Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 758 - 741: Return to Donglai, Battle with the Jiao King

In the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, above a vast marshland shrouded in mist, Zhouyang and Qin Yue'er, having emerged from the {Kunxu Realm}, appeared in the sky above this place.

Choosing the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm as the place to come out, Zhouyang also intended to quickly head to {Donglai Immortal Island} to transplant the {Holy Infant Fruit}.

After all, this Tier Six Spiritual Root is not like the usual Tier Six Spirit Elixir. Even though it has an Earth Attribute Top-grade Spirit Stone providing Spiritual Qi supply, it's not suitable for long-term storage in the {Dongxuan Pearl}.

Otherwise, if the supply of Spiritual Qi were to run out and the spirit fruit on the tree withered, it would be too late for Zhouyang to regret it.

"Fellow Daoist Lan, now that we have arrived at the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, how do you feel?"

On a small island within the vast marshland, Zhouyang and Qin Yue'er descended from their escape light and, with a wave of his hand, released the {Netherworld Profound Coffin} from his Storage Ring, awakening Lan Daoist, who was dormant within.

"Lan feels quite well, it seems that Lan's plan has succeeded. I have been waiting for this day for tens of thousands of years!"

Lan Daoist's voice was filled with excitement as he leaped out of the coffin, gazing up at the clear sky with eyes brimming with joy.

Though he has the body of a puppet, his consciousness is as independently aware as that of a normal human, possessing emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and yearning for freedom just like any ordinary person.

Leaving the {Kunxu Realm}, which he regarded as a cage, was the most important step towards his freedom.

Now that this step has been successfully taken, its significance to him is immeasurable, and it is understandable that he is overjoyed.

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Lan on breaking free from the cage and gaining freedom."

Zhouyang smiled and congratulated Lan Daoist, who rarely showed such joy and excitement.

He knew that at this moment, a simple congratulation was more effective than any other words.

Indeed, upon hearing this, Lan Daoist's face became even more filled with joy, and he laughed heartily: "Hahaha, to escape the cage this time was also thanks to Fellow Daoist Zhou's help. In the future, if Fellow Daoist Zhou has any requests, Lan will certainly comply with no exceptions."

After such a jovial conversation, Lan Daoist donned a blue Daoist robe and followed Zhouyang, as the three of them flew eastward towards the Overseas Cultivation Realm.

With the speed of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, it took them less than a year to reach the waters near {Donglai Immortal Island}.

However, just as they were about to enter the island, the sea waves surged, and several Demon Kings from the sea suddenly emerged.

"Four hundred years, this king has waited for four hundred years, and finally, you scoundrel have appeared again!"

Amidst gigantic waves dozens of meters high, a One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon over a hundred meters long, wreathed in water clouds, majestically soared into the sky like a True Dragon, blocking Zhouyang and the others' path, its eyes full of joy as it roared with resentment.

"If it weren't for the interference of that Thunder Roc and the Five-Colored Deer last time, how could Fellow Daoist Huo Xu have died at the hands of a weak human race cultivator like you? Without their assistance today, let's see how you die!"

A weak human race cultivator?

Zhouyang couldn't help but chuckle at the raging One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon.

This creature really doesn't learn its lesson; before saying such words, it should first consider his current cultivation level.

Last time, he had just recently achieved Nascent Soul Formation and was able to slay the {Fire-Bearded Demon King}, whose strength rivaled that of a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. Now he had reached Nascent Soul Sixth Stage cultivation, so with the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon merely equivalent to an Eighth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator's Tier Six High-grade Demon King strength, being able to fight him to a draw would already be impressive, yet it dared to talk about killing him?

However, not all the Demon Kings were as negligent as the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon. Among those who emerged to block the path, there was a clear-headed Demon King who immediately pointed out the anomaly to the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon:

"Brother Jin, don't be careless! Haven't you noticed that this person's cultivation level no longer matches the scenario you described? And as for that person in blue robes behind him, I cannot discern the depth of his cultivation, nor even tell if he's human or demon!"

Hmm?

Both Zhouyang and the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon turned to look at the Demon King who had spoken.

The true form of that Demon King was a Nine-eyed Strange Fish!

