Chapter 23: Lotus Seeds Finally Return, Parasitizing the Golden Centipede Body【5k】

The ancestral grounds of the "Yuanlong Dao."

Yuanhuang Mountain.

Deep valleys and layered peaks, with lush vegetation, make the entire mountain range appear all the more divinely crafted and magnificent.

This place was not originally called Yuanhuang Mountain.

It was only after Fang Longye previously consolidated the Daoist sects and selected this verdant mountain range, located in the northwest of the inhabited lands, as the ancestral grounds of the Yuanlong Dao, that the mountain's name naturally changed.

In less than ten years, the name Yuanhuang Mountain has become world-renowned, following the great flourishing of the Yuanlong Dao.

There are not many people left who remember the former name of this mountain range.

At the summit of Yuanhuang Mountain, palaces and pavilions stretch for over forty miles, magnificent and eye-catching.

In the backyard of the main hall, a Treasure Pavilion stands tall.

The courtyard is clear and pristine.

Solitary pines and bamboo clusters, moss and flowers covering the ground, and three or five white cranes dancing. It is a scene of immortal splendor.

Who could have imagined that such an immortal atmosphere was created by a monster?

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, the three walls are covered entirely in murals.

In the center is the Yuanlong Opening Heaven Map, on the left is the Yuanlong Creation Portrait, and on the right is the Yuanlong Lingxiao Scenery.

To deceive others, one must first deceive oneself. Even the place where Fang Longye's avatar resides is filled with paintings of various scenes from the legends of the Dragon Lord that the original body fabricated.

These three pictures correspond exactly to his three-fold Primordial Spirit Dharma manifestations. They are displayed in almost all the buildings of the Yuanlong Dao.

Lotus lamps cast their light, and the Yuding leaves behind a fragrance.

Fang Longye's avatar, Fang Xian, sits upright, preaching the Dao to a group of Core Disciples of the Yuanlong Dao.

The original body and the avatar share a single mind; the moment the original body made its choice ten thousand miles away, the avatar naturally understood it immediately.

He then began to handle the aftermath.

He stopped his sermon and let out a feigned, long sigh.

The disciples were all surprised, and one disciple stood up, bowed, and asked, "Teacher, why do you sigh?"

Fang Longye's avatar put on a show and said, "My merit is now complete; in seven days, I shall return to the seat of the Dragon Lord."

"Teacher?!"

"Teacher, why do you say this? Our Yuanlong Dao has only been unifying the cultivation world for a mere few years; how can you speak of merit being complete?"

"The Yuanlong Dao is naturally not complete, but my mission is already finished."

He reached out and pointed to a stone seal on the desk before him, channeled his Dharma power to engrave the entire Dragon Divine Art onto it, and placed a Restriction upon it that could not be undone by anyone below the Primordial Spirit Realm, setting it to automatically unlock in three hundred years.

"Three hundred years from now, a wise person shall hold this Dharma seal, comprehend the Jade Dragon Heart Scripture, and revive our Yuanlong Dao Dharma."

Immediately, ignoring the pleas of the Core Members, he waved his hand and sent them all out of the backyard, leaving behind only one sentence: "Seven days from now, you may observe my attainment of the Dao and return to the heavens at the back mountain."

It seemed like playing the god, even setting a three-hundred-year prophecy, but aside from learning from Buddhist and Daoist experiences, there was another reason.

A more important reason was that when he was consolidating the Yuanlong Dao, Fang Longye had either bewitched or killed the other four Chengdan cultivators, leaving only two Chengdan Realm cultivators alive.

Although these two Chengdan Realm cultivators had already been bewitched by the original body and even had Restrictions placed upon their souls, he did not dare to guarantee that if he passed down the Dragon Divine Art—a Primordial Spirit Realm technique—right now, the two Chengdan Realm cultivators might break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm because of it and break free from his control.

There is another point: most of the Yuanlong Dao disciples he has consolidated now are cultivators from the original sects who know too much.

