Chapter 111: Had enough? If not, I'll feed you some more.
A single leaf, a head severed.
There was no spiritual energy.
No sword moves.
Just a mere flick of sword intent was enough to neatly slice off the Old Sect Leader's head. The severance at his neck was smooth and clean, blood still gushing from the bowl-sized wound.
Of course.
Decapitation alone wouldn't kill him.
After all.
The Old Sect Leader was a peak Mahayana stage cultivator, just one step away from reaching the Half-Immortal stage.
Lu Hengge reached out and grabbed.
In an instant.
A transparent soul was caught in his hand.
Looking closely.
This soul was indeed the Old Sect Leader.
Lu Hengge didn't let go of the Old Sect Leader's body and head either, storing them in his spatial ring. Refining a Furnace Pill from such a body would yield a top-tier product.
The only pity was that the Old Sect Leader's fortune had completely vanished. Furnace Pills refined from this body could only boost cultivation, not enhance fortune.
"Lu Hengge!"
"You..."
The Old Sect Leader, in his soul form, was incredulous.
A single leaf!
Just one leaf!
His ultimate trump card, which he had painstakingly refined his entire life, was as fragile as paper. He hadn't even sensed the leaf carrying sword intent rushing towards him. This was the hardest part to accept, as it meant he and Lu Hengge weren't on the same level at all.
That's why.
He couldn't sense Lu Hengge's attack.
Lu Hengge lowered his gaze slightly.
His cold eyes fixed on the Old Sect Leader's soul, revealing unfathomable chill.
The Old Sect Leader's soul wanted to escape, but he couldn't move an inch.
The Old Sect Leader panicked.
His body being destroyed was a minor issue.
As long as his soul remained, he could reshape his body. At most, it would affect his cultivation talent and future progress.
But now.
His soul was clutched in Lu Hengge's hand.
With just a thought, Lu Hengge could easily kill him, and it would be a true, final death, with no chance of revival.
"Hengge!"
"There must be some misunderstanding between us. You're the Saint Son of the Three Thousand Dao Sect, and I'm the Sect Master. We should be on the same side."
"A family has no secrets!"
"Please let me go first, and we can sit down and talk things over slowly."
The Old Sect Leader chuckled dryly.
He was terrified of death.
Such a person, driven by a desire for survival, would abandon all dignity and do anything to stay alive.
"Don't worry."
"I won't kill you for now."
Lu Hengge said softly.
Upon hearing this.
The Old Sect Leader breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Hengge still had some questions for this old geezer. It wouldn't be too late to kill him and refine him into a pill after getting the answers.
In the distance.
Chu Ge's eyes were cold.
"Kid."
"You've got some nerve!"
Chu Ge didn't care about the Old Sect Leader's life or death, but Lu Hengge killing the Old Sect Leader right in front of him was a direct insult.
Lu Hengge gave him a calm look, but this look only fueled Chu Ge's anger. He was always the one showing off in front of others; when was it someone else's turn to show off in front of him?!
"I want you dead!"
Chu Ge gritted his teeth.
The next second.
His ancient monk's robe fell from his body, transforming into a sky-obscuring pouch. Terrifying suction tore at Lu Hengge's clothes and body. This gigantic kasaya mouth held immense danger; once swallowed, it would be difficult to escape.
Lu Hengge's eyes narrowed slightly.
This monk's robe was also an extraordinary magical artifact.
"This guy has a lot of treasures."
"The monk's robe that transforms into the Sky-Swallowing Pouch."
"The wine-red gourd hanging from his waist."
"The black and white brush in his hand."
These were all good items.
Especially that brush.
Lu Hengge could feel a tool spirit residing within the brush. Generally, magical artifacts that could spontaneously birth tool spirits were not simple.
However.
This fit the typical portrayal of a Chosen One.
A smile played on Lu Hengge's lips. He placed the Old Sect Leader's soul into his spatial ring. Since leaving the Sword Tomb, Lu Hengge had been unsure how much his strength had grown. He needed an opponent to test his progress, and now, he had one.
"All-Encompassing!"
"Devour!"
The kasaya, covering a thousand miles, descended, giving Lu Hengge no chance to escape.
Lu Hengge's eyes flickered, myriad galaxies swirling within them. Creation and destruction formed a perfect closed loop within Lu Hengge's body. Then, Lu Hengge raised a finger and gently pointed at the void: "A single point, a world."
In an instant.
The starry cosmos.
Countless magnificent celestial bodies rose from the ground, centered around Lu Hengge, forming a complete primordial universe.
One hundred miles...
One thousand miles...
Ten thousand miles...
One hundred thousand miles...
This universe continuously expanded, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped the sky within a hundred thousand miles, the firmament darkening, all light swallowed.
The cultivators within a hundred-thousand-mile radius of the First Sword Sect had already been devoured by the Old Sect Leader. Only a few unawakened animals sniffed, looked up at the terrifying anomaly, and panicked, unsure what was happening.
Chu Ge's pupils contracted.
To be honest.
This move was no different in essence from the Old Sect Leader's trump card.
Creation.
Destruction.
These two intertwined forces formed the starry firmament, the cosmos, mimicking the illusion of a complete world. But in reality, this world was very incomplete, lacking the rules to sustain its operation and living beings to drive its development.
But the problem was, the power and range of Lu Hengge's move were simply too vast.
If the Old Sect Leader's galaxy was a river, then the primordial universe created by Lu Hengge was a vast ocean.
"This guy... is he a native?"
"Why do I feel like he's more of an outsider than I am..."
Chu Ge felt a slight unease.
Logically speaking.
His arrival in this world should have been a dimensionality reduction attack.
But now.
Chu Ge's hand, holding the brush, trembled slightly.
"My small world is much higher than this one. Both my power and cultivation methods far exceed what's found here. I cannot lose!" Chu Ge's eyes gradually hardened. As a strong individual, one should possess an absolutely confident and invincible heart. If one's dao heart were unstable, their path of cultivation would come to an end.
The monk's robe and the universe collided!
In an instant.
Extremely brilliant light splattered everywhere, making the daylight appear extremely dim and unremarkable at this moment.
The monk's robe tried to swallow the entire universe.
Gradually.
The monk's robe grew larger and larger.
An entire universe was too vast for the monk's robe. The originally intricate Buddhist script on it became wrinkled, each character loosening and losing its original form.
"Come back!"
Chu Ge waved his hand.
He couldn't devour any more!
If he continued to devour, this monk's robe would explode.
The monk's robe tried its best to devour, but it only managed to swallow half of the universe.
The monk's robe retracted, returning to Chu Ge's body.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge waved his hand casually.
The remaining half of the universe pressed down on Chu Ge.
In an emergency!
Chu Ge uncovered the lid of his wine gourd.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge raised an eyebrow with interest.
This wine gourd actually contained a nearly complete world.
A universe within the wine.
A world within the gourd.
It was said to be nearly complete because the world inside the gourd had complete rules, but no living beings, which was a slight deficiency.
As expected.
This move should be the end of it.
Lu Hengge didn't feel too regretful, as he had anticipated this before the fight. If this Chu Ge was crushed so easily, it would be too boring.
Indeed!
The wine gourd swallowed half of the universe.
Chu Ge's complexion became much rosier. Clearly, this wine gourd was one with him, and it could feed the absorbed power to Chu Ge. This kind of artifact that nurtured its master was not uncommon, but few people used it.
"Kid."
"Thank you for giving me a great meal."
Chu Ge burped.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge smiled strangely.
"Had enough?"
"Or should I give you a little more?"
Chapter 112: Immortal Slaying Art First Form: No Turmoil in the Human Realm
Dozens of thousands of miles away.
Many cultivators felt the abnormalities in heaven and earth.
The earth trembled.
Spiritual energy scattered.
And the source of the commotion was the location of the First Sword Sect.
At this moment.
In Wuyou Valley, closest to the First Sword Sect, an old man looked at the abnormality in the distant sky, his heart heavy.
"This world is no longer peaceful."
The old man sighed.
World turmoil!
Generally speaking.
There were only two situations. One was the great spiritual energy resurgence in ancient times, where the entire world entered an unprecedented flourishing era of cultivation. By then, Mahayana stage experts would no longer be rare, and Integration and Soul Transformation stages would be common.
This was a good thing!
After all.
Every great cultivation era would give birth to countless prodigies, and the ultimate goal of these prodigies was to open the path to immortality and ascend.
But there was also a second situation.
That was prehistoric turmoil.
A long time ago.
This world experienced a dark turmoil, countless mortals and cultivators died tragically, over a hundred billion people's corpses lay in the wilderness, without even a grave.
In the era of turmoil, no one could guarantee their survival.
Everything depended on fate!
The old man's eyes were clouded; his lifespan was not long, so dying wouldn't be a pity. But there were many young disciples in Wuyou Valley, and for their sake, he, the Vice Valley Master, had to investigate what happened.
Currently.
Many immortal sects had no Sect Masters.
Lu Hengge had slaughtered all the Sect Masters of these immortal sects, which led to most sects now being managed by acting Sect Masters or Vice Sect Masters.
"Tell the disciples in the valley to be well-behaved."
"Don't leave the valley recently."
The old man issued the order.
At the same time.
The Protective Sect Array was activated, isolating Wuyou Valley from the outside world.