This Nine-eyed Strange Fish, resembling a tadpole with a bluish-black skin and scales like old coins, had a broad, flat head with nine eyes arranged like a plum blossom, making it appear bizarre.

Even more curious, among the nine eyes, only two were the normal black and white; the remaining seven had different colors, covering every hue of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple!

This demon's strange appearance was something Zhouyang had never seen or heard of before.

As for its identity as a Tier Six High-grade Demon King, it made Zhouyang cautious of its power.

Compared to the known {Golden Scale Demon King}, a Flood Dragon Demon King, the abilities of the unknown Nine-eyed Strange Fish were more worthy of Zhouyang's attention.

The {Golden Scale Demon King} seemed equally mindful of the Nine-eyed Strange Fish, and upon hearing its advice, his gaze shifted as he solemnly replied, "Brother Nine Eyes is right; this king was rather careless just now. The fact that this villain can rise five levels of cultivation in just four hundred years is indeed remarkable and not to be underestimated!"

He paused slightly after speaking, his beard trembling slightly, his gaze full of greed as he stared at Zhouyang and said, "However, this only proves one thing: the {Donglai Immortal Island} holds treasures beyond our imagination! Otherwise, how could his cultivation have advanced so rapidly?"

This time, the {Nine-Eyed Demon King} did not refute the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's words, evidently sharing this belief.

"Attack!"

Zhouyang shouted loudly and decisively struck first without wasting further words with these Demon Kings.

Before his shout had even faded, both his external incarnation and the demoness Huan Qianqian were called forth, each seeking out weaker Demon Kings as their opponents.

Zhouyang and Lan Daoist each took on one, going against the Golden Scale Demon King and the Nine-Eyed Demon King, respectively.

The remaining Demon King was temporarily handled by Qin Yue'Er.

Since they were on enemy territory and feared that the opponent might summon reinforcements, Zhouyang attacked with full force right from the start, aiming for a quick resolution.

He raised his hand, and the Purple Gold Qiankun Ruler shot through the air, aiming for the head of the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon.

The Treasure Ruler had the power of Heaven and Earth Shifting; without special spiritual eyes or deep understanding of the space law, it was difficult to discern its attack path.

The Demon Race practiced bloodline divine techniques and had a significant advantage when comprehending laws aligned with their bloodline attributes. However, they were far inferior to Human Race cultivators when it came to understanding other types of laws.

Although the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon was a Tier Six High-Grade Demon King, he was clueless regarding the space law and naturally couldn't discern the attack path of the Purple Gold Qiankun Ruler.

Yet, demons have a heightened sense of danger compared to Human Race cultivators due to their bloodline and physical cultivation.

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon may not have discerned the attack path of the Purple Gold Qiankun Ruler, but when the Treasure Ruler was about to strike his head, he used his powerful spiritual sense to foresee the danger slightly in advance and took countermeasures promptly.

Suddenly, thick golden light erupted behind his head, forming several protective shields to guard his head.

When the purple-golden Treasure Ruler fell from the sky, although it penetrated those golden shields like a hot knife through butter, it inevitably expended a lot of its power. When it finally struck the one-horned golden Flood Dragon's head, it only managed to crack the skin and draw a bit of blood — better than nothing.

For the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, having his head broken and bleeding right at the start by Zhouyang was a deep humiliation.

Roar~ Howl!

He raised his head and let out an earth-shattering roar, a surge of golden evil light spewed from his mouth, transforming into a golden rainbow that slashed toward Zhouyang.

Even before the golden rainbow reached him, Zhouyang felt a prickling sensation as his pores were stimulated, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.

Such sharp Geng Metal Evil Qi!

An expression of surprise flashed in his eyes, and with a thought, he summoned the Fire Dragon Shield to protect himself.

The golden rainbow landed on the red-glazed fire shield, extinguishing eight of the nine dragon shadows on the shield before it was finally stopped.

This golden rainbow was merely a divine technique employed by the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon!

Undeterred by a missed strike, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon immediately switched to a different divine technique.

Suddenly, two platinum beams shot from its nostrils, resembling two sword qi piercing the sky. In the blink of an eye, they landed on the red-glazed fire shield protecting Zhouyang.

