chsdbacks Page 480
Page 480
As the group of people emerged from the teleportation array, they witnessed a large, flying ship descending, led by a woman with an expression as cold as ice.
"A Returning to Emptiness Earth Immortal..." Yunhua roughly guessed the person's realm.
The icy-cold Earth Immortal flew out of the large ship and coldly said, "Those who have gained nothing can leave now. The rest of you, bring out the heads of the Myriad Manifestations Realm demons you obtained for me to identify!"
Her voice was cold, and she didn't say much; when she did speak, it was in a commanding tone.
But no one dared to say anything. Many who failed to complete their missions immediately retreated, while the remaining people took out the heads of the great demons they had hunted.
There are only thirteen cultivators who can produce heads.
The woman unleashed her divine sense, invading the heads of each great demon. Suddenly, she exclaimed softly, her cold eyes filled with surprise. She looked deeply at Yun Hua in front of the head and said, "I thought most of these people were useless, but I didn't expect that you, a Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator, would actually kill a Nascent Soul Realm great demon."
Upon hearing this, everyone around Yunhua stared at her in shock.
"A powerful demon at the Nascent Soul Realm!?"
Chapter 972 Daoist Treasury Palace
"Is this the power of innate gods and demons? A Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator killing a Nascent Soul Realm demon? That's ridiculously strong!"
Many people were secretly shocked.
At this moment, the woman said, "Very good, you have all reached at least the level of a Great Demon of the Myriad Manifestations Realm. All thirteen of you have passed the test. Come with me!"
As she spoke, she led the qualified people onto the large ship. At the same time, she took out thirteen books and waved them around, sending them flying in front of everyone.
"The rules of the Yinglong Guard are all in this book, you can read them yourselves!" Her voice remained icy.
Yunhua immediately flipped through the book and quickly found what she was looking for.
"As expected, becoming a member of the Yinglong Guard requires swearing an oath to the Heavenly Dao. Unless one becomes a Heavenly God or a Pure Yang True Immortal, one cannot leave the Yinglong Guard and must be loyal to the Great Xia!" Yun Hua breathed a sigh of relief. The conditions were not too harsh. Becoming a Heavenly God would only take a few years.
An hour later, the aloof woman led everyone to receive the "Yinglong Guard Tokens" and then brought them to a magnificent palace.
This palace was a hundred feet tall and covered an area of a thousand feet in circumference. While not the largest palace in the Crimson Dragon Mountains, it was the most heavily guarded. Yun Hua could vaguely sense several Void Returning Earth Immortals protecting the surroundings.
"This is the Daoist Temple. You may go in and have a look, but spirit beasts are not allowed inside!" a cold voice rang out.
Everyone rushed into the Daoist Palace; wasn't this what they joined the Yinglong Guard for?
What truly captivates people about the Yinglong Guard is the array of martial arts techniques, supernatural abilities, and secret arts accumulated by the Great Xia Dynasty over countless years.
"There are 360 kinds of Qi refining methods at the Immortal level, but only three kinds at the Pure Yang level..." Yunhua found a book with an introduction to the supernatural powers and techniques here.
The Immortal-level Qi Refining Method is the Qi Refining Method created by Celestial Immortals. Practicing this level of technique can completely lay the foundation for becoming a Celestial Immortal.
The Pure Yang level Qi refining method was created by the Pure Yang True Immortal. The true essence cultivated by this method is more profound and pure than that of the Immortal level Qi refining method.
The most obvious difference between the Immortal-level Qi Refining Method and the Pure Yang-level Qi Refining Method is the Yuan Liquid required for the Perfection of the Purple Mansion Realm.
Immortal-level Qi Refining methods typically require between 800 and 1,500 jin of Yuan Liquid; while Pure Yang-level Qi Refining methods require between 2,000 and 3,000 jin of Yuan Liquid.
However, Yunhua's own cultivation of the "Burning Immortal Manual" is even more advanced than the Pure Yang Qi Refining Method. His method requires 4,500 catties of Yuan Liquid to reach its peak in the Purple Mansion Realm, and Yunhua himself has surpassed the peak, consuming 6,000 catties of Yuan Liquid.
It can be said that the true essence cultivated by Yunhua is among the best in the Three Realms.
Therefore, Yunhua did not pay much attention to these techniques, but only memorized the names of some of them, intending to take a look at them and refer to them when he had the opportunity in the future.
