Chapter Forty-Two: The Ninefold Coiling Dragon Tower

Three Halls of the Mystic Sect, Blood Sea of the Demon Sect. They became the greatest beneficiaries after the decline of the Qi Refiners.

Ji Feichen’s expression shifted, suddenly recalling something. “There are still many ancient Qi-refining methods within the Mystic Sect today. Isn’t the Path of Chongxu one such example?”

“Chongxu is natural, tranquil, and nameless. The Path of Chongxu was once ranked among the sacred lineages, a sect not inferior to the Palace of Taiyuan, but now it is merely one of the seventy-two blessed lands—such disparity speaks volumes. If no one were suppressing them, how could they have fallen so low?”

“Moreover, the reason Chongxu does not alter its cultivation method is simply because they cannot. Without the Harmonious Qi, how could they ever achieve the carefree mastery of riding the wind? I don’t know what agreement they have with the Three Halls, but it’s clear their pact does not suit you. I once barely counted as a Qi Refiner myself, and you saw how that ended.”

The female immortal mocked herself. “If not for your rescue, I would have become a sacrificial offering for the Mystic Sect in their next calamity.”

“You face great difficulty in switching to the Qi-refining lineage, and the path ahead is uncertain. If you truly wish to escape the blood oath of the Demon Sect, I can assist you in dissolving your body and starting anew. One day, I shall guide you back into the immortal path.”

Ji Feichen had once helped the drought demon escape calamity; she now offered him another way forward, her tone gentle. If Ji Feichen willingly dissolved his body, casting his soul into reincarnation, she would not hesitate to bring him under her tutelage when he returned.

“Reincarnation? Who can say where I’ll end up? Could be human, could be beast, or perhaps not even that,” Ji Feichen refused her suggestion.

Still, when considering the switch to the Qi-refining lineage, Ji Feichen felt uncertainty about facing the threat of the four sacred grounds. The might of Tai Xiao Palace was formidable; even a female immortal of profound cultivation like the drought demon could not withstand it. Ji Feichen doubted they would allow him to grow strong enough to become an Earth Immortal.

Suddenly, as they walked, the two arrived at a mountainside. The mountain was lush, the grass soft, and strands of yin-yang energy floated gently from the earth.

Both their expressions changed, and they looked toward the source.

It was a spiritual bamboo, jade-green and translucent, radiating a bright, precious glow. The yin-yang energy emanated from beneath the bamboo, forming a unique spiritual domain around it.

The bamboo had nine joints, each rising higher than the last. Forty-nine vibrant green leaves clustered like a cloud canopy, and a string of nine crimson fruits resembling polished rice hung from it.

“A land of yin and yang?” Ji Feichen’s expression shifted. At this moment of hesitation, he happened upon such a place, as if fate itself were guiding him.

So be it. Since I’ve already offended Tai Xiao Palace, I don’t mind provoking a few more. If I am to claim the Dao of the Celestial Immortal, how can I ascend without subduing the scions of the sacred grounds?

Ji Feichen’s face grew solemn as he addressed the female immortal, “Senior, my mind is made up. I will soon commence the refining method and shift my Dao foundation.”

Seeing the yin-yang spirit node, the drought demon was stirred as well. The coincidence was uncanny and mysterious, moving her deeply.

She then said, “Heaven cherishes all life. Liu Wenchang may be your counterpart in clarity and impurity, but he has committed no grave sin and deserves not death. When the time comes, I’ll wash away his powers and assist you in cultivating the Harmonious Qi—spare him his life.”

Not only Ji Feichen’s captive, but also those seized by Tu Shan and other prisoners—the female immortal wished to save them all.

Ji Feichen felt indifferent toward these people, letting the female immortal decide as she wished.

Seeing Ji Feichen’s straightforwardness, the female immortal continued, “Cultivating the Harmonious Qi in this spiritual node for forty-nine days is effective, but far too time-consuming. I have a method that will allow you to succeed in just nine days.”

As they walked and talked, the female immortal seemed to sense something and suggested she and Ji Feichen part ways, hurrying down a small path.

The “Wind-Returning Fire-Reversing Token” in her hand shone brightly, wind and fire energies swirling around it, guiding her to a hidden realm. Here, thirty-six precious beads suppressed heaven and earth, slaying a white tiger demon king on the ground.

Page 1/3

“Is this the sacred master, a member of the White Tiger clan?” Today, the White Tiger is revered as a divine beast, but in ancient times, it was also the deity worshipped by the demon clans—the ultimate goal of all tiger demons.

Struck dead by thirty-six celestial beads, the tiger’s body was riddled with wounds, traces of countless magical abilities lingering. High above, each bead faintly revealed the shadow of a token within.

The Wind-Returning Fire-Reversing Token matched one of the celestial beads perfectly.

“Was the ancient battle led by the Celestial Bead Sect?” The female immortal retrieved her token, surveying the corpses of many Celestial Bead Sect disciples. The token in her hand was a treasured artifact used to guard their sect.

There were thirty-six Celestial Bead Tokens, each recording the “Thirty-Six Transformations of Celestial Might,” thirty-six supreme magical arts. In the sect’s heyday, they rivaled the Palace of Supreme Ascension and the combined forces of the ancient demon sects.

Yet in the cataclysmic battle at the end of antiquity, the Celestial Bead Sect suffered immense losses, even losing several tokens. The grand sect faded to legend.

A gleam flashed in her beautiful eyes as she stood there, contemplating the refining method of the Celestial Bead Token.

