Chapter 265: Innate True Water, Acting Separately

Fang Longye secretly thought it was extravagant, though it was not to say that this Immortal Island was particularly beautiful.

In fact, this Immortal Island was merely a portal manifesting in the present world. The true Water Mansion was hidden at the bottom of the Huai River.

And what made him secretly call it extravagant was the defense arrayed around the Immortal Island before his eyes.

It was truly a grand gesture.

He saw that for ten thousand miles around the Immortal Island, everything was dark, gloomy, and devoid of light, with a chilling coldness that exuded a deathly silence, enough to make one's heart palpitate.

Within his field of vision, apart from the Immortal Island in the center, there was nothing else.

With his "Dharma Eye" active, Fang Longye could see clearly that the protective array of this Water Mansion was startlingly evolved from five types of Innate True Water.

Innate Weak Water, Yellow Springs True Water, Innate Ren Water, Xuanming True Water, and Three Lights Divine Water—these five types of divine water, each belonging to the innate, were interwoven to form a profound array.

Under his Dharma Eye, everything was laid bare.

He could perceive that these five types of Innate True Water had been refined by someone using secret methods and merged into a single mass.

Small, it could be like a Mustard Seed; large, it could surpass the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Every single droplet of water was a layer of space. Countless droplets meant countless layers of space.

The strength of any single one of these spaces was not great; a True Immortal could break through them. However, these countless spaces, combined in layers and interwoven in folds, gave rise to infinite changes.

Once one fell into it, no matter how great one's supernatural powers were, one would be unable to extricate oneself.

"No wonder that Zilan Fairy, despite belonging to the Shangqing Lineage—though not officially recognized, she is still considered half a member of a prestigious sect—was still unable to enter."

He saw millions of azure runes emerging from the array, rising upward together with the misty water.

Seeming illusory yet real, it was magnificent and beautiful.

It completely enveloped the Water Mansion—above and below, front and back, left and right—solid as a fortress.

Anyone without authorization who trespassed would be directly swept into this array refined from the five types of True Water, their fate no longer in their own hands.

Even if Golden Immortal perfection experts like Zilan Fairy, Jin Zhong Dasheng, or the Divine Turtle were to join forces to deal with it, it would absolutely be a narrow escape from death.

After all, no matter which Innate True Water it was, none were easy to provoke.

Take Innate Weak Water, for example; there is no need to say much. The innate supernatural power Fang Longye possessed, "Calling Wind and Rain," summoned this Nine Heavens Weak Water—though it was not innate, its nature was the same.

This Weak Water existed above the nine heavens, floating in the Star Sea of the Heavenly Realm, never touching the mortal world for generations, and was the purest water in the world.

But purity to the extreme is the most extreme poison; once touched, one would be completely decomposed and purified by the Weak Water, wiped out from the human world entirely, with no possibility of reincarnation.

And above the Weak Water, a domain formed of its own; not even a goose feather could float, and it was difficult for Immortals and Buddhist practitioners to cross. No matter how well one could travel through the void, one would still be sucked into the Weak Water, decomposed, purified, and turned into a part of the Weak Water.

As for Yellow Springs True Water, it came from the Nine Nether Yellow Springs; it was the water that ferried all living beings, born innately, and came into existence with the opening of Youming. Although it was an innate object, it carried heavy karma.

It emerged upholding the mandate of Youming, spanning the Yin and Yang realms, and circulating through endless worlds; wherever there were living beings, there were traces of it.

If one were to say that Nine Heavens Weak Water was the purest water in the world, then Yellow Springs True Water was the most turbid.

There are countless mortals in the world; after a mortal body dies, the soul returns to Youming.

If one is unwilling to reincarnate, one must fall into the Yellow Springs, suffer all kinds of torture, and wash away all one's sins before one can reach the shore and exist for a long time in Youming.

Before the sins are erased, one must struggle in the river forever, unable to find liberation.

Therefore, the water of the Yellow Springs dissolves the greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, and enmity of all living beings; it is the water of the red dust, the water of karma, and the water of Turbid Qi.

Such Innate True Water, unless one is at a certain level of cultivation, once an Immortal or deity touches it, they will be instantly knocked down to the mortal realm by the turbid Qi of the red dust, falling into the Nine Nethers, with little chance of recovery.

