Chapter 413 – Corpse Transforms Form, True Spirit Takes Shape

Lu Chen offered no response to the Fisherman’s speculations beside him.

At this moment, it seemed as though he had poured all his energy into the Fallen Dragon Lake before him, his gaze fixed on the boiling waters stirred by the multiple Mountain Lord corpses.

Before long, as more and more Flood Dragon Fish were drawn in,

some unusually large Flood Dragon Fish appeared.

One of them was a massive Flood Dragon Fish over a hundred meters long.

Its emergence immediately intimidated the other Flood Dragon Fish nearby.

It swiftly carved a gap through the dense school of fish and then clamped its jaws around one of the Mountain Lord corpses Lu Chen had tossed out.

The aura of this Flood Dragon Fish was extraordinary, clearly no ordinary creature.

Had it been any other Mountain Lord, they might have already taken action, devising a way to hook this hundred-meter-long Flood Dragon Fish.

But Lu Chen acted as if he hadn’t seen it, maintaining his fishing posture.

He allowed the Flood Dragon Fish to devour the Mountain Lord corpse and swim away unscathed.

The Fisherman beside him, puzzled by this, asked, “Young man, a hundred-meter Flood Dragon Fish is a rare sight. Why did you let it go?”

Lu Chen did not answer, continuing to observe the school of Flood Dragon Fish below.

Seeing that Lu Chen paid him no mind, the Fisherman frowned.

A short while later, an even larger Flood Dragon Fish appeared.

This one was three times the size of the previous one.

Just the shadow it cast beneath the lake surface was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

Yet, strangely, Lu Chen still made no move against this Flood Dragon Fish.

After letting two large fish escape in succession, the Fisherman fell completely silent, his expression growing increasingly grim.

It seemed as though Lu Chen’s refusal to hook these two Flood Dragon Fish was deeply unsettling to him.

Over the next three days,

although Lu Chen repeatedly replenished the Nascent Soul Stage bait,

for some reason, no exceptionally large or special Flood Dragon Fish like those on the first day appeared in the lake.

Even so, Lu Chen showed no signs of impatience, waiting calmly.

It was as if he wasn’t the least bit worried about failing to catch any fish.

Finally, at dawn on the fifth day,

a colossal creature, nearly a kilometer in length, slowly emerged from the depths of the Fallen Dragon Lake.

The sheer size of this Flood Dragon Fish caused the entire lake surface to visibly rise during its ascent.

The waves crashing against the shore nearly submerged the dock.

As if fearing that Lu Chen would let even this Flood Dragon Fish go,

the Fisherman urgently said, “Young man, this is the Flood Dragon Fish King of the Fallen Dragon Lake, formed from the Dragon Scales of an ancient Flood Dragon’s corpse.”

“If you can hook this one, you will obtain the most powerful Jiao Lord Legacy to date, becoming the strongest Jiao Lord in the history of the Great Thousand Mountains.”

“Young man, don’t hesitate. If you miss this chance, you’ll truly have no other opportunity.”

The Fisherman had thought that such words would spur Lu Chen, who had been sitting calmly all this time, into action.

But at this moment, it seemed as though Lu Chen had realized something.

Although he moved, it wasn’t to target the kilometer-long Flood Dragon Fish below.

Instead, he retracted his fishing rod and casually tossed it aside.

Witnessing this, the Fisherman froze on the spot.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, his expression turned exceedingly dark.

“Young man, I initially thought you were just arrogant, looking down on ordinary hundred-meter Flood Dragon Fish.”

“But now, it seems I was mistaken.””You have such an enormous appetite that you wish to swallow this entire Flood Dragon Lake in one gulp.”

“Aren’t… you afraid of choking yourself?”

Lu Chen stood up, finally speaking after all these days.

“Merely unorthodox methods, no matter how extravagantly decorated, can hardly grace the hall of elegance, isn’t that right?”

Ignoring the fisherman’s unpleasant expression.

Lu Chen walked toward him while speaking: “Before coming here, I was pondering a question.”

“The source of the Jiao Lord is the corpse of an ancient Flood Dragon, and the fact that this dragon corpse could become a Land of Inheritance indicates this ancient Flood Dragon must have been at least a Celestial Being or higher.”

“As far as I know, Celestial Beings are immortal and indestructible.”

“Even if they die in this lifetime, they would quickly enter Reincarnation and be reborn.”

“Thus, there are only two methods to create such a reincarnation site.”

Lu Chen raised one finger, calmly stating: “The first method is to control this ancient Flood Dragon’s corpse and Seal its True Spirit.”

“This way, one can both steal the Dao power mastered by this Flood Dragon while continuously allowing successors to obtain the Legacy.”

