Chapter 7: Golden Moon Imperial Flowing Plasma, Saving a Century of Effort

Time does not linger; the seasons flow like a stream.

How many times have the flowers fallen before the courtyard, and how many times have the peaches in the mountains ripened and rotted?

One does not notice the length of time in cultivation; in the blink of an eye, another seven years have passed.

In the karst cave at the bottom of an island in the Black Water Wild Marsh, luminous pearls hung from the ceiling, shining brightly. The stone walls on both sides were lush and green with swaying grass, yet the cave itself was filled with jagged white bones scattered everywhere, a chilling and miserable sight—truly the lair of a demon.

In the deepest part of the cave stood a stone bed and a stone platform; there was nothing else.

Around the stone platform was a shallow pool, and Fang Longye was standing right by the water.

One could see he wore a Phoenix Wing Cloud-Rolling Crown on his head, was draped in Tiger Lock Fish Scale Silver Cloud-Edged Armor, wore a Red Brocade Cloak, had a white cloud-patterned robe underneath, and was girded with a Silver White Dragon Pattern Exquisite Belt. Hanging from it was a Cold Star Precious Saber, his feet were shod in a pair of tiger-headed gold-inlaid cloud-rolling battle boots, and he held a Gilded Dragon Pattern Bright Silver Spear in his hand.

Looking only at his back, one could call him heroic and majestic, with the presence of a heavenly god. Unfortunately, when paired with his unsightly beastly face—tsk—this set of equipment was something he had forged with his heart's blood over seven years.

The crown is the Heart-Clearing Crown: made from thousand-year profound ice and hundred-year spiritual jade, refined using the Small Heavenly Dipper Cloud Restriction Method; it clears the heart and sharpens the mind, prevents inner demons from arising, changes at will, possesses 21 Heavenly Dipper Restrictions, and is ranked as a high-grade Dharma Treasure.

The armor is the Heavenly Dipper Armor: a combination of profound iron, copper essence, and a monster-skin lining, possessing 27 Heavenly Dipper Restrictions, a perfect high-grade Dharma Treasure.

The robe is the Dust-Avoiding Robe: lined with celestial silkworm silk, faced with monster beast skin, and refined using the Small Heavenly Dipper Cloud Restriction Method; it features cloud-patterned dragons, is impenetrable to blades and spears, immune to water and fire, can change size at will, possesses 27 Heavenly Dipper Restrictions, and is likewise a perfect high-grade Dharma Treasure; the rope is the Immortal-Binding Rope; the saber is the Heaven-Edge Saber; the boots are the Wind-Cloud Escape; the spear is the Panlong Spear; even the Red Brocade Cloak is a mid-grade Dharma Treasure.

There is just one problem: while he appears fully armed, in reality, most of it cannot see the light of day in the short term.

Fang Longye shook his body, and another, slightly more shabby image appeared.

He wore a Tieye Jilin Jia with 51 Earthly Fiend Restrictions, and a high-grade Dharma Artifact Armor-Piercing Awl hung at his waist; however, the Gilded Dragon Pattern Bright Silver Spear in his hand was not hidden.

This Panlong Spear was a divine weapon-type Dharma Artifact he had forged himself using the "Heavenly Dipper Earthly Fiend Treasure Refining Technique" taught by Qingshe Niangniang; he had currently refined it to 47 Earthly Fiend Restrictions, not far from being a perfect high-grade Dharma Artifact.

Nowadays, these are the only three Dharma Artifacts he can show in public, all painstakingly refined through the treasure-refining technique taught by Qingshe Niangniang.

Fang Longye stared blankly at the white bones covering the floor of the cave. Since he refined the Mitian Banner, more than half of his time had actually been spent in this Black Water Wild Marsh.

Returning to the Jinsha River to collect spiritual materials and precious medicines, then coming back to refine treasures, practice divine abilities, swallow moonlight, and temper his inner core...

Seven years of time passed in the blink of an eye, inadvertently.

Practicing day and night, diligent and unceasing! The piles of white bones left behind after consuming blood-food bore witness to this tireless cultivation.

Eating raw meat and drinking blood had long since become commonplace.

Compared to seven years ago, does he seem more like a monster now?

He paced outside, then suddenly stopped, looking at the white bones scattered everywhere as he walked through the cave.

If an unsuspecting human were to see this, they would surely think the ground was covered in human bones and be scared out of their wits.

