Becoming the Marsh

At that very moment, a shimmering light silently appeared deep within Great Void void.

The water was extremely pale and clear, like a drop of dew falling into a lake, causing ripples to spread silently. From within the water, a figure slowly stepped out. The person wore a gray robe, held a gray-white spear, and had an indistinct face. It was none other than True Lord Xicheng's messenger, Nuoli.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Su Yao from afar, his hoarse voice echoing Great Void:

"Greetings, Abbot."

Su Yao returned the greeting:

"The messenger has arrived. Everything is prepared here; we await his arrival."

Nuoli nodded, his gaze passing over Su Yao and landing on the empty secret realm. He stared for a long while before slowly speaking, his voice carrying an indescribable emotion:

"Does the Abbot know why I absolutely need this secret realm?"

Su Yao didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

Nuoli raised her hand and pointed to herself:

"I am a unique being of the Fu Water lineage, White Chi. I have cultivated for thousands of years, and have already perfected four of my Divine Ability, but I have yet to grasp the fifth, ' Nurture the Marsh Embryo."

He paused, his gaze falling on the vast expanse of land deep within the secret realm. "The ' Nurture the Marsh Embryo ' requires a 'marsh,' a 'marsh' large enough and ancient enough, to nurture the source of the Fu Water with my true body. The lake on the mountain is too small. If I want to achieve this Divine Ability, I need a water mansion that is more vast and more primordial than Cibi Lake."

Upon hearing this, Zilin couldn't help but ask, "So the envoy has taken a liking to the Purple-Blue Secret Realm?"

Nuoli nodded. "This secret realm was left by the Spirit Witch Dao Lord for his disciples. In addition, it is the source of Erhai Lake, and it has some resemblance to the Subterranean Water. The True Lord set Dao Path for me, which requires some of the Subterranean Water energy. Moreover, this secret realm uses the energy of the Fu Water as its vein, forming a world of its own, and it also secretly conforms to the image of the Water Mansion. There is no more suitable 'marsh' in the world than this."

Yang Xiu's brows twitched slightly, and he suddenly interjected, "But the secret realm is empty, only palaces and mountains remain. The envoy wants to cultivate ' Nurture the Marsh Embryo ' here, but there are many large marshes on Zhongnan and Qixia Mountains."

Nuoli glanced at Yang Xiu, a hint of amusement in his hoarse voice. "The method bestowed by the True Lord is not 'borrowing the essence'; rather, it allows me to use the secret realm as the essence, which is 'transforming the essence'."

"Hua Ze?" Yang Xiu was taken aback.

"Not bad," Nuoli said slowly.

In the Great Void, everyone who heard this was shocked.

Yang Nan and the others couldn't help but feel envious. The True Lord personally set the rules and arranged everything, which made them, Purple Mansion had no background, extremely envious.

Su Yao remained silent for a moment before asking, "How is the envoy's action any different from that of the Divine Dao?"

Nuoli did not answer, but instead turned her gaze to the secret realm, her voice lowering:

"This path borrows some of the mysteries of the Earth Immortal, but it is completely different from the Divine Dao."

Su Yao did not ask any further questions after hearing this.

Nuoli bowed to the crowd and said, "Gentlemen, this matter is settled. The secret realm is about to close, please return. When I have achieved my Divine Ability, I will drink and make merry with you all again."

Having said that, he said no more. His gray robe billowed wildly, Nuoli's figure suddenly expanded. The expansion was silent, yet it carried an overwhelming and unstoppable aura of vastness. His limbs transformed into four enormous white dragon claws, each claw having five toes, with water shimmering between them; his body lengthened and coiled, transforming into a hundred-foot- White Chi, its entire body covered in fine and crystalline white scales, each scale inscribed with Fu Water Shui runes, like water ripples frozen in frost; his head transformed into a dragon's head, with two horns on its forehead, each tip of which hung with a faint, ethereal reflection of flowing water, and its eyes were like two deep, dark springs, clear and profound.

The true form of the White Chi.

Within the Great Void, everyone was stunned by this scene. Zhang Ziyan's mouth gaped open, and after a long while, he managed to utter a single sentence:

"This... this is the White Chi?"

Han Ziyi's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"The rare species found along the Fu Water are indeed extraordinary."

Yang Nan subconsciously took a step back, his face turning pale. As a cultivator of the Subduing Subterranean Water Dao, he was most sensitive to the "origin" aura of the Fu Water Dao. At this moment, the Fu Water aura on White Chi's body made his whole body tremble slightly.

Ao Yuan gazed at the White Chi with a complex expression. He cultivated the path of the Fu Water Dragon, and upon seeing the White Chi's true form, he felt both envy and fear. The Fu Water primordial energy emanating from the White Chi was purer and more ancient than his own Flood Dragon Essence. The dragon had the backing of the Mysterious Gate, and the Dragon Palace of the South Sea could not afford to offend it. After all, it was already a great blessing that the Dragon God had not slaughtered all of them, the descendants of the Ancestral Dragon.

