Chapter 264: with translation of chapter title

264. Chapter 264: Yinglong arrives, the scattered cultivators

=> "Chapter 264: Yinglong Arrives, the Loose Cultivators"

【2】 Yinglong's fleeing light flew ceaselessly day and night, and finally reached outside Yunmze Marsh within a thousand years.

=> "Yinglong's escape light flew nonstop day and night, finally reaching outside Cloud Dream Marsh within a thousand years."

But need to keep numbers: "a thousand years" = "a thousand years". Could be "a thousand years".

Yinglong's escape light flew continuously day and night, and finally reached outside the Cloud Dream Marsh within a thousand years.

Gazing at the rather unfamiliar Cloud Dream Marsh, Yinglong always felt somewhat unreal.

: Yunmze Marsh (cloud mist), maybe not a name.

Like a dream and an illusion, seeming real yet false, the wave sounds never cease, fish swim in the cleansing spring.

This scenery is not like the past when green peaks stood tall on the waterline, with the reflection of blue mountains entering the mirror.

Noticing the floating islands within the marsh water, Yinglong's heart leapt, feeling this place was a deadly zone, not to be entered lightly.

Scales rubbing, gazing at this calm water surface, that heart-pounding feeling made Yinglong hesitate to move forward, muttering to himself:

"Within this Cloud Dream Marsh, such a great formation is actually hidden; even before entering it, I already feel my life is in constant danger."

"If it weren't for cultivating the Way of Battle, with a strong sudden intuition, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all."

"I suspect this formation in the Cloud Dream Marsh is none other than the Heavenly Court's foundation for establishing itself, the formation that forcibly opens the heavenly gates."

"It's just a pity that, although I wished to explore it and often inquired within the Heavenly Court, those who originally experienced this formation kept their mouths shut and never passed it on."

"According to the current state of the Heavenly Court, I originally thought there would be no chance to see it in the future, yet I never expected to be able to catch a glimpse today."

"Even without knowing its intricacies, it still counts as broadening one's horizons; posing such a threat, it could well be called the greatest formation in the present wilderness."

At the very least, Yinglong has never seen anything in the wilderness that could match the formation currently encircling the Cloud Dream Marsh; even the dragon clan's collection falls far short.

Since knowing the Cloud Dream Marsh is guarded by a formation, Yinglong naturally would not attempt a forcible breach; with a slight movement of his finger, he sent a visitation notice into the great marsh.

The visitation notice drifted with the water; at the moment it entered the water, Qi, far away in the pavilion amid the pool, sensed it, reached out and grasped, drawing a mass of clear water to him, and the information on the notice appeared before everyone's eyes.

Qi, together with Nüwa and Taiyi, stopped their mutual teasing; with just a glance, Qi said: "Yinglong's arrival is indeed swift; the distance from the Eastern Sea to the Cloud Dream Marsh is not small, yet he managed to reach it within a thousand years—clearly his cultivation has advanced."

Nüwa and Yinglong rarely interacted, aside from the Heavenly Court assemblies they had hardly ever met; she felt no particular sensitivity about this, so she laughed and said: "With such speed, I imagine the Heavenly Court gains another expert in the Primordial Origin Dao; thus, in facing the upcoming changes, the Heavenly Court gains a bit more advantage."

Taiyi's expression grew slightly solemn; as Yinglong is a senior god of the Battle Division under his jurisdiction, he had the clearest sense of Yinglong's cultivation.

According to his estimate, by rights Yinglong should still need to accumulate at least twenty to thirty aeons, so how could his progress be so rapid?

Fortunately, Taiyi is not one to pry deeply, and Yinglong's breakthrough is indeed a boon for the Heavenly Court; thus, Taiyi could only smile and say:

"He must have encountered some opportunity that filled the gap in his life and cultivation, and thus is also a person of blessed fate."

"Of course, it's also possible that, given the immense pressure the dragon clan now faces, he abandoned the chance to attain the Great Dao and turned to cultivate the Immortal Dao instead."

"But if that were the case, it would inevitably be a pity, for among the three clans now, if anyone could attain the Dao, I alone would favor this person."

Qi listened to Taiyi's analysis and also felt this was somewhat possible; after all, given the dragon clan's current state, without an expert in the Primordial Origin Dao or a half-step sage, facing this great upheaval of heaven and earth, the dragon clan would likely suffer.

"If he truly turned to cultivate the Immortal Dao and achieved half-step sage status through the Three Corpses Slaying method, that would indeed be a pity."

"With the dragon clan's present strength, it could not support a half-step sage slaying the Three Corpses."

Nüwa likewise nodded, but said nothing; she did not care how Yinglong fared, nor whether he could hope for the Great Dao, as it was irrelevant to her.

However, Yinglong currently serves in the Heavenly Court; it's opportune to exchange a few words, so there's no need to let her be distracted by this.

"Enough; Yinglong is now waiting outside the Cloud Dream Marsh, making him wait long is not the way of superiors; whether it's an opportunity or giving up, it's none of our concern."

