Chapter 326: Ending the Journey West, Returning to the North

"You guy who doesn't keep your word!"

"You just promised, absolutely proper, only bathing. If you lay a hand on me, you're a little puppy! You beast!"

Yang Chan forcefully suppressed the urge to moan, scolding Fang Longye weakly.

"Woof!"

……

After some fondling and playing,

Fang Longye ultimately restrained his impulses, not breaking the final bottom line, choosing the latter between being a beast and being worse than a beast.

It really wasn't that he was worse than a beast; it was truly that Yang Chan placed great importance on the words of matchmakers, insisting on guarding the final bottom line before marriage.

If he forced it, Yang Chan would truly fall out with him. In fact, he had already broken through several of her bottom lines by this point.

If one were to follow Yang Chan's previous concepts, how could he have been allowed to knead and rub her all over?

After satisfying his cravings, Fang Longye no longer forced the issue. Fearing that he might accidentally cross the line, he turned over, closed his eyes, and lay back in the hot spring.

He began to enjoy the sensation of the Sun True Fire in Zhuogou Quan tempering his body, a feeling a thousand or ten thousand times more comfortable than a massage from his past life.

His hands still touched here and there from time to time, but his mind was extremely empty, enjoying this rare, carefree moment.

After a period of emptying his mind, Fang Longye employed supernatural powers like 'Insight of Partitioned Walls' to investigate the reality of this Zhuogou Quan.

"Alright~ stop wasting your effort!"

Yang Chan lay in the pool and said lazily: "Do you think others don't know that this Nine Sun Spring was transformed from those Nine Golden Crows?"

Seeing Fang Longye in a treasure-hunting posture, she said crossly: "Since this Zhuogou Quan descended into the world, it has experienced the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and various eras. Good things were long ago explored and taken away by others; could they still be left for you?"

This was indeed the truth.

Actually, these various hot springs transformed from the Nine Golden Crows were indeed not simple.

After all,

These nine little Golden Crows were, in any case, innate beings at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, their inherent essence extremely profound.

Their transformation upon falling naturally possessed incomparable wonders, and it was absolutely not as simple as what was seen today.

The Nine Sun Springs, including Zhuogou Quan, were all just projections and miniatures, counting as the tip of a small lotus leaf. The most important and critical parts were all hidden in the dark, mysterious space.

But what Fang Longye could think of, others could naturally think of as well, and they even knew more than he did.

Back then, the two brothers Di Jun and Taiyi were disliked by everyone and everything, and they had offended quite a few people.

When they were alive, others only dared to watch the joke and did not dare to lay a hand on the ruins left behind after the nine little Golden Crows fell.

After the Lich War, both brothers had already perished, and there were plenty of people who acted unscrupulously.

The Nine Sun Springs had naturally long been dug three feet deep, their bones extracted and marrow sucked, and explored clean.

Sure enough, even though Fang Longye let his power of mind permeate Zhuogou Quan and spread into various spaces, he ultimately gained nothing.

This was the disadvantage of being born late; good things had long been snatched away by predecessors, and what was left for latecomers could be described as very little.

……

After resting for a while at Zhuogou Quan, Fang Longye and Yang Chan continued their journey, heading west.

Only, walking along the way,

Apart from Shituo Wang's Shituo Guo, there were no people or things familiar to Fang Longye. Clearly, at this time, the Journey to the West had not yet begun, and many people and things had not yet returned to their positions.

It just so happened that at this time, Yinglong Laozu sent a message saying that the marriage had been properly arranged and that Fang Longye should return home early to arrange his own Daoist temple.

In this way, it was naturally brought to a hasty conclusion.

After sending Yang Chan back to Huashan, Fang Longye followed the instructions in Yinglong Laozu's message and returned to Dongting Dragon Palace.

"Greetings, Laozu~"

It was the same original palace; after Fang Longye entered, he bowed respectfully.

Yinglong Laozu sat upright above, proper and dignified, with ten thousand acres of auspicious clouds atop her head, and pearl curtains of jade tassels hanging down; the whole person was graceful and noble.

Her gaze moved, possessing an inexplicable radiance, and she said: "Yuanlong, this time you are not only marrying Xuan'er and that Third Holy Mother. That person from Zhongnan Mountain also arranged a marriage for you~"

Fang Longye's heart stirred, but his face remained calm, without joy or worry.

Yinglong Laozu nodded secretly and continued: "You also know the object of this marriage. You just met her not long ago. That is the beloved little Princess of that person from the Blood Sea~"

Fine, now my backyard is going to be lively.

Fang Longye's face remained as before, but he complained in his heart.

"You have just become a Taiyi Loose Immortal; I imagine you don't have many good things on hand. The betrothal gifts and such, the clan will provide for you~"

That's not bad, Fang Longye thought to himself.

It wasn't that he was stingy, wanting to take advantage of Yinglong Laozu and the Dragon Clan even when getting married.

It was truly that the people he was to marry did not have simple identities. The betrothal gifts required—if he had to provide them, it could cost him half his life, and he might not even be able to gather them.