It is not good for creating legends and gathering faith and luck this way. After all, history is only easy to paint upon when it is ethereal and vague.

Therefore, he set the three-hundred-year prophecy before returning to his original body.

Once this current batch of cultivators is worn out, the newly born Yuanlong Dao disciples will be the ones he recognizes as the true lineage of the Yuanlong Dao. By then, he can naturally teach them the Primordial Spirit Realm technique.

As for why he must teach the Human Race a Primordial Spirit Realm technique, it is purely to create a gimmick to ensure that the Dragon Lord worshipped by the Yuanlong Dao does not fall from his pedestal.

To avoid future generations raising questions: "You are so powerful, and the divine officials under your command are either descending to help the dragon or unifying the cultivation world, so how come you didn't even pass down a single Primordial Spirit Realm technique in the end?"

Is there something wrong with you, Dragon Lord?

Does that make sense? It does not.

In any case, he does not believe that with a Golden Finger, he will still be at his current cultivation level in three hundred years.

A Dragon Divine Art that he doesn't even care about being passed to the Human Race in three hundred years is no big deal.

He used a blinding technique, flew into the air, and overlooked the entire Yuanhuang Mountain.

He saw that the path up the mountain was winding and tortuous, with steep stone stairs. Along the way, vines were green and pines were lush, branches and leaves obscured the view, clouds and water leveled the steps, and all around were cliffs, making it exceptionally difficult to travel.

Even so, many commoners still traveled over mountains and through water to climb this dangerous peak, sparing no effort to pay homage to the Dragon Lord.

It is just that the "Yuanlong Dao," this tradition that combines religious faith and a cultivation sect, has been established for too short a time, its foundation is insufficient, and the gathering of luck is too slow.

Otherwise, relying on this tradition he consolidated would have been enough for him to absorb significant luck and protect his successful transformation into a flood dragon~

He looked at the sky; it was just past noon.

So, he stepped on his Green Leaf Magic Tool and flew toward the southwest of the Zhang Kingdom.

The former Jialing Prefecture City, now Yunlong City under the rule of the Yuan King Ding Yun, is no longer as desolate as before, but is instead bustling with people, as if in a prosperous age.

In fact, it is not just Yunlong City that has returned to its former peace and prosperity.

After Ding Yun previously revealed his banner, officially raised an army, and with the momentum of a sweeping storm, quickly consolidated the entire Southwest Six Prefectures of the Zhang Kingdom, and crippled the anti-rebellion army organized by the Zhang Kingdom one after another, the entire Southwest region largely returned to peace.

And after more than two years of settling and governing, the people of the Southwest Six Prefectures are now living and working in peace and contentment, no longer as impoverished as before.

This year, with Ding Yun declaring himself King and establishing a system, the people of the entire Southwest region have gained an extra sense of confidence and pride. And the residents under the jurisdiction of Yunlong City, where the Yuan King Mansion is located, are even more proud to be a part of it.

The hearts of the people are won over; it is nothing more than this.

At this moment, on the main road of the prefecture city, a line of soldiers came from afar, moving from outside the city toward the inner city.

These soldiers were wearing Iron Armor, embroidered red clothes, and Precious Sabers at their waists; facing the awe-struck people in the streets, they looked straight ahead and walked with solemn expressions.

These soldiers were a squad of the Dragon Phoenix Guard—the personal guards trained by Ding Yun.

Not long after, this squad of the Dragon Phoenix Guard arrived at the Yuan King Mansion located in the center of the inner city, and then returned to camp to report their mission.

The Yuan King Mansion covers an area of over a thousand mu, with pine, cypress, and deep bamboo dotted in between, which is quite pleasing to the eye.

Excluding the martial arts practice field that takes up half the open space.

The rest is filled with magnificent palaces, storied buildings, and high pavilions, surrounded by winding corridors and flower pavilions that complement each other; while naturally incomparable to the Tai'an Imperial Palace, it still exudes vibrant vitality and has a unique grandeur.

