Chapter 424: The Three Treasures
Chapter 424: The Three Treasures
A grand inheritance from a Great Virtuoso always comes with a price.
Fang Xing was prepared to even face off against a Celestial Immortal Realm Great Virtuoso.
After all, only a Celestial Immortal or a Celestial Demon of the same level could bring down a Celestial Demon Grandmaster. However, upon learning more about the Blue Flower Empress's character, he felt that she might not be so ruthless.
Instead, it was the Boundary Spirit Serpent Maiden, her creation, who seemed to harbor resentment.
"It's hateful that the Empress set such rules back then; otherwise, that Serpent Prince would never have been able to leave alive..."
The Serpent Maiden clenched her silver teeth, "But if the Serpent Clan still dreams of obtaining the Empress's inheritance, they are delusional!"
Fang Xing was momentarily speechless.
After some thought, he spoke, "You seem... particularly eager for me to obtain this inheritance?"
"Yes."
The Serpent Maiden readily admitted, "Your aptitude in the Time Doctrine is exceptional. Any Great Virtuoso would want to take you as their disciple! Not only because of your potential for future achievements... but also because you might be able to merge with the 'Time Great Dao' and possess the ability to resurrect fallen demons from the Time River. Even if this possibility is slim, it's enough for those who have perished to take a chance."
"So that's it. You want me to become the true disciple of your master, and in the future, I might be able to resurrect her?"
A faint smile appeared on Fang Xing's face, "Every gain and loss is a matter of cause and effect..."
However, this wasn't a necessary vow; it was likely just the Serpent Maiden's expectation.
"I can promise you that if it's within my power in the future, I will make it happen."
In other words, if he couldn't find the Qingyuan Great World even after achieving unity with the Dao, it wouldn't be his fault.
"Thank you..."
The Serpent Maiden's eyes seemed to turn slightly red for a moment, but it quickly faded.
She led Fang Xing step by step up the stairs, stopping in front of the statue.
"This is the statue of the Empress. If you bow nine times, you will become her true disciple."
The Serpent Maiden stood solemnly beside him, "Three kneels for a Disciple of Record, six kneels for a Full Disciple, and nine kneels for a true disciple. These are the rules set by the Empress."
Fang Xing immediately composed himself, straightened his scales, and bowed nine times.
A thunderous sound reverberated!
As the ninth bow landed, Fang Xing felt as if the stone statue in front of him had come to life in an instant, revealing a towering figure of a Celestial Demon.
The figure had a human body with a serpent's tail, and its scales were a vibrant green, overflowing with life force. Its eyes held a look of loving kindness.
It was a 'Great Love' for all beings in the heavens and earth! In that moment, three ancient blue volumes appeared in his mind, the 'Azure Flower Trilogy'! Moreover, it automatically opened, and his soul trembled as he uttered a vow of cause and effect: "I swear upon the Cause and Effect Doctrine, I will never reveal a fraction of this inheritance..."
When Fang Xing came back to his senses, he realized that the Blue Flower Empress was still a statue.
However, three rays of light descended and hovered before him.
"You have made a vow of cause and effect to the Empress. You must not break it, or even if you become a Celestial Demon, you will pay a heavy price... The statue of the Empress contains a wondrous object, the 'Cause and Effect Stone,' which holds great binding power over Celestial Demons."
The Serpent Maiden reminded him, "As a true disciple, the Empress bestows upon you three treasures, all of which are most suitable for you."
"The Master... is indeed a good person."
Fang Xing nodded.
Since she could force him to make such a vow, she could also make him avenge and even resurrect his master in the future...
But none of that happened; she only wanted to protect the secrets of the inheritance.
"The Empress's greatest regret before her death was that she had no true successor..."
"You should have been taught the 'Azure Flower Trilogy' by now. The 'Azure Flower Volume' encompasses everything, and it's enough to guide you all the way to the Celestial Demon Realm... One of its secret techniques, 'Break Causality,' can conceal your own destiny, preventing you from being traced by causality arts. It's best to learn it as soon as you leave; otherwise, it will be easy for that Serpent Prince to hunt you down."
The Serpent Maiden cautioned him.
'I was thinking of joining the Azure Emperor Palace...'
'But even if I hadn't killed Fu Shan, it probably wouldn't have been possible with the identity of the Blue Flower Empress's disciple... After all, my master rebelled back then...'
Fang Xing shifted his attention to the three glowing orbs before him.
As his thoughts touched the first orb, it exploded, revealing a bright yellow talisman.
The yellow paper looked a bit tattered, and the cinnabar on it was dim, transforming into a yellow light that surged into Fang Xing's glabella.
Outside Fang Xing's soul, the talisman flickered with radiance, giving him a sense of security, as if he had put on a layer of clothing.
