Taiji Domain, Coming Dragon Water Manor

A few days later.

The turbid waves lapped against the hull of the ship, which was several dozen feet tall and was steadily sailing downstream. The ship was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and the three gilded characters "Drunken River Moon" were engraved on the bow.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the water beneath the port side of the ship.

It was Yu Tunzhou run for more than ten days. He lightly touched the water with his toes, and his body leaped up like an arrow. Then he stepped on the carvings on the boat and used the momentum to jump onto the boat.

The tourists, bodyguards, and merchants on the boat merely glanced at him, showing little surprise. Clearly, this was not uncommon; it was common for martial artists traveling the world to board the boat midway through their journeys.

Yu Tunzhou's body trembled slightly, and the transition from stillness to movement was instantaneous. The remaining river water clinging to his body was shaken off, turning into fine water droplets that splashed down to his feet.

In just a few breaths, a woman in a blue cloth dress strode out of the cabin. She looked to be around thirty years old, with capable features and a weathered look, as if she had been exposed to the river winds for many years.

She approached, cupped her hands in greeting to Yu Tunzhou, and said with a smile, "What is your name, young hero? Are you looking for a ride or have other business to attend to? Our Drunken River Moon Inn operates on the principle of honesty and fairness, with rooms available for all ages and plenty of food and drink. We also never ask questions we shouldn't."

Yu Tunzhou returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and without beating around the bush, directly took out a jade pendant and a jade thumb ring.

The jade pendant was a token of the Zhang Household, and the thumb ring was a token given to him by Xie Linchuan.

As for the token of the Gold-Wielding Guard, people in the martial arts world are quite wary of government officials, let alone a sensitive organization like the Gold-Wielding Guard.

"Who do you know?"

Jiang Sanniang's gaze fell on the jade pendant, recognizing it as a token of the Yuhe Zhang Household, of extremely high quality.

As for that thumb ring, it must be something extraordinary to be listed alongside the Zhang Household's keepsake.

Her smile deepened, "Young hero, we have some trade dealings with the Zhang Household, please feel free to stay here."

"Alright." Yu Tunzhou put away the token and asked directly, "Who is the strongest martial artist currently accompanying the ship?"

"Currently in charge on board is Master Jiang Haitao, the ' Ghost Hand '," Jiang Sanniang replied with a smile. "Master Jiang comes from the Clear River Sect and is a master at the Early Divine Ability Realm. He is most skilled in naval warfare and has a very good reputation on this river."

Then she heard Yu Tunzhou mutter, "Early Divine Ability Realm, a bit low. Probably not even enough for that demoness to defeat with one hand—"

This period of pursuit gave Yu Tunzhou a more intuitive understanding of the strength of the third-ranked player on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking.

A few days ago, Yu Tunzhou saw from a distance of a thousand meters that the demoness killed a great underwater demon with her finger. Demons that can be called great are basically all at the Divine Ability Realm.

"Have you encountered any martial arts masters lately?" Yu Tunzhou asked.

Jiang Sanniang recalled for a moment, then quickly said, "Just half a day ago, the Divine Monk Jiese crossed the river on a reed, brushed past us, and headed downstream."

Divine Monk Jiese?

Who is fourth on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking?

Yu Tunzhou's eyes lit up instantly.

This one seems reliable; she's strong enough and comes from a prestigious sect like Shaolin Temple. There's no reason for her to ignore the Holy Maiden of the Left Sect, is there?

He had originally planned to rest there for a while, but now he immediately changed his mind.

Yu Tunzhou said, "I need your help. Please send a message to Zhang Qinghe of the Zhang Household, telling him that I am currently in good condition and am preparing to travel down the river and land in the Southeast Commandery."

Upon hearing the name Zhang Qinghe, Jiang Sanniang's smile deepened, "Young hero, rest assured, we will definitely deliver the message for you. Are you going to find that Divine Monk Jiese? Then you might want to keep an eye out for the pleasure boats along the way."

"A flower boat?"

