For a while, Yang Jing went to the banks of the Jishui River to fish every day. But unlike the first day, he didn't use his Bright Qi Talent to hook a big one. His catches were either ordinary predatory fish that weren't even Demon Beasts, or unranked younglings.
Even so, Zhang Su was still green with envy.
Through this intensive fishing, Yang Jing's skills saw great improvement.
He now sat by the spring's source, his breath calm and focused. Success comes from preparation, failure from its lack. More than ten days ago, he had released over a hundred Silver Moon Fish into the spring, chumming the waters in preparation for today.
Silver Moon Fish weren't cheap. Iron Head had been performing so much Alchemy that his Pill Furnace was practically about to spit sparks.
The Crown Prince of Qishui Kingdom was hidden beneath the twisting, deep spring. He would be difficult to capture by ordinary means; the best method was to simply fish him out.
Yang Jing carefully tied a Bait Talisman to the fishing line and slapped it onto a Silver Moon Fish.
He would likely get only one chance. A Flood Dragon's intelligence was on par with a human's; if he didn't succeed on the first try, there would likely be no second opportunity.
Releasing the Silver Moon Fish into the spring, it immediately dove deep into its source.
Yang Jing held his breath, waiting. He gripped the fishing rod, continuously letting out the line until over seventy zhang of it was gone, nearly emptying the spool.
All that was left to do now was wait patiently.
Yang Jing gripped the rod, holding his breath as he sensed for any movement at the other end, not daring to let his focus waver for even a moment. After an unknown amount of time, a violent tug came from the other end of the line.
"Hooked!"
A sharp glint flashed in Yang Jing's eyes. He waited a moment, allowing the target to swallow the Silver Moon Fish completely before activating the Bait Talisman.
An immense force traveled up the line, instantly bending the incredibly resilient fishing rod into a taut bow.
Yang Jing hurriedly activated a Flying Lightning Talisman. A bolt of electricity shot down the rod and line, diving into the spring's source. He hadn't chosen a more powerful Talisman; if he accidentally killed the Flood Dragon, all his effort would have been for nothing.
The immense force on the line paused for an instant before becoming even more frantic.
Yang Jing could only channel his True Yang. With one arm, he hugged the fishing rod to his chest to resist the tremendous force from the water, while his other hand slapped another Flying Lightning Talisman onto the rod and activated it.
If not for his mastery of the Great Capturing Technique, which made his hands feel as if they were cast from Iron Essence, he wouldn't have been able to keep his grip on the rod.
After activating over twenty Flying Lightning Talismans in a row and using up his entire purchased supply, the Power from the other end of the rod finally began to diminish.
Yang Jing continuously reeled in and let out the line, draining the stamina of the Flood Dragon below. The struggle between them lasted for more than four hours.
He could now use his Bright Qi Talent to sense the churning Demon Qi several zhang below the spring's source.
After swallowing an Upper Grade Blood Circulation Pill, Yang Jing seized an opportunity and yanked back on the rod with all his might.
A glistening silver Flood Dragon's head and a section of its body were yanked clean out of the spring. Its sharp claws dug deep into the rock, locking it in a contest of strength with Yang Jing.
It was a Little Flood Dragon, only about two zhang long. It had four legs, each with three claws. A mane of silver threads ran down its back, and shimmering silver Flood Dragon Scales covered its body like Armor. Its head looked almost identical to a Dragon Head, but it lacked Deer Antlers. Instead, a single, sharp horn grew from its forehead.
[Name]: Flood Dragon (West Sea Division)
[Species Level]: Legendary
[Power]: Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer
[Talent]: Thunderbolt and Lightning (Legendary), Cloud Riding (Legendary), Overturning Rivers and Seas (Legendary), Flood Dragon Body (Legendary), Wind and Rain Summoner (Rare)
[Cultivation Technique]: Nine Yin Blood Evil Scripture: Qi Cultivation Chapter
[Skill]: None
[Affinity]: -20
Yang Jing took a deep breath. He hadn't expected the Little Flood Dragon's stats to be this impressive.
The Flood Dragon let out a long cry, Evil Qi and Demonic Qi roiling off it. Though it was already exhausted, it continued to struggle with all its might.
