Chapter 202: Kuizhou

"I say, Yifu, when did you manage to cultivate an External Incarnation?"

Watching the bamboo-bodied Cheng Xinzhan and the flesh-bodied Cheng Xinzhan merge back into one, Song Jishu asked with curiosity. The others also looked over; an External Incarnation was by no means a common commodity, and it was extremely rare even among those in the Third Realm.

Zhou Qingyun also looked over. Although her face remained cold and indifferent as ever, the strange glimmer in her eyes could not be concealed.

Cheng Xinzhan merely smiled. "A secret inheritance from my sect."

The group understood and asked no further questions.

"Then how did Yifu know that Yang Xuanla was going to use his Primordial Spirit to escape?"

Cheng Xinzhan shook his head. "Jishu, you overestimate me. How could I have known? It is just that I am always cautious in my actions and left an incarnation far away. The direction Yang Xuanla's Primordial Spirit fled in just happened to be where my incarnation was hiding."

"That is thanks to Xinzhan's foresight; otherwise, he really would have escaped."

Shen Zhaoming said, "It is just a pity that Long Youpo ran too fast, and there was no way to stop her. To think that Yao Kaijiang also managed to get away."

At this moment, Hong Changbao and Liu Tianfang, seeing that they could no longer catch up to Yao Kaijiang, felt secret hatred in their hearts, and their faces were somewhat unable to hold their composure. A few juniors of a lower realm were able to kill Yang Xuanla, yet the two of them, as elders, had allowed Yao Kaijiang to escape—it was truly a laughingstock.

However, in truth, after reaching the Third Realm, various spells, magic treasures, Golden Core Dharma forms, and Primordial Spirit secret arts emerged, and there were even abilities like a Second Primordial Spirit or an External Incarnation. The means were naturally numerous, so the struggles between those in the Third Realm were vastly different from those in the First or Second Realms. It was inherently difficult to kill one another; it was common for someone like Yao Kaijiang to suffer a loss and flee, while it was a rare event for Cheng Xinzhan and the others to actually surround and kill Yang Xuanla.

Even if that was the reality, the two elders were ashamed to come over and meet them. They only heard Hong Changbao shout,

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, please host our fellow Daoists for me. I shall return shortly."

Subsequently, Hong Changbao and Liu Tianfang, with a tacit understanding, went off—one to pursue the remnants of the Yin River Ghost Sect, and the other to pursue the remnants of the Yelang Sect. It appeared they intended to exterminate them completely.

Cheng Xinzhan then made a gesture of invitation, leading everyone into the Lost Track Lake.

However, at this moment, Zhou Qingyun said,

"The devil has been either slain or has fled. This poor Daoist will take her leave now."

"Ah, Fellow Daoist, you arrived just in time to provide reinforcements. You did not just slay the devil; you saved us from a desperate situation. Why be in such a hurry to leave? Stay a while and allow us to express our gratitude."

Wang Chengyi said with a smile. This Emei female Daoist had asked about Xinzhan's safety the moment she arrived, and during the battle, she had constantly kept her eyes on Xinzhan. She knew at a glance that there was something going on here.

"Please."

Cheng Xinzhan said once more. Wang Chengyi was right. Last time at Bai Yu Capital, Zhou Qingyun had pointed her sword at him; she was an enemy, so he had not held back when he struck. But today, she had come to break the deadlock for them; it was a kindness, and he ought to thank her.

Zhou Qingyun had already answered a thousand times in her heart, but she understood that she had already made her stance clear last time at Bai Yu Capital: that she held Emei in the highest regard, and she was merely a passing acquaintance to this man before her. Coming here in such a rush under the guise of slaying devils was already an act of self-deception. If she were to become further entangled with the Eastern Daoist Sect, she would truly be unable to face anyone.

So she shook her head, her voice remaining cold. "It was merely joining forces to slay a devil. There is no 'saving' to speak of, and there is even less need to speak of thanks."

Having said that, Zhou Qingyun transformed into a green rainbow and departed.

Cheng Xinzhan looked toward the north, but in his heart, he thought: When we first met at Mount Huangshan, I remember her voice was as melodious as an oriole. When did it become so cold, just like that female devil-star? It is evident that Emei is truly a place that destroys human nature and crushes human desire!

"She is indeed a remarkable woman."

Wang Chengyi also watched the green rainbow fade into the distance and could not help but remark.

The others nodded one after another. That green rainbow was truly formidable; for this woman to be able to control it at will, she was certainly no ordinary person.

The group descended into Lost Track Lake. There were still some within the lake who had been severely injured and unable to join the battle. Seeing the few of them return, they shouted their thanks one after another. The sense of life-or-death crisis that had been lingering in the hearts of the Red Wood Ridge group finally dissipated.

