Seizing the Dragon, Taking the Soul

Jiannan Circuit, Southern Border, Nine Spirits Mountain.

This mountain range is like a natural barrier, separating Jiannan Circuit from the Five Marshes. On one side is the prosperous Great Rui, and on the other side is the Savage Wilderness Marshfolk.

Stove Mountain stands in the center of the mountain range.

When this mountain that flew in first appeared, it terrified all living things around it. Whether it was human villages, demons and aquatic creatures in the mountains and waters, or even ignorant wild beasts of the forest, they all looked at this mountain with trepidation.

Now, after this period of time, most of the mountain demons have been subdued and incorporated. Even those who stubbornly resist are now living cautiously on the fringes, have gained a better understanding of Stove Mountain, and are no longer afraid of it.

The human villages near the mountains and forests, who used to live under the threat of demons, were not only attacked when they went into the mountains to hunt, but sometimes even when they farmed around the village, they would be captured and carried away by demons and wild beasts. However, after the arrival of the Stove Mountain, with the protection of the gods, their lives got better day by day, and the villagers became more and more devout in their worship of the mountain god and river god.

Recently, with the stabilization of the Netherworld Domain, Qiu Yan dispatched ghost messengers into dreams to spread the worship of the Kitchen God, gradually elevating the worship of the surrounding villages from simply worshipping the mountain god and river god to worshipping the Kitchen God.

The worship of the gods further solidified the Kitchen God Divine Office, providing him with an ever-growing and stable source of worship.

The Nine Spirits Mountain and the Great Snow River, along with the surrounding dense forests, have been rich in wild game since ancient times. The land on the edges is even more fertile. If it weren't for the threat of the Marshfolk and the rampant spread of demons, it would have been developed by the people of Great Rui long ago. Even with these threats, there are still quite a few humans who have lived and multiplied here for generations. They are scattered in dozens of villages, and through Qiu Yan's deliberate guidance, they have all become believers in the Kitchen God. A rough estimate suggests that there are at least nearly ten thousand of them.

In fact, it's not just in the border regions; in the past few months, as Qiu Yan's understanding of the Yin-Yang Pagoda's Domain of Law and his research on the Netherworld have deepened, the expansion of that Domain of Law has become more systematic. Furthermore, through Fleshly Body guidance in the Mortal Realm, coupled with his various inventions and creations during his northward journey, he has enabled the Kitchen God to appear in dreams. This has led to a surge in the worship of the Kitchen God among the people of Jiannan Circuit, spreading throughout Jiannan Circuit region and reaching over 100,000 people who can be considered true believers in the Kitchen God.

Of course, the main focus was on Qingchang County and Yuanning Prefecture.

Don't think it's exaggerated that over 100,000 believers were accumulated in such a short time. You should know that Jiannan Circuit is a vast and resource-rich land, known as the Land of Abundance. It already had a large population. After decades of peace and recuperation, Jiannan City, the seat of government of Jiannan, alone had 169,098 households in the year the new emperor ascended the throne. Each household was further divided into elderly, adult, young, and female members, which shows just how large the population was.

According to the rules of the Great Rui, each prefecture, state, and military region had to submit maps and registers every three years, so that the court could know the terrain and population size of the country. Because there were many leap years, the maps were called Leap-Year Register, so the court had a clear understanding of the population and household numbers in each region.

Sacrifices to deities were not military service or labor, nor were they limited to the young and strong; men, women, and children could participate, which is why they spread very quickly. However, many of these sacrifices were merely expressions of respect and awe towards the deities, without reaching the level of piety.

In contrast, the villagers around Nine Spirits Mountain and Great Snow River, who were directly protected by the gods and had their harsh living conditions changed, appeared more devout and faithful.

Not long ago, the Flying Leopard Daoist of the Spirit-Sealing Dao attacked and fought a fierce battle with the demons, causing a great commotion, including earthquakes and landslides. This terrified the mountain people, who needed spiritual support and began to worship the gods more and more frequently, gradually forming a custom.

Just like now, in each village, there are elders who lead everyone to worship in the ancestral hall, burn incense and pray to the gods for protection, so that the hunting will be successful and the harvest will be plentiful.

After the blessing is given, simple offerings are presented, and the ceremony is complete.

Then, streams of incense Votive Thoughts rose from each person, carrying their thoughts, desires, and requests, and drifted majestically toward the Stove Mountain.

At the Stove Mountain, Votive Thoughts surged and condensed into invisible clouds, sinking into the mountain pass. Deep within, they merged with Qiu Yan's Divine Spirit Body, coiling around it and becoming part of it, transforming into divine power and thoughts, slowly strengthening his Divine Body.

Qiu Yan was already familiar with this feeling, so he didn't make any extra movements. Each of his arms was wrapped with a divine dragon. Although the dragons were slender, they had an extraordinary aura. One was dark black, and the other was blue.

The dark dragon gave off a heavy and cold feeling, and made a splashing sound as it turned.

The azure dragon gives people a sense of depth and richness, and emits a faint fragrance as it moves about, Qi Manifestation.

The two dragons merged with the Divine Sense and were burned and refined by the Human Path Flame around them, guided by Qiu Yan. However, a trace of instinct remained within them, and they still resisted stubbornly, unwilling to completely submit.

Unlike the Heart Ape, which appears enormous but is actually composed of thoughts and can subdue everything once it is subdued, the two divine dragons are physical objects, involving various aspects and cannot be accomplished overnight.

After listening to Changjian's words, Qiu Yan recalled the scene when Flying Leopard constructed the Azure Dragon Earth Origin Core. The other party used a long whip as its core, which must have been Law Treasure containing spiritual energy. Even if a god wanted to destroy it, it would not be easy.