In fact, this is already the product of Ding Yun forcibly making her subordinates scale down the planning.

Just like the saying from her previous life, "Without grandeur, one cannot command respect," only a magnificent and grand mansion could make those commoners believe that the final victory would surely belong to her, the Yuan King.

If she had stubbornly insisted on living in a humble room and wearing plain clothes, who knows how many commoners would have directly concluded that her faction was just a ragtag group! Therefore, some things cannot be skimped on.

Fang Longye's avatar arrived at the Yuan King Mansion just at dusk.

He fixed his gaze and saw that inside the mansion, the winding balustrades were serpentine, and the storied buildings and pavilions were arranged in an orderly fashion.

Above, amidst the smoke and clouds, was a purple-green canopy with an imposing Dragon Qi; a claw-waving, tooth-baring flood dragon looked spirited and proud, and while one dare not say it was impervious to all Dharma, it was enough to weaken cultivators below the Primordial Spirit Realm.

However, since the entire Yuan King Mansion faction was created by him, it had no effect on him.

Ding Yun was sitting at the long desk in front of the study window, bowing her head to handle government affairs.

She had her hair coiled into a bun on top of her head, with the remaining hair tied up and secured with a Golden Crown; her eyebrows flew into her temples, and she was dressed in casual martial attire, making her look full of heroic spirit, without any trace of rouge or powder. Her entire bearing was imposing, and the demeanor of a sovereign was revealed without doubt.

Not long after, she stopped writing and threw down her brush.

It was not because of some powerful clans that secretly disobeyed the royal decree and oppressed the common people. These parasites could not be wiped out in a short time, even if all the Dragon Phoenix Guards were dispatched.

They could only be swept away from time to time, like cleaning a courtyard.

What annoyed her was that too many subordinates were "concerned" about her lifelong affairs.

After all, she was already twenty years of age now.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes.

Heh~ Want to pick the peaches now? Can I not establish an Imperial Younger Brother?

With a casual wave of her hand, a female guard commander in tight-fitting clothes and a spirited posture walked out from the inconspicuous shadows of the study.

"Great King?"

"Jinse, send more men to protect Feng's family; report any movement to me~" "Yes!" After receiving the order, the female guard commander named Jinse bowed and left the study.

Ding Yun rubbed her brow.

Sure enough, as the power grows, people's thoughts also multiply.

In her view now, the role of a monarch is to integrate these ministers and factions with different agendas into one, making everyone follow the monarch's will. And in this process,...

When a tree grows large, its branches must be pruned so that it can grow better.

As her thoughts turned, in the void, clouds swirled in circles, layer upon layer; within the purple-green, a dragon eye faintly opened, just a slit, cold and majestic, overlooking all directions.

"It seems that over these years, Longying, you have indeed grown up~"

Hearing this voice, Ding Yun turned her head abruptly and saw a Qingyi Daoren standing behind her.

"Sir!" Ding Yun's face was filled with joy, and she hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"Why are you here, Sir, instead of meditating at Yuanhuang Mountain in the northwest? If you had established the ancestral court of the Yuanlong Dao under my rule back then, Longying could have listened to your teachings at any time."

"Speaking of which, it is thanks to the Yuanlong Dao founded by you, Sir, that its inadvertent promotion has played an immeasurable role in stabilizing people's hearts."

Fang Longye's avatar looked at her, who was jumping for joy and had returned to the demeanor of a little girl, smiled faintly, and said, "I am leaving~"

"Leaving? Where to?" Ding Yun was just introducing her achievements over these years to him, and upon hearing this, she was stunned.

"Seven days from now, I will return to the seat of Dragon Lord Yuanlong in the Heavenly Palace."

Ding Yun looked at the Sir and saw that he was as calm and indifferent as when he first decided to leave her and her brother.

"Can you not stay in the human world for a few more days, Sir? Even until Longying overthrows the Zhang Kingdom and possesses half the country?"

