"Sacred Dao Aura..."
"That Black Flood Dragon wanted to eat me because of the Sacred Dao Aura I give off?"
Jiang Yuan was enlightened. At last, he understood why the Black Flood Dragon had wanted to eat him the moment it saw him.
The Human Ancestors had been created by Empress Wa, and their bloodline carried a wisp of Sacred Dao Aura from birth. This was the power of a Sage, a great tonic for any living being. As long as one refined it, it could spur one's own transformation.
The Black Flood Dragon was a flood dragon. Aside from leaping through the Dragon Gate, the best way for it to become a True Dragon was to refine a treasure like Sacred Dao Aura.
"That's right. Mu Jiao was after the Sacred Dao Aura in your body. Fortunately, your cultivation is too low. You've only just entered the Pre-Heaven Realm, so the Sacred Dao Aura in you isn't very strong and has limited effect."
"If you'd already become an immortal, even I wouldn't be able to protect you. Mu Jiao would have eaten you for sure."
Xuanshan Clan said gravely. Mu Jiao was the name of that Black Flood Dragon.
"Surely it wouldn't come to that. Someone of Mu Jiao's standing has plenty of ways to become a True Dragon. Why risk offending you just to eat me?"
Jiang Yuan was a little confused. Sacred Dao Aura was precious, but Xuanshan Clan was no pushover.
Put it this way: if Xuanshan Clan were willing to give up his Human Race identity and join the Dragon Race, the Dragon Race would immediately help him become a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal.
By then, Xuanshan Clan would be a direct descendant of the Dragon Emperor, with a standing in the Dragon Race even higher than Mu Jiao's father, Mu Longbo.
If that weren't the case, why would Mu Longbo, a dignified Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, invite Xuanshan Clan, a Heavenly Immortal, to his banquet?
Under those circumstances, no matter how good Sacred Dao Aura was, Mu Jiao wouldn't offend Xuanshan Clan for it. What if he snatched it but didn't live to use it?
Then you don't know the whole story. Mu Jiao wasn't an ordinary flood dragon; he was a naturally born anomaly. Though he had the body of a flood dragon, he was an Innate True Spirit, just like a True Dragon.
"In other words, if he becomes a True Dragon, he won't be an ordinary one. He'll become an Azure Dragon, on par with the Innate Gods and Devils. That's exactly why it's so difficult for him to transform. Even leaping through the Dragon Gate won't help."
"And Sacred Dao Aura is one of the few treasures that can help him become a True Dragon. Faced with the temptation of becoming an Azure Dragon, what would making an enemy of me matter? He'd even go to war with the Human Race without hesitation."
Xuanshan Clan spoke with considerable envy. He, too, was an Innate True Spirit, but he had transformed after birth, while Mu Jiao had been born one. Mu Jiao's starting point was far higher than his.
Given the same conditions, Mu Jiao would find it easier to transform into an Innate God or Devil than he would.
"Most flood dragons are Innate Living Beings, but he's an Innate True Spirit. He really is an anomaly."
Jiang Yuan understood. He hadn't expected Mu Jiao to have such a special status. At the same time, a sense of urgency rose within him. It seemed this matter wasn't over yet.
"Don't go near the coast again. Mu Jiao has probably set his sights on you. You know how whenever an Exotic Fruit appears, strange beasts guard it."
"Clearly, Mu Jiao has taken you for an Exotic Fruit, and he's the strange beast guarding it. He's just waiting for you to ripen so he can pick and swallow you, then soar into dragonhood."
Xuanshan Clan's next words confirmed Jiang Yuan's suspicions.
Mu Jiao hadn't let him go. He'd allowed Jiang Yuan to leave only because his cultivation was too low. He planned to let him grow a little more, then pick him once he became a Heavenly Immortal.
"Dream on. By the time I become a Heavenly Immortal, it won't be clear who's eating whom."
Jiang Yuan scoffed. Mu Jiao was only an early-stage Heavenly Immortal. He wasn't bragging when he said that once he became a Heavenly Immortal, killing Mu Jiao would be as easy as turning over his hand.