Meanwhile, the other two each found their own fortune.

Tu Shan was well-acquainted with this sacred ground; the half-map in his possession was handed down by his mother. She had told him there was a supreme treasure of the demon clan hidden here, and it must be claimed.

“That treasure must be in the White Tiger sacred ground.” Tu Shan, gripping his inherited golden fragment, soon sensed his way to the core of the sacred ground.

At a ruined jade wall hung a mostly-shattered decree. The jade rod was cracked throughout, suppressed by strange spiritual energies of the Dao that prevented it from healing. Only a few fragments of the inscription remained—the majority had vanished.

Tu Shan’s fragment seemed to sense something, flying into the jade rod and intertwining with the inscription fragments. Golden threads rewove themselves, transforming into a delicate triangular flag that flew into his hand. The jade rod itself remained, unable to be taken.

“Because it’s suppressed by the talismans of celestial immortals?” Tu Shan observed carefully, then attached the flag to a wooden stick.

A sudden roar—

A flying jade tiger bounded before Tu Shan. Majestic and fierce, wings sprouted from its ribs, and it wielded the power of a human immortal.

“There’s life within this sacred ground?” Tu Shan was delighted, not fearful, and waved the triangular flag. A beam of golden light shot forth, enveloping the jade tiger and dissipating much of its ferocity.

Tu Shan commanded, “Lie down!”

The jade tiger, hearing the command, obediently lay still.

“Indeed, this is a supreme treasure of my demon clan—it truly has the power to command all demons.”

The triangular flag in his hand was the Demon Clan’s ancestral treasure—the Golden Banner of Ten Thousand Demons. The front inscribed with the names of myriad demons, the reverse recorded the true methods of heavenly demons, containing all cultivation arts of the demon clan.

Tu Shan’s purpose in coming to the sacred ground was this treasure, which gathered the supreme fortune of the demon clan.

“With this, I can revive the demon clan and reestablish the sacred ground.” Tu Shan calculated, “The scion of Tai Xiao Palace has emerged, and the other sacred grounds will not lag behind. The Palace of Supreme Ascension passes its scion once every thousand years—the time is nearly upon us. To preside over the demon clan’s sacred ground, I must strive harder to compete with them.”

The drought demon found the Celestial Bead Sect’s inheritance; Tu Shan acquired the demon clan’s supreme treasure; and Ji Feichen arrived at a lowland.

Page 2/3

The sacred ground of the demon clan was vast and rich; each great demon’s corpse was a priceless treasure. Out of consideration for Tu Shan’s feelings, Ji Feichen and the drought demon tacitly avoided discussing this. They only observed the magical arts and Dao methods left by predecessors here. Compared to external treasures, their own cultivation and Dao foundation were paramount.

The drought demon relied on the Celestial Bead Token, while Ji Feichen, sensing the call of the land through his own dragon energy, was drawn to something.

Here lay the colossal corpse of a divine dragon.

“How odd—this sacred ground of the beast lineage contains the corpse of an earth immortal dragon? Isn’t that the ruler of the scaled lineage?”

Upon closer inspection, the dragon bore numerous tiger claw marks, and beneath its body were tiger fur and skin. Preserved for five thousand years without decay, this was clearly the site of an earth immortal-level battle.

“A battle of dragon and tiger?” Nearby were various celestial and demonic techniques, but their focus was not on the dragon, rather on a tiger corpse not far away. The head of this white tiger demon king had been shattered by a dragon’s claw, leading to its demise.

Ji Feichen wondered, “This dragon was not on the side of the demon clan, but rather the Qi Refiners?”

Looking around, he saw further traces of dragon clan battles in the distance. The dragon energy in his body stirred, the ink-black dragon scale on his forehead drew in the lingering dragon energy here.

“The dragon clan now dominates the seas. It’s said that the scaled lineage’s sacred ground is now the Crystal Palace—looks like they were the victors back then.”

How astonishing—to think that the dragon clan was the first to strike against the demon clan in ancient times.

Walking and observing, Ji Feichen finally stopped beside a divine tower.

This tower rose nine stories, thirty-three feet high, made of neither gold nor jade but a unique gilded material. Each tier was guarded by a dragon deity’s image. The walls were carved with dragon god talismans, the doors adorned with various dragon beasts. The tower’s brilliance and spiritual aura reminded Ji Feichen of the Three Mountains Tower in Tai Xiao Palace.

Though the number of tiers differed, the Three Mountains Tower and this Nine-Story Divine Dragon Tower seemed to share the same lineage.

The ink-black dragon scale, upon seeing the tower, flashed golden light, absorbing the whole tower into itself, and a nine-tiered tower pattern appeared upon the scale.

“This? The tower is a manifestation of a magical art?” Ji Feichen searched beneath it, but the base was empty—the demon king once suppressed here had long since faded into the river of time.

Each of the three gained their own fortune; as dusk approached, they met at the agreed place.

Tu Shan did not allow the jade tiger to follow, instead commanding it to lie in wait, guarding against any mishap.

Once gathered, the drought demon said, “My injuries are not yet healed, and you two must cultivate diligently. Let us find a secluded place to restore ourselves, and when our strength returns, we’ll explore the treasures of this land.”

Ji Feichen and Tu Shan agreed. At the edge of the sacred ground, they found a barely habitable palace and made it their base. Ji Feichen went to the yin-yang spirit node to train, the drought demon rested and healed within the palace, while Tu Shan refined the Elixir of Immortality, seeking a breakthrough to the realm of human immortals.

Page 3/3