As Qi began to speak, his robes lightly fluttered, and clouds rose from the pavilion amid the pool, continually parting outward, clearing a path through the entire great marsh.

At the road's end lay Yinglong's location; gazing afar, it seemed an endless thoroughfare.

Even with Yinglong's eyesight, without employing divine power, he could only make out a dark dot representing the pavilion amid the pool in the distance.

Seeing the passage, Yinglong hesitated no longer, flying straight in; he did not use his escape light, for superiors ahead, employing evasion techniques would be unbecoming.

But contrary to Yinglong's expectation, upon merely entering this mist-wreathed passage, he felt the surrounding heaven and earth seemed to have changed.

In just a few breaths, he crossed the entire great marsh, arriving before Qi and the others, right outside the pavilion amid the pool, only a few body-lengths away.

: Yinglong, His Majesty the Qi Emperor, His Majesty the Eastern Emperor, His Majesty the Wa Emperor.

Yinglong bowed slightly, and Qi and the others immediately noticed the change in his cultivation, laughing and praising: "Venerable Yinglong, you are indeed formidable; in just a few aeons, your progress has far exceeded our expectations—truly living up to the long-celebrated war god of the dragon clan."

Facing Qi's praise, Yinglong gave it no thought, merely speaking lightly:

"Your Majesty overpraises me; Yinglong's present state is entirely thanks to the Heavenly Court's strength, and what I have contributed is merely some effort, unworthy of such words from Your Majesty."

Qi had nothing else to say on this, merely asking:

"Regarding this matter, has the Xi Emperor given any orders?"

Yinglong knew that Qi's question pertained only to heavenly court affairs; when he first arrived he hadn't thought much of it, but now he felt the Heavenly Court's prompting him to act might be due to noticing some unfavorable remarks within the dragon clan.

Now faced with Qi's inquiry, he instead wondered whether he should voice those internal dragon clan remarks.

After repeated hesitation, Yinglong decided to feign ignorance of the dragon clan's internal strife, calmly saying: "Earlier I was still in seclusion; only a thousand years ago did I receive a transmission from the Xi Emperor's Majesty, merely instructing to expel the Penglai Immortal Island in the name of the dragon clan."

"Have his subordinates relocate them from the Eastern Continent as they see fit, letting his subordinates gauge the extent; as for the rest, Yinglong knows nothing."

Qi nodded slightly and asked: "If this matter were to be handled by you alone, what would you do?"

Yinglong pondered a moment, then spoke frankly: "If it were up to me, I would go to the Heavenly Court assembly and speak plainly, exchanging a few moves; the loser would leave the Eastern Continent."

Yinglong excels at battlefield slaughter and the Way of Battle, but having him deal with the petty squabbles between the two forces would indeed pose some difficulty for him.

Even before he was sealed, regarding dragon clan affairs, Yinglong's main responsibility was the frontline battlefield, engaging and killing opponents.

As for pondering the disputes among the various clans, that was mostly handled by the Ancestral Dragon and the Azure Dragon, unrelated to Yinglong.

Qi merely heard Yinglong's words and understood why he got along relatively well with Taiyi; it's because they are both muscle‑brains who dislike thinking.

Taiyi did not find Yinglong's remark objectionable; on the contrary, he felt Yinglong's approach was rather satisfying, and was about to praise him when he noticed Qi's gaze fixed tightly on him. Without a hint of hesitation, Taiyi immediately resumed his expressionless visage, ceasing to speak.

Only then did Qi lower his gaze from Taiyi, turn to Yinglong, and say: "This method is not impossible, but it risks being too direct, leaving neither side a way to retreat."

"If it succeeds, all well; if it fails, given that the Heavenly Court cannot intervene, would the dragon clan truly have to relinquish the Eastern Sea?"

Yinglong offered no rebuttal, merely waiting in silence; to the heavenly court's folk, he regarded them as mere clay chickens and broken tiles.

Even though he had just broken through to the Primordial Unity Dao, he had absolute confidence, not inferior to those so-called Quasi-Saints.

As for whether the Heavenly Court will intervene, the Responding Dragon had never considered it; he had no expectation of the Heavenly Court intervening, and regardless of victory or defeat, the Heavenly Court will give the dragon race some compensation.

As for whether to withdraw from the East Sea, Ying Long had never even thought about it; even if he truly had to withdraw from the East Sea, Ying Long would even be glad to see that.

The sea eye is no ordinary place, especially the East Sea's sea eye, which lies near the Gui Xu (Return to the Void) region, making it even more troublesome.

If it were truly possible to concede the East Sea, Yinglong would surely laugh out loud—just as if someone tried to expel the phoenix from the immortal volcano.

Though it appears to be a great disgrace, in fact a never‑before‑seen figure has arisen from ancient times to the present—a 'back‑pot hero' who takes the blame and helps them free themselves from the weight of responsibility.

Qi pondered for a moment, then understood why Yinglong would act this way, yet he still spoke up to warn:

"The conflict between the two sides is not always purely military; all aspects must be taken into account."