Not just Wuyou Valley, many immortal sects that detected the abnormalities in heaven and earth chose the same approach: activate their Protective Sect Arrays, reduce outings, and try to avoid the chaotic times.
Now.
It was truly a time of trouble.
The Demon Race had launched the Immortal-Demon War, and most immortal sects, having lost their top combat power, could only retreat, shrinking their sect's territory again and again.
This led to many secular dynasties protected by immortal sects losing their backing.
Because.
These immortal sects could barely protect themselves.
How could they have the time to protect these secular dynasties and mortals...?
Wherever the demon army passed, the bodies of mortals piled up like mountains, blood stained the land red, and the air was filled with a foul stench of decay.
Such scenes were commonplace.
With the invasion of the demon army, this tragic situation would only worsen, without any restraint.
For the Demon Race, wiping out the human race was their most persistent goal. Many years ago, the relationship between the human race and the Demon Race was already one of undying enmity.
"Valley Master, recently many mortals from the nearby Great Yan Dynasty have been seeking help outside the valley. Should we offer relief to these mortals?" a disciple respectfully asked.
The old man remained silent for a long time: "Drive them all away. Kill those who don't leave."
Upon hearing this.
The disciple froze for a moment.
Then.
The disciple acknowledged and slowly retreated.
Cultivators were always nobler than mortals!
Mortals dying was a small matter.
As long as cultivators lived, the hope of the human race remained. It was merely a matter of procreation; cultivators could also reproduce, and the children they bore were much stronger than mortals.
This was the common mentality of all cultivators.
But they had forgotten.
A long time ago.
These high and mighty cultivators were also once mortals, begging and pleading to join immortal sects, just to seek a sliver of immortal destiny...
...
Chu Ge's heart pounded.
For some reason.
Seeing Lu Hengge's smile made him feel extremely uneasy, like Little Red Riding Hood being targeted by a big bad wolf.
"Trying to scare me?"
Chu Ge pretended to be calm.
Lu Hengge said nothing more, but raised his hand.
Seeing this.
Chu Ge's heart immediately filled with dread.
He already had a bit of a shadow from this starting move. At this moment, Chu Ge was very much like Ye Feng back then, slowly having his dao heart shattered and being trampled underfoot, unable to rise again, in his opposition to Lu Hengge.
"Destruction."
Tap!
A crisp sound.
Lu Hengge lightly snapped his fingers.
Chu Ge was about to mock him.
Just a mere snap of the fingers!
Who are you trying to scare?!
The next second.
A drumming sound came from his body, as if thousands of soldiers and horses were galloping within him. The entire surface of his body showed dense cracks, and an extremely terrifying destructive force raged within him, destroying his body and soul.
Chu Ge's eyes widened, then became bloodshot.
"How is this possible!"
"When did you attack me!"
Lu Hengge didn't answer, but observed Chu Ge's changes.
At first.
Chu Ge was somewhat flustered.
He didn't know where this destructive power came from, so he panicked for a moment, but after calming down slightly, his body began to self-repair and reject the destructive power.
He had to admit.
He was indeed a cultivator from a higher plane.
Chu Ge only took a few breaths to find a way to counter the destructive power.
Throughout the process.
Lu Hengge didn't follow up with any attacks.
"Still not quite there."
Lu Hengge shook his head.
Previously, Chu Ge had absorbed Lu Hengge's power into his body, and that power contained a rule Lu Hengge had set after creating the world.
Originally, this rule was for maintaining the world's operation and couldn't be used to kill enemies. But Lu Hengge had a sudden thought: what if this rule was injected into an enemy's body and then detonated? Would it have an unexpected effect?
This wasn't an active attack.
Lu Hengge was merely utilizing the power generated after the rule explosion to see if there would be any unexpected results.
"There's an effect."
"But the power is insufficient."
Lu Hengge immediately spotted the problem.
Simply put.
There were too few rules.
Lu Hengge only detonated one rule, and the destructive power generated by one rule was very limited, not enough to cause substantial damage to the enemy. But there was also a benefit: it could create a few breaths of enemy stun time.
The method was feasible!
Lu Hengge was quite satisfied.
When he created more rules in the future, he would experiment on someone else.
Chu Ge adjusted his breathing and state, mocking: "A lowly creature from a lower plane, only capable of using despicable methods."
Upon hearing this.
Lu Hengge raised an eyebrow.
It was just an experiment.
He hadn't expected.
Chu Ge to become so arrogant.
The next second.
A rusty longsword appeared in Lu Hengge's hand, and an ancient aura spread out.
"Then I'll show you some respectable methods."
Lu Hengge raised the Ancient Sword.
In an instant.
Heaven and earth fell silent.
Chu Ge looked at the Ancient Sword, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his hands and feet growing cold.
"Just in time to test out the new sword move I learned."
"Immortal Slaying Art, First Form."
"No Turmoil in the Human Realm."
This sword move was one of the techniques recorded in the sword cultivation manual found within the Sword Tomb.
Chapter 113: Confucian Sage's Words! Golden, Vast Energy! A New Cultivation System
"This is... the Ancient Sword!"
"It's definitely the Ancient Sword!!"
Chu Ge's mind trembled violently.
That's right!
He certainly hadn't misidentified it!
In the smaller world he came from, there was a divine weapon registry passed down from the Immortal Realm. The top-ranked weapon in it was an ordinary-looking longsword, identical to the one in Lu Hengge's hand.
The only difference was that the sword in Lu Hengge's hand was covered in rust, making it look like a piece of scrap metal.
When Lu Hengge first took out the Ancient Sword, Chu Ge hadn't recognized it, but then, an ancient aura flowed from the sword, instantly making Chu Ge think of the Ancient Sword.
This was a celestial artifact that should have been in the Immortal Realm!
Now.
It was actually in the hands of a cultivator from a lower realm.
Furthermore.
From the casual way Lu Hengge used the Ancient Sword, it was clear that the Ancient Sword had recognized him as its master.
This scene!
It was absurd!
It was like a rich young lady following a penniless vagabond. The Ancient Sword was the rich young lady, and Lu Hengge was the vagabond.
"Damn it!"
"The Heavenly Dao is screwing with me!"
Chu Ge roared inwardly.
The reason he came to this world was entirely due to his trust in the Heavenly Dao of this world. The Heavenly Dao said that there was an Immortal Cauldron in this world, and it just happened to be missing a Chosen One. As long as he came, the Chosen One would be his, the Immortal Cauldron would be his, and even the future opportunity to ascend to the Immortal Realm would be his.
Now, looking at it, it was pure bluffing.
Would the Heavenly Dao not know of Lu Hengge's existence?
It definitely would!
Because.
This was a world under the Heavenly Dao's governance.
Since the Heavenly Dao knew of Lu Hengge's existence beforehand, yet still tricked him into coming, it could only mean that he had been deceived.
In the distance.
Lu Hengge raised the Ancient Sword.
Immortal Slaying Art, First Form.
No Turmoil in the Human Realm.
The cultivator who created the Immortal Slaying Art was not Jiang Wuxu, but another mighty being. This person rose from a mortal to become a giant in the Immortal Realm, and the cultivation techniques created by him all shared one characteristic: they were unpretentious.
But this set of sword techniques was incredibly compatible with the Ancient Sword.
That's why.
Jiang Wuxu had collected this set of sword moves into his Sword Tomb.
The moment the Ancient Sword was raised, all sounds in heaven and earth vanished. Chu Ge even suspected that he had gone deaf, unable to hear his own voice when he spoke.
"This move is too terrifying!"
"Can't be resisted!"
Chu Ge wasn't stupid.
Although he looked down on cultivators from lower realms, he had to show the Ancient Sword at least some respect. Furthermore, Lu Hengge didn't seem like a native of this world at all; his cultivation and strength were equally terrifying.
Thinking of this.
Chu Ge's expression became solemn, and the black and white brush in his hand began to frantically write characters in the air.
Golden characters appeared one by one.
Then.
They formed a dense Confucian text.
"Pseudo-Immortal Art!"
"Confucian Sage's Words!!"
Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, every path could lead to immortality.
But in the world Lu Hengge came from, Confucianism should be the least common of the Great Daos. Very few cultivators practiced Confucianism and followed the Sage's Words, and there was even less to say for mortals. True Confucianism wasn't just about reciting texts and poems in a private school, but it absolutely required cultivating what was known as "Vast Energy."
Although Lu Hengge had dabbled in all three thousand Great Daos, he wasn't very knowledgeable about the path of Confucianism. As for the so-called Vast Energy, he did have a little within him, but it was very little, almost negligible.
Lu Hengge's eyes flickered slightly.
Confucianism...
Sage's Words...
Those who could be called Sages were certainly not ordinary individuals.
Moreover.
The Sage's Words Chu Ge wrote in the air were clearly a very complete article, and every golden character exuded rich Vast Energy.
"Interesting."
"He has three Daos on him."
"The monk's robe represents Buddhist precepts; the wine gourd represents Daoist freedom; the brush represents Confucian literary talent."
Even more interesting was that Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, in Lu Hengge's world, were all extremely niche cultivation paths. In an environment where everyone primarily cultivated spiritual energy and demonic energy, these extremely unpopular minor paths had always been inconspicuous.
