Demon Cultivator with Celestial Book

Chapter 355: Chapter 251: Lone Phoenix of the Great Enterprise, Twin Dragons of Liyang (Part 2)

The valiant youth nodded, a contemptuous smile on his face.

"A true man should focus on building a legacy. Women are just for pleasure."

With that, he tossed down a few silver ingots and stood up.

The effeminate youth followed him and asked,

"Brother Yelv, you said before that the Treasure Fish from the Da Long River was exquisitely delicious, a true delicacy. How come you’ve barely touched it?"

The valiant youth shook his head.

"I was foolish to believe the miscellaneous books of the People Inside the Pass. In reality, it’s nothing special."

The effeminate youth mocked,

"The People Inside the Pass have always been prone to exaggeration. I remember, back when we were still outside the pass, hearing the Great Enterprise’s imperial family boast about that Zhixuan Temple and their Supreme Being.

Now that the Liyang have been inside the pass for so long, we’ve seen no one descend from Zhixuan Temple, let alone the legendary Supreme Being from beyond the heavens."

The valiant youth agreed. The people from outside the pass, who held dominion between the white mountains and black waters, were the true beings favored by the Supreme Being of the Great Snow Mountain.

As for the others, they were all utterly insignificant.

"It’s just a pity that two Supreme Beings cannot exist in the same era, just as there cannot be two suns in the sky."

The valiant youth sighed with regret.

"Otherwise, we would know which of the Four Great Sacred Lands is truly the strongest."

...

...

Da Long River, Water Manor.

Three years passed in a flash. The sallow, skinny, straw-like little girl of the past had transformed completely, blossoming into a heroic and valiant figure.

Yao Yun’s black hair was tied up high, unadorned by pearls or jade. There was no trace of delicacy about her. A jade belt cinched her waist over a warrior’s attire with fitted sleeves. Her almond-shaped eyes were as bright as autumn waters, and her gaze held a natural, imposing authority.

For three years, come rain or shine, day and night without rest, she had gone to the "eye of the water" in the Da Long River to strike furiously against the tides.

One thousand and ninety-six days. More than one hundred thousand strikes in total.

From being unable to withstand a single wave at the beginning, she progressed to cleaving nine times in one breath, parting the turbulent waters of the vortex-filled eye.

Only Yao Yun herself knew how much blood, sweat, and tears she had shed.

The Supreme Being taught her no Cultivation Techniques or stances. Every time she was injured, he would grant her an Elixir to consume, and otherwise paid her no mind.

’Could three years of striking tides really be enough to kill Jin Wushu, the Grand General of the North and the top expert of the Liyang Court?’ This behavior left Yao Yun bewildered.

Though she couldn’t understand it, she didn’t ask questions, single-mindedly completing the Supreme Being’s instructions.

Until today.

That voice, lofty in its rhythm, vast and ethereal, once again resounded in her mind, still with the same simple four words:

"Come and see me."

Yao Yun took a deep breath, leaped up, and hurried toward the Quiet Chamber in the Water Manor.

The door to the room was open. Jiang Yi sat cross-legged on a couch, seemingly in deep meditation with his eyes closed.

A treasured furnace spewed forth smoke and vapor, which took the form of dragons, tigers, and flying cranes, circling around his body.

This wasn’t to aid his cultivation. After reaching the pinnacle by condensing supreme-grade True Qi and stepping into the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer, it was incredibly difficult for his Merit to advance any further.

Every tiny bit of improvement required an immense amount of tedious effort, making the gains not worth the cost.

This treasured furnace was called the "One Qi Life-Contemplation Furnace." As long as one continuously poured True Qi into it, it would clarify the Divine Sense and cause Spiritual Light to flicker.

It was often used for comprehending True Skills and practicing Daoist Techniques.

’The will of heaven is truly unfathomable... Even after three years, I still can’t see through it completely.

’I’ve been in seclusion for three years, observing the changes in the mortal realm’s celestial heart, and I’ve vaguely grasped a thread of it.

’There must be more to [Juku Continent]. A Daoist Monarch personally seized it, and a True Monarch Level entity refined a Talisman Decree for it. It can’t just be a training ground for a True Inheritance of the Sect.’

A guess surfaced in Jiang Yi’s mind, but he didn’t dare to be completely certain.

He opened his eyes and slowly withdrew his power. A great RUMBLE rolled out.

His supreme-grade True Qi and One Element Magical Power seemed capable of piercing the very heavens of the mortal realm; the slightest leak would trigger anomalous phenomena.

Kneeling outside the door, the reverence in Yao Yun’s eyes grew more pronounced. Her three years of striking the tides at the eye of the water had not been without reward.

The breath of inner energy within her had grown stronger, and her Realm had steadily climbed, breaking through to the Sixth Transformation of the Mortal Realm.

Even so, whenever she faced the Supreme Being, Yao Yun still felt he was as vast as an ocean abyss, nearly unfathomable.

The Da Long River, which stretched for eight hundred li and cut across the Zhenbei Province, was like a babbling brook before him.

This incomparable, unprecedentedly transcendent Qi Mechanism made Yao Yun wonder if even the pinnacle of this world, the Twelfth Transformation of the Mortal Realm, could withstand a single blow from the Supreme Being.

"The three-year period is up. Are you confident you can kill Jin Wushu?"