"Tsk tsk, a regular Immortal-grade Qi Refining Technique requires 10,000 merit points for an ordinary Yinglong Guard, but only 100 merit points for an Yinglong Inner Guard. That's a hundredfold difference!" Yunhua smiled when he saw the exchange conditions.
"The Great Xia Dynasty is indeed profound!" After entering the first floor of the Daoist Palace, Yunhua quickly took a look around.
This floor mainly contains cultivation manuals for Qi refining, or some secret techniques.
Soon Yunhua went up to the second floor.
"Eighty-nine kinds of supernatural powers, and most of them can only be learned by the Yinglong Inner Guard!" Yunhua looked at the books of supernatural powers and was also a little envious.
Although he obtained the foundation of a Celestial Immortal, the supernatural powers collected by that Celestial Immortal were too weak. Moreover, they could all be obtained from the Yinglong Guards, and they were all ordinary supernatural powers that did not require the qualification of Yinglong Inner Guards, far inferior to some of the truly great supernatural powers here.
"If I'm not mistaken, the previous owner of the immortal abode I visited in the Great Wilderness of Prison Mountain was probably a Celestial Immortal who cultivated Qi Refining, and also practiced Divine Demon Body Refining. He may have even reached the level of a Returning Void Earth Immortal." Yun Hua recalled what he had seen and heard in the immortal abode and thought to himself.
In this Three Realms, the path of body refinement for gods and demons is far stronger than that of qi refinement. Gods and demons who have returned to the Void Immortal realm have combat power comparable to celestial immortals, while celestial gods have combat power comparable to pure yang true immortals.
Yunhua continued browsing the second floor of the Daoist Palace. Finally, he saw a secret supernatural power hidden there—the Eye of the Candle Dragon.
The Eye of the Candle Dragon is a divine ability that gathers the aurora borealis from the heavens into the eyes, and then cultivates the "Natural Candlelight." This divine ability is neither defensive, nor ranged, nor melee combat, but rather an extremely powerful auxiliary means; it can be said that this divine ability is the ultimate divine ability that every archer dreams of.
However, this supernatural power can only be obtained by Yinglong's inner guards, and it requires tens of millions of merits to acquire.
“Ten million merits, that’s just a pie in the sky… If no great war that affects the whole world happens, how many tens of thousands of years would it take to accumulate such merits? Wouldn’t it be better to use that time for cultivation?” Yunhua shook his head.
To accumulate tens of millions of merits, one must be an unparalleled powerhouse. To sell oneself to the Great Xia for a mere "Eye of the Candle Dragon" divine power, and toil for so many years in vain, anyone would know that this thing is unreliable.
When your boss talks to you about dreams, that's when he's starting to act like a scoundrel.
The "Eye of the Candle Dragon" supernatural power is nothing but a pie in the sky.
What's even more bizarre is that this Candle Dragon's Eye is only half complete.
"Although the Xia Emperor was a disciple of the Crimson Brightness Dao Ancestor, who created the 'Crimson Brightness Nine Heavens Diagram,' a divine and demonic body-refining technique, he was ultimately just a Pure Yang True Immortal who cultivated Qi. Therefore, the Great Xia Dynasty did not have much foundation in the divine and demonic body-refining techniques," Yun Hua thought to himself.
He suspected that the Great Xia Dynasty's foundation in the art of divine and demonic body refinement was inferior to that of the Star-Picking Palace, which he himself had inherited.
Of course, he is not qualified to obtain the full extent of the Star-Picking Palace's resources yet. He will only be able to truly unlock the full inheritance and resources of the Star-Picking Palace after he becomes a Celestial God.
Soon, Yunhua had browsed through the books in the Daoist Canon Palace and had a general idea of what was there.
There are 360 types of Qi Refining Methods for Immortals and 3 types of Pure Yang Qi Refining Methods.
There are eighty-nine kinds of supernatural powers. There are sixty-one kinds of divine thought techniques. There are one hundred and two forbidden techniques.
……
Soon the group came out.
The woman who led the group asked, "As long as you join our Yinglong Inner Guard, you can soar to great heights. The earlier you join, the easier it will be to obtain the cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities that can change your destiny. Is anyone willing to join?"
Without much thought, Yunhua stepped forward and said, "I'm willing to join!"
"It's that innate god-demon! He actually sold himself so readily!"
"Aren't all innate gods and demons supposed to be unruly? How could he decide to serve someone else so quickly?"
“This guy is a rogue cultivator, and he was born that way. He doesn’t belong to any sect or family, so of course he can join the Yinglong Guard at will. It’s a pity that I still have a family to revitalize.”