It seemed.
The cultivation system of each small world was different.
Cultivation paths that were extremely unpopular in this world were mainstream in other worlds.
In an instant.
Lu Hengge's interest surged.
This was his first time engaging with Confucian Sage's Words.
In just a breath.
Chu Ge finished writing a Sage's Word.
But that wasn't enough!
He gritted his teeth and continued to write the second one using his remaining Vast Energy.
His opponent was the Ancient Sword!
This sword was simply invincible!
Just one Sage's Word was far from enough.
Just then.
The Ancient Sword's edge descended.
Seeing this.
Chu Ge bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of vital blood. His aura immediately became weak, but the vital blood, when it touched the Sage's Words in the air, instantly burst forth with golden light. The heavens and earth seemed to murmur with faint recitations, the source of the sound unknown, but each character that entered one's ears felt like a heavy hammer, striking the soul over and over again.
Sage's Words... aimed at the heart first.
They caused very little physical damage.
But Sage's Words cultivated to profound stages could, with just a single phrase, drastically alter a person's character, even making them willingly commit suicide.
Of course.
Lu Hengge hadn't seen it.
After all.
This was his first encounter with Confucianism.
Compared to the resplendent Sage's Words, the Ancient Sword's edge appeared somewhat too simple. Every inch of space where the sword edge descended was compressed and collapsed, and all light and sound were annihilated the moment they touched the sword edge. An extremely simple move, yet it could flatten the entire human realm.
Immediately after.
The golden characters danced, heading towards the sword edge.
These golden characters slowly adhered to the Ancient Sword's edge, then gradually merged into the sword body.
Lu Hengge's heart stirred.
He could feel the Ancient Sword's offensive weaken.
For a moment.
Lu Hengge was quite surprised.
Confucian Sage's Words could not only affect living beings but also weapons and techniques...
It seemed...
A new world had opened up to him.
So.
Vast Energy could be used this way!
However, Lu Hengge was very clear that the reason the Ancient Sword's attack weakened was largely due to that brush, and not very much to Chu Ge himself. Although in terms of weapon grade, this brush was inferior to the Ancient Sword, it had multiplied the power of the Sage's Words in the air several times over.
"Still not enough."
"Just Sage's Words won't save your life."
Lu Hengge's white hair fluttered.
In an instant.
Two towering Dharma Idols appeared behind him, obscuring the sky.
The two Dharma Idols began to merge, finally transforming into a single giant, half-immortal, half-demon.
Immediately after.
The Immortal-Demon Dharma Idol slowly opened its eyes.
Lu Hengge's blood surged within him, like roaring thunder, raising the strength of his internal organs to the extreme.
Crack...
The golden characters began to shatter.
Then.
Golden rain fell.
Vast energy dissipated into heaven and earth.
Seeing this.
Chu Ge immediately panicked.
"Damn it!"
"This guy is a monster!"
Chu Ge didn't want to fight anymore; he felt that if he stayed any longer, he would truly die.
But Lu Hengge had no intention of letting him go. This guy cultivated three Daos and also had Vast Energy within him. If he were refined into a Furnace Pill, it might have an unexpected miraculous effect, and perhaps even his Vast Energy could be used by Lu Hengge.
"Heavenly Dao!"
"Save me!!!"
Chu Ge shouted.
In this situation, he couldn't escape on his own; he could only pin his hopes on the Heavenly Dao of this world.
Chapter 114: Human Folktales, Quite Harmful to Beasts...
Lu Hengge was just waiting for this moment!
He was forcing the Heavenly Dao to appear.
Actually.
This was a very risky move.
Because according to Zhu Zhu's words, the Heavenly Dao could even kill immortals, meaning the Heavenly Dao itself possessed strength not inferior to an immortal. While Lu Hengge was currently only at the nascent Mahayana stage, his true strength far exceeded his cultivation level, but he still couldn't compare to a true immortal.
But Lu Hengge needed to confirm one thing.
That was whether the Heavenly Dao was injured.
In ancient records.
The Heavenly Dao had killed an immortal.
But it had also suffered severe injuries in that battle.
And the Heavenly Dao's continuous selection of Chosen Ones and helping them ascend to immortality raised questions.
Was the Heavenly Dao really that kind-hearted, helping others become immortals?
Furthermore.
The ascension path in this world had been sealed.
To ascend, one had to find the Immortal Cauldron.
This point.
The Heavenly Dao couldn't possibly not know.
Because it was the Heavenly Dao that had fought the immortal, so it definitely knew the ascension path was blocked.
Precisely because of this.
Lu Hengge had a conjecture in his mind.
To verify this conjecture, he needed to see the Heavenly Dao with his own eyes.
And Chu Ge, this newly appointed Chosen One, became the subject of Lu Hengge's risky gamble.
"I want to see if the Heavenly Dao is truly injured."
Lu Hengge stared intently at Chu Ge.
Suddenly.
Strange ripples surged from Chu Ge's body.
The next second.
Lu Hengge's vision blurred.
By the time he focused again, he had already arrived in a completely unfamiliar place. The Ancient Sword in his hand struck down at a mountain peak, making a thunderous roar, and a ten-thousand-foot deep abyss appeared at his feet.
Lu Hengge looked at the abyss below, silent.
After a long while.
Lu Hengge looked up at the sky.
"It seems you really are injured."
Lu Hengge murmured.
This was not the First Sword Sect.
In just a breath, Lu Hengge was transported to another place by an unknown force, along with the Ancient Sword's move.
Spatial teleportation.
And.
It was a very long-distance spatial teleportation.
If nothing unexpected happened, Lu Hengge was now tens of millions of miles away from the First Sword Sect. Trying to rush back to the First Sword Sect to kill Chu Ge now was unrealistic.
By the time he returned to the First Sword Sect, Chu Ge would have long since escaped to who knows where.
A bit of a pity!
He hadn't killed Chu Ge.
But there was also good news.
The Heavenly Dao was indeed problematic.
If the Heavenly Dao hadn't been problematic, it should have appeared directly and killed Lu Hengge just now, instead of using teleportation to help Chu Ge survive.
Thinking of this.
Lu Hengge scoffed.
It seemed.
The so-called Chosen One was just a scam.
At this moment.
All of Lu Hengge's doubts seemed to be resolved.
Why was the Heavenly Dao's judgment in choosing Chosen Ones so poor?
Take Ye Feng, for example. His cultivation talent wasn't the best; there were plenty of cultivators with better talent than him. Without the so-called fortune and system, Ye Feng would have been an inconspicuous nobody in a crowd.
Even so.
The Heavenly Dao still chose Ye Feng.
Why?
Because these chosen Chosen Ones all had one characteristic: they were easy to control.
The Old Sect Leader's fear of death.
Ye Feng's lust.
...
As long as there was a point of greed in human nature, it was the perfect target for the Heavenly Dao to control.
And the purpose of choosing these Chosen Ones was not to help them ascend to immortality. The Heavenly Dao wasn't that kind. Its ultimate goal was likely to use these Chosen Ones to heal its own injuries.
Immediately after.
Lu Hengge put away the Ancient Sword.
It seemed.
Ye Feng's fate in the previous life wouldn't have been much better.
"How pathetic!"
"Believing himself to be a Chosen One, a favorite of heaven, only to find out in the end that he was just a pawn."
Lu Hengge shook his head.
Ye Feng...
The Old Sect Leader...
And the other Chosen Ones...
These people lived in the beautiful dreams woven for them by the Heavenly Dao, fantasizing about eternal life after becoming immortals. In reality, it was all just a fleeting dream.
"Immortal Cauldron!"
"Find it, and the ascension path can be reopened."
Lu Hengge's eyes flickered.
However.
Lu Hengge still had one confusion.
That was why the immortal who came down from the Immortal Realm back then sealed the ascension path.
Was it just because the Immortal Cauldron sealed the ascension path that countless cultivation geniuses throughout various eras were unable to glimpse the threshold of immortality? Were the people of the Immortal Realm so prejudiced against cultivators from the lower realms ascending?
Couldn't figure it out!
Forget it.
Don't think about these for now.
If he couldn't find the Immortal Cauldron, thinking about it would be useless.
Lu Hengge released his divine sense, covering dozens of thousands of miles, and was somewhat surprised: "The Heavenly Dao sent me to the demon territory?"
"This should be the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains."
Lu Hengge's heart stirred.
Right!
A dragon had recently appeared in the demon race.
He had originally planned to come to the demon race after dealing with the matters of the First Sword Sect. Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Dao saved Lu Hengge the travel time.
The demon territory was very special, a completely independent area.
It didn't border the human race, nor was it close to the demon race.
Furthermore.
The demon territory was rich in natural treasures, so they didn't have much ambition for human territory. This was completely different from the demon race.
But the relationship between the demon race and the human race wasn't good.
The reason being.
The demon race liked to eat humans.
Many demon beast races found human flesh delicious, so they often killed living humans to eat. They weren't picky; whether it was mortals or cultivators, as long as they were human, they were on their menu.
However.
The demon race knew how to restrain themselves.
They wouldn't kill many people at once, and most of the time, they only caught mortals to eat, without provoking human cultivators. This led to human cultivators being too lazy to bother with the demon race, while some secular dynasties near the demon race suffered greatly each year because of it.