The last dragon shadow vanished with a wail from the sustained attack of the platinum sword beams, causing the red-glazed fire shield to shatter and re-enter Zhouyang's body for healing.

"You vile beast, do you think you are the only one who has cultivated divine techniques? Let me show you Zhou's divine technique as well!"

With an angry shout, Zhouyang waved his hand, unleashing a mass of golden True Flame that instantly expanded into a golden Fire Phoenix.

Then, he gestured with his hands, sending a spell toward the golden Fire Phoenix, which immediately sprouted fiery feathers. What had once been a pure flame phoenix now seemed almost alive with the appearance of these fiery feathers.

"Go!"

With a low command from Zhouyang, the golden Fire Phoenix let out a clear cry and launched itself fiercely at the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon.

Seemingly recognizing the extraordinary nature of the golden Fire Phoenix, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon did not foolishly choose to resist with his powerful Flood Dragon body. Instead, he swiftly shrank to a length of about ten meters, coiling around the handle of a golden round umbrella spiritual artifact forged from countless golden dragon scales and Spiritual Gold.

Rumble!

In a thunderous explosion, the golden Fire Phoenix's explosion engulfed the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon and the golden round umbrella within a sea of golden fire.

Yet, according to Zhouyang's perception, after the umbrella absorbed his attack, there wasn't any visible damage. This umbrella's defense was even stronger than his Fire Dragon Shield.

As expected, after the peak of the explosion passed, the golden round umbrella shot out from the sea of flames, hurtling directly toward Zhouyang.

Zhouyang hadn't forgotten that the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon was hiding within the golden round umbrella, so he naturally wasn't going to let this formidable artifact get close. He immediately raised his hand and summoned his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, the Qianyang Golden Tower, to suppress the golden umbrella.

He formed a spell with his hands, and the gate at the base of the golden tower opened, releasing a mighty suction force trying to suck the golden umbrella inside.

If he could trap it within his Tier Six Middle-grade Spiritual Artifact, the Qianyang Golden Tower, he was confident that even if the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's cultivation exceeded his by a minor realm, he could still refine it to death inside.

However, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon wasn't foolish and would not willingly allow himself to be trapped inside the enemy's artifact.

Golden light surged from the golden umbrella, and a powerful force slammed into the golden tower, forcefully knocking it away.

At the same time, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's true form rushed out from within the golden umbrella, reverting to his hundred-zhang-long Flood Dragon body as he charged fiercely toward Zhouyang.

Roar!

Zhouyang let out an angry roar, instantly transforming into a half-human, half-dragon form. With a sweep of his fists, a cyan-golden dragon shadow roared and lunged at the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon.

With his current cultivation strength, this move "Azure Dragon's Fury" was enough to kill the "Black Bone Demon King" that attacked during Jiang Fengxian's Nascent Soul Formation, a Tier Six Lower-grade Demon King.

However, in front of the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, a Tier Six High-grade Demon King with strength equivalent to an Eighth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator, this move was barely adequate and far from enough.

Its golden horn atop its head shimmered, and the enormous dragon body charging forward suddenly transformed into a hundred-zhang-long battle spear, with the golden horn on its head serving as the spearhead.

This battle spear pierced through the sky, and in an instant, it penetrated the cyan-golden dragon shadow, scattering it into nothingness, and continued its momentum toward Zhouyang.

"Suppress!"

Zhouyang's cold voice echoed through the sky, and a huge ochre-colored seal fell with a crash, landing squarely on the incoming dragon-shaped war spear.

With his current cultivation and magical power, when the "Thick Earth Heaven-Sealing Seal" was pushed to the limit, it could truly suppress the heavens and the sea.

The massive seal, several tens of zhang wide, crashed down, making the Golden Scale Demon King feel as if he had been struck by a giant mountain, nearly fracturing his spinal dragon bone under the tremendous force.

Aw~

He couldn't help but let out a pained howl, flicked his dragon tail, and his body swiftly disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already a hundred li away.

"Damn Human Race brat, how dare you wound this King's dragon body! If I don't swallow you whole today, I won't be able to quell the anger in my heart!"