“I originally thought this Land of Inheritance was the first scenario, until I met you…”

Hearing this, the fisherman couldn’t be bothered to continue pretending.

“You’ve seen through my true form?”

Lu Chen shook his head.

“Not at all.”

“Then you…”

The fisherman halfway through his sentence suddenly realized something and slapped his own forehead.

“Right, your Dharma Eye is quite special. Since you could see the true form of this Fallen Dragon Lake, you should have been able to see through my disguise as well.”But you just couldn’t see through it…”

“This absence of a problem is actually the biggest problem. After all, how could there possibly be a Mortal without any cultivation in such a place?”

Lu Chen nodded: “Yes, the absence of a problem is the biggest problem.”

As he spoke, Lu Chen raised two fingers.

“Returning to our previous topic, aside from Sealing the ancient Flood Dragon’s corpse and True Spirit, there remains only one final method to create a Land of Inheritance.”

“That is to make the other party willingly become the inheritor themselves.”

“When I first saw you appear, I couldn’t determine whether the situation here was the former or the latter.”

“Therefore I needed to verify – to confirm whether you were merely the guardian of this Land of Inheritance, or… the master of this place.”

Hearing this, the fisherman smiled wryly.

Because by now, he understood how Lu Chen had verified his suspicions.

As expected, it was his method of manipulating the flood dragon fish at the lake bottom over the past few days.

Although he believed the entire process was extremely covert and absolutely undetectable by Lu Chen.

Those consecutive, increasingly massive flood dragon fish clearly couldn’t be explained by ‘natural’ means.

Coupled with this young man’s special Dharma Eye.

He might have truly noticed some clues.

Thus deducing his true identity wasn’t particularly difficult.

Thinking this, the fisherman simply laid his cards on the table.

“Correct, young man, as you’ve guessed, I am the master of this dragon domain.”

“Flood Dragon Celestial Being… Ao Chi.”

After speaking these words, the fisherman’s form began to rapidly transform.

His withered body started filling out, his frame becoming burly.

Numerous corals spread across his entire body, forming a special kind of armor.

And that Flood Dragon head particularly highlights his extraordinary status.Revealing his true form, Ao Chi looked at Lu Chen and said in confusion, “Boy, even if you’ve seen through my true form, so what?”

“In the end, you can only obtain the legacy power through the contract I signed with the Great Thousand Mountains.”

“You don’t actually think there’s some reward for discovering my true form, do you?”

“Don’t overthink it, boy. This trial has been nothing but a transaction from start to finish.”

“You give me what I want, and I grant you power. That’s all there is to it.”

Lu Chen looked calmly at the perplexed Ao Chi and said, “Under normal circumstances, completing this inheritance would indeed have to be done as you said.”

“But if I’m not mistaken, the current you… is merely a wisp of a Celestial Being’s True Spirit, isn’t it?”

“…”

At these words, the Jiao Lord fell completely silent.

He hadn’t expected Lu Chen to know even this.

Ignoring the Jiao Lord’s grim expression, Lu Chen continued, “Generally speaking, when we say Celestial Beings are immortal, it doesn’t mean their True Spirits are indestructible, but rather that the Dao they represent is eternal.”

“Though the Dao is formless, the True Spirit has form.”

“While reincarnated Celestial Beings can regain their past cultivation, is the being who lives a second life truly still their original self?”

“I believe you Celestial Beings understand this question better than I do.”

“Therefore, if my speculation is correct, the records about the Jiao Lord’s legacy in the Great Thousand Mountains differ slightly from reality.”

“For example, according to the Great Thousand Mountains’ records, you were slain by the Celestial Beings behind the mountains, who then forcibly created this Land of Inheritance.”

“But in reality, I’m more inclined to believe that you actively sought refuge with the Great Thousand Mountains, offering your legacy in exchange for their help in restoring your cultivation.”

“After all, in this lake, I can sense a very familiar Dao power.”

“I presume the one who severely wounded you, forcing you to flee to the Great Thousand Mountains for protection, was none other than the Black Lotus Buddha Mother of the Black Lotus Sect, wasn’t she?”

“After all, the emotionless, desireless Dao power in this lake cannot lie.”When Lu Chen mentioned the name ‘Black Lotus Buddha Mother,’ the Jiao Celestial Being Ao Chi could no longer control his expression, his face twisting into a fierce snarl.”

“Correct, everything is as you said. The one who severely injured me was indeed that half-man, half-woman creature.”

“If not for Him, why would I have been trapped here for nearly ten thousand years? How could I have fallen to such a state?”

