Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Seeing their expectant eyes, Liu Qing didn't delay. He immediately pointed to the Earth and began to purify the True Scripture. Instantly, countless incense sticks he had collected ignited. Under the cover of smoke, the incense's divine nature transformed into various divine roles, which were not visible to the Golden Spirit Mother and the others.

Subsequently, the True Scripture of Talking Earth enveloped them, shielding the five senses of the Holy Mother of Golden Spirit and others. It secretly implanted divine tokens into their souls, forcibly seizing their original imprints from the Investiture of the Gods and bringing them under the control of the True Scripture of Talking Earth.

The Investiture of the Gods was already inferior to the Scripture of Earthly Deception, and having suffered several injuries, it was now completely powerless to resist when Liu Qing ordered the Scripture of Earthly Deception to seize it.

The souls of the Holy Mother Jinling and the others were snatched back from the Investiture of the Gods, along with the merits they had accumulated over a thousand years as gods.

Due to the shielding effect of the innate treasure, the True Scripture of Talking About Earth, the Golden Spirit Mother and the others only felt a loss of their five senses. Then, in an instant, their five senses returned. They hurriedly checked their divine soul origins and saw that their divine soul origins were intact and no longer bound. They were all excited and overjoyed.

The secret restrictions hidden within their very souls during their conversation went completely unnoticed.

The True Scripture of Earth is a supreme innate treasure, equivalent in rank to a half-step Primordial Dao Fruit. As long as these people's cultivation level is not at the half-step Primordial Dao Fruit level, they will not be able to detect it.

Afterwards, even those with profound backgrounds like Jinling Shengmu, Zhao Gongming, and the Three Immortal Maidens found it difficult to make further breakthroughs despite their arduous cultivation. This was because their physical bodies had long since disappeared, leaving only their original divine souls, thus losing the possibility of cultivating both body and spirit.

To break through to the half-step Primordial Dao Fruit, one's physical body and soul must be intact; neither can be lacking. In other words, the Golden Spirit Mother and the others will not make any further progress on their path of cultivation.

They were simply more free than in the Investiture of the Gods, and didn't have to worry about being driven or humiliated. Of course, this was on the premise that they obeyed Liu Qing's orders.

Liu Qing surveyed the disciples of the Jie Sect and said in a deep voice, "I am about to enter the Ten Thousand Dragons Hall. You all should try to stall for time. We will settle accounts with them after I come out!"

Golden Spirit Mother, Zhao Gongming, Wudang Mother, Wen Zhong, and others all bowed and agreed.

Without further hesitation, Liu Qing stepped into the Wanlong Palace.

As soon as Liu Qing stepped into the Wanlong Palace, the originally half-closed palace door instantly shut, refusing any living being to approach.

"Amitabha, in the end, we were still a step too late!"

The Buddha's face turned ashen as he looked at the Hall of Ten Thousand Dragons and couldn't help but complain to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor, however, was in the wrong and remained silent.

With their cultivation levels, they could have torn through space from the Ninth Heaven and traveled through the Chaos in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. However, due to the previous sneak attack by the Jade Emperor, the two became wary of each other and dared not travel through the Chaos any longer. They could only laboriously ride the clouds, which slowed them down considerably.

Furthermore, the Jade Emperor had one arm cut off by the Taoist Yu Yu, suffering a severe injury. In order to maintain future balance, the Jade Emperor also stabbed the Buddha, causing the Buddha to suffer a severe injury as well.

Originally, both of them were at the half-step Hunyuan Dao Fruit level, but now the strength they can unleash is only at the Great Luo Realm Perfection.

Adding both factors together, that's why they arrived a step late.

"It's not too late. Even if Liu Qing enters the Myriad Dragons Palace, it will still take him some time to evolve into a true dragon and finally refine the Myriad Dragons Palace."

"And we only need a moment to subdue the Myriad Dragon Palace, and capture Liu Qing, who is evolving inside, as well!"

"Excellent! When we capture Liu Qing, why doesn't the Great Celestial Venerable host a banquet using Liu Qing's evolved true dragon form?"

"Buddha, you're craving dragon liver? Fine, but it's just a mere real dragon. If you want to eat it, I'm naturally willing to."

