Chapter 29: Finally Transforming into a Flood Dragon and Becoming a Loose Immortal; The Great Cause of the Immortal Qin Shakes the H

What came into view was a massive underground karst cave, nearly a hundred miles in scope.

A pearl the size of a basketball hung upside down from the ceiling, like a small sun, illuminating the entire cavern with clarity.

The cave was lush and verdant, overgrown with moss, and quiet and secluded all around.

He wanted to release his divine sense to investigate, but discovered that due to the heavy aura permeating the cave, he was greatly restricted, only able to extend it a distance of four or five miles.

The craggy, ash-gray cave walls were paved with golden patterns; Fang Longye understood that he had only broken through the gateway of this formation.

Even without the concealment of his Mitian Banner, the barrier at the entrance he had previously passed through would soon restore itself.

He steadied his mind and continued deeper, following the Aura sensed by his primordial spirit.

That heavy aura grew increasingly dense, causing his bloodline to stir incessantly.

Walking along the way, he found this karst cave to be overly plain; although the space was vast, it lacked any ornamentation, not even as elegant as the curtain cave he had arranged at the summit of Xiaocang Mountain.

It was entirely in its natural state.

A short while later.

He arrived at the depths of the karst cave.

A petrified flood dragon, winding for a thousand zhang, came into view.

"The remains of a flood dragon?!"

He flew forward and confirmed, "It is indeed the remains of a flood dragon!"

"This aura—it is the remains of a flood dragon at least at the True Immortal Realm." Feeling the might that had remained extremely condensed even after countless tens of thousands of years on this senior flood dragon, Fang Longye concluded.

Associating this with the wisps of essence he had seen leaking from the gap in the formation earlier, he suddenly understood: "Could it be that the Long River stretching for ten thousand miles outside was formed by the essence of this flood dragon after its death?"

A probe by his primordial spirit revealed that besides these remains, this fallen senior flood dragon had only a stone seal and a conch accompanying it.

In the vast karst cave, there was nothing else.

"But this is enough." Fang Longye beckoned with his hand, and a drop of brilliant golden blood and a bead the size of a fist flew out from the flood dragon's remains, landing in his palm.

These were precisely the essence blood and Dragon Pearl left behind by this flood dragon.

Looking at the two most important treasures within these remains, he smiled and said, "Not to mention anything else, having these two legacies left behind makes this trip worthwhile!"

Ignoring everything else, he first put the Dragon Pearl into his pocket and examined the drop of essence blood in his hand, which shone like amber.

No longer suppressing the impulse in his heart, he swallowed the drop of essence blood left by the flood dragon in one gulp and began to refine it.

After all, it was a legacy of a flood dragon at least at the True Immortal Realm.

Even though countless years had passed since its death, and its entire essence had drained away to evolve into a ten-thousand-mile river in this Small World.

The essence blood left behind still contained a massive gift.

As soon as he absorbed and refined it, this essence blood dispersed throughout his body, not only releasing a vast amount of Dharma to fuse with, but also strengthening his own Dragon Clan bloodline.

Unlike the gentle medicinal power of the Dragon Blood Ginseng from before, the transformation of his physical body after the flood dragon's essence blood entered was drastic and heavy-handed; the feeling was truly painful to the bone marrow.

His bloodline boiled, his tendons and veins were pulled and stretched by an invisible force, opening up new meridians. His muscles were also pulled to shift positions and change shape.

A mysterious force permeated inward into the bones of his entire body, but it was not gentle at all, like countless dense steel needles continuously piercing him.

Even his bone marrow felt as if it were being scraped by swords and blades, or scorched by fire.

Under such pain, Fang Longye could not help but reveal his original form, tossing and rolling on the ground.

During this process, his originally overly bloated waist and abdomen retracted, no longer appearing as they had before; the unique reverse scales of the Dragon Clan grew under his throat, and he completely transformed into the form of a flood dragon, his body growing continuously until it exceeded a hundred zhang.

The single horn on his forehead split into two, pulled by an inexplicable force to move toward both sides, growing and curving as it moved.

A bulge appeared in the center of his forehead a short distance forward, which then cracked open, giving birth to another single horn; it was not as long as the curved and sharp pair of horns he now had, only about half the length, with a curved arc, bright as a blade.