The avatar shook his head: "The Heavenly Palace is urging me."

Seeing Ding Yun's eyes filled with loneliness, he did not say more, "I will not go to see Feng'er; I came today just to see how you are doing and to bid farewell."

"Enough said, it is time to go~"

"Then I will see you off, Sir."

"No need." Fang Longye waved his hand, exited the study, leaped into the air, and drifted away.

Ding Yun watched his receding figure until it disappeared from sight.

She then put away her lonely expression, let out a sigh, and turned back into the room. Her whole person became calm and unruffled, a hint of joy flickered in her eyes, and her steps became much lighter.

The avatar flew out of the city and stopped in front of an ancient temple not far outside the city.

It was the Yuanlong Lord Temple, where his true self was the main deity worshipped.

The temple was shaded by pine and cypress trees, with upturned eaves and corners, covered with blue-gold Glazed Tiles, and had four bright pillars and eight carved lattice windows in the front.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, it was sacred and solemn.

He looked at the flood dragon of destiny hidden in the clouds and mist within the city; it was like an abyss or the sea, no longer waving its claws and baring its fangs as before, but having shed its bluffing, it became increasingly mysterious and unpredictable.

"The aptitude of Wu Zhao~"

Seven days later.

The morning light was faint.

In front of the palace on Yuanhuang Mountain.

At this time, a group of Yuanlong Dao cultivators stood solemnly, looking at Fang Longye's avatar sitting cross-legged on a high platform with his eyes closed.

The east gradually turned white, and the morning glow filled the sky.

It illuminated the avatar, making him look like a god or an immortal.

Fang Longye opened his eyes, stood up tall, and said in a clear voice: "Heaven and Earth Profound Sect, the root of ten thousand Qi.

Cultivating for a billion Calamities, I certify my divine ability.

Within and without the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme."

As soon as the voice fell, Fang Longye's true self directly activated the Pure Lotus Divine Ability, and everything of the avatar was absorbed by the lotus seed in the depths of his Primordial Spirit.

A green, dripping, and brilliant Green Lotus immortal flower replaced the avatar, appearing in the eyes of all the disciples.

In an instant, the Green Lotus dissipated, and a rainbow light shot straight into the sky, disappearing from sight.

……

Just as Fang Longye's true self activated the Pure Lotus Divine Ability, almost instantly, a blooming, radiant Lotus Seed traversed space and appeared before him.

It slowly merged into his body.

A surge of pure energy radiated outward, strengthening his essence and Dharma power.

Although the avatar had failed to break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm, it had, after all, consumed quite a few spiritual medicines. For a time, both his Qi, blood, and Dharma power had made significant gains.

Following that, everything the avatar Fang Xian had cultivated and realized was obtained by him, colliding and merging with his own insights, sparking more inspiration and greatly advancing his Dao practice.

This was the profound mystery of this divine ability. Everything of the avatar—Dharma power, Qi and blood, spirit, divine abilities and techniques, and Dao insights—was refined and distilled by him, becoming his own.

After a long while, Fang Longye opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

"If a Chengdan Realm avatar can bring me such gains, then what kind of benefits will this Primordial Spirit Realm Wugong Tongling bring me?" Fang Longye looked at the Wugong Tongling, which had been sleeping for seven days and was now on the verge of death.

Without hesitation, he immediately activated the Pure Lotus Divine Ability toward it. As the lotus seed parasitized it, the Wugong Tongling's originally scattered gaze regained clarity~

Avatar achieved!

He took out some spiritual medicines and gave them to the creature that had become his avatar to recover from its injuries. He himself began to examine the Wugong Tongling's memories.

"It really is it!"

Through the memories, Fang Longye confirmed his previous guess. This Wugong Tongling was indeed the Wugong Tongling from the Huluwa story of his past life.

Many years ago, when it had just become a spirit creature, it inadvertently entered the Hulu Mountain range, was spotted by the Snake and Scorpion Demons, taught various Dharma techniques, and taken in as their eyes and ears.