“Boy, you may be clever and resourceful,”

“But your tendency to act smart isn’t always a good thing. If not for the Dao contract binding me to the Great Thousand Mountains, preventing me from attacking you people directly,”

“Just those words of yours would be enough for me to strip your tendons and bones, burying you in this Forest of Ten Thousand Bones.”

“Enough, boy. Now quickly choose a Jiao fish from the lake and get lost.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen suddenly laughed.

This laugh left the Jiao Celestial Being Ao Chi completely baffled.

“Boy, what are you laughing at? Don’t tell me you no longer want that Deity Transformation Dao?”

Instead of answering directly, Lu Chen gripped the Immortal Sword behind him.

“Having me sacrifice part of my True Spirit in exchange for another’s Dao—that doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.”

“If I truly inherit your Dao power, at best my cultivation would stagnate, at worst you’d Possess me, isn’t that right?”If the shock displayed by the Dragon Celestial Being earlier was three parts genuine, the remaining seven parts were feigned.

Then his current astonishment was entirely real.

Because everything was exactly as Lu Chen had said.

If he truly followed his own words and fished a dragon fish from the bottom of the lake,

then as long as he ate that dragon fish,

it would be equivalent to completing a “transaction” with him.

Although Lu Chen could gain a portion of the Great Way of the Dragon in this process,

he would also become his “slave,”

with life and death entirely in his hands.

After all, the so-called Fallen Dragon Lake was essentially a “blood pool” formed from his corpse.

The Fisherman on the shore was his True Spirit.

For Celestial Beings, the external form represented by the body was important,

but far less so than the True Spirit.

That external form had been injured by the Black Lotus Buddha Mother, and its Dao bore the traces of the Buddha Mother’s Dao, akin to a curse.

He could not eliminate it on his own.

Thus, the Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi had no choice but to abandon this Physical Body.

As for the “baits” thrown into the lake,

they were essentially scapegoats used to help him offset the Buddha Mother’s Dao.

As long as there were enough scapegoats, he could gradually wear away the Buddha Mother’s curse on him and regain his freedom.

After such a long period of erosion,

he was not far from success.

Therefore, even though Lu Chen knew the whole truth,

the Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi was surprised, but only surprised.

Because even if what remained on the shore was merely a wisp of his True Spirit,

the True Spirit of a Celestial Being was not something an ordinary Cultivator could compare to.

Half-Celestial—this was the Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi’s current cultivation level

and the full extent of the power he could mobilize.

With such cultivation, let alone Lu Chen being merely a Mountain Lord,

even if he were a Great Mountain Lord, he would pose no threat to him whatsoever.

Absolute strength brought absolute confidence.

Looking at Lu Chen, who was gripping the white Immortal Sword,

the Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi said dismissively, “Brat, so what if you know all this? Either scram now, or like the others, make a transaction with me.”

“Aside from that, do you actually intend to fight me?”

The Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi’s tone was full of contempt.

It was the pride of a Celestial Being.

After all, in the eyes of Celestial Beings, those below them were nothing but ants.

But as the Immortal Sword in Lu Chen’s hand burst into blazing flames, the smile on the Dragon Celestial Being’s face gradually stiffened.

Because he sensed a threat from those flames!

“Under normal circumstances, I truly wouldn’t be able to threaten a Half-Celestial like you.”

“After all, those who can truly harm Celestial Beings are generally other Celestial Beings.”

“And I happen to possess something gifted by another Celestial Being.”

As he spoke, Lu Chen raised the Longevity Sword in his hand.

The Yangming Earth Fire on the Longevity Sword grew increasingly fierce,

the scorching flames coalescing in mid-air to form a massive phantom.

The phantom wore armor, its face concealed by an iron mask, holding a pair of Phoenix-Wing Maces, its form towering like a mountain, its gaze sweeping imperiously.

With each breath, raging flames alternated,

as if a Fire God had descended upon the world.

At the sight of this fiery phantom, the Dragon Celestial Being Ao Chi could no longer remain calm.

For he clearly sensed that this fiery phantom was an existence of the same level as him.

Although it was merely a wisp of True Spirit Fire dwelling within the sword,

he, too, was only a half-crippled remnant of a True Spirit.This kid has other Immortals backing him up!

In an instant, Ao Chi the Flood Dragon understood exactly where Lu Chen’s confidence came from.

And he was right.

The True Spirits of Immortals residing within the Longevity Sword were Lu Chen’s greatest trump card at present.

They were also his greatest gain since leaving the Celestial Sanctuary of the Nine Luminaries Celestial Capital.

And the true form of this flame Immortal was none other than the Mars Lord of the Nine Luminaries Celestial Capital.

(End of Chapter)