The Great Qian Dynasty was founded upon faith and the divine Dao. Lu Yang conjectured that there might be some connection between the Great Qian Dynasty and the Xinhuo Dynasty.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that two consecutive great dynasties were linked to faith?
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Ao Ling. I am Lord Shanhe of Great Qian—" Before the dark-faced elder could finish his sentence, an abrupt kick from Ao Ling sent him flying.
Since he was an accomplice of Daoist Sanshan, how could he be any sort of good person?
Never mind whatever nonsense he had to say—beat him first! Once the winner was decided through combat, there would be time to listen to explanations!
"Good, good, good! Since Fellow Daoist Ao Ling refuses to show me any face, do not blame me for being discourteous!" Lord Shanhe had assumed that Ao Ling, being a legendary ancient figure, would be a person of proper etiquette. Little did he expect that she would completely disregard convention and strike right off the bat.
You want to fight? Then I shall fight you!
He had given Daoist Sanshan the incomplete cultivation method of faith and hinted that Daoist Sanshan could seize the body of the Old Dragon Emperor because he wanted to use Daoist Sanshan's hands to obtain Great Venerable Yinglong's incense.
He never anticipated that matters would develop to this point.
"Did he say he is Lord Shanhe, that Great General of the Great Qian Dynasty who campaigned across the eight directions?"
"After the campaigns ended, he was enfeoffed as Lord Shanhe by the founding Emperor Qian, enjoying the incense of mountains and rivers for all eternity!"
Some Tribulation Transcendence patriarchs were deeply stirred upon hearing the dark-faced elder's title. This was a god-of-war figure of the Great Qian Dynasty who wielded military authority, excelled in warfare, and was victorious in a hundred battles.
Lord Shanhe brandished his arm, and a white bone great spear appeared in his hand.
Ao Ling transformed once more into her true dragon form. Violet and gold dragon flames and lightning wound about her entire body. The spiritual qi of the entire sea area grew agitated, erupting in an earth-shattering roar!
Lord Shanhe's figure did not waver in the slightest from the shockwave. With a twist of his body, his long spear flashed like a startling swan, stabbing toward Ao Ling with the speed of thunder.
A sensation of danger crept over Ao Ling's heart. She wrenched her dragon body violently, dodging the spear tip.
The space where she had just been vanished into sheer nothingness, leaving behind an absolute void into which seawater rushed to fill the gap.
'Ancient Ancestor, be careful! According to historical records, Lord Shanhe wields the rudimentary Devouring Dao Fruit!' Ao Ya sent an anxious divine sense transmission. According to historical records, those who fought Lord Shanhe usually ended up without a single bone remaining, swallowed entirely.
"A rudimentary Devouring Dao Fruit?" Ao Ling's dragon eyes narrowed slightly. This was indeed somewhat troublesome.
Tilting her dragon head, she dodged a streak of flowing light.
It was Daoist Sanshan!
Taking advantage of the brief exchange between Ao Ling and Lord Shanhe, Daoist Sanshan had used all three wishes on recovery. In the blink of an eye, his wounds were healed, and even his depleted spiritual energy was restored to full.
"I shall assist you!"
Two half-immortals against Ao Ling!
The Nine-Story Demon Suppressing Pagoda and the white bone long spear struck in unison. Daoist Sanshan renewed his wishes: "strengthen physical body, strengthen treasure pagoda, grant the might to overturn mountains and upend seas!" With three wishes in place, Lord Shanhe swung his white bone great spear, donning armor forged and tempered by countless offerings of incense. It was as though he had returned to three hundred thousand years ago, to those glorious days of bloody conquest across the eight directions.
Though he was aged now, his combat prowess remained at its peak.
With three half-immortals clashing, the entire sea territory surrounding the Dragon Palace was thrown into violent turmoil. Watching from a great distance, onlookers saw the sky above the sea blanketed in darkness. Three figures engaged in fierce combat, upending heaven and earth with every move they made!
"Three Dhyana Heavenly Wind!"
Ao Ling controlled the wind and rain, whipping up a boundless hurricane above the East Sea. This wind specifically targeted the soul and was brimming with yang qi; it could blow a soul straight out of its physical vessel and quietly melt it into the gale, truly a terrifying art.
"Beneath the Bodhi tree, boundless wondrous Dharma!" Daoist Sanshan had secretly learned the mind-calming arts of Buddhism, which could anchor the soul firmly within the body, immune to external disruptions.
Yet all he could manage was to preserve himself within the gale; he could not mount a counterattack.
Lord Shanhe's soul was steadfastly forged, and he had no fear of the Three Dhyana Heavenly Wind.
"World-Destroying Red Lotus!"
A red lotus radiating the power of karmic fire appeared above the East Sea, dyeing the dark clouds crimson like fresh blood, as if the end of the world had arrived.
"Innate Ren Water!"
Ao Ling stood atop the crest of a wave. Every drop of water beneath her feet could transform into an expansive ocean or lake. Innate Ren Water was formed from the fusion of three innate divine waters of the sun, moon, and stars; in the present era where the stars were obscured, it had long since disappeared from the world.
