Suddenly, Jiang Chen spoke again.
Although I wouldn't take her as a disciple, she could still serve as my mount. Not only would I have a pet, but once the Dragon Princess's identity was revealed, it would be incredibly impressive.
However, Jiang Chen wasn't interested in just that. What he valued was Ao Yu's cultivation!
Mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
After taking her as his mount, he could directly download her cultivation through the system and make it his own!
That way, his cultivation would break through directly!
This was practically cultivation delivered right to his door!
After all, although downloading a Sage's cultivation was difficult, cultivation from other realms would clearly be much easier. As for why Jiang Chen hadn't downloaded Ao Guang's Perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortal strength, it was naturally because Ao Guang would be leaving. Could he possibly stay by Ao Guang's side forever?
Not to mention whether Ao Guang would agree, Jiang Chen himself wasn't willing to do that.
Therefore, aside from the Three Pure Ones, Ao Yu could be said to have happened to possess relatively high cultivation, making her perfect for a quick download!
As for whether she would agree, that wasn't something Jiang Chen needed to consider. So what if she refused? Forget Grand Unity Golden Immortals—even Grand Unity Golden Immortals were plentiful throughout the Primordial World. As long as he searched patiently, he could find one. Ao Yu's visit had merely happened to stir his interest.
Hiss!
Hearing Jiang Chen's words, before even considering how Ao Guang and the others reacted, Sanxiao and the others were already stunned. Looking at their Senior Disciple Brother, they all sucked in a cold breath, as if they were meeting him for the first time.
That was the dragon clan! Even if the dragon clan's prestige was no longer what it had been in ancient times, it was still a renowned hegemon. Besides, what did Innate Gods fear most? Becoming someone else's mount!
A mount—put nicely, it was a mount. Put bluntly, it was a beast of burden for people to ride on and trample!
Yet their Senior Disciple Brother actually wanted to take the Dragon Princess as his mount. He was practically courting death!
However, what shocked them even more was yet to come.
The moment he heard Jiang Chen's words, Ao Guang's veins bulged violently. His aura leaked out, and the strength of a Perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortal caused the heavens and earth to change color!
But suddenly!
But suddenly.
The aura of a Perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortal abruptly halted, and Ao Guang's bitter laugh rang out.
"Enough, enough. I agree. Little Yu, hurry and pay your respects to Fellow Daoist!"
After saying that, Ao Guang seemed to age considerably in an instant, his entire person looking utterly downcast.
For the dragon clan to become someone else's mount—and for that mount to be the Dragon Princess—this was something that had never happened throughout countless ages. Yet compared with the imminent extinction of the dragon clan, it was clearly insignificant.
Thus, Ao Guang could only agree.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone, including Jiang Chen, was stunned.
He agreed!
In other words, from this day onward, the Dragon Princess would be Jiang Chen's mount!
Jiang Chen was also somewhat surprised. This was the dragon clan! The dragon clan had lowered its head to him. One could imagine just how wretched its situation had become.
Yet more than anything, he was suspicious!
As the saying went, even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. Although the dragon clan had been defeated in the Dragon-Han Tribulation, it was still one of the top hegemonic forces. Yet now, it had been forced into such a state. One could imagine how terrifying the opposing force was!
Was it the demon race, or perhaps the Witch Race?
No one was a fool, and Jiang Chen was no exception. It was undeniable that the dragon clan might be trying to curry favor with a Sage. All living beings in the Primordial World had that thought. But sacrificing the Dragon Princess to become his mount was still difficult to explain.
Then the only possibility was that the dragon clan was now in mortal danger and could only seek outside aid!
He—or rather, his master behind him—was the outside aid they had chosen. However, because his master had refused to meet them earlier, Ao Guang had resorted to this desperate measure to curry favor with him.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chen gave Ao Guang a deep look. After Ao Guang agreed, Jiang Chen instead found himself unsure of what to say.
If he agreed, he would not only gain the Dragon Princess as a mount and be able to download her mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation, but also earn the dragon clan's goodwill!
However, he would also offend the force opposed to the dragon clan.
For a moment, Jiang Chen weighed the pros and cons in his heart, but he soon made his decision.
"Fine, I agree!"
Jiang Chen spoke.
There was no helping it. He had no reason to refuse. He would take the benefits right in front of him first and worry about the rest later.
As for anything else, even if it came knocking, what did he have to fear?
If one feared such trifling dangers on the path of cultivation, one might as well become a mortal and wait for death!
After figuring this out, Jiang Chen's mind suddenly became crystal clear. It was as if he had broken through some kind of shackle, and even the heavens and earth looked somewhat different in his eyes.