The White Chi raised its head and let out a long cry, its voice clear and melodious, like a river flowing under the moonlight, or a current surging in a deep pool. With the cry, the White Chi swayed and entered the secret realm.

The secret realm was vast, but the true form of the White Chi was even more vast. Its hundred-foot-tall body coiled among the palaces, its head hovering high above the mountains, its tail trailing in the rivers. The White Chi's body expanded inch by inch, filling the entire secret realm, like a long white river gradually "filling" it.

The Qi of the Fu Water surged forth from the White Chi's body, like a vast swamp pouring down, staining every inch of the secret realm with a layer of cool, watery light.

The White Chi's body continued to expand. One hundred feet, two hundred feet, three hundred feet... Its body coiled nine times, its head hanging high beneath the dome of the secret realm, its tail deeply embedded in the earth's veins. Its body had become one with the secret realm, its breath was in sync with the secret realm, and its heartbeat resonated with the secret realm.

Within the Great Void, Zilin gazed at the White Chi that filled the entire secret realm and suddenly murmured, "Is this... a transformation?"

Su Yao nodded. "Using the true form of the White Chi as its embryo, and the Purple-Blue Secret Realm as its swamp, once this Divine Ability is complete, it will become this secret realm itself."

Ying Qi frowned slightly. "Then, will this secret realm be able to be opened again in the future?"

Su Yao shook his head. "It's not purely the path of Divine Dao and Earth Immortal; it only borrows some of the mysteries, but it still follows the orthodox path of immortal cultivation."

Meng Shixi gazed at the White Chi and suddenly whispered:

"This secret realm has ultimately been nurtured anew by someone using their own body as a blessing."

The black-robed man beside her remained expressionless, his gaze shifting from the White Chi to the southern horizon, lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Priestess, the Golden Nature is now in my hands. The matter of the Witch Hall is settled. Farewell."

Meng Shixi glanced at him, but did not try to stop him, only nodding slightly. The black-robed man's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of dark green magic light, and disappeared into the depths of the Great Void in an instant.

Seeing that the people from the Witch Hall had left, Ao Yuan quickly stepped forward and bowed to Su Yao: "Master, we have obtained the Dragon Essence, and the Dragon King is still waiting for news in the South Sea. I should also return now. If you ever visit the South Sea in the future, Master, the Dragon King will certainly welcome you with open arms."

Su Yao nodded. "Fellow Daoist, please take care."

Ao Yuan cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd again, then, along with two attendants, transformed into a streak of azure light and sped off to the south.

In the Great Void, only Su Yao, Zilin, Yang Xiu, Ying Qi, Xuan Yan, Zhang Ziyan Mo Li, Zhang Ziyan, Han Ziyi, Yang Nan Lü Yu, Li Chaoxue, Li Ni Polu, Meng Shixi, and the dark yellow light curtain that Daozheng closing in the distance remained.

The hoarse voice of the Nuoli came from the depths of the secret realm, echoing throughout the Great Void:

"Fellow Daoists, this matter is concluded. The secret realm is about to close; please return."

Su Yao bowed deeply towards the secret realm. Zilin, Yang Xiu, Ying Qi, and the others also bowed in return. Then, they all turned and disappeared into the depths of the Great Void.

Only Su Yao glanced back before turning away.

The White Chi coiled within the secret realm, its head lowered, its eyes slightly closed, its body surrounded by a cocoon of Fu Water and Greater Yin. It would slumber within that cocoon, using the secret realm as its sanctuary and its true form as its embryo, nurturing its own Fu Water Divine Ability.

The gates to the Purple-Blue Secret Realm are closing inch by inch.

The light curtain slowly closed, and the primordial yellow light gradually dimmed. The mountains, palaces, and the true form of the White Chi within the secret realm all transformed into a faint pale yellow afterglow at the last moment before the light curtain closed, disappearing into the depths of the Great Void.

On the surface of Cibi Lake, the water ripples.

Meng Shixi took one last look at the closing light screen, sighed softly, and turned to head towards the royal city.

Li Chaoxue and Ni Polu followed behind her without ever turning around.

Halfway there, Yang Nan suddenly stopped, glanced back at Su Yao, her lips moved but she didn't say anything. She simply bowed to Su Yao from afar, then transformed into a Subterranean Water and fled towards the Water Mansion.

Su Yao gazed in the direction the crowd had dispersed, remaining silent for a long time.

Zilin stood beside him and said softly, "Let's go back."

Su Yao nodded, withdrew his gaze, and sped towards Golden Ao Mountain. Zilin followed closely behind, two streaks of light, one purple and one white, leaving parallel trails in the Great Void as they gradually disappeared into the distance.

Above Cibi Lake, only a few wisps of sunset glow and a faint glimmer of water remained, slowly dissipating in the night breeze.

There is a word cloud:

Its body coils in nine bends, supporting the old mountains and rivers.

The Fu Water nourish the fetus, and the moonlight lends its glow to the silken garment.

For a thousand years, the Witch Talisman silent; in a single day, the fetus was harmonized.

The gates to the secret realm are closed, but the lake's surface remains rippling.

Who remembers the departed dragon? The long wind carries away the old songs.