"Additionally,"

Yinglong Laozu pointed with her hand, and from behind her, the mist dispersed, lifting up a delicate Jade Pot. Nine dragons were coiled upon it, hanging upside down, holding a precious pearl; it was crystal clear. She said: "As the saying goes, establish a family and a career. Your Daoist temple is not presentable now. Here is some Heaven and Earth Essence; after you return, integrate it into your own Daoist temple and arrange it well."

"Lest others laugh at our Dragon Clan for being so down-and-out that even the place where the Young Lord resides is so shabby~"

Fang Longye took it and heard the gurgling sound of water from the Jade Pot. He opened it and was immediately shocked; the Heaven and Earth Essence inside was too much to look at, far too much.

This Heaven and Earth Essence was refined from various rare treasures and had more than just the function of upgrading a Daoist temple; it was also excellent to use as cultivation resources.

Fang Longye roughly estimated that with so much Heaven and Earth Essence, it could at least pile him up to a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Yet now it had to be used to upgrade the Daoist temple, just to bolster his reputation and for the sake of a little face.

It was truly a bit of a waste of heavenly treasures.

Yinglong Laozu seemed to see through Fang Longye's thoughts and spoke to remind him: "Upon reaching the Taiyi Realm, the growth of cultivation lies in one's own comprehension of the Great Dao. This Heaven and Earth Essence can indeed pile up your realm."

"But a Great Dao that has not been tempered by oneself is like a pile of sand, vulnerable to a single blow."

"Additionally, a Daoist temple is very important to a practitioner. Managing a Daoist temple is by no means just the homework of 'Earth Immortal Dao' cultivators~"

Fang Longye gave a sheepish smile and said, "I understand, Laozu, rest assured. I am not so shortsighted; I still understand the principle of long-term gains."

"Enough!"

Yinglong Laozu waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about anything else as the groom. When the time comes, I will specifically send people to your Daoist temple to help you arrange all matters."

"You just wait to be the groom!"

"Then this junior will take his leave!"

Fang Longye took his leave and departed from this palace.

Streaming light cast shadows, and the pavilions were bathed in color.

As soon as Fang Longye came out, he heard the crisp sound of bells ringing, one after another.

Raising his eyes to look, he saw Long Xuan coming from the opposite side. She was wearing a palace dress, her lotus steps moved lightly, her hair was casually coiled up and gathered to one side, and she was humming a little tune.

Looking at her appearance, her mood was quite good.

However, upon seeing Fang Longye, she wilted. Her delicate nose wrinkled, and her mouth pouted high, which Fang Longye found quite amusing.

He had never seen her look so cute before.

Fang Longye flickered his body, arrived before her, reached out to pinch her cheeks, and bullied her fiercely: "Our wedding is near, little lass, you must prepare my dowry well. If the dowry you bring is not substantial, watch out, or I will cast you into the cold palace!"

Having said that, regardless of her reaction, he laughed heartily and strode away.

…… "What? You want me to marry that little thief?"

In the Nether Blood Sea, within the Blood God Palace.

Iron Fan Princess said with a bewildered face.

It turned out that she had just returned to the Nether Blood Sea and had not yet sat down when she was summoned by Laozu and heard this arrangement.

"Laozu~" She revealed a fawning expression on her face and begged, "Can we not—"

"Luochaner," Minghe Laozu's eyes glowed with brilliant divine light, as if he could see through all the heavens and worlds, "Do not be willful—"

Seeing Minghe Laozu like this, Iron Fan Princess knew the Laozu's nature of always meaning what he said, so she did not resist further and accepted it.

As an Asura woman, she did not care about whether she married or not; she simply did not mind.

Feeling a bit awkward at the moment was only because the person she was to marry was a little thief with whom she had had conflicts time and time again.

Truth be told, she at least knew the roots and bottom of this little thief, which was better than marrying a complete stranger.

"Luochaner, do you have any requests?" Minghe Laozu asked upon seeing Iron Fan Princess like this.

"Then Laozu, my dowry must be substantial, otherwise I will be bullied to death by others!"

Iron Fan Princess rolled her eyes, hugged Minghe Laozu's arm, and began to act like a spoiled child.

"I'd like to see who dares to bully my good granddaughter!" Minghe Laozu raised his sword-like eyebrows and said coldly.

"That's hard to say, anyway, granddaughter's dowry must be substantial, otherwise I won't be able to speak firmly in my husband's family later~"

"Fine, fine, fine! I will certainly prepare a substantial dowry for you, Luochaner!"

……

Guanjiangkou, Erlang God Mansion.

"Second Master, it's bad!"

Li Huanzhang, one of the Meishan Six Sages, ran hurriedly to Yang Jian and said, "Young Miss has swept your treasury clean, and is currently moving your cellar of Immortal Brew!"

Yang Jian covered his face and sighed deeply; a daughter grown is hard to keep! Just as he was about to say something, his brow twitched, and he saw his own sister fluttering in. As soon as she entered the door, she shouted, "Second Brother, I was just looking for you!"

"I remember you obtained a pool of immortal lotuses before, why is it nowhere to be seen?"

