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

Having already achieved the body of the Bashe demon, Gu Changjin's first priority was naturally not to go to the Qiyun Sect, nor to wait for the Three Swords and Twin Stars.

Instead, the priority should be to stabilize the 800-mile Black Swamp Water Palace and secure one's own base. After all, it's a free force, so why not use it?

His current demonic body is no longer the same as the previous Black Water Serpent.

Deep within the icy pool, a thousand-foot-long black-gold python slowly stretched out its body, causing the entire pool to rumble under its strain.

The black water surged, the pool walls cracked, and the ancient, cold stones that had been submerged at the bottom of the pool were crushed into dust by the gentle pressure of the snake's body.

Gu Changjin looked down at his own enormous, almost absurdly large body and fell silent for a moment.

It's quite big, but it takes up a lot of space just to turn around.

next moment.

boom!

The icy pool exploded.

A giant black and gold python soared into the sky.

The thousand-foot-long serpentine body spiraled into the air from the deepest part of the water palace, ancient demonic patterns on its body lit up in circles, and the Bashe Seal floated above its head like a black sun that devoured light.

The immense demonic aura emanating from him didn't spread; instead, it overwhelmed the entire area.

At this moment, the entire 800-li Black Swamp Water Palace seemed to be held down by an invisible hand.

The water flowed stagnant, and the demons fell silent.

Outside a side hall, a fish-headed demon general waited excitedly for news.

He was a demon general under the command of the Ghost-Eyed Centipede.

He felt that the situation was settled when the four demon kings entered the cold pool.

The Serpent King's attempt to transform into a dragon failed, and he lost all his life force.

If the four demon kings consume the demon cores and divide the snake bones, the entire eight-hundred-mile Black Swamp Water Palace will inevitably be reshuffled.

When the Ghost-Eyed Centipede eats the meat, his subordinates will at least get a taste of the soup.

Maybe he can even become the new commander of the Water Palace.

Thinking of this, the fish-headed demon general could barely suppress the smirk on his face.

The next moment.

His body suddenly stiffened.

A fear emanating from the depths of his bloodline gripped his demonic soul like a cold, poisonous hand.

He struggled to lift his head.

Then I saw the most terrifying scene of my life.

A colossal black-gold serpent, obscuring the sky, coiled above the Water Palace.

The enormous serpentine body wound its way around underwater mountains, its scales as black as cast gold, each one larger than the palace gate.

Those blood-red, vertical pupils coldly surveyed the entire water palace.

The auras of the four demon kings who had previously gone to the Cold Pool had completely vanished.

Between heaven and earth, only the oppressive aura of the Snake King, who originally ruled the eight-hundred-mile Black Swamp Water Palace, remained.

"No...that's not right..."

The fish-headed demon's throat went dry.

The Snake King did not transform into a dragon.

But why is it even more terrifying than a dragon transformation?

That wasn't the oppressive aura of a dragon at all.

It was a more ancient, more violent, and more unreasonable primordial ferocity.

It's like being born at the top of the food chain.

One look at you and you should kneel down.

The fish-headed demon's knees buckled, and he knelt directly into the muddy water.

"Greetings, Snake Lord!"

The demon soldiers behind him fared even worse. Some revealed their true forms on the spot, some lay on the ground trembling, and several fish demons were so frightened that they rolled over belly up, then quickly rolled back over and continued to kneel.

Not only here, but throughout the entire 800-mile Black Swamp Water Palace, all the demon generals and soldiers were alarmed by this oppressive aura.

One by one, the water fortresses opened, and one by one, the demon caves trembled.

The snake demon, crocodile demon, turtle demon, catfish spirit, and black-scaled water ghost all led their subordinates back to the main domain of the Water Palace.

No one dared not to come, and no one dared to play dead.

The four demon kings who wanted to rebel are the best example.

At this moment, whoever dares to play dead will truly die.

Soon, outside the main hall of the Black Swamp Water Palace, demon soldiers and generals were kneeling.

It was so densely packed that you couldn't see the end of it at a glance.

Gu Changjin's enormous serpentine body coiled above the Water Mansion, his blood-moon vertical pupils sweeping across below.

The demons lowered their heads even further.

"Poison Toad, Ghost Eyes, Blood Spider, Old Turtle."

"Taking advantage of my tribulation, they broke through the formation and entered the pool, intending to rebel."

"It has already been devoured by me."

The sound wasn't loud, but it resounded in the minds of every demon.

The demons trembled in fear.

Several demon generals who originally belonged to the four demon kings almost collapsed.

Gu Changjin said calmly, "I don't care what your intentions were before."

"From today onwards, everything remains the same."

"Those who should guard the water fortress should guard the water fortress, those who should patrol the river should patrol the river, and those who should pay tribute should pay tribute."

"If there is any further change of heart."

The Bashe Seal on his head glowed slightly, and the light in the entire water palace dimmed for a moment.

"I don't mind having a few more bites."

The demons dared not hesitate any longer and kowtowed in unison.

"I will obey the Serpent King's decree!"

Gu Changjin then withdrew his gaze.

The next moment, the thousand-foot-tall demonic body shrank into the depths of the water palace.

A flash of black light appeared, and a burly man with a dark face appeared in front of the main hall.

He was tall with broad shoulders and a sullen face, and a faint black snake pattern between his eyebrows.

He wore a dark black robe, with dark gold water patterns embroidered on the hem, and a black jade belt around his waist. As he walked, he exuded a fierce and majestic aura that made the demons dare not raise their heads.

