Chapter 94: Two Sides Clash to Probe Foundations, Affairs Within the Southern Continent Water Ape's Mansion

The stone platform glowed.

There was no dizzying blur before his eyes; in Fang Longye's perception, he had simply landed on the stone platform in an unremarkable fashion.

Only when he surveyed the surroundings of the cyan stone platform did he suddenly realize that, in his perception, this platform had grown more than a thousand times larger, spanning a million miles.

Looking at the mountains and forests outside the platform, they remained the same size as before, with no changes.

He mobilized his investigative divine abilities to observe carefully, only to discover that the entire perimeter of the stone platform was permeated with a power like flowing time, with faint traces of spatial power emerging.

Yet it was not as dazzling as the Sumeru Space he had opened himself.

If not for the Great Divine Ability of Insight through Barriers he had obtained, which had finally entered the threshold under the promotion of the Hidden Spirit Divine Ability and the Sun and Moon Golden Pupils, he would never have detected this hidden power.

Even so, being situated within it was indescribable.

Without the corresponding realm and cultivation, one is ultimately looking at flowers through a fog, separated by a thick layer.

"Is this truly not some extraordinary treasure?" Fang Longye muttered to himself, feeling the miraculous nature of this stone platform.

He lightly released his own Aura, as if triggering some switch. Cold light suddenly bloomed, reflecting like glazed jade, unstained by the mortal world.

On the edges of the stone platform, patterns appeared, moving back and forth like fish weaving through lotus leaves.

It was as if a jade bowl had been inverted, lingering around the stone platform, and the entire space began to reveal a crystalline, unreal quality.

He probed with a casual strike, which was easily blocked.

"Interesting~" Fang Longye laughed.

"How is it, Brother Fang? Is it not quite profound?" Seeing him stop in place to sense the wonders of the stone platform as soon as he entered, Yurong Wang did not say much.

He just waited quietly, and only after Fang Longye regained his focus did he ask with a smile.

"Indeed, it is extraordinary," Fang Longye nodded and praised highly.

Looking at Yurong Wang again, he saw that he was already clad in golden-threaded chain armor, with his brow-level staff in hand, waiting in a relaxed manner.

The chain armor was covered in intricate patterns, clustered and intertwined, blooming with starlight and presenting an aura of the deep starry sky, condensed and unmoving.

The brow-level staff shone with the brilliance of fine jade, permeated with layers of cloud vapor and heavenly light, blending into colors and forming its own mysterious sound.

"It seems Brother Yuan truly thinks highly of me this time, to wait so solemnly?" Seeing that he was prepared for the duel, Fang Longye shook his head and chuckled, immediately entering a fighting stance as well.

Along with his laughter, divine light and auspicious colors swirled around him, layer upon layer, in dense halos.

In the end, the phantom of a Five-Colored Treasure Tree emerged behind him, looking like a pine yet not a pine, its roots and leaves coiled and knotted, anchored in a layer of cloud-water heavenly light, with mottled moss marks like dragon scales. The branches were covered in dense, fist-sized pearl-like flowers, resembling gathered pine needles.

The coiled pine reflected the water, the five-colored divine light shimmering in layers, with seal characters of varying sizes hanging upon it, colliding and chiming.

Thousands of five-colored rays of light hung down like a beaded curtain of tassels, or a precious canopy, beautiful and magnificent, suffused with a faint, clear fragrance~

Yin and Yang Two Qis transformed into black and white twin dragons, circling the treasure tree, ready to devour anyone.

Seeing this, Yurong Wang's eyes swirled with crystalline light, forming strange seal characters, and a sense of profound clarity appeared, yet it remained blurry and difficult to see clearly.

His expression could not help but become solemn and serious, his whole body glowing with golden light, like the rays of the morning sun and stars.

"I thought I had already seen through Brother Fang's progress in cultivation, but I did not expect to have underestimated you still," he sighed softly.

Fang Longye, dressed in white robes and silver armor, holding the Panlong Spear, shook his head and smiled: "It is merely that my cultivation was shallow before, which makes my current progress seem significant. Compared to Brother Yuan advancing further beyond the bottleneck, it really counts for nothing."