Compared to the irreconcilable relationship with the demon race, the demon race, in the eyes of human cultivators, was at most a nuisance and a disdain, not reaching the level of mortal enemies.
After all.
They were just mortals.
Let them eat.
Anyway.
The human race had enough mortals; they wouldn't be eaten up.
Lu Hengge wasn't entirely sure where to go now. This was his first time in the demon territory; he only recognized this as the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, but he truly didn't know where that dragon was located.
"I need a guide."
Lu Hengge sensed.
In the distance.
Three demon beasts were traveling together.
"Third Brother, we're just lizards. Is it really necessary to go pay homage to that dragon?" A demon beast with spikes all over its body, one large eye, and one squinted eye, picked at a piece of meat stuck in its teeth, its eyes clearly full of stories.
"Third Brother, I think Dazhuang is right." Another lizard with a similar appearance but a more lewd demeanor echoed.
There were only three of them in total.
Three!
Not even enough for a proper clan.
"What do you two know?!"
"All you do is eat people all day. Humans say you are what you eat. You two keep eating human brains, why haven't your brains gotten any smarter?"
All three lizards spoke human language.
"Even though we're lizards, we have dragon blood in our bones. This time, we're going to reconnect with our relatives, not just join in on the fun." The last lizard, clearly the leader, said seriously.
The lizard called Dazhuang scratched his scalp with his claw: "Third Brother, where did you learn that we have dragon blood in our bodies?"
"You should read more books!"
"Don't listen!"
"Those human folktales all say so."
...
Lu Hengge was silent.
Human folktales, indeed quite harmful... no, quite harmful to beasts...
Chapter 115: Intimidating the Great Demon of the Demon Race! Meeting Di Ji Again!
From the conversation of these three lizards, it was clear that the intelligence of demon beasts was not high.
Demon beasts couldn't distinguish between strange folktales and realistic accounts. Although they could understand human characters, they didn't know if these characters were true or false.
Of course.
This was relative.
Compared to humans.
The intelligence of demon beasts seemed somewhat lacking.
But compared to demon race, demon beasts were still considered a smart group. At least demon beasts knew how to escape when facing a life-or-death crisis, while most demon race cultivators, even knowing they couldn't defeat their opponent and might even die, would first think of giving it a try.
"Third Brother, can we also transform into dragons?"
The lizard with the crooked mouth and squinted eye asked excitedly.
The other lewd lizard's eyes also glowed green.
Transform into a dragon!
If they could truly transform into dragons, who would want to remain a lizard?!
Upon hearing this.
The leader of the three-lizard squad, the boss, also looked forward with longing: "You two should just be grateful to be following me!"
The next second.
Lu Hengge couldn't listen anymore.
The intelligence of these three lizards was truly concerning; listening to even one more word felt like a spiritual cleansing. He felt that if he listened any longer, his own intelligence would be affected.
Furthermore.
These three lizards were traveling too slowly.
Lu Hengge didn't want to wait.
"You three."
Suddenly.
A voice rang out.
It startled the three lizards.
"Who!"
"Who's eavesdropping!"
"You scared the hell out of me!!!"
The three lizards turned their heads simultaneously and saw Lu Hengge.
As the least intelligent of the three lizards, Dazhuang, upon seeing Lu Hengge, didn't immediately consider Lu Hengge's cultivation. Instead, he thought about how delicious this person looked. Unconsciously, a foul-smelling drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he couldn't help but murmur, "Third Brother, this person smells so good, can I eat him first?"
Bang!
A crisp sound.
"All you think about is eating!"
"Don't you wonder why a human who came to the demon territory, and in such a deep area, is still alive and well?!"
Then.
Third Brother stared intently at Lu Hengge.
The cultivation of these three lizards was decent enough.
The leader, Third Brother, was equivalent to a human Nascent Soul stage cultivator, while the other two lizards were equivalent to human Golden Core stage cultivators.
A moment later.
The leading lizard spoke: "This is the demon territory. You've got some nerve."
Lu Hengge glanced at him.
In an instant.
The spikes on this leading lizard's body trembled. The threat of death made him instinctively want to escape, but he was still somewhat loyal and instinctively swiped his two claws behind him: "Dazhuang, Ermao, run quickly!"
Hmm?
His swipe missed?
The lizard looked left and right, where were his two little brothers?
Holy crap!
They ran already?
That shouldn't be!
With their intelligence, he should have run first.
"I'm not serving anymore, goodbye..."
The lizard roared.
The next second.
He froze in place.
He saw his two little brothers tied up like dumplings, lying at Lu Hengge's feet.
At this moment.
The lizard's already not-so-clever brain completely crashed.
Lu Hengge spoke softly: "Now, take me to that Flood Dragon's worship site."
Flood Dragon?
The lizard came back to his senses.
So this human cultivator was also going to worship!
He should have said so earlier!
They were on the same path.
Thinking of this, the lizard grinned: "You should have said you were going to worship earlier, then there wouldn't have been any misunderstanding! I'll lead the way for you, sir, this way please."
Upon hearing this.
Lu Hengge's expression was strange.
He wasn't going to worship that dragon.
"Point me in a direction, and I'll take you there." Lu Hengge didn't have much killing intent towards these three lizards. After all, unintelligent demon beasts always gave off a kind of cute and clumsy vibe. Although these three lizards were a bit ugly, they weren't disgusting enough to Lu Hengge's eyes.
Coupled with his connection to the Nine-Tailed Sky-Swallowing Fox, Lu Hengge's hostility and hatred towards demon beasts were much lower.
The lizard pointed in a direction: "The worship place is in the Dragon Lair, about five hundred thousand miles from here. Keep going in that direction, and it'll take a few days to get there."
Five hundred thousand miles.
Alright, not too far.
Then.
Three wisps of demonic energy enveloped the three lizards.
And then.
Everything in front of them began to blur.
The three lizards only felt the world spinning, unable to distinguish front from back or left from right, their eyeballs almost popping out.
This flying sensation lasted for a quarter of an hour. When they finally stood on the ground again, their eyes were filled with little stars, as if they had drunk fake wine.
"Third Brother, your head's on your butt."
Dazhuang chuckled.
Originally.
One of his eyes was already squinted.
Now.
Both eyes were squinted.
The other two lizards began to vomit, and among the expelled filth, undigested human remains could still be seen.
"We're here."
Lu Hengge said softly.
Although he didn't know the exact location of the Dragon Lair, many great demons were gathered here, and there were even quite a few nascent Mahayana stage demon beasts.
Upon hearing this.
The lizard stopped vomiting and looked around.
For a moment.
Both of his eyes widened.
They were really here!
This was the Dragon Lair.
They had covered five hundred thousand miles in just a quarter of an hour; this human cultivator was a bit too abnormal.
To be honest.
Lu Hengge's maximum speed was far greater than this.
He was just worried that if he went too fast, these three lizards' bodies wouldn't be able to handle it and would explode on the spot.
Then.
Lu Hengge left alone.
Seeing this.
Dazhuang whispered: "Third Brother, are we just going to let him go?"
Third Brother looked at his little brother, whose left eye was crooked to the left and right eye to the right, and sighed. It was good enough to have little brothers; what else could he ask for, one, two, three, four, five...?
"Let's go, we're going into the Dragon Lair too."
The two little brothers gagged, finally having vomited out everything in their stomachs, and followed into the Dragon Lair.
...
The Dragon Lair was huge.
And.
Lu Hengge could feel the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood within him cheering.
There was dragon's breath here.
It seemed.
A long time ago.
A true dragon did live in this Dragon Lair.
Lu Hengge didn't deliberately hide his tracks. From the moment he entered the Dragon Lair, many great demons had already set their sights on Lu Hengge.
Lu Hengge didn't see the dragon's shadow, so he released his divine sense, covering the entire Dragon Lair.
Seeing this.
The other great demons snorted.
How arrogant to be in the demon territory!
More than a dozen great demons simultaneously released their divine sense, attacking Lu Hengge's divine sense, intending to teach him a lesson.
The next second.
All the great demons grunted.
Lu Hengge's divine sense was imbued with sharp sword intent. The combined divine sense pressure of these great demons not only failed to harm Lu Hengge in the slightest but was instead injured by the sword intent, their aura significantly weakened.
"This human cultivator... is quite terrifying."
"Can't tell his cultivation aura, but it should far exceed an ordinary nascent Mahayana stage."
"When did such a powerful figure appear in the human race again?"
"The human race is truly favored by the Heavenly Dao."
...
The great demons whispered.
Suddenly.
Lu Hengge's eyebrows raised slightly.
He felt a familiar aura; it was someone from the demon race.
Lu Hengge looked towards the depths of the Dragon Lair. Not long after, a graceful and charming figure slowly emerged, every movement revealing infinite charm and allure. The moment she saw Lu Hengge, the woman's eyes curved in a smile, and she bowed slightly: "Di Ji greets master."
Chapter 116: My apologies, I'm here to stir up trouble today.
As soon as these words were uttered.
The Dragon Lair fell into absolute silence.
All the great demons were stunned.
Di Ji called this human cultivator... master?
One had to know.
Di Ji was the current Saintess of the Demon Race.
More than a year ago.
Di Ji returned to the Demon Race.