Fang Longye thought to himself, chuckled softly, and casually pinched a seal; a flame ignited without wind, burning the beast bones throughout the cave until they crackled.

A moment later, he exhaled a gust of breeze, blowing all the bone ash out of the cave, and then manipulated a curtain of clear water to wash the cave chamber clean.

He then put away the Mitian Banner, rode the wind out of the cave, let out a long whistle, and stepped onto the waves to leave.

Outside the stone palace located at the bottom of the Jinsha River, besides the shrimp soldiers and crab generals who had previously been enlightened into human form, there was now an endless stream of various spirits coming and going.

Like worker ants, they searched the thousand-mile Jinsha River territory for ores, spiritual metals, precious medicines, and spiritual herbs to offer here.

"Great King, this is the list of newly stored treasures. Also, three commanders have cultivated the 'Water Origin Blood-Refining Scripture' to the fourth level and have performed enough meritorious service to receive the fifth-level technique. These are the names of the three commanders; please take a look, Great King!"

A turtle spirit at the Condensation Stage stood very respectfully below the main hall, holding a Jade Volume in his hands, reporting the affairs of the entire Jinsha River territory to Fang Longye in a proper manner.

Fang Longye, having returned to the Jinsha River, toyed with a hundred-year clam pearl in his hand while listening to the turtle spirit's report. He examined it carefully and found no major errors. He said indifferently, "I know. You can handle the remaining minor matters yourself."

Ever since he established his mansion and base at the Jinsha River, he had gathered all the monsters in the Jinsha River basin, appointed some Condensation Stage monsters who had defected to him as commanders, and opened up the exchange for the "Water Origin Blood-Refining Scripture."

With the background of Qingshe Niangniang as support, coupled with his powerful strength to suppress them and the temptation of the technique, these monster commanders had no ulterior motives.

Thus, he had completely taken control of the entire Jinsha River basin.

With the mountains, rivers, and forests in his grasp, all the monsters in the Jinsha River basin honestly followed his orders to transport spiritual medicines and treasure-refining materials to this "Longgong" of his.

In just seven years, he had become the well-known "Great King Longye" to the monsters in the territory of Qingshe Mansion.

But apart from cultivation resources, he did not care for these empty titles. Power is like passing smoke; only cultivation is real and true.

Returning to the inner chamber, he sat cross-legged on a stone bed and released his inner core; one could see a silver-white pearl, dazzling and eye-catching, exuding a moist luster.

He circulated the "Twelve Phases Yuan Chen Moon Wheel Method," and a phantom wheel radiating twelve rays of light unfolded. On it, twelve faint, flickering patterns appeared; looking closely, they were the signs of the twelve zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

This was the manifestation of his progress in divine abilities.

The moon wheel rotated, and the inner core spun along with the wheel, with the twelve rays of light continuously shining on the inner core in turn, polishing it. This was the auxiliary benefit of this divine ability in cultivation.

After a long while, Fang Longye withdrew his divine ability, and the inner core entered his body. He took out a small jade bottle containing the Taiyin Spiritual Liquid he had spent half a year refining. Undoubtedly, the method for refining this Taiyin Spiritual Liquid naturally came from the Heavenly Snake Swallowing Moon Technique taught by Qingshe, which was also the essence of this precious canon. The spiritual liquid was scarce; it felt cool and gentle upon entering his mouth, transforming into a force of purity that continuously washed over the inner core within his body. The minute impurities that had contaminated the core due to balancing the Qi, blood, and Dharma within his body were gradually washed away, turning into a wisp of blue smoke that dissipated outside his body.

Even the Yin Spirit Embryo that had taken the shape of a human within the core could not help but perk up.

The body is the Bodhi Tree, the heart is like a Mirror stand; constantly wipe it clean, do not let it gather dust.

Living in the world, how can one not be stained by acquired dust? Not to mention he had not yet become an immortal; even if he had, no matter how pure and unblemished he was, there would still be "dust" at that level that needed to be wiped away.

After tempering the inner core, he stared at the human figure that was still shadowy and indistinct within the pearl, only about thirty percent clear, and sighed, "It is a pity that once moonlight condenses into spiritual liquid, it loses the effect of Taiyin moonlight on the Yin Spirit Embryo, just as the Purple Qi from the East that one swallows every day only has an effect when the east is gradually turning white; once the purple qi grows old, it can no longer be absorbed."

Scavenging for resources, trading and exchanging, ingesting spiritual medicines, swallowing moonlight, tempering the inner core, purifying Dharma, practicing divine abilities, refining Dharma Artifacts... there is always endless cultivation homework to do.