However, after such a long period of refinement, the Azure Dragon's spirituality has shown signs of softening. After all, the long whip is not Mid-Tier Magical Treasure and has not yet developed consciousness, so it is ultimately no match for it.

As Qiu Yan listened to the longsword's words through his Fleshly Body, he also had his Divine Spirit Body adjust the Human Path Flame to verify them, gradually approaching the core of the Azure Dragon Grand Core. It was like two armies clashing, aiming straight for the Yellow Dragon's heart.

The Azure Dragon Grand Core was forced into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat, and finally erupted completely. This power originated from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and even Qiu Yan dared not underestimate it.

The surging Spiritual Qi even attracted a slight response from the dark dragon, which also emitted a chilling aura that affected the surroundings. This dragon was actually the soul of Horned Dragon deep within the Kitchen God.

The entire Stove Mountain possesses its various powers because it is centered around the soul of the Horned Dragon.

The Heavy Water Bracelet and the short sword, which were taken from Tang Lai, also originated from the soul of this Horned Dragon. According to the long sword, both of these items Transcendence the level of Law Artifact and possessed the characteristics of Law Treasure.

Looking back, Qiu Yan realized that the soul of a Horned Dragon had created at least three Law Treasure: the Heavy Water Bracelet, the Short Sword, and the Stove Mountain, which indirectly demonstrated the extraordinary nature of this dragon soul.

"Fortunately, this dragon soul has had its self-awareness obliterated, leaving only a soul shell, which is embedded in the mountain and imprisoned by layers of restrictions. Now, it is also being burned by Human Path Flame. Otherwise, even with the combat power of Fourth Grade deity, it might not be possible to refine it."

Ever since Qiu Yan took control of Stove Mountain, he had been thinking about subduing the soul of the Horned Dragon, but he hadn't taken action yet because he was hesitant. Only after he obtained the Azure Dragon Grand Core and had the dragon's body as a reference did he finally persuade him to do so, so that he could be absolutely sure of success. He could also use the structure of the Azure Dragon Grand Core to deduce the structure of the Horned Dragon's soul and verify it with each other.

Compared to the Horned Dragon, the Azure Dragon Grand Core, though also an imported item, was developed by Qiu Yan through seven gates, establishing a foundation within it. He could then probe it with his mind, preventing him from being completely helpless.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan naturally realized that such a Horned Dragon soul was not something Tang Lai could subdue. Tang Lai had arrived that day riding the mountain, displaying great strength, but now, Qiu Yan had not only advanced his Divine Spirit Body to the Fourth Grade, but even his Fleshly Body's Divine Soul had reached the Three Realms, Three Stages. If he encountered Tang Lai again, he would not be afraid of fighting her one-on-one, but if she used many Law Treasure, that would be a different story.

As he pondered this, he scattered his Divine Sense, harnessing the Human Path Flame to draw the intense power unleashed by the two dragons into the depths of the Stove Mountain, thus strengthening the Stove Fire.

"Now it seems that this Horned Dragon soul was subdued by others in the Upper Spirit Sect, who extracted its soul, refined it into Law Treasure, and then gave it to Tang Lai. Capturing a dragon and seizing its soul is Divine Ability only found in mythology. I have cultivated my mind to a certain extent and have achieved some success, but I still cannot imagine such a realm. The Upper Spirit Sect is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers and should not be underestimated."

In the blink of an eye, most of the power unleashed by the two dragons was subsided.

"Although the old man's token can conceal the Karma, it cannot last long, and we cannot place our hopes on others. We cannot have any wishful thinking when confronting a power like the Upper Spirit Sect. Therefore, we must be fully prepared. Once we decipher the <New World Observations>, we must start making arrangements to have a backup plan."

Qiu Yan naturally understood that the grudges and karmic Karma with the Upper Spirit Sect were actually with the Fleshly Body, not the Divine Spirit Body. However, he couldn't afford to be complacent because of this; it was always better to have a backup plan.

As the thought crossed his mind, the two dragons in his hands calmed down. With their final burst of power, little resistance remained, allowing Qiu Yan to seize the opportunity and penetrate their core.

However, since it was the roar of a trapped beast, most of the power it unleashed was quelled by Qiu Yan, but some aftershocks still radiated outwards, causing the Kitchen God to tremble and affecting the entire Nine Spirits Mountain Range. The birds and beasts on the mountain were in chaos, and even many demons in the cave abode were confused and uncertain, but they knew that there was a god on this mountain, so they were relatively calm.

In comparison, the mountain hunters fared much worse; many were so terrified that they turned and fled without a second thought. This wasn't just limited to hunters; even cultivators with some skill were affected.

On Nine Spirits Mountain, a branch of Lixiu Mountain, there was a small sect.

This sect is quite interesting. It doesn't have a specific name. Because it is located on Lixiu Mountain, most of its disciples call themselves the Lixiu Sect. However, some call themselves the Jiuxuan Sect because the sect's founder was known as the Nine Profound Sect Nine Profound Fairy.

The title "Fairy" does not mean that the person is a true immortal, but rather it is one of the respectful titles used in the martial arts world and the cultivation community for Nature Cultivation.

This Nine Profound Fairy is a woman. The sect she founded only accepts female disciples, and only male servants and menial laborers are chosen. Because of its remote location, it is quite peaceful.

However, the sect has recently encountered some trouble, and the entire sect has become extremely nervous. When the aftershocks came, the mountain gate shook, which immediately put everyone in the sect on high alert. More than twenty female disciples with some skills rushed out of the mountain gate and set up a formation amidst the buzzing sound.

After a long time, without seeing any sign of the "enemy," the group of women couldn't help but become puzzled again.

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