"During our last duel, Brother Yuan was considerate of me and chose to go second. Today, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; please, Brother Yuan, take the first move!"

Yurong Wang smiled gently, "Very well, since Brother Fang says so, I shall comply. However, this duel would be dull without anyone to watch."

He then moved his mind, and the bluestone platform erupted with brilliance, projecting the scene on the platform into the void of the dojo. This drew gasps from the various demon immortals and demon spirits in the dojo~ This was not because Yurong Wang had control over the platform, but because anyone on the platform could manipulate it.

Just as Fang Longye had previously intentionally leaked his Aura to trigger the platform's reaction, creating a barrier to prevent the aftermath of the duel from leaking out.

Yurong Wang performed a salute and said: "Pardon me for being impolite, Brother Yuan!"

Having said that, his momentum changed; the man who had been a gentle gentleman instantly transformed into a demon king who could suppress all heroes!

Starlight flared, spreading in all directions, and with a leap, he closed in.

The brow-level staff in his hand, golden and bright, swayed slightly, and came down with the force of Mount Tai Pressing Top.

Fierce, irritable, aggressive, and intense.

It was completely inconsistent with his previous image of a gentle gentleman.

This strike possessed peerless power.

"Good!" Fang Longye channeled his divine power and swung his spear to deflect it. The Panlong Spear let out a series of dragon roars as it struck back.

"Clang~" Yurong Wang did not retreat, meeting the strike head-on, engaging in a contest of strength and technique as spear and staff clashed.

They were evenly matched, neck and neck.

Boom—the aftermath spread, and wherever it reached, it sounded like rolling thunder.

What divine power! Both were secretly surprised by the strength of the other's physical body.

During the battle, points of divine light appeared around Yurong Wang, resembling clusters of tiny divine beings, with murmurs faintly reaching the ears.

He became more excited the more he fought, gaining more strength with every blow, as if a second personality had awakened; in the end, he was entirely the image of a manic, violent ape, and every strike of his staff was unstoppable.

Fang Longye was inherently of the dragon lineage with a powerful physical body, and having embarked on the path of transforming his Bloodline to Reverse Innate, his divine power was peerless.

The cultivation technique he practiced, the "Yuanlong Scripture," also incorporated the "Chi Ming Nine Heavens Diagram," a divine demon body-refining art from another world, making him a dual cultivator of Dharma and body, exquisite and unparalleled.

Naturally, he fought steadily, responding to each move without falling behind.

Yurong Wang brandished the golden brow-level staff, and amidst his manic offensive, there was not the slightest chaos.

It was exceptionally heavy, rich and bold, simple and solemn, steady and composed, like the shadows of ten thousand mountains, layer upon layer, stacked upon stacks, carrying the momentum to suppress everything and filling all space.

Fang Longye fought with composure, the Panlong Spear in his hand letting out bursts of dragon roars, the sound faint yet carrying far, clanging like the ringing of metal and stone.

Then, it climbed step by step, the sounds like jade pendants, with a coldness unparalleled in the world.

The silver-bright Panlong Spear was wielded with ease in his hands; amidst the refreshing, clear sounds, it was like a fish in water, the light of the sun and moon spilling over, its trajectory stern, its shadow elegant, yet losing none of its weight.

Stern, cold intent shot out, sharp, icy light rose, and time and again, he used unimaginable trajectories to dissipate Yurong Wang's offensive, launching bursts of counterattacks.

The close-quarters combat was a stalemate, and the two fought more and more intensely, with layers of divine abilities and Dharma arts emerging in succession.

Behind Fang Longye, the Five-Colored Treasure Tree hung high, five-colored halos blooming, light needles scattering, combining offense and defense. The Yin and Yang Two Qis swirled around, transforming into black and white twin dragons, attacking incessantly.

At times he took the form of a dragon-headed human, at times he was in the guise of a human with a dragon tail, at times he stepped upon the phantom image of a Green Lotus, and at times he transformed into a three-thousand-zhang dragon body to engage in slaughter.

Surrounded by clouds and mist, accompanied by wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, beset by water and fire, his divine abilities emerged in succession.