His realm had broken through!
Mid-stage Golden Immortal!
Jiang Chen understood. He was all too familiar with this feeling—it was precisely the sign of a breakthrough. However, only his realm had broken through for now. He would truly reach the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm after finishing his cultivation of his magical power.
"Thank you, Master, for taking me in!"
At that moment, facing Ao Guang's meaningful gaze, Ao Yu might have been somewhat proud, but for the sake of the entire dragon clan, she could only agree. She immediately bowed to Jiang Chen in thanks.
From that day onward, a Dragon Princess at the mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm became the mount of Jiang Chen, a mid-stage Golden Immortal!
Seeing this, Jiang Chen gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Then he silently thought, Download Ao Yu's mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation.
Now that he had taken Ao Yu as his mount, he no longer hesitated.
"Ding-dong. Beginning download of [mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation]!"
.01%!
.04%!
.07%!
As a system notification sounded, the download progress appeared before Jiang Chen's eyes.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. This speed didn't seem slow. At this rate, the download would probably be completed very soon!
Sure enough, his guess had been correct!
Jiang Chen's heart filled with delight. He had just broken through to the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm, and now he could immediately break through to the mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. This was wonderful.
Seeing Jiang Chen accept Ao Yu, Ao Guang breathed a sigh of relief. He then bade him farewell and left.
"There's still some time before Master begins his lecture, and Master also asked me to teach you properly. Since that's the case, I'll give you a lecture during this period."
After Ao Guang left, only Jiang Chen, his eight fellow disciples, and Ao Yu remained on Golden Ao Island. Jiang Chen cleared his throat and spoke.
There was no helping it. His master was currently in seclusion, and as the Senior Disciple Brother, he could only take up the responsibility of teaching them. It would also make up for his earlier teasing.
"Thank you, Senior Disciple Brother!"
The Senior Disciple Brother was going to lecture them!
Although they had anticipated it, Duobao and the others were still pleasantly surprised to hear it with their own ears. They hurriedly expressed their thanks.
Back when they had transformed into humanoid form, they had already learned of Jiang Chen's power from their master, Tongtian. Just now, he had unleashed the aura of an early Grand Unity Golden Immortal while possessing only early Golden Immortal cultivation, leaving them deeply shaken. Their Senior Disciple Brother's divine abilities had also been etched deeply into everyone's minds!
After thanking him, they suppressed their excitement and hurriedly found places to sit cross-legged.
Very soon, Jiang Chen's voice spread in all directions.
"The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless, it is the beginning of heaven and earth; named, it is the mother of all things..."
Jiang Chen was no Sage, and his strength was only at the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm. Therefore, his lecture did not give rise to any heavenly phenomena.
Even so, not only did his junior brothers and sisters at the Grand Unity Profound Immortal realm benefit enormously, but even Ao Yu, a mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal, gained great insight. Gradually, the slight dissatisfaction in her heart also dissipated.
What a joke. Although Jiang Chen was only a Golden Immortal, one had to consider who had taught him in the beginning—the Three Pure Ones, the Sages!
A single word from a Sage could benefit someone for a lifetime. Naturally, Jiang Chen, who had been taught by the Three Pure Ones, was no ordinary person either.
Time always passed unnoticed.
As time passed, the news of Tongtian's lecture had already spread far and wide. More and more people came to Golden Ao Island. When they had just arrived and saw someone lecturing there, they were all overjoyed. They hurriedly found quiet places to listen, gathering around Golden Ao Island.
Thus, before Tongtian had even begun, Jiang Chen had lectured first, attracting countless immortals to pay their respects!
Spring passed and autumn came. A year flashed by in the blink of an eye.
"This mischievous disciple!"
Regarding everything that had happened on Golden Ao Island, Tongtian was first stunned after emerging from seclusion. But when he saw Jiang Chen lecturing, he couldn't help laughing wryly.
Normally speaking, a disciple stealing his master's limelight was a great disrespect. If it had been Yuanshi, he would probably have already grown dissatisfied with Jiang Chen and might even have punished him. Fortunately, Tongtian was not narrow-minded. Not only was he not angry, he was actually quite pleased and did not go forward to interrupt.
As if sensing something in the depths of the Netherworld, Jiang Chen happened to finish his lecture at that moment and stopped.
Although this year had been spent lecturing, Jiang Chen had not been idle. As a Top-tier Innate Divine Spirit, he was naturally favored by heaven and earth. Spiritual energy would come to him even without cultivation, so he soon reached the true mid-stage Golden Immortal realm.
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