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon glared at Zhouyang with eyes blazing with fury, roaring incessantly.

He hadn't felt such pain for a long time; nearly having his spine broken by a Human Race cultivator he regarded as prey was a dual blow to his body and spirit, fuelling his rage.

As his roar subsided, he spat out an object.

It turned out to be a silver-white spearhead without a shaft, measuring three feet long, with star-like golden runes etched on its surface and a few hair-thin cracks.

Yet this seemingly dilapidated magical artifact made Zhouyang's heart race.

"That's it! This spearhead must be a part of a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact!"

Having once possessed a complete Tier Seven Immortal Artifact, Zhouyang was familiar with this feeling and quickly recognized the spearhead's origin.

Such a discovery also made his heart sink, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious.

He knew the power of a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact all too well. Even though the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon only had a spearhead, its might far exceeded that of any ordinary Tier Six High-grade Spiritual Artifact.

"Die!"

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon sneered hideously at Zhouyang, and the silver spearhead suddenly shot toward him like a bolt of silver lightning.

The speed of the silver spearhead was incredibly fast, nearly beyond Zhouyang's Divine Sense to track. An average Sixth-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator would likely face certain death facing this strike.

However, it's far from enough to kill him.

His right hand, hidden within his sleeve, suddenly waved, and a black light shot out from his sleeve, striking the incoming silver spearhead, deflecting it.

Another Tier Six High-grade Spiritual Artifact!

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's eyes shifted, glaring in surprise and anger at the object that knocked away the silver spearhead.

It turned out to be a barely foot-long black dart.

The Tier Six High-grade Spiritual Artifact "Black Dragon Dart", this was Zhouyang's second Tier Six High-grade Spiritual Artifact, given by Lan Daoist.

Though small, it was incredibly sharp and hard, forged from the supreme spiritual gold "Ink Cloud Black Gold", comparable in rarity to the "Nine Heavens Profound Gold".

Zhouyang originally intended to use this to launch a surprise attack on the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, achieving a one-hit kill.

But he didn't expect the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon also had a trump card like a broken Immortal Artifact, so he had to use this item prematurely.

Considering "Ink Cloud Black Gold" is as precious as "Nine Heavens Profound Gold", it is also suitable for refining a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact. The "Black Dragon Dart" forged from it could confront the silver spearhead without fear of being destroyed.

"Damn it! Where did you get so many treasures? Could it all have come from Donglai Immortal Island?"

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's face turned grim as he looked at the dragon-shaped dart mid-air, eyes filled with shock and anger.

He wasn't unaccustomed to battling against Human Race Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Generally, if a late-stage Nascent Soul Human Race cultivator could display a Tier Six High-grade Spiritual Artifact besides their Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, it would already be remarkable. He had never seen anyone possess two, only heard that the top echelons in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm could achieve this.

Thinking of the rumored Tier Seven Immortal Artifact Zhouyang brought back from Donglai Immortal Island, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon's gaze at Zhouyang inadvertently showed a tinge of apprehension.

In the previous skirmish, he already verified Zhouyang's strength; whether in terms of cultivation and magical power or magical artifact divine techniques, he was unmatched by any Sixth-Layer Nascent Soul Human Race cultivator he had ever encountered.

Although in this regard, he still couldn't completely compare to a human Nascent Soul Stage Eighth-Layer cultivator like himself, it definitely wasn't going to be easy for him to take down.

And although he hadn't yet used all his best means, wasn't Zhouyang also not using a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact?

Thinking of this, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon hesitated for a moment, no longer eager to determine victory like before, but instead entangled with Zhouyang unhurriedly, seemingly planning to first exhaust Zhouyang's magical power.

Zhouyang, on the other hand, knew his own situation well. Without the Tier Seven Immortal Artifact [Vermilion Bird Fan] in hand, he really couldn't deal with the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon in front of him.

Although he was confident that if he used the [Azure Dragon Sky Splitting Slash], he could surely break the dragon body of the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, he wasn't very sure if he could really rely on this strike to kill the opponent.

After all, the powerful ability of the opponent's danger foresight had left a deep impression on him previously.

Therefore, although he roughly guessed the reason behind the slowing attack of the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, he could only pretend not to know and exhaust together first.

Simultaneously, both parties inadvertently cast their attention to other battlefields.

In their mutual apprehension, should other battlefields turn favorable, having one or two extra helpers would undoubtedly assist them in breaking balance and achieving victory.

On another battlefield, the sides also had their advantages.

Zhouyang's incarnation successfully suppressed another Tier Six Middle Grade Blue Flood Dragon. Demoness Huan Qianqian and Qin Yue'Er were being pressed by their respective opponents, with defeat just a matter of time.

However, Lan Daoist was dominating the battle against the Nine-eyed Strange Fish, even somehow blowing up two eyes of the Nine-eyed Strange Fish.

Seeing this, Zhouyang was relieved.

What he feared most was Lan Daoist making a mistake there.

After all, Lan Daoist wasn't a true late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and didn't possess a Nascent Soul. His cultivation was all from the body of a puppet, unable to even refine other magical artifacts to use as his own.

During the time in the [Kunxu Realm], Lan Daoist, who controlled the formation there, was invincible under the Tribulation Crossing Stage. But now that he was out of the [Kunxu Realm], only he knew how much strength he could exhibit.

The current situation undoubtedly told Zhouyang that even outside the [Kunxu Realm], Lan Daoist's strength in the Nascent Soul Stage was still at the top level.

The One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon also saw the miserable state of the Nine-eyed Strange Fish, knowing the power of this [Nine-Eyed Demon King]. Without using all his cards, he couldn't necessarily defeat the opponent either.

Seeing the opponent beaten badly by an unknown individual like Lan Daoist filled him with shock and anger.

Should the [Nine-Eyed Demon King] be defeated, killed, or flee, he would have to worry about how to escape for his life rather than how to kill Zhouyang and seize the key to entering the [Donglai Immortal Island].

Screw it!

He glanced at Zhouyang fiercely, finally making a certain decision.

Ang——

A clear dragon roar suddenly echoed from within the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, and its hundred-zhang dragon body shrank to less than thirty zhang instantly, but at the same time, its four-clawed dragon claw suddenly sprouted an additional claw, transforming into five claws.

Four claws for a flood dragon, five claws for a dragon.

At this moment, the One-Horned Golden Flood Dragon was, apart from the unchanged horn on its head, already indistinguishable from a true dragon.

"Roar, prepare to die, human!"

The One-Horned Golden Dragon roared, its figure turning into a golden lightning bolt and appearing instantly beside Zhouyang, with its dragon claw smashing towards Zhouyang's head fiercely.

This was completely unexpected by Zhouyang, unable to deploy any artifact for defense. He could only grit his teeth and punch forward to meet the incoming dragon claw head-on.

The result was as if his body were a fly, swatted away by the dragon claw, with his entire body nearly shattered by the force transmitted through his hands.

Though his physical form was powerful, it was no match compared to the One-Horned Golden Dragon, which had turned into a true dragon. That he wasn't crushed by this claw was fortunate enough.

Before he could stabilize his body and plan a counterattack, the One-Horned Golden Dragon flicked its tail and appeared beside him again, this time with its large dragon mouth coming at him.

"Get lost!"

Zhouyang fiercely swung the dragon tail behind him, smashing it onto the incoming dragon's mouth, finally deflecting it slightly to the side and avoiding the perilous fate of being devoured.

But the price was his dragon tail being torn off by the One-Horned Golden Dragon afterward.

Roar!

The intense pain made Zhouyang unleash a beast-like roar, but his mind became exceptionally clear, knowing that the most important thing now was to distance himself from the One-Horned Golden Dragon.

A golden light surged beneath his feet, disappearing instantly from the spot, causing the One-Horned Golden Dragon's follow-up attack to strike empty.

Afterward, he swung his hands, rapidly casting several Tier Six Spirit Talismans towards the One-Horned Golden Dragon.

He didn't expect these Tier Six Spirit Talismans to wound the opponent, only hoping they would buy him a little more time, just enough to perform the [Azure Dragon Sky Splitting Slash].