to the dreams of the living world — would that not be a kind of expansion? Raising the headcount, thereby bringing benefit to the Great Li Founding Ancestor? Even a step further."

A step further————

Transforming into a Rainbow!

Everyone's eyes flickered; their hearts all skipped a beat in unison.

A Furnace already possesses boundless longevity and immortality, only sleeping once every three thousand years.

Transforming into a Rainbow — is that not precisely what the Great Li Founding Ancestor has sought all his life, his lifelong cherished wish?

Perhaps this is the answer, the truth.

"The Great Li Founding Ancestor wants to encompass all living things? But how did He achieve this point?" The Sage Emperor inquired, "For ten thousand years there was no movement; the world was not even certain whether the netherworld existed. There were no traces at all. Yet after ten thousand years, He can directly invade the dreams of the living?"

The Whale Emperor sighed, grief welling from within: "I originally did not wish to think of it. Now it seems, it may be the Dragon Lord's doing!"

"What the Whale Emperor says — could it be the Old Dragon Lord?" The Tusi was shocked.

"Correct. Actually, there is one matter I have always kept hidden from everyone————" The Whale Emperor revealed desolation, "The Dragon Lord and I are both of the demon race. We have known each other for thousands of years, and could not be more familiar. Yet back then on the Yellow Shahe, I once sensed a trace of familiar Qi mechanism in a crack."

"Does the Whale Emperor mean to say it was the Old Dragon Lord's Qi mechanism, and the Old Dragon Lord was harmed by the Great Li Founding Ancestor?" The Northern Court Immortal was stunned.

The Whale Emperor trembled slightly, as if unwilling to face the truth: "I dare not say it entirely. It is just that the Old Dragon Lord's disappearance was suspicious. When water is full it overflows. The Old Dragon Lord's authority was Ji — precisely the boundless fullness without upper limit."

The Sage Emperor's thoughts raced like lightning, swiftly adding: "The Jianghuai Guimu Sect are the remnants of Great Qian. Within the sect there is a ritual that can make an Entering Zhen Xiang cultivator return from death. It comes precisely from the Great Snow Mountain and a Wu Sheng's shed body. The Great Snow Mountain also has the netherworld's handiwork."

The Khan King exclaimed in surprise: "So the Old Dragon Lord did not exactly disappear, but perished. The Great Li Founding Ancestor killed the Old Dragon Lord. Over these hundred years, He completely seized the Dragon Lord's authority, expanded the netherworld, and then used the Dragon Lord's authority to make the netherworld permeate the living world!?"

As the words fell.

Dead silence.

Everyone shuddered.

The Great Li Founding Ancestor was originally the first Post-Celestial Immortal. First He killed the Mirage Dragon, then seized the Dragon Lord. On the surface He already possesses three Furnace foundations. Not to mention these ten thousand years — creating the netherworld, silently absorbing dead souls and remnants. I fear a fourth share has also been nurtured!

For the sake of Transforming into a Rainbow, He therefore swallows the living world like a whale. But how much must be swallowed to be enough?

All mortals, all galloping horses and beacon fires — even, all Furnaces?

If it is truly so, how can they resist?

The Sage Emperor took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Linchuan and Zhang Longxiang: "Ancestor, Immortal Longxiang, please save my Great Shun, save the common people!"

"Ancestor!" The Tusi followed with a bow.

The Khan King looked at his own aged and feeble Immortal and also bowed: "The Great Li Founding Ancestor is paranoid and mad. If he truly succeeds, how can we have a way to live?"

"I am irreconcilable with the Great Li Founding Ancestor!"

Vicious Qi raged; killing intent overflowed.

The always tolerant and peaceful Whale Emperor actually revealed a ferocious aspect!

The Straw Hat Elder exclaimed in shock: "Whale Emperor———— you!"

"The Dragon Lord and I have always been close friends. If He went to the heavens beyond to seek other worlds, how would He not tell me? I knew He likely faced more ill than good, but I was unwilling to face it. I have always silently sought the truth. Now the evidence is conclusive. This enmity, this hatred — how can it not be avenged!

Great Shun Emperor, Southern Frontier Tusi, Northern Court Khan King — rest assured. Since I have perceived it, from now on, as long as it is within the Cloud Heaven Palace's range, within the Great Hunt's range, I will do my utmost to guarantee your safety! The Great Li Founding Ancestor wants to Transform into a Rainbow — he must pass through me first!"

