Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 177 The Supreme Earthly Treasure, the Crimson Dragon Beast; The Statue of the Humanity's Merit Emperor

The supreme-grade Earth Treasure, the Crimson Dragon Beast?
It can cause the horned serpent's body to transform and produce serpent blood!
Liu Qing was overjoyed. This intelligence box had arrived just in time. Liu Qing had just finished refining a section of the dragon bone he had extracted from the God-Sealing Stone.
The original body transformed into a gnarled bone, and then a red gnarled fungus appeared.

A section of the spirit-binding chain transformed into the nose ring of the wild bull demon, Te Chushi. As long as Liu Qing himself lives, it will remain.
Liu Qing used his demonic energy to form a rein, and with a pull on the spirit-binding chain nose ring, the demonic soul of that special scholar immediately let out a painful howl and obediently followed the instructions to head to the lair of the chaotic rocky hill.

On the battlefield, Li Shimin, Li Xiuning, and Li Xuanba launched a combined attack from both inside and outside the enemy lines. The various mountain demons and monsters, large and small, fled in panic, utterly powerless to resist.
Liu Qing looked around and felt relieved. Concealing his figure in the demonic mist, he rode off on his special steed to search for the treasure.

The demonic spirit of the special official was so solid it was like a physical entity, and Liu Qing rode on it quite comfortably.

Before long, Special Envoy led Liu Qing to his old lair. Based on the intelligence, Liu Qing said to Special Envoy, "There is a spiritual cave under the broken wall over there. Dig it out for me, sir!"

The special official was taken aback. Although it had only occupied this rocky hill in recent years, it had been there for some time and was quite familiar with the area. It was unaware that there was a spiritual cave under the broken wall.
Liu Qing didn't explain to it. Seeing that the special scholar was stunned, he tugged on the demonic reins, and the special scholar immediately mooed in pain.
They hurried to the bottom of the broken wall, using the huge ox horn as a hoe and shovel. They saw stones flying and dust flying, and soon a spiritual cave was revealed.

This spiritual cave is shaped like an egg, enveloped in a layer of spiritual energy, like an eggshell enveloping the inside. Liu Qing pointed a finger, drawing the spiritual cave to his front.

With a gentle poke, the eggshell is broken, and a dazzling red light bursts out from inside. As the red light dissipates, a rich medicinal aroma follows.

The special officer was stunned, his bull-like eyes wide open, staring at the scene in disbelief.

Are there really sacred sites?
Could there really be such a rare treasure inside the sacred cave?

Poor old ox, I've lived here for years without ever noticing, and I've completely missed out on this incredible blessing.

After the initial shock, admiration welled up inside me. No wonder he could defeat me, the old beef, to the point of death; his methods were truly formidable.
He can even predict the treasures buried underground. Hmm, if he doesn't kill me, following him wouldn't be a disgrace to me.

Ugh, just the thought of having to call him "Master" makes me feel awful.

"Master, do you possess the art of divination?"

Liu Qing glanced at the Special Envoy with amusement. This fellow was really adaptable. Just a moment ago they were fighting to the death, but now he was calling him "Master" so smoothly.
Liu Qing ignored him, which was interpreted as tacit agreement by the Special Envoy, whose admiration deepened.

The red-brown fungus, though called a fungus, looks remarkably like a small tree, winding and twisting like a small snake, entirely reddish-brown, with no leaves, only a stem.
The stem has a hard outer skin; once bitten through, a blood-like sap flows into Liu Qing's mouth with a "pop."

Instantly, the blood in his body seemed to boil, joyfully welcoming the red dragon fungus juice, enveloping and absorbing it. Then, under the effect of the Elephant Devouring Talent, it quickly extracted the essence and transformed the blood throughout his body.

[Race: Horned Serpent (In Transformation)]

The familiar transformation has begun once again; the rest is up to time, waiting for things to fall into place.

