East of Heaven Dou City.
Sunset Forest was a rare medium-sized primeval forest in this modern world.
The viewpoint descended from the sky, plunging toward a mountain hollow deep within the forest, breaking through a layer of soul-tool illusion before passing through a veil of multicolored mist.
A haze of water and fire appeared before them—a red-and-blue valley.
The valley was lush with greenery, its rare plants competing in splendor. Their growth was so exuberant that it was difficult even to take another step.
At that moment, Aromatic Silk Beauty, the ruler of this valley, had his handsome face kneaded and pinched by a pair of hands as someone asked, "Xiangxiang."
"It's been over three years. Did you miss your emperor?"
"Yes! Of course I missed you. Three years and three months—I definitely missed you." Aromatic Silk Beauty smiled awkwardly.
Infernal Delicate Apricot grabbed Long Zijin's right wrist and pleaded, "Your Majesty, could you stop bullying Xiangxiang?"
Facing those stunning crimson eyes, Long Zijin could only let go. "Fine. It's not like I'm some bad dragon."
Only then did Aromatic Silk Beauty get to the point. "Your Majesty, what brings you here this time? This humble king is willing to serve you."
Long Zijin brought out the jade box containing the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng and handed it over. "Since you can suppress the spirit-gathering of all these immortal-grade plants, can you awaken the intelligence of this Dragon Ginseng?"
Aromatic Silk Beauty frowned after only one glance. "Only eight and a half grades? Although the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is growing remarkably well, it must still advance to immortal grade before its intelligence can be awakened."
"This humble king conservatively estimates that it will take at least a thousand years."
Long Zijin shook his head. "There's no need for a thousand years. I have a way to help it reach the tenth grade, or even the eleventh, as quickly as possible."
"When that time comes, how long will it take you to awaken its intelligence?"
After pondering for two seconds, Aromatic Silk Beauty replied conservatively, "Within half a year."
He pointed at the verdant plants filling the valley. "The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Crystal Jade Muscle Bone, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Star-Net Spirit Pearl, Primordial Immortal Grass, and Fragrant Silk Luo Flower."
"These tenth-grade plant brethren are only half a step away from forming complete intelligence, but they have been under this humble king's suppression."
"Therefore, once this Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng becomes an immortal ginseng, we need only extract a portion of their soul origins and feed them to it. That will help it gather spirit in a single step and become an immortal-grade soul beast."
The Dragon Emperor found the process entirely reasonable and nodded. "We'll do as you say."
"Next, I'll raise the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's grade as quickly as possible."
Purple-green radiance bloomed from his right hand, and that cluster of Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom rose before him.
It was the shell left behind by that former immortal-grade king. Long Zijin had originally planned to bring it into the Dragon Tomb and slowly absorb this peerless immortal-grade plant during the three years he spent awakening his Amethyst Dragon Martial Soul, gaining blessings akin to an indestructible body and the power to overturn the earth like an earth dragon.
Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with change. Now, he could only...
Long Zijin clenched his right hand, and the Power of Destruction instantly erupted, enveloping the cluster of Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom and gradually destroying it into the finest possible substance: energy.
That was right. He intended to use the Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom cluster to nourish the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, achieving the effect of nourishing dragon with dragon and robbing Peter to pay Paul.
The process was visibly rapid. The outline of the Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom cluster melted away, while strands of energy so dense they had liquefied gathered in his right palm.
Long Zijin reached his left hand into the jade box and took out the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. Then he slowly tilted his right palm, allowing the liquid energy to trickle onto the Dragon Ginseng's surface.
A breath of life accompanied by dense dragon aura spread between Long Zijin's palms as the liquid energy dripped onto the Dragon Ginseng.
Feeding Dragon Ginseng with Dragon Ganoderma was the best arrangement.
Moreover, since ginseng herbs were themselves plant roots and stems, they absorbed it exceptionally quickly.
But the Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom cluster was ultimately a peerless immortal-grade plant. No matter how quickly the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng fed, it would eventually overflow. It had to wait until it digested the energy before continuing to feed.
Thus, Long Zijin simply sat down cross-legged and slowed the rate at which his right hand's Power of Destruction shattered the mushroom, balancing it with the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's absorption speed.
Just as he had once fed his ninth son, Chiwen.
Di Guangming stepped closer and asked, "Your Majesty, should we awaken Younger Brother Fire and Younger Sister Water?"
Long Zijin understood the Holy Dragon King's good intentions. Whenever the residual souls of the Two Kings of Water and Fire appeared, they brought forth two dense dragon auras, causing the surrounding vegetation to grow wildly.
Therefore, the Holy Dragon King wanted to use the residual souls of the Two Kings of Water and Fire to accelerate the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's growth and absorption speed, thereby seizing development time from the Silver Dragon King.
Yet Long Zijin shook his head. "No need. Let the two of them rest properly. Besides..."
"This body of Lovesick Heartbreak Red is the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's best mimicry cultivation pool. There's no need to borrow water-and-fire dragon aura."
As soon as he spoke, they followed his gaze downward. Under the nourishment, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng seemed to come alive.
Like a tiny crimson dragon, its tendrils resembling claws and its roots resembling a tail, it coiled around Long Zijin's fingers and wrist.
At that moment, the Dragon Emperor held life in his left hand and destruction in his right. Though the two circulated without end, when combined with his entire being, they painted a harmonious stillness.
That stillness was immensely evocative, causing the Holy Dragon King and the Six Immortal-Grade Fierce Beasts to unconsciously sit down where they were and remain by their emperor's side.
The scene resembled a mural that would be passed down through the ages.
And it was amid such silent tranquility that the Dragon Emperor's former self had comprehended the power that could return all eternally moving things to complete stillness—the Power of Annihilation.
Time flowed slowly through the valley as the Sun Moon light shifted overhead.
Amid utter silence, the days passed one by one.
Morning glow, evening haze, dawn breaking.
Cultivation and meditation were inherently tedious, but within the Dragon Tomb and this valley, the Dragon Emperor, Dragon King, and the immortal-grade plants had long grown accustomed to the changing of day and night.
Finally, on the thirty-third day.
Long Zijin's right hand fell empty. The final bit of Purple-Green Dragon Mushroom completely liquefied beneath the Power of Destruction, dripping onto the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng's surface and slowly being absorbed by its roots.
The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng now looked distinctly swollen, resembling a fat Great Red Chi.
Within the little "pool" formed by Long Zijin's palms, it happily swayed its ginseng body like a red carp playing in water.
A peculiar sense of affinity arose as the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng continuously nuzzled against him, carrying faint joy within it.
Long Zijin smiled from the heart. As though he were looking at his former ninth son, the trace of purple in his Golden Pupils faded.
Although this Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng remained at the level of a ninth-grade Ginseng King, having consumed an eleventh-grade plant had granted it the potential of a peerless immortal-grade plant.
The joyful emotion it now radiated proved that it had given birth to a dragon spirit—the spiritual nature within intelligence.
It only needed to finish absorbing the medicinal power within its ginseng body to break through to the tenth and eleventh grades, gather wisdom, and become an immortal-grade king.
From here on, Aromatic Silk Beauty could handle everything.
But Long Zijin did not let go, because he could sense the attachment in his hand.
Just as he was preparing to remain here and wait for the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng to break through the tenth grade and transform into wisdom...
"Hmm?" Long Zijin suddenly turned his head and looked toward the East Sea.
"What's going on? Why has one layer of the Eighteen-Layer Seal been broken?"
Before you continue