Chapter 110: Chapter 78: Earth Deities_l
Translator: 549690339
Three more years have passed in slumber, dreaming for thirty years!
Within the Blackwater River, amidst the forbidden zone.
Dim green light flickered, coursing through the black waters.
Indeed, it was a Jiao Dragon, a Green Jiao with four claws and three toes, scales and armor draping its form.
Its body stretched nineteen fathoms, its girth exceeding three fathoms, fishtail merging with serpentine posterior, its hide shimmering with the luster of pearls and jade.
It bore the authentic visage of a Jiao Dragon, utterly devoid of falsehood.
Xu Yang had lain dormant for another three years, within which thirty years of dreams unfolded, bestowing yet another transformation upon the Green Fish.
Now embodying the “Fish-Dragon Triple Transformation,” it had successfully acquired the form of a Jiao Dragon and its strength surged tremendously.
Throughout these thirty years within the Blackwater River, besides its continuous cultivation, expanding the Water Army, and exploring the forbidden zone, it also delved into the arts of elixir skills, talisman, array formation, and the crafts of spiritual plant cultivation, beast taming, and artifact refining.
The accumulation of time yielded prominent results.
Presently, he had fully mastered these inherited skills, including the most profound methods of Array Formation, achieving the rank of a first-tier Pill Master, Talisman Master, Artifact Refiner, Array Master, Spiritual Plant
Farmer, Beast Tamer, and various other distinct abilities.
The Hundred Arts of Cultivation, entering the initial path!
Moreover, with his relentless exploration of the Black Water Forbidden Area, he attained new discoveries.
“As expected, there is an Array Formation within this forbidden area capable of confounding directions and bewilder sense, no wonder over the years neither the Giant Turtle nor my Water Army could find any clues. All were obstructed by the Array Formation and could not penetrate deep into the forbidden zone.”
“Now, with the nourishment of Blackwater Spiritual Qi, the powerful transformation from Fish-Dragon, and significantly enhanced Divine Soul’s strength, combined with my mastery of first-tier Array Formation, I managed to discern and break through the illusions of this Array Formation.”
Xu Yang murmured to himself, the Jiao Dragon cautiously swam and carefully explored the depths of the Black Water Forbidden Area.
One must be vigilant!
There remains one question. vet without an answer.
How did the Blackwater River God die?
Does the Blackwater River still harbor hidden perils?
All remain unknowable.
Therefore, Xu Yang must explore with caution to avoid any potential dangers.
Exploring prudently, advancing carefully, the already dense black water grew progressively thicker, even solidifying into substantial chunks, with many block-shaped Black Water Crystals sinking to the riverbed.
Could that be… Spirit Stones?
Indeed, they were Spirit Stones, seemingly condensed from aggregated Spiritual Energy, the medium-quality ones at that!
Had the Blackwater Spiritual Qi become so dense that it started forming medium-quality Spirit Stones?
If he delved deeper, might there be Supreme Quality Spirit Stones or even the legendary Top-grade Spirit Stones emerging?
Could there possibly be a Supreme Grade Spirit Vein in this place?
With doubt and anticipation, Xu Yang continued to venture deeper.
Moments later, the black water began to clear, and the view suddenly opened up.
There was no more black water here, only an ancient and solemn palace made of black crystalline structure remained.
Xu Yang stepped forward to investigate, noticing inside the palace various scattered items, numerous weapons, and assorted turtle shells and crab carapaces, which appeared to be… remains?
Indeed, they were remains, the remains of the Aquatic Clan!
Not just any aquatic beings; Xu Yang swept his tail towards a turtle shell, finding its hardness surpassing even that of the Giant Turtle.
This seemed to be the exuviae of a Demon Beast, possibly even from a
“Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator.”
Not just one, but scattered all around, the ground was littered with turtle and clam shells, shrimp tips, and crab claws.
The troops under the command of the former Blackwater River God?
How did they end up in this state?
Had they suffered some great disaster?
Xu Yang furrowed his brows, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to continue his exploration.
Venturing deeper into the residence, within the main hall, from a distance he spotted an enormous throne.