"This is the 'Steal Heaven Substitute Life Talisman,' a passive type talisman. When you are about to die, your soul is about to be destroyed, or you are about to be enslaved, it will automatically activate... It will leave a puppet in your place to bear the curses, causality, and the power of annihilation... Then, it will carry you far away."
"The talisman will ensure your survival. Even a Celestial Demon Grandmaster might not notice you in time, and it's impossible for anyone in the Essence Spirit Realm to kill you... This is the life-saving ace given to you by the Empress. Of course, it's a one-time opportunity."
"Having a chance to try again is already a great advantage that many in the Demon Race long for," Fang Xing said sincerely.
He opened the second light orb and found a strangely shaped small mirror.
"This is the Derivative Dao Mirror, which can simulate the cultivation of a technique to its limit... Moreover, the Empress has infused it with a touch of Creation Force, allowing you to instantly reach an extremely high level of mastery in that technique. It's a treasure for protecting your cultivation path."
The Serpent Maiden explained.
'This is somewhat similar to my Great Sun Tathagata Incantation... Could this so-called Creation Force be a highly concentrated power of Yuan Shi?'
'It's a pity that it's not as good as giving me several billion Yuan Shi, so I won't have to worry about accumulating Essence Energy after reaching the Essence Spirit Realm...'
Fang Xing nodded and opened the third light orb.
A thunderous power emerged, so formidable that even Fang Xing felt an impulse to kneel in submission. It was an instinctual reaction from his physical bloodline, similar to how ordinary people would tremble unconsciously when encountering lions or tigers up close.
'A mere instinctual reaction from the physical bloodline...'
Fang Xing's willpower surged, and he remained unmoved, his vertical pupils gazing at the item within the third light orb. It was...
"A drop of sealed essence blood?"
His voice carried a hint of solemnity as he saw a drop of fresh blood sealed within a sky-blue crystal stone.
"The Empress has been so generous to you... Among the three treasures she bestowed, even the combined value of the first two pales in comparison to this one. Perhaps it's because you're cultivating the Time Doctrine?"
The Serpent Maiden, upon seeing the drop of essence blood, also felt a sense of disbelief: "This is one of the most precious items in the Empress's treasure vault, and among them is this - the Flame Dragon Essence Blood!"
"Flame Dragon Essence Blood?"
Fang Xing's expression shifted as he sensed the dense power of the Time Law from the drop of essence blood.
According to the rumors, the Flame Dragon is a 'day-seeing, night-sleeping, winter-blowing, summer-hissing' innate time-related Demon Race!
"This drop of Flame Dragon Essence Blood comes from an 'Imperial'! He has long perished in the Time River, and the Empress took a great risk to explore a forbidden land to obtain this drop of Imperial Blood..."
The Serpent Maiden looked at Fang Xing: "You claim to be a Dragon Seed, right? Once you refine this drop of Flame Dragon Essence Blood, you will no longer be a common Demon with mortal blood but a member of the Imperial Blood Demon Clan. Becoming a Demon Prince in the future will be a piece of cake..."
"How does refining Imperial Blood turn me into an Imperial Blood Demon?"
Fang Xing was a bit puzzled.
"Do you think Imperial Blood Demons are common? The Demon Emperor's body is enormous, and if they casually spill their essence blood, wouldn't every Demon in our race become an Imperial Prince?"
The Serpent Maiden scoffed: "Imperial Bloodlines are extremely rare, and only the direct descendants of a Demon Emperor have a chance to obtain them. A single drop of Imperial Blood can, at most, create an Imperial Blood Demon. If you want to ascend to the Imperial Bloodline, you'll likely need to replace all your essence blood with Imperial Blood, and even then, it's a slim possibility..."
"Imperial Blood is good enough."
If Fang Xing had previously thought that 'mortal blood could surpass Imperial Blood,' his thoughts had now shifted to 'The Demon Race values bloodlines, and there's some truth to that. The advantage of being born with it is indeed an advantage. Being an Imperial Blood Demon is already impressive.'
Demons with Imperial Bloodlines are innately born with superior Essence Energy foundations. With a little effort, they become geniuses on par with Demon Princes! This is the innate advantage of bloodlines.
"Once I refine the Flame Dragon bloodline, it will undoubtedly greatly benefit my understanding of the Time Doctrine."
Fang Xing also thought of this point.
"That's natural, but refining a high-level bloodline is extremely dangerous... If an Imperial Blood Demon were to refine Imperial Blood, it would be understandable, but you're just a common Demon with mortal blood, not even of Royal Blood..."
The Serpent Maiden said, "I suggest you try it after breaking through to the Essence Spirit Realm. Although you'll miss out on many benefits, it's safer."
In reality, she couldn't imagine that the aura of this Black Dragon would attract the Flame Dragon Essence Blood from the treasure vault!
Was this gap a bit too wide?