Shedding his gentle demeanor, the Yurong Wang grew increasingly violent, eventually manifesting a ten-thousand-zhang-tall violent ape form, and engaged in a melee with Fang Longye, who was employing the Law of Heaven and Earth.

His surroundings trailed colors and shimmered with brilliance, starlight burst forth, incomparably resplendent, with light generating beneath his feet, shining with divine radiance.

Overlapping shadows layered around him, some large and some small, as thousands of divine human figures appeared in unison; for a time, murmurs were constant, setting him off as if he were a divine king of the heavens. Starlight clustered together, condensing into individual star-bucket phantoms, resembling a celestial star map, suppressing all.

……

This bout of fighting lasted for a long time.

Although both held back—for instance, neither deliberately urged their offensive Spirit Treasures to fight the enemy—they each revealed some of their foundations.

The Yurong Wang clarified the lower limit of Fang Longye's current strength, and Fang Longye also gained some confirmation regarding his background.

Finally, with a tacit understanding, the two deflected each other's attacks, retreated, and ceased their confrontation.

They looked at each other and smiled, stopping the battle.

Fang Longye moved his mind, and the image projected by the stone platform into the void of the Daoist field suddenly dissipated, ending the "live broadcast" for the gathered demons.

Looking at the damage on the stone platform that was slowly healing itself, Fang Longye sighed: "Truly miraculous indeed~"

After stepping off the stone platform, he looked at that ancient-looking yet unremarkable green stone platform.

Fang Longye waved his hand, and the mountain range where the green stone platform was located changed drastically; buildings were laid out, whether gardens, pavilions, towers, or palaces, all were present.

Nestled against the mountain and by the water, they were arranged in a well-ordered manner.

Fang Longye channeled his Dharma power, and a phantom image of this scene appeared in the void of the Daoist field; facing the gathered demons, he said loudly, "Today, this King establishes the Douzhan Tai; all demons may practice their martial arts and spar here. This mountain range shall be called Yanwu Feng!"

His voice resounded like thunder, echoing back and forth within the Daoist field.

After he finished speaking, he beckoned with his hand, and a stone tablet emerged from mid-air, then descended with a boom, standing not far in front of this stone platform, with iron-hook and silver-drawing calligraphy upon it: Yanwu Feng Douzhan Tai.

The six characters were written in blood-red, deep and mysterious, sharp and exposed, filled with baleful aura; just by glancing at them, a sense of ferocity surged into one's heart.

After arranging these, Fang Longye immediately invited the Yurong Wang to return to the Longying Cave.

To the Treasure Pavilion from before.

On the Cloud Couch and jade table, a small incense burner was placed, with smoke curling for three feet, dissipating like jade pistils.

"Brother Yuan, can you tell me now what matter you wish to discuss with me?" Fang Longye poured him a cup of Immortal Brew and asked.

The Yurong Wang nodded and said: "Brother Fang, you should know that my name is Yuan Ming; the 'Yuan' character is naturally taken from my late father, the Lord of the Mansion, and this 'Ming' character is taken from my late mother."

"I have some understanding; the reputation of your mother, the Shuiyuan Niangniang Mingyao Xian, is naturally like thunder to the ears."

"Then does Brother Fang know the lineage and origin of my late mother's master?"

"That I do not know."

"My late mother was a disciple of the Huai River Water God, Wuzhiqi."

"Uh, isn't it said that Senior Wuzhiqi was sealed into the Huaijing by the Human Race's Yu Wang?"

"That is indeed the case. However, my late mother was originally a bloodline descendant of his elder. When she was young, while avoiding enemies, she inadvertently entered the secret land of the Huaijing, was favored by his elder, and received his teachings; only then did the later Shuiyuan Niangniang come to be."

"Oh, then your mother was indeed from a prestigious background."

"Brother, you should also know about the separation of my late father and late mother. But you might not know that after the separation, my late mother left Beiju Luzhou directly, taking my younger brother with her to Nanzhan Buzhou."

"So? Brother Yuan, stop keeping me in suspense and just state clearly what you want to discuss with me."

"I observe that Brother Fang is already nearing the end of gathering the Five Elements. I imagine that with Brother Fang's ambition, you would naturally not be willing to settle for less and are bound to forge a supreme foundation, right?"