"That's the spirit!"
Though Xuanshan Clan didn't believe Jiang Yuan could do it, he didn't say anything discouraging. Instead, he encouraged him.
He'd been young once, too, and understood Jiang Yuan's state of mind. Having just gained a fortuitous opportunity and awakened his Innate God-Devil Bloodline, Jiang Yuan was at the height of his confidence.
At a time like this, he thought himself capable of anything and wouldn't listen to anyone's advice.
There was no need to discourage him. After he faced enough setbacks, he'd naturally realize how naive he'd been.
Awakening an Innate God-Devil Bloodline and transforming into an Innate God or Devil were two entirely different things.
The former was merely the first step on a journey of ten thousand miles; the latter was the destination. Yet how many could keep walking until the end?
Among those who awakened a God-Devil Bloodline, it would be fortunate if even one in a hundred transformed into an Innate True Spirit, let alone an Innate God or Devil. The rest died along the way.
Cultivation was simply this cruel.
Jiang Yuan, born an Acquired Living Being, hoped to surpass Mu Jiao, who had been born an Innate True Spirit. It was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.
As the two spoke, they arrived at the East Sea Coast. From far away, they heard enthusiastic cheering from the Human Race settlement.
"Has something joyous happened in the clan?"
Xuanshan Clan wondered aloud. It had been a long time since the Human Race had been this lively. It seemed not only had something joyous happened in the clan, but it was a great celebration.
"Did Ancestor Sui break through and attain the Daluo Dao Fruit? Or did the Holy Mother emerge from seclusion and manifest before the Human Race?"
Xuanshan Clan guessed.
"Why don't we go ask and find out?"
Jiang Yuan urged him on. He was curious, too, about what joyous event had taken place in the clan while he'd been away.
"Ancestor Sui created the Fire of Civilization and planted it within the Acquired Humans, allowing them to refine spiritual energy through breathing and embark on the path of cultivation, just like Innate Living Beings."
There was no need to ask around. With a sweep of his divine sense, Xuanshan Clan learned what had happened. It truly was cause for celebration: after years of research, Ancestor Sui had finally solved the problem that had prevented Acquired Humans from cultivating.
"So this is Drilling Wood to Make Fire!"
Jiang Yuan pondered. According to legend, Suiren had drilled wood to make fire, kindling the light of civilization for the Human Race. This must have been what the tale referred to.
For mortals, making fire was important, an essential skill for developing a people. But this was the Primordial World, where immortals and gods were everywhere and making fire was easy. It wasn't anything worth praising.
But guiding Acquired Living Beings and opening the path of cultivation to them was a groundbreaking feat, worthy of every praise.
Jiang Yuan knew firsthand how impossible it had been for Acquired Living Beings to cultivate!
It was because he couldn't cultivate that the Kun Fish had swallowed him. If he'd had even a little cultivation back then, he could at least have escaped.
"I'll take you to meet Ancestor Sui!"
Xuanshan Clan glanced at Jiang Yuan and spoke.
He hadn't forgotten that Jiang Yuan, too, was an Acquired Living Being. Despite being one, he'd managed to embark on the path of cultivation without the kindling Emperor Sui had given the Human Race.
What's more, after being swallowed by the Kun Fish, not only had he survived, he'd swallowed the Kun Fish in turn and awakened the Human Ancestor Bloodline in the process.
Every event in Jiang Yuan's life was worth discussing. Xuanshan Clan had no intention of probing into Jiang Yuan's secrets, but whether anything was amiss was something Emperor Sui would have to judge for himself.
Ancestor Sui dressed much like Xuanshan Clan: his hair hung loose, his upper body was bare, and an animal-skin skirt wrapped around his lower body. The people of the Human Race in this era were dressed much the same.
The difference was that Ancestor Sui's aura was kind and gentle, and he looked middle-aged. Xuanshan Clan, by contrast, still looked like a young man despite being several thousand years old.