Chapter 429: Three Treasures (Bonus Chapter—Requesting Moon Tickets)

The legacy of the powerful always comes at a cost.

Fang Xing had even prepared himself to be forced into conflict with a Heavenly Immortal-level powerhouse.

After all, only another Heavenly Immortal or Heavenly Demon could bring down a Heavenly Demon.

But after learning more about Lady Qinghua's character, he felt she might not act so ruthlessly.

Yet the Snake Woman, as Lady Qinghua's creation, seemed to harbor lingering hatred.

"It's infuriating that the Lady set such a rule back then—otherwise, that Snake Prince would never have escaped alive…"

The Snake Woman clenched her silver teeth: "But for the Snake Clan to hope for the Lady's legacy? That's a dream!"

Fang Xing was momentarily speechless.

After a moment's thought, he spoke: "You seem… unusually eager for me to receive the legacy?"

"Yes."

The Snake Woman admitted outright: "Your talent for the Time Dao is such that any powerhouse would take you as a disciple! This isn't just because you'll reach great heights in the future… but because you may one day unite with the Dao of Time and Space, gaining the potential to resurrect fallen demons from the River of Time—even if that possibility is minuscule, it's enough for those who perished to gamble on it."

"So you hope I'll become your master's true disciple, so I can resurrect her in the future?"

A faint smile appeared on Fang Xing's dragon face: "Every sip and bite is karmic cause and effect…"

But this wasn't a vow he was forced to make—it was merely the Snake Woman's hope.

"I promise you: if I am ever able in the future, I will fulfill this."

In other words, if after uniting with the Dao he still couldn't find the Qing Yuan Great Realm, he couldn't be blamed.

"Thank you…"

The Snake Woman's eyes flickered slightly red, then quickly returned to normal.

She led Fang Xing step by step up the stairs to the base of the statue.

"This is the Lady's statue. Bow nine times, and you become her true disciple."

The Snake Woman stood aside, solemn: "Recorded disciples bow thrice, formal disciples bow six times, true disciples bow nine times—this is the Lady's rule."

Fang Xing immediately grew solemn, adjusted his scales, stepped forward, bowed his head, and performed nine bows.

BOOM!

As the ninth bow landed, Fang Xing felt the stone statue before him suddenly come alive, revealing before him the true form of a Heavenly Demon towering over heaven and earth.

The figure had a human torso and a serpent tail, its scales emerald green, radiating life energy, its eyes filled with compassion.

It was the "great love" for all beings of heaven and earth!

In an instant, three scrolls of ancient green text quietly surfaced in his mind: The Qing Hua Three Scrolls!

Not only that, his soul spontaneously resonated, uttering a karmic vow: "By the Dao of Cause and Effect as witness, I vow never to reveal even a fraction of this legacy…"

When he came to his senses, Lady Qinghua's statue remained unchanged before him.

But… three beams of light now hovered before him.

"You've sworn a karmic oath before the Lady—you cannot break it. Violate it, and even if you ascend to Heavenly Demon, you'll pay a terrible price… The statue contains the rare artifact 'Karmic Stone,' and its oath binds even Heavenly Demons."

The Snake Woman reminded him: "As a true disciple, the Lady grants you three treasures—each perfectly suited to you."

"My master… truly is a good person."

Fang Xing nodded.

She could have forced him to swear to avenge her or resurrect her…

But she didn't. She only asked him to preserve the secrecy of the legacy.

"The Lady's greatest regret before death was having no true successor…"

"You've already received the Qing Hua Three Scrolls. The Qing Hua Scroll encompasses all things—it's enough to carry you all the way to the Heavenly Demon realm. One of its secrets, 'Severing Cause and Effect,' can conceal your heavenly fate and prevent karmic spells from tracing you… You'd best learn it the moment you leave, or you'll be hunted down by that Snake Prince."

The Snake Woman warned.

"I originally planned to join the Green Emperor's Palace…"

"But even if I hadn't killed Fu Shan's brother, being Lady Qinghua's disciple probably wouldn't work… after all, my own master once defected…"

Fang Xing turned his attention to the three glowing orbs before him.

As his intent touched the first orb, it exploded instantly, revealing a bright yellow talisman within.

The yellow paper was worn, its cinnabar faded, yet it burst into golden light and shot into Fang Xing's third eye.

Outside his soul, a talisman shimmered, as if he'd donned a layer of armor, bringing him a sense of calm.

