The Fall

"This is a blatant, open scheme."

After seeing Gui Changshou off, Long Shanying said in a low voice to Longshan Lie.

"Then we just won't go and promote our tribe's rank?"

Longshan Lie said indifferently.

But as soon as he turned, Long Shanying landed a heavy slap on his face.

The old tribal chief's hair stood on end, and he said furiously:

"When did I say this open scheme was a bad thing?"

"Wealth, companions, dharma, and place are all cultivation resources."

"The provisions provided by the Wei River Water Mansion are also what we need."

"This can be called a win-win."

As for who benefited more, that was a matter for the benevolent to see benevolence, and the wise to see wisdom.

"According to Daoist friend Changshou's advice, the Black Water Guard's twelve guards are recruiting Dao Soldiers. Although your brain is a bit slow, your brute strength is unmatched by few."

"Tomorrow, you will go and sign up for the Black Water Guard assessment."

"It will also accumulate military merits for our tribe."

Longshan Lie's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he was eager to try.

"Then I'll go try tomorrow."

Long Shanying waved his hand, signaling him to gather all the beings of the tribe.

"Ring the bells and drums, let them shake the high peaks; pray for blessings, let them be heard by the heavens."

"Supreme Saint Divine Lord above, we, the Longshan Clan, are a humble and small tribe, fortunate to receive your pity and be taken in as vassals."

"From now on, we will surely act cautiously and pray daily."

"We implore our lord to achieve success in his Divine Abilities and attain the Great Dao soon."

On the stone table, the Golden Book and Jade Scroll emanated a faint spiritual light.

As the beings of the Longshan Clan prostrated devoutly.

An invisible strand of destiny flew out from the Longshan Clan and landed in the Water Mansion.

This scene was not only happening in the Longshan Clan tribe.

It was happening in all the affiliated tribes along the Wei River.

"Roar~"

A dragon's roar startled Zhou Yuan from his cultivation.

The Taoist, clad in black robes and wide sleeves, with a jade crown on his head, slightly opened his eyes. He performed a hand seal and instantly understood the karma.

"With the establishment of the system, a force has taken shape."

With the establishment of a force, destiny would naturally be generated.

Although the destiny accumulated now could not compare to that of some large tribes or major powers.

"But the Wei River Water Mansion is just starting out."

"After ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or a million years, who knows how far it can grow?"

Zhou Yuan's divine eyes flickered.

He was very confident in the Wei River Water Mansion, or rather, confident in himself.

As his cultivation deepened day by day, the Water Mansion would naturally rise along with it.

Conversely, the resources and destiny brought about by the development of the Water Mansion would become nourishment for his cultivation, allowing him to progress more smoothly on the Dao path.

As the saying goes, "When the time is right, heaven and earth work together; when the opportunity is lost, heroes are powerless." This is not to be taken lightly in the Primordial world.

Destiny and merit are hard currency in the Primordial Great World.

Even the aloof Primordial Saints could not avoid a struggle for destiny and merit.

"Theoretically speaking, if I could occupy the entire Primordial Great World and seize all the destiny, I could directly ascend to the position of Master of Heaven and Earth, King of All Spirits, becoming someone whose words are followed by all laws. I could even influence the will of the Heavenly Dao."

This realm had already surpassed the realm of Primordial Saints.

Zhou Yuan shook his head slightly as he thought of this.

To reach such a state, he didn't know how much scheming and struggle would be needed.

It was too early to think about it now, as he was currently only a Grand Unity Great Sage, not even qualified to sit at the table.

Zhou Yuan used destiny to cultivate, and instantly felt his thoughts become more active, and the spiritual energy around him became more apparent.

"This is the benefit of destiny."

He already had the Myriad Dao Book to aid his cultivation, and now with the help of destiny, his cultivation was progressing at an astonishing rate.

Inside the Water Mansion, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged, his body flashing with destruction and creation. Daoist thunderclaps sounded, as if the heavens and earth were being created anew.

"The Five Elements give birth to and overcome each other."

"The Black Water Divine Thunder evolves into Wood God Thunder."

Zhou Yuan's mind stirred.

The Black Water Divine Thunder flashing in the void rumbled and changed.

All things sprouted, and all seasons were spring.

Rumble!

With a thunderous explosion.

Vigorous life surged forth in the unseen depths.

Yet within the life, the Great Dao of Destruction was contained.

This is the Wood God Thunder!

"My original body is the Ren Water Spirit Bamboo. Although it belongs to water, its essence hides wood."

"Now, by borrowing the opportunity of surging Destiny, I have finally refined another Divine Thunder."

A look of joy appeared on Zhou Yuan's face.

Now, two of the Innate Five Elements Divine Thunders were complete.

He was not far from achieving the Supreme Divine Ability!

"Alternating tension and release is the way of cultivation."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yuan stopped cultivating. Instead, he struck the Jade Chime, summoning everyone under his command to begin preaching the Dao.