The Jade Emperor and the Buddha were discussing their matters as if no one else was around, completely oblivious to the hatred in the eyes of the Holy Mother Jinling, the Holy Mother Wudang, Wen Zhong, Zhao Gongming, and others.

Along with them, the Four Dragon Kings who were standing on the outermost edge also looked extremely ugly. In front of them, the Dragon Kings were openly discussing cooking a true dragon. How could the Four Dragon Kings not be furious?
Thinking of the countless dragons who had been used as food and drink by the Heavenly Court and Buddhism over the years and died tragically, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were filled with resentment.

Outsiders might think that Liu Qing entered the Ten Thousand Dragons Palace simply to evolve into a true dragon, but the Four Seas Dragon Kings knew that Liu Qing's entry into the Ten Thousand Dragons Palace was by no means merely to become a true dragon.

It is highly likely that it is the five-clawed golden dragon with the strongest lineage among the dragon race, the emperor of the dragon race in the three realms.

This concerns not only Liu Qing, but also the fate of countless dragons in the Three Realms, as well as the hope for the revival of the entire dragon race.

Coincidentally, the Four Dragon Kings also placed the responsibility for the revival of the dragon race on Liu Qing.

You two are discussing how to get Liu Qing to drink right in front of us?

Damn it, how dare you try to use my Dragon King as a drinking companion, and ruin my Dragon Clan's hope of revival?
I'll fight you to the death!
The Four Dragon Kings exchanged a secret glance, each seeing the determination in the other's eyes!

Relying on her perfected cultivation at the Great Luo Realm before her fall, the Golden Spirit Mother could no longer contain herself upon hearing the Jade Emperor and the Buddha discussing the division of Liu Qing.

"Buddha, Heavenly Emperor, do you still remember me?"

"You two scoundrels, how dare you plot to murder my Jie Sect Leader right before my eyes? Do you think my sword is ineffective?"

With a stern shout, the Holy Mother Jinling stepped forward, her head adorned with the Four Symbols Pagoda, a supreme innate spiritual treasure, protecting her. She held the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, a supreme innate spiritual treasure, rode the Seven Fragrance Chariot, and had a flying golden sword hanging at her waist. She then approached the two of them.

The Buddha frowned, looking at the Jade Emperor with a puzzled expression, as if asking, "How dare you, Doumu Yuanjun of the Heavenly Court, rebuke the Jade Emperor and even want to fight with him?"
The Jade Emperor's expression darkened, and he was about to reprimand him when he suddenly remembered something and quickly summoned the Investiture of the Gods, which was hanging high in the Lingxiao Palace of the Nine Heavens.

I had sensed something unusual about the Investiture of the Gods before, but I was busy with Yu Yu Dao Ren and didn't dare to pay attention. Later, I was ambushed and fought with him, and he chased me all the way here, so I forgot about the Investiture of the Gods.

Instantly, the Investiture of the Gods appeared as summoned.

When the Jade Emperor took a quick look, his expression changed drastically, and deep in his eyes was a look of fear.

The Investiture of the Gods, a supreme innate spiritual treasure, was now tattered like a rag. The names of all the disciples of the Intercepting Sect, their origins, and their locations were burned into black holes.

The Investiture of the Gods has dropped from a top-grade innate spiritual treasure to a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure.

"Perhaps it was that Taoist Yu Yu who used his methods to forcibly release them from the Investiture of the Gods before he died."

The Jade Emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Fortunately, that Yu Yu Daoist has already been completely destroyed, otherwise I would have killed him again!"

When the Jade Emperor and the Buddha arrived, they vaguely sensed the dissipated divine soul aura of the Taoist Yu Yu and guessed that the Taoist Yu Yu had perished. Only then did they dare to openly discuss how to torture and kill Liu Qing.

Although the Jade Emperor was speaking boastfully, saying that if Yu Yu Dao Ren were alive, he would kill him again, he wasn't as confident as he appeared. He thought Yu Yu Dao Ren had rescued the group of Jiejiao gods, but he didn't know it was Liu Qing who did it. The Golden Spirit Mother and the others were covering for their senior brother and wouldn't tell the Jade Emperor or the Buddha.

But these things have already happened and cannot be undone. The Jade Emperor had no time to worry about the fact that the Heavenly Court would be greatly weakened without the many Jiejiao gods at its command. Instead, he was worried about how to solve the immediate problem.