Days passed slowly, one by one. The Tieye Jilin Jia on his body had been refined to 65 Earthly Fiend Restrictions. The Gilded Dragon Pattern Bright Silver Spear had also almost caught up to the Golden Scale Armor, having long since become a top-grade Dharma Artifact.

His treasure-refining experience had also improved beyond his own imagination as he refined Dharma Artifacts for the minor monsters.

The "Water Origin Blood-Refining Scripture" had also been cultivated to perfection, though unfortunately, it did not awaken any innate divine abilities.

This night.

It was not yet midnight, but the beasts in the surrounding mountains, the scaled creatures at the bottom of the Jinsha River, and the feathered creatures in the forest branches all began to act agitated and run wild for some unknown reason.

Tigers roared and apes wailed, fish surged and eagles shrieked! Even the various monsters he had gathered inside and outside the palace lost their reason, each transforming into their original forms, swimming out of the water, and howling like ghosts.

Listening to the various sounds coming from his ears, Fang Longye, who had been refining a Dharma Artifact, could not help but feel a restlessness seemingly originating from the depths of his bloodline, along with a longing for an unknown reason.

Unable to suppress the restlessness and longing within his body, he flew out of the palace like a soaring bird and quickly surfaced above the water.

Stepping on the waves, he arrived above the water and discovered that the mountains and plains, wherever the river reached, were filled with spirits, all of whom had transformed into their original forms.

Even many ordinary birds and beasts that had not yet opened their intelligence appeared, overcoming their instincts in the food chain to coexist harmoniously at this moment. Lions, tigers, elk, and deer stood side by side; wolves, sheep, and rabbits huddled together.

The restlessness in the depths of Fang Longye's bloodline became even more intense, and he could not help but transform into his original form.

I saw a single-horned giant crocodile, fourteen or fifteen zhang in length, thrashing on the water's surface, instinctively raising its head to gaze at the moon.

I saw that above the pitch-black night sky, a bright moon was rapidly approaching the zenith.

Tonight's full moon was exceptionally large, as if it were about to fall into the Human Clan's world, and its color was a golden yellow like gold, different from the usual lustrous white.

The golden moon stopped at the zenith.

Heaven and earth fell silent! Then, from the edges of the golden moon, golden liquid began to seep out and drip down.

It then condensed into countless golden dewdrops, generously sprinkling down in an endless stream toward all living beings upon the earth.

This is... Diluojiang?

Diluojiang!!! In this instant, Fang Longye could no longer care about anything else; he hurriedly held his breath, calmed his spirit, spat out his internal core, and with all his might operated the Twelve Phases Yuan Chen Moon Wheel Method, pouring his entire spirit into his cultivation without holding back the slightest bit.

The crystal-clear internal core floated in the air as if weightless, and with the assistance of the Moon Wheel Dharma, it expanded and contracted, gulping down the descending Diluojiang heavenly dew as if a cow were drinking water.

Very quickly, the internal core was dyed with a layer of soft golden luster, becoming increasingly dazzling.

It was clearly of great benefit.

The grace of Heaven is vast!

This is the true heavenly rain of grace!

A quarter of an hour later, the Diluojiang suddenly stopped.

Immediately, the bright moon, which had seemed as large as if it were falling to earth, returned to normal, and before long, it hid among the clouds, disappearing without a trace.

Under this heavenly grace, who knows how many wild beasts sprouted intelligence, and who knows how many spirits and monsters saw their Daoist practice greatly advance—birds returned to nests, beasts to dens, fish to water; all living creatures quietly returned to their homes to examine the night's harvest.

Fang Longye swallowed his internal core back, and in his joy, he maintained his original form, sank into the water, and returned to his residence with practiced ease. Only upon reaching the palace entrance did he remember to transform into his human-standing form, hurrying into the inner chamber of the rear hall.

Calming his mind, he looked within himself.

Upon closer inspection, inside the now entirely golden internal core, the previously shadowy and blurred human figure now had distinct features, clear to eight or nine parts.

The appearance of the human figure was strikingly eight parts similar to his own appearance in his previous life—

Bitter cultivation in a demon body, lying dormant for twelve years.

One morning the sweet rain falls, saving a hundred years of effort!

A newbie asking for follow-up reads, bookmarks, and comments—if there are any shortcomings, please feel free to offer guidance, thank you!

(End of this chapter)