And Innate Ren Water is divine water that gathers the essence of ten thousand seas and the vital energy of heaven and earth, taking ten thousand times ten thousand years to condense a single drop.

This water is the essence of the origin of Ren Water; a single drop can turn into rivers, lakes, and seas, submerging the world—one can imagine how heavy it is.

Such heavy divine water, used to face an enemy—one can guess the power it has with one's toes.

Most crucially, among the Innate True Waters that composed this defense, there was also Three Lights Divine Water.

Three Lights Divine Water can be divided into three types of divine water: Sunlight, Moonlight, and Starlight. Each of these three types of divine water is a rare divine water unique in the world, and also a peerless poison.

Sunlight Divine Water wears away flesh and bone; Moonlight Divine Water corrodes the primordial spirit and soul; Starlight Divine Water devours and dissolves the True Spirit and consciousness. Even a Taiyi Golden Immortal would lose a layer of skin if they were touched by them.

Once the Three Lights Divine Water appeared, the extremely Yin and cold Xuanming True Water was, in Fang Longye's eyes, nothing much.

After all, he himself could generate Xuanming True Water, even if it was not innate.

"Dragon Lord—" Water Ape Great Sage saw Fang Longye secretly observing and came to his side to explain: "This heavy island-protecting array is less of an array and more of a treasure."

"It is a heavy treasure refined by my elder sister using Nine Heavens Weak Water and Nine Nether Yellow Springs as Yin and Yang, incorporating the weight of Innate Ren Water, the coldness of Xuanming True Water, and the poison of Three Lights Divine Water. Small, it can be placed in a cup to be played with; large, it can submerge the land of the Nine Provinces."

"It is a pity—" At this moment, his expression became dim as he said: "It is a pity that this heavy treasure is not yet complete; it can only be used so freely when coordinated with the Water Mansion dojo."

Fang Longye understood in his heart.

Therefore, when that Shuimu Niangniang went out in the past, she only used this treasure as a defense for the dojo Water Mansion and did not carry it with her.

Otherwise, in her past struggle with Guoshi Wang, who would have won and who would have lost would have been unknown.

"Every time I see this protective array, I have to sigh at Shuimu Niangniang's attainments in the Water System Eight Methods."

Huai River Dragon Lord stared at the array surrounding the Water Mansion and couldn't help but sigh: "To actually preserve the characteristics of each Innate True Water and even fuse them together perfectly. The heavy treasure refined from it possesses the wonders of all five of these Innate True Waters."

"She is worthy of the title 'Shuimu Niangniang'!"

Innate True Water is already extremely rare, each with its own wonderful uses. But Shuimu Niangniang fusing five types of Innate True Water completely together while still retaining their respective characteristics is even more incredible.

Hearing Huai River Dragon Lord mention the "Water System Eight Methods," Fang Longye couldn't help but blush.

To think he was a member of the Dragon Clan! His attainments in the "Water System Eight Methods" were likely not even at the level of a basic understanding.

The Water System Eight Methods are based on water, changing the eight forms of water: clouds, mist, rain, dew, frost, ice, hail, and snow.

Come to think of it—these Water System Eight Methods were actually proposed by the first leader of the Dragon Clan—the Ancestral Dragon!

Its main tenet is that all the waters in the world return to the same origin.

No matter how you change, whether it is clouds, mist, rain, dew, frost, ice, hail, or snow, whether it is Innate True Water or acquired spiritual water, and whatever characteristics it may have—in the final analysis, it is just the concept of "water"!

The Water System Eight Methods are a series of progressive steps until one can evolve all the waters in the world into these eight forms: clouds, mist, rain, dew, frost, ice, hail, and snow in one's hands.

Regardless of whether it is innate or acquired, all the waters in the world can be evolved out of thin air in one's hands.

Of course, reaching that step is the realm of the Ancestral Dragon!

And in the hands of Shuimu Niangniang, the Water System Eight Methods can already fuse different Innate True Waters into one while retaining their characteristics~

Compared to Fang Longye, a member of the Dragon Clan who does not walk the path of the water element, their water-based Dharma is far more profound.