His primordial spirit also twisted continuously, finally transforming into the form of a flood dragon with pale scales, golden patterns, and a triangular head.

The dragon soul was born!

Then, his primordial spirit flickered and returned to human form, sitting cross-legged in his Purple Mansion.

With this, the pain dissipated completely.

It was as if a chronic illness had been cleared away; it was indescribably refreshing! This was not the end; his primordial spirit sat in his Purple Mansion, and all around, like a spider web interwoven with starlight hanging down, indescribable mysteries came one after another, layer upon layer.

These mysteries were all fragments of memory and cultivation insights of the original owner of the flood dragon contained within this drop of essence blood.

Fusing together, they felt substantial, unprecedented.

Various illusions played out in his mind.

The firmament was stained with blood, and the earth cracked open.

In the vast and boundless world, there were only figures of Humans, Demons, Immortals, and Buddhist beings slaughtering each other.

A baleful aura that covered the sky and earth filled the entire world.

A Human Race army, holding high the Black Bird battle flags and black dragon banners, wearing ancient black and red armor, fought in a melee with Immortals, Demons, gods, and Buddhist beings, wielding divine weapons and sweeping across all directions.

"Who says you have no clothes? I will share my robes with you. The King raises his army, I repair my spears and lances. I will share your hatred! Who says you have no clothes? I will share my undergarments with you. The King raises his army, I repair my spears and halberds. I will work with you! Who says you have no clothes? I will share my garments with you. The King raises his army, I repair my armor and weapons. I will march with you!"

A stirring and passionate war song resounded through the Three Realms.

"Repair my war sword, kill my way to the Nine Heavens. If the blood does not run dry, I swear I will not stop fighting!"

High above, princes, nobles, and generals shed their luxurious clothes, all donning armor and holding blades, driving ancient war chariots, fighting incessantly with the many Immortals and gods of the Heavenly Realm, marching toward the Heavenly Court above the Nine Heavens.

At the peak of the firmament, in a massive projection of a phantom image, an emperor wearing a crown and imperial robes fought in a melee with more than a dozen great powers, calm and composed, wielding his sword with ease.

A winding, endless, and towering city wall suppressed everything behind him—the Demon Kings shouted: "My sons, the Human Race's heart to destroy us never dies; the survival of the Demon Clan depends on this battle! Kill! Our Demon Clan shall never be slaves!"

The Immortal sects wailed: "Great Heavenly Venerables, open your eyes and look! What kind of wolfish ambition and ingratitude does the Human Race have? Destroying mountains and smashing temples, it is all before our eyes! They want to wipe out all the disciples of our Immortal sects!"

In the firmament, the corpses of Immortals, Demons, Humans, and gods fell to the earth from time to time, turning into mountains, forests, deserts, vegetation, rivers, and magnificent wonders.

Amidst the slaughter, less than one in a hundred living beings in the entire world remained. The fragments of heaven and earth broken by the influence of the battle were countless, and innumerable Small Worlds were derived from them.

After a long time, Fang Longye opened his dragon eyes, his pupils filled with the lingering aura of slaughter.

Under the Dharma Treasure Heart-Clearing Crown, he finally calmed his mind. When he came to his senses, his Purple Mansion was dim, his sea of consciousness was withered, and his primordial spirit was severely damaged.

He shook his body and transformed back into human form. Too busy to examine his current changes, he, pale-faced, hurriedly took out the Dragon Pearl left behind by the flood dragon, placed it into his abdomen, and continuously refined it, absorbing the power within to recover from his injuries.

Fang Longye ruminated on the scenes from the memory fragments of the flood dragon predecessor and sighed to himself: "As expected of the Immortal Qin's war against the heavens; such might is truly terrifying. Merely observing the scenes in the memory has caused my primordial spirit such damage."

"Furthermore, it is fortunate that the Golden Finger 'Equivalent Balance' concealed the Heavenly Secrets, otherwise, I would likely have been sensed by those great beings the moment I observed their phantoms above the firmament within those memory fragments."