Yang Jing frowned. 'Something's wrong with the Qi Kingdom's Crown Prince. Flood Dragons are born with Divine Sense, and their blood kin implant the unique heritage of the Flood Dragon Division into their sea of consciousness. One would never practice something like the Nine Yin Blood Evil Scripture, let alone a mere fragment containing only the Qi Cultivation Chapter.'
The Nine Yin Blood Evil Scripture was one of the five Fundamental Demon Scriptures of the Dark Spring Demon Sect. The relationships within a Demon Sect resembled a pyramid scheme. While one could gain Magical Power quickly, the upper echelons could, with a single thought, plunder all the Magical Power and Essence Blood their disciples had painstakingly cultivated. Many disciples went about pillaging and practicing Demon Skills, never realizing they were just refining themselves into their master's Spirit Pills and Magical Artifacts.
Yang Jing retrieved an Iron Essence Lock Chain and bound the Flood Dragon tightly, ensuring he could still control it once its Qi Power recovered. Only then did he begin to meticulously inspect its condition.
"Iron Head, check this Flood Dragon's head. See if you can find anything abnormal."
A suspicion formed in his mind.
In the game Nine Heavens World, it wasn't uncommon for players to join the Demon Sects, so Yang Jing had some understanding of their methods.
The spy who infiltrated the Taixu Sword Sect back then had likely used a technique from the All Heavens Secret Demon Register to summon a Celestial Demon and force it into the Flood Dragon's sea of consciousness with a Banishment rite. He could even guess the type of Celestial Demon—most likely a Five Aggregates Demon, one that could subvert the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness.
'A newborn Flood Dragon's Divine Sense is weak. A Five Aggregates Demon would be able to manipulate it with ease.'
Iron Head stared, pushing its Bright Qi Talent to the limit. Suddenly, all the fur on its body bristled.
An incredibly evil Qi Mechanism erupted from the top of the Flood Dragon's skull and shot toward Yang Jing.
"Tsk tsk... Trapped beneath this spring for sixty years, and today I'm finally free! A Demon Dog and a Low Tier Cultivator with impure Magical Power... This Demon will take your body today! Hahaha..."
A strange laugh echoed through the air. The Five Aggregates Demon, having flown from the Flood Dragon's sea of consciousness, lunged at Yang Jing in an attempt to seize his body.
Yang Jing reached out and seized the Five Aggregates Demon in his grasp.
The Five Aggregates Demon was formless and intangible, specializing in attacks on the sea of consciousness, making it the natural enemy of Cultivators. Any Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator who ran into one could only sit and wait for death.
But Yang Jing, with his accomplished True Yang Body and his being of utterly pure Celestial True Yang, was its perfect nemesis. This was why he hadn't panicked in the slightest, despite anticipating that an Outer Celestial Demon might be inside the Flood Dragon.
'To prevent the Five Aggregates Demon from completely devouring the Flood Dragon—which would have left him empty-handed—the Wu Family's ancestor must have placed a Restriction on the summoned Celestial Demon. Its Power would have been severely damaged, allowing it and the Flood Dragon to keep each other in check.'
'Furthermore, having been trapped in the underground river for over sixty years, the Five Aggregates Demon was in an extremely poor state.'
It let out a piercing shriek:
"Impossible! After the Nine Yang Sect was annihilated, how could anyone cultivate the Nine Yang Body to this degree! And with Uppermost Grade Celestial True Yang!"
Yang Jing didn't answer its question. He urged his Celestial True Yang, and amidst the azure-yellow Yang Fire, a sinister Demon Shadow faintly appeared, screaming hideously.
In the span of a single breath, the Demon Shadow was reduced to nothing but ash.
Yang Jing slowly exhaled. It was said that if one could comprehend heaven and earth during the Qi Cultivation Stage, allowing one's Essence, Qi, and Spiritual to resonate with the world's Vitality, one could proceed directly to Foundation Establishment. This method was known as Dao Listening Foundation Establishment.
Those who achieved Dao Listening Foundation Establishment faced almost no bottlenecks before the Core Formation realm, had limitless prospects, and had a high chance of comprehending a unique Divine Technique. Only the most prodigious geniuses would invest the time and energy to attempt it. However, there was a shortcut. By killing a sufficient number of Celestial Demons during the Qi Cultivation Stage, one could also receive the aid of heaven and earth and achieve Dao Listening Foundation Establishment.