Cheng Xinzhan and the others sat together and began to review their gains and losses.

"We were somewhat reckless. We were a bit too reckless when requesting reinforcements and when surrounding Yang Xuanla."

Cheng Xinzhan spoke the first sentence.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"The devil sect is vigilant. Once they sensed something was wrong, they immediately thought of escaping. I think that next time we struggle with a devil, we should first feign weakness, engage them to wear down their vigilance, and at the same time, divide our attention to set up contingencies, such as setting up a formation in the surroundings, to prevent the devil from escaping."

Song Jishu said.

Everyone also agreed.

"The tactic of self-detonating a Golden Core and escaping with the Primordial Spirit is hard to defend against. As long as we retreat when the Golden Core disintegrates, the Primordial Spirit can leave."

Shen Zhaoming said.

Li Chengyan heard this and said, "There is no help for that. Once they have discarded their Golden Core, it is certainly hard to defend against. This is the same for everyone."

Everyone laughed. It was indeed true; there was no guarantee that they themselves might not one day have to use such a method.

As the group discussed, not long after, Hong Changbao, Liu Tianfang, Wu Xuanmiao, Huang Miaoluo, the Meng siblings, and the rest of the Red Wood Ridge group all returned. The momentum in Lost Track Lake surged, and it was unprecedentedly lively.

"Many thanks to all the Daoist masters for your assistance!"

Hong Changbao and Wu Xuanmiao bowed to thank the group. Naturally, this led to another round of polite conversation about working together against the enemy, which need not be detailed further.

"Where is that person from Emei?"

Hong Changbao did not see Zhou Qingyun and asked.

"She has already departed."

Wang Chengyi replied.

Hong Changbao's expression was complex. "Although I have long detested Emei, today's matter was indeed thanks to her."

Liu Tianfang, upon hearing this, was overcome with shame. "Originally, I had two martial uncles coming with me, and one also came from the Immortal Cave. It was agreed at the time that we would be the main force, and the three of them would be responsible for intercepting to prevent Yao Kaijiang from escaping with secret arts. However, seeing that we could not win after a long battle, they must have left first. If only they could have waited for that green rainbow immortal sword to arrive, perhaps we could have had the wonderful outcome of a total annihilation today." Song Jishu's face was also unable to hold its composure. He was the one leading the effort to bring in reinforcements, and he never imagined that while four were promised, only one would arrive. He had been too trusting of others. He wanted to curse out loud, but restrained by the fact that Liu Tianfang was right there, he swallowed his anger and said nothing more.

However, while he did not speak, Cheng Xinzhan had no such reservations and said the following:

"From this, it can be seen that with the devil path before us, even Emei, which has established its own Xuanmen, has forces within it that can be united. Even among the thousand-year-old Daoist allies, there are those who flee in the face of battle. In my view, when the world is at peace, there are ways of acting for peace; now that chaos has arisen, there should also be ways of acting for a chaotic world!"

Cheng Xinzhan's words were quite bold. The group remained silent for a long time, as the voices everyone present had heard throughout their lives were based on legal traditions and sects to define friends and enemies, rather than on character and motivation.

Some showed surprise, while others were lost in thought.

However, Cheng Xinzhan merely took advantage of this moment and this topic to throw out his own views, and he did not delve deeper into the discussion, instead asking Hong Changbao about his future plans.

Hong Changbao thought for a moment and said,

"Retaking the main altar is something that must be done. But as it stands, with the strength of my Red Wood Ridge remnants, it is certainly impossible to achieve. I intend to first take root in Lost Track Lake, and taking advantage of the fact that the devils have been driven away, I will use the secret treasures of Red Wood Ridge to re-establish the mountain-protecting formation and expand the area a bit more. Afterward, I will widely invite disciples of the side-sects who cannot bear the bullying of the devil path to gather here, build up our strength, and wait for the day when the time is right to counterattack the Devil Sect."

When speaking of the time being right, Hong Changbao's gaze swept across the faces of everyone present. The meaning was clear: only when the righteous path concentrates its strength to besiege the Southern Wilderness would it be the time for Red Wood Ridge to act.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded and asked again, "Then, does Sect Master Hong have any thoughts of forming a Nascent Soul recently?"

Cheng Xinzhan knew that any major sect must have secret methods to allow people to complete the core and form a Nascent Soul ahead of time. The price for such a thing must be very high; the core grade would be low, and the Nascent Soul would be weak. Of course, there was also a high possibility that the core would shatter and the infant would die. However, when a major sect is in a transition period and lacks Fourth Realm cultivators to hold the fort, it is necessary for Golden Core cultivators to take the initiative to stand up and complete the core to form a Nascent Soul ahead of time.

