Celestial Preservation and Nine Heavens Reverse Development
“I can’t force Dragon Vine against his will. Whether he wants to stay or leave is up to him,” Mu Yu stressed.
“I don’t like this place,” expressed the dragon vine.
“The wood element on Mu Yu may be soothing, but you don’t understand your significance. All your potential will go to waste if you don’t learn to harness it,” explained Archfiend Qinglong.
“I get ticked off just seeing bootleg dragons.”
“Do you know how I evolved to attain a perfectly balanced five-elements body? We are the most venerated and rare beings. Though we begin as plants, I no longer possessed a wood element body. You need to undergo the same evolution.”
You can change your body type now? Mu Yu inwardly asked, verifying for himself that Archfiend Qinglong’s qi differed compared to his dragon vines. Initially, Mu Yu presumed Archfiend Qinglong was hiding his aura.
“Are you implying that I can also attain immortality?” questioned the dragon vine.
“That… isn’t necessarily true. That is entirely up to fate. Thanks to a combination of factors aligning for me when I evolved, I attained a body where the five elements are perfectly balanced. That being said, I’m 40% confident I can guide you to attain an immortal body,” answered Archfiend Qinglong.
“Still don’t want to stay.”
“Mu Yu, could you please put in a word. Without my assistance, he might not be able to complete the evolution process.”
“What makes you think you could do it on your own, yet I can’t?” snapped the dragon vine.
After thorough deliberation, Mu Yu conveyed, “Dragon Vine, it’ll be better for you to stay here and cultivate because he knows how to expedite your process, while I don’t.”
“Your people want my blood. You expect me to sleep with my eyes open? There’s no way you’re convincing me those four are the only four who want to harm me,” opined the dragon vine.
Mu Yu gave Archfiend Qinglong a palm-fist salute. “Ever since fiends found out about Dragon Vine’s identity, it’s been one attempt after another. You need to convince me that I can trust you.”
“I can guarantee nobody will dare to lay their hands on Xiao Qinglong in my kingdom.”
“A promise is only as good as the actions to keep it. Jade Wyrm and company demonstrated that fiends are willing to sacrifice an entire valley’s citizens for Dragon Vine’s blood. They may comply on the surface, but what’s to say they won’t harm him when you’ve turned your back. Furthermore, how can I trust you to care for Dragon Vine if someone does manage to steal his blood and replace him as a mightier true dragon?” Mu Yu questioned.
“I won’t let that happen. I will hold Xiao Qinglong in higher regard. I won’t let him leave my sights until he has reached Ascension Realm.”
“The hell? That sounds like jail,” grouched the dragon vine.
“That’s the best outcome we can ask for. Instead of whining, focus on ascending to Ascension Realm as fast as you can, and you will regain your freedom,” Mu Yu preached.
“Don’t worry, Big Earthworm. Right now, he’s a king treating you as his king. If he gets on your nerves, pluck a few strands of his beard. Besides, you’ll have a chance to teach the bootleg dragons a lesson, won’t you?”
“Mm… All right. Let me see if I can pluck his beard.”
Once the dragon vine sauntered up to Archfiend Qinglong, the latter smiled hopelessly and plucked a strand of beard even though the others might have laughed at him, indicating just how important the dragon vine was. Frankly, if persuasion did not work, he planned to forcibly keep the dragon vine.
Archfiend Qinglong scrubbed the dragon vine’s head and promised, “You’re still young, so I’ll be sure to keep you out of harm’s way. Mu Yu, you must find the last immortal before Third Heaven Palace can.”
“They’re also after the immortals? Besides Bai Jie, who else covets immortality?” Mu Yu queried.
As he groomed his beard, Archfiend Qinglong replied, “The energy I mentioned early that is responsible for maintaining the world’s balance found in hosts is called ‘Celestial Preservation’. There is no other energy in the world that can overpower it if you can control it.”
In other words, I can use it to usurp Third Heaven Palace’s tyrannical rule! Mu Yu effused in his mind.
Reading Mu Yu’s mind, Archfiend Qinglong continued, “Because of its potency, we can host it, but we can’t control it. Ascend to Apotheosis Realm, and you will be able grasp the rules of nature, thereby detecting its presence within your immortal body.”
“You said ‘… if you can control it’, though.”
Archfiend Qinglong leisurely had a sip of tea, then elucidated, “As an individual, it’s impossible. As nine immortals, there is a way. Sword Shadow Dust Gale told me of a formation called ‘Nine Heavens Reverse Development’, which requires the nine immortals to be used as its formation foundation. That’s the formation you need to control celestial preservation energy.”
Archfiend Qinglong had to hit pause to pick up the dragon vine for the latter and Xiaoshuai kept messing with his beard. He then resumed, expanding, “Third Heaven Palace has had plenty of time to build their influence and power from the time of their inception; they’ve been around longer than I’ve been alive, after all. I wouldn’t dare to claim I could storm Third Heaven Palace without dying. The only way to combat them is to find this realm’s nine immortals and use celestial preservation energy. At least, that’s the only solution I can fathom.”
“Does Bai Jie know about it?”
“Only immortals are aware of celestial preservation energy, so he wouldn’t be privy to its existence. If, nonetheless, he has taken over your shifu’s body, he will know about it. Either way, as long as you can locate all nine immortals before it dawns on him that celestial preservation energy can threaten Third Heaven Palace, then we’ll be fine.
“Reverend Nilei and Nian Henxi would be cognisant of these facts. We will strive to locate Tian Kun’s whereabouts as soon as possible. In the meantime, you need to find the ninth immortal and pass on the knowledge to them in addition to your three martial brothers. Whether or not Third Heaven Palace’s conspiracy can be stopped rides on you now.”
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