Liu Qing's ears twitched. Seeing that the shouts of battle outside the mountain had not yet subsided, he was in no hurry to go out. He flipped his hand, revealing the scroll that he had previously torn from Xiong Kuohai's body by the Spirit-Binding Chains.

It was then displayed before them; the scroll contained a divine power called 'Transformation into Wind,' which was precisely the technique Xiong Kuohai had just used.
If it weren't for Xiong Kuohai's ability to transform into wind, how could he have escaped from Liu Qing's grasp once again?
This also proves the power of the Wind Transformation Divine Skill.

After mastering supernatural powers, one can transform their physical body into a gust of demonic wind, changing from solid to ethereal, ignoring physical damage, passing through walls and houses, displaying extraordinary abilities, and escaping at an extremely fast speed.

Liu Qing was overjoyed, having acquired another supernatural power. However, unlike those born from divine essence, this power's growth rate didn't simply require a few points.

This Wind Transformation Divine Power requires Liu Qing to comprehend and practice it himself in order to make progress. After understanding this, Liu Qing was quite worried.
The scriptures he is currently studying include the Eastern Sea scriptures passed down by Hong Gu, which include the Dragon and Snake Devouring Qi Technique, formations, alchemy, weapon crafting, and various Eastern Sea water-based spells.

In addition, there is the water and fire refining method of the Grass-Headed God and Water Buffalo Demon, the array formation insights of the Goddess of Good Water, and now a new wind transformation divine power.
With so many cultivation techniques to study and practice, Liu Qing felt he didn't have enough time. Furthermore, Liu Qing wasn't some exceptionally gifted or remarkably perceptive genius.

With so many techniques and supernatural abilities, I wonder when I will be able to cultivate them to perfection.

take it easy.

Liu Qing rode the Special Envoy out of the rocky hill and saw that Li Shimin and Li Xiuning had already sent people to clean up the battlefield, while Li Xuanba lit a campfire, skinned a wolf demon weighing several hundred pounds, roasted it until it was half-cooked, and was tearing and swallowing it with gusto.

Liu Qing appeared, and Li Shimin, his face full of gratitude, bowed to him: "Brother Liu, your assistance in annihilating the demons of Luanshigang and restoring peace to this region is immeasurable. On behalf of the deceased and the travelers and merchants who passed through this official road, I thank you, Brother Liu!"

After Li Shimin bowed, a wisp of golden gas suddenly appeared and entered Liu Qing's body.

[Humanity Merit +1] At the same time, a new column appears on the panel: [Humanity Merit: 1 point].

Liu Qing's heart trembled. Humanity's merit?

As if sensing Liu Qing's doubts, it provided an explanation at the opportune moment.

[Explanation 1: You assisted the future human ruler in vanquishing demons, restoring peace to the region, and saving countless lives; therefore, you have been bestowed with merit for your humanity.]

[Explanation 2: Humanistic merit can enhance your comprehension when studying cultivation techniques and supernatural powers, prevent you from being rejected by the laws of humanity when walking among humans, and, when you accumulate enough merit, you can even achieve sainthood. In short, the power of merit has many benefits.]

Liu Qing was overjoyed upon reading the introduction.

After the joy, doubts arose. He had helped Li Shimin before, but no one had rewarded him for his good deeds.

With a vague suspicion in his heart, Liu Qing mustered his courage and used his Yin-Yang Divine Power to look at Li Shimin. In an instant, the scenery before him changed, and above Li Shimin's head, there was a faint phantom of an emperor wearing a purple dragon robe and a flat-topped crown.

Beside the emperor's phantom, a golden carp floated and swam in the air.

The illusory emperor figure seemed to sense something and looked at Liu Qing. Instantly, the aura of the true dragon rebounded, and Liu Qing groaned, his eyes stinging and tears streaming down his face. It took him a while to dare to open his eyes.

Upon investigation, Liu Qing suddenly realized the truth.

