For a year, the already chaotic Beast War Domain had grown even more chaotic with Long Jiuyyao's arrival. Yet beneath the turmoil, there was a strange sense of harmony.
"Sky Dragon, have the people we sent to negotiate with the Sky Crocodile Demon Marshal, the Magic Rhinoceros Demon Marshal, and the Poison Vulture Demon Marshal returned? Did they agree to surrender?" Long Jiuyyao asked leisurely.
"They've returned, but none of them surrendered. The Sky Crocodile Demon Marshal was somewhat hesitant, but the other two support Ghost Carving Ravine and Golden Ape Mountain," Sky Dragon replied.
"Knock, knock, knock!" A series of taps echoed through the hall as fingers struck the armrest.
"If that's the case, then kill them all. We have no use for those who refuse to obey or can't make up their minds. In this chaotic Beast War Domain, there's never a shortage of people—least of all people willing to listen." Long Jiuyyao's expression was cold. He didn't regard the lives of those three Demon Marshals as worth a second thought.
It was as if their lives were insignificant; with a single sentence, he had decided their fates.
"Xu Zhong, Qin Shi, the two of you will join forces to kill the Sky Crocodile Demon Marshal. This is your first mission after joining the Blood Dragon Hall. Remember, the Blood Dragon Hall has no use for trash." Long Jiuyyao's domineering nature was on full display.
"Sky Dragon, send an invitation to Ghost Eagle and Golden Ape. Tell them I have something to discuss with them. They must come." Long Jiuyyao flicked two red invitations from his hand.
"As for the Magic Rhinoceros Demon Marshal and Poison Vulture Demon Marshal, there's no need to rush into dealing with them. Since they're on the side of Ghost Eagle and Golden Ape, we'll give them some face. If these negotiations fall through, though, that's another matter entirely." Long Jiuyyao laughed heartily and left.
After Long Jiuyyao departed, Li Shang followed close behind. He was not only reinforcements from the Dragon Clan, but also a bodyguard Yuan Gan had assigned to Long Jiuyyao.
As the two of them left, the oppressive atmosphere in the main hall immediately lifted. A closer look revealed that the clothes on Xu Zhong and Qin Shi's backs were soaked with cold sweat.
"Hah... hah!" The two men panted softly. It was clear that Long Jiuyyao had left them badly shaken.
Long Jiuyyao might have said only a few words, but even before the two men had entered the main hall, the domineering pressure of his Ancient Dragon Bone had already filled the entire building.
Even people from the Eight Great Royal Clans would struggle to withstand the pressure of an Ancient Dragon Bone.
Under the invisible pressure of Long Jiuyyao's Dragon Bone, Xu Zhong and Qin Shi had already been subdued. And every word and deed of Long Jiuyyao's had displayed the Dragon Clan's domineering nature to the fullest.
Sky Dragon also left the main hall with the invitations and headed for Ghost Carving Ravine and Golden Ape Mountain.
Naturally, Xu Zhong and Qin Shi didn't dare slack off either. They immediately led their troops at full speed toward the Sky Crocodile Demon Marshal's territory.
The Sky Crocodile Demon Marshal could never have imagined that the Blood Dragon Hall would act so decisively. He had only hesitated and failed to surrender at once, yet they had immediately sent troops to attack him.
In a canyon behind the Blood Dragon Hall, Long Jiuyyao was soaking in a Spirit Spring that shimmered with brilliant golden light. From afar, his body looked like that of a golden Arhat cast entirely from pure gold.
This was the precious Nirvana Golden Body Liquid Yuan Gan had given Long Jiuyyao. A single drop of Nirvana Golden Body Liquid was refined from a thousand strands of Nirvana Golden Qi.
A single drop of Nirvana Golden Body Liquid could fetch ten million Nirvana Pills on the outside. It was exceedingly precious.
The liquid in which Long Jiuyyao was soaking was evidently pure Nirvana Golden Body Liquid, not a diluted version.
In truth, Yuan Gan had thought long and hard before deciding whether to give Long Jiuyyao the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid. In the end, he decided to give it to him.