Yu Tunzhou pondered, was this flower boat the same as the kind of flower boat he had imagined?

Jiang Sanniang couldn't help but chuckle and said, "That person just now wanted to get on the boat, but in the end, he thought we didn't have that kind of business, so he shook his head and went downstream alone."

Yu Tunzhou was taken aback. Was this Buddhist name the right one or the wrong one?

Do you really Jiese?

Thank you.

Without stopping, Yu Tunzhou lightly touched the boat's plank with his toes, and his body darted out, like a blue fish swimming downstream, plunging headfirst into the surging river.

Taking advantage of the current, it travels downstream at a much faster speed than the slow passenger ship.

As soon as he entered the water, strands of Water Fortune Profound Qi from all directions converged on him. Although it was far less abundant and pure than that of Luofu Grotto-Heaven, it was inexhaustible, nourishing his muscles, bones, and flesh, allowing him to remain at his peak condition without showing any signs of fatigue since his escape.

Once the Form Refinement is reached, the Foundation Establishment is complete, Water Fortune Profound Qi can only nourish the Inner Qi and warm the body.

However, his Immortal Foundation, the Primordial Azure One Qi, is open to all kinds of Profound Qi and seems to have the potential to undergo changes, which makes Yu Tunzhou even more certain of his previous guess.

There is no divine revelation because it has not yet been conceived and formed!

now.

Looking out from Yu Tunzhou Coming Dragon River, the Lailong River, which has been surging for thousands of years, is not just filled with turbid mud and sand at the bottom, but is crisscrossed with ravines and towering peaks, seemingly no different from the mountains and rivers on land.

Over thousands of years, the river's erosion has carved deep trenches, some several meters or even tens of meters deep, into the riverbed. The depths are dark and bottomless, seemingly connected to the Nine Netherworlds.

Among them, you can also see a half-buried ship and a boundary marker.

The Coming Dragon River is not calm at all; it is crisscrossed with undercurrents, and even Form Refinement martial artist who is accidentally caught in it will have a very slim chance of survival.

However, to Yu Tunzhou, these undercurrents were as obvious as open cards.

In recent days, he has been escaping by taking advantage of the undercurrents, moving much faster than before, and the warnings from the prayer beads have become less and less frequent.

However, there are quite a few powerful demons at the bottom of the Coming Dragon River.

These days, whether it's due to the gathering of Water Fortune Profound Qi around him or the Kunpeng Divine Intent within him, Yu Tunzhou often senses prying eyes coming from all directions, making him increasingly cautious in his movements.

At this moment, Yu Tunzhou stretched out his body underwater, his Fist Intent swirling around him, and the river water was blocked by the Fist Intent.

The underwater journey of the past ten days or so gave him a new understanding of boxing techniques.

At first, he only used the river to escape and hide, but later he gradually turned the Coming Dragon River his own fighting arena.

For example, what seemed like a chaotic undercurrent gradually transformed in his eyes into a subtle coiling force, and even more so, a first-class invisible energy.

The force of the river is also like the force of a fist.

When dispersed, they spread across rivers and streams, leaving no trace; when gathered, they form waves and tides, surging forward endlessly, subtly embodying the fundamental principle of Taiji: "To release and gather at will, to disperse and gather as one pleases."

At this moment, Yu Tunzhou sensed something and his body sank. Without relying on any Inner Qi to lift himself up, he stood as steady as a rock in the surging river!

He unleashed his full Fist Intent, drawing a perfectly flawless circle. The surrounding undercurrents, drawn by his Fist Intent, slowed their flow instantly, swirling around him in an invisible spiral.

He thrust his left palm forward, and the hidden current surged forward along with the palm's momentum. He then withdrew his right palm, and the surging current instantly reversed, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, all of which were incorporated into the Taiji circle.

This release and contraction, this illusion and reality, guides the water's flow and twists, as if naturally formed, without any trace of deliberate embellishment.

As soon as the thought arose, a wisp of black and white energy swirled around the body like a dragon, and the [Taiji Domain] naturally manifested.