It turned out that he had advised Li Shimin not to go to Jinyang with his father Li Yuan, but to stay in Chang'an and take charge of a prefecture, so that Li Shimin could be tempered and grow faster.
Furthermore, the provision of salt goods enabled Li Shimin to quickly accumulate wealth, purchase grain, horses, and military equipment, and rapidly expand his power.
The successive interventions and assistance enabled Li Shimin to acquire the strength to contend for the throne several years ahead of his original trajectory, thus allowing the illustrious image of an emperor to emerge.
The appearance of an imperial phantom signifies that Li Shimin has the right to contend for the throne. Furthermore, the presence of a golden carp accompanying the imperial phantom indicates that Li Shimin's potential is already realized. He only needs to leap over the Dragon Gate and transform his fortune into a dragon before he can turn his family into a nation and become the ruler.

At this moment, Li Shimin's imperial image manifested above his head, accompanied by a lucky carp beside him; the aura of a future ruler was already formed.
Therefore, Liu Qing received Li Shimin's gratitude after his power had been established, and his deeds also benefited the people, which is why he was rewarded with human merit.

Liu Qing's eyes gleamed; her earlier investments were already beginning to yield returns.
Humanitarian merit.

Anyone who transmigrates to a world of immortals and heroes is unaware of the power of merit. Not only is it powerful, but it also has many uses, making it a panacea for cultivation.

Just now I was worried about not having enough time, that my rise was too fast, and that I had to learn many techniques, supernatural powers, and spells. Now that I have accumulated merit in the human realm, I will surely be able to greatly improve my comprehension and shorten the time required for cultivation.

Liu Qing was thrilled as his earlier investments began to pay off.

Since the cheat system gained the ability to autonomously assume divine roles, even reaching the rank of a god-king and capable of bestowing titles upon deities, Liu Qing's interest in Li Shimin diminished significantly.
When Li Shimin ascended the throne, he had hoped that his imperial pronouncements would elevate him to godhood and sainthood, but after his elevation in status, this had little effect.

But the appearance of this power of merit surprised Liu Qing.

Li Shimin still needs to continue investing.

Liu Qing returned the greeting and helped Li Shimin up. At this time, Liu Qing's status was that of a deity, meaning that even if Li Shimin later ascended to the throne and became the ruler of the world, he would only ever reach Liu Qing's level.
Therefore, Liu Qing was able to accept Li Shimin's bow just now, but if it were any other river god, their bodies would probably disintegrate immediately after being bowed to by Li Shimin.

Li Shimin would offer incense almost every time he went to the Snake Pool, and the incense offerings were never a problem, because they were the clones of Liu Qing, who also possessed the power of a divine master.

The battlefield had been thoroughly cleaned up. Liu Qing returned the salt he had taken from the stomach pouch of the wild bull demon to its rightful owner, along with the gold and silver he had robbed from other merchants, to Li Shimin, who was once again deeply grateful.

Special Envoy's large ring sword was a low-grade magic weapon, which Liu Qing didn't think much of, so he gave it to Li Shimin as well.

Even though the magical artifacts used by demons are of low quality, they are still as powerful as divine weapons in the human world. When ordinary people use them, although they cannot unleash their full power, they can still cut through iron like mud.

Conversely, when human-made divine weapons are used by demons, they almost always burst when infused with demonic energy. Of course, there are exceptions.
For example, the eighteen-foot bronze staff that Xiong Kuohai stole was made of excellent material. If one is willing to use demonic energy to nourish it with one's soul, it can be used and will slowly evolve from an ordinary weapon into a magical artifact.

What remained were the corpses of various mountain demons and spirits. Liu Qing picked out some with higher cultivation levels and took them away, while leaving the rest to Li Shimin.

The corpses of ordinary demons and monsters can also be eaten by human warriors, as they are believed to have health benefits.

Li Xiuning roasted a tiger demon, cut it up with a knife, and served it to Liu Qing. Li Shimin then took out Sanlejiang (a type of liquor), and everyone immediately sat cross-legged to eat the meat and drink the wine.

(End of this chapter)