No one knew what Di Ji had experienced outside, but her cultivation had soared tremendously. Coupled with the terror of her innate poisonous body, the Demon Emperor suddenly paid much more attention to this impure-blooded illegitimate daughter.
Of course, this was also due to Mo Yan dying in the Three Thousand Dao Sect.
The Demon Emperor didn't have many children.
Among them.
Mo Ke had the purest bloodline.
And Mo Ke was also the recognized Young Master of the Demon Race. If nothing unexpected happened, he would take over the entire Demon Race from the Emperor in the future.
Additionally.
The Emperor had two other children.
One was Mo Yan.
One was Di Ji.
But both of their bloodlines were impure, merely an unexpected result of the Emperor's youthful dalliances.
The Demon Race, like the Monster Race, placed great importance on bloodlines.
So.
Mo Yan and Di Ji were not initially brought back to the Demon Race but were left to wander and fend for themselves outside.
It wasn't until later that the Emperor discovered Mo Ke's cultivation talent wasn't very good. According to Mo Ke's cultivation speed, it was estimated that by the time he passed away, Mo Ke would still be of little use. After thinking about it, he brought Mo Yan and Di Ji back to the Demon Race.
Ironically, Mo Yan and Di Ji's bloodlines were both impure, yet their cultivation talents were stronger than Mo Ke's.
Especially Mo Yan.
He had a steady temperament.
Excellent talent.
The Emperor intended to cultivate Mo Yan for the position of the next Emperor.
But at this crucial moment, Mo Yan died in the Three Thousand Dao Sect.
He only had two sons and one daughter, and now one was dead. Out of helplessness, he could only place his hopes on Di Ji.
Now.
Di Ji held a very high position within the Demon Race.
The reason she was overlooked before was her innate poisonous body. Although she had great talent, she was limited by her physique and couldn't cultivate normally.
But now, Di Ji was able to control her innate poisonous body and even use various poisons to aid her cultivation. As a result, the innate poisonous body, which had previously been her greatest limitation, became her greatest asset.
It was no exaggeration to say that Di Ji was at the peak of her power!
Otherwise.
The Demon Race wouldn't have sent Di Ji to participate in the Dragon Lair's Dragon Transformation Feast.
Yet Di Ji called this human cultivator "master." If the Demon Emperor knew about this, he would probably flay this human cultivator alive.
Lu Hengge's expression was calm: "I thought you would die in the Misty Mountain Immortal Sect."
This was the truth!
At that time, Lu Hengge didn't think highly of Di Ji.
He just hadn't expected.
This woman truly endured.
Upon hearing this.
Di Ji showed no resentment or anger: "Master has already helped me a lot; that's enough."
"You don't need to call me master."
"We're even."
Lu Hengge wasn't interested in Di Ji.
His goal today was that dragon.
However.
That dragon didn't seem to be in the Dragon Lair.
Di Ji understood Lu Hengge's meaning. That day, Lu Hengge had merely utilized her innate poisonous body, but without the various elixirs Lu Hengge left behind, she couldn't have reached where she was today.
However.
Di Ji still changed her address: "Then, as Young Master Lu wishes."
Lu Hengge asked: "Where's that dragon?"
Di Ji respectfully replied: "Dragons are somewhat lustful; he's currently coupling with a few female flood dragons, but he should be here soon."
Lu Hengge: ?
So many people waiting for him.
And he was having reproductive activities with female flood dragons?!
When Di Ji mentioned "coupling," a hint of sadness appeared on her face. With her innate poisonous body, no man could touch her, so she was destined to be without such pleasures in this life. However, a hint of expectation gleamed in her eyes as she looked at Lu Hengge, thinking perhaps Lu Hengge had a solution.
Or... becoming a Dao companion with Lu Hengge wouldn't be bad either.
In fact.
In Di Ji's heart, she was more willing to become a Dao companion with Lu Hengge. If that wasn't possible, she would find a way to suppress the poison in her body and then find a man she liked to become Dao companions with.
"So slow."
Lu Hengge frowned slightly.
Just then.
A majestic dragon's might approached from afar.
Immediately after.
A dragon shadow, stretching for a thousand meters, swept across the sky and plunged into the Dragon Lair.
"Welcome, Lord Black Flame!"
"We pay homage!"
"After so long, a true dragon reappears in the demon race, a propitious sign for our demon race!"
...
A chorus of flattering congratulations rose.
Lu Hengge's eyes narrowed slightly.
In the depths of the Dragon Lair.
A pitch-black dragon body was coiled up, its dark scales reflecting a cold, chilling light.
After demon beasts cultivated to the Soul Transformation stage, they could transform into human form, but most demon beasts weren't accustomed to using human form. Unless there were special circumstances, they would choose to remain in their original form.
This dragon was no different.
At this moment.
Its blood-red dragon eyes swept around.
Suddenly.
The dragon's eyes fixed on Lu Hengge.
He didn't remember inviting any humans to today's Dragon Transformation Feast.
Involuntarily.
Hostility welled up in its dragon eyes.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge smiled with interest. The Dragon Bone Treasure Blood in his body once again showed a reaction of aversion and rejection. This time, the reaction was slightly weaker, and the target was clearly this black dragon.
This indicated.
This black dragon was of the same race as the true dragon blood he had collected from the black spear.
"Human cultivator."
"Get out."
"You are not worthy of entering the Dragon Lair!"
The black dragon opened its mouth, speaking human words, its dragon eyes full of contempt and disdain.
Di Ji spoke at the opportune moment: "Young Master Lu is a friend of our demon race. I hope Lord Black Flame can give our demon race some face."
Upon hearing this.
The black dragon was startled.
When did the relationship between humans and demons become so good?
However.
Soon.
This lewd dragon's gaze fell upon Di Ji.
It was common for demons and monsters to intermarry. Seeing Di Ji's exquisite beauty, the black dragon's lower body once again began to stir.
"A beauty speaks."
"This face must be given."
The next second.
The black dragon's body continuously shrank, finally transforming into a man wearing a black robe.
The black dragon walked up to Di Ji, carefully examining her face. It was his first time seeing such a stunning woman. Although those female flood dragons could also transform into human form, they were far inferior to Di Ji.
"Beauty."
"How about being my dragon consort?"
The black dragon was quite direct.
Di Ji smiled charmingly: "Your humble servant has an innate poisonous body. If Lord Black Flame isn't afraid of my poison, then your humble servant wouldn't mind."
The black dragon's smile became somewhat stiff.
Innate poisonous body!
That might be a bit too much to handle.
Logically speaking.
True dragons were immune to all poisons and could even suppress all evil.
But the black dragon had only recently transformed into a dragon, and its dragon blood and dragon might had not yet fully reverted to their ancestral form, requiring some time to slowly settle.
Immediately after.
The black dragon shifted his gaze to Lu Hengge. He actually couldn't sense Lu Hengge's cultivation aura.
"Human cultivator."
"Since you are a friend of the demon race, I won't make things difficult for you."
The black dragon always felt that Lu Hengge was an eyesore.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint why.
Just then.
Lu Hengge smiled slightly: "My apologies, I'm here to stir up trouble today. If you don't pick a fight with me, then I won't be polite."
Chu Ge had run away.
Lu Hengge had no choice.
But this black dragon, no matter what, couldn't be allowed to escape.
Chapter 117: Open your eyes and see what a true dragon really is!
"You want to cause trouble?"
The black dragon's eyes flashed with cold light.
What an arrogant brat!
He had no idea how powerful a true dragon was!
The other great demons watched with a show-like attitude. If this human cultivator caused too much trouble, even the demon race wouldn't be able to protect him.
After all.
Today's Dragon Transformation Feast was extremely important.
Dragon's might was not to be offended!
Just as humans often said that great powers were not to be humiliated, it was the same principle.
"Did I give you too many smiles?"
"Making you think I, this dragon, am easy to talk to?"
The black dragon grinned.
However.
His smile was devoid of any warmth.
In a distant corner.
The three lizards were trembling with fear. They thought Lu Hengge was also here to pay homage, but they hadn't expected Lu Hengge to be here to cause trouble.
"Third Brother, I always thought I was stupid."
"But after seeing this human cultivator, I think I still have some brains."
Their opponent was a dragon!
Moreover!
A true dragon!
According to the ancient records of this world, any true dragon, at its weakest, possessed the strength of a peak Mahayana stage. Once the dragon bloodline was fully awakened and dragon divine abilities were born, they could even rival Half-Immortals. Looking further ahead, dragons could also ascend to the Immortal Realm.
"Ermao, what do you think?"
Third Brother asked.
The other lizard, whose eyes sparkled with wisdom, pondered for a moment: "Third Brother, I'll just stand and watch. If you want to sit, just sit on the ground, don't mind me."
Third Brother: ...
Damn it!
Having such junior brothers, he was truly blessed.
Third Brother stared intently at Lu Hengge's back. He always felt that this human cultivator wasn't scared at all. As living beings in this world, even in human secular dynasties, many legends about true dragons circulated. Lu Hengge, as a cultivator, surely knew more.
But Lu Hengge's expression was calm, even showing a hint of eagerness.
"Let's sneak away."
Third Brother whispered.
Upon hearing this.
The other two lizards were quite confused: "Third Brother, we just arrived at the Dragon Lair, our butts haven't even warmed the seats, and we're leaving already?"
