Chapter 489: Epilogue!

"Huh?"

From the darkness of Yu Jiuyou, a voice of confusion arose.

After a moment, a head as massive as a mountain emerged from Yu Jiuyou; its forehead bore a vertical eye, devoid of pupils, instead filled with countless black flames burning within, seeping through the fissure.

The vertical eye shot forth a ray of light, tracing along a fissure of Yu Jiuyou, shining into the Jin Ling Paradise.

"Aren't those immortals of Qin from the Land Without Sun already swallowed by Yu Jiuyou? Why is there such an exquisitely mysterious aura of elixir misting?"

His serpentine lower body writhed uneasily, pressing the vertical eye tightly against the fissure before him, peering through the narrow crack.

He saw how the boundless primordial energy, struck by the elixir aura, transformed into countless dragons and snakes descending like canopies, shrouding the entire region.

"Such dense dragon qi—it has manifested the external scene of myriad dragons paying homage! Could it be that after ten thousand years of deathly stillness, the Land Without Sun has finally stirred with life, birthing a new dragon vein?"

The demon's heart pounded with excitement; he writhed his thick tail again, thinking: "This Land Without Sun has lain abandoned for ten thousand years, long beyond the watch of the Heavenly Court… So this newly born dragon vein—no one guards it?"

"No!" He suddenly snapped back to himself: "The earth qi here is utterly depleted—there's no foundation to nurture a dragon vein, and…"

His vertical eye had already pierced through the swirling aura of the surrounding dragons, penetrating to the deepest core of the dragon qi.

At the heart of the spiritual light, a prototype of a true dragon curled its long body into a ball, nestled within a red lotus.

"An immature primordial spiritual treasure!"

"This dragon vein is actually an elixir forged by a human!"

The demon trembled with excitement, his vertical eye widening and emitting beams of nine-colored radiance that struck the hazy red lotus, directly illuminating the prototype of the true dragon. Brother Qian Chen, seated before the furnace, merely lifted his eyelids slightly, feigning ignorance, continuing to nurture the elixir within.

"One, two, three… This elixir has undergone six essential transformations."

"Sss! This is Sixfold Elixir Transformation!"

"No—when it reached its second transformation, it had already seized all the alchemical creation and devoured every elixir demon, bearing the aura of the Eternal Elixir King. Why then is its sixth-transformation quality not as high as expected?"

"…Ah! So it lost its elixir spirit during the third transformation! Wasting heaven's bounty! Wasting heaven's bounty!" The demon roared in fury: "Which prodigal son was so careless? Had that elixir spirit matured, it would have equaled five thousand years of my cultivation… Combined with this true dragon, it would be nine thousand years!"

"This alchemist's temperament is indeed crude. At such a critical stage, he sent only a fire-tending boy to guard such a vital elixir!" The demon glanced coldly at Brother Qian Chen before the furnace—his gaze pierced through Brother Qian Chen's cultivation base.

Seeing the man was only at the Tongfa Realm, he sneered; his demon eye swept ten thousand li, locking onto Xiao Xie An.

"Only Daoist Yangshen Perfect? No wonder the elixir spirit fled."

"If this Eternal Elixir King had reached sixth transformation, its spiritual essence would have been too potent for him to control. So this was a deliberate trade-off!"

"I thought it was a Nascent Soul alchemist! But even if it were a Nascent Soul alchemist, I'm taking this elixir!"

"Too bad Yu Jiuyou's demonic energy is too heavy—even if I dragged him into Yu Jiuyou, I couldn't refine a good elixir… Alchemists of the mortal realm who craft such spiritual elixirs always devoutly petitioned celestial deities, drawing divine talismans to guard their furnaces against our raids. Such an elixir demands at least forty percent offered to the gods—unless one is so formidable as to fear neither us nor the Yu Jiuyou demon gods, one dares not refine it alone."

"A mere Daoist Yangshen, daring to refine such a spiritual elixir alone—utterly ignorant and fearless!"

The demon god secretly exerted his magic power, widening the Yu Jiuyou fissure. In the terrestrial immortal realm, where the celestial membrane is ancient and thick, even a demon lord's full strength might not tear it open. But this Yu Jiuyou-ruined Land Without Sun was merely a paradise's primordial source, half already fallen into Yu Jiuyou—so this fissure was easy to open.

Had he discovered such an elixir in the terrestrial immortal realm, the demon god could only send a demonic thought to scheme for it.

But now, the elixir's scent drifted right at his doorstep—something he could reach out and snatch.

To prevent other demon gods from emerging to compete, the demon god decided to risk descending with his true body to seize the elixir. As for the mortal alchemist, he had no intention of harming him—only to slip a sliver of demonic thought into his spiritual sense, subtly twisting his nature, instilling an obsession: to sacrifice everything to forge a single elixir, the pinnacle of his alchemical path.

