Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

The azure cocoon of light still hung on the seabed, and the Dao Yuan of Guiyi Dao continued to fall from the Dao Fruit, slowly flowing along Gu Changjin's flesh, bones and scales.

This small sea snake, which was originally only about two feet long, is still growing stronger at a visible rate.

Ten-year spirit beast! Fifty-year spirit beast! One-hundred-year spirit beast!!

In just a few dozen breaths, it surpassed the accumulation that ordinary spirit beasts might have to endure for hundreds of years.

The spiritual power within his body grew stronger and stronger, and the surrounding seawater seemed to be drawn by something, slowly rotating around the blue light cocoon, forming an ever-growing underwater vortex.

As Gu Changjin adapted to this body, he pondered the choice of Dao Fruit.

So far, it seems that every version of himself that he has descended upon has not appeared randomly.

The first person I spoke to gave him a true foundation in swordsmanship.

The Blackwater Serpent, He Wo, allowed him to walk the old path of transforming into a dragon and deduce the bloodline of the Bashe.

He, from the Blue Star Federation, not only completed his understanding of returning to the Void, but also obtained the Ancient Dao Scripture, solving the most important problem in his own cultivation system.

Now, however, I am nothing more than a weak sea serpent.

Originally, they didn't even know why the great battle that happened three months later would occur, before they were crushed by the aftershocks that swept across the seabed.

Why was it chosen by the Dao Fruit when it was so weak?

Gu Changjin did not think it was a coincidence.

Daoguo sent him to this world.

It must be because this world has something he needs.

"Combined."

Gu Changjin silently repeated these two words in his heart.

He is now at the peak of the Returning to Emptiness realm, and in every aspect—his magical power, physical body, spiritual realm, and bloodline—he far surpasses ordinary Returning to Emptiness cultivators.

However, even when they are about to merge, there is still a layer separating them.

The Integration Realm, as the name suggests, is when the grotto-heaven and the individual are completely integrated.

When a cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul stage, they create a grotto-heaven outside their body.

When returning to emptiness, the grotto-heaven is illuminated by reality, and the laws are continuously perfected.

Upon reaching the point of integration, one must truly integrate the celestial realm, which was originally independent of oneself, into the physical body, the divine soul, and the foundation of the Great Dao.

Man is the grotto, and the grotto is man; every gesture and movement is a manifestation of the power of a world.

But Gu Changjin's problem lies precisely here.

His Xuanming Guixu Cave Heaven is one foundation, the Bashe bloodline is another foundation, and the Blue Star Realm Seed is yet another complete set of rules.

In addition, there are Dao Fruits, Ancient Dao Scriptures, and the Crimson Jade Glazed True Dragon Origin that was recently devoured.

His background is too profound and too complex.

Ordinary cultivators who have returned to the Void only have one cave heaven, and all they need to do is integrate the cave heaven into themselves.

Gu Changjin seemed to be carrying several different worlds on his back at the same time.

Forcing them to come together is not that easy.

"What exactly am I lacking?"

Gu Changjin couldn't figure it out for the time being.

But what is certain is that the opportunity to break through to a higher level, or the insights needed, must lie in this world of others and self.

Since Dao Guo has chosen this sea serpent, he will make the trip worthwhile.

As it pondered, the azure cocoon vibrated once more, and a new surge of spiritual energy emanated from the sea serpent's body.

One hundred years!! Five hundred years!! Nine hundred years!! A thousand-year-old spirit beast is formed!!

The originally dark blue scales began to change, with light blue water ripples appearing between them.

Its slender body has become more elongated and powerful, and two small bumps have appeared on the top of its head. Although they are not yet horns, they are already completely different from ordinary sea snakes.

In the darkness, a message from the rules of this world entered Gu Changjin's heart.

Mysterious Water Snake.

"..."

Gu Changjin remained silent for a moment. He had consumed Guiyi Dao Yuan and evolved from a small sea snake into a thousand-year-old spirit beast in a short period of time.

The result was that it turned into a black water snake?

It sounds like it's a bit stronger than a regular sea snake.

But that's all.

Compared to the Black Water Serpent that first appeared in the main world, it is far inferior.

The Blackwater Serpent is, after all, an ancient and exotic species.

What is this Xuan Shui snake?

A slightly more dangerous snake in the water?

Gu Changjin's lips twitched.

My gaze once again fell upon those fragments of the future extracted from the river of fate.

A human youth whose bloodline is entrusted to the Vast Sea Glazed True Dragon, Devourer of Heaven, Jade Silver Dragon King, and Crimson Gold Dragon King.

And then there was the great battle that was destined to erupt three months later.

That magnificent, crystal-clear dragon from the Vast Ocean is truly a pity.

It has been hidden for millions of years, accumulating for millions of years.

His adoptive father and adoptive mother died one after the other.

My sworn sister has sided with the enemy again.

Even the Jade Silver Dragon King, who was originally supposed to lead the revival of spirit beasts, ultimately chose the human race.

Everyone else can retreat, but it cannot.

However, the root cause of all this does not lie with the Vast Ocean Glazed Dragon.

Nor was it the major offshore battle three months later.

Gu Changjin had once heard a saying in his previous life.

The real battlefield is never right in front of you.

The same applies to the Martial Spirit Continent.

The true battlefield for the spirit beast race has never been the Martial Spirit Continent.

