Acquaintances Arrive

A month after the Enthronement Ceremony ended, the Three Great Demon Marshals who had departed had already returned to the Beast War Palace one after another, each beginning to take charge and operate this colossal machine.

But to thoroughly grasp the entire Beast War Palace, a certain period of adjustment was still needed.

For Long Jiuyyao, however, the Beast War Domain was merely a temporary battleground; he would not remain here long. He would later take over the Dragon Clan, and even ascend to the Greater World—that was his ultimate destination.

Only when major events arose would he appear to preside; otherwise, he was essentially a hands-off manager. If the Three Great Demon Marshals couldn't even handle such matters, then it was time to consider replacing them.

At this moment, Long Jiuyyao was on the back mountain of the main hall, bare-chested, relentlessly honing his martial arts. In the three years he had spent in the Beast War Domain, with his Minor Form Creation Realm strength and a physique rivaling the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm, the Black Obsidian Sacred Dragon Finger could now condense three fingers. However, the fourth and fifth fingers consumed far too much Yuan Power, and could only be unleashed upon entering the Qi Creation Realm and the Creation Realm.

Long Jiuyyao now stared with blazing eyes at the Dragon Soul Incarnation before him, identical to himself in every way.

Ever since his Natal Dragon Soul had been immersed in the Nirvana Golden Body Liquid, he had been able to successfully condense an incarnation. And now, having acquired the Dragon Vein Qi, it possessed intelligence no less than a human's, yet it was one hundred percent loyal to Long Jiuyyao.

The two faced each other. Long Jiuyyao moved first; the ground around him collapsed, and a continuous series of sonic booms rang out. His incarnation reacted just as swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged no fewer than a hundred blows.

They retreated. Long Jiuyyao's lips curled upward, a faint mist rising from his bare upper body, his expression one of extreme excitement.

The incarnation looked exactly like Long Jiuyyao, save for the expression on its face. Unlike Long Jiuyyao, there was no trace of excitement—only cold ruthlessness.

Long Jiuyyao's robust frame shimmered with a golden luster, like a gilded arhat, his black hair whipping wildly behind him like a demon god.

The incarnation was the same. The ground beneath them cracked like a tortoise shell. The two threw their full strength into their fists, without any Yuan Power enhancement, relying solely on physical force. They clashed again for dozens, then hundreds of exchanges.

"Boom!"

Fist met flesh, the sound like muffled thunder. Ripples of energy surged outward, with the two at the center. Within a radius of dozens of zhang, boulders and ancient trees were shattered and snapped.

Long Jiuyyao leaned back against a rock wall, a human-shaped crater pressed into its surface. He reached out and patted the red fist mark on his chest.

In the distance, the incarnation was sent flying dozens of meters, smashing through several sky-reaching ancient trees. It wiped a trace of red from the corner of its mouth and slowly rose.

A gully nearly a hundred meters long stretched between them. Long Jiuyyao made the first move, lightly tapping his toes, his figure vanishing in an instant. Since he had a sparring partner, he would hold nothing back and strike with all his might.

The entire rock wall behind him turned to powder in an instant. With just a single light step, the terrifying force erupted like a thunderclap.

Both moved like rainbows, each step as if an immortal shrinking the mountains and rivers. They fought with all their might, darting unpredictably across the back mountain, exchanging blows.

After nearly another thousand exchanges.

Both retreated a hundred meters. Then Long Jiuyyao's right hand, three fingers extended, suddenly turned deep and dark, radiating a terrifyingly extreme Yin Sha Power. Even the leaves of the ancient trees within a hundred zhang of him were coated in layers of frost.

The Dragon Soul Incarnation's cold face finally showed a hint of change. Then its right hand did the same, but its momentum was not as fierce as Long Jiuyyao's.

This was their final move, the one to decide victory.

A vortex of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power blotted out the sky. Three hundred-zhang giant fingers, dark as pitch, hung in the air, carrying extreme yin-cold force as they shot violently toward the incarnation.

At the same time, the incarnation's own hundred-zhang giant fingers slowly approached. Six fingers clashed.

"Boom!"

The two world-shaking Creation Martial Arts finally collided in the sky. Instantly, heaven and earth trembled, and a terrifying Yuan Power storm erupted, spreading wildly.

Within that storm, the six giant fingers ground against each other, ceaselessly eroding one another. Where the Yuan Power met, earth-shattering explosions rang out.

For a moment, victory seemed uncertain!

But in the end, the Dragon Soul Incarnation was defeated. Yet Long Jiuyyao's face was also pale, clearly the three-finger stance had consumed a massive amount of his Yuan Power.

"This battle—I enjoyed it thoroughly." Long Jiuyyao laughed heartily.

The Dragon Soul Incarnation nodded, then reverted into the furious dragon tattoo, adhering to Long Jiuyyao's chest.

After saying this, Long Jiuyyao, still bare-chested, lay flat on the ground as if drained of strength, gasping for air. This battle had brought him immense satisfaction.

The back mountain, shattered by their fight, was now riddled with hundreds of craters of varying sizes, countless deep gullies, and ancient trees ravaged as if by a violent storm, broken and battered.

After resting on the ground for a while, Long Jiuyyao rose and walked straight toward a nearby Spirit Spring. He stripped off his remaining clothes, leaped into the spring, and swam through it like a dragon.

