Overseas Immortal Alliance.
At this moment, Mu Changsheng was completely lost in bewilderment. His consciousness had awakened, yet he felt as if he had sprouted wings and was continuously ascending.
Where am I...
He clearly no longer had a physical body, but he still felt an icy chill spreading through his limbs and bones, making his consciousness increasingly clear.
Only then did he finally realize: it wasn't that he lacked a body, but rather that he had gained a non-human one. The so-called icy chill was real. His previously floating consciousness instantly sank. After thousands of years, he regained physical sensation and slowly moved his brand-new limbs.
Like sunlight piercing through the darkness.
Golden dragon pupils opened, and the darkness receded. What caught his eye was a boundless, vast ocean. The sight stung his eyes, and his divine sense trembled.
Boom!
The next second, he plummeted down with a crash. The boundless ocean flipped and then vanished. Chaotic lights and colors clumped together, taking a long time before finally forming a coherent scenery.
Only then did Mu Changsheng come to a sudden realization.
What he saw was a real, physical ocean in the mortal world. The seawater rippled, waves surged, and he could faintly see many cultivators shouting in terror.
He was simply suspended in the cloudy sky.
Looking up, he saw a gradually dimming star—it was the [Eternal Flowing Water] he had once sought to attain. Yet now, it was rapidly distancing itself, severing its connection with him.
"No—!!!"
Mu Changsheng's eyes instantly turned red.
By now, how could he not understand? He had clearly fallen out of the [Eternal Flowing Water]. In the end, this Dao Fruit had rejected him!
Why?
Mu Changsheng could sense his current state: Foundation Establishment Perfection, even surpassing his peak state from five thousand years ago. Although he lacked a soul, his Golden Nature was still operating, and his consciousness remained clear. If he had gained the approval of the [Eternal Flowing Water], he might already be a Perfected Lord by now!
Unfortunately, there were no 'ifs'.
In a flash, endless, howling gales centered around him, sweeping through the sea of clouds and piercing the firmament, dyeing more than half the sky in brilliant golden light.
A long time passed before he finally calmed down.
Then, cold sweat gradually crept up his spine. Wait! Did I turn into this because someone is using me as a pawn in their layout?
"What am I now..."
Only then did Mu Changsheng finally examine his brand-new physical body. It had all its scales and claws, with a lump on its head—he had actually turned into a True Dragon?
Could it be the Heavenly Lord?
Regaining a new life, Mu Changsheng felt no joy whatsoever; instead, it felt like plunging into an icy abyss. The Heavenly Lord... there was a problem with the Heavenly Lord's suggestion back then. Did he have another layout planned?
His [Heaven of Nothingness] plan's most crucial step was extracting the boundless concept of the [Eternal Flowing Water] to fill the [Heaven of Nothingness] and shorten its growth time. However, how could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator extract a Dao Fruit's concept? The key to his success was the Heavenly Lord's assistance.
But now, he discovered an anomaly.
The Heavenly Lord had an ulterior motive!
Even though he had reaped a massive benefit in the end—inexplicably gaining a True Dragon's body and restoring his peak cultivation despite missing a soul...
But at what cost?
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. All of fate's gifts have secretly been priced. I took the benefits, but how much will I have to pay?
Right at that moment.
"Congratulations, young friend."
The sudden voice made Mu Changsheng, who was already tense to the extreme, stiffen his expression. He looked up to see two towering figures suddenly appear before him.
One of them, despite his elderly appearance, brimmed with essence, qi, and spirit.
Especially with that imposing appearance of horns on his head, he was clearly a True Dragon in human form. Coupled with a stature that obviously far surpassed his own... A Perfected Lord of the overseas dragon clan?
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng immediately cupped his hands and said, "This little dragon greets the Lord."
Hearing this, the Old Dragon Lord's eyes flickered slightly. He then stroked his beard and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Jiayou, what do you think of this one? Does he catch your eye?"
On the other side, Emperor Jiayou also realized something was amiss. He looked up at the stars in the sky.
This True Dragon actually fell out of a Dao Fruit. Whose layout is this? The Old Dragon Lord intentionally invited me to see this; does he have an ulterior motive? Furthermore, this dragon isn't actually cultivating the Grotto-Heaven method...