……

After tending to his injuries, Fang Longye was filled with joy. He could not help but be pleasantly surprised; the fortuitous opportunity he had obtained was simply enough to make one feel lightheaded and dazed, as if in a dream—this fallen flood dragon predecessor was originally a True Immortal Realm subordinate of a Taiyi Realm flood dragon who lived deep within the East Sea.

And this Taiyi Realm flood dragon great demon was one of the nine flood dragons that pulled the carriage for Di Jun during the ancient era.

With such a background, even a True Immortal Realm lackey like him was knowledgeable and possessed vast Dharma power.

The First Emperor leading the Immortal Qin to war against the heavens was not merely declaring war on the Heavenly Court, but intended to unify the Four Seas and the Eight Wildernesses, becoming the co-ruler of immortals, demons, humans, gods, and all living things.

This was a struggle between heaven and man, a necessary step for the Human Dao to rule the heavens, belonging to the confrontation between the Human Dao and the Heavenly Dao.

Whether as a member of the human race or a cultivator comprehending the Heavenly Dao, none could avoid being drawn into it.

Searching mountains and inspecting seas, destroying mountains and breaking temples—it was nothing more than this.

Unless one achieved the Great Luo, one would not have the right to stand on the sidelines and watch the game.

During this process, this True Immortal predecessor stole a fundamental Dharma technique and a Spirit Treasure from his own boss and ran away.

Only, he did not expect that this great war would spread so extensively; even though he fled to Beiju Luzhou, it was of no avail.

He was still caught in the collateral damage of the attacks from both sides and fell into this Small World. He wanted to heal his injuries, but because they were Dao Injuries, he could not heal himself, and in the end, he breathed his last—

Leaving behind all these fortunes, which benefited Fang Longye.

Fang Longye examined himself; the original single horn on his head had transformed into light golden twin horns. Although they had not yet grown branches like a True Dragon, they could be considered imposing and extraordinary.

However, he still found the newly grown bright silver single horn somewhat unsightly, even though it was already quite harmonious.

"What is going on? Why must a third horn grow out? Am I a flood dragon or a hedgehog?"

Fang Longye did not feel that being different was good at all; it was too eye-catching.

It would be better to look just like an ordinary flood dragon!

He shook his head, set aside his thoughts, and began to introspect the changes within his body.

He discovered that as he transformed into a flood dragon, the blood in his body became increasingly heavy, like lead and mercury, and its color had turned into a pale gold.

His bones were also thicker and harder, and more miraculously, some golden stripes appeared on them, as if they contained the profound principles of heaven and earth; looking at them for too long would make one sink deep into them.

Within the bone marrow, which was like frost and snow, golden threads appeared, weaving into a net, continuously releasing a strange aura that penetrated deep within.

"Look at these dragon tendons; truly worthy of a flood dragon. This kind of toughness and elasticity is perfect for making bowstrings; even if refined into a treasure alone, it would be enough to forge a top-grade Dharma treasure like a Heaven-Binding Rope. No wonder they say the Dragon Clan is a treasure trove!" Fang Longye clicked his tongue in wonder as he looked at his increasingly tough and elastic dragon tendons.

"Pah! What am I thinking!" Fang Longye, having reacted, cursed himself for being insane, actually contemplating the utility value of his own body parts—

Just as he was pondering, the inner core, which had been continuously absorbing his own essence, Qi, and spirit since he achieved the flood dragon body, had completely transformed into a Dragon Pearl, becoming increasingly dazzling.

It was different from the inner cores condensed by ordinary Demon Clan members.

After a Demon Clan member condenses an inner core, there is little need to continue absorbing their own essence, Qi, and spirit; they only need to allocate a portion of solar and lunar essence and heaven and earth spiritual energy during cultivation.

But the Dragon Pearl is different; from the moment the Dragon Pearl is born, every time the cultivation level advances, the Dragon Pearl must absorb the individual's essence, Qi, and spirit to increase its power.

A single Dragon Pearl almost gathers one-third of the essence of a Dragon Clan member, containing everything from essence, Qi, and spirit. Even Dragon Clan members who reach the Golden Immortal Realm will use their own origin to infuse it to enhance the power of the Dragon Pearl.

