That night, the moon shone bright amid sparse stars.
Beneath the clear moonlight, Water Cloud Marsh looked like a silver-washed painting, tranquil and serene.
The two wounded men, Cao Jianxin and Fang Xu, had long since fallen fast asleep after eating and drinking their fill.
Gu Cheng, who was on night watch, sat cross-legged atop a boulder.
He gazed at the Dragon Turtle's corpse, which loomed like a small hill in the distance, his mind awash with thoughts.
To be fair,
this Dragon Turtle really was quite unusual compared with other demons.
Its eyes were golden yellow, not the blood-red, savage demon eyes of ordinary demons.
Its demon blood also lacked even a trace of the pungent, fishy stench, and its meat was firm and springy, with a rather delicious taste.
"Could it be because it carries a Flood Dragon bloodline?
If that's really the case... just how delicious would the flesh of a pure-blooded Flood Dragon be?"
At the thought,
Gu Cheng couldn't help salivating, his appetite stirring. He felt that the Flood Dragon Palace was becoming more and more deserving of its own death.
Then he shook his head, putting the overly food-obsessed thought out of mind.
Instead, he carefully reviewed his battle with Jiao Wushang.
Though Gu Cheng had seemed to win with ease today, beating the Innate Realm Dragon Turtle into the ground from start to finish,
in reality, his victory had been largely a matter of luck.
First, Jiao Wushang hadn't been in peak condition.
It had already been beaten half to death by Xu Nianxue's aunt. Its strength had taken a major hit, and its innate demon armor was practically ruined.
Otherwise, when Gu Cheng used the "Yin Yang Absolute Immortal Hand," he wouldn't have found the armor's weak point so easily.
Second, after fully refining the Azure Water Demon Ape's demon core, Gu Cheng had gained a powerful home-field advantage in Water Cloud Marsh.
If he hadn't used that move to forcibly neutralize Jiao Wushang's water-controlling demon art,
it would have been asking too much for Gu Cheng to fight a Dragon Turtle carrying a Flood Dragon bloodline in this endless land of marshes.
Third, the Innate Realm martial art he'd just learned happened to be the bane of heavily armored foes.
Jiao Wushang had been so confident in its defenses that it hadn't even tried to dodge. That was how Gu Cheng had killed it in a single move!
Otherwise,
if Gu Cheng had faced Jiao Wushang at full strength, the most he could have hoped for was to escape unscathed.
"But no matter how you look at it, I've made a fortune today!"
Gu Cheng grinned and focused on his panel, his heart racing with excitement.
Remaining Lifespan: 4,518 years
Three great demons at the Mortal Breaking Realm, one Demon Suppression Bureau traitor at the Mortal Breaking Realm, and a Dragon Turtle at the Innate Realm.
Before he'd even spent the more than two thousand years of lifespan he'd had, it had doubled again, reaching a whole new height.
That was the equivalent of ninety Tang Yuans!
Gu Cheng couldn't help reflecting that joining the Demon Suppression Bureau's headquarters had indeed been a wise move.
As long as you were willing, you'd never run short of demons and evil cultivators to kill!
Besides the massive increase in lifespan and the four precious demon cores,
the Snake Demon at the Mortal Breaking Realm had also yielded a rare drop: a Soul Remnant.
Gu Cheng had never had high hopes for demon Soul Remnants,
but, treating it like opening a blind box, he still poured fifty years of lifespan into the Snake Demon's Soul Remnant all at once.
In a daze,
a gigantic water snake slowly appeared in Gu Cheng's mind.
Its emerald scales were as hard as steel, and its crimson, vertical pupils were cold and merciless, radiating a chilling demon's Killing Intent!
Year One: You spent fifty years of lifespan and successfully awakened the Snake Demon's Soul Remnant.
Since you had fully refined the Azure Water Demon Ape's demon core, the aura of the master of Water Cloud Marsh lingered on you.
The Snake Demon's remnant soul feared you greatly and dared not act out in the slightest.
When you questioned it, it told you everything without holding back.
