"But that’s the legendary Spiritual World, a person might only have such a chance to see it once in their lifetime," said Xiaodouding.
"Is life more important or is treasure more important?" Zhang Chen patted Xiaodouding’s head, "No matter what Creation is within the Spiritual World, I’ll fetch it for you. All the benefits, we’ll enjoy together."
Zhang Chen stroked Xiaodouding’s head, finding this little girl quite endearing.
Hearing this, Xiaodouding’s eyes showed a hint of yearning: "But that’s the Spiritual World. However, since you say it’s dangerous, I won’t go, lest I drag you down. Only, once you go, please be careful, make sure to come back alive. If you don’t make it back alive, I will follow that Divine heroine, force open the barrier of the Two Realms and rush in to find you. If you die there, I’ll make the entire Spiritual World bury itself with you."
Listening to Xiaodouding’s resolute words, Zhang Chen felt touched as he patted her head.
As Zhang Chen and Xiaodouding discussed the matters of the Spiritual World, within the little house on the lake’s heart island at Prince Pingbian’s mansion, Prince Pingbian stood bewildered before a Jade Basin.
Prince Pingbian, upon learning that his old nest had been raided, hurriedly rushed back from the battlefield, even disregarding the mysterious factors seeping from the mysterious Immortal Realm.
His old nest represents his face; with such careful planning, how could it have been robbed?
Leading his forces into the city to quell the rebellion, without Zhang Chen causing trouble, those Martial World folks were nothing in the face of court suppression, scattering en masse.
Prince Pingbian listened to his soldiers report the battle results. Hearing that the thieves had intruded onto the lake’s heart island, he was so shocked that his heart pounded, quickly leading his men to the island, entering the bamboo building, and seeing the carp covered in dense blood-red scales.
Seeing the carp that represented his family ancestor’s fate, Prince Pingbian was stunned, eyes filled with horror at the blood-red lotus on the scales: "How did this carp change overnight? Could it be that my ancestor’s bloodline is about to undergo a metamorphosis and achieve Dragon Transformation?"
Zhang Shicheng was bewildered, hurriedly ordering the guard outside the door: "Quickly summon Mr. Wuliu."
Soon, Mr. Wuliu arrived. Prince Pingbian pointed to the carp with red petal engravings on its scales and said to Mr. Wuliu, "Sir, come quickly and see, this carp seems strange. Could it be that my father king’s bloodline is about to transform and successfully achieve Dragon Transformation?"
"Are the patterns on this carp lotus flowers? How can they be blood lotus, that’s quite odd." Mr. Wuliu eyed the blood-red lotus motif with a strange look, "Successful Dragon Transformation? It doesn’t seem so. How could such an ominous blood lotus appear with Dragon Transformation?"
Mr. Wuliu turned to look at Prince Pingbian, eyes filled with oddity. He suspected Prince Pingbian’s mind might have gone astray, yet he was unsure. Currently, the ancestor of Prince Pingbian’s mansion is following the Yellow Heaven Dao to transform into a Divine Dragon. Who knows what their Divine Dragon transformation is like?
"Could it be that there’s an issue with our mansion’s Ancestral Vein, impacting the ancestor’s Dragon Transformation?" Mr. Wuliu hypothesized, feeling hesitant and uncertain.
"Someone, quickly assemble skilled individuals and follow me to inspect the Ancestral Vein." At this moment, Prince Pingbian felt panicked. His ancestor was the key to the mansion’s survival, and if anything happened to him, the mansion would be cast into perpetual damnation.
The group quickly arrived at the Ancestral Vein’s location. Prince Pingbian stood upon the mountain, pointing at the ground to order the armored warrior beside him: "Dig!"
Upon receiving the command, the armored warrior picked up a pickaxe and began to dig. After digging about a meter-deep, the warrior suddenly exclaimed: "Prince, please look!"
