A month after the Enthronement Ceremony, the Three Great Demon Marshals who had left had all returned to the Beast War Palace one after another, each beginning to take charge of running this enormous organization.
But it would take some time for them to fully get accustomed to managing the entire Beast War Palace.
To Long Jiuyyao, however, the Beast War Domain was merely a place he had conquered for a time. He would not stay there for long. In the future, he would take over the Dragon Clan and even ascend to the Great Thousand World. That was his ultimate destination.
He would only appear to preside over major events. The rest of the time, he was essentially a hands-off manager. If the Three Great Demon Marshals couldn't even manage things like this, then they could be replaced.
At that moment, Long Jiuyyao was bare-chested on the mountain behind the main hall, constantly honing his martial arts. During his three years in the Beast War Domain, with his Minor Form Creation Realm strength and a physique comparable to the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm, he had become able to condense three fingers with the Black Obsidian Sacred Dragon Finger. The fourth and fifth fingers, however, consumed far too much Yuan Power; he would have to enter the Qi Creation Realm and the Creation Realm before he could use them.
Long Jiuyyao's eyes blazed as he stared at the Dragon Soul Incarnation opposite him, whose appearance was identical to his own.
His Natal Dragon Soul had already been able to successfully form an incarnation back when it was immersed in the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid. Now that it possessed Dragon Vein Qi, it had intelligence no less than a human's—and it was absolutely loyal to Long Jiuyyao.
The two faced each other. Long Jiuyyao made the first move, and the ground around him collapsed. Sonic booms rang out in an unbroken series. His incarnation reacted just as quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows.
They sprang apart. Long Jiuyyao's lips curved into a smile, faint vapor rising from his bare torso. He looked thoroughly exhilarated.
The incarnation looked exactly like Long Jiuyyao, but its expression was different. Unlike Long Jiuyyao, it showed no excitement, only coldness.
Long Jiuyyao's muscular body glimmered with a golden sheen, like a golden Arhat, while his Black Hair whipped wildly behind him like that of a demon god.
The incarnation was the same. The ground beneath them cracked like a tortoiseshell pattern. They threw themselves into the fight, putting all their strength into their punches without any Yuan Power behind them, relying solely on their physical strength. They traded blow after blow, dozens, then hundreds...
"Boom!"
Fist met flesh with a sound like muffled thunder. Ripples of force surged outward from the two of them, shattering boulders and snapping ancient trees within a radius of dozens of yards.
Long Jiuyyao's back slammed against a rock face, leaving a person-shaped crater. He patted the red fist mark on his chest.
In the distance, the incarnation flew back dozens of meters, smashing through several Sky-reaching Ancient Trees. It wiped a streak of red from the corner of its mouth and slowly rose to its feet.
A chasm nearly a hundred meters long opened between them. Long Jiuyyao struck first, pushing off with his toes. His figure vanished in an instant. Now that he had a sparring partner, he could put everything else aside and throw himself into the fight.
The entire rock face behind him crumbled into dust in an instant. A light step alone unleashed terrifying force with a thunderous crash.
Both moved like rainbows, each step carrying them across the landscape as if they could shrink mountains and rivers. They fought with all their might, darting through the mountain behind the hall and trading punches.
Nearly a thousand more moves passed.
The two retreated a hundred meters. Long Jiuyyao's right hand then darkened, its three fingers radiating terrifying Yin Sha Power. Frost formed layer upon layer on the leaves and branches of the ancient trees within a hundred yards of him.
At last, a flicker of change crossed the Dragon Soul Incarnation's cold face. Its right hand transformed in the same way, but its power was not as strong as Long Jiuyyao's.
This was their final move, the one that would decide the victor.
A vortex of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power blotted out the sky. Three hundred-meter-long black fingers hung in the air, then shot toward the incarnation with the utmost icy force.
Likewise, the Dragon Soul Incarnation released three hundred-meter-long fingers, which slowly closed in. Six fingers clashed.
"Boom!"
The two world-shaking Creation Martial Arts finally collided in the sky. The heavens and earth trembled, and a terrifying storm of Yuan Power swept wildly across the area.
Within the storm, the six giant fingers collided and relentlessly devoured one another. As their Yuan Power met, a series of deafening explosions rang out.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell who would win!
But in the end, the Dragon Soul Incarnation was defeated. Long Jiuyyao's face had also gone pale; clearly, summoning those three fingers had consumed a great deal of his Yuan Power.
"That was a satisfying fight!" Long Jiuyyao laughed heartily.
The Dragon Soul Incarnation nodded, then transformed back into a dragon-shaped tattoo and clung to Long Jiuyyao's chest.
After saying this, Long Jiuyyao lay flat on the ground as if utterly drained, gasping for breath. The fight had left him feeling immensely satisfied.
The mountain behind the hall had been devastated by their battle. Hundreds of craters of varying sizes pocked the ground, countless deep ravines cut through it, and the ancient trees were battered as if a gale had torn through them.
After resting on the ground for a while, Long Jiuyyao got up and headed straight for the Spirit Spring nearby. He stripped off all his clothes, leaped into the spring, and swam through it like a dragon.
The cool spring, rich with Heaven and Earth Yuan Power, washed over Long Jiuyyao's body and strengthened his physique. As the spring water seeped into him, every cell in his body seemed to rejoice.