Thus, perhaps he could harvest a second time!

After twelve hours nurturing the elixir in the furnace, Brother Qian Chen finally fully refined Master Sima Yan's primordial spirit, using the Crimson Lotus of Karma to absorb it into the lotus seed.

Within it, a dragon soul, as essential as a primordial spirit, had been gestated; with the nourishment of sentient beings' thoughts, vows, and fortune, it would rival the dragon veins of the Central Plains. Next time, should demonic forces dare to strike at the national dragon, the dragon's own retaliation would equal the power of a Nascent Soul.

Thus, Jiankang, guarded by this true dragon, would also see Wang Dao arrive after Master Sima's fall.

With two Nascent Souls permanently stationed, they could suppress all petty threats!

"When I reached the third transformation, I stripped away its elixir spirit—it is no longer the Eternal Elixir King. And since this elixir was born from the people's prayers and the dynasty's great fortune, all karmic ties are naturally held in check by the fortunes of Southern Jin and the future Liu Song dynasty—so upon its emergence, it should face no tribulation."

"As for that fool watching the elixir—he's likely just a residual divine fruit of a Dao Lord reborn as a demon soul. Such a thing? Zhu Zhu Jiuyin catches them one by one…"

Brother Qian Chen calculated the celestial timing, then tapped the Tai Shang Ba Jing Furnace before him.

The crimson lotus within the furnace bloomed again, its hue deepening under the elixir's nourishment; upon its lotus pod coiled a golden dragon, slender as an eel.

It blinked its eyes, timidly gazing at Brother Qian Chen, who couldn't help laughing: "What's there to fear? I won't eat you!"

Hearing this, the golden dragon shuddered, shook its whiskers, and soared upward, transforming into a vast, sweeping dragon aura, perfectly aligned with the Jin Ling earth veins, covering ten thousand li.

Outside the paradise, Jiankang City fell from the Dreaming Master's dream, and all its living beings awoke as if emerging from a single great dream, dazed and confused.

Before the Three Tianshiz arrived, Master Sima Shi seized two spiritual treasures from the palace and fled southwest.

To the north lay Northern Wei; to the east, the Lingbao Dao's territory.

Only the western deserts, dotted with Buddhist kingdoms, and the southern ten thousand mountains, where demonic sects lurked, offered refuge from the Daoist pursuit.

The Three Tianshiz hovered above the Tai Chu Palace, sneering, and swept into their sleeves all other Daoists and patrons loyal to the Master Sima clan.

Tao Tianshi picked through them, selecting a dozen Master Sima family elders closely tied to Master Sima Princess Qingcheng, ordering: "You will guard the imperial palace, prevent looting during this chaos—await the Princess's return for judgment!"

Zhang Tian Shi gazed at the ruined Southern Jin national fortune and sighed: "The lives of the people will grow harder still."

Tao Tianshi hesitated: "Perhaps we could use the Divine Register to re-appoint deities, stabilizing regional fortunes, preventing disasters from…"

"Brother Tao, you're mistaken. If we substitute the Dao Academy's fortune for Southern Jin's, yet the people's vows and fortune still nourish only the remnants of the old national fortune, Yuan Shi Dao's fortune will not be replenished—this backlash of resentment will drain Daoist fortune while the national fortune grows, leading them to believe we've seized power with the divine path."

"Over time, this will provoke human path backlash—not only failing to save the people, but exhausting the orthodox Daoists internally… Should demonic sects ignite another demonic calamity, the Daoists, once able to resist, will be utterly depleted. The disaster will be tenfold worse than today!"

"We, the Dao Academy, oversee the divine path and suppress the immortal path—we must not interfere further in the human path. This is the will of Yuan Shi Dao Zu… Brother Tao, be cautious!"

Tao Tianshi sighed: "Then as you say, let the Southern Jin aristocrats jointly rule."

"But how much will these aristocrats contribute to relieve the people from such calamities?"

Tao Tianshi sighed helplessly: "Hardly optimistic."

At that moment, a high-pitched dragon roar echoed. The Three Tianshiz looked down and saw the previously wounded Jin Ling dragon vein suddenly come alive.

A vibrant true dragon qi surged from the earth veins into the remnants of Southern Jin's dragon qi, once again forming a towering national fortune pillar.

The spiritual clouds above Jiankang stabilized again; though slightly damaged by the ordeal, supported by the national fortune pillar, they ceased their collapse.

The mountain and river dragon veins of Jin Ling entwined, slowly drawing earth qi to restore themselves; demonic remnants and malevolent seals upon the dragon veins were purified by the dragon qi. As the dragon roar sounded, the great river's water dragon turned its head, spitting a wisp of dragon qi to nourish the southeast once more—the once-dry humidity revived.

