Chapter 189: Nine-Headed Demonic Flood Dragon

That departed spirit seemed to bear no ill will, and Li Ling even took her as a master. Originally, we were headed to Qiuzhou State City together, but along the way, she suddenly mentioned another urgent matter and disappeared.

Li Wei and Li Ling had appeared together in Juze City previously, a fact that could not be concealed from Lord Yin.

However, if the news of Zen Sea Mist’s departure to the Divine Furnace Abyss were to be revealed to Lord Yin now, he would likely set out to find her immediately.

It was hard to say what state Zen Sea Mist was in. If she were not Lord Yin’s match, and were captured or had her soul and thoughts taken, many of Li Wei’s secrets would also be exposed.

He had no choice but to help conceal her whereabouts for the time being.

“Li Ling’s spiritual power has indeed made astonishing progress over the past six months.”

Lord Yin suddenly realized he had lost his composure and said something he shouldn’t have. He quickly reined in the soft look in his eyes and asked, “In your judgment, could she truly be Zen Sea Mist?”

“If she truly is Zen Sea Mist, how could I possibly judge her with my cultivation and experience? The gap is far too great!” Li Wei said with a wry smile.

Lord Yin nodded gently. “The Mist Emperor is a respectable powerhouse! When she was active, she expanded territories, extended Lingxiao’s reach to three hundred states, and her might covered all directions. Neither the Far West Ashlands nor the Netherworld of the Departed dared to act recklessly. The prosperity and glory of that era are beyond the imagination of cultivators in our time. The current Lingxiao Living Realm is like a desolate wasteland, decaying and full of hidden dangers, bloodshed, and chaos.”

“If it truly is her, it might be a life-changing opportunity for Li Ling. But it’s hard to say… whether a cultivator transformed into a departed spirit can retain their wisdom, conscience, and mind is still unknown. If they become tainted by the cursed dark energy of the Netherworld of the Departed, they are undoubtedly no different from a fiend.”

“Actually, what I worry about most is a departed spirit using the Mist Emperor’s name to mislead you and Li Ling into an unknown conspiracy.”

“Does she truly want to marry you?”

His three masters and Lord Yin all held Zen Sea Mist in high regard.

Her appearance and state didn’t suggest she was tainted by the dark energy of the Netherworld of the Departed. Thus, he had no choice but to continue concealing her presence, while also hiding his own highly mysterious lineage and origins.

Li Wei said, “She did say something strange like that! But for an existence like Zen Sea Mist, it’s hard to guess her true intentions. In any case, my relationship with her, and with Li Ling, is still simply one of acquaintance.”

Lord Yin’s lips moved, but he ultimately stopped pressing, knowing that the gap in wisdom and methods between Li Wei and Zen Sea Mist was too vast for Li Wei to discern the fundamental truth.

He said gravely, “If Li Ling reappears, notify me immediately. I intend to meet the Mist Emperor myself to determine if she is real or not, and what her purpose is.”

Li Wei pondered silently whether to inform Lord Yin if Zen Sea Mist and Li Ling returned before the end of the year.

It was truly a headache!

With an unprecedentedly cautious look, Lord Yin added, “Regardless of whether she is the Mist Emperor, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. Once leaked, it would be a catastrophic disaster, causing shockwaves and dangers that neither the Jiuli tribe nor even the Lingxiao Living Realm could withstand. I have already warned Cang Li and Yin Jiu; you must also seal your lips and keep it secret.”

“I understand the implications,” Li Wei said.

“Boom!”

Deep within the Diligence Garden, a cyan Yin Banner erupted with dazzling blue light, casting the lake surface in a blue hue.

Lord Yin and Li Wei arrived at the courtyard where the cyan Yin Banner was planted, one after the other.

Yin Twenty-Three, Yin Twenty-Four, and Yin Twenty-Five, who had been meditating on the battle intent of the Jiuli God there, were all forced to flee by the intense ripples of intent emanating from within.

“Did he succeed?”

Li Wei found it incredible. He activated his Heavenly Insight Eye and looked into the courtyard. He then saw Yin Eleven standing beneath the giant silver coffin, within the cyan Yin Banner’s radiance.