Flames and aqueous light intertwined, like the collision of two worlds, creating a bizarre and kaleidoscopic tapestry of light and shadow.
The Innate Ren Water overpowered the World-Destroying Red Lotus, collapsing down upon Lord Shanhe.
Lord Shanhe remained unmoved, letting the Innate Ren Water surge toward him. Before the water could even touch him, it was swallowed clean by his rudimentary Devouring Dao Fruit, leaving him untouched by a single drop of seawater.
"Wishing here, using this place as my Dao arena, gather the power of Mount Penglai, Mount Fangzhang, and Mount Yingzhou!"
This required expending all three wishes at once and left him utterly defenseless during the process, which was why Daoist Sanshan had not dared make such a wish when fighting Ao Ling one-on-one.
Now, seizing the opportunity while Lord Shanhe engaged Ao Ling, he gathered his power in one stroke. "Three Mountains Subdue Demons!"
This was precisely the origin of his Daoist name, Sanshan: he could mobilize the power of the three mountains of the East Sea!
The phantoms of three towering mountains materialized. Although they were phantoms, they were not inferior in the least to real mountains descending, imbued with the spiritual vein power of those three peaks!
Penglai Island already possessed a rank-nine spiritual vein, while Yingzhou Island, which originally had a rank-eight vein, had restored its rank-nine spiritual vein after the Taixu Immortal Herb was plucked!
The three mountains descended, crushing all foes!
Ao Ling was struck successively by the three immortal mountains, coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Lord Shanhe pressed the advantage like a maggot on bone. Gripping his spear tightly, he leaped using the momentum, adroitly maneuvering across the dragon's body. His spear tip condensed the power of his rudimentary Devouring Dao Fruit, sending crimson dragon blood raining down and dyeing the night sky red.
The three immortal mountains rose and crashed down again and again, stirring up waves myriad zhang high and clouds of bloody mist. Ao Ling's black dragon body was battered until it was drenched in blood.
"Kill!" Lord Shanhe's eyes turned red with bloodlust. This was his old habit: once he engaged, it was always a fight to the death. It was through this very ruthlessness that he had carved out an illustrious and terrifying reputation during the Great Qian era.
"Fairy, is Senior Ao Ling really going to be all right?" Lu Yang's eyelids twitched at the sight. It looked as if she were on the verge of defeat.
Yet the Immortal Fairy wore an amused, expectant smile, watching as if enjoying a good show. "Do you really think Little Ling is at a disadvantage?"
"Isn't she?" Lu Yang thought to himself, could Senior Ao Ling really turn the tables after being beaten like this?
"Hehe, have you forgotten her rudimentary Dao fruit?"
Lu Yang suddenly remembered: what Ao Ling possessed was the rudimentary Natural Selection Dao Fruit!
While the Young Cult Master and the Lord of the Heavenly Court were speaking, the scales of victory began to tip.
Daoist Sanshan did not know if it was an illusion, but he felt that despite Ao Ling's severe injuries, her aura was not diminishing; rather, it showed signs of rising.
"Power of the Three Mountains!"
The three mountains pressed down upon Ao Ling, rendering her unable to move. Only then did Daoist Sanshan feel a slight sense of security.
Suddenly, as if infused with fresh power, Ao Ling arched her dragon spine and overturned the three mountains weighing on her!
Daoist Sanshan's eyes went wide. Wasn't Ao Ling gravely wounded? How could she still possess such strength?!
A hint of amusement surfaced in the massive dragon eyes, reflecting the stunned, uncertain expressions of the two half-immortals.
"Have you struck enough?"
The black dragon turned, her body radiating an ethereal, sacred glow as her injuries healed at a flying speed.
"This is impossible!" Lord Shanhe cried out involuntarily. Most of Ao Ling's wounds had been devoured by his rudimentary Dao fruit—a devouring enacted at the soul level, something that could never be easily mended!
Ao Ling remained unfazed. A colossal dragon claw swept down, intent on crushing both of them beneath it.
"Since you've struck enough, it's my turn!"
"Not good! Devouring Vortex!"
Lord Shanhe mobilized his rudimentary Devouring Dao Fruit to consume Ao Ling's dragon claw. Yet the massive dragon claw shattered the devouring vortex outright, descending with undiminished force to suppress both half-immortals!
Lord Shanhe held his white bone great spear across his chest, yet it was still shattered by the dragon claw. The white bone spear that had accompanied him through so many battles of half-immortals without harm had been broken so easily by her claws!
"This is an immortal body!" Lord Shanhe looked on in utter disbelief. That the dragon claw could shatter his devouring vortex and break his white bone spear was not due to any technique; it was pure physical dominance!
Ao Ling possessed the rudimentary Natural Selection Dao Fruit. As long as she endured an attack and survived, she would grow stronger.
In other words, the longer the battle went on, the stronger she became!
Yet as fellow half-immortals, how could they possibly defeat her right at the very beginning?!
Daoist Sanshan could use his wishes to strengthen his body to the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence stage, but Ao Ling could break past the limits of Tribulation Transcendence and attain an immortal body!
Once Ao Ling elevated herself to an immortal body, not even Immortal Kirin back when he was a half-immortal could have defeated her!
Chapter 873