Jiang Yi looked at Yao Yun, whose fate now showed the aspect of accumulated power ready for release. The little girl’s explosive progress had not betrayed her status as an orphan of the Great Enterprise’s imperial family.

"By the Supreme Being’s command, this servant has not dared to slack off for even a moment. Although I have made some progress, as for killing Jin Wushu, the Grand General of the North of Liyang... I truly have no confidence."

Yao Yun reported truthfully, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Jiang Yi wasn’t angry. His purpose in having Yao Yun strike the tides for three years was to temper her character, not as some kind of training method.

His eyes flickered as he pondered inwardly. ’Legend has it that only those of the Great Enterprise’s imperial bloodline can give birth to a "Scion of Calamity" who can petition the Supreme Being from beyond the heavens.

’But the Great Enterprise was founded hundreds of years ago, and no Scion of Calamity has ever appeared again to receive a response from the Supreme Being.

’This caused Zhixuan Temple, which proclaimed itself a follower of the Supreme Being, to gradually lose its bond of faith with the Great Enterprise.’

The reason for this was quite simple.

The True Inheritance of the Sect who descended to [Juku Continent] back then, granted a stroke of fortune to the founding ancestor of the Great Enterprise, and gathered the Zi-Wu Fire... the method he used was the [Blood Qi] Technique.

He infused the karmic ties between himself and the Great Enterprise into the bloodline of its descendants, to be passed down through the generations.

This, however, created a problem.

The more descendants the imperial clan of the Great Enterprise had, the lower the probability of a Scion of Calamity appearing.

’That True Inheritance really had the style of a Demon Cultivator. The founding ancestor of the Great Enterprise thought he had obtained a protective talisman that would secure his dynasty for all eternity.

’But the "Supreme Being" had no intention of bothering with the Great Enterprise at all, leaving it to fend for itself.’

Jiang Yi’s thoughts shifted, returning to the matter at hand.

"Why do you think a Grandmaster of Spirit Refinement, at the Twelfth Transformation of the Mortal Realm, is considered invincible?"

Yao Yun understood this was a test from the Supreme Being. She immediately focused her mind, held her breath, and said,

"The so-called transformations of the mortal realm are the three gates of ’Essence, Qi, and Spirit.’

"When Essence is abundant, one’s blood and qi surge. Fists and feet generate wind, capable of shattering metal, splitting stone, and tearing apart tigers and leopards."

"When Qi is full, one gains skin of copper and bones of iron, can rival a galloping horse, and can travel a thousand li overnight without issue."

"When Spirit is powerful, one can achieve Sympathy with heaven and earth, comprehending true intent and true forms from the rivers, sun, and moon, seizing spiritual marrow to make it one’s own."

The corners of Jiang Yi’s lips lifted slightly. Yao Yun’s words were correct. The Twelve Transformations of the Mortal Realm, in the end, were nothing more than the three gates of ’Essence, Qi, and Spirit.’

To some extent, the Qi Cultivation Realm of the Yanfu Vast Land was not much different, merely adding the two steps of refining Gang Sha and condensing True Qi.

"Therefore, when Spirit is sufficient, Qi is long-lasting, and Essence is full."

Jiang Yi asked slowly,

"This revered one had you strike the tides for three years. Did you have any doubts?"

Yao Yun lowered her head and said,

"The Supreme Being’s words and actions must have a purpose. This servant has no need to guess; I only need to obey."

’Not bad. She’s a qualified Lower Cultivator.’

Jiang Yi nodded again, then said,

"Between Essence, Qi, and Spirit, there is no definitive order.

"The world is not lacking in those born extraordinary. Some are born with immense physical strength, able to move the nine cauldrons, a feat beyond even the Four Symbols.

"Others have such abundant Essence that it nourishes the brain, allowing them to easily master anything they learn... When this revered one told you to kill Jin Wushu in three years, it was not a casual remark."

Jiang Yi flickered a finger, tapping Yao Yun’s forehead from a distance.

Her bright eyes flew wide open. The continuous ROARING of water filled her ears, and the reflection of a great, surging river appeared in her eyes, churning without end.

It could nourish all things, yet it could also overflow into a devastating flood.

"This is... the Da Long River?"

Yao Yun’s pretty face was filled with shock. In that instant, she had the strange sensation that she *was* the Da Long River!

"Striking the tides for three years was to make you familiar with the Water Attribute, water’s momentum, and water’s form.

"Only then would it be possible for you to control the ’True Form of Raging Waves’ that this revered one has bestowed upon you."

Jiang Yi’s tone was indifferent. With his Dao Wisdom, which ranked first on the Southern Dipper List, seizing the essence of the Da Long River to create a True Form Diagram was as easy as turning over his hand.

"With this True Form, you are half a step into Spirit Refinement.

"If you still can’t kill Liyang’s Grand General of the North with this, there’s no need to see me again. Go buy a block of tofu in the city and smash your head on it until you die."

Yao Yun felt as if she had received a priceless treasure. Weeping with gratitude, she kowtowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Supreme Being! I will take that old villain Jin Wushu’s head!"

Jiang Yi just waved his hand, and Yao Yun was teleported away.

He mused,

’To obtain the Zi-Wu Fire, one must refine both Martial and Scholarly materials.

’I already have the Martial Fire. Once Yao Yun achieves the destiny of the ’Lone Phoenix of the Great Enterprise’ and her fate is elevated once more, it will be complete.

’The Scholarly material... I am still missing a Scholarly material to serve as kindling.’