Unlike in the past, this time the execution went much more smoothly and successfully.

It seems that he is no longer using this Divine Ability by relying on the Immortal Foundation, but has truly comprehended the underlying principles of the Divine Ability!

He slowly sank to the bottom of the river, his movements becoming increasingly fluid and graceful. His seemingly casual gestures, like the undercurrents beneath the surface, contained immense power.

The mud and sand within a radius of several meters at the bottom of the river were drawn in by his fist movements, surging and churning with the opening and closing of his palms, yet they were firmly locked within the range of the Taiji Domain, without any leakage.

As soon as he finished his Fist Intent, the churning mud and sand slowly settled and returned to their original positions without any deviation.

At this moment, a perfectly round Taiji Diagram unfolded beneath his feet!

Yu Tunzhou looked up and saw that the world was still the same, yet it seemed to have changed. There was a kind of uncertain energy flowing in the the Unseen, omnipresent, seemingly within reach, yet always separated by a layer of heaven.

The black and white Qi of Dao and Virtue suddenly evolved into a miniature Taiji Diagram, with the yin fish embracing the yang and the yang fish holding the yin, the lines clear and flowing endlessly, completely merging with the Fist Intent and the water momentum around him.

The entire city of the Coming Dragon River seemed to pause slightly at that moment.

Countless Water Fortune Profound Qi converged from all directions, surging into the image like a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix.

This moment.

The Yu Tunzhou, standing at the bottom of the river; it itself is the Taiji.

The surrounding water, silt, and undercurrents were all incorporated into this Taiji circle. Wherever his Fist Intent went, the field extended there without any boundaries or constraints.

Gradually, he calmed down at the bottom of the river. The water around him was still, while the other side was crisscrossed by undercurrents. The contrast between stillness and movement seemed to perfectly embody the principles of Taiji: "Dividing Yin and Yang, and determining emptiness and fullness."

A long time has passed.

The riverbed has returned to calm, with only the undercurrents still surging silently.

Yu Tunzhou finally opened his eyes, slowly withdrew his stance, and exhaled a long breath, which snaked away like a white dragon.

The Taiji Diagram, formed from the black and white Qi of Dao and Virtue, slowly converged into his Dantian.

Previously, under Zhang Zhengci's guidance, he realized that the Form Refinement Lesser Accomplishment Realm was not yet able to access or contain the principles of law, and the activation of Divine Ability depended entirely on the Immortal Foundation, thus making it difficult to fully unleash them.

Today, inspired by the river, his Fist Intent has reached a new level. He has transformed the black and white Qi of Dao and Virtue into a bridge between himself and the laws of heaven and earth, using their mysteries to access the principles of law and truly master the [Taiji Domain].

At that moment, a thought struck him, and black and white colors surrounded his feet, forming a perfectly round Taiji Diagram that covered an area of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

Taking the surrounding undercurrents as an example, he tried it and found that the degree of force reduction jumped from 41% to 91%, which shocked him.

Is this the true [Taiji Domain]?

This is true Divine Ability?!

Although he has now stopped at the Form Refinement Lesser Accomplishment, as long as the [Taiji Domain] remains intact, even those at the Divine Ability Realm would probably be unable to do anything to him!

Thinking of this, Yu Tunzhou's spirits lifted, and his eyebrows shot up.

The Daoist School says that the highest good is like water, and water is close to the Tao. This is not just empty talk. Give him some more time, and he is confident that with today's insights, he can develop another style of boxing.

Yu Tunzhou sincerely exclaimed that he was indeed the Martial Dao described in the book. His escape across hundreds of miles of river had actually helped him glimpse the wonders of Divine Ability and given him a completely new understanding of "water power".

At this point, he looked up and gazed at a distance of several dozen feet, then transmitted his voice, "Having watched for so long, why not show yourself?"

The words had been spoken.

Behind a reef, two figures cautiously swam out. The one in front was a burly man with a blue face and several bluish-black fish scales on his cheeks. His vertical pupils revealed undisguised awe.