Shaking his head to cast these distracting thoughts to the back of his mind, Fang Longye turned to look at the Macaque King and asked with a chuckle, "Brother Yuan, do you intend to enter the Water Mansion first, or finish off those three demon immortals first?"

The Macaque King shook the eyebrow-level staff in his hand, an unreadable expression appearing between his brows, and said, "Naturally, we must sweep everything clean before discussing anything else."

"Very well, let us act separately as we agreed!"

Currently, the enemy is in the light while we are in the dark.

Being able to divide and annihilate the enemies is always better than letting these three Golden Immortal Great Accomplishments gather together.

"That works! As for Zilan Palace, I leave it to Brother Fang and the Dragon Lord~" A flash of complex emotion crossed the Macaque King's eyes as he cupped his hands toward Fang Longye and the Huai River Dragon Lord.

It was back when they were still at the Huai River Longgong that the Macaque King had proposed asking Fang Longye to help deal with Zilan Fairy, who shared the same Shangqing Lineage as him. Of course, it was not without compensation. The reward was to give Fang Longye an additional ten percent of the Water Mansion's hidden treasures on top of the original agreement.

Fang Longye weighed the situation and felt there was no major issue. The Nine-Bend Yellow River Array is indeed renowned, but it depends on who is using it.

Without the Primordial Golden Dipper, and being only at the Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment, he really was not afraid of overturning the boat. After all, among these three Golden Immortal Great Accomplishments, Zilan Fairy's secrets were the most thoroughly exposed.

As for whether it would offend the Shangqing Lineage? Isn't there still the Huai River Dragon Lord, Xiao Huanglong, to act as the scapegoat?

In any case, after weighing the pros and cons, he agreed for the sake of the Macaque King being his friend.

"Rest assured, Brother Yuan! We shall meet at the location of that divine turtle as agreed," Fang Longye said with a wave of his hand.

According to the information provided by the Huai River Dragon Lord, that divine turtle had been in a state of slumber for years, and furthermore, it was not sensitive to Heavenly Secrets.

As long as they took care to conceal their actions while dealing with the other two demon immortals.

It is estimated that by the time it wakes up, the blade will already be at its throat.

The two nodded to each other, and each took the Water Ape Great Sage and the Huai River Dragon Lord, heading in different directions.

In a stretch of the Huai River near the north bank, there were over a dozen sandbars and small islands scattered like stars, with clear waters and lush greenery.

Situated within it, this stretch of water seemed to be nestled between mountains and forests.

The water is vast, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, with aquatic trees growing all around.

The dense aerial roots hanging down were thick and numerous, resembling a forest growing in the water.

Above the water surface, a thin, veil-like mist drifted, possessing quite the atmosphere of "vapor steaming in the clouds and dreams" and "waves shaking Yueyang."

It could be described as vast and misty.

This is where Zilan Palace is located, the Huai River Pangze.

And at the bottom of this Pangze, there sat a magnificent Water Mansion that looked like a dragon palace. It did not look large, only about an acre in size.

In reality, it contained a universe within; the internal space was vast and boundless. There were countless high pavilions and broad halls, rainbow bridges and water pavilions dotted in between, green vines everywhere, and green pines and cypresses; the scenery was picturesque and exceptionally quiet and secluded.

It was precisely the Zilan Palace established by Zilan Fairy.

One could see that all around the palace, red-well precious springs would surge with spiritual energy from time to time, spraying high before falling back down, like clear, beaded strings, strands upon strands, like a Necklace Canopy, illuminating everything with light.

Cultivators who originated from the Water Tribe, yet were suffused with the Divine Light of the Profound Gate, shuttled back and forth, chatting and laughing, discussing the Dharma with one another.

Above the Pangze, floating clouds drifted.

Fang Longye and the Huai River Dragon Lord stood side by side, stepping on auspicious clouds and colorful rays, looking down at the scene below.

Suddenly, Fang Longye withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and said to the Huai River Dragon Lord with a smile: "The Classic of Mountains and Seas says, 'Five hundred miles further east is Deer Wu Mountain; it has no grass or trees, but much gold and stone. The Ze Geng River flows out from it and flows south into the Pang River. There is a beast in the water named Gudiao, shaped like an eagle but with horns, its sound like that of an infant, and it eats humans.'"