"This is the 'Steal Heaven's Substitute Life Talisman'—a passive talisman. When you're about to die, your soul is destroyed, or you're enslaved, it activates instantly: it leaves behind a puppet decoy to absorb curses and karmic annihilation, then carries you far away."

The Snake Woman said solemnly: "With this talisman, even a Heavenly Demon might miss you if caught off guard—much less any Yuan Shen cultivator. This is the Lady's ultimate life-saving gift… but only one use."

"Having even one chance to start over is more than many demons could ever dream of," Fang Xing said sincerely.

He opened the second orb and found a strangely shaped small mirror.

"This is the 'Dao-Expanding Mirror.' It can simulate a technique to its ultimate limit… and my master even infused it with a trace of 'Creation Power,' enough to let you instantly cultivate that technique to an extremely high level—it's for protection."

The Snake Woman explained.

"This is somewhat like my Great Sun Tathagata Spell… 'Creation Power'—is it just highly concentrated Yuan Shi energy?"

"Too bad she didn't just give me a few billion Yuan Shi—then I wouldn't have to worry about mana accumulation after reaching Yuan Shen."

Fang Xing nodded and opened the third orb.

BOOM!

A terrifying aura surged forth, making Fang Xing feel an instinctive urge to kneel—his bloodline's primal reaction, like a human trembling before a lion or tiger.

"Just a primal bloodline reaction…"

Fang Xing unleashed his will, standing firm, his vertical pupils fixed on the object within the third orb—it was…

"A sealed drop of essence blood?"

His voice carried gravity as he saw a drop of blood sealed within a sky-blue crystal.

"The Lady truly favors you… Even if you combined the first two treasures, their value still pales beside this one—perhaps because you follow the Time Dao?"

The Snake Woman, upon seeing the drop, was equally stunned: "One of the Lady's most precious treasures in her vault was this—Candle Dragon Essence Blood!"

"Candle Dragon Essence Blood?"

Fang Xing's expression shifted—he sensed intense Time Dao energy radiating from the drop. Legend said the Candle Dragon "eyes are day, sleep is night, breath is winter, exhale is summer"—a naturally born Time-type demon!

"This drop of 'Candle Dragon Essence Blood' came from an 'Emperor.' He long ago perished in the River of Time. The Lady risked greatly to explore a forbidden zone to find this Imperial Blood…"

The Snake Woman looked at Fang Xing: "You claim to be of Dragon blood? If you assimilate this drop, you won't be a common-blooded demon anymore—you'll become a Royal Blood demon, and becoming a Demon Prince will be effortless…"

"How does assimilating Imperial Blood make me Royal Blood?"

Fang Xing was puzzled.

"Do you think Imperial Blood demons are common? An Emperor's body is colossal—if he casually shed his essence blood, wouldn't every demon in our race be an Imperial offspring?"

The Snake Woman scoffed: "Imperial bloodlines are exceedingly rare—only the Emperor's direct offspring have even a slim chance. One drop of Imperial Blood can create at most one Royal Blood demon. If you want to become Imperial Blood yourself, you'd need to replace every drop of your blood with Imperial Blood—and even then, the chance is minuscule…"

"Royal Blood is enough."

If Fang Xing had once believed "common blood could surpass Imperial blood,"

now he thought: "In the demon race, bloodline truly matters. Advantage is advantage. Royal Blood is already excellent."

Royal Blood demons are born with superior spiritual foundation—put in a little effort, and they become demon princes among geniuses!

That's the innate advantage of bloodline.

"Candle Dragon bloodline… once assimilated, it will greatly aid in comprehending the Time Dao."

Fang Xing realized this too.

"Naturally. But assimilating high-tier bloodlines is extremely dangerous… If a Royal Blood demon were to assimilate Imperial Blood, it'd be manageable. But you? You're just common blood—even not Royal Blood…"

The Snake Woman said: "I advise you wait until after you break through to Yuan Shen. You'll lose some benefits, but it'll be safer."

In truth, she couldn't fathom why this black dragon's aura had drawn the Candle Dragon Essence Blood from the vault!

Was the gap really that vast?

"No problem… Assimilating bloodlines mainly requires strong willpower to crush the lingering spiritual imprint, right?"

Fang Xing said.

"True… Though the Candle Dragon's original owner has been dead for countless years, and the Lady did some processing, for a common-blooded demon like you, it's still terrifying."