The others were immediately surprised when they saw Yunhua step forward.
Chapter 973 Heavenly Oath
The identity of a primordial god or demon is still a very interesting topic, especially now that we are no longer in the beginning of time.
In the vast world of Daxia, it might take a hundred years for a single innate god or demon to be born.
"I'll join too!" Soon, a fat man also stepped forward.
“Me too!” A third person stepped forward.
After waiting for a long time, only three people finally stepped forward, ready to join Yinglong's inner guard.
Seeing that no one else stepped forward, the woman said, "After becoming a member of the Yinglong Guard, your family can designate a vast territory within your own domain, and have that land protected by our Yinglong Guard. Even if you die, our Yinglong Guard will protect that place for a thousand years. Go and register."
"You three come with me."
Yunhua and the others soon followed the woman to a palace.
She spoke calmly, saying, "Once you become an inner guard of my Yinglong Guard, you can freely read any books in the Daoist Canon Palace that are available to ordinary Yinglong Guards and require less than one hundred merits!"
"Next, the three of you will make a solemn oath to Heaven, as I have instructed. You must not make a single mistake except for your own names!" The man said, looking at Yunhua and the others. "Listen carefully, now repeat after me. I hereby swear, with Heaven as my witness..."
"I, Yunhua, hereby swear, with Heaven as my witness..."
"I, Xuan Kong, hereby swear, with Heaven's will as my witness..."
"I, Ao Yu, hereby swear, with Heaven as my witness..."
The three of them spoke at the same time, repeating the oath word by word after the woman, without changing a single word except for their own names.
The oath, as stated in the previous booklet, required unwavering loyalty to the Great Xia Dynasty, a loyalty contingent upon death or becoming a Celestial God or a Pure Yang Immortal. Only by becoming a Celestial God or a Pure Yang Immortal could one escape the Great Xia Yinglong Guard.
As the oath was made, an invisible wave descended.
This is a supreme fluctuation of the Heavenly Dao. This oath is recognized by the Heavenly Dao, and once violated, one will immediately face the punishment of the Heavenly Dao. Even immortals will suffer immediate backlash if they violate the oath of the Heavenly Dao. If the oath contains the phrase "soul annihilation," then it will naturally come true.
"If I break this oath, may my soul be scattered and never be reincarnated."
Yunhua and the others finally recited the last part of their vow.
As the oath was made, everyone felt an invisible wave, the power of the oath from Heaven. No one dared to violate the constraints of the oath from Heaven.
"Although the Heavenly Dao Oath is powerful, it's nothing once you reach the level of a World God or a Chaos Immortal. Cultivators at this level can completely ignore the power of the Heavenly Dao Oath," Yun Hua thought to himself after carefully sensing the Heavenly Dao Oath.
"However, those below the World God must still abide by the oath. The Heavenly Dao Oath of the Great Xia Yinglong Guard only binds cultivators below the Heavenly God and Pure Yang True Immortal, which is still considered fair."
The so-called "Heavenly Way" is actually the operating rule of the Three Realms. Once one cultivates to the level of a World God or a Chaos Immortal, one is comparable to the Three Realms and will naturally no longer be bound by the vows of the Heavenly Way.
Of course, at the level of Chaos Immortals and World Gods, there are even more binding oaths of destiny. These are oaths made with one's own life and Dao heart, and their binding force is even more terrifying, which even Chaos Immortals and World Gods cannot violate.
"Alright, the oath is complete. Congratulations on successfully joining our Yinglong Inner Guard. You will each have one year to settle matters concerning your families and factions. After that, you will need to report back to the Crimson Dragon Mountains." As she spoke, the woman casually tossed out three tokens and three sets of crimson armor.
Three tokens and three sets of armor flew to Yunhua and his two companions, each with a token and a set of armor beside them.
These armors are all of the lowest-grade human-level magic treasures, and their protective power is nothing to cultivators in the Myriad Manifestations Realm, but they are the symbol of Yinglong's inner guards.
She continued, "As the first benefit of joining our Yinglong Inner Guard, you can go to the Daozang Palace and choose a Dharma that can only be redeemed by the Yinglong Inner Guard, which has a merit value of no more than one hundred."
The method that yields 100 merits would require 10,000 merits for an ordinary Yinglong Guard.
Seeing the joy on their faces, she said, "I suggest that if you don't have a Celestial-level Qi Refining Method, you should use this benefit to exchange for one. You are only at the Myriad Manifestations Realm now, and although it is a bit difficult to rebuild your foundation, as long as you have enough Yuan Liquid, a year should be enough."