Year Seven: The Snake Demon's remnant soul shared some of its insights into water-controlling demon arts with you.
But for you, who possessed the water-controlling divine ability of the Water Monkey, these insights were barely worth mentioning.
Year Eighteen: The Snake Demon's remnant soul shared a great deal of intelligence about the inner workings of the Demon Race.
Thanks to its explanations, you gained a clear understanding of the major demon forces in Tianshui Prefecture.
Year Thirty-One: After many years of heart-to-heart talks,
the Snake Demon's remnant soul had submitted to you completely and shared many things it had heard from Jiao Wushang.
You learned a great deal about the inner workings of the Flood Dragon Palace.
At this point, the remnant soul held no more secrets from you.
Remaining Lifespan: 4,437 years
"..."
After organizing and sorting through the new information in his mind,
Gu Cheng slowly opened his eyes.
A strange glint flickered in his dark eyes.
A high-level demon at the Mortal Breaking Realm could lord over a mountain, command a hundred demons, and terrorize a region in a remote backwater like Changle County.
But across the whole of Tianshui Prefecture, it was little more than a somewhat stronger lackey, unworthy of notice.
As a result, most of the demon intelligence known to the Snake Demon's remnant soul was of little use, limited by its own strength.
The only information of any real value concerned the Flood Dragon Palace.
According to the Snake Demon's remnant soul,
most of the Dragon Princes and Dragon Grandsons under the Old Flood Dragon King of the Flood Dragon Palace were a bunch of "shut-in bums."
They spent all four seasons sleeping in the Tianshui River. Every so often, they came ashore to demand a few young boys and girls from the riverside fishing villages, but they rarely ventured far from home.
The reason that Innate Realm Dragon Turtle had left the Tianshui River, only to run into Xu Nianxue's aunt,
was that it had been searching for a Supreme Treasure that the Demon Suppression Bureau had lost not long ago!
"A lost Supreme Treasure... Huh? The pieces are starting to fit together."
An electric spark seemed to flash through Gu Cheng's mind as he instantly connected the dots.
Xu Nianxue had mentioned before
that a master thief had emerged from the Bai Family of Fox Demons, committing crimes all over Yunzhou.
Not long ago, the thief had caused a sensation in Tianshui City, indirectly triggering a purge that swept across the entire Tianshui Prefecture.
Looking at it now,
the thing the fox-demon thief had stolen in Tianshui City must have been that "Supreme Treasure," right?
"So... what exactly is this so-called Supreme Treasure?"
Gu Cheng rubbed his chin, quite curious.
But Jiao Wushang hadn't told the Snake Demon any more details, so there was no way for him to know.
What he could foresee, however, was that the Flood Dragon Palace was determined to get its hands on that "Supreme Treasure."
Two Flood Dragons at the Spirit Sea Realm had even awakened especially for this, and were secretly investigating the matter in Tianshui Prefecture.
If both the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Flood Dragon Palace attached such importance to it, it was clearly an immensely valuable treasure.
Judging by the current situation,
once the treasure's whereabouts became known, the two top forces in Tianshui Prefecture were bound to clash fiercely over it!
"I've also made an enemy for life of the Flood Dragon Palace."
"When full-scale war breaks out, even if I hole up in Tianshui City, I might not be able to rest easy, will I?"
Gu Cheng raised his head to gaze at the star-speckled night sky, his brows furrowing and his expression turning grave.
The feeling of a storm brewing was truly oppressive, making him all the more eager to grow stronger.
"I have plenty of lifespan now, and a good stock of demon cores to help with my cultivation.
Once I return to Tianshui City, I need to redeem the second volume of 'Hundred Refinements of the Azure Dragon' as soon as possible and make up for my weakness in Qi Refinement."
"After that, I'll secretly head to Blood Lady's hidden base in Tianshui Prefecture and get the third volume of the 'Blood Blade Scripture'!"
Gu Cheng silently laid out his plans for the future.
Surely, once his Body Refinement cultivation reached the peak of the Innate Realm,
he'd have enough power to protect himself even against Spirit Sea Realm Venerables and great demons, right?
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