The marks left by the punches he had taken in his fight with the Dragon Soul Incarnation also healed under the spring's restorative nourishment.
After the Beast War Domain was unified, the frequent clashes of the past disappeared, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
One day, Long Jiuyyao went alone to the Nine-tailed Clan. Every member of the clan looked at him with reverence and gratitude.
The Graceful Beauty brought a bright-eyed girl over to Long Jiuyyao. "Palace Master."
"Aunt Xin, that's too formal. Call me Jiuyyao, like you used to." Long Jiuyyao scooped up Xin Qing and spoke softly.
"Little Qing, did you miss your big brother?" Long Jiuyyao teased the sweet girl.
"Brother Yao, thank you." Xin Qing planted a kiss on Long Jiuyyao's cheek.
Long Jiuyyao knew why she was thanking him, and he accepted it without hesitation.
"Haha, if you call me big brother, then you're my little sister. That makes your whole clan my friends, so of course I'll protect you." Long Jiuyyao laughed loudly.
"Aunt Xin, is anyone stationed at your clan's ancestral grounds? Should I send a few thousand Blood Guards to guard the place?" Long Jiuyyao turned and asked.
"Jiuyyao, there's no need. The Beast War Domain is unified now, and the chaos and warfare of the past are long gone. There's nothing to worry about." Aunt Xin accepted his offer with a smile. "Compared to how things used to be, life now is practically like living in a paradise."
Long Jiuyyao stayed with the Nine-tailed Clan for several days. With the Three Great Demon Marshals helping handle the many affairs of the Beast War Palace, he was able to steal some time for himself.
But that day, a familiar person arrived at the Beast War Palace. When Long Jiuyyao came to the front hall, he saw a stunning woman sitting there with her back to him, calmly surveying her surroundings.
Long Jiuyyao stopped behind her without a word. As if sensing him, she suddenly turned around and saw him the moment he appeared.
Her expression was cold and proud, but a glimmer of joy in her clear eyes betrayed the warmth within her.
Long Jiuyyao's lips curved up, surprise and delight filling his eyes. Then he darted over like lightning and embraced her slender, softly curving figure, feeling her softness in his arms. "You're here."
Long Jiuyyao's gesture turned the cold beauty's cheeks rosy. She was too overwhelmed to feel shy; her body trembled slightly as she wrapped her arms around his strong frame.
A moment passed, then another, but neither of them showed any intention of letting go. Just then, an unwelcome person appeared in the front hall.
Long Jiuyyao didn't notice the person behind him, but Lan Xinhuang immediately spotted the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal.
The Sky Dragon Demon Marshal stiffened. He had heard from the guards that a friend of the Palace Master had arrived and had come to welcome her as a good host. He hadn't expected to walk in on this scene.
Lan Xinhuang's cheeks turned as red as the evening clouds. She wriggled out of Long Jiuyyao's passionate embrace, lowered her head, and didn't dare look at him.
Long Jiuyyao was bewildered. They had been holding each other perfectly well—why had she suddenly become so shy?
Just as Long Jiuyyao was about to continue, Lan Xinhuang subtly pointed behind him with her slender fingers, then buried her head deep in her arms.
Taking the hint, Long Jiuyyao looked back. The Sky Dragon Demon Marshal stood there with an unchanged expression, staring straight ahead as though nothing had happened.
"Ahem!" Long Jiuyyao cleared his throat pointedly and waved for him to leave.
At the signal, the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal retreated as if pardoned. His heart was far less calm than his face suggested.
Long Jiuyyao sat beside her and looked at Lan Xinhuang, who had buried her head in her arms like an ostrich. "It's fine, he's gone. It's just the two of us now."
Lan Xinhuang looked up doubtfully. Her Spirit Eyes searched the room, and when she confirmed no one was there, her usual cold and proud demeanor returned.
"It's all your fault." Lan Xinhuang lightly pounded Long Jiuyyao's chest, but he didn't let her. He caught her delicate hand.
"But you didn't push me away, did you?" Long Jiuyyao teased the proud woman he hadn't seen in three years, wearing a mischievous grin.
When he suddenly caught her fingers, the tips of her ears turned faintly red. She struggled to pull free, but Long Jiuyyao was far too strong for her.
"Little girl, did you come alone?" Long Jiuyyao asked.
"Of course not. They came too." Lan Xinhuang pulled her fingers free and took out a Universe Bag, which flashed with light.
A massive dragon-horned centipede covered in purple armor appeared in the hall.
"Zi Lin!" Long Jiuyyao exclaimed in delight, staring at the centipede, which had changed enormously since three years ago.
From the power contained within it, Long Jiuyyao could tell that Zi Lin had reached a level comparable to the Creation Realm.
The biggest change was its enormous horn. Golden secret patterns covered it, making it look as if it were made of gold. It was especially terrifying and imposing.
"What about Jin Ming? Didn't it come?" Long Jiuyyao hadn't forgotten about him and asked after him.
"No. When we returned, Jin Ming was already gone from the courtyard. Perhaps Uncle Yuan knows." Lan Xinhuang answered honestly.
Long Jiuyyao fell silent, a vague unease stirring in his heart. What had happened to Jin Ming? Where could it be?
Jin Ming had fused with the Kunpeng Bone Wings that had survived the Triple Reincarnation Tribulation. It was simply too dangerous, and Yuan Gan didn't dare tell anyone about Jin Ming's current situation or whereabouts.
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