Years are not counted in the Primordial Era, and a century passed in the blink of an eye.

During this century, Zhou Yuan did not cultivate.

Instead, he preached the Dao and provided special guidance to the people of the Water Mansion.

He answered one by one the cultivation problems faced by the cultivators under his command.

This is what is meant by transmitting the Dao, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts.

For cultivators like Madam Jiuzhen and Old Man Qingrong, who had been stuck in the Heavenly Human and Divine Demon realms for who knows how many years, their accumulated foundations were already sufficient. They were only a step away from sublimating a wisp of immortal golden nature within their internal grotto-heavens.

What they lacked was only the final spark of inspiration.

A single word from a true master is worth ten thousand volumes of books from a false one.

The cultivation techniques practiced by Old Man Qingrong and others were derived by Zhou Yuan using the Myriad Dao Book, based on their individual characteristics and the Great Dao they were compatible with.

With Zhou Yuan's patient guidance, these peak Heavenly Human and Divine Demon cultivators in the Water Mansion broke through one after another, achieving the True One realm.

From then on, a wisp of their true spirit became immortal, and unless struck by an external calamity, they could exist eternally.

Now, including Guizhenzi, there were already seventeen Divine Demon cultivators in the True One realm within the Water Mansion.

With seventeen True One realm Divine Demon cultivators acting in concert, various waters around the Wei River submitted to the Water Mansion.

In an instant, the name of the Wei River Water Lord resounded throughout the upper reaches of the Huai River.

One day, Zhou Yuan was cultivating in seclusion in the main hall.

Suddenly, a roaring sound echoed between heaven and earth.

"Rumble!"

Zhou Yuan frowned and looked up at the sky.

The clear blue sky, which had been clear and filled with leisurely white clouds, suddenly turned dim.

Lightning snakes danced, and electric light flashed.

Dark clouds gathered, and in an instant, blood rained down from the sky.

In a daze, the Great Dao of the Five Elements seemed to be wailing.

The entire world seemed to be playing a mournful song.

"This is..."

Zhou Yuan stood up abruptly, his face a mixture of hesitation and joy.

"The Five Elements have lost their Dao, and heaven and earth mourn together."

"A Dao Lord has fallen."

And the fall of the Five Elements...

"In the end, those two from Phoenix Perch Mountain won."

The Dao Lords of the Five Directions Imperial Dynasty were in grave danger.

Zhou Yuan's gaze flickered, and he instantly arrived beside the Innate Water Eye beneath the Water Mansion.

Below the Innate Primordial Embryo where the Yellow Middle Plum was located, a floating bead of weak water, shimmering with Profound Nether's blackness, was suppressing it.

This was precisely the Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Profound Nether Weak Water Bead, which the Eighteenth Prince of the Tianshui Imperial Dynasty had used that day to extinguish the soul of the previous Wei River Water Lord.

Since the Pangu Clan opened the heavens and the earth, separating the clear heavens from the turbid earth, Innate Divine Beings were born, along with Innate Spiritual Treasures and Innate Spiritual Roots.

Innate Spiritual Treasures contained innate indestructible spiritual light, formed by the Great Dao Laws. They could aid cultivators in comprehending the Dao, and also mobilize the laws and Great Dao of heaven and earth to unleash formidable power.

"Innate Spiritual Treasures should correspond to the number of the Great Dao, with a maximum of forty-nine Innate Restrictions."

"Low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures have 1-12 layers of Innate Restrictions, while Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures have 13-24 layers of Innate Restrictions."

"High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures have 25-36 layers of Innate Restrictions. The Heavenly Machine Chessboard, for instance, possesses 36 layers of Innate Restrictions, making it a top-tier existence even among High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures."

As for Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, they have 37-48 layers of restrictions.

Innate Supreme Treasures like the Myriad Dao Book have forty-nine Innate Restrictions.

Zhou Yuan's divine sense swept over the Profound Nether Weak Water Bead.

This treasure had 22 layers of Innate Restrictions and was one of the Water Element's Innate Spiritual Treasures.

It could emit the Profound Nether Final Divine Light and release Innate Weak Water, which had the effect of corroding Dao Bodies and polluting Primordial Spirits.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat:

"How could this be?"

"The heavenly omen just indicated that the Water Element had lost its position, clearly signifying the demise of an Innate Dao Lord who cultivated the Great Dao of Water Element."

"And at this very moment, the Water Element Dao Lord who failed in the battle high above the heavens was clearly the Tianshui Dao Lord."

However, the divine sense imprint on the Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Profound Nether Weak Water Bead, although extremely weak, had not completely dissipated.

Zhou Yuan's thoughts churned, and he looked at the formation beside him with a mixture of shock and joy.

In the center of the formation, the Eighteenth Prince from the Tianshui Imperial Dynasty was still in a coma.