!

Such a secret method must be rare and could not possibly be circulated in the world. Every family was different, and it was often passed down from generation to generation, with only the sect master candidates knowing it. Cheng Xinzhan believed that since Hong Changbao possessed the Blood-Refining Divine Blade and knew of a retreat like Lost Track Lake, he must be a sect master candidate. And since the Red-Haired Old Ancestor had a high foundation and attained the Dao early, it was unlikely he would lack such a secret method.

Hong Changbao's expression changed. With his current cultivation of the Fourth Wash, it was still a long way off to form a Nascent Soul naturally. And even with the Fifth or Sixth Wash, it was not certain that he could complete the core. Thus, the meaning of this Daoist Cheng was very clear: he was asking if he had any intention of using a secret method to form a Nascent Soul.

Cheng Xinzhan looked directly at Hong Changbao. He knew he was being pushy, but he had to ask this question. Now that the immediate crisis of Red Wood Ridge had been resolved, they intended to recuperate slowly. But the allies the Haoran Alliance wanted would not be a Fourth-Wash Golden Core cultivator hiding in the depths of the Miao territory with a group of remnants.

Red Wood Ridge must either bite the Southern Devil Sect like a mad dog, or it must have enough deterrence to attract the attention of the Southern Devil Sect, forcing the Southern Devil Sect to divert a portion of its strength to eliminate or guard against this enemy with whom it had an irreconcilable hatred. Otherwise, Red Wood Ridge would be of no use to the Haoran Alliance.

Now, Hong Changbao did not want his subordinates to act as mad dogs, so he himself had to become a torch. Otherwise, the help from the righteous path would end here, and the righteous path would naturally put more strength directly into the confrontation with the devil path.

Liu Tianfang was also surprised to hear this. He could not imagine such words coming from the seemingly peaceful and gentle Cheng Qieqing, nor could he imagine someone who had just entered the Third Realm urging a Fourth-Wash Golden Core cultivator to take a risk and form a Nascent Soul early.

Perhaps this is what it means to be a disciple of a major sect, he thought.

At this moment, feeling the pressure, Hong Changbao nodded slowly. He himself had such thoughts, and now, he was simply making up his mind. "Once Lost Track Lake is slightly more stable, I will attempt to gestate the Dao embryo. At that time, I will have to ask you Daoist masters to help me watch over Lost Track Lake."

That would be excellent. The members of the Haoran Alliance nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, they counted the spoils of war. This time, they had destroyed several Golden Cores and two devil sects, so there were many spoils. However, the most regrettable thing was that Yao Kaijiang's Golden Core Realm puppet had been beaten to pieces by the group, and Yang Xuanla's magic treasures had all been shattered by the "Green Rope."

The other magic treasures and spiritual medicines were basically not favored by these heaven-favored children. However, the accounts that should be settled still had to be settled. Although they themselves could not use them, handing them over to the alliance to exchange for merit to be used by those juniors was still acceptable.

The group discussed and decided that someone had to take the spoils back and also return the command arrow to report the mission. First of all, Song Jishu could not leave; Hong Changbao wanted to rebuild the mountain-protecting formation, and Song Jishu had to help build it. This was a good thing for both sides. The formations of Gezao Mountain were famous throughout the world, and Song Jishu was a figure of the Dao-seed level in the mountain, so he would certainly be able to provide some guidance. Red Wood Ridge's foundation was not bad, and rebuilding the formation using the legacy of the Red-Haired Old Ancestor would certainly not be simple. Participating in it would also be of great benefit to improving Song Jishu's attainments in formations.

Cheng Xinzhan, Shen Zhaoming, Li Chengyan, and Wang Chengyi all did not want to leave. Seven of the Eight Great Vajras remained, and there were countless small devils here in the Southern Frontier. It would be better to use Lost Track Lake as a resting base, stay in the Southern Frontier to kill to their heart's content, and incidentally help watch over this Lost Track Lake to ensure temporary peace.

Fang Weimin had little interest in slaying demons and eliminating devils. According to his intention, it would be better to go back and refine a few furnaces of good pills. He had come out this time at Xinzhan's invitation, and since the matter was basically handled, he naturally had to return.

Seeing that Fang Weimin was going back, Cheng Xinzhan specifically asked him to take a tattered bronze puppet warrior back to Zhu Jianmo to see if this puppet from the ancient Yelang Kingdom would provide him with any inspiration.

Huang Miaoluo and the Meng siblings also did not want to go back, but they also did not want to act with Cheng Xinzhan and the others, because their realms were different, and being together would only be a burden. So the three of them decided to travel together, venture out on the land of the Southern Frontier, and seek the opportunity to form a core.