"There is a Forbidden Technique in Hulu Mountain? The Snake and Scorpion Demons can only observe the outside world through a Mind-Bewitching Mirror? Even when talking to the Wugong Tongling, they can only communicate through divine sense? And the Wugong Tongling could only see these two demon immortals through the Mind-Bewitching Mirror after it reached the Primordial Spirit Realm?"

"This Mind-Bewitching Mirror is likely the Magic Mirror from the original story. I just don't know if the Snake and Scorpion Demons being able to communicate with the outside world via divine sense is because the Forbidden Technique is inherently like that, or if the sealing effect of Hulu Mountain has already weakened~"

"Why is this Hulu Mountain even more desolate and dangerous than the territory of Green Snake Mansion? And it is filled with spirit creatures of the five poisons~"

In the memories, the area around Hulu Mountain was full of jagged black rocks and lacked vegetation. The plants that could grow there had almost all undergone various mutations; if they weren't demon trees or poisonous weeds, they simply couldn't survive.

"Is it because of these two demon immortals of the five poisons attribute? It seems that True Immortals are indeed powerful, enough to change the environment over such a large area~"

"As for this Size Manipulation divine ability~" He looked at the avatar currently recovering from its injuries, "It really wastes the Bloodline of the Taiyin Golden Centipede; the transformed shape is actually so ugly and strange."

The reason this Wugong Tongling could possess the Size Manipulation divine ability was because it possessed the bloodline of the rare spiritual insect known as the Taiyin Golden Centipede, awakening this Great Divine Ability directly from its bloodline.

It was precisely because of this rare bloodline that it, belonging to the scaled and armored category, was able to defy the pressure of Fang Longye's Dragon Clan bloodline and strike aggressively.

Fang Longye scolding the Wugong Tongling for wasting this bloodline was actually born of jealousy. Over these years, he had long known that not every demon could transform as perfectly as he did.

Bizarre and strange forms were the norm.

What he was jealous of was that, even though his own Dragon Clan bloodline contained the bloodline divine ability of Size Manipulation, he was not as lucky as the Wugong Tongling.

"So the Cold Pool hiding the cauldron in the original story is in the territory of Hulu Mountain!"

Because Qingshe had directly abandoned the region within a three-thousand-mile radius of Hulu Mountain, he hadn't detected the location of the Cold Pool earlier.

"Letting the Wugong Tongling carefully investigate information about Qingshe? It seems these two demon immortals really 'miss' their younger sister!"

Fang Longye did not know what kind of story Qingshe had with these Snake and Scorpion Demons, but judging by the tone of these two demon immortals when they gave the order, it likely wasn't very pleasant.

"It seems these two demon immortals are not in a very good state! Under the suppression of the seal, their strength has been weakened; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent the only subordinate they had subdued to investigate news of an 'old acquaintance.' This shows a lack of confidence in themselves!"

"However, it also proves that the seal must have indeed weakened; otherwise, why would these two demons want to know Qingshe's status for no reason?"

"I suppose that even without the pangolin from the original work, these Snake and Scorpion Demons would sooner or later break free from the seal and escape from their suppression~" Fang Longye pondered the details of the two suppressed demon immortals in his heart, having his own guesses.

"Of course, I just don't know the duration of this time~" He felt a chill in his heart, sensing that the original story was not far from beginning.

"Refining this Wugong Tongling into an avatar was truly well worth it!" Fang Longye put aside his thoughts and reached out to touch his brow, sighing.

"Additionally," he recalled the Lotus Seed that had appeared before him in an instant, "it seems the Pure Lotus Divine Ability also carries the supernatural ability to traverse space while ignoring distance."

"Is it because I was tainted with space-time attributes during my soul's transmigration?"

Regardless, this divine ability had truly helped him a great deal.

That's five thousand words for today. No chapter breaks, it's such a hassle to think of titles~

(End of chapter)