CHAPTER 229: CHAPTER 219: REFINING TAO SPECIES AS WORM REFINING, ENTERING THE DREAM REALM AGAIN

Before possessing absolute strength, it was best to abide by the rules, which was why Hong Yuan had formed the Zero Desolate Army.

But as a Foreign Realm visitor, Hong Yuan understood something even more clearly: This world is one where Great Power is centered within oneself!

After generally dealing with miscellaneous affairs, Hong Yuan acted as a hands-off manager and focused on his cultivation.

As for the operation of the Zero Desolate Army and the honing of its combat power, Hong Yuan trusted that the Black Dragon Demon Saint was even more dedicated to it than he was.

「...」

In the cavern of the Ice Armor Python, a world of ice and snow unfolded.

Beneath the cavern, layers upon layers of white floor tiles were laid out.

Upon the tiles, numerous Energy Arrays were inscribed.

Hong Yuan stood straight on the floor, gazing at the Bronze Cauldron from which fire snakes emanated and heat waves spewed forth.

This was the fire refinement method of Worm Refining!

Hong Yuan spread out his large hand, and numerous strands of blazing orange light danced forth, like a swarm of flickering fireflies.

With the help of the fiery orange light, the fire snakes intensified their heat waves, hastening the purification of the materials inside the cauldron.

When the red copper iron and Heavy Water Essence within the cauldron melted into a liquid and began to boil, Hong Yuan’s eyes shone with a keen light. He stretched out his hand, and a war banner floated out from within him.

"Flood Gathering War Banner, go."

The Flood Gathering War Banner shrank to the size of a human palm and flew into the Bronze Cauldron.

CRACKLE! POP! Intense sounds erupted from within the Bronze Cauldron, accompanied by bursts of a gardenia-like fragrance.

Hong Yuan’s expression remained unchanged as he added bitter clams to the Bronze Cauldron.

The gardenia-like fragrance soon transformed into a stench akin to a garbage heap, which then materialized into substantial, billowing black smoke.

Smelling this odor, Hong Yuan felt his stomach churn, and he fought the urge to vomit.

Damn it, why does it smell so awful?

Relying on his formidable willpower, Hong Yuan endured the physical discomfort and continued to inhale the stench.

In the process of refining the Tao Species for the Flood Gathering War Banner, Hong Yuan quickly discovered that this refinement technique was strikingly similar to Worm Refining.

Refining a Tao Species is just like refining a Worm!

Experience from both the Natural Worm Refining Skill and the man-made worm refining skill could be applied to refining Tao Species.

This thought became even more profound in Hong Yuan’s mind, especially after the Heavenly River Sword had attained the rank of Holy Artifact through the Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending Tribulation.

GURGLE. GURGLE.

The Flood Gathering War Banner made a sound as if it were devouring something, and its rank grew even more formidable.

Simultaneously, the foul black smoke transformed into a faintly fragrant white smoke.

Streams of extremely pure blue vapor drifted from the Flood Gathering War Banner, swirling around Hong Yuan.

Hong Yuan dismissed the protective Demon Essence around him, allowing the blue vapor to enter his body.

A sensation of ethereal lightness, as if he were ascending to immortality, permeated Hong Yuan’s being.

This was a sensation of ultimate bliss, a transcendence of all worldly vexations.

Hong Yuan’s aura became more substantial, aiding his progression towards the initial stage of the Fifth Order.

Due to the unique nature of the Tao Species, as the Flood Gathering War Banner grew stronger, so did Hong Yuan, particularly in terms of his Life Span.

[Life Span +10]

[Life Span +10]

[...]

Unfortunately, the Flood Gathering War Banner was not as indiscriminate in its consumption as the Heavenly River Sword.

The Flood Gathering War Banner had to absorb the essence of various treasures through Worm Refining to grow.

Purple Smoke Fruit, Tao Enlightenment Stone, Wisteria Leaves... Hong Yuan placed countless precious and rare natural treasures into the Bronze Cauldron, fusing them into the Flood Gathering War Banner.

「...」

The refining process lasted for a full ten days and nights.

Whether they were offerings from the various Demon Clans or gifts from the Black Dragon Demon Saint, Hong Yuan threw them all into the cauldron.

His own resources had long been depleted.

The flames in the Bronze Cauldron gradually died down. The Flood Gathering War Banner within emitted a dazzling white light, showcasing its transformation.

A look of helplessness crossed Hong Yuan’s face. Even after taking shortcuts, I still can’t break through to the Fifth Order. It seems the Heavenly Will’s suppression of Demon Cultivators is still very strong.

Hong Yuan had experimented with his Demonic Body.

For the Demonic Body, conventional cultivation methods were far inferior to using the Tao Species method for improving one’s cultivation level.

However, Hong Yuan soon realized that, at this moment, improving cultivation through the Tao Species method was not as effective as his Original Body absorbing Essence Qi!

The favor shown by Heaven and Earth to the ’protagonist species’ is truly terrifying.

"Return," Hong Yuan commanded.

Hong Yuan extended his hand. The Flood Gathering War Banner flew back into his palm and returned to within his body.

Hong Yuan gazed at the Bronze Cauldron, his eyes profound.

After a moment of contemplation, he activated his Wisdom Tao Demon Skill, intending to calculate how long his Demonic Body would need to reach the initial stage of the Fifth Order through normal cultivation.

Wisdom Tao Demon Skill—Seven Star Beads!

In that instant, it was as if Hong Yuan had an artificial intelligence chip implanted, capable of providing an answer to anything. Regardless of accuracy, the calculation speed was extremely fast.