There was no other reason; it was mainly because of the Ancient Dragon Bone. Yuan Gan also possessed an Ancient Dragon Bone and knew how powerful it was. Even though Long Jiuyyao's current strength was only at Great Perfection of Core Formation, he could still just barely withstand the corrosive power of the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid.
Long Jiuyyao's usually cold and proud expression turned savage. His sword-like brows knitted tightly as the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid corroded and melted his skin and flesh, exposing parts of his dark-gold Dragon Bone. The liquid clung to the exposed Ancient Dragon Bone like a bone-deep parasite.
The Natal Celestial Talisman in the Mud Pill Palace between his brows guarded Long Jiuyyao's mind, preventing even his spiritual power from being corroded and melted by the power of Nirvana.
Pure gold clashed with dark gold. The Ancient Dragon Bone erupted in brilliant golden light, while the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid began to reveal its might. A wisp of black flame began to burn Long Jiuyyao's body, and the already meager Yuan Power melted away under the scorching Nirvana Demonic Flame.
Long Jiuyyao's expression twisted in pain, and his body trembled uncontrollably. The Ancient Dragon Bone protected his heart and vital organs from being melted at once, but the Nirvana Demonic Flame continued to burn away the flesh covering his entire body.
The dark gold of the Ancient Dragon Bone blazed brighter, and even the bones enclosing his heart and internal organs shone with dazzling golden light.
Most astonishing of all, the Ancient Dragon Bone used the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid to form flesh. Yet the moment the new flesh had taken shape, the Nirvana Demonic Flame melted it away again.
After it melted, new flesh formed once more, only to be consumed by the Nirvana Demonic Flame again. Birth and destruction alternated without end.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. More than half of the pool of Nirvana Golden Body Liquid had been used up. Long Jiuyyao's body now shimmered with brilliant golden light like a golden Arhat, and golden radiance faintly glimmered across the surface of his skin.
Long Jiuyyao slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. A glint of gold flashed through his dark pupils. He swept his arms out, and a crack a hundred zhang long appeared in the ground.
Li Shang, watching from the top of the canyon, had witnessed the entire process of Long Jiuyyao tempering his body: continuously melting his flesh with the Nirvana Demonic Flame, then reforging it with the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid, repeating the process a full hundred times.
Watching it at the time had left Li Shang horrified. He knew just how dangerous Long Jiuyyao's actions were.
But tempering his body this way would make it twice as easy for Long Jiuyyao to advance to the Nirvana Realm. He would only need to absorb enough Nirvana Golden Qi to steadily raise his cultivation. He wouldn't need to worry about the so-called Nirvana Tribulation at all.
That's right, it wasn't ordinary Nirvana Qi, but the far more refined Nirvana Golden Qi. His body had already transformed into a true Nirvana Golden Body.
If Long Jiuyyao hadn't possessed an Ancient Dragon Bone, a single drop of Nirvana Golden Body Liquid would have instantly melted his flesh and bones, leaving him no chance of survival. Even someone at the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm couldn't claim they could absolutely withstand the corrosive power of the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid.
Still, the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid had produced remarkable results. His physical strength had risen to another level.
"Crack, crack, crack!" After sitting still for half a year, Long Jiuyyao slowly rose to his feet. His bones crackled with excitement.
Long Jiuyyao looked at the pool, which still held a little less than half of the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid. He didn't waste it. He tossed in the external incarnation whose soul had been born from Dragon Vein Qi.
Long Jiuyyao wasn't at all worried that the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid would affect it. That wisp of Dragon Vein Qi was more than enough to keep it safe.
The golden light around Long Jiuyyao's body faded, and his skin returned to its original pale color.
"Although I'm only at the Minor Form Creation Realm, I can still crush those in the Qi Creation Realm. With the Ancient Dragon Bone strengthening my Nirvana Golden Body, even the bodies of true Nirvana Realm experts can't compare to mine. I can even contend with someone at the Great Accomplishment of the Creation Realm, and perhaps even injure them." Long Jiuyyao carefully assessed the strength he had gained.
"Clap, clap!" As the sound rang out, Li Shang appeared before Long Jiuyyao in an instant.