Third Brother snapped impatiently: "I feel like a fight's about to break out. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave later."
Fight?
The two lizards looked at Lu Hengge.
Even if a fight broke out, this human cultivator would be crushed, right?
"Are you going or not?"
"If not, I won't bother with you two anymore."
Third Brother slipped away on his own.
Seeing this.
The other two lizards could only follow.
Although the three lizards' movements were subtle, they couldn't escape the divine sense of the great demons present. However, these great demons didn't pay them any mind. One Nascent Soul stage, two Golden Core stage; such low-level demon beasts were completely insignificant. Allowing them to sneak into the Dragon Lair was already the greatest benevolence.
...
The black dragon looked at Di Ji: "Beauty, this human cultivator isn't giving me face. Will your demon race still stand up for him?"
Upon hearing this.
Di Ji glanced at Lu Hengge.
She knew!
The high-stakes gamble had arrived!
However.
She felt Lu Hengge could win.
More than a year ago, the entire Misty Mountain Immortal Sect was completely wiped out, not even a chicken or dog survived. The entire Misty Mountain Immortal Sect was instantly removed from the world. Although Di Ji hadn't seen everything that happened at the Misty Mountain Immortal Sect, she felt it had a great deal to do with Lu Hengge.
In fact, it was possible that Lu Hengge had done it.
More than a year ago.
Lu Hengge was already capable of slaughtering the entire Misty Mountain Immortal Sect.
Now.
Another year had passed.
Lu Hengge's cultivation must be even more terrifying than before.
Between offending the demon race and appeasing Lu Hengge, Di Ji made her final choice: to appease Lu Hengge.
"Young Master Lu is a friend of my demon race."
"That will never change."
Di Ji said with a smile.
Upon hearing this.
The black dragon's face grew even darker.
The demon race was actually publicly disrespecting him for a human cultivator, willingly offending the entire demon beast race.
"Interesting."
"I never thought the demon race and human race, who are usually at odds, would one day unite."
The black dragon intended to make his move.
Today was the Dragon Transformation Feast.
Perfect!
It was also a good opportunity for him to establish his authority!
This world hadn't seen a dragon for too long, so many people had forgotten the terror of the dragon race.
Di Ji's eyes were slightly cold.
Faintly.
Purple mist spread from her body, mixed with a faint fragrance.
This mist was the most potent poison in the world, with no antidote. Let alone touching it, even accidentally inhaling a wisp of it into the body would cause one to rot from soul to flesh, slowly, until death.
Suddenly.
A hand landed on Di Ji's shoulder.
"Step back."
"This is my business."
Lu Hengge said softly.
Then.
He took a step forward, arriving in front of the black dragon.
Di Ji immediately grew anxious: "Young Master Lu, your hand..."
Her body was full of venom. Touching her body so unguardedly would lead to great trouble.
Immediately after.
Di Ji froze.
Lu Hengge's hand was as fair as jade, with no signs of poisoning.
In an instant.
Di Ji's expression was shocked.
Lu Hengge was fine?!
He actually wasn't afraid of the innate poisonous body's venom...
That's not right!
More than a year ago.
When Lu Hengge touched her body, he would show signs of poisoning. How was it that after only a year, Lu Hengge could now be immune to the innate poisonous body?
Di Ji didn't know that Lu Hengge's body had fully absorbed the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood. Although the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood didn't allow Lu Hengge to learn the divine abilities of the dragon race, it had already endowed Lu Hengge's body with the ability to be immune to all poisons and resist all evil.
The innate poisonous body was indeed terrifying.
But true dragon blood was also extraordinary.
"Could it be... this is destiny?"
"Is my destined Dao companion Young Master Lu?"
Di Ji looked at Lu Hengge, her eyes in a daze.
Everyone else was afraid of her, wary of her, keeping their distance, even her own birth mother kept a certain distance from her, fearing that an accidental touch would lead to death by poison.
But coincidentally.
She met Lu Hengge.
A man who didn't need to keep a deliberate distance from her, and could even have physical contact with her.
No!
She must protect Lu Hengge!
If Lu Hengge died, she didn't know how long it would take to find another suitable Dao companion.
Lu Hengge naturally didn't know Di Ji had so many internal thoughts. A woman's mind was complex and unpredictable.
Of course, Lu Hengge was too lazy to speculate on a woman's thoughts. In his previous life, he was too concerned with women's thoughts, which led to such a tragic end.
In this life, staying away from women meant staying away from the greatest danger.
Lu Hengge's eyes narrowed slightly.
Dragon...
Today, too many firsts had occurred.
His first time fighting a cultivator from outside this world; his first time fighting against Confucian Sage's Words and Vast Energy... Now, he was about to set a new first record: fighting a true dragon.
This was also something he hadn't experienced in his previous life.
The next second.
Fine dragon scales appeared on the black dragon's right hand, and the entire right hand transformed into a dragon claw. Faintly, a high-pitched dragon roar could be heard.
Tear~
The dragon claw ignored space.
"Kid!"
"Die!"
The black dragon snarled maniacally.
However.
He certainly had the capital to be arrogant.
From the aura revealed by his attack, his cultivation was already at the peak of the Mahayana stage. Once his dragon blood fully reverted to its ancestral form, that would be the time he would become a Half-Immortal.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge tilted his head slightly.
"Dragon's might..."
"My apologies!"
"I have it too!!"
Boom!
Roar!!
Lu Hengge's blood surged like a great river within him. His entire skin glowed with a strange golden-yellow hue, and layers of blurry, fine golden dragon scales appeared on his body. Behind him, a mountain-sized dragon head flickered in and out of view, its fiery golden eyes seemingly capable of burning away everything in the world.
Chapter 118: Melee! Pure domination, the satisfying feeling of fists connecting.
The moment the golden dragon head appeared, the Dragon Lair trembled slightly.
The Dragon Lair sensed the surging dragon's might and began to actively respond to the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood within Lu Hengge's body.
At this moment.
The black dragon's smile looked like that of a clown.
In fact.
The black dragon felt that the dragon's might on Lu Hengge was even more powerful than his own.
No!
Bro!
Who exactly is the dragon between us?!
"Who exactly are you?"
The black dragon was very cautious.
He immediately widened the distance between himself and Lu Hengge.
The black dragon's eyes flickered. Lu Hengge was indeed human, he shouldn't have sensed wrong, but why did Lu Hengge have such terrifying dragon's might, and even cause the Dragon Lair to resonate...
Within the Dragon Lair.
The other great demons gasped in cold air.
A human cultivator actually possessed dragon's might!
Di Ji was also stunned.
Over this past year.
Lu Hengge's changes were far greater than she had imagined.
Lu Hengge assessed his body's strength. Currently, the amplification from the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood could only go this far for his body, but it was enough. At least in terms of hand-to-hand combat, Lu Hengge already held the advantage.
It was no exaggeration to say that in a state of activated dragon's might, Lu Hengge's body strength was second only to an immortal's body.
"This is my first time fighting a dragon."
"Let's discuss."
"I won't use weapons, and you won't use divine abilities."
"How about we just fight with our physical bodies?"
Lu Hengge flexed his hands.
This feeling of terrifying physical strength, as if he could cover the sky with one hand, was too marvelous.
Upon hearing this.
The black dragon snorted angrily.
Demon beasts had been cultivating their physical bodies since birth. Comparing physical strength with a demon beast was truly asking for death!
The black dragon calmed himself: "This dragon's might is inferior to mine. Perhaps it's just an empty display. If it's just about physical strength, I'm completely unafraid of this kid."
"Then come!"
The black dragon disregarded any sense of fair play.
Before he finished speaking.
A massive black dragon claw slammed down fiercely.
This claw!
Seemed to intend to directly smash Lu Hengge into a pulp.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't move.
Bang!
Boom!!
The ground shook!
The entire Dragon Lair trembled violently from the impact. A huge pit was directly smashed into the ground of the Dragon Lair.
Lu Hengge hadn't dodged that last attack; he had taken the blow head-on.
Involuntarily.
The other great demons were curious.
"Is he dead?"
"That kid didn't dodge just now."
"That slap would at least skin him alive, if not kill him!"
"This human cultivator, comparing physical strength with a demon beast, truly doesn't know what he's thinking."
...
"Holy crap!"
"He's not dead!"
A startled cry.
In the swirling dust, a faint golden light flickered.
And the black dragon's claw was being slowly lifted up. The golden light in the smoke grew clearer, dispelling the dust in the air.
Lu Hengge was seen holding the black dragon's claw up with one hand, completely unharmed. His clothes were just stained with a lot of dust, making him look a bit disheveled.
Seeing this.
Di Ji's beautiful eyes sparkled.
At this moment.
Her eyes, looking at Lu Hengge, were filled with little hearts.
There weren't many women who wouldn't be smitten by such a man.
In the pit.
Lu Hengge freed a hand to pat the dust off his clothes, then looked up slightly at the black dragon, calculating in his mind: "Activating the dragon's might within the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood allows my body to withstand attacks below the Half-Immortal stage without any defense."
The black dragon was only at the peak of the Mahayana stage, not yet at the Half-Immortal stage.
So.
This claw attack had no effect on Lu Hengge's physical body.
Lu Hengge was very satisfied.