"This place is named 'Pangze'; it seems this Zilan Fairy has not forgotten her roots!"

"Uncle is joking. The ancestral land of the Gudiao Clan was destroyed long ago during the transition of eras; there is no heritage left. Heh, she can only 'not forget her roots'."

Hearing Fang Longye's words, the Huai River Dragon Lord sneered coldly.

His words were filled with sarcasm and mockery.

The reason for this was that he had previously been quite interested in this Zilan Fairy. He had pursued her several times, only to be met with a cold face, weapons drawn, and he had even been injured on the face.

Well, they are the Dragon Clan! It is perfectly normal to be petty.

"Enough, I have said too much. It is time to strike!" Fang Longye waved his hand, dispelling the complaints the Huai River Dragon Lord had yet to utter.

The reason the two could chat and laugh at such a critical moment without Zilan Fairy noticing in the slightest was due to the efficacy of a rare treasure, the 'Mirage Dragon Pearl'.

This rare treasure could not only conceal Heavenly Secrets but also evolve boundless illusions to cover up major disturbances.

But to avoid long delays leading to more trouble, it was better to strike quickly.

Fang Longye waved his hand and threw out the Two Instruments Divine Gourd.

The 'Two Instruments Weichen Array' immediately unfolded, with flying light and moving shadows, the hanging lines forming patterns, falling from above to cover the entire location of Zilan Palace.

A heavy pressure descended directly upon the cultivators, both large and small, within Zilan Palace.

Only at this moment did Zilan Fairy, who was meditating in the Water Mansion, finally notice.

However, it was already too late.

Fang Longye struck ruthlessly. While activating the 'Two Instruments Divine Gourd' to set up the Two Instruments Weichen Array to prevent anyone from escaping, he also unleashed the sharp Divine Light that had been brewing in the gourd for a long time with all his might.

A streak of killing light, appearing neither like a blade nor a sword, plunged straight into the underwater Zilan Palace.

Whatever Array Restriction or defensive means there were, none showed any effect.

Not the slightest obstruction was produced.

This frosty white Divine Light, like a fish, swam continuously through Zilan Palace, trembling incessantly, sending out ripples of sound-wheels in circles.

It was continuous and long, covering the sky and earth.

At times it was blade light, at times sword shadows, sometimes flying silver threads, or turning into arrows in the air, changing incessantly.

To graze it was to die, to touch it was to perish.

Sealing the throat and drawing blood, it slaughtered and took lives.

Before long, throughout the entire Zilan Palace, inside and out, only a few scattered cultivators at the Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment remained.

All others had been reduced to dust.

As long as they had not achieved Golden Immortal Great Accomplishment, they all suffered this calamity, and no one could escape.

The ground was covered in blood, and a lingering sense of grief permeated the air.

The stench of blood had almost soaked through the entire Zilan Palace, impossible to wash away.

It drifted and dispersed outside the palace.

"Who is it?"

The frost-white killing radiance produced by the Two Instruments Divine Gourd was too ferocious; in just a fleeting moment, it had slaughtered everyone in Zilan Palace.

Zilan Fairy had no time at all to protect her disciples and grand-disciples.

One could see the entire palace filled with severed limbs, broken arms, and decapitated bodies, with the color of blood filling the sky.

She looked at the tragic scene in the palace with eyes splitting from anger, and ignoring the advice of a close friend who had come to visit, she headed straight out of her own Daoist sanctuary.

Raising her eyes to look at Fang Longye and the other person who had revealed their figures, Zilan Fairy only glanced at Fang Longye before fixing her gaze on Huai River Dragon Lord.

Her eyes were blood-red, she gritted her teeth, and her voice held an inseparable hatred as she said: "It was actually you! Good, good, good!"

Each word was enunciated clearly, sounding like a cuckoo crying blood or an ape wailing in a deep valley, fierce and desolate to the extreme.

Clearly, this Zilan Fairy seemed to have mistaken the mastermind, and she wished for nothing more than to skin and dismember Huai River Dragon Lord, tearing the Corpse into ten thousand pieces!

(End of this chapter)