The throne was also composed of Black Crystal Spirit Stones, upon which sat a skeleton with a crown on its skull, wearing a dragon robe, its flesh decayed to dust, revealing a humanoid skeletal structure, its pale hand still clutching an engraved seal, a damaged and worn-down Mysterious Black Seal.
“Is this…”
Gazing at the skeleton, Xu Yang felt a surge of uncertain astonishment.
Undoubtedly, this skeleton seated upon the throne must be someone of no ordinary status, very likely the Blackvvater River God himself.
But… why had it been reduced to this state?
Xu Yang did not believe the Blackwater River God was born of the Human Clan, for both the throne it sat upon and its skeletal remains were far larger than the normal human form.
If Xu Yang’s guess was correct, this Blackwater River God must also originate from a different race, it’s just that its strength and cultivation had reached the “Transformation” realm.
What is Transformation?
Within the Demon Cultivation Realm, Qi Blood, flesh, bones, Rebirth, followed by creatures equivalent to Foundation Establishment with a Demon Body, and equivalent to Golden Core with Transformation.
Rebirth into a demon. Foundation Establishment forms the body.
Golden Core allows Transformation, Nascent Soul declares sovereignty.
Was this Blackwater River God merely a Golden Core stage big demon who had achieved Transformation?
Of course not, those turtles, lobsters, and crabs outside could very well be of the Foundation Establishment tier or even the Golden Core Transformation tier. How could the Blackwater River God merely be at the stage of Golden Core Transformation?
Its humanoid skeletal remains did not signify that it was at the Golden Core Transformation stage, but merely indicated that at the very least, it was a Golden Core caliber big demon.
He could be a Nascent Soul Demon King, or even an Immortal Lord at the Divinity Transformation level—above that, it’s also possible.
This was also the reason why Xu Yang felt such unease and uncertainty.
How could such an entity turn into a mere skeleton?
You must understand that in the Temple of War God, even the remains of Guang Chengzi possessed the ability of the “Broken Vajra,” uncorrupted for a thousand years, lifelike as ever.
Now, the existence of this Blackwater River God, a figure among the ranks of the Immortal Gods, had actually turned into a skeleton, unable to preserve its physical body?
What did this indicate?
Xu Yang couldn’t say for sure, but he had a guess in mind.
The reason Guang Chengzi’s remains in the Temple of War God remained intact and lifelike for a thousand years was that before his death or “Corpse Resolution,” his complete Earth Yuan Skill had not dispersed, being fully condensed within his flesh, thereby preserving it without decay or corruption.
Yet this Blackwater River God, despite being far more powerful than Guang Chengzi of the Great Tang world, suffered extremely severe injuries before death, not only making his demise certain and beyond recovery but even preventing the preservation of his physical body intact. After death, his divine power dissipated, his flesh turned to dust, leaving behind nothing but this skeletal remnant.
What kind of existence, what kind of injury, could drive an “Immortal God” to such a plight?
Xu Yang fell into silence for a while before swimming forward and swirling his tail around the seal held in the skeleton’s hand.
The divine seal!
How the River God died, Xu Yang did not know, but he had not forgotten his purpose because of it.
He wanted the Blackwater Divine Seal!
“Whoosh!”
The flick of his tail caused a slight touch, which the skeleton could not withstand. The crown on its head and the dragon robe over its bones disintegrated into dust and dispersed with the wind.
Xu Yang was somewhat taken aback, staring at the ashes of the Blackwater River God that were once bones and at the seal still wrapped around his tail, his expression one of astonishment.
But, after all, he was a fish that had weathered great storms. Soon, he regained his composure, looking at the scarred seal, he pondered for a moment and then activated his Divine Intent.
Divine Intent turned into thought, probing into it.
Suddenly…
“Boom!!!!”
A torrent of information exploded forth, rushing into Xu Yang’s mind.
Even with his current level of cultivation, his Divine Soul was thrown into disarray by this torrent of information, sending him tumbling down in the hall. His Jiao Dragon body shrank into a ball, convulsing violently, the pain extraordinary.
“God god god
“Heavenly Spirit, Earth Aura, Human God!”
“Heavenly beings are Immortals, earthly beings are Earth Deities, human beings are Gods!”
“Heavenly Court, Emperor!” “Fengdu, Underworld!”
“Four Seas, Dragon Palace!”
