Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 171 - 168 Great Dream Emperor! Life Tao Seed!
After the rise of six Great Emperors among the Human Race, the Demon Clan led an unspeakably hard existence, on the brink of extinction.
In response to the Human Race’s persecution and to keep younger Disciples from devolving into Ferocious Beasts devoid of Spiritual Wisdom, the Holy Lands of the Demon Clan joined forces, consecutively unsealing three quasi-Demon Emperor Masters.
These three quasi-Demon Emperor Masters represented Qi Tao, Wisdom Tao, and Rhythm Tao, respectively. Through their collective efforts, they predicted that another three Great Emperors would emerge from the Human Race.
Basing their actions on the prophecy, the Demon Clan forces decisively withdrew from the Five Major Continents and retreated far into the Endless Sea Area to preserve their lifeline.
The prophecy read as follows:
The first, a Soul Killing Demon Emperor with a focus on Soul Tao; the second, a Le Tu Buddha with an emphasis on Earth Tao.
The last one, whose expertise lay in Dream Tao, would even achieve the honorific of Emperor, becoming the most potent figure amongst all the Great Emperors past and present.
His name—Great Dream Emperor!
As eras changed and years passed, following the Soul Killing Demon Emperor, indeed there emerged a Great Emperor known as the Le Tu Buddha, aligned with the righteous path.
Currently, only the arrival of the Great Dream Emperor remained unmanifested, and everything related to Dream Tao in the world was extremely rare.
Dream Tao hadn’t yet taken shape; even Tao Marks were scarcely found, leading many people to believe that the Great Dream Emperor was nothing more than a distant, unattainable legend.
Cold Moon Dragon Bloodline Dream Realm... it seems this Bloodline Dream Realm isn’t merely a Blood Tao technique passed down through bloodlines, but it also possesses Dream Tao techniques!
Great Dream Emperor? Can He attain eternal life?
Hold steady. By no means should one embark on the path of contending for the title of Emperor for some illusory reason.
Set a modest goal: if I am not the Great Dream Emperor, then use my Life Span to wear Him down to death!
Hong Yuan silently observed everything within the Cold Moon Dragon Bloodline Dream Realm, his mind swirling with countless thoughts.
Soon, led by the dragon-girl’s guidance, Hong Yuan arrived in an arena.
Two groups, standing far apart within the arena, hailed from the eastern and western directions, each exuding a cohesive momentum, giving off the impression that a battle might erupt at the slightest disagreement.
To the east, various young non-dragon members of Demon Clans stood tall. Each appeared young, their vitality brimming.
Upon Hong Yuan’s arrival, some immediately reprimanded him for his tardiness.
"Han Jiuming, I thought you wouldn’t dare show up, afraid of losing the bet fight," a young eagle-man scolded, chastising Hong Yuan.
The dragon-girl, adorned in a white palace gown, immediately retorted, "Ying Choung, wasn’t the lesson Han Jiuming gave you last time enough? Now that he’s here, don’t you get scared and run away."
"Hmph! Han Jiuming, make your move. This time, I, Sha Batian, will definitely make you cry out in defeat!" another young shark-man stepped forward, challenging Hong Yuan.
Hong Yuan’s gaze returned from surveying the arena.
The arena’s design is both grand and intricately precise. The circulating light from its protective shield even poses a threat to me. This is clearly a Holy-level Energy Array. Given the presence of young Demon Beasts from various clans, this must be one of the Demon Clan’s Holy Lands.
He nodded at the young shark-man. "All right."
On his way here, Hong Yuan had already grasped Han Jiuming’s capabilities, which were virtually identical to those of his Ice Armor Python Avatar. Defeating a third or fourth-tier Demon would be a simple task.
Hearing this, Sha Batian took out dozens of Demon Essence Stones from his storage bag. He placed them one by one into the recesses of the Energy Array at the southwestern corner of the arena, replenishing its power.