"And so?"

"Does Brother Fang think that with the strength and longevity of the elder Wuzhiqi, he could resolve your lack of Innate Five Elements Qi?"

Fang Longye thought of a possibility and asked: "Could it be that Brother Yuan can see this senior through your mother's connection?"

Everyone knows this existence was sealed in the Huaijing by Yu Wang. But with the changes of heaven and earth and the shifting of seas into mulberry fields, the location of the Huaijing has long since changed. Not to mention the heavy Restrictions, even finding the Huaijing is a difficult task.

"More or less," the Yurong Wang replied after drinking a cup of Immortal Brew.

He smiled and said: "Before my late mother passed away, she had just seen his elder not long before. In the Water Mansion she left behind in Nanzhan Buzhou alone, there exists such a thing as an Innate Spiritual Object."

These words made Fang Longye's heart jump.

"As my late mother's Cave Abode, this Water Mansion is naturally filled with Restrictions; since her passing, it has never been opened, simply because a Secret Key is missing."

He looked at Fang Longye, who was almost holding his breath, and smiled: "If Brother Fang does not mind, I am willing to share this Water Mansion opportunity with you."

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Fang Longye said indifferently: "Such a good thing, it seems I must pay something as well?"

"Brother Fang has great composure!" After praising him, the Yurong Wang said, "It is just that an elder calculated that Brother Fang has quite a connection with your clan's Yinglong Laozu.

If we have Brother Fang's assistance, through the information about the location of the Huaijing in my late mother's Water Mansion, even if we cannot rescue the elder Wuzhiqi, we can use this connection to avoid some of the suppression Restrictions and see his elder more easily."

"By then, even if the little bit of Innate Five Elements Qi cannot be gathered in the Water Mansion left by my late mother, it won't matter. The elder Wuzhiqi will naturally have gifts to bestow."

Hearing this, Fang Longye smiled and drank the wine in his hand in one gulp.

When all is said and done, isn't it just wanting to use him to attempt to rescue Wuzhiqi, who is suppressed in the Huaijing? However, from the current perspective, this is indeed a clear path to obtaining Innate Five Elements spiritual objects.

As an existence who fought against Dayu, it is beyond doubt that Wuzhiqi possesses some Innate Spiritual Objects.

Seeing Fang Longye fall silent, the Yurong Wang was not annoyed.

The matter is of great importance; even if it were him, he would not make a decision so quickly.

"Brother Fang does not need to make a decision now; I came today just to make a suggestion."

Fang Longye smiled apologetically and said: "Then allow me to consider it."

"Brother Fang may take your time to consider; even a hundred years is not too late. After all, the Secret Key to my late mother's Water Mansion is not yet on me; it is still in the hands of an enemy."

After the Yurong Wang toasted him, he cast aside this topic and chatted about other ordinary matters.

……

Watching the Yurong Wang's departing back, Fang Longye murmured and sighed, "Brother Yuan, oh Brother Yuan, a matter not even started yet, and you have stirred my heart into turmoil~"

Thinking again of the foundations of this Brother Yuan he had probed earlier, his eyes flickered.

"The Dharma of body and spirit, the path of stars, the Great Divine Ability of Moving Stars and Changing Dippers, as well as the profound Profound Gate intent hidden deep within the primordial spirit's Dharma power, and the title of Drives God Great Sage from the memories of a past life. That Doumu Yuanjun is truly active!"

"Of course, it is impossible for this former senior sister of the Calamity Sect to personally enter the fray to gather chess pieces; it must be the handiwork of that Nine Heavens Responding Thunder Universal Transforming Heavenly Venerable, the former Grand Preceptor of the Shang Dynasty!"

He dared not fully confirm that he was a chess piece of the Doumu Yuanjun lineage.

But after Fang Longye compared the incomplete Daoist Dharma obtained from Chiyang Yaowang with the Profound Gate intent on Yurong Wang, his identity as part of the Shangqing Lineage was already set in stone.

"Drives God Great Sage, interesting; this is what it truly means to have someone in high places!"

……

Thanks to book friend Xianyu Wang Houge for the 100 Qidian coins tip! Thank you all for your support!

(End of this chapter)