The Snake Woman shook her head: "Even if you insist on assimilating, you must prepare thoroughly—first go to the 'Washing Dragon Pool,' then prepare 'Dragon Transformation Pills' and 'Dragon Transformation Techniques'… Ideally, have a Heavenly Demon watch over you. Wait—what are you doing?"

Her face twisted in horror as Fang Xing swallowed the crystal sealing the Candle Dragon Essence Blood whole.

As a realm spirit, she had only advisory power—she couldn't stop him from doing anything with his own treasures.

CRACK!

Fang Xing's teeth moved casually, shattering the outer seal, letting the Candle Dragon Essence Blood slide down his throat like swallowing a fireball.

A terrifying heat instantly surged through his entire body!

Compared to the physical agony, the mental trial was far worse.

ROAR! ROAR!

Fang Xing heard a distant, ancient dragon roar in his ears.

He saw a colossal dragon shadow coiled through the cosmos.

Human-faced, serpent-bodied, scales crimson, one vertical eye, terrifying Time Dao energy flowing like rivers around it.

—Candle Dragon!

Demon Emperor Candle Dragon!

A Chaos Realm being—in the Great Xia world, equivalent to a Dao Master!

Even a trace of its will, preserved for countless years and processed by a Demon Emperor, was enough to shatter any common-blooded demon—or most Yuan Shen demon kings!

Yet now, though Fang Xing was as insignificant as dust before the Candle Dragon, he retained his free will.

His will, like the blazing sun, remained steadfast and illuminated countless realms!

"Damn… if this were the true Zhulong, even a fraction of its will descending would have killed me."

"But this residual will, long dead and already processed by Mistress Qinghua… in terms of impact, it's roughly equivalent to that of an outer realm demon god."

"If my will were to shatter under such an impact, that would be the real joke."

Day turned to night, spring gave way to autumn.

Outside, time was unknown, but within Fang Xing's consciousness, it felt as though ten thousand years had passed in an instant.

Even after ten thousand years, the sun forged from his will still hung high, even transforming into a long blade.

Will as a blade—one slash severed Zhulong!

Roar! Roar!

The Zhulong's figure let out a mournful cry, then dissolved into streams of spring-autumn light, sinking into the great sun.

In a daze, Fang Xing almost believed he had become a Zhulong himself, enduring the cycles of seasons, his dragon body roaming the cosmos, his claws playing with stars, even shifting constellations…

…

Before the statue of Lady Qinghua.

The chaotic temporal currents dispersed, revealing a black dragon over fifty meters long.

Its body had grown impossibly slender, its scales shifting from black to black-red, its wings now bearing a hint of divinity, its antlers split and more deer-like.

Overall, apart from its size doubling, it had transformed from a Western black dragon into something closer to the Eastern Yinglong.

Of course, the change in size meant nothing.

In Fang Xing's vertical pupils, streaks of gray light flashed, allowing him to perceive temporal fluctuations directly.

"The Dao of Time… so clear… and my cultivation energy too."

With each breath of the black dragon, he felt his superior-grade cultivation energy continuing to strengthen!

The Imperial Blood beast race already possessed superior-grade energy; even with just an upper-tier inheritance, the combination of two superior-grade energies would far surpass ordinary superior-grade energy.

In fact, it granted even greater chances to break through into immortal-grade energy than other beast races!

"My Black Water energy, even if not yet immortal-grade, now seems barely different…"

"Hmm… and my physical body—now, even cultivators of Nascent Soul Stage Three with superior-grade energy and below fourth-rank Dao comprehension may not pierce my defenses…"

"The Imperial Blood beast race truly has immense advantages—its foundation is too strong; even a little cultivation makes one a prince-tier genius among beasts!"

Fang Xing sensed his new state and was thoroughly satisfied.

Beside him, the snake woman stared, dumbfounded: "Y-you… your will actually shattered even the faintest spiritual imprint left by Zhulong… even after Lady Qinghua had pre-processed it… this is astonishing… who are you? Could you be a reincarnation of some ancient beast ancestor?"

"If I were a reincarnated ancient beast, would I have become a common-blooded Stone Dragon pup?" Fang Xing glanced at her, speechless.

"That's true… then you're just naturally gifted—your will, though intangible, grows ever more potent over time…"

The snake woman's eyes gleamed: "I'm growing more convinced that you hold even a slight chance of reviving Lady Qinghua."

(End of Chapter)