Chapter 396: Twin Dragons of the Central Region |
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"I told you to collect the spoils of war, how did you end up with just a corpse?"
Lan Chang'an muttered under his breath.
However, upon closer thought, this was a complete Nascent Soul physical body, which did seem to hold considerable value.
Unlike True Monarch Netherwater, who was wounded by the Sky-Cleaving Axe, even though it wasn't a direct hit, her physical body was already on the verge of collapse. Without the protection and healing power of her Nascent Soul spirit body, the body would soon lose all its vitality.
After gathering all the spoils, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng left the scene with their full escape speed.
Mere seconds after they departed, a massive golden-scaled claw tore through space, grasping toward their previous location with overwhelming force. The surging spiritual pressure it released surpassed even that of True Monarch Netherwater.
Unfortunately, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng had already moved beyond its attack range.
"The might of a pseudo-spiritual treasure!"
The late-arriving Old Monster Golden Kun sighed with regret.
With mid-stage Nascent Soul divine abilities, even if one were struck by a pseudo-spiritual treasure, they wouldn't have been defeated so easily without resistance.
There had to be some crucial details that he wasn’t aware of.
"Where did Nangong Xiu go? That treacherous scoundrel dares to betray the contract…!"
Old Monster Golden Kun was furious, his expression growing even darker.
The wounds on True Monarch Dominating Martial’s corpse made it clear that he had died at the hands of Demonic Blade Nangong Xiu.
Retrieving the signed spiritual contract from his spatial artifact, he confirmed the betrayal.
"Fellow Daoist Golden Kun? How did this happen…?"
Shortly after, the White Bone guild master and his wife arrived, their hearts trembling at the miserable defeat before them.
Old Monster Golden Kun’s expression gradually returned to calmness. He knew the encirclement plan had completely failed and ended in utter defeat.
Nangong Xiu's betrayal and True Monarch Netherwater losing her combat strength meant there was no longer any way to threaten those two.
After a long wait, a dimly glowing female Nascent Soul returned to the battlefield, keeping its distance as it observed the scene.
It was none other than True Monarch Netherwater’s Nascent Soul spirit body.
"Fellow Daoist Netherwater."
The White Bone leader and his wife, who were handling the remains of True Monarchs Netherwater and Dominating Martial, stiffened upon seeing her.
The fact that True Monarch Netherwater dared to return was due to three reasons:
Firstly, the several True Monarchs had signed a spiritual contract, preventing them from harming each other; secondly, she had the backing of a powerful alliance and thirdly, with her mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, her escape speed was incredibly fast, unless she was completely surrounded, even Old Monster Golden Kun couldn’t catch her.
On the other hand, True Monarch Soaring Snow’s Nascent Soul hadn’t dared to return.
Perhaps she lacked Netherwater’s confidence, or perhaps she had sensed through her spiritual connection with her physical body that it had already been captured by the enemy.
"Fellow Daoist Netherwater, your physical body has been repaired by me in time and is being preserved with a secret medicinal solution to prevent further deterioration. If you supplement it with a sacred medicine, it might still be usable."
Madam Yu forced a stiff smile as she spoke.
True Monarch Netherwater’s Nascent Soul hovered in midair, gazing from afar at her patched-up physical body, her heart bleeding with anguish.
The tiny female Nascent Soul’s face showed deep conflict.
The injuries to this physical body were far too severe, its foundation had been irreparably damaged. Even if she returned to it and managed to restore it to functionality, it would take years to fully recover.
Moreover, its potential and lifespan would be significantly reduced, making future progress nearly impossible.
If she chose to seize another body and start over, it wouldn’t match her original form’s compatibility, so she wouldn’t be much stronger either.
"Unless…"
True Monarch Netherwater’s eyes flickered as a thought surfaced in her mind.
Unless she could find a practitioner of the ‘Evergreen Technique’.
She had heard rumors of a Healing Saint overseas who cultivated the Evergreen Technique. This individual held a lofty status and possessed miraculous medical skills, capable of restoring even a damaged foundation.
The Sixteen Sea Suppressing Sects ruled over the eastern coastal regions of the realm, even controlling parts of the nearby islands. However, they were not considered an overseas force.
Due to conflicts of interest, the Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects had tense relations with overseas factions.
To locate that Healing Saint, she would need to cross the vast ocean, and the price to do so was unknown…
...
Half a day later.
Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng arrived at a concealed cave within Ten Thousand Demons Valley.
"This time, thanks to True Monarch Xiang’s full support, we’ve finally taken care of a major problem. At least when we begin sealing the demons, we won’t have to worry about threats from behind."
Jing Wufeng cupped his hands with a sincere smile.
"True Monarch Jing, there’s no need for such courtesy. By taking action, I also managed to resolve some of my own hidden concerns."
Lan Chang'an chuckled. After this battle, True Monarch Netherwater would need at least ten to twenty years to recover.
By then, Lan Chang'an would have most likely returned to Great Qing.
Even if Netherwater eventually regained her peak strength, she had already lost her most suitable magical treasure, making her far less of a threat.
During the battle, Lan Chang'an had deliberately concealed part of his strength from the enemy Nascent Souls, including his genuine fourth-rank puppet and his Exotic Spirit Peacock.
Of course, even if those had been deployed at the end, they still wouldn’t have been enough to slay a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like Netherwater. At most, they would have only made her more cautious or prompted her to flee even faster.
For an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to defeat a mid-stage Nascent Soul was already an exceedingly rare feat in the cultivation world.
To completely kill a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, one would likely need the divine abilities and means of a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.
Moreover, Lan Chang'an’s divination had suggested that if he truly killed True Monarch Netherwater, it could trigger unpredictable troubles.
A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was a significant figure even within the Sixteen Sea-Suppressing Sects.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two moved on to the part they were both looking forward to—dividing the spoils.
"By the way, won’t Fellow Daoist Nangong be joining us?" Lan Chang'an asked.
"He may not fully trust us. He’s probably hiding somewhere and recovering from his injuries."
"This time, he made a move to repay a favor he owed me. I’ll be compensating him separately afterward."
Jing Wufeng explained openly.
The implication was clear, Nangong Xiu wouldn’t be taking a share of the spoils. His contribution in the battle was considered part of his debt repayment to Jing Wufeng.
Lan Chang'an had no objections.
The presence of Nangong Xiu was one of the main reasons he had been willing to take the risk and participate in the plan in the first place.
…
"This is True Monarch Dominating Martial’s Nascent Soul. As per our prior agreement, it will be handed over to True Monarch Xiang."
Jing Wufeng took out a silver-white bottle, its surface sealed with a restriction talisman.
The division of spoils began with True Monarch Dominating Martial.
Lan Chang'an accepted the sealed bottle, swept it with his spiritual sense, and nodded slightly.
He was secretly delighted, his Nine Seal Stele could now absorb another Nascent Soul as nourishment, increasing the fifth life’s progress by ten percent.
Since he had taken Dominating Martial’s Nascent Soul, he refrained from taking any of the magical treasures or other valuable items from the body.
However, he did claim a few fourth-rank refining materials suitable for crafting puppets, while Jing Wufeng also gave him half of the spirit stones and other common resources from Dominating Martial’s possessions.
Compared to other Nascent Soul cultivators, Dominating Martial’s wealth was somewhat lacking.
He was a Nascent Soul elder of one of the eight factions of Yaqi Mountain, rather than a loose cultivator, so he hadn’t carried his entire fortune with him.
Dominating Martial’s most valuable treasure was the heavy ancient armor he had been wearing. It was incredibly durable and provided exceptional defense. If he hadn’t been caught off guard and his armor was fully reinforced by his mana, Nangong Xiu’s blade might not have been able to kill him.
Next came True Monarch Netherwater’s lost treasures, the three retrieved items were:
Ocean Sky Saint Banner, an ancient inherited magical treasure, capable of forming an independent oceanic domain. Its value exceeded most top-grade magical treasures.
Profound Nether Heavy Water was not a magical treasure, but a cultivation-enhancing spiritual item, an essential material for practicing certain divine abilities.
Black Spirit Silk, a rare natural artifact, incredibly tough and resilient and could be refined into special functional type magical treasure.
Naturally, the Ocean Sky Saint Banner was the most valuable of the three, worth more than the other two combined.
After careful consideration, Lan Chang'an let Jing Wufeng take the Ocean Sky Saint Banner.
This was due to thorough consideration. First, acquiring the Ocean Sky Saint Banner might carry hidden karmic burdens.
Obtaining it could mean inheriting the lingering cause-and-effect of both True Monarch Netherwater and the Black Sea Sect.
Lan Chang'an had caught glimpses of this through his fourth-rank divination skills.
Second, at early-stage Nascent Soul, controlling the Ocean Sky Saint Banner would be too difficult, and it didn’t suit his attributes.
He already possessed a similar oceanic banner, obtained from True Monarch Shazhai. While its quality was slightly inferior to a top-grade magical treasure, it had remained sealed for years after arriving in the Great Yuan. He had never used it, fearing it might reveal his secrets.
Meanwhile, the Profound Nether Heavy Water was valuable for his Profound Water Turtle.
This mutated bloodline spirit beast had also cultivated a Heavy Water divine ability. Absorbing a mid-stage Nascent Soul’s Profound Nether Heavy Water would enhance its cultivation and divine abilities.
As for the Black Spirit Silk functional magical treasure, it had no elemental restrictions and was highly versatile.
Lan Chang'an planned to gift it to Lord Earthrock.
Upon appraisal, he discovered that aside from being indestructible and resistant to water and fire, the Black Spirit Silk had shape-shifting and camouflage abilities, along with a spirit-devouring effect.
The spirit-devouring effect meant that when worn as a disguise, it would be nearly undetectable as a magical treasure. Moreover, in battle, it could absorb spiritual energy and demonic power, making it harder for enemies to resist once ensnared.
Lan Chang'an even speculated that in the hands of True Monarch Netherwater or someone stronger, this Black Spirit Silk might have been powerful enough to restrain Nascent Souls.
Of course, the attack range of spirit-devouring silk was relatively short, so it wasn’t a dedicated tool for capturing Nascent Souls.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Xiang."
True Monarch Jing Tian accepted the Ocean Sky Saint Banner, a trace of joy flickering across his face.
The banner’s ability to form an independent domain complemented his spatial abilities perfectly, it was like adding wings to a tiger. It would be very effective in mid-to-late Nascent Soul battles.
On the other hand, Profound Nether Heavy Water and the Black Spirit Silk didn’t suit him.
Jing Wufeng’s own Celestial Silkworm Crystal Threads already had binding effects, and they synergized better with his spatial techniques.
"Since True Monarch Soaring Snow was defeated by Fellow Daoist Xiang and Lord Earthrock, I had no part in that battle, so I won’t take a share of her loot."
Jing Wufeng generously ceded his potential claim to a portion of the spoils.
In truth, Lord Earthrock had used his fourth-rank poison and ambush tactics to help defeat True Monarch Soaring Snow, and Jing Wufeng had not participated at all.
However, in team battles, different people contribute in different ways, so loot distribution isn’t always clear-cut.
More importantly, if Jing Wufeng hadn’t used his pseudo-spiritual treasure to suppress the enemy, True Monarch Soaring Snow wouldn’t have been forced into her out-of-body state.
With her body frozen, she hadn’t even had time to retrieve her spatial ring or Ice Lotus Treasure.
…
"Since Fellow Daoist Jing insists, I shall shamelessly accept with a smile."
After a brief exchange of polite refusals, Lan Chang'an took all of True Monarch Soaring Snow’s spoils.
Jing Wufeng’s generosity was partly because Soaring Snow’s magical treasures were all ice-elemental, making them of little use to him.
At the corner of the cave.
Lord Earthrock, still heavily injured, opened its mouth and spat out Soaring Snow’s frozen body.
As her space bracelet, Cold Ice Divine Chain, and Ice Lotus Treasure scattered onto the ground, Lan Chang'an immediately examined her physical body, checking for any abnormalities.
She wore a pristine white palace robe, her features exquisitely beautiful, with a cold yet ethereal charm. Her graceful immortal body was encased in a thin layer of ice crystals. Though her body temperature had long dropped, and her heartbeat had ceased, there was still a lingering trace of life within her.
Even the expression of shock on her face had been perfectly preserved by the freezing process, giving her an uncanny lifelike quality.
"Interesting… Even the fourth-rank poison has been frozen alongside her. Not only does this preserve her vitality for the long term, but it also means she can potentially be revived in the future."
Lan Chang'an clicked his tongue in admiration, Soaring Snow’s cultivation technique was far from ordinary.
Without a pseudo-spiritual treasure, even he and Jing Wufeng would have had a hard time breaking through the ice seal.
Yet now, only a thin outer layer of ice remained, acting as a preservation barrier, while the crack on the ice covering her head had automatically healed.
Through his calculations, Lan Chang'an determined that her Innate Dao Physique’s Nascent Soul physical body had no hidden dangers or threats.
If he found the right buyer, he could sell it for a very high price.
However, at close range, Soaring Snow’s Nascent Soul would still feel a vague spiritual connection to her body.
With that in mind, Lan Chang'an cast a wood-elemental sealing spell.
He drew intricate spiritual patterns in the air with his fingers, leaving behind dark green leaf-like markings on the surface of the ice, adding a subtle vital aura while concealing its original energy signature.
After reinforcing it with two more sealing talismans, he performed another divination, ensuring that there were no flaws in the concealment.
Now, unless Soaring Snow’s Nascent Soul was within direct proximity, she would be unable to sense her physical body’s presence.
Conversely, Lan Chang'an could use the body as a medium to track her Nascent Soul’s whereabouts through his fourth-rank divination technique.
Only after these precautions did he begin inventorying the spoils.
During the battle, Soaring Snow wielded two powerful magical treasures:
Among them, Ice Lotus Treasure was an incredibly high-quality magical treasure and could rotate automatically for defense or transform into flying lotuses to attack enemies. Its quality was close to a top-grade magical treasure.
The Cold Ice Divine Chain belonged to the finest of superior-grade magical treasures.
Both of these treasures had been exceptionally effective in her hands, perfectly complementing her Profound Ice Dao Body.
If it hadn’t been for the fourth-rank poison and the surprise attack from the green-armored puppet, even Lord Earthrock alone wouldn’t have stood a chance.
However, Lan Chang'an’s Evergreen Cultivation Technique was incompatible with these ice-elemental treasures.
While he could use them, they would consume more mana and fail to reach their full potential.
"The Profound Water Turtle could make some use of them."
Lan Chang'an contemplated.
However, the one with the best fit for these treasures among the cultivators he knew was Xia Wenyue.
Breaking the restrictions on Soaring Snow’s spatial bracelet required some effort.
As he sorted through its contents, he burned all female garments and any suspicious personal items.
Soaring Snow’s wealth was comparable to True Monarch Dominating Martial’s, though her possessions were far more extravagant.
Among the most valuable finds were spiritual pills & heavenly materials, extremely valuable but mostly ice-elemental.
Only some of the precious ore materials could be used to refine puppets.
"Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, versatile high-grade material, suitable for crafting artifacts, puppets, and more..."
"Fourth-rank Ice Heart Pill, can be used to ward off inner demons, also useful in various cultivation arts such as increasing success rates in talisman crafting and alchemy.
"Hmm? This feather?"
Inside an ancient wooden box, he found a sealed pale-cyan feather, radiating an icy chill.
"A descendant feather of the True Spirit Beast, ‘Ice Blue Phoenix’?"
After sifting through his memories, Lan Chang'an confirmed his suspicion, and was shocked.
Even across several Nascent Soul cultivators' memories, none had ever personally seen an Ice Blue Phoenix, as it was a species long extinct in the human realm, only recorded in ancient texts.
To enhance the Exotic Spirit Peacock’s bloodline, high-tier spirit bird materials of fourth rank or higher were required.
This Ice Blue Phoenix Feather was indeed a perfect match, but its quantity was too low to cause a qualitative change.
...
By this point, his fortune far surpassed that of most Nascent Soul cultivators.
At that moment, he noticed Lord Earthrock, still in its rat-human hybrid demon form, sitting nearby while healing from injuries. The demon looked at him expectantly, its eyes full of anticipation.
"How bad are your injuries?"
Lan Chang'an approached with concern, examining its condition and channeling Evergreen mana to aid in healing. At the same time, he took out a fourth-rank healing pill from the spoils and handed it over.
Lord Earthrock’s injuries were severe but not fatal, the primary wounds were external, with several bones shattered by Profound Nether Heavy Water’s impact.
However, as a fourth-rank demon king, its self-healing abilities were formidable. With Lan Chang'an’s Evergreen Cultivation Technique assisting in recovery, it would fully heal within six months, without any lasting internal injuries.
Since the wounds weren’t life-threatening, Lan Chang'an hadn’t been too concerned before and saw no need to use his Evergreen secret spell.
A few days later, with the injuries stabilized, Lord Earthrock continued its recovery.
Lan Chang'an then selected several fourth-rank spirit herbs from the spoils to help restore its vitality as quickly as possible.
"Right, there's also this magical treasure."
Lan Chang'an handed over the Spirit-Devouring Black Silk as well.
"Thank you master for the gift."
Lord Earthrock expressed its gratitude, immediately using demonic power to refine the treasure, slowly erasing the remnants of True Monarch Netherwater’s spiritual imprint.
One month later.
Lord Earthrock had partially refined the Spirit-Devouring Black Silk, altering its appearance into a black rope, which it now wore around the neck.
During battle, the Black Silk could transform into thousands of ultra-tough strands, striking with lightning speed.
Not only could it be used to bind and restrain opponents, but it was also capable of piercing through weak defenses, making it highly effective against lower-tier cultivators.
...
Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng agreed to take a year's rest after this battle for digesting the loot and improving their strength.
The reason for this specific timeframe was because Lan Chang'an needed time to reactivate his fourth life, ensuring he would be adequately prepared for the unpredictable dangers of the upcoming demon-sealing mission.
His explanation was that his secret soul-amplifying technique, which had allowed him to briefly double his Nascent Soul power, caused significant weakness afterward.
To fully recover from the resulting depletion, even with rare treasures and elixirs, he would need at least a year of careful nurturing.
Jing Wufeng had no objections, he also needed time to repair the heavy ancient armor he had taken from True Monarch Dominating Martial.
During the battle, Dominating Martial had been cut in half at the waist, yet his Black Gold Ancient Armor had only partially fractured, remaining connected by spiritual threads rather than splitting completely.
Moreover, when infused with mana, the ancient treasure even displayed self-repair capabilities.
While Jing Wufeng was away on an outing, Lan Chang'an secretly consumed True Monarch Dominating Martial’s Nascent Soul inside the cave.
With this, the fifth life of his Nine Seal Stele gained another ten percent progress, bringing his total accumulation to sixty-five percent.
It's a pity that True Monarch Soaring Snow's Nascent Soul managed to escape; otherwise, the progress could have been advanced by another ten percent.
During his recovery period, Lan Chang'an took the time to sort through True Monarch Dominating Martial’s memories, further enhancing his own knowledge and foundation.
Dominating Martial’s cultivation method leaned toward demonic techniques, somewhat resembling those practiced by the Six Demonic Sects.
Among them, he had a body-refining technique that was actually slightly superior to Lan Chang'an’s ‘Golden Luo Overlord Body’.
However, Lan Chang'an had no interest in switching his cultivation method.
Changing to a new body-refinement technique would require wasting vast amounts of resources and time, which he wasn’t willing to do.
The true bottleneck preventing him from advancing to fourth-rank body refinement wasn’t his cultivation method, but rather the scarcity of high-quality tempering materials in the current heaven and earth environment.
In fact, the stronger the technique, the harder the breakthrough would be.
…
Jing Wufeng returned from his outing without noticing anything unusual, he remained unaware that Lan Chang'an had already devoured True Monarch Dominating Martial’s Nascent Soul.
At this moment, Lan Chang'an casually inquired:
"Fellow Daoist Jing, since you have enmity with True Monarch Soaring Snow, do you know much about her origins?"
His real motive for asking wasn’t about the grudge, but rather about the Ice Blue Phoenix Feather he had found.
Jing Wufeng didn’t hide anything:
"True Monarch Soaring Snow comes from a family of cultivators in a certain immortal cultivation nation near the Cloudsky Immortal City of the Central Region. She was born with a supreme Innate Dao Physique and had superb qualifications. When she was young, she became Dao companions with the young master of a major merchant guild in Cloudsky Immortal City."
"It is said that during an expedition into a hidden realm, she obtained the inheritance of an outer province, allowing her to form an Immortal Golden Dan. Later, both she and her Dao companion ascended to Nascent Soul together and shared a deep bond."
"As for my enmity with them…" Jing Wufeng’s tone remained calm, with little sense of guilt.
"Her Dao companion, ‘True Monarch Ink Snow,’ and I first clashed in the Ancient Nether Hall, where I cost him a rare opportunity. Later, after I revealed myself after forming my Nascent Soul in the Central Region, the couple, along with other Nascent Soul cultivators, tried to hunt me down so I took the opportunity to strike first and kill them instead."
The situation was simple: Soaring Snow had great potential, and her Dao companion Ink Snow had taken great risks, exploring Ancient Nether Hall to secure resources for her. Even their attempt to hunt down Jing Wufeng had been for the sake of securing more fortuitous opportunities for Soaring Snow.
"A Hidden Realm? An Outer Province Legacy?"
Lan Chang'an had little interest in their personal grievances, but his sharp instincts immediately picked up on something important—
Soaring Snow’s core inheritance, and possibly even the Ice Blue Phoenix Feather, might have originated from that hidden realm.
Unfortunately, if Soaring Snow had truly obtained an inheritance, the hidden realm’s greatest treasures had likely already been plundered.
"What a Pity! Her Nascent Soul fled too far and can't be tracked down in a short period of time."
Lan Chang'an attempted multiple divinations but ultimately gave up on pursuing Soaring Snow’s Nascent Soul during their recovery period.
The Central Region Forbidden Zone was filled with countless dangers, and his divinations hinted that the longer he remained active, the greater the potential risks he would face.
Rather than invite unnecessary trouble, he chose to remain low-key and focus on cultivation.
...
In a flash, Lan Chang'an and Jing Wufeng remained in seclusion within the Central Region Forbidden Zone for an entire year, silently consolidating their gains.
During that year, the news of the defeat of the seven Nascent Soul cultivators working together was like paper that couldn't wrap fire. With the influence of certain interested parties, it spread throughout the Central Region.
The joint effort of the seven Nascent Soul cultivators against Jing Wufeng was no secret among the major forces of the Central Region.
The Central Region Forbidden Zone wasn't just limited to Nascent Soul fights, there were spies from major factions, high-tier cultivators exploring the area, and demon-hunting experts lurking everywhere.
Soon, key details of the battle became widely known:
The pseudo-spiritual treasure became famous in one battle.
A mid-stage Nascent Soul powerhouse had been gravely injured.
Two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators had either perished or vanished.
When the major forces analyzed the information and performed divinations, the entire Central Region trembled.
The Great Yu Imperial Family, in particular, felt a chill run down their spine.
If the imperial court had known just how powerful the 'Twin Dragons of the Central Region' were, they would have given them face and never tried to interfere.
Jing Wufeng had always been a renowned figure, known as a dragon among men.
Meanwhile, Lan Chang'an’s alias, "Xiang Dalong," also contained the character for "dragon(龙)".
Thus, as the story spread, rumors began to refer to them as the ‘Twin Dragons of the Central Region.’
The title quickly gained traction, first among cultivation factions in the Central Region, and then throughout the various regions of Great Yuan. In time, even coastal cultivators would hear of it and take notice.
In the evaluations of the major forces, the Twin Dragons of the Central Region, when united, stood unrivaled below the level of Nascent Soul Great Cultivators.
(End of chapter)
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