Yin Eleven’s original battle intent was a fifteen-foot-tall figure identical to himself, with a human torso and a snake tail.

At this moment, this battle intent was undergoing a violent transformation.

Demonic energy surged. The snake tail transformed into a thicker, more divine flood dragon tail, with numerous blood patterns distributed over its black scales. As the flood dragon scales spread upward, the human upper body was gradually consumed, and the arms turned into sharp flood dragon claws.

The human head burst with brilliant light and grew nine flood dragon heads, each with a neck a zhang long. They resembled dragon heads but had very short horns, sharp fangs, and mouths as wide as basins.

Yin Eleven’s battle intent completely transformed, becoming a Nine-Headed Demonic Flood Dragon. Its aura surpassed its previous form by an immeasurable degree, containing the ancient domineering might of the Jiuli God.

Once this battle intent was released, any martial cultivator could discern its extraordinary nature.

“This is the battle intent of the Jiuli God fused with something? How did it transform into a Nine-Headed Demonic Flood Dragon?” Li Wei was surprised and found it difficult to comprehend.

Fusing battle intents was not uncommon.

Usually, weaker battle intents would merge into stronger ones. Could it be… that the Jiuli God was actually a flood dragon?

Yet, the Jiuli God’s battle intent acquired by Yao Yin was clearly a human figure.

With another Hidden member acquiring the Jiuli God’s battle intent, Lord Yin was naturally in high spirits. He smiled and said, “Legend has it that the Jiuli God cultivated the supreme scripture, the ‘Heavenly Demonic Stone Inscriptions,’ from which thirty-six fundamental martial arts were derived. Each fundamental martial art can cultivate a unique battle intent.”

“The Jiuli tribe has only preserved the nine fundamental martial arts cultivated by the Nine Kings.”

“I personally comprehended the battle intent within that silver-boned Celestial Clan skeleton. It should contain seven manifestations of the Jiuli God’s battle intent. Adding the one Yao Yin took, that makes eight.”

“Yin Eleven cultivates the fundamental martial art of the Scarlet King, the ‘Wrathful Flood Dragon Capturing Dragon Claw Technique,’ which coincidentally aligns with one of these battle intents. Being able to obtain and fuse it is a great stroke of fortune for him.”

The few Hidden members present all understood.

To acquire the Jiuli God’s battle intent, one not only needed high talent but also had to cultivate a compatible martial art.

Yin Twenty-Four’s face was pale, and she felt pain in her heart.

Both she and Yao Yin cultivated the ‘Heavenly Wind Palm Technique,’ a fundamental martial art of the Medicine King.

Yao Yin had already taken the compatible one; what hope did she have left?

After bowing, Yin Twenty-Five asked, “Lord Yin, may I ask which fundamental martial arts align with the remaining seven manifestations?”

Lord Yin replied subtly, “You don’t need to deliberately try to match them. Most of the battle intents within the skeleton are not among the nine fundamental martial arts of the Jiuli tribe. As descendants of the old master, you possess his bloodline, so you still have a chance by simply comprehending them directly.”

“For the old master, the Jiuli God’s battle intents are merely a few fleeting sparks among billions of thoughts. It is perfectly normal if you cannot find a match or comprehend them.”

Half an hour later.

Yin Eleven, having completed the fusion with the Jiuli God’s battle intent, emerged from the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, nose tilted upwards, his snake tail slithering.

He looked disdainfully at Yin Twenty-Four and the other two, saying, “What use is your Nine Springs Pure Immortal Physique? True talent is often invisible in ordinary times. Only the Jiuli God understands my extraordinary potential. From today onward, I, Yin Eleven, shall have a place in this world!”

“Little Twenty-Five, you said that Lu Cangsheng solidified the battle intent of a Thunder God, while I inherited the battle intent of the Jiuli God. There should be no problem if I challenge him to a contest of strength now, right?”

Yin Twenty-Five was feeling quite down and didn’t much feel like engaging with him.