"In this heavenly court versus immortal sect dispute, it seems to be just a bilateral disagreement, but actually it is a simple probe between the divine way and the immortal way."

"Although it is only a superficial foray, it is nevertheless of great significance and must not be underestimated; military force can only constitute a small part of it."

"If force could settle the dispute, then Dong Wanggong would not be alive today, and the heavenly court would have no need for you to intervene on behalf of the dragon clan."

Yinglong heard this in a haze, not understanding what Qi was saying; the lucidity and doubt in his eyes were completely evident.

Nüwa and Taiyi were likewise, though Nüwa was a bit better, but not by much.

Qi felt quite helpless and could only speak frankly: "You must put reason before force in your actions, avoid giving others a pretext for criticism, and before acting it is wise to first provoke some disagreement between the dragon folk and Penglai Island, so you can seize upon their words."

"Then you act, seize the moral high ground, leaving outsiders no grounds to criticize the heavenly court and the dragon clan."

"After all, they propagate the immortal way under the banner of widely spreading the immortal path, letting anyone who aspires to the immortal way come and listen."

"Moreover, in the primordial wilderness, practitioners are of mixed quality, with vast disparities in virtue; especially those unaffiliated cultivators lacking any lineage are utterly chaotic."

"On Penglai Island they have flung open the doors of convenience, the Dao lectures never cease, and Dong Wanggong has widely proclaimed it, so the island is sure to be rife with conflict."

"In the nearby waters, chaotic phenomena will inevitably arise, all of which serve as excuses for the heavenly court and the dragon clan to intervene."

"Moreover, the sea is teeming with aquatic tribes; those unaffiliated cultivators consume blood and flesh without count, and this is used as a pretext whereby the outside world has nothing to say."

"Only then does the dragon clan have grounds to drive out Penglai; as for the gods of the primordial wilderness, although they know the heavenly court must be involved, they cannot find fault with it."

Only then did Yinglong comprehend: Qi meant that going to pick a fight and laying a wager is fine, the outside world also knows it is the heavenly court's doing, but they must find a pretext.

"Understood, Yinglong will surely not disappoint the Qi Emperor's trust, leaving outsiders no grounds to criticize."

Although Yinglong does not grasp the rationale, the heavenly court is now mighty, yet why act so covertly? Still he agreed.

Qi took one look, knew Yinglong didn't understand, but would follow the plan, and sighed inwardly:

"This Yinglong is actually so like Taiyi; both are pure‑hearted folk who seek nothing worldly—I am not worthy of them."

Seeing Yinglong heed his words, Qi fell silent, and Nüwa said: "Remember to gather some evidence to announce at the assembly; this will also give you a bit of leverage over the other side, so perhaps you can undermine their reputation without lifting a finger."

"Perhaps then we won't need to act; the immortal sect will itself purge its ranks and remain quietly in the eastern continent."

Qi thought Nüwa's method was also not bad; although it's unlikely to directly drive them out of the east, letting them act themselves to weed out the morally corrupt still offers a chance.

Those unaffiliated cultivators won't care why the immortal sect would strike them down; they'll only know that Penglai Island is unsafe, and will instead feel their freedom severely restricted.

Don't assume they will blame themselves; if a person were truly virtuous, how could they fail to remain with their clan and end up as a drifter?

The path of cultivation exists thanks to Hongjun; it is widespread in the primordial wilderness, where every tribe has its own cultivation method, transmitted through blood ties and kinship, and they band together to survive.

And a cultivator, aside from innate divinity and auspicious transformation, where else could there be naturally endowed beings?

All of us originate from a tribe, cultivating within it, until suddenly a person appears who has no tribal support or protection and no attachments.

Such a person most likely committed a serious crime, was expelled by the tribe, and can only wander the primordial wilderness with nothing to rely on.

Or perhaps the tribe suffered a disaster, leaving only him, carrying a deep blood‑feud and karmic entanglement.

These two kinds of people make up the vast majority of wandering cultivators in the primordial wilderness, and ironically they are the most ruthless and prone to cause trouble.

Penglai Immortal Island widely spreads the Great Dao to the world; ordinary cultivators, weighed down by tribal obligations, generally dare not simply set off for the East Sea to listen to the Dao.

Only someone with the time and energy to undertake a journey of hundreds of millions of li, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers to reach Penglai Island, could be a wandering cultivator.

When wandering cultivators band together, Qi does not believe they will stay peaceful and cultivate in tranquility.

After all, if they could behave that way, the heavenly court's Thunder and Combat divisions would not need to purge so many lawbreakers each year.

According to the Thunder Division's statistics, ninety‑nine percent of cultivators who break heavenly law are wandering cultivators.

And just as Qi's thoughts were in turmoil, Nüwa also spelled out everything she wanted to say, and all that was heard was Yinglong saying: "I have received the order; I will eliminate the immortal sect, so that the heavenly court will not suffer gossip."

Nüwa and Qi nodded in satisfaction; as for Taiyi, he had already wandered beyond the material realm.

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