The other was a shrimp soldier who had not yet fully transformed, covered in a black iron-colored shell, holding a steel fork in his hand. At this moment, he lowered his eyes, trembling with fear, as if the Yu Tunzhou had put immense pressure on him.

The burly man with the blue face spoke first, his voice carried by the current, deep and resonant yet extremely respectful. "I am Qinglin, a patrol captain from Coming Dragon Water Prefecture, and this is one of my soldiers. I just saw Young Hero Yu demonstrating his martial arts here, his Fist Intent nearly in harmony with the essence of waterways, his strength flowing with the principles of rivers and streams, so I dared not disturb him rashly."

Young Hero Yu?

Yu Tunzhou's gaze sharpened. This monster at the bottom of the river actually recognized him?

"I have been ordered by the Lord of the Prefecture to invite Young Hero Yu to the Water Palace for tonight's main banquet. I humbly request that Young Hero Yu grace me with his presence."

Yu Tunzhou asked thoughtfully, "Which of the three demon kings from the Coming Dragon River is your lord?"

Coming Dragon River, which stretches for eight thousand miles, there are countless water demons, but only three can be called demon kings. All of them are at the level of External Scenery and stand at the very top of this river channel.

"My lord, whose Daoist name is Zhe, has protected both banks of the river for many years. He once single-handedly stopped a flood, so the people along the river and the heroes of the martial arts world all respectfully call him Lord Hibernating Dragon."

Yu Tunzhou nodded and said, "So it's the Hibernating Dragon Demon King. May I ask who else, besides me, the Lord Hibernating Dragon, has invited to tonight's banquet?"

This is the demon king who dominates the middle reaches of the Coming Dragon River. In the Early External Scenery, he had the body of a dragon. It is said that with the power of the Lailong River, he once fought to a standstill with a certain Earth Ranking figure.

Why did this person invite me?

Judging solely by strength, this person is more than capable of suppressing An Ruyu; the difference between External Scenery and Divine Ability is like heaven and earth.

This can be seen from the fact that An Ruyu, with his complete Form Refinement Perfection and full External Scenery Divine Ability, was able to suppress the Middle Divine Ability Stage cultivator.

However, the water Demon Race Non-Self our kind, and their intentions are bound to be different; we must be wary of them.

Qinglin quickly replied, "My master has also invited the Divine Monk Jiese, who happened to be passing by, as well as representatives from several sects in Linjiang, all of whom are heroes of the martial world."

"The Divine Monk Jiese is here too?" Yu Tunzhou suddenly became interested. He had originally planned to go down the river to find this man to join forces with.

Yu Tunzhou's mind raced. "How did your lord learn of my identity?"

Qinglin paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know anything about this."

The Yu Tunzhou, seemingly lost in thought.

Could it be that the Zhang Household informed the coastal forces in advance?

However, since the Divine Monk Jiese is also here, it is indeed worth the trip.

Even if that demoness caught up with them while they were in the External Scenery water palace, she wouldn't dare to do anything!

I can also have a good meal and see what the dragon's underwater palace looks like.

He nodded slightly to Qinglin: "Since it is Lord Hibernating Dragon has so kindly invited me, then I will trouble you to make the trip. Please lead the way."

Coming Dragon Water Prefecture, main hall.

The beams and pillars, crafted from thousand-year-old submerged wood, gleamed with a warm, moist sheen, while dozens of fist-sized luminous pearls were embedded in the roof, illuminating the entire hall as brightly as day.

The master of this place, Lord Hibernating Dragon, dressed in a green robe and wearing a crown, sat upright in the main seat, his vertical pupils filled with indifference.

He gazed at the river outside the palace, lost in thought.

The old demon with the heavy tortoise shell standing to the side asked in confusion, "Lord, why did you invite that boy to the banquet?"

"That kid has a strong Heavenly Peng aura about him, it's like it's seeped into his bones. He's probably a martial artist from the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple. Even if we don't kill him, we should at least expel him as soon as possible."