"The second benefit is that you can go to the Treasure Hall and choose a suitable Earth-rank magic weapon."
This benefit is irrelevant to everyone. Earth-rank magic treasures may seem rare, but in reality, those who can cultivate to the Myriad Manifestations Realm and successfully pass the Yinglong Guard's assessment are generally not lacking in such items.
Of course, for them, this magical artifact was better than nothing, and could even make up for what they lacked.
"The third benefit is that this token contains a cave dwelling, which you can place at will in certain designated areas of the Crimson Dragon Mountains. The cave dwelling contains the spirit-gathering array of our Great Xia Dynasty, and the cave dwelling can condense primordial liquid to supply your cultivation."
This kind of spirit-gathering array can only be considered a human-level array. The array that Yunhua set up in Winged Serpent Lake is much more powerful than this.
However, this place is the Crimson Dragon Mountain Range, which originally had a huge spirit-gathering array, making the spiritual energy in the Crimson Dragon Mountain Range far exceed that of the Winged Serpent Lake. Therefore, the efficiency of condensing Yuan Liquid here is only slightly inferior to the array that Yunhua set up in the Winged Serpent Lake, and it can produce about three thousand catties of Yuan Liquid every year.
"The fourth benefit is that there is at least one sage preaching in our Crimson Dragon Mountain Range every year. If you encounter any problems in your cultivation, you can take this opportunity to ask questions. Everyone has one chance to ask a question."
Besides Yunhua, the two cultivators next to him, named "Xuankong" and "Aoyu," both wore expressions of delight. They had not joined any sect, nor had they received guidance from any immortal-level experts, so this benefit was what they had been looking forward to the most.
"The fifth benefit is that you can report your family and you will also receive a piece of land with a radius of ten thousand miles. This land will be protected by our Yinglong Guard. Moreover, the protection will last for ten thousand years after your death. Go and register yourselves."
The protection period for ordinary Yinglong Guards is one thousand years after death, but the benefits for Yinglong Inner Guards are ten thousand years. In fact, this benefit is what attracts people from various tribes to join the Yinglong Inner Guards.
"You are free to move around for the next year. After a year, unless you perish unexpectedly, you must return here!" After saying this, the female immortal quickly left.
"Gentlemen, my family has some matters to attend to, so I won't stay here any longer. Farewell!" The cultivator named Xuan Kong said to Yun Hua and Ao Yu.
"Do as you please, I also need to find a supernatural power!" Yunhua nodded slightly, then walked directly towards the Daozang Palace.
He had taken a fancy to a supernatural power when he was browsing the catalog in the Daoist Canon Palace, and now he could use the benefits of joining Yinglong's Inner Guard to obtain it.
Yunhua arrived at the Daozang Palace and went straight to the second floor.
He went directly to a supernatural being, picked up his token and imprinted it on the supernatural being's jade tablet, and immediately a layer of hazy light dissipated.
Chapter 974 Chaos Divine Arrow
The restriction on the jade piece could sense much information from Yunhua's token, knowing that he had a chance to gain supernatural powers, so the light of the restriction dissipated.
Then, Yunhua picked up the jade piece and walked directly to the back hall of the Daozang Palace.
The real supernatural powers and techniques are all there; what is displayed in the front hall of the Daoist Temple is merely some introductions and tokens for actually obtaining these techniques.
True supernatural powers and techniques could not possibly be kept in the front hall.
Furthermore, the Anchan County branch actually possesses only about half of the supernatural abilities. The supernatural abilities that truly require tens of thousands of merit points to exchange for are all located at the Yinglong Guard headquarters in the capital. To exchange for such supernatural abilities, one must go to the headquarters.
However, the supernatural power that Yunhua himself had his eye on wasn't of a high level; it only required ninety-five merit points to acquire. Therefore, the original one still existed within the Crimson Dragon Mountains.
Soon, a short, stout old man guarding the rear hall of the Daozang Palace examined the jade piece in Yunhua's hand.
He looked at Yunhua with surprise and exclaimed, "The Chaos Divine Arrow? It's actually this divine ability? Are you planning to become a divine archer?"
"Hmm, you cultivate the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Diagram? To be able to cultivate it to the Myriad Manifestations Realm, your talent is indeed quite good, and the Crimson Bright Nine Heavens Diagram is indeed a good match for this Chaos Divine Arrow. You have good judgment!"