An unorthodox True Dragon?
At this thought, a look of disgust surfaced in Emperor Jiayou's eyes. The slight wariness that had just arisen was instantly swept away. He nodded and smiled, "Indeed, not bad. He may enter my Dao Court."
No matter what, this was merely a Foundation Establishment True Dragon. With him holding down the fort, could the vast Dao Court possibly be destroyed by a single True Dragon?
At the same time, Mu Changsheng was also contemplating.
The Old Dragon Lord...
True Dragons were the nobles of heaven and earth, the race most favored by the Heavenly Lord in the past. Reaching adulthood meant reaching Foundation Establishment, a fact that drew the endless envy of countless struggling Qi Refining cultivators.
Could he be the one who set up this layout?
The more Mu Changsheng thought about it, the more accurate this guess felt. After all, the Old Dragon Lord also had connections with the Heavenly Lord , and the True Dragon he had reincarnated into was under his jurisdiction.
Other than him, who could have allowed him to reincarnate as a True Dragon?
If it really is the Old Dragon Lord, perhaps the Heavenly Lord saw that I unexpectedly woke up and would perish prematurely without rescue, so he specifically asked the Old Dragon Lord to come save me?
If that's the case, the Heavenly Lord definitely told the Old Dragon Lord about my [Heaven of Nothingness] plan. Driving all the Perfected Lords in the world into seclusion... That wouldindeed be a massive boon for the long-suppressed True Dragon clan. Without sufficient benefits, the Old Dragon Lord couldn't possibly be showing kindness out of nowhere and specifically coming to save my life.
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng shook his head again:
No, that's not right.
The [Heaven of Nothingness] alone is beneficial to the True Dragon clan, but not necessarily to the Old Dragon Lord himself. The Heavenly Lord must have told him even more.
Like... the [Nourishing Life Master]!
In an instant, a look of enlightenment surfaced in Mu Changsheng's eyes:
The Old Dragon Lord has his sights set on the [Nourishing Life Master]; that's why he decided to save me!
It must be so!
He understood now!
At this moment, Mu Changsheng even felt a bizarre sense of accomplishment. After all, with his mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, he had successfully deduced the layout and thoughts of a Golden Core Perfected Lord!
And coincidentally, the Old Dragon Lord was thinking the exact same thing.
The Sixth Dragon Lord was not born, but the ritual array clearly succeeded... There's a problem with the [Eternal Flowing Water]. Is this what the Dao Court Dao Lord is trying to tell me?
I understand now!
Thinking of this, the Old Dragon Lord looked at Mu Changsheng, realization dawning in his heart.
This True Dragon has obvious traces of the Heavenly Lord's aura. He has gained the Heavenly Lord's favor!
It should be that the Heavenly Lord intended to gestate the Sixth Dragon Lord, but the Dao Lord discovered it and interrupted the process, which led to the premature birth of this True Dragon. The Dao Lord wants me to clean up the loose ends and completely sever the Heavenly Lord's contingency plan as a show of loyalty? This is forcing me to kill my own blood brother!
The Old Dragon Lord gritted his teeth secretly.
The Sixth Dragon Lord was his beloved kin, his flesh and blood brother.
You want me to kill him, and the only benefit is letting the True Dragon clan join the Dao Court?
No way, I need more compensation!
No one does anything without benefits. The Dao Court isn't my only way out. Since they want me to show loyalty, they must give me some benefits.
Where are the benefits?
The Old Dragon Lord glanced at Emperor Jiayou and quickly looked away. It definitely wasn't on this stingy emperor... So, he looked at Mu Changsheng again.
Could the benefits be on him?
After a moment of silence, the Old Dragon Lord suddenly smiled. "Young friend, before heading to the Dao Court, why not visit my Dragon Palace first? I can brief you properly."
Mu Changsheng immediately understood tacitly. "It is exactly what I wished for."
One person and one dragon exchanged a look.
Just as I thought!
Mu Changsheng: He really wants to enter the [Nourishing Life Master]!
Old Dragon Lord: He really does have the benefits the Dao Lord gave me!
The [Script] was complete.
(End of Chapter)