Gu Changjin looked down at himself.

He then casually conjured a water mirror, in which a face with impeccably dark skin was reflected.

Gu Changjin remained silent for a moment.

"What a burly, dark-faced man..."

He twitched the corner of his mouth.

Fine.

The aesthetic of the demon race.

We shouldn't have too high expectations.

At least his face looks fierce enough, quite suitable to be the demon lord of the Water Palace.

As they entered the hall, demon soldiers and generals knelt on both sides of the road.

"Greetings, Lord!"

"Greetings, Snake Lord!"

Gu Changjin ignored them and walked straight into the main hall of the Black Swamp Water Mansion.

It wasn't until he sat on the throne made of ten-thousand-year-old cold jade and the bones of demonic beasts that he truly began to sort through the Blackwater Serpent's memories of over a thousand years.

Previously, time was tight and one thing led to another, so we could only focus on the key points such as destiny, Qiyun Sect, and the death calamity of the dragon transformation.

Now I finally have time to slowly flip through it.

This black water serpent has lived for over a thousand years, and its memories are chaotic and fragmented.

Starting as a mindless snake, he devoured spiritual fruits, embarked on the path of demon cultivation, awakened his intelligence, and, relying on the meager bloodline of the Black Water Serpent, gradually grew into the ruler of this eight-hundred-mile-long Black Swamp Water Palace.

In my memory, I have fought against righteous sword immortals and also done bad things with some big shots from the demonic path.

Gu Changjin flipped through the pages, sifting out the useless stuff as he went.

The Three Swordsmen and Two Stars of the Qiyun Sect need to be taken care of.

But none of these are the most urgent.

What he cares about most now is innate spiritual objects.

Ever since he discovered that Dao Fruits could be refined from innate spiritual objects to extract the Dao Essence, such things were no longer considered treasures in his eyes.

Rather, it is the supreme treasure that accelerates one's own growth.

In a world like the Nine Provinces, which resembles the world of Shu Mountain Sword Immortals, there is no shortage of various innate treasures, spiritual embryos of the earth veins, and remnants of immortal abodes.

Gu Changjin closed his eyes and searched his memory bit by bit.

Three thousand miles north of the Black Swamp lies Thunderfire Cliff, where the legend of the [Innate Thunder Tribulation Fruit] once circulated.

Deep within the Wandu Mountain in the southwest, in the underground fire veins, grows a [Earth Vein Profound Yang Vermilion Fruit] that ripens only once every three thousand years.

Even in the deepest depths of the East China Sea, there is a broken section of the withered root of an ancient Jianmu tree...

Looking at these long-forgotten rumors, Gu Changjin's cold smile grew even stronger.

Because each of these peerless treasures and wondrous creations already bears the mark of its "master".

"The Thunder Tribulation Fruit from Thunderfire Cliff was reserved by Qi Yun for the Pure Yang Sword Body, one of the 'Twin Stars,' to cultivate his second primordial spirit."

"The Xuan Yang Vermilion Fruit of Ten Thousand Poisons Mountain is reserved for that genius female disciple who carries the Azure Nether Divine Sword to cleanse her marrow and body."

"As for the withered roots of the Jianmu tree... they are the trump cards that the Qiyun Sect's 'human immortals' kept for when they ascended to immortality with the whole sect and fled with their assets."

As long as they are in the Nine Provinces, all these unborn spiritual treasures of heaven and earth are clearly calculated by the old Taoist priests of the Qiyun Sect who use their "Heavenly Secrets Plate" to calculate their fates every day.

The script was written out exactly when the fruit would ripen, which righteous disciple would be chosen to retrieve it, and even what demons and monsters they would encounter along the way, how they would slay the demons and monsters to make a name for themselves.

If others manage to get it by chance, it means they don't know the will of Heaven or that their fortune is not good enough. At best, they will be punished by Heaven; at worst, they will be beaten by righteous sword immortals as "evil spirits stealing opportunities," and beheaded with a single sword strike, their skin and bones refined together.

The greatest opportunity in the world has become a private domain for the righteous elites to exchange favors.

How domineering and disgusting is this kind of fate?

"What a 'destiny is set,' what a 'reward bestowed on behalf of Heaven.'"

Gu Changjin slowly opened his eyes, the dark gold patterns faintly visible beneath his black robe.

Instead of showing the slightest fear, he burst out laughing.

"What a pity, my name is not on your Heavenly Secrets Plate."

"Whose treasure is ordained by fate is none of my concern. But if this old ancestor happens to witness it, then... this treasure is destined for me!"

Are you guys saving this as a newbie gift pack?

That old ancestor insisted on being ahead of everyone else, uprooting these divinely ordained spiritual objects and devouring them alive to feed his Dao Fruit!

I want to see if the chosen one of heaven will completely lose his Dao heart when he arrives at the immortal mansion in high spirits and finds that even the ground has been licked clean!

Just as he continued searching his memory, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

A fish-scaled demon rushed in, stumbling and crawling, and knelt on the ground, his voice distorted.

"Fu-kun!"

"Something terrible has happened!"

"The Crocodile King of the Deep Swamp, along with his demon soldiers and generals, is attacking!"

Gu Changjin slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within those eyes, it seemed as if two blood-red moons were rising.

The fish-scale demon general froze upon being glanced at, nearly losing his soul.

Gu Changjin sat on the throne and suddenly smiled.

His smile was chilling.

"This old ancestor was just worried about not having anything to nourish his body."

"It actually dared to deliver itself to our doorstep."