Resounding and forceful.

None were unmoved.

The Sage Emperor was moved and grateful: "The Old Dragon Lord having a friend like you is truly three lifetimes of fortune!"

"Count me in!" Zhang Longxiang stepped forward half a step.

"Good!" The Whale Emperor was delighted. "Immortal Longxiang has great magnanimity."

The Straw Hat Elder sighed: "The Great Li Founding Ancestor is grand and open, yet also tyrannical and ruthless. If he truly succeeds, even without needing to devour Furnaces, we will all become his subjects. Life and death at his whim — I fear there will be no peaceful days again.

The current situation is not necessarily unfavorable to us. If the Whale Emperor is willing to take the lead, plus the newly ascended Longxiang Immortal, our living world has fully five Furnaces. Even though the Northern Court Immortal's strength is not even half, we still hold the advantage. Immortal Linchuan?"

"Even if you didn't say it, I would agree." Linchuan said calmly.

The Sage Emperor and the Tusi rejoiced and bowed.

"Truly a time of many troubles. How nice if it had come a hundred years earlier." The Northern Court Immortal took a deep breath. "I originally did not wish to conflict with the Great Li Founding Ancestor, but things go contrary to wishes. Now the netherworld attacks on its own initiative. What can we do?

"Why not take the initiative to attack!" Linchuan said.

"Impossible! Ancestor, the netherworld is truly the Great Li Founding Ancestor's private domain. We must be on guard." The Sage Emperor dissuaded, "Moreover, the methods to enter the netherworld have mostly been closed at this time. The Mirage Dragon's backhands left in the past were also cracked by the Great Li Founding Ancestor earlier. The only method, I fear, is to use the ritual — but————"

"The ritual is useless to us Furnaces————" Lin Chuan thought of the crux, "Can we only meet force with force, water with earth, passively playing defense?"

They looked at each other in dismay.

No one spoke.

The Great Li Founding Emperor was not a Hua Hong, but similar to Hua Hong, almost opening up a world, unprecedented, as the world's number one postnatal Furnace, he collected the Position Fruits of the entire world at that time.

Most critically, the historical records on this number one Immortal are far too few; he is not understood at all.

Even the oldest Suo Li Weng is separated by several thousand years from the Great Li Founding Emperor's passing.

"The Great Shun Emperor just said many people entered the dream? Might as well bring them here, let us observe first, see if we can detect any clues——

——" the Whale Emperor suggested.

"Roar!"

"Fight fight fight!"

"Great Shun! Great Shun! Great Shun!"

"Our Great Shun, invincible under heaven."

Cheers shook the heavens; inside the beast arena, tens of thousands rose to their feet in unison.

On the great curtain, Liang Qu beckoned, and the opponent presented Mermaid Tears with both hands.

No struggle to seize, no bloodshed in slaughter.

Initially rather boring, but when the audience discovered that no matter who Liang Qu ran into, this law took effect, it took on a different flavor.

Especially when the lucky Great Shun Wu Sheng recognized Liang Qu and teamed up with him, they charged horizontally and crashed straight through, invincible everywhere; the teamed-up Great Shun Wu Sheng was simply floating on cloud nine.

Seen many kinds of competitions, this situation is a first!

"Huai Wang is awesome!"

Fat Fish stood on the Supreme VIP stand, waving flags and shouting, cheering; suddenly, his peripheral vision went blank, he turned his head to look, the Immortal who was originally above the Nine Heavens had disappeared for some reason, he became vigilant.

"Black Big Fish, it's halftime, your turn to compose a poem." Cloud Whale bowed in invitation.

Fat Fish patted his belly, rummaging through his mental inventory while asking Cloud Whale where the Whale Emperor and the Immortal had gone.

Cloud Whale did not conceal it; since the Yin-Yang fissure opened above the Yellow Shahe, those of Entering Zhen Xiang and above more or less knew the inside story.

Blood River Dream?

Fat Fish's heart chilled, he urgently sent a report.

"Rumble————"

Lightning suddenly appeared in the vault, dark clouds covered it.

Lightning like trees, struck straight down, extending from the wilderness into the dark clouds.

"Another year of Jingzhe day."