The answer was derived from the information Hong Yuan himself possessed. The more information he had, the higher the accuracy.

My own stipend... The investments from the Black Dragon Demon Saint... The annual resource tributes from the various Demon Clans... My own progress from cultivating diligently using the large Sea Clan veins... The cultivation advancement provided by a single refinement of the Flood Gathering War Banner...

Streams of data flowed through Hong Yuan’s mind. His expressionless face resembled a supercomputer rapidly performing calculations.

In a moment, Hong Yuan arrived at an answer with an accuracy of 95.99%.

Even if I proceed step by step, I won’t be able to break through to the initial stage of the Fifth Order within thirty years.

Hong Yuan let out a soft sigh.

Inevitably, his gaze fell upon his proficiency panel, specifically the information recorded for his Demonic Body.

[Name: Hong Yuan]

[Life Span: 26/21,342]

[Aptitude: 72]

[Avatar: Ice Armor Python (Cold Moon Dragon 62%)]

[Rank: Peak Fourth Order]

[Talents: Cold Moon Seal Divine Power, Ten Thousand Heavy Water Divine Power, Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power...]

Staring at "Cold Moon Dragon 62%," Hong Yuan stroked his chin.

To be honest, I had intended to wait until my Demonic Body reached the Fifth Order before activating it. But the allure of the Ten Thousand Domains’ Struggle for Supremacy is too tempting.

Once the great war begins, I can openly consume countless essences of flesh and blood, unpredictably increasing my Life Span and aptitude.

If I activate the Bloodline Dream Realm now, will the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? Hong Yuan pondered.

Wisdom Tao Demon Skill—Seven Star Beads!

The Demon Essence within Hong Yuan depleted rapidly. The seven illusory stars above his head brightly illuminated the dark cave.

After a while, Hong Yuan reached a conclusion: activating the Bloodline Dream Realm would bring benefits that far outweighed the drawbacks.

To be cautious, Hong Yuan repeatedly verified this, spending an entire day confirming his deduction.

In the end, he confirmed that activating the Bloodline Dream Realm would indeed yield benefits far greater than the drawbacks.

Hong Yuan exhaled deeply and began to consider how he would deal with Feng Yu this time.

Feng Yu was the purple-clad young man who had severely thrashed him within the Bloodline Dream Realm.

His strength was formidable, hinting that he was one of the Upper Three Tao Seeds.

A single use of his Soaring Sun Burning Heaven Divine Power had overwhelmed Hong Yuan’s Cold Moon Seal Divine Power, scorching Hong Yuan into a dried jiao and leaving him in a pitiful state.

To be defeated by an NPC... I consider it a profound humiliation!

First, I’ll use the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power for enhancement, then activate the Cold Moon Seal Divine Power...

After seven full days, having ensured there was no room for error, Hong Yuan activated the cave’s Energy Array and decisively fell into a deep sleep.

「The second Cold Moon Dragon Dream Realm began!」

「...」

「...」

「The Fourth Dreamscape Scene.」

Within a dense bamboo forest, Hong Yuan’s consciousness revived, and he quickly awoke.

He had once again become Han Jiuming. In his arms, he held a sweet-faced dragonkin girl whose white palace dress was stained with blood.

The dragonkin girl was breathing her last. She tried to reach out to touch Hong Yuan’s face, urging him to flee, "Jiu—"

THUD!

The dragonkin girl crumpled to the ground, landing in a wretched heap.

The dragonkin girl looked baffled, staring at Hong Yuan, unable to understand why her dear Jiuming had suddenly become so cold and indifferent.

Hong Yuan, however, stood up with a blank expression and activated his Divine Power.

"Divine Power—Myriad Silence Realm!"

A blue light emanated from Hong Yuan’s body, swiftly enveloping the dense bamboo forest. It transformed the area into his personal domain, and then the blue light vanished.

CRACKLE... An ice coffin materialized out of thin air, encasing the dragonkin girl.

The dragonkin girl could not be allowed to die yet; Hong Yuan needed to extract information from her.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

Familiar tiger roars and shark howls resounded once more as multiple Demon Skills descended from above.

Meteors, hurricanes, and thunderbolts converged, pressing down upon Hong Yuan.

Hong Yuan waved his hand with composure, and all the tangible attacks shattered into ice fragments, clattering to the ground.

The expressions of Sha Batian, Ying Choung, and the other Demons changed dramatically as they stared at Hong Yuan in shock.

Even Feng Yu, whose aura was as profound as an abyss and as imposing as a great mountain, wore a solemn expression.

"Lord Feng Yu!" Ying Choung and the others cried out, their spirits about to shatter, desperately seeking Feng Yu’s help.

Feng Yu stopped waving the Phoenix Fire Feather Fan in his hand and said, "Han Jiuming, you truly possess the potential to become the next ’Upper Three Tao Seeds’."

Hong Yuan remained silent, continuing to channel his Cold Moon Seal Divine Power.

Using two Divine Powers simultaneously was considered an impossible feat due to Tao Mark Contradiction.

Activating two Divine Powers at once would only cause oneself to explode catastrophically!

It had taken Hong Yuan seven days and nights of calculations to barely overcome this limitation.

Fortunately, the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power was a domain-type ability. It was compatible with Tao Marks related to water, ice, and other aspects of the Great Moon; otherwise, Hong Yuan would have been truly stuck.

"Divine Power—Cold Moon Seal!"

Augmented by the Myriad Silence Realm Divine Power, the might of the Cold Moon Seal Divine Power was immensely enhanced, truly reaching the level of a Demon Saint.

The heavens and earth warped, thunