Demon Cultivator with Celestial Book

Chapter 354: Chapter 251: Lone Phoenix of the Great Enterprise, Twin Dragons of Liyang

The world spun on, and time flew by. In a flash, three years had passed.

On this day, a grand festival was being prepared on the banks of the Da Long River. The air thrummed with the sound of gongs and drums in a scene of bustling excitement.

Gentry and villagers from all the surrounding areas flocked to the newly built Dragon Girl Temple to offer incense and pray for blessings.

In recent years, the Da Long River region had been blessed with favorable weather.

In the past, the river would flood every rainy season, breaking through the dikes and submerging the fertile fields.

Those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain; those who live by the water eat from the water.

The Da Long River stretched for eight hundred miles, cutting through Zhenbei Dao. When it raged and overflowed into a disaster, the people on both banks suffered immensely.

Because of this, every year foolish men and women would put their faith in charlatan priestesses, sacrificing young boys and girls to appease the anger of the Dragon King.

"Ever since the Dragon Girl appeared, the Da Long River hasn’t flooded once!"

"I heard that Bai the Seventh from Xingping Town nearly drowned trying to catch a Treasure Fish. He swore on his life that he saw the Dragon Girl herself appear and pull him to shore."

"I heard that too! They say the Dragon Girl carries a Treasure Sword and is as beautiful as an Immortal..."

Inside the Lion’s Pavilion, a heroic-looking young man in a brocade robe listened to all the chatter and sneered.

"This Dragon Girl nonsense... In my opinion, it’s just someone putting on a holy act to fool ignorant villagers."

Next to him sat an effeminate youth, his features so delicate and beautiful they seemed almost feminine.

"Brother Yelv, you don’t believe in Immortals and saints?"

The heroic youth wore a headband woven from silver thread and inlaid with fine jade. A single glance was enough to tell he was a man of wealth and status.

He sneered.

"It’s precisely *because* I believe there are Immortals and gods who can soar through the heavens that I think this whole Dragon Girl affair is a farce."

"Wanyan... Brother, you should know as well. Peerless masters with world-shaking power all occupy blessed lands to cultivate in seclusion. Why would one come to the Da Long River to protect a bunch of peasants who are no better than ants?"

The effeminate youth nodded in apparent agreement.

It was said that a Spirit Refining Grandmaster, at the Twelfth Transformation of the Mortal Realm, could live on mist and dew, abstaining from all worldly food. They maintained a perfected form, uncorrupted by Dense Qi.

Therefore, they would only reside in famous mountains and on great rivers, unwilling to easily step into the mortal world.

"Zhenbei Dao is territory governed by the Great General Jin Wushu. For some swindler from the martial underworld to dare pull a stunt right under his nose? That takes some nerve."

The effeminate youth, whom the other had called "Brother Wanyan," covered his mouth with a hand and smiled.

"The Great General’s manor keeps the Thirteen Blood Eagles, each one a master of the Seventh Transformation. If word of this reaches the Great General, that Dragon Girl’s head will be hanging from the city walls by tomorrow."

The heroic youth smiled faintly.

"The Great General runs Zhenbei Dao like an iron fortress. Nothing escapes his notice. In my view, he’s letting this Dragon Girl operate because he’s using her as bait to catch a bigger fish."

The effeminate youth frowned.

"Brother Yelv, do you know something about this Dragon Girl’s origins?"

The heroic youth chuckled.

"I’m an avid reader of the histories of the Central Plains. Remnants of rebellious factions love to use tales of strange powers and gods, twisting facts to create the illusion that they have the Mandate of Heaven."

"The Liyang Dynasty was founded less than five years ago, and malcontents everywhere are already stirring."

"Brother Wanyan, you must have heard about the White Lotus Sacred Sect that appeared in Nanhe Dao two years ago. They went around gathering followers under the guise of dispensing medicine and aiding the common folk."

"When word of it reached His Majesty, he immediately issued a decree ordering the Crown Prince to dispatch men to wipe them out."

The effeminate youth swirled the wine in his cup, his tone contemplative.

"Our Liyang Dynasty came to power by conquest, so our foundation is not yet stable. With the undying ambitions of the previous dynasty’s remnants, our position is indeed precarious."

"But as long as pillars of the state like the Great General remain, these ghouls and goblins won’t be able to turn the world upside down."

The Liyang’s conquest of the Central Plains was far from secure. For one, the Great Enterprise had ruled for centuries, and its former ministers still harbored some loyalty.

For another, the Liyang had conquered the world on horseback but didn’t know how to rule it. Some members of the imperial clan were already eager to carve up the new domain for themselves, causing no end of headaches for His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

"Affairs of the state are dull. They do nothing but add to one’s worries."

The heroic youth tipped his head back and drained the pot of wine, a bold spirit surging through him.

"This Da Long River Martial Competition is sure to be a grand affair."

"The Great General’s adopted son, Sheng Hailong, and the Crown Prince’s sworn brother, Tuoba Long—the so-called ’Twin Dragons of Liyang’—have both reached the Eighth Transformation before the age of thirty."

"I heard from my family’s elders that both of them will be participating."

The heroic youth’s words left the effeminate youth puzzled.

The fame of the Twin Dragons of Liyang was already unmatched.

’Why would they need the Da Long River Martial Competition to enhance their reputations?’

"There’s something you don’t know, Brother Wanyan. The Great General’s manor is offering a pot of ’Golden Nectar,’ a gift from the Great Snow Mountain."

"With such a magnificent prize for the victor, of course the Twin Dragons of Liyang wouldn’t miss it."

The heroic youth laughed heartily, then picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and savored it slowly.

"What a lavish prize! Even the masters who cultivate on the Great Snow Mountain are rarely bestowed its Golden Nectar. Years ago, the Great General climbed the ’Cliff of Seeking the Dao,’ reaching the summit in ten days and breaking through every barrier. Only then was he granted three pots."

The effeminate youth was inwardly stunned. A single pot of Golden Nectar could completely transform one’s Mortal Body, bringing their physique to the level of Great Success and granting them the divine strength to lift a thousand pounds.

"We can just enjoy the show. After the Da Long River Martial Competition is over, you and I can go find that Dragon Girl."

The heroic youth raised an eyebrow, a flirtatious smile playing on his lips.

"If she’s as beautiful as they say, I wouldn’t mind adding her to my chambers as another concubine."

The effeminate youth was left speechless. This Brother Yelv made no secret of his lust for beautiful women. During their travels together, he had already ruined his fair share of heroines from the martial underworld.

"Brother Yelv, forgive my presumption, but I must remind you: women of the Central Plains are mere playthings. You must never develop true feelings for one."

"You and I carry the noble blood of the Nine Surnames of the Great Enterprise. We absolutely cannot allow our lineage to be tainted by those from within the Pass."