A great drought vanished.

With Jin Ling's dragon vein stabilized and earth qi rising, the withered rice and grain seedlings across Southern Jin's counties slowly drew nourishment, regaining vitality.

"At least eighty percent of the harvest is saved!" Tao Tianshi scanned the ten-thousand-li earth qi, secretly delighted.

Across Southern Jin's lands, the great tide of billions of people's thoughts gradually calmed; their moral and ritual virtues coalesced into a dragon, once again suppressing greed, anger, fear, and hatred, soothing the agitated hearts… Many demons that had appeared within the tide of human thought were swept away and extinguished by the dragon qi.

In the southern barbarian ten thousand mountains, a sigh echoed deep within a valley.

"The Daoist fortune endures!"

The stars above suddenly glowed faintly; the countless stars of the Milky Way, hidden beneath the sun's radiance, converged with Bei Chen as their head, forming a winding dragon that stabilized the nation's fate.

"The earth veins are dragons, the great river is a dragon, the people are dragons, Bei Chen is a dragon!"

Tao Tianshi calculated with his fingers: "Though not the sacred era of Nine Dragons converging, it is still an age of peace!"

Zhang Tian Shi shook his head: "No—there's still one hidden dragon of the human emperor. If he subdues the four quarters and stabilizes the court… the realm will enjoy sixty years of peace!"

Sun Tian Shi's eyes flickered with strange light—he knew why Zhang Tian Shi predicted sixty years of peace: because sixty years hence, the hidden dragon's aura would erupt, and all that now sustains Southern Jin would become the cause of heaven's upheaval.

"Zhang Tian Shi leads the southeastern aristocrats; Tao Tianshi has gathered the Master Sima remnants. Only I still lack the mandate. When the hidden dragon rises in sixty years, will I have the chance to claim that power?"

Under the pressure of Zhang and Tao, Sun En had long been stifled!

Now, calculations stirred in his heart.

"Myriad dragons paying homage…"

"Four dragons guarding…"

"Blessings bestowed upon deities…"

"Celestial flowers fall, golden lotuses rise from the earth, dragon qi drips like pearls!" The three-eyed demon god's eyes gleamed—he had witnessed the storms of Southern Jin and clearly seen the signs: "So this elixir was forged to prolong the mortal dynasty's life!"

"No wonder you chose such a remote place to secretly refine it!"

The demon god grinned: "But now, all of it is mine!"

Seeing the elixir's dragon qi plunge toward a single figure, he tore open the Yu Jiuyou fissure and leapt into the paradise world.

But instantly, all before him twisted—the furnace, the lotus, the dragon qi vanished; instead, he stood in a desolate, sandy wasteland.

Before him loomed a colossal, broken bronze statue: dragon-headed, human-bodied, serpent-tailed, radiating an aura that choked even a demon god.

The demon god's vertical eye shot forth a flame, instantly seeing through the statue's essence.

Behind the vast, mountain-and-sea-like power lay an infinite world corrupted by Yu Jiuyou—and this statue was the deity bearing that world.

"Qin Bronze Figure!"

The demon god recalled the rebellion against heaven tens of thousands of years ago; barely had he roared in shock when a chessboard slammed squarely into the back of his head.

In the void, a hand withdrew the chessboard, watching as the stunned demon god was crushed beneath the statue's giant palm.

At that moment, a clear voice reached the demon god's ears: "Lord, may I have a share?"

"Scholars are cunning! But since Brother won't take his portion, I'll give you a tenth."

The demon god, held fast by the bronze statue, watched helplessly as the one who betrayed him stepped from the void, fanning himself with a smile: "My original body's relics—lute, sword, chess, fan—have already consumed one. If I refine even a fragment of this demon's soul, perhaps I'll gain another chance to strike…"

"Today I owe him a great favor; tomorrow, I shall strike for him once."

"So that's why…" Zhu Zhu Jiuyin chuckled. "I knew he wouldn't take his share—he's never been so generous!"

The two Dao Lords' residual spirit fragments pointed and divided the demon god like meat on a chopping block.

The demon god, suppressed by Luo Tian's divine artifact to the point his thoughts could barely move, slowly shed a tear, staring blankly as the sky darkened and the sun sank.

…………

Three days later, Brother Qian Chen rode his primordial flying sword toward the Eastern Sea.

His spiritual sense scanned the map in his hand, suddenly pausing on the Airship Market, not far from Donghai Commandery: "I've long heard the Airship Market is where sea merchants gather—the largest market in the Central Plains, where mortals and overseas cultivators converge. I know nothing of the overseas lands—better to go there first, buy sea charts, and gather information!"

He altered course, his sword-light streaking straight toward it.