A small bag full of Mermaid Tears hung at Liang Qu's waist; he raised his head to gaze at the sky, he clearly remembered, five years ago today was also a Jingzhe day.

Poured in Mermaid Tears, tied the bag tight, the spiritual link trembled.

It's A Fei.

"Blood River Dream?"

"Great Li Founding Emperor?"

Liang Qu's spine turned cold, his scalp went numb.

How did the Great Li Founding Emperor also come join the fun?

According to the original reasoning, the Great Li Founding Emperor at this very moment should be completely asleep; this was deduced based on the Whale Emperor's timing for holding the Great Hunt.

With the Whale Emperor's personality, whether he can tolerate a second Hua Hong is uncertain, but with the Great Li Founding Emperor's personality, he absolutely would not want to see a second Hua Hong appear in the world.

The Whale Emperor must know clearly, therefore wanting to swallow the Three Realms, successfully achieve Six Heyi, he must act before the Great Li Founding Emperor fully awakens.

According to the frequency of a Dragon Lord emerging every sixty years, the Great Hunt is stuck in the middle, just right.

But, that was on the premise that Liang Qu and Zhang Longxiang did not raise hell in the Netherworld!

The fifth and fourth exploded in succession, excess energy returned into the front three Wills!

What exactly is the relationship between the Great Li Founding Emperor and the Whale Emperor now?

Cooperation or competition? Or perhaps they cooperated before, and now it's competition without torn faces, able to switch between the two at any time?

Why isn't Qing Nu better yet?

【Water Marsh Essence +2541】

Liang Qu gripped the Mermaid Tears tight, feeling the tactile sensation of hard objects colliding, sweat gradually seeping from his palm, then mixing into the seawater and swiftly flowing away.

Rumble————

The water surface abruptly turned white, electric currents coiled around Liang Qu's body, slowly converging into a straight lightning spear.

Thunder Dragons rolled, the entire Great Hunt moved along with the Jingzhe climate; this was his suggestion, the Great Hunt's weather mechanism, similar to a poison circle, used to increase competitive intensity; the Thunder Dragons rolling in the sky likewise fluctuated according to strength.

"A Fei, pay more attention."

Being in the Great Hunt, the Entering Zhen Xiang and Yao Long participating in the Great Hunt also didn't sleep at all this month; Liang Qu knew nothing of the Blood River Dream situation.

Only Fat Fish, relying on the Demon Clan's Great Poet Fish, by a fluke made a name for himself, used this unique identity to add atmosphere to the Great Hunt————

"Hope the Whale Emperor and Great Li Founding Emperor fight over uneven spoils, beat each other's brains out, and all forget about me."

"Huu————"

Splash!

Water surged backward, Liang Qu sped through, and simultaneously vanished from the curtain.

Slow.

Too slow————

Scene switch.

The true dragon soared sinuously, its horns cleaving the water; the Flood Dragon King, bringing the Ironhead Fish King along, likewise charged headlong, and the Ironhead Fish King fiercely seized the Merfolk Tears.

The two yaos' rankings were plainly third and fourth, the very best of the yao clan.

Aside from the Yellow Sand Dragon King, the Ehe Dragon King, and the Luchangjiang Dragon King, the Flood Dragon was the only two true dragons competing.

Originally an Awakening Realm flood dragon, after molting into a true dragon the Flood Dragon's strength had long since reached the absolute peak, with no one able to resist it; many spectators wanted to see the Flood Dragon and Liang Qu clash once.

Continuously harvesting Merfolk Tears, continuously fighting.

The higher the score, the more empty the Flood Dragon's heart grew.

What use were more Merfolk Tears?

Any treasure exchanged for them could not help it nurture a second Position Fruit.

It had originally wanted to use a secret to threaten the Great Hunt Assembly, forcing the various powers to besiege and solve the problem, but as Liang Qu's personal strength grew wildly, the secret made no difference whether used or not.

It always felt uneasy.

Fast.

Too fast————

Liang Qu's cultivation speed exceeded everyone's expectations, shattering everyone's understanding.

"What's wrong, not happy?" The Ironhead Fish King finished counting the Merfolk Tears and swam up.

"Nothing." The Flood Dragon collected its mind, just about to take the Ironhead Fish King and leave, when it suddenly saw "River Stone" approach.