“Heavenly Immortals cultivate the Heavenly Dao, Earth Deities cultivate the Earth Path, Human Gods receive incense offerings!”
“Divine seal, divine seal…
After an unknown stretch of time, that surging torrent finally subsided, dissolved, and integrated into his consciousness.
Xu Yang opened his eyes, steadied his trembling Jiao Dragon body, and looked at the seal entangled in his tail, his expression a mixture of complexity and surprise.
That torrent of information was not a remnant soul seizing his body, but rather a legacy of cultivation techniques, specifically, the cultivation methods of an ‘Earth Deity.”
According to the description within it, there are three paths of cultivation in this world. Those who cultivate the Heavenly Path become Heavenly Immortals, those who cultivate the Earth Path become Earth Deities, and those who cultivate the Human Path become Human Gods.
This divine seal was none other than an Earth Ghost Divine Seal, the Blackwater River God’s Earth Ghost Divine Seal.
Both Heavenly Immortals and Earth Deities generally derive their power from nature’s spiritual energy, the only difference being that Heavenly Immortals cultivate the “Heavenly Spirit,” Earth Deities cultivate “Earth Aura,” while
Human Gods absorb human incense offerings and the faith of the masses.
Without discussing other cultivation methods, as there are no related legacies in the divine seal, it only covers this “Earth Deity” cultivation method.
The so-called Earth Deities are the gods of a land, establishing a connection with a place through their divine seal, becoming the Earth Deity of that place, then nurturing a Spirit Land. The stronger the Spirit Land, the higher the status.
There are many ways to enhance Spiritual Energy, such as sorting out the Earth Vein, changing geomancy, cultivating various animals and plants, establishing a natural ecosystem, and cycling between heaven and earth. All these can effectively enhance Spiritual Energy and elevate Earth Yuan.
The Blackwater River was originally just an ordinary river until the Blackwater River God was bestowed the Blackwater Divine Seal by the Heavenly Court, becoming the Earth Deity of this place. After thousands of years of effort, it transformed into the extraordinary Blackwater River seen today by building the Divine Mansion, sorting the Earth Vein, and adjusting the geomancy.
An Earth Deity can protect a region, transforming an ordinary place into a realm as beautiful as the Immortals’ abode.
This is what is meant by the saying, “Mountains are not esteemed for their height if they harbor Immortals, waters are not esteemed for their depth if they harbor Dragons! ”
One can see the capabilities of an Earth Deity.
Some powerful Earth Deities are even able to transform land into territories, realms into small worlds of Cave Heaven Blessed Land, achieving longevity equal to the heavens. As long as the foundation of Cave Heaven Blessed Land remains intact, the Earth Deity can be undying and indestructible.
Why did the Blackwater River God die?
Because he was too weak.
Though he was also an Earth Deity, he had not reached the stage of
“transforming land into territory” to elevate the Blackwater River into a Spirit Land, let alone the ability to “transform territory into realm,” turning the
Blackwater River into a small world of Cave Heaven Blessed Land.
So he died, gravely injured by someone, with terrible wounds. He drained all the Earth Yuan Spiritual Qi from the Blackwater River, even the aquatic soldiers and generals he had painstakingly nurtured, absorbing their Spiritual Energy until they perished.
Even that was not enough to preserve his life, and in the end, he died of his severe injuries, his spirit and form both extinguished.
Leaving behind only this Blackwater Divine Seal.
The Earth Ghost Divine Seal, out of the ordinary. Even though the Blackwater River God had perished, this damaged divine seal still operated autonomously, regulating the Blackwater River’s Earth Vein and geomancy, gathering Earth Yuan Spiritual Qi, and healing itself.
As such, over millions of years, the Blackwater River that the Blackwater River God had “drained dry” gradually regained its former state. A large amount of Earth Yuan Spiritual Qi was drawn by the divine seal, converging around the
Divine Mansion, turning it into the “Black Water Forbidden Area.”
The spiritual intentions carried within the Spiritual Energy were not as the Giant Turtle had mentioned, remnants of the Blackwater River God’s consciousness but originated from the divine seal itself. As it sorted the Earth Vein and condensed the Earth Yuan, it naturally had a certain degree of control over the Spiritual Energy..