"Not to mention that a distinguished guest from the East Sea Dragon Palace will be attending the banquet tonight. The meeting between the two sides is likely to cause quite a stir."

"Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple?" Lord Hibernating Dragon sneered. "Who told you this kid's backer is Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple?"

Seeing that his Turtle Prime Minister was puzzled, Lord Hibernating Dragon showed no intention of explaining. His face was gloomy, and his gaze returned to the river, his eyes filled with lingering awe and fear.

Several months ago, an "old friend" sailed across the Coming Dragon River in a Qingzhou, and finally sailed straight up to the clouds. The aura was so strong that not only the boat itself, but even the one upstream felt it from afar, as if it were a thorn in its side.

Back then, he was Taishang Elder of the Supreme Origin Sect, a peak Peak External Scenery, and one of the top ten on the Earth Ranking. Killing a dragon at the Early External Scenery wouldn't have been much harder for him than killing that young man now. But what was the result?

You get chopped down upstream without even making a sound. Aren't you scared?

Of course I'm afraid of dying!

So even though that person's Fist Intent was perfectly mastered, and the divine intent emanating from him was of unknown origin, and there were even signs that he might shake the very foundations of the martial world and unify the martial arts world, I didn't dare utter a single word, and even sent someone to invite him?

Although Prime Minister Turtle did not understand the reason, he could see that his master was obviously very conflicted. He wished he could chop the boy into eight pieces on the spot, but he was also afraid of the person behind him.

Therefore, it cautiously suggested, "My lord, since this young hero has a powerful backer whom you cannot afford to offend, why don't we lend him a hand and make a good connection?"

Lord Hibernating Dragon said irritably, "So, you think we can afford to offend the Incense-Smelling Cult?"

If he, as the master of the middle reaches, still doesn't know why Yu Tunzhou along the river, he might as well just drown himself.

The person behind Yu Tunzhou is not to be trifled with, but the Incense-Smelling Cult is easy to deal with?

Three hundred years ago, when he was still a small dragon, he heard an elder say that the Incense-Smelling Cult could never perish because they truly had gods behind them!

The Turtle Prime Minister remained silent, not daring to speak.

Lord Hibernating Dragon snorted coldly, "You just mentioned turmoil?"

"That's exactly what I want. The East Sea has become increasingly outrageous in recent years. Not content with secretly controlling the lower reaches of the Coming Dragon River, they've actually tried to encroach on my territory."

"Originally, I only intended to borrow the wind from Shaolin, but since this boy has arrived, I might as well use him to warn those who come from the East Sea."

The Turtle Prime Minister's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly began to flatter him. "Your Excellency, this is a brilliant move! If the people from the East Sea are reckless and injure the young man, you can take action at the opportune moment. This will not only win the young man's favor but also allow you to legitimately suppress the people from the East Sea."

"Even if East Sea blames you later, you can then conveniently point out the boy's background, making East Sea feel obligated to help you out!"

"Brilliant! Killing three birds with one stone! My admiration for you, Your Excellency, is as boundless as the Coming Dragon River!"

Lord Hibernating Dragon glanced at the old tortoise, wondering what it had been reading these past two years, as it was quite adept at flattery.

"Get on with the arrangements quickly, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Your Excellency, rest assured. We don't need to arrange anything regarding the young man's aura. As long as he confronts the people from the East Sea, they will naturally cause him trouble."

Hearing this, Lord Hibernating Dragon also somewhat puzzled.

What exactly is the source of the aura emanating from Yu Tunzhou that even this supreme dragon, with his External Scenery body, felt a trace of fear originating from the depths of his bloodline?

Could this person not be Human Race, but rather a descendant of some demon saint whose bloodline has awakened and who has infiltrated the Central Plains?

He suddenly became serious, stood up abruptly, hesitated, and felt increasingly uneasy.

If this child were Demon Race, that Great Hero Mo would surely recognize him; but if he were a descendant of a demon saint, then it's hard to say.

Tonight, let's see how the East Sea reacts.