Hearing this, Yang Jian's head ached terribly, and he said, "Before, when Li Tianwang had his birthday, that pool of Nine Flower Heart-Clearing Lotus was given away by me as a congratulatory gift—"

After explaining, he suppressed the urge to settle scores with Fang Longye and said in a gentle voice, "Sister, your dowry has already been prepared by Second Brother, you don't need to worry—"

"Who said I was preparing a dowry?" Yang Chan said dismissively, "How much have I taken from you? Second Brother, why be so stingy?"

"A daughter grown is hard to keep; she hasn't even married yet, and she's already thinking about scraping family assets from me." Yang Jian said with a look of frustration.

"You've been playing outside with that brat for so long, and I haven't seen you scrape anything back from him."

Yang Chan said unhappily, "Since Fang Lang descended into the world, how long has he been cultivating? He has to start a family and establish a career, how could he have any surplus?"

"Yes, yes, the poor brat has nothing, but I do. Once I move mine over, he will have it—"

Yang Jian's face turned dark, and he said, "It's fortunate that I only have you as a sister; if there were a few more, I'm afraid no amount of family fortune would be enough to move away—"

"Second Brother, humph! You are just stingy—"

"I am stingy?"

Yang Jian rolled his eyes and said, "Why don't you just dismantle my Guanjiangkou and take it away—"

Hearing this, Yang Chan's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Why didn't I think of that? All the good things are used by you, Second Brother, to decorate your own Daoist temple!"

Yang Jian was so angry that he wished he could stretch out his palm to tear open space, pull someone out, and give them a good thrashing.

……

Beiju Luzhou.

Fang Longye naturally did not know about these things. Since leaving Dongting Lake, he did not hesitate, directly tore through the void, and returned to Beiju Luzhou.

However, he did not return to his own Daoist temple immediately, but came to the Middle Thousand World transformed by the Honghu he had found earlier.

It was just that now, with the improvement of his realm and the growth of his Inner World, he now had the means to enter the Honghu World, which was previously difficult to access.

Anyway, he was not holding the wedding immediately; there was still plenty of time to arrange the Daoist temple and make various preparations.

Sitting upright on a cliff rock, Fang Longye reached out and took out the 'Prison Phoenix Cage'; the Luan bird from before was still staying inside quietly.

Ignoring this Luan bird that had been in a deep sleep, he reached out to collect a drop of her essence blood, combined it with his own essence blood, and transformed it into a vibrant Divine Egg.

This Divine Egg was covered with ancient and simple patterns, looking like a dragon yet not a dragon, like a phoenix yet not a phoenix; inside, a life seemed to be gestating, breathing in and out.

Then, he exerted his own power to make contact with the world transformed by the remains of the Honghu.

"Dragon Clan, halt!"

"Dragon Clan, halt!!"

As soon as Fang Longye's power collided with this Middle Thousand World, he saw visible ripples spread across the World Membrane, where the faint shadow of a Honghu bird appeared, its feathers magnificent and its talons crimson gold, as it raised its head high and emitted a resolute, murderous sound.

"World Will?"

Fang Longye could still feel the pressure this world, formed from the remains of a Honghu, exerted upon him.

In the past, his experience was insufficient to discern the depth of the World Will's power, but now he had figured it out; it was likely even more biting than a Golden Immortal.

Even though he was now a Taiyi Loose Immortal, he would gain nothing by rashly entering.

Fortunately, Fang Longye had never intended to enter this place in his true body.

Of course,

a necessary collision was still required.

He saw his body flicker, vanishing from the present world and submerging into the dark void of space-time, arriving before the World Membrane of this Middle Thousand World.

He directly revealed his Primal Dragon True Body, extending his iron-like sharp claws toward this world.

It was a posture as if he were about to enter the world before him.

As his claws descended, the sound of tearing silk was exceptionally piercing.

Myriads of sparks erupted from the point of collision, permeating the space-time.

"Decree!"

A crisp sound emanated from the mouth of the Honghu shadow, containing anger, as crimson energy like phoenix claws surged toward Fang Longye.

It sought to block the intruder outside.

Just like that, while pouring out his Aura to confront the World Will of this space-time, he simultaneously employed a deceptive technique to secretly cast the Divine Egg, which combined his own essence with the blood essence of a Luan bird, into the world.

Sure enough, Fang Longye's method proved effective.

The Divine Egg, containing his hidden methods, spun around and entered the Middle Thousand World before him without triggering any reaction.

"What remains now is to wait for the flower to bloom!"

Sensing that the Divine Egg, which carried his consciousness, had fallen into this world without attracting any unseen hostility.

Because it was mixed with the blood essence of that Luan bird, under his deceptive technique, it was regarded by the unseen Will of this world as a native creature blessed with the beauty of creation, receiving a great deal of attention.

Perhaps because he had unreservedly revealed his Dragon Clan true body to attack the World Membrane, the operation of this world had produced a stress response.

It was similar to the posture of cultivating a savior.

In short,

his avatar had quietly and soundlessly infiltrated this Middle Thousand World. (End of chapter)