Chapter 298: Guidance on Cultivation, Secluded Practice at Dongting

Fang Longye held the shrunken stone gate in his hand, and upon hearing the words of Yinglong Laozu, a flash of brilliance crossed his eyes.

Do not abuse it?

It seems Yinglong Laozu also knows in her heart what kind of great weapon of mass destruction this treasure of her enlightenment is to the Dragon Clan.

As the treasure of Yinglong Laozu's enlightenment, the "Dragon Gate" is already peerless within the Dragon Clan, even just in terms of symbolic significance.

Added to its characteristic of restraining all dragons, the two combined make its status within the Dragon Clan almost equivalent to the Imperial Jade Seal plus the Shangfang Sword.

It can be said that with the "Dragon Gate" in hand, not to mention being able to directly command eighty percent of the Taiyi Dragon Lords, even if there are some stubborn ones, it is of no consequence.

The mere restraint the "Dragon Gate" has over dragon-kind creatures is enough to place him in an invincible position.

He estimated that even for a Taiyi Golden Immortal, as long as they possess the Dragon Clan Bloodline, with the "Dragon Gate" in hand, he could destroy them one by one as they come.

It would be as easy and casual as if it were child's play.

Looking at Fang Longye's expression, Yinglong Laozu knew what he was thinking, shook her head, and said, "I said it already, do not abuse it~"

"Understood, understood."

Fang Longye replied repeatedly, his face still grinning from ear to ear. No matter how one looked at it, it did not look like he had taken Yinglong Laozu's words to heart.

Of course, while he feigned ignorance on the surface, he was as clear as a Mirror in his heart.

To put it bluntly, Yinglong Laozu letting him hold the "Dragon Gate" was to make him, the Young Lord, appear legitimate, and at the same time, to give him a trump card to save his life at critical moments.

It was not for him to take the "Dragon Gate" and bully others everywhere, using the "Dragon Gate" to suppress every Dragon Clan Taiyi he encountered.

But then again~ everything has a limit. If he really found a Dragon Clan Taiyi unpleasant to the eye, it would be no big deal to occasionally settle a personal score.

It would just be a matter of turning a blind eye.

Yinglong Laozu cast a sidelong glance at the gleeful Fang Longye. How could she not know what schemes he was harboring in his heart? It was just that,

as long as it was not excessive, she would let him be~

"Don't just look at the "Dragon Gate's" power in combat~" Yinglong Laozu said meaningfully, "I let you hold the Dragon Gate, but it is not just for that."

"It is also because it has considerable benefits for the transformation of your Bloodline."

Fang Longye was stunned for a moment, reined in his joy, and seemed to have realized something.

He asked, "Could it be Leaping the Dragon Gate?"

This treasure of Yinglong Laozu's enlightenment, when it comes down to it, is not a Spirit Treasure for attacking, but a treasure that practices her Great Dao.

All that talk about restraining the myriad dragons of Honghuang or suppressing the peerless are just some incidental traits of this treasure, not its true purpose.

The proper purpose of this "Dragon Gate" is to assist Yinglong Laozu in smelting the bloodlines of all things and Reverse Innate.

And after she attained the Great Dao, this "Dragon Gate," as her treasure of enlightenment, could not only be used to assist her own cultivation, but could also turn back to help other living beings use it to transform into dragons.

This point alone made the "Dragon Gate," a treasure of enlightenment that originally belonged to an individual, a foundation for the endless continuity of the Dragon Clan's fortune.

"That's right, it is Leaping the Dragon Gate!"

Yinglong Laozu nodded and said.

"This treasure of my enlightenment is the manifestation of the principle of my bloodline transformation, and it has an unimaginable effect on the transformation of all things in the universe into dragons."

"Anyone who possesses dragon nature has the opportunity to summon its projection, regardless of distance or location."

"Dragon nature?"

Fang Longye's eyes flashed.