Doumu Yuanjun of Heaven and Jinling Shengmu, one of the four disciples of the Jie Sect, are now taking out their protective spiritual treasures, intending to fight him.

Normally, the Jade Emperor would not be afraid, but now that he is injured, he can only exert the power of the Great Luo Realm Perfection, which is equivalent to the Golden Spirit Holy Mother's realm.

However, combat power is not solely determined by realm and cultivation. With his Haotian Three Pieces and Haotian Tower completely destroyed, and Haotian Mirror damaged, he could not unleash its full power. He was left with only Haotian Sword. How could he possibly be a match for Jinling Shengmu, who wielded the Dragon Tiger Jade Ruyi, the Four Symbols Tower, the Seven Fragrance Chariot, and the Flying Golden Sword?
The Supreme God looked at the Buddha.

The Buddha knew the Jade Emperor's intentions, and although he was unwilling, he had no choice but to join forces with him again.

The reason is simple: the two are currently in the same boat, facing the gods of the Jie Sect, and can only have a chance of victory by joining forces.

The Buddha Tathagata proclaimed a Buddhist chant, and the Azure Lotus Banner, one of the Five Primordial Banners, protected himself with a supreme innate spiritual treasure. Holding the Six Pure Bamboos, he stood beside the Jade Emperor.

Although he knew that the Jade Emperor would not attack him again at this moment, the Buddha still kept a watchful eye on him.

Seeing that the Buddha had joined forces with the Jade Emperor, Zhao Gongming laughed loudly and, together with Lady Yunxiao and Holy Mother Wudang, stepped forward, each wielding a magical treasure, to fight alongside Holy Mother Jinling.

Zhao Gongming and Lady Yunxiao were both at the late stage of the Great Luo Realm, while the Holy Mother Wudang was at the peak of the Great Luo Realm.

The Buddha can currently only exert the power of the Great Luo Realm Perfection, but his spiritual treasures are extraordinary, and he also possesses the great supernatural power of the Buddha Kingdom in his palm. His combat strength is stronger than that of the Holy Mother of Wudang. However, with the addition of Zhao Gongming and Lady Yunxiao, the three can fight to a standstill.

Suddenly, the Golden Spirit Mother threw out the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, aiming it at the head of the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor used his damaged Jade Mirror to protect himself and used his intact Jade Sword to counter the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, barely managing to fight to a draw.

When the Buddha's Six Roots Purification Bamboo pierced through, Lady Yunxiao summoned the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron to shield the Buddha, while the Holy Mother Wudang wielded the Wudang Sword and fiercely fought against the Six Roots Purification Bamboo.

The only one who suffered was Zhao Gongming, who was now unarmed and could only clench his fists to attack the Buddha. Unfortunately, his physical body was long gone, and his body was now formed from divine power. Facing the Buddha's golden body, he could not break through the defense at all and roared in anger.

Although Zhao Gongming was the most prominent figure in the Investiture of the Gods, almost single-handedly fighting against the Chan Sect and several Buddhist Grand Immortals joining forces, his final fate was the most tragic.

The twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, his natal spiritual treasures, were knocked away by the immortals Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao using the Treasure-Falling Coin. Later, the two offered the Sea-Stabilizing Pearls to the Ancient Buddha Dipankara, which then evolved into the Twenty-Four Heavenly Kings of the Ancient Buddha Dipankara.

Now I have nothing to my name.

Fortunately, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao were also punished and deified after their deaths. They were appointed as the Treasure-Gathering and Treasure-Collecting Heavenly Venerables of the Ministry of Finance, serving under Zhao Gongming. This allowed Zhao Gongming to vent a lot of his anger over the past thousand years.

Remembering the instructions given by their master before leaving, that they should hold back the Jade Emperor and the Buddha, how could the other disciples of the Jie Sect who had not yet joined the battle allow their senior brother Zhao Gongming to be bullied?

Wen Zhong threw over the male and female whips, Bi Xiao threw over the Golden Dragon Scissors, and Qiong Xiao also wanted to lend her treasure to her elder brother, but suddenly remembered that her own protective spiritual treasure, the Dragon Binding Rope, had been taken away by Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao back then. She could only give up and planned to go to the Heavenly Court later to beat up Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao a few more times.