"Li Shang, how long until the negotiations?" Long Jiuyyao asked.
"Young Patriarch, the negotiations are one month from now." Li Shang replied, masking his astonishment.
He could sense that Long Jiuyyao was only at the Minor Form Creation Realm, yet the power within him was enough to overwhelm dozens of prodigies at the same level.
"In that case, go make the preparations." Long Jiuyyao waved a hand.
At his words, Li Shang blurred and vanished. The quiet canyon was left with only Long Jiuyyao.
Long Jiuyyao didn't leave. He hadn't yet fully mastered the body he had reforged, so he trained his martial arts in the empty canyon, both to hone his skills and to familiarize himself with his new body as quickly as possible.
His figure practiced his martial arts again and again in the empty canyon, never tiring.
There were no shortcuts to becoming a strong fighter, to becoming invincible. Being born into the Dragon Clan had only given him a higher starting point.
He could only gain strength through his own efforts. No one could help him.
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. Today marked Long Jiuyyao's second year in the Beast War Domain, as well as the day of negotiations with the two Great Demon Commanders, Ghost Eagle and Golden Ape.
The Blood Dragon Hall had grown dozens of times larger than before, and its headquarters had expanded several times over. Powerful auras surged through the mountain ranges, while patrols swept across the sky from time to time, their sharp gazes surveying every corner of the Blood Dragon Mountain Range.
Everyone in the Beast War Domain could see that the Blood Dragon Hall had become the number one power. Under its pressure, the other four Demon Commanders had banded together to resist it.
Thanks to Long Jiuyyao's invitation, the two sides hadn't engaged in a major bloodbath. Only their subordinate forces had clashed, which was of little consequence.
In the war-torn Beast War Domain, there was only one place within a ten-thousand-li radius untouched by war: the area around Nine-Tails Village. Its peaceful scenery stood in stark contrast with the chaos elsewhere, a pocket of absolute peace amid absolute warfare.
A year ago, when the bloodshed first erupted, several forces had tried to unite and seize their share of the spoils in the war-torn Beast War Domain.
Their first target had been the now-weak Nine-tailed Clan. They wanted the clan's blood to make their first victory a success.
But when they had come within a thousand li of Nine-Tails Village, that coalition had mysteriously disappeared. Dozens of other forces, large and small, had suffered the same fate. From then on, no one dared enter within ten thousand li of Nine-Tails Village.
This was Long Jiuyyao's promise to them. Even in the most chaotic era the Beast War Domain had ever known, he would keep his word.
The Beast War Domain was chaotic, but many small forces despised war. They lacked the strength to stop any of it, though, and many had perished in the fighting. Protected by the Blood Dragon Hall, Nine-Tails Village had emerged from the bloodshed stronger than before.
Countless small forces had joined Nine-Tails Village, like drops of water flowing into a river, until at last they had formed a sea.
Yet they never provoked others. They only showed their fangs when someone invaded.
Nine-Tails Village had now become the third-largest power in the Beast War Domain. They could survive quite well even without Long Jiuyyao's help.
At that moment, wind and thunder rumbled above the Blood Dragon Hall's headquarters. Figures streaked through the air toward it. At the very front was a burly man clad in golden armor, a black iron club in his hand. His face was ugly, but his aura was no weaker than that of the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal.
"The Golden Ape Great Demon Marshal from Golden Ape Mountain!"
As soon as the giant appeared, cries of surprise rose from the open, silent plaza. He was one of the three Great Demon Commanders of the Beast War Domain, the Golden Ape Great Demon Marshal from Golden Ape Mountain.
"Golden Ape, looks like you received an invitation too!"
Not long after the giant appeared, a sharp laugh rang out from afar.
A mass of black clouds rolled toward them. Only after looking carefully could one see that the clouds were actually formed from countless winged figures. At the very front of the black cloud was a slender figure. A pair of eagle wings spread behind him, spanning a full hundred zhang.
"Has the Ghost Carving Great Demon Marshal from Ghost Carving Ravine arrived too?" Cries of surprise rang out from the crowd.
Before you continue