"That's right, it only requires the living being to possess dragon nature; even if they don't have a shred of Dragon Clan Bloodline, it doesn't matter," Yinglong Laozu replied.

She continued, "Through the projection, one can arrive at the true Dragon Gate. As long as one can leap over the Dragon Gate, even if one has no Dragon Clan Bloodline, the Dragon Gate will bestow upon them a wisp of True Dragon blood, using this as a guide to help them reshape their true body."

"And as long as one leaps over the Dragon Gate multiple times, one can use the power of the Dragon Gate to devour other mixed bloodlines, keeping the essence and discarding the dross."

"In the end, one will naturally attain the Yinglongzhishhen~"

And the True Dragon here naturally refers to the Yinglongzhishhen.

No wonder~ Fang Longye thought to himself, no wonder Yinglong Laozu declared that all things can transform into dragons.

Dragon nature is not bloodline, but a kind of identification with the Dragon Clan, a kind of admiration.

Theoretically, as long as you have a yearning for the Dragon Clan, understand the concepts of the Dragon Clan, and are captivated by the glory of the Dragon Clan, that counts as a kind of dragon nature.

To put it bluntly, those who possess dragon nature are no different in essence from those in his past life who were obsessed with foreign cultures.

Hmm~ if one really had to say it, "Whoever has dragon nature can transform into a dragon" is quite similar to the saying, "Whoever has Buddhist nature can become a Buddha."

I wonder who borrowed from whom.

Recognize the Dragon Clan, understand the Dragon Clan, become the Dragon Clan.

This requirement is too low.

The lower the origin of a living being, the more they want to improve their origin, and they wouldn't care about anything else.

"No wonder the 'Dragon Gate' would become a foundation treasure of the Dragon Clan," Fang Longye muttered in his heart.

Absorbing other races into the Dragon Clan in this way is equivalent to continuously strengthening the Dragon Clan, and over time, who knows how much fortune it has seized.

If the "Dragon Gate" could not become a foundation treasure of the Dragon Clan, it would simply be intolerable to the laws of heaven.

"It's not as simple as you think~" Yinglong Laozu saw Fang Longye's expression and shook her head: "You also practice the 'Yin and Yang Great Vehicle Dragon Transformation Scripture', don't you know the difficulty of transforming one's origin and bloodline?"

"Although this is not Reverse Innate, it can still be considered a change of fate~"

Fang Longye nodded in agreement. The transformation of origin and bloodline is indeed not easy~

Yinglong Laozu continued to explain: "Summoning the Dragon Gate is simple, as long as one possesses dragon nature, but wanting to leap over the Dragon Gate is not that easy~"

"Those who can truly leap over the Dragon Gate and change their fate are one in ten thousand. Not to mention leaping over the Dragon Gate multiple times~"

She paused and continued: "And leaping the Dragon Gate tests a living being's will. It's not that if you have strong strength or a thick bloodline, you can leap over it~"

"In fact, the stronger the strength, the greater the difficulty of leaping the Dragon Gate. After all, only by breaking through one's own limits can one change one's fate~"

"And once one fails to leap over the Dragon Gate, the best case is bloodline collapse, and the worst case is death on the spot."

After Yinglong Laozu finished explaining how the "Dragon Gate" causes all living things to transform into the Dragon Clan, she picked up a cup of clear tea from the table and took a sip.

A moment later,

she set down the teacup and continued: "You practice the 'Yin and Yang Great Vehicle Dragon Transformation Scripture', so you should have noticed it, right? Before you Reverse Innate, the traits of other bloodlines you have devoured, although smelted into your own bloodline, have not transcended their original shackles."

Upon hearing this, Fang Longye felt a stir in his heart.

It was indeed as Yinglong Laozu said; he truly had this feeling, as if they had not been completely smelted into his own bloodline.

Of course, this description was not accurate.

To be precise, it was like a shackle of karmic entanglement. For instance, if a member of the Witch Clan were here, they would be able to sense that he had smelted Wu Clan Essence Blood.