The arena itself was a Holy-level Energy Array, designed to provide a combat platform for the sect’s Disciples.
Once the Energy Stones were set, a rumbling sound ensued.
The ground then caved in, forming a raised platform.
White pillars of light emerged around it, sealing off the space.
Under Hong Yuan’s scrutinizing gaze, water gushed from beneath, quickly filling the platform.
Sha Batian bent his knees slightly then, with overwhelming momentum, plunged into the water-filled platform.
"Han Jiuming, come and get beaten!" Sha Batian crossed his arms, curling his fingers in a beckoning gesture, an expression of extreme arrogance on his face.
The young dragon-men on Hong Yuan’s side were itching to retaliate; Sha Batian’s posturing was infuriating.
The dragon-girl in the white dress shook Hong Yuan’s arm.
"Han Jiuming, hurry up and enter! If Sha Batian summons the river’s power, things will turn sour."
"Remember, you’ve staked your very Life Tao Seed! Failure is not an option!"
Life Tao Seed... Hearing this ancient term, something stirred in Hong Yuan’s heart.
"Alright," Hong Yuan nodded slightly. He pushed off powerfully with his feet and, in an instant, shot up, crashing onto the aquatic platform.
"Han Jiuming, take my move!"
Sha Batian sneered, his body cutting through the water. Like a shark emerging from the sea, he whipped up terrifying waves, charging straight at Hong Yuan.
Demon Skill of Power Tao, the Force of a Thousand Jun!
Instantly, the silhouette of a silver-white ferocious shark materialized, and Sha Batian’s strength surged immensely.
THUD, THUD, THUD...
A series of muffled impacts from body blows echoed, stirring the platform’s waters.
Within the water, the figures of two fourth-tier Demon combatants tangled together, both sides fiercely trading heavy, flesh-meeting-flesh punches.
After a short struggle, Hong Yuan found himself at a disadvantage. Relying solely on physical strength to combat a peer of equal Heavenly Talent, without using Demon Skills, was proving somewhat challenging.
In reality, however, Hong Yuan maintained control over the situation the entire time; he was merely collecting intelligence and analyzing this particular Dream Realm.
After a moment, Hong Yuan roared loudly.
Innate Ability, Frost Lightning Speed!
Transforming into frost and lightning, he charged forth through the water.
A white flash of lightning streaked through the water with a howl, colliding with Sha Batian with an irresistible momentum.
A breath later, Sha Batian lay supine in the water, his eyes blankly staring at the arena’s dome.
This outcome instantly shattered everyone’s expectations.
"How is this possible!"
"What happened?!"
The young Demon Clan members were immediately shocked. After a moment of stupor, the young dragon-men all started jumping around, cheering and singing.
The young eagle-man, Ying Choung, with wings on his back, widened his eyes in disbelief as he stared at Hong Yuan. When the aquatic platform disappeared from sight, his face turned ashen.
"I’ve lost," Ying Choung said, mustering his spirits. He asked Hong Yuan, "What Demon Skill is this?"
The Demon Skill was exquisite and powerful.
But the most critical reason for his victory was that Hong Yuan’s Soul Foundation was a hundred thousand times stronger, allowing him to barely touch the threshold of the Demon Saint Realm.
Even a fifth-tier Demon could be defeated by Hong Yuan if careless, let alone a young fellow like Sha Batian.
This was why Hong Yuan could so easily defeat Sha Batian.
"You’ve lost. Now hand over the wager," Hong Yuan said, avoiding the question.
"Hmph," Ying Choung snorted coldly. He handed over the fifth-tier Tao Species, the ’Flood Gathering War Banner’, to Hong Yuan, then turned and left with his companions.
Sha Batian, who was being carried away, clenched his fists tightly and threw down a threat, "Han Jiuming, you scoundrel! Still as despicable as ever, secretly cultivating Ice Tao Demon Skills and never revealing your hand! Don’t get too smug. We have plenty of time; we’ll see about this!"