The cool spring water, rich with dense Heaven and Earth Yuan Power, washed over Long Jiuyyao's flesh and physique. As the spring entered his body, every cell seemed to radiate joy.

The fist-mark scars left by the battle with the Dragon Soul Incarnation were also restored to their original state under the nourishment of the spring.

After the unification of the Beast War Domain, the frequent conflicts of the past disappeared, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

One day, Long Jiuyyao came alone to the Nine-tailed Clan. Now, every member of the clan looked at him with eyes full of awe and gratitude.

The Graceful Beauty led a delicate, lively girl before Long Jiuyyao: "Palace Lord."

"Aunt Xin, you're being too formal. Just call me Jiuyyao like before." Long Jiuyyao gently took Xin Qing into his arms and said softly.

"Little Xin, did you miss your brother?" Long Jiuyyao teased the adorable Xin Qing.

"Brother Yao, thank you." The soft, sweet Xin Qing planted a kiss on Long Jiuyyao's cheek.

Long Jiuyyao naturally knew why she thanked him, and he accepted it openly.

"Haha, since you call me brother, that makes you my little sister. Your clansmen are my friends too. Of course I'll protect you." Long Jiuyyao laughed loudly.

"Aunt Xin, is your clan's ancestral site garrisoned? Do you want me to dispatch a few thousand Blood Guards to station there?" Long Jiuyyao turned and asked.

"Jiuyyao, no need. Now that the Beast War Domain is unified, the chaos and warfare of the past are gone. There's no need to worry." Aunt Xin declined the offer. "Compared to before, life now is like a paradise."

Long Jiuyyao stayed with the Nine-tailed Clan for several days. With the Three Great Demon Marshals assisting with the myriad affairs of the Beast War Palace, he managed to steal some leisure time.

But today, a familiar person arrived at the Beast War Palace. When Long Jiuyyao reached the front hall, he saw a woman with an exquisite back profile sitting upright, her gaze calmly surveying her surroundings.

Long Jiuyao stopped behind her without making a sound, but as if she had sensed his presence, she suddenly turned around and caught sight of him in that very moment.

Her expression was cold and proud, yet the faint joy flickering in her pure eyes betrayed that her heart was not as aloof as her face suggested.

The corners of Long Jiuyao's mouth lifted, surprise flashing in his eyes. The next instant, he moved like lightning, appearing at her side and pulling her developing figure into his arms, feeling the softness within his embrace. "You came."

The cold and proud woman's tender cheeks flushed crimson at his bold move. Setting aside her shyness, her delicate frame trembled slightly as her lotus-like arms wrapped around his tall, straight body.

Time ticked by, and neither showed any intention of parting. But just then, an ill-timed figure appeared at the front hall.

Long Jiuyao did not notice the person behind him, but Lan Xinhuang spotted the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal standing at his back.

The Sky Dragon Demon Marshal's expression tightened. He had heard from his guards that a friend of the Palace Lord had arrived and intended to play the gracious host, but he never expected to walk into such a scene.

Lan Xinhuang's cheeks burned like blazing clouds as she broke free from Long Jiuyao's fiery embrace, lowering her head repeatedly, too embarrassed to look.

Long Jiuyao looked puzzled. They had been holding each other just fine—why was she suddenly so shy?

He was about to continue when Lan Xinhuang's jade-like finger subtly pointed behind him, then she buried her head deep into her arms.

Catching the hint, Long Jiuyao glanced back and saw the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal standing still, his expression unchanged, staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.

"Ahem!" Long Jiuyao cleared his throat deliberately and waved a hand, signaling him to leave.

Receiving the order, the Sky Dragon Demon Marshal retreated as if pardoned, his inner turmoil far from matching his calm exterior.

Long Jiuyao sat down beside her, looking 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 lifted her head skeptically, her spirit eyes scanning the surroundings. Confirming no one was there, she resumed her cold and proud demeanor.

"It's all your fault." Lan Xinhuang lightly pounded Long Jiuyao's chest, but he wouldn't let her have her way. He caught her tender hand in his.

"Well, you didn't refuse either." Long Jiuyao grinned mischievously, teasing the cold and proud woman he hadn't seen in three years.

Her earlobes tinged pink as he suddenly grasped her jade fingers. She struggled to break free, but her strength was no match for his.

"Little girl, did you come alone?" Long Jiuyao asked.

"Of course not. There's them too." Lan Xinhuang withdrew her jade fingers, and a Universe Bag appeared in her hand, glowing with light.

A massive, dragon-horned centipede clad in purple armor emerged in the hall.

"Zi Lin!" Long Jiuyao exclaimed in delight, staring at the centipede, which had changed dramatically from three years ago.

He could tell from the power hidden within its body that Zi Lin was now comparable to the Creation Realm.

The most striking change was the enormous dragon horns on its head, now covered in golden secret patterns that gleamed like gold, terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"And Jin Ming? Didn't he come?" Long Jiuyao hadn't forgotten and asked instead.

"No. When we went back, Jin Ming was no longer in the courtyard. Maybe Uncle Yuan knows." Lan Xinhuang answered truthfully.

Long Jiuyao fell silent, a flicker of doubt in his heart. What had happened to Jin Ming? Where could he be?

Jin Ming had fused with the Kunpeng Bone Wings that had survived the Triple Reincarnation Tribulation—it was far too dangerous. Yuan Gan dared not tell anyone about Jin Ming's current situation or location.

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