Immortal Nexus, Overseas Dragon Palace.
"Clang—"
The crisp ring of a bell echoed faintly through the deep sea, calling a bewildered True Dragon back to its senses. It then spun in place, manifesting a human form within a clear light.
It was none other than Mu Changsheng.
His brows were tightly furrowed. He first glanced in the direction the bell chime came from, then revealed a thoughtful expression. It wasn't until he seemed to recall something that his brows smoothed out.
Mhm! So that's how it is.
I just returned from the Dragon Palace, where I obtained the [Heavenly Mandate Radiant Dragon Chapter] from the old Dragon Lord. It's a Rank 3 True Art that points directly to the [Heavenly Fire].
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng first felt excited, but quickly calmed his mood. Even so, as the Supreme Dao Fruit of the fire element, how could the [Heavenly Fire] be so easy to attain? Especially this ritual of governing the Immortal Nexus? In an era where Perfected Lords rule the world and Dao Lords sit above, what do I have to govern it with?
Gradually, Mu Changsheng furrowed his brows again.
This wasn't right, was it?
Although I know seeking the Golden Core is hard, the [Heavenly Fire] seems a bit overwhelmingly difficult. Do they really want me to seek the Golden Core? Could there be another plot behind this?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but pinch his glabella.
Immediately after, an inexplicable resonance surged into his heart. Mu Changsheng knew clearly that this was the Heavenly Lord of the Immortal Nexus, the entity he relied on the most in the past.
And almost the instant it appeared, the Heavenly Lord transmitted an extremely intense premonition that assaulted Mu Changsheng's mind: You should attain [Eternal Flowing Water].
"You should attain [Eternal Flowing Water]!"
"This path is impassable, stop talking."
Listening to the Heavenly Lord's incessant chattering in his ear, Mu Changsheng's headache worsened. Attain [Eternal Flowing Water]? Back then, I believed your nonsense, and I couldn't attain it at all!
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng immediately asked in his heart:
"Can the [Heavenly Fire] be attained?"
For him, this was the primary use of the Heavenly Lord: asking questions and receiving answers. And the Heavenly Lord's answers were basically all reliable.
Soon, the Heavenly Lord gave a response:
"...It is feasible."
When answering questions, the Heavenly Lord's speech would regain its fluency, its logic clear and orderly, no longer like a machine as it was before.
"The [Heavenly Fire] is difficult to attain. The Dao Lords transcend the mortal realm and are not bound by rules. Perfected Lords can be kept in check using the [Heaven of Nothingness]. Governing the Immortal Nexus is not absolutely impossible, but to truly attain this position, the key still lies in Jiangbei. There is another profound secret within the Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea. If you cannot obtain it, you will ultimately fall short at the final hurdle..."
Mu Changsheng listened patiently to the end, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration:
"Tell me, if I don't develop in the Immortal Nexus, but go out into the outer heaven and find a World Realm without Perfected Lords to govern, can I resonate with the concept of the [Heavenly Fire]?"
The Heavenly Lord's voice was devoid of fluctuation:
"Of course not."
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. "Why? If one World Realm isn't enough, at worst I'll find a few more. If we really talk about scale, they are definitely much larger than the Immortal Nexus."
"Lands beyond the heavens, even if as large as a World Realm, are not equal to a single room in the Immortal Nexus."
The Heavenly Lord's answer was rigid and methodical.
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng could only give up on this rather tempting idea and change to another question: "With my current state, can I go seek the Golden Core?"
"No."
The Heavenly Lord continued to answer: "You have consciousness but no soul, intent but no spirit. You can cultivate the ancient method, but it is difficult to seek the Grotto-Heaven method. Your original Golden Nature can no longer be used."
As soon as these words came out, Mu Changsheng's expression instantly darkened slightly, but he wasn't too surprised. After all, he was clear about his own state. His soul and spirit had long since reincarnated. Although he had refined a True Dragon body, in reality, it was a body without a soul. To put it nicely, he was born at Foundation Establishment perfection; in reality, he was on the unorthodox path.
"Is there a solution?"
This time, the Heavenly Lord was silent for a long time before answering: "The rise and fall, survival and extinction of the True Dragon race rests solely on the old Dragon Lord. You may be able to ask him for guidance."
At this point, the voice vanished.
Mu Changsheng, on the other hand, revealed a somewhat fortunate expression: My luck is good. All the questions this time were answered. This counts as solving my urgent needs.