Liu Tianfang agreed to be a protector elder of Red Wood Ridge and would stay for a period of time. It was estimated that he also did not want to go back and face those fellow sect members who had fled in the face of battle, and the Green Dragon Cave and Immortal Cave would not be incorporated into the Haoran Alliance.

————

Two months later, within the territory of Ba-Shu, Kuizhou.

It is said that the dragon is the leader of all scaly insects in the world, possessing nine characteristics: deer antlers, cow ears, camel head, rabbit eyes, snake neck, clam belly, fish scales, tiger palms, and eagle claws.

Any creature that resembles a dragon but lacks the nine characteristics is called a false dragon, a dragon-subordinate, or a dragon-species. Among them, there are several famous ones, namely: those without horns are called Chi, those with a single horn are called Jiao, those with snake tails are called Qiu, those with long manes are called Jin, those with black bellies are called Li, and those without claws are called Pan.

Among these, because grass snakes, tree boas, mountain pythons, and water vipers can all cross the tribulation and transform into Jiao, the Jiao is the most common among the dragon species. Therefore, Jiao is often used as a collective term for all dragon species.

Jiao dragons are fond of water, and the Jiao dragons of the world are generally divided into two categories: sea Jiao and land Jiao.

Sea Jiao are dragon descendants, mostly born from the mating of impure dragon bloodlines, and they dwell in the sea. It is rumored that when the four seas dragon race was at its peak, they once raised tens of thousands of Jiao soldiers to conquer all directions.

Land Jiao are of the snake species, mostly transformed after water boas and mountain pythons that have hibernated between mountains and waters for many years on land have crossed the thunder tribulation.

It is rumored that when Emperor Dayu was controlling the floods, a large number of land Jiao dragons followed him and obeyed the Emperor's orders to dredge the waterways. After the flood control was successful, the Emperor rewarded merit at Mount Kuaiji in the Southern Town, within the current territory of Jin Ling. For those land Jiao who had contributed much hard work, the Emperor was not stingy. With a wave of his hand, he enfeoffed the two areas of Shuzhou and Kuizhou at that time to this group of land Jiao. As of now, they are both within the territory of Ba-Shu.

Shuzhou is full of steep and beautiful mountains and waters, while Kuizhou is constantly rolling with thunder, making them two excellent places for raising Jiao, and they are also the habitats of ancient Jiao dragons. However, after these Jiao dragons had their fiefdoms, the world was at peace, and after Emperor Dayu attained perfection in merit and retreated from the world, no one came to control these Jiao dragons anymore. These Jiao dragons often played and made merry in the two places of Shu and Kui, stirring up wind and waves, making the area restless.

By the time of the Shang Dynasty, the ancient true god Erlang Manifestation Xu Zhenjun governed Shuzhou and took action to properly teach these Jiao dragons a lesson on behalf of Emperor Dayu, making the Shu region peaceful for many years.

Subsequently, the Xu Zhenjun retreated from the world, and this group of Jiao dragons reverted to their old ways and began to act recklessly again. However, this group of Jiao dragons lacked judgment and happened to run into the attainment of the Dao by Ancestral Tian Shi. Ancestral Tian Shi had little patience; if they did not listen after being told, then he would kill them. By the time the Jiao blood dyed the Three Gorges red, this group of Jiao dragons became completely obedient. However, by that time, there were not many Jiao dragons left in the Shu region.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the Daoist Sect in the Shu region flourished, and there were countless sword immortals. The Jiao dragons dared not touch their bad luck and only practiced in seclusion in places rarely visited by humans, let alone stirring up wind and waves. Moreover, with the retreat of several ancient gods and true immortals, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became dim, and those who could transform into dragons became fewer and fewer, and it became increasingly difficult for Jiao dragons to advance in realm. As of now, not to mention the Fourth or Fifth Realm, even those who can reach the Third Realm are few.

A Jiao dragon is a treasure from head to toe, and those with high realms are extremely rare, which naturally invites covetousness. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, the Shu region has seen several waves of Jiao-slaying, so much so that now, Jiao dragons in the Shu region are becoming fewer and fewer. Except for those taken as mounts by high-level cultivators and raised in immortal mountains, Jiao dragons are rarely seen in the wild.

"Truth be told, my ancestor's killing intent was indeed a bit heavy."

This day, Shen Zhaoming and Cheng Xinzhan came to the foot of Mount Chijia in Kuizhou. Looking at the mountain wall dyed reddish-brown by Jiao blood, Shen Zhaoming could not help but sigh.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 203 =====