Yin Twenty-Three and Yin Twenty-Four also felt the pain of salt being rubbed into their wounds.

Li Wei coughed twice.

Yin Eleven looked over, immediately reined in his arrogance, and hastily stepped forward to bow to Lord Yin and the Divine Hidden One.

Lord Yin reprimanded him, “While the battle intent of a Thunder God may not necessarily be superior to that of the Jiuli God, Lu Cangsheng is certainly superior to you. In a thousand years, he is the only one from the Thundercloud Sect who has mastered the Thirty-Six Thunder Annihilation Array in the Five Seas Realm. If you’re so arrogant as to challenge him to a contest and meet an early demise, how would you repay the Divine Hidden One’s nurturing of you?”

Yin Eleven chuckled, “I was just joking with those youngsters. I wouldn’t really become arrogant and disrespectful all of a sudden.”

Li Wei played the good cop, smiling, “Even before fusing with the Jiuli God’s battle intent, Yin Eleven’s combat prowess was already outstanding. Now, he should certainly be at the level of a successor!”

“It’s all thanks to the excellent nurturing of the Divine Hidden One…”

Yin Eleven glanced at Lord Yin, his eyes darting around. “I feel like I’m brimming with power now, all martial arts seem marvelous, and my understanding of martial arts has reached a new level. Yin Jiu might not even be my match anymore. Should I perhaps lead the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival instead?”

He certainly didn’t want Yin Jiu and Yin Ten to hog all the glory.

Having already fused with the Jiuli God’s battle intent, he felt compelled to compete with the world’s top masters.

How could Lord Yin agree to that? Even if Yin Eleven could defeat Yin Jiu, or was slightly superior, he still lacked significantly in maturity and wisdom.

Lord Yin changed the subject and asked, “Do you understand the significance of the Jiuli God’s battle intent to you?”

“That I’ll no longer be mortal?” Yin Eleven interpreted it this way, believing he would no longer be inferior to Pure Immortal Physiques in the same realm.

Lord Yin shook his head.

“Longevity is within reach,” Yin Eleven said.

Lord Yin shook his head again. “Inheriting a powerful battle intent allows a martial cultivator to better understand the martial way and the spirit of martial arts. It enables them to condense a more powerful Dao Seed, which is extremely important in the Five Seas Realm. It can even influence the external manifestation of the Dao Heart in the Dao Seed Realm.”

“However, the most fundamental and crucial element of all martial ways has always been the martial cultivator themselves.”

“The Jiuli God’s battle intent can make you much stronger than other martial cultivators in the same realm during the Five Seas Realm and Dao Seed Realm. Your cultivation speed and process will be faster and smoother.”

“However, once you forge a Dao Fruit, how far you can go in the future is not something a single battle intent can determine.”

“Acquiring the Jiuli God’s battle intent does not guarantee that you will become an Immortal Realm magnate. Everyone is striving to cross the river; without striving, you will regress; without striving, you will be rendered useless.”

Li Wei understood that the Jiuli God’s battle intent held immense significance for martial cultivators before they forged their Dao Fruit.

Its significance would be even greater if it could be condensed into the Dao Seed at the very beginning.

Martial cultivators who have forged their Dao Fruit and reached the Grand Perfection of the Dao Seed Realm, or Immortal Realm magnates like Lord Yin, were simply unable to fuse with the Jiuli God’s battle intent, as they were already on their own Great Dao path.

“Let the Jiuli God’s battle intent serve as the Hidden Gate’s foundation; there’s no need to involve those martial cultivators from the Jiuli tribe. For this matter, Wei, you are entirely in charge.”

Lord Yin made the final decision, intending to assist Li Wei, allowing him to use the Jiuli God’s battle intent to win over hearts and firmly secure his position as the Divine Hidden One.

With the Diligence Garden exposed, Lord Yin decided to move the silver coffin and the other Hidden members to another Hidden Gate stronghold.

Li Wei pulled Yin Eleven aside and quietly instructed him, “Any Hidden member who wishes to comprehend the Jiuli God’s battle intent must have my approval. Help me keep a close watch!”