With Wen Zhong's twin whips and Bi Xiao's golden dragon scissors, Zhao Gongming's combat power increased dramatically. Although he could not fully unleash the power of these two magical treasures, they made the Buddha extremely wary, and he no longer dared to ignore Zhao Gongming as before.

At this moment, Jinling Shengmu, relying on the power of Lingbao, suppressed Haotian Shangdi, while Wudang Shengmu, together with Yunxiao Niangniang and Zhao Gongming, also gained the upper hand in the battle against Tathagata Buddha.

Upon seeing this, the gods of the Jie Sect felt much more at ease, thinking that their eldest disciple's plan to delay the inevitable would be successfully accomplished.

While the gods of the Jie Sect thought this way, the Buddha and the Jade Emperor would not be willing to accept it.

The Heavenly Gods of the Jie Sect are exceptionally powerful. With their current strength, the two of them have no chance to seize the innate treasure, the Myriad Dragon Palace, or capture Liu Qing in a short period of time.

Neither the innate treasure, the Myriad Dragons Palace, nor the formidable threat, Liu Qing, can be allowed to leave; both must be dealt with today.

Otherwise, once Liu Qing evolves into a true dragon, his foundation will be strengthened, his cultivation will surge, and with the addition of the Myriad Dragons Palace, even if the two of them recover their cultivation in the future, it will be difficult to capture Liu Qing easily.

Today is the best opportunity to capture Liu Qing and eliminate future troubles in one fell swoop; we must not let it slip by.

The Jade Emperor transmitted his voice to the Buddha: "Buddha, quickly summon the Ancient Buddha Dipankara to lend a hand!"

"The Ancient Buddha Dipankara is currently entangled with Guang Chengzi. Guang Chengzi's cultivation is no less than ours, and his protective spiritual treasures are extremely extraordinary. How could the Ancient Buddha Dipankara possibly break free to come to our aid?"

The Jade Emperor knew that what was said was true, but looking at Buddhism and the Heavenly Court, only the Ancient Buddha Dipankara could easily suppress the other Jie Sect gods, seize the Wanlong Palace, and capture Liu Qing.

"You send a telepathic message to Dipankara Buddha, asking him to come quickly. I will personally send a message to Guangchengzi, telling him to stop bothering Dipankara. We will do this at the same time."

The Buddha's eyes flashed: "Good."

Immediately, the Jade Emperor transmitted his voice to Guang Chengzi: "Guang Chengzi, two pieces of news. First, Daoist Yu Yu has already perished."

"Secondly, Liu Qing was the second-generation leader of the Jie Sect. All the gods of the Jie Sect came out of the Investiture of the Gods, and the power of the Jie Sect increased greatly."

"Knowing that your current actions are due to your fear of Daoist Yu Yu, now that Daoist Yu Yu has perished and the disciples of the Jie Sect have returned, seeking revenge against the Golden Immortals of your Chan Sect, what will you decide?"

"You should know that these disciples of the Jie Sect who escaped from the Investiture of the Gods hate your Chan Sect to the bone. How can Liu Qing, as the new sect leader, suppress them?"

"Guang Chengzi, do you intend to continue seeking the impossible forgiveness of the Jie Sect, or will you join forces with the Venerable One and Buddhism to destroy the Jie Sect once again?"

"I have sworn an oath to the Buddha that after destroying the Jie Sect, I will begin the second Journey to the West. At that time, I will share three parts of the Journey to the West's destiny with your Chan Sect!"

Guang Chengzi, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Randeng Gu, listened to the message from the Jade Emperor and tried his best to digest it, analyze the advantages and disadvantages, and make a decision.

Guang Chengzi's offensive gradually subsided. At this time, Dipankara Buddha also received a message from Tathagata Buddha. Upon seeing this, a flash of joy appeared in his eyes, and he jumped out.

"Guang Chengzi, you know the nature of the disciples of the Jie Sect. They are vindictive and will never easily resolve the karmic debt with your Chan Sect regarding the Investiture of the Gods."

"Why not join forces with Buddhism and the Heavenly Court to once again destroy the Jie Sect and claim a third of the Journey to the West's destiny?" (End of Chapter)