"Hey, just one, isn't this delivered right to us!" The Ironhead Fish King rubbed its fins. "Let me see who's so bold! Huh, Qilin King?"

"Flood Dragon King!"

The Jade Qilin transformed into human form, its body lithe, waist extremely slender, chest broad, muscles covered in scales, feet bearing two reversed claws, gripping a long spear as it greeted them.

"What's up, what's up? Qilin King, want to come test your mettle against us? Tell you what, you might not get past me!" The Ironhead Fish King's bearing was menacing.

"I'm not here to fight you."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I'm here to join you."

The Flood Dragon's eyes narrowed.

March 9th.

The temperature warmed, cold and warm clashed, light rain fell pattering, occasionally accompanied by rolling thunder.

Yixing County, beneath the Yingchun Tower, many villagers would rather get drenched than go home.

The tops of all beast arenas were covered with a thin layer of mist blocking the rain; outside the arenas there was no such protection, a thin water film clung to the ground, and rainwater washed along the edges into the sea.

Under the awning, the gambling house was lively; shaking dice flew out of the bowl, dropped to the ground, tumbled two rounds, the reflective water film rippled slightly, someone braved the rain to pick them up.

Midnight, people woke one after another, drenched in sweat.

Without exception, they had the same nightmare; the beast arena was densely populated, and the strange affair gradually spread into various versions of bizarre tales.

"Whale Emperor, did you see anything?" The Straw Hat Elder asked.

The Whale Emperor shook his head with a serious expression.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

Five Furnace Realm experts, the Whale Emperor had the longest lifespan and richest experience, yet even he couldn't discern anything————

Crack!

The dice were picked up, leaving the water film and ripples; water droplets struck a tiny blossom, rain washed the earth, trickled down the arm to gather at a dice corner, dripping slowly.

Suddenly.

The picking-up hand released the dice; the intent to retrieve it abandoned in a blink, silently vanishing into the crowd.

"Hey, where's the person who just went to pick up the dice?"

Someone in the gambling house asked.

The rain grew much heavier, no one answered.

The dice-thrower walked faster and faster, then abruptly the man stopped.

White clouds hung down from the sky, manifesting as a giant blocking the path; beside the giant, Linchuan, the Straw Hat Elder, Beiting Immortal, and Zhang Longxiang emerged one by one.

The rain curtain was hazy, eyes met.

The newcomer pressed palms together, bowed deeply.

Zhang Longxiang froze for a moment, pupils dilating: "Wrong! He is the Lotus Bodhisattva!"

Boom!

Blood mist suddenly exploded, the man's flesh and blood annihilated without trace, the entire space seemed dyed red, an eerie hue spreading outward continuously, instantly enveloping everyone.

"We've fallen for a trap!"

The Straw Hat Elder's hair stood on end, he shouted at the top of his lungs, he instantly turned, but in a single moment his feet could not gain purchase, two towering phantoms reaching heaven and earth suddenly appeared.

Space shattered like a prism.

Distance infinitely stretched, infinitely divided; the surrounding Qi mechanisms continuously... (text appears incomplete in source)

The Straw Hat Elder turned to look — Linchuan, Whale Emperor, Longxiang — all completely vanished!

"Pfft!"

Fresh blood spurted.

Beiting Immortal Qiao Shuiweng's chest was pierced through, a blood-red hand gripped the spine, dragging out skull and blood vessels together.

The pale gray sea surface undulated, as if a massive water beast were about to break through.

East Sea.

Liang Qu's hair stood on end, a sudden impulse struck!

Without thinking he wanted to teleport and flee, but pressure descended instantly; he was like an ant fallen into glue — divine ability, Giant Spirit, Feilian — all lost effect.

"Die before me!"

Soul and life began to collapse.

A pale-white giant hand reached out from the void, ruthlessly grabbing for Liang Qu's neck; the collapsing everything actually re-expanded, as if kicked out of a room by someone.

Liang Qu's pupils quaked, he tilted his head back and roared.

"Whale Emperor!!!"

The instant the five fingers clenched, white clouds seeped and splashed, wrapping and rolling around the pale-white giant hand!

", quick, someone made a move on Liang Ashui, get up quick and watch!"

At Yingchun Tower, Chen Qingjiang sat up straight, woke his wife and children, preparing to watch a good show.

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