The effect of the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood was even better than he had expected.
However.
Lu Hengge was human.
He couldn't continuously activate the dragon's might of the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood for long periods; he had to rest after a period of use, otherwise, the dragon's might within the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood would instead cause damage to Lu Hengge's body.
"Come on!"
Lu Hengge licked his lips.
Hand-to-hand combat!
That was the romance of a true man!
In an instant.
Lu Hengge's body vanished from its original spot.
The black dragon only felt a blur before his eyes. With his peak Mahayana stage divine sense, he actually couldn't capture Lu Hengge's tracks or aura. Immediately after, a sense of danger from his body's instinct made the black dragon instantly transform into its original form, a black dragon body several thousand meters long suddenly appearing.
The reason demon beasts were reluctant to transform into human form was largely because transforming into human form would reduce the strength of their physical bodies. Only by maintaining their original form could their physical strength always remain at its best, without having to worry about being ambushed.
Clearly.
Lu Hengge had already made the black dragon feel danger.
Precisely because of this.
The instinct to avoid harm from his bloodline made the black dragon instantly revert to his dragon form.
"Roar!"
The black dragon roared skyward.
Boom!
The next second.
His several-thousand-meter-long body bent into a ball in a strange posture. A tragic wail escaped the black dragon's mouth.
Tear~
A dragon scale was ripped off.
Instantly.
Scorching dragon blood flowed from the wound, pouring into the ground of the Dragon Lair.
All the great demons were stunned.
They had never imagined in their lives that in their own territory, they would witness a human cultivator, in pure physical combat, beat a dragon until it couldn't even lift its head...
This scene!
It was like a dream.
But the constant screams in their ears reminded them that it wasn't a dream; it was actually happening.
This human cultivator... was so fierce!
So fierce that he didn't seem human at all!
The black dragon's screams continued for a full fifteen minutes, and Lu Hengge's body was covered in black bloodstains, all from the black dragon. Lu Hengge couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but he felt that the Dragon Bone Treasure Blood in his body was particularly enthusiastic when beating the black dragon.
Originally, Lu Hengge just wanted to test his physical strength and didn't intend to beat the black dragon to death.
But once the fight started, he couldn't stop.
"Awesome!"
Lu Hengge stomped his foot!
Boom!
The black dragon crashed into the ground.
His original peak Mahayana stage aura was extremely weak, and even his breathing became very faint.
At this moment.
The Dragon Lair was completely silent.
Today's Dragon Transformation Feast was supposed to be the beginning of the black dragon's ascent, but he crashed before he even began to take off.
Logically speaking.
As fellow demon beasts.
Seeing the black dragon being beaten so badly, these great demons should have come to his aid.
But after witnessing the black dragon's tragic state, they dared not move. Even a peak Mahayana stage true dragon was beaten like this; for them, these nascent Mahayana stage demon beasts, approaching would just mean getting beaten up as well.
Just then.
The golden light around Lu Hengge slowly dissipated.
The dragon's might also faded away.
Through this physical combat, Lu Hengge roughly understood the maximum duration of dragon's might. Next time he used it, he would be even more proficient.
"Get up."
"Don't play dead."
"This level of injury won't kill you."
Lu Hengge said coldly.
The next second.
The black dragon's body trembled.
"Boss!"
"Don't move!"
"I surrender!"
The black dragon quickly spoke.
If he didn't speak now, he was genuinely worried that Lu Hengge might "accidentally" kill him...
Chapter 119: You're not leaving today without half a catty of vital blood!
How vigorous was a dragon's life force!
Lu Hengge's blows were indeed heavy, but they wouldn't kill the black dragon. Furthermore, Lu Hengge still had use for this dragon.
The black dragon reverted to human form.
At this moment.
The black dragon's body was covered in black bloodstains.
The earlier contempt and disdain in his eyes were gone, replaced by a cautious look at Lu Hengge. He only felt that this human cultivator was too terrifying.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge looked around the Dragon Lair.
"Are you going to stay and keep him company?"
"I don't mind."
"More people means livelier conversation."
As soon as these words were uttered.
The other great demons chuckled dryly: "We have things to do, so we won't bother you. Goodbye."
"I just remembered, my female wolf is having pups, I need to go back and check on her. Leaving now."
"Hello? What? My ancestor's grave was dug up? I'll be right back!"
...
For a moment.
All the great demons wanted to leave quickly.
Just then.
Lu Hengge spoke again: "Wait."
Words like a decree!
In an instant.
All the great demons dared not move.
Even the peak Mahayana black dragon was no match for Lu Hengge; these nascent Mahayana demon beasts were even less significant.
"I, a human cultivator, came alone to visit your demon beast race. Don't you have any expression of welcome?"
"If this gets out, it'll make your demon beast race look bad!"
Lu Hengge spoke with righteous indignation.
Upon hearing this.
All the great demons looked at Lu Hengge with surprised eyes.
Good heavens!
In front of all of us demon beasts, he beat up our newly promoted leader, and now he's shamelessly asking for a welcoming gift...
The demons were silent.
After a long while.
One of the great demons spoke: "Young Master Lu, we demon beasts don't follow the human way of exchanging gifts. You see, we came to today's Dragon Transformation Feast empty-handed; we were just here to cheer on our fellow beasts."
Lu Hengge scoffed.
A Mahayana stage great demon already possessed intelligence no weaker than a human's. For such an important occasion, would they not prepare gifts?
However.
Lu Hengge didn't expose them.
Anyway.
His original purpose wasn't those gifts.
Lu Hengge smiled and raised his hand. Terrifying sword intent surged from his body, sealing the entrance of the entire Dragon Lair tightly: "I'm not one to haggle with you; I'm very easy to talk to. Since you didn't bring any welcoming gifts, why don't you give me some of your vital blood?"
As soon as these words were uttered, the demons immediately showed anger.
Vital blood!
That was related to their bloodline!
The demon race and demon beasts cared most about their bloodline. Forcing them to hand over vital blood was more unbearable than killing them.
The situation immediately became tense.
Lu Hengge's eyes narrowed slightly.
Indeed.
He didn't have much hostility or hatred towards demon beasts, but if these great demons were disobedient, Lu Hengge wouldn't be soft-hearted. Killing people was killing, killing animals was killing; to Lu Hengge, there was no difference.
Just then, Di Ji slowly spoke: "Have you all thought clearly? Is a little vital blood more important? Or your lives?"
Lu Hengge glanced at Di Ji and said nothing.
A moment later.
The demons sighed, displaying helpless expressions.
Living was the way!
If they died, all bloodlines were meaningless.
Thinking of this.
The demons cut their wrist, drawing out their vital blood.
Vital blood was not ordinary blood; its function was similar to the vital essence blood within human cultivators. Often, it took a long time of cultivation to condense just a few drops. For example, the vital essence blood that Chu Ge spat onto the Sage's Words was generally only used in life-or-death situations.
As for demon beasts at the Mahayana stage, they had slightly more vital blood in their bodies. On one hand, because demon beasts cultivated their bodies from a young age, the continuous strengthening of their physical bodies would promote the refinement of vital blood; on the other hand, every demon beast clan had cultivation methods to enhance vital blood.
Bloodline would always be the core that demon beasts couldn't avoid.
This point.
Humans were very different.
Although some immortal sects among humans also emphasized immortal sect orthodoxy and hereditary principles, in reality, if they encountered a wild genius, those immortal sects would often grant preferential treatment.
A few breaths later.
The demons reluctantly handed over their vital blood.
Seeing this.
Lu Hengge frowned in dissatisfaction: "A few drops, who is that enough for?! If word gets out, people will think your demon beasts can't afford gifts! Half a catty!! Half a catty each!!!"
Damn it!
Half a catty!
Are you trying to buy wholesale...
Di Ji, listening from the side, felt a bit awkward. Half a catty of vital blood was indeed a bit excessive. After all, losing vital blood might cause these great demons to be weak for a long time, and their cultivation realm might even drop.
However.
Di Ji said nothing.
She had already overstepped her bounds by speaking out just now.
Speaking any more would likely cause Lu Hengge's displeasure and aversion.
"You brat, don't go too far!"
A great demon angrily spoke.
The next second.
A white light flashed.
This massive great demon was directly sliced into countless small pieces, and chunks of flesh fell from the air, piling up into a mountain of meat. The demon beast's original form was completely unrecognizable, and all of its vital blood was now in Lu Hengge's hands.
A full dozen pounds!
Lu Hengge sneered: "Dozens of pounds of vital blood, and I only want half a pound from each of you. Is that too much?"
The entire scene fell silent.
Voluntarily offer half a catty of vital blood?
Or passively hand over all vital blood?
This option wasn't hard to choose.
Soon.
Heavy vital blood was delivered to Lu Hengge's hands.
The great demons who lost half a catty of vital blood could no longer maintain their cultivation realms and all dropped to the peak of the Integration stage.
Seeing this.
The black dragon's eyes were filled with fear.
He seemed to have already seen his own fate in the near future.
Lu Hengge placed all the great demons' vital blood into his spatial ring, a smile appearing on his face: "The demon race is truly hospitable. If I get the chance, I'll visit often."
The demons: ...
Damn it!
If we weren't no match for you, we would have killed you long ago.