"It's fine... Refining bloodlines primarily requires a strong willpower to shatter the residual spiritual imprints within, right?"
Fang Xing spoke.
"That's true... Although the owner of this Flame Dragon Essence Blood has been dead for who knows how many years, and the Empress has done some processing, it's still too terrifying for a small Demon with mortal blood and realm."
"She Nv shook her head. "Even if it's necessary to refine it, we must be fully prepared. First, we'll go to the Dragon Wash Pool, then prepare the Dragon Transformation Pill and the Dragon Transformation Secret Art... It's best to have a Celestial Demon present to oversee the process. Hey, what are you doing?"
A horrified expression appeared on her face as she watched Fang Xing casually swallow the crystal sealing Zhu Long's essence blood.
As a world spirit, she only had the right to advise and couldn't stop Fang Xing from doing anything to her treasure.
Crack!
Fang Xing's teeth moved slightly, tearing open the outermost layer and swallowing the essence blood down his throat, as if he had swallowed a fireball.
A terrifying heat wave instantly swept through his entire body! Compared to the pain in his body, the test on his mind was even more terrifying!
Roar!
In Fang Xing's ear, a distant and ancient dragon roar seemed to echo.
He saw a massive dragon shadow coiled in the universe.
It had a human face and a serpentine body, with red scales and a vertical eye. The terrifying power of time flowed like a river, allowing it to swim freely.
- Zhu Long!
Demon Emperor Zhu Long!
A Chaos Realm existence, when placed in the Daxia World, is a Great Dao Lord Realm master! Even a trace of its will, separated by countless years and processed by a Demon Emperor, was enough to crush any Mortal Realm demon and even most Essence Spirit Realm Demon Kings!
But at this moment, although Fang Xing seemed insignificant compared to Zhu Long, he could still maintain his free will.
His will was like a blazing sun, unyielding and shining upon the myriad realms! "Wow... If it were the real Zhu Long, I would have died from just a trace of his will."
"But the residual will, which has been dead for many years and processed by the Azure Flower Empress... In terms of impact, it's comparable to a Foreign Demon God."
"If my will were to collapse under such an impact, that would be a joke."
Day and night alternated, and seasons changed.
In the outside world, time passed by, but in Fang Xing's consciousness, it seemed like an eternity.
Even after ten thousand years, the blazing sun formed by his will still hung high, and it even transformed into a long sword.
His will was like a sword, slashing at Zhu Long!
Roar!
Zhu Long's figure let out a mournful cry and then transformed into streams of light, disappearing into the blazing sun.
In a daze, Fang Xing even thought he had become Zhu Long, experiencing the passage of time, his dragon body roaming the universe, and playing with planets under his dragon claws...
...
In front of the Azure Flower Empress.
The chaotic time currents scattered, and a fifty-meter-long Black Dragon emerged.
Its body became incredibly slender, with scales changing from black to a dark red hue. The wings on its back seemed to carry a trace of divinity, and the horns on its head forked, resembling deer antlers.
Overall, apart from its body size doubling, it transformed from a Western Black Dragon into something more akin to an Eastern Dragon.
Of course, the change in body size was not the most significant part.
In Fang Xing's vertical pupils, streaks of gray light flashed, as if he could directly see the fluctuations of time.
"The Time Doctrine... So clear... And my Essence Energy."
As the Black Dragon breathed in and out, he could feel that his Superior Essence Power was still increasing! The Imperial Blood Demon Race originally possessed Superior Essence Power, and if he cultivated their inheritance, even if it was just an upper-level inheritance, the combination of two Superior Essence Powers would result in a quality far surpassing that of ordinary Superior Essence Power.
It would even provide more opportunities for breaking through to Immortal Essence Power than other Demon Races.
"My Black Water Essence Energy, even if it's not yet at the Immortal Grade, seems to be very close..."
"Tsk tsk... And my physique, now even a third-level Essence Spirit Realm cultivator with Superior Essence Power and a Fourth Level Doctrine comprehension wouldn't be able to break through my defenses..."
"The Imperial Blood Demon Race indeed has great benefits. With such a strong foundation, a little cultivation would make one a Demon Prince-level genius!"
After sensing this, Fang Xing was very satisfied.
The Snake Maiden beside him was stunned: "You... Your will actually directly crushed the remaining mental imprint of Zhu Long... Even after the Empress's prior processing, it's still astonishing... Who are you? Could you be the reincarnation of an ancient Demon Race member?"
"Would an ancient Demon Race member reincarnate as a Mortal Blood Stone Dragon Son?" Fang Xing glanced at the Snake Maiden and said speechlessly.
"That's true... Then it's your innate talent. Although will is intangible, its influence grows stronger in the later stages..."
The Snake Maiden's eyes shone with brilliance: "I'm becoming more convinced that you have a chance to revive the Empress."
(End of Chapter)
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