From the day the ancient dragon lord was defeated by the many gods of the divine realm, this war that had lasted for countless years was already lost.

The ancient dragon lord was slain, divine beasts perished, and spirit beasts were cut off from the path to godhood.

All the struggles that followed were just endless repetitions of a predetermined ending.

Whether it's the Jade Silver Dragon King, the Divine Devourer of the Spirit Beast, or the Vast Sea Glazed True Dragon.

Unless someone can break the rules at the top.

Otherwise, no matter how many years you accumulate, it will all come to nothing in the end.

No wonder it's all in vain.

Gu Changjin shook his head gently.

"From the very beginning, we were standing on a chessboard that had already been lost."

However, this has little to do with him.

Gu Changjin did not come to uphold justice for the spirit beasts.

He only wanted to use this thread of destiny to seize the origin of the world, condense the Dao Yuan, and find an opportunity to break through and merge.

The greater the predetermined destiny, the greater the benefits gained from its destruction.

The Vast Ocean Glazed True Dragon, Devourer of Heaven, Jade Silver Dragon King, Crimson Gold Dragon King bloodline youth, and the great battle in the outer sea three months later.

These are all places where we can start.

There's no rush right now; let's get stronger first.

Gu Changjin looked at his current Xuan Shui Snake body, a hint of disgust in his eyes.

"With this little bit of bloodline, don't even talk about changing your fate."

"Whether we could have survived that great battle is questionable."

The next moment, the Dao Fruit trembled slightly, and the Crimson Jade Glazed True Dragon Origin that had been suppressed deep within the Dao Fruit slowly emerged.

Gu Changjin did not extract too much, but only extracted a trace of the purest true dragon bloodline.

Even a trace of it contains a level of sophistication far beyond what this Xuan Shui Snake can compare to.

Guiyi Daoyuan was rapidly consumed, and that wisp of crimson jade bloodline was repeatedly refined by the Dao Fruit, finally transforming into a drop of crystal-clear crimson gold dragon blood.

The dragon's blood fell and merged into the body of the Xuan Shui Snake.

boom!

The light blue cocoon instantly turned crimson.

Blazing flames erupted on the seabed, but the surrounding seawater did not evaporate; instead, it transformed into streams of water that intertwined with the crimson flames.

Water and fire coexist, but instead of clashing, they subtly merge into one.

Gu Changjin's snake body began to change drastically. His bones broke, his flesh reassembled, and his deep blue scales fell off one by one. The new scales were like red jade and glass, crystal clear.

The two small bumps on the top of his head grew rapidly, and four clumps of flesh that had not yet fully formed appeared on his abdomen.

The crimson light grew stronger and stronger until finally, all the energy contracted inward.

A giant, bright red egg, about ten feet in size, appeared on the seabed.

The surface of the dragon egg is covered with patterns of interwoven aquamarine and crimson gold, and each shimmer causes the surrounding seawater to tremble.

The dragon egg slowly sank, eventually falling into a bottomless trench.

Such obvious fluctuations quickly attracted nearby spirit beasts.

A ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast, the Deep Sea Demon Shark, with a body length exceeding one hundred feet, was the first to arrive.

It spotted the dragon eggs in the trench from afar, and greed immediately gleamed in its scarlet eyes.

Such a rich aura of bloodline.

Once swallowed, one will surely undergo a transformation.

The deep-sea shark opened its massive jaws, preparing to plunge into the trench.

Inside the dragon egg.

An invisible mark of true spirit quietly entered its sea of ​​consciousness.

The massive body of the deep-sea shark suddenly froze.

The greed in his eyes vanished quickly, replaced by absolute obedience.

It slowly swam to the top of the dragon egg, its massive body circling once, and obediently guarded that spot.

Before long, three more ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts were attracted by the aura of their bloodline.

A giant purple-patterned octopus, an ice-armored black tortoise, and a two-headed azure-scaled sea python.

The result was the same; the three true spirit marks fell, and they instantly became the most loyal guardians.

The four ancient spirit beasts guarded the four directions, and the power of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect also entered their bodies along with the True Spirit Mark.

The number of years that had been stagnant for a long time began to increase slowly.

The trench has returned to calm.

Only the red jade dragon egg was still pulsating, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

Thousands of miles away, a black crack suddenly appeared in the sky above the sea.

A man with black hair and golden eyes walked out.

He was tall and imposing, his black robes billowing even without wind. Just by standing there, the surrounding sea instantly fell silent, and all the spirit beasts instinctively lowered their heads.

Devouring Heaven was originally just passing through this place.

But just now, he suddenly sensed an extremely pure dragon aura.

It is not an ordinary dragon species, nor one of those sub-dragons with diluted bloodlines, but a true dragon bloodline.

Devouring Heaven's golden pupils contracted slightly.

During the great war in the divine realm, Long Zhu perished, and the nine Dragon Kings were also almost entirely wiped out.

As for the various dragon races, they were naturally hunted down and slaughtered by the powerful beings of the divine realm.

Now, the only one who can barely survive and hide on the martial arts continent is himself, who possesses the bloodline of the Star-Devouring Black Dragon.

Could there be... other survivors?

For the first time, a clear look of joy appeared in Tuntian's eyes.

He took a step forward.

The surrounding space was instantly torn apart.

He was already heading in the direction from which the dragon-like aura was coming from.