Just like the Dragon Pearl of the True Immortal Realm flood dragon that Fang Longye obtained, it was not only exceptionally sturdy and powerful enough to rival a Spirit Treasure, but the amount of Dao Rhyme insights and essence energy hidden within was also enough to push him to the True Immortal Realm.

It can be said that the current cultivation method of the Demon Clan condensing inner cores is all learned from the Dragon Clan. There is even a rumor that even the art of alchemy was inspired by the Dragon Pearl of the Dragon Clan and created by ancient great beings.

Because of this, the True Immortal-level Dragon Pearl in his hand was naturally not so easy to refine. Even though they were of the same race, it would take a hundred years to fully absorb it.

Having readjusted his state to the best, Fang Longye put the True Immortal-level Dragon Pearl into his pocket.

At present, his Daoist cultivation insights had reached the peak of the Loose Immortal Realm following the baptism of this fortuitous opportunity.

His essence, Qi, and spirit were already complete in the Ascension Realm.

Breaking through to the Loose Immortal Realm was right before his eyes—strike while the iron is hot!

As his thoughts turned, a black hole, tiny to the extreme, appeared out of thin air in his dantian Qi sea.

The thick and extraordinary essence, Qi, and spirit he had accumulated immediately poured into his dantian like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, swallowed without a drop left by that seemingly insatiable black hole.

A colorful cocoon appeared in his dantian and then submerged into his Purple Mansion.

His physical form withered, his Dharma power vanished, and his soul was extinguished. His entire body was like a dried-up skeleton, without a trace of vitality.

During this process, Fang Longye continuously questioned his original heart.

"What is the purpose of cultivation?"

"Is it the Dao in the dark?" "No, at least not entirely."

"My cultivation has always been for immortality and eternal bliss."

"Should one not be single-minded toward the Dao and forget the emotions of heaven and earth?"

"Being toward the Dao is necessary, for only the Dao is eternal. But cultivation should not be just for the Dao; what I want is freedom and the eternal existence of my consciousness. If I cultivate into a Dao without thought or feeling, how is this different from extinction?"

"But are you not afraid that the mundane world will confuse your heart and deep emotions will hinder your Dao?"

"Everything that hinders my eternal life is an external demon and can be cast aside. I am greedy for pleasure, but I want even more to live forever in freedom and stand at the peak of the Great Dao. It is not for the sake of seeking the Dao, but merely out of fear of death."

"Even if it means sacrificing wife, friends, and children?"

"Even if it means sacrificing wife, friends, and children."

……

A hundred days passed in a flash—on this day, the light cocoon in the Purple Mansion creaked, and cracks continuously flashed. Finally, with a 'crack', the light cocoon split open.

A god with a dragon head and human body emerged from the cocoon, standing tall between heaven and earth, eyes like the sun and moon, hair like the stars.

The fragmented cocoon shell transformed into cloud Qi, circling around his body and emitting immeasurable light. Like Pangu in mythology, it suppressed the entire soul and sea of consciousness, making the Purple Mansion and spiritual platform as stable as a mountain.

This was the primordial spirit Dao embryo that Fang Longye had cultivated, possessing the characteristics of essence, Qi, and spirit.

Heavenly sounds resonated, and immortal drums, Dharma conchs, necklaces, cloud mushrooms, and fish-dragon precious lotuses were faintly visible around his body.

A strand of Innate Clear Qi fell from an unknown place into his physical body.

The Primordial Spirit Dao Embryo absorbed this Clear Qi, continuously gushing forth extremely pure vital essence and Dharma power.

His withered physical body, under the feedback of the massive amount of pure vital essence, plumped up bit by bit, recovering as it was before, and even better than in the past.

The sound of his massive heartbeat, like thunder, shook the soul.

His own Dragon Pearl, which he had only just achieved not long ago, underwent another baptism of feedback, becoming increasingly crystalline and translucent, emitting a brilliant golden light.

At this point, from death to life, Fang Longye finally achieved the Loose Immortal Realm, with a lifespan of ten thousand and eight hundred years, matching the number of one Great Cycle.

The second chapter for today~ Thank you all for your support! Also, thanks to the big boss Kamen Rider Decade for the tip~ This is the first tip I have received, specially commemorated here.

(End of this chapter)