And if one were to transcend these shackles, no one should be able to sense what he had smelted into his bloodline.

He immediately nodded in agreement, while pricking up his ears to listen carefully.

"Of course, this does not affect you."

Seeing Fang Longye's posture, Yinglong Laozu's gaze flickered, appearing to be in approval.

"As long as you succeed in Reversing Innate and reach the stage of an Innate being, you will be able to transcend these shackles." "No matter what it is, it will be truly smelted into one, without distinction. By then, you can also be considered an ancestor of a lineage~"

"However—" she changed the subject: "With my treasure of enlightenment in hand, you can sort out what you have smelted while still in the Post-Heaven Stage and transcend these shackles."

"Only in this way will you not face a greater Calamity when you Reverse Innate~"

Yinglong Laozu's gaze was distant, as if recalling the hardships and tribulations she faced when she once Reversed Innate.

"You must know, these shackles will turn into a Calamity to hinder your transformation when you Reverse Innate and undergo your metamorphosis."

Hearing Yinglong Laozu's explanation, Fang Longye couldn't help but stroke the "Dragon Gate" in his hand, feeling fortunate to have such a predecessor.

The path and the pitfalls ahead.

Had all been smoothed out and scouted for him~ Although he felt that even without Yinglong Laozu's reminder, he could have pushed through it, wouldn't it be better to have less hardship and difficulty? Must one insist on walking into the tiger's den when one knows there is a tiger inside? If there were benefits, that would be one thing. The point is, what the heck is the benefit of a pitfall on the path of cultivation? Seeing that Fang Longye took her reminder to heart, Yinglong Laozu smiled.

She said gently: "I have a scripture here, which is a new secret technique created based on the 'Yin and Yang Great Vehicle Dragon Transformation Scripture', and it also has the effect of Reversing Innate."

As she spoke, she pointed with her hand, and the auspicious energy and colorful radiance behind her dispersed, causing countless seal characters to fall and swirl, transforming into a Jade Slip.

The Jade Slip was crystal clear, covered in dense Dao Patterns that coiled into five dragons, landing in Fang Longye's arms.

"However, I am giving you this secret technique not for you to practice it, but for you to combine the two and realize a secret technique that belongs to you."

"Every living being is unique; it is better for divine abilities and secret techniques to be tailored to oneself."

Fang Longye nodded repeatedly. He understood the principle that those who imitate him live, while those who resemble him die.

Seeing that Fang Longye had taken her words to heart, Yinglong Laozu couldn't help but laugh.

For a young person, listening to advice is not a bad thing.

At the very least, it shows one knows what's good for them; unlike those in Qiantang, for whom the path was already paved, yet one by one they were so arrogant that they insisted on carving out their own smooth path.

Isn't that just being full and having nothing better to do? She covered her mouth and yawned, waving her long sleeves, causing a halo to ripple.

"Alright~ I have bestowed all the good things upon you."

"You have traveled a long way and gained quite a lot. I imagine you are already impatient to go into seclusion and practice~"

Yinglong Laozu naturally kept a constant watch on him and knew his current situation.

"Hmm~ if you are going into seclusion."

She thought for a moment and said: "I have opened up a Grotto-Heaven here in the Dongting Dragon Palace. It is a pure land, shielded by my power. Staying inside, you will be immune to Calamity, and no one will be able to disturb you."

"Then many thanks to Laozu for the care~"

Fang Longye bowed and saluted.

He truly needed a period of seclusion at this moment; there were too many things on hand to deal with~ Just his gains from that Deep Sea Secret Realm alone were waiting for him to process and use.

Not to mention the various good things he had obtained from Yinglong Laozu~ all of which required time for him to sort out.

Seeing him like this, Yinglong Laozu understood that he had agreed to her suggestion.

She immediately pointed a finger, and from the divine light behind her, a Jade Command an inch long floated out and slowly landed in front of Fang Longye.