The Heavenly Lord was not omnipotent.
In fact, in most situations, it was completely impotent—therefore, getting answers to all three questions this time could already be considered the blessing of heaven.
Thinking of this, Mu Changsheng immediately launched into a streak of light, flying toward the depths of the Dragon Palace. Not long after, he saw that within the broad and towering Dragon Palace, the middle-aged man incarnated from the old Dragon Lord was holding a jade bell, continuously flicking his fingers to strike it, using the chime to vibrate the sea of consciousness of a young man with dragon horns.
It was the old Dragon Lord and Tian Qiu.
Mu Changsheng looked at Tian Qiu, feeling slightly startled in his heart. He saw that this newly advanced Perfected Lord who had just attained [Heavenly River Water] not long ago, was actually continuously drooling at this moment.
It wasn't until the old Dragon Lord shattered the jade bell in his hand that he slightly regained his senses and wiped the corners of his mouth.
What happened?
"Come in."
Seeing that it was Mu Changsheng who had come, the old Dragon Lord casually put away the jade bell fragments. His dragon pupils darted around before he smiled: "You should have finished reading all the cultivation techniques?"
"...Yes Senior, I have finished reading them."
Mu Changsheng hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, saying respectfully: "Many thanks to Senior for bestowing the method. However, this humble cultivator still has one matter regarding seeking the Golden Core that requires Senior to make a decision."
Hearing this, the old Dragon Lord's surface expression remained normal, but he couldn't help smiling bitterly in his heart:
Regarding seeking the Golden Core…Is this that Lord feeling his arrangements weren't enough, wanting me to add another layer of arrangement to confuse outsiders, making them all think that the mastermind behind this Mu Changsheng is actually me?
This was using him as a meat shield.
That Lord sat securely in the fishing boat himself, leaving all the risks for him to bear?
Truly acting like my own father...
While cursing inwardly, the old Dragon Lord had no choice but to smile and say: "From the looks of it, it's a problem with your soul, right? This matter isn't actually hard to solve."
—It was actually very hard.
If not forced by circumstances, he would be unwilling to help. But alas, that Lord in the [Nourishing Life Master] was watching. No matter how difficult it was, he could only do it.
"...It's nothing more than reshaping a pure dragon soul for you. When the time comes, your consciousness will enter it and take charge, and naturally, seeking the Golden Core won't be affected."
Thinking of this, the old Dragon Lord sighed secretly in his heart again.
Reshaping a dragon soul?
If it were before, he couldn't do it. But now he had Void attain the [Supreme Dragon King]. With the power of the Dao Fruit, he could manage this matter.
However, by doing this, once it's exposed afterward, the [Supreme Dragon King] won't be able to stay hidden. When the Dao Lords pay attention, I definitely won't be able to absolve myself of involvement. So this is also the token of loyalty that Lord wants me to hand over...
The old Dragon Lord was full of resistance, but didn't dare slack off. His fingertips had already pinched a strand of illusory colors.
"Strike!"
The illusory colors entered his body. To Mu Changsheng, it felt like being washed by clear water. A chill surged into his glabella, and from within the dragon body, a sea of consciousness and soul actually leaped out out of nowhere.
"...It's done."
The old Dragon Lord took a deep breath. "I will give you the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends required to seek the [Heavenly Fire]. In some time, I will send you to the Dao Court."
"You should also be clear about the Dao Court's [Immortal Kingdom Dao Laws]. That place is the most suitable for accumulating dao comprehension below the Perfected Lord stage. Everything depends solely on your own methods. Once you achieve Foundation Establishment perfection on the path of [Heavenly Fire] as well, you can open the [Heaven of Nothingness], force the Perfected Lords into seclusion, and carry out acts of usurpation."
"This humble cultivator understands."
Mu Changsheng nodded heavily, but an inexplicable feeling arose in his heart... How should he put it? Wasn't this time a bit too smooth for him?
Thinking back to the past, whatever he did had pitfalls, and nothing ever went smoothly.
But this time, reborn with the posture of a True Dragon, he actually hadn't encountered any obstacles. The broad and open road was right before his eyes, even making people feel a sense of unreality.
Could this be what it meant for heaven and earth to conspire to help when the time comes?
Or could it be—
I've actually already been set up by someone, and I just don't know it?
(End of Chapter)