Lu Hengge waved his hand, and the sword intent disappeared.
In an instant.
All the great demons no longer hesitated and quickly fled from the Dragon Lair, transforming into streaks of light and flying towards their respective tribal territories.
Outside the Dragon Lair.
The three lizard brothers hadn't gone far yet.
Great demons continuously flew overhead.
Dazhuang was quite envious: "Third Brother, I want to fly too. When will we be able to fly?"
Third Brother glanced at his little brother, whose eyes were filled with wisdom: "You usually trip over your own feet while walking, and you're thinking of flying? Why don't you just go to heaven?"
"These great demons' auras don't seem right."
Third Brother pondered.
Compared to when they were inside the Dragon Lair.
These great demons' auras were clearly weaker, and he could even see blood flowing from their bodies.
"Something happened inside the Dragon Lair."
Third Brother's mind was still nimble enough.
Good thing they left early!
However.
Something happening in the Dragon Lair meant that the black dragon couldn't spare any effort for other matters. After all, Lu Hengge had clearly stated he was going to cause trouble for the black dragon, so he naturally wouldn't let the black dragon off easily.
Third Brother looked back at the direction of the Dragon Lair, his eyes flickering. All the great demons had already left, and the black dragon was probably still entangled with Lu Hengge and couldn't break free. Now seemed like a good opportunity.
The Dragon Lair was such a treasure trove.
There might be natural treasures nearby, and perhaps even treasures related to the dragon race.
Fortune favors the bold!
Cowards starve!
Third Brother gritted his teeth: "Let's go back."
The other two lizards completely failed to understand what their leader was up to, but little did they know, this adventurous act today would forge the Lizard Three Titans, whose names would resound throughout this corner of the world, and even help Lu Hengge significantly.
Chapter 120: Twin Dragon Secret Realm! The Mysterious Skeleton Left Behind
"Young Master Lu, you were... too impulsive just now."
Di Ji sighed.
Only after all the great demons had left did she dare to speak.
Lu Hengge's expression was calm. He knew what Di Ji wanted to say.
"You're worried I'll offend the entire demon race and attract unnecessary trouble." Lu Hengge directly stated Di Ji's thoughts.
Upon hearing this.
Di Ji added: "Not only that! The demon army is currently accelerating its attacks on the human race. The demon race was originally in a neutral state, neither helping the demon race nor assisting the human race."
"After today, the demon race will likely direct their anger towards the human race and ally with the demon race."
This was the key point!
The demon race couldn't defeat Lu Hengge, but that didn't mean they were afraid of the human race.
Furthermore.
The demon race was the main force attacking the human race.
Even if the demon beasts didn't directly send their kind to slaughter humans, if they provided various aid to the demon race in secret, the human race still wouldn't be able to bear it.
Di Ji didn't care about the lives of humans.
After all.
She didn't have human blood.
But today's events would make Lu Hengge a criminal of the human race, and he wouldn't be able to openly move around human territory in the future. This was what Di Ji was most worried about and cared about.
Lu Hengge asked with interest: "What does the fate of the human race have to do with me?"
Di Ji froze.
She hadn't considered this possibility.
"I slaughtered the Three Thousand Dao Sect."
"Indirectly wiped out the Misty Mountain Immortal Sect."
"The human race no longer has a place for me."
"If the human race doesn't tolerate me, then I am a race unto myself, not for heaven, not for earth, not for others, only for myself!"
Lu Hengge's demeanor was arrogant.
In Di Ji's eyes.
Lu Hengge's magnificent figure grew even taller.
A single person forming a race!
Arrogant!
Yet arrogantly admirable!
"You should go."
"You urge the demon army. If your demon race is too slow in killing, then I'll do it."
Lu Hengge waved his hand.
Seeing this.
Di Ji completely understood that Lu Hengge truly didn't care about the human race anymore.
Di Ji bit her red lips, somewhat reluctant to leave. She had only just reunited with Lu Hengge. If she left now, she didn't know when they would meet again...
"Di Ji... may I embrace Young Master?"
Di Ji asked shyly.
Upon hearing this.
Lu Hengge turned to look at Di Ji, his eyes strange.
In this woman's eyes, there might be some admiration, but this affection was not enough to escalate into love. Di Ji simply felt that only Lu Hengge could disregard her innate poisonous body, which was why her heart was filled with such unusual and distinct feelings.
Of course.
Perhaps Lu Hengge's face also added quite a few points.
Lu Hengge said softly: "There aren't many records about innate poisonous bodies, but you're very lucky. I happen to have a pill recipe that can allow you to freely control the poison of your innate poisonous body. If you find this medicinal herb, I'll help you refine the pill."
In his previous life.
Lu Sheng, Qiu Liu, and Mu Nanyan, those three bitches, had covertly and overtly poisoned Lu Hengge quite a bit.
Some of the poisons were rarely seen in the world.
While detoxifying himself, Lu Hengge consulted many ancient texts related to poisons and entered many secret realms to search for antidote pill recipes.
The pill recipe for controlling the innate poisonous body was found in one such secret realm.
Originally.
Lu Hengge had almost forgotten about it.
But after meeting Di Ji, the records of innate poisonous bodies and this pill recipe became clear again in his mind.
Di Ji immediately grew excited.
"Young Master Lu, can my poisonous body truly be controlled freely?"
Lu Hengge wasn't sure.
After all.
He hadn't refined that pill after obtaining the recipe.
But the efficacy recorded on the pill recipe said so.
"What medicinal herb?"
"Three-Leaf Soul Gathering Flower."
Lu Hengge spoke.
Di Ji looked bewildered.
Bewildered was right!
Lu Hengge was also bewildered.
He only knew the name of this medicinal herb. As for what this rare treasure looked like, Lu Hengge didn't know either. Finding such a rare treasure was purely a matter of luck.
Di Ji composed herself: "Your humble servant will diligently search for this medicinal herb!"
Lu Hengge nodded.
Then.
Di Ji was reluctant to leave: "Young Master, then I'll be going?"
Lu Hengge ignored her and walked towards the black dragon.
Seeing this.
Di Ji's beautiful eyes dimmed.
She could tell that Lu Hengge had no romantic interest in her. To put it bluntly, if a man saw a woman and didn't even have the urge to sleep with her, then it was basically impossible for anything to happen between them in this life.
This sense of defeat had only appeared twice.
The first time was when Di Ji learned of her unique physique and her inability to cultivate normally.
The second time was with Lu Hengge.
Then.
Di Ji's eyes gradually hardened. She bowed slightly towards Lu Hengge's back and then vanished from the spot.
At this moment.
Only Lu Hengge and the black dragon remained in the Dragon Lair.
Seeing this.
The black dragon chuckled: "Boss, please sit. Are you hungry? You must be tired after beating me up just now. Let me give you a massage; my technique is excellent, all the female flood dragons said so."
The black dragon quickly moved a stone stool, wiping and blowing on its surface with his claws.
"You're quite suitable to be a lackey."
Lu Hengge sighed.
Upon hearing this.
The black dragon didn't get angry. Having witnessed Lu Hengge's sword intent, he had already become obedient: "It's my honor to be Boss's lackey."
Lu Hengge's eyes flickered, his smile ambiguous.
The black dragon felt a little uneasy.
The black dragon's implicit meaning was very clear: he was begging Lu Hengge to spare his life, and he would serve as Lu Hengge's lackey in return.
"I'll ask, you answer."
"If I'm satisfied, you don't have to die."
Lu Hengge wanted to learn the secrets of true dragon blood through this black dragon. Ideally, he wanted the black dragon to help him absorb and refine the black dragon blood in his spatial ring. If that still didn't work, then Lu Hengge could only settle for using the true dragon blood to set up formations, create talismans, and so on.
The black dragon naturally lifted one of Lu Hengge's legs onto his lap and began to gently tap it: "Boss, just ask. Anything I know, I won't leave out a single punctuation mark."
Lu Hengge's heart stirred slightly.
Actually...
Taking on a mount wasn't a bad idea.
"How did you successfully transform into a dragon?"
Lu Hengge was very curious about this question.
In his previous life, for a full five hundred years, he had never heard any news of a demon beast successfully transforming into a dragon.
Upon hearing this.
The black dragon didn't hesitate and immediately spoke: "Five years ago, I was still a giant flood dragon. By chance, I entered a secret realm of the demon beast race. In that secret realm, heaven and earth were inverted, black and white indistinguishable. Only two massive demon beast skeletons were placed within."
"I felt a bloodline affinity from one of the skeletons, and then I dismantled that skeleton and boiled it into soup."
"I ate both the soup and the bones."
"Then I slept in the secret realm for five years, and when I came out, I had successfully transformed into a dragon."
Five years...
From flood dragon to dragon.
Too exaggerated!
Suddenly.
Lu Hengge's heart stirred: "What about the other skeleton? How did you deal with it?"
The black dragon showed a hint of disdain: "My bloodline strongly rejected the other skeleton. At the time, I thought about dismantling the other skeleton and throwing it away somewhere, but that skeleton was too hard, I really couldn't dismantle it, so I didn't bother with it later."
Lu Hengge cautiously asked: "Were both skeletons in dragon form?"
"Yes."
The black dragon nodded.
In an instant.
Lu Hengge stood up: "Take me to that secret realm."