Fang Longye took the Jade Command and saw that the patterns on it were like wings, appearing blue-purple and lifelike.

"This is the decree for that Grotto-Heaven. Keep it safe; if you lose it, you will be able to get in, but not get out."

Fang Longye kept it close to his body and saluted again: "Many thanks, Laozu~"

"Shall I send you into that Grotto-Heaven now?"

Fang Longye nodded in confirmation.

Seeing him nod, Yinglong Laozu immediately waved her Jade Ruyi, and a burst of divine sound resonated, like the ringing of bells and chimes.

The Qi filled the four directions, and the clouds rolled in from all sides.

A vast and inconceivable power descended, landing on Fang Longye.

Fang Longye instantly felt a dizzying sensation as if space-time were shattering like glass, with clusters of floating light all around him.

After a bout of spinning, when he recovered, he found that he had already arrived at that Grotto-Heaven.

This Grotto-Heaven did not look large, only about a million miles in size, and seventy percent of it was ocean, surrounding an Immortal Island in the center.

The tides rose and fell, and flowers bloomed across the sky.

The spiritual essence was abundant to the extreme, drifting and scattering, condensing into mist that dampened one's clothes; Fang Longye could even feel a wisp of Xiantian Spiritual Essence permeating the air.

It was just different from the outside world.

In the entire world, there were no living creatures. No birds in the woods, no insects under the stones, no fish in the water,... and so on.

"It makes sense; this is, after all, a place for people to go into seclusion and practice, so it is natural to avoid any disturbance."

Even if ordinary creatures could not disturb one's cultivation, it was clearly meant to avoid all accidents and ensure nothing went wrong.

"I shall find a place for seclusion."

Fang Longye continued forward and found an open area; here, the green clouds had just parted, the clear stones looked as if they had been washed, and the mountains reflected the water's color—a deep, tranquil scene that was very pleasing to the eye.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, choosing this place as his location for seclusion.

After a period of meditation and breath regulation, Fang Longye did not immediately begin his cultivation, but instead recalled his experiences during this period.

"I can only say, this trip was worth it!"

Thinking of his gains during this time, Fang Longye was full of spirit, with joy that could not be concealed between his brows.

First, at Huaijing with Wuzhiqi, he had harvested a batch of treasures, greatly strengthening his foundation.

Then, in the Secret Realm of the battlefield between the Longbo Clan and the Giant Ao Clan, he had also scavenged quite a few things. In particular, the remains of the two clans were none lower than the Great Luo level.

And then, there were his gains this time from Yinglong Laozu. The position of Young Lord of the Dragon Clan, the relics of the Horned Dragon, the supreme treasure "Dragon Gate,"... and so on and so forth.

Even though he had unexpectedly been schemed against and forced into marriage by Yinglong Laozu this time, Fang Longye was still incredibly excited.

For no other reason than that she truly gave too much!

It was hard for him to dwell on the schemes involved in the process.

"However, that grudge against that little wench Long Xuan must still be avenged!"

Fang Longye was still very vengeful.

Expecting him to forget that whipping in a short time was impossible.

After some inexplicable, sinister laughter, Fang Longye flipped his palm and took out the Jade Slip that recorded the secret Dharma of Yinglong Laozu.

As his magic power entered and circulated within, the information inside the Jade Slip entered his eyes, and a magnificent and grand scripture immediately appeared in his mind.

Every word was a pearl of wisdom, all-encompassing.

It sparked infinite flashes of wisdom within him, and countless insights leaped, collided, emerged, perished, and combined in his mind.

"'Yinglong Sutra'?"

Fang Longye was stunned; this was far more than just a secret Dharma to Reverse Innate! It was clearly the fundamental Dharma of Yinglong Laozu herself.

He immediately multi-tasked, digesting what he had gained during this period to slowly improve in every aspect, while simultaneously immersing himself in his spiritual platform to take this opportunity to continue comprehending various principles.

(End of this chapter)