Back when they were at the mountain gate, Book Spirit Zhang Yin had explained in detail to Chen Shuangbai the profound mysteries of Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Its original words were as follows--
"There is a vast chasm between each realm of cultivation. Higher cultivation exerts a chasm-like suppressive force on lower cultivation. No matter how extraordinary your talent or skill, if you are just one realm below, you are a lower cultivator, an ant, and cannot be called a fellow Daoist."
At first, Chen Shuangbai only thought that the Foundation Establishment was profound and the Law Power Divine Ability was great, but now he realized that those words were truly thought-provoking.
He thought about it carefully again, and only then did he feel at ease.
"I have the [ Dao Fruit ] bestowed upon me, Foundation Establishment... Let alone Foundation Establishment, even Golden Core cultivators would have a hard time leaving any mark on me. It's most likely that Zhao Shiyong just had this whim..."
After Zhao Shiyong left, Chen Shuangbai sat on the futon, pondered for a long time, and finally decided to give it a try.
" Foundation Establishment is sought amidst peril; if one does not seek it now, one may regret it later and make little progress."
The two had just exchanged contact information, and Chen Shuangbai didn't rush to reply to Zhao Shiyong, lest she appear greedy and eager to beg, thus losing face.
After a few days of rest, Chen Shuangbai finally recovered from his cultivation. He took a piece of Xuan paper, wrote a few words, and used his Law Power to transform it into a stream of light, which fell directly into the county town.
Not long after, Zhao Shiyong visited again.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, have you made up your mind?"
Chen Shuangbai nodded slightly and said, "But we are not from the same sect, so we need to make a vow first."
"No problem."
Chen Shuangbai was genuinely surprised.
This fellow agreed so readily... Could it be that I've really been judging him by my own petty standards?
Zhao Shiyong noticed Chen Shuangbai's surprise, but felt somewhat helpless. He didn't want to put a restriction on himself, and he had even considered seizing the treasure, but firstly, Chen Shuangbai's strength was indeed not weak, and it would be easy for them to both be injured; secondly... naturally, it was because he was really in a hurry.
His Foundation Establishment master calculated that if he missed this opportunity, he would probably never have another chance. Therefore, Zhao Shiyong couldn't swallow all the treasure, so he thought of finding one or two allies to increase his chances of success.
The two used their Law Power and Dao Path to sign a spiritual oath that was widely recognized among cultivators in several surrounding countries. This eased the atmosphere considerably and brought them closer together.
To gain Chen Shuangbai's trust, Zhao Shiyong revealed many more secrets, including the Bai Brothers ' Azure Flood Dragon Society.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you may not know this, but the Bai Brothers of the Azure Flood Dragon Society that you dealt with not long ago were members of the Black River Water Manor of my Zhao Kingdom. Because their mother was not favored, and they themselves suffered a lot of oppression from the dragon sons and grandsons in the palace, they lived a very difficult life. Therefore, they fled here many years ago, founded the Azure Flood Dragon Society, and supported their cultivation."
"Those two, half-human and half-demon, Qi Refining conflicting bloodlines. Before they reached the Qi Refining stage, they were fine, but once they reached the Foundation Establishment, they would bleed from all seven orifices and die suddenly. They also coveted the treasure at the bottom of the river, but unfortunately, despite their years of scheming, they still died here in the end."
"Fellow Daoist, your divine power is truly astounding."
Chen Shuangbai glanced at him and said gently, "This is my Jade Spring territory. If he dares to attack a disciple of Jade Spring, even if it were a dragon prince or grandson from the Water Mansion, they would still have to fight him."
Zhao Shiyong chuckled twice, his eyes fixed on Chen Shuangbai, especially the cold, gleaming blue Law Sword at his waist. Recalling the humiliation of that day, he felt a pang of melancholy and thought to himself:
"He clearly possesses two Law Sword, yet he only wears one at his waist; this person is truly treacherous."
The two discussed a few more things, roughly finalizing the overall process for exploring the riverbed, and then proceeded to the next step.
Zhao Shiyong made a Method Formula, and a flame suddenly rose from beneath his feet, though it wasn't very powerful, and flew directly to a certain place outside the county.
Chen Shuangbai took a step forward, and a cloud of white clouds rose from beneath his feet, carrying him slowly as he followed.
The two were naturally heading to the Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance to find Yu Laoliu.
Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance is situated on a medium-sized Sha Province in the middle of the river.
Originally, this place was only exposed as a small patch of sand during the dry season of the Li River. However, after the Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance took a liking to it, they spent money to purchase sand, gravel, bricks, and tiles, and forcibly built it up, so that even during the high-water season, it would be suspended high in the river, resembling a giant bluish-gray turtle, hence the name Azure Turtle Islet ).
Not long ago, Chen Shuangbai displayed such great power that everyone in the Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance was in a state of panic, trying to figure out how to avoid this killer. Unexpectedly, the killer himself came knocking on their door.
When Lady Yun heard that her husband still hadn't come out of seclusion, everyone panicked. Her heart was pounding, but she knew that panicking was useless, so she forced herself to calm down, had tea and fruit prepared, and respectfully invited Chen Shuangbai in.
When Lady Yun saw Chen Shuangbai and then Zhao Shiyong following behind, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately recalled the many speculations about the two families agreeing to take down the Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance first and then divide the spoils equally...
Chen Shuangbai glanced at the beautiful woman with slight surprise, thinking to herself how this woman could be so Duosi, having so many wild thoughts in just a few breaths. She interrupted her daydreaming and said directly:
"We have indeed troubled you. Fellow Daoist Zhao and I have come here for the sake of Master Yu Xun from your alliance."
Lady Yun felt even more terrified, convinced that Chen Shuangbai also wanted to seize her family's Silver Light Fish business. She gritted her teeth and said, "Governor Chen... Our Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance can do the Silver Light Fish business together with the garrison's office, but you can't just take it from us!"
" The Jade Spring Sect is renowned for its order; are you truly not afraid...?"
Chen Shuangbai quickly stopped her from finishing her sentence, sighed softly, and looked at Zhao Shiyong beside her, saying, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you do it?"
"After all, they are two seasoned Qi Refining cultivators; having one more person means having more strength."
The two had already discussed their plans for coming here back at the Spring-Venerating Daoist Academy.
Chen Shuangbai thought that since the river was so dangerous, it would be better to bring a few more people so that they could look out for each other and wouldn't be afraid of the guardian beast.
Zhao Shiyong thought it was feasible.
He carefully explained his plan, his tone sincere. "We two have come here today not for the petty gain of the Silver Light Fish. To be honest, we have a great fortuitous opportunity seize, and we wish to invite Master Yu to join your alliance."
Lady Yun's beautiful eyes widened suddenly, her face filled with surprise and uncertainty, but a thought flashed through her mind.
She had heard similar rumors before and made many guesses, but the riverbed was dark and the current was so rapid that she eventually forgot about it.
Now these two people have actually come to my door, inviting me to share in their profits...
Her gaze involuntarily drifted to an elderly man standing to the side, one-armed, with dark skin and sharp, eagle-like eyes—it was none other than Yu Laoliu, the chief tamer of the Rosy Clouds Abode Alliance.