Prince Pingbian and Mr. Wuliu looked over and saw that blood-red soil appeared before them, where the earth had turned a blood-red hue.
Mr. Wuliu’s eyes fixed on the soil, his face changing color: "This isn’t right. I remember the soil of this mountain wasn’t red before?"
"Dig elsewhere!" Mr. Wuliu ordered again.
Several other armored warriors dispersed across the mountain to dig, and soon, they reported back: "Prince, the soil is indeed blood-red."
"Prince, the soil is blood-red," similarly reported the armored warriors.
"It seems there’s indeed a mutation in the Walking Flood Dragon transformation process, whether it be good or bad!" Prince Pingbian stood in front of the blood-red pit, eyes somberly watching the cavity:
"Quickly summon that Daoist Gu Mingyue, I need an explanation regarding the Yellow Heaven Dao."
Upon Prince Pingbian’s order, the mandate was sent to Huangli Temple. However, Gu Mingyue was not in the temple at the time, but at the Two Realms Passage absorbing the mysterious power, so a skilled Daoist from the temple was sent to notify Gu Mingyue via Soul Emergence. Upon receiving the information, Gu Mingyue hurried back to the temple. Upon entering, a Messenger approached Gu Mingyue: "Daoist, our prince summons urgently, please hurry."
Hearing the Messenger, Gu Mingyue was puzzled, pondering: "An urgent summoning, could it be about the mysterious Immortal Realm? If Prince Pingbian’s mansion monopolizes all the resources appearing in the Northern Land..."
Realizing the thought, Gu Mingyue dismissed the notion. If Prince Pingbian dared this path, it would be courting death.
Not only would the Dukes of Great Victory not agree, neither would the Martial World folks from surrounding nations, nor the Demon Race outside the border.
No need for others’ intervention, the nearby Dukes would readily wage war against Prince Pingbian.
"Surely Prince Pingbian wouldn’t be blinded by greed to that extent?" Gu Mingyue pondered internally.
However, regardless, since Prince Pingbian had summoned him, Gu Mingyue had no reason to refuse.
When Gu Mingyue arrived at Prince Pingbian’s mansion, escorted by guards to the Lake Heart Cottage, he saw Prince Pingbian and Mr. Wuliu pacing restlessly before the pavilion.
"Greetings, Prince," Gu Mingyue hastened forward to pay respects.
Hearing Gu Mingyue, Prince Pingbian waved it off: "Real Man need not stand on ceremony."
"Why has the Prince summoned me so urgently?" Gu Mingyue straightened up, addressing Prince Pingbian.
Prince Pingbian responded gravely: "Come with me."
The trio entered the house, Prince Pingbian pointed at the carp in the Jade Basin, "Look at this, why is my carp like this? Could the Divine Dragon Technique of the Yellow Heaven Dao have issues?"
Gu Mingyue approached with curiosity. After seeing the blood-red lotus-covered carp in the Jade Basin, he was startled internally. Practicing the Divine Power Technique, he had acumen in sensing wicked auras like Zhang Chen’s True God Golden Light. Spotting the blood-red lotus on the scales, an illusion realm opened before him with the blood-red lotus blooming overwhelmingly in his Spiritual World, a sea of blood-red forming monstrous waves crashing toward him, reeking and malevolent, threatening to smother him.
"What kind of devilry is this?"
Gu Mingyue shivered, snapping out of the illusion. Fixating on the blood-red lotus pattern, he realized it imparted a great wickedness, an indescribable foul stench engulfing his senses.
In his heart, he suspected issues with the Dragon Transformation Technique, but could he voice it?
Telling Prince Pingbian there’s a problem with the Dragon Transformation Technique?
If he had a remedy, to voice it would be no problem, at worst, resolving it was all, without consequence.
But now, he couldn’t discern the origins of the blood-red lotus, let alone rectify it; even articulating its essence was beyond him.
How would he survive if Prince Pingbian knew the truth?