"We won! We won! Jiuming, you’re amazing!"
"Hehe, you don’t know! Just now, Ying Choung’s face changed so fast, like a performing wild monkey."
"Really? That’s hilarious! They dared to challenge Jiuming with their shabby Demon Skills? They’re eight hundred years too early for that!"
Hong Yuan silently nodded and hummed in response.
However, his mind was entirely focused on the fifth-tier Tao Species, the ’Flood Gathering War Banner’.
The Tao Species method was once the mainstream cultivation method for the Demon Clan. But with the massive changes in the world, especially Heaven and Earth’s favoring of Human Tao, the Tao Species method became difficult to practice and gradually fell out of the Demon Clan’s mainstream cultivation practices.
However, Hong Yuan knew very well that his Black Dragon Demon Saint Godfather had ascended to sainthood by relying on a certain ancient Tao Species. He also suspected that this Tao Species had been elevated to the level of a Holy Artifact.
*Flood Gathering War Banner: A fifth-tier water-element Tao Species. The cultivator who refines it can control water, command rivers and lakes, and gather devastating floods...*
If I can master the refinement method for the Flood Gathering War Banner Tao Species, then this trip can be considered a huge success! Hong Yuan thought excitedly, firmly gripping the Azure Blue Flag inscribed with various Tao Patterns.
SNAP.
「The first dream shattered, and the second dream arrived.」
An endless ocean. A young dragon-man wielding the Flood Gathering War Banner opened his eyes, a clear light flickering within them.
I wonder what the test of this dream is? Hong Yuan pondered.
Limited by the environment, Hong Yuan suppressed his confusion and began to manipulate the Flood Gathering War Banner Tao Species.
With grand, sweeping motions, his movements seemed to gather wind and rain.
As Hong Yuan waved the banner, the Flood Gathering War Banner absorbed the Demon Essence he provided, creating layer upon layer of giant waves that ravaged the ocean.
Turning water into entities:
Cold Moon Dragon, Ice Armor Python, Mysterious Water Snake, Nine Phoenix Tripod, Qing Feng Sword...
All sorts of different Demon Beasts or weapons were created by Hong Yuan using the Flood Gathering War Banner Tao Species, each lifelike and formidable in battle.
Aside from the ferocious Flood Dragon, which has fifth-tier power, the rest are only of fourth-tier strength. The art of controlling water... I still have a long way to go.
Hong Yuan gained some insights.
As he continued to study the Flood Gathering War Banner, the young dragon-girl in the white dress approached him once more.
"Jiuming, let’s go," she urged.
"The day after tomorrow is your final battle with Kun Rong. Defeat her, and you’ll become Master Heavenly River’s Disciple—a meteoric rise!"
Awe and admiration shone on the young dragon-girl’s cute face; she clearly held Master Heavenly River in high esteem.
「Two days flashed by in an instant.」
The dark night sky was sprinkled with twinkling stars.
Above the Muddy Black River, a platform for appointing generals floated, surrounded by the younger generation from the Holy Lands of the great Demon Clans, all craning their necks in anticipation.
These were all promising young Heavenly Talents, vying for the chance to become a Disciple of Master Heavenly River.
The selection process for Master Heavenly River’s Disciples had reached its final step: deciding the ultimate victor between two exceptionally gifted Heavenly Talents who had effortlessly crushed all their opponents.
In the middle of the Muddy Black River, Hong Yuan stood with the Flood Gathering War Banner, facing Kun Rong, who brandished the Surprised Swan Gun from afar.
"Han Jiuming, everyone says you’re the next ’Upper Three Tao Seeds’ of the Holy Land, but I’m not convinced!" Kun Rong shook her long spear and shouted angrily, "Die!"
Without giving Hong Yuan a chance to retort, Kun Rong’s spear swept out like a dragon, drawing upon the power of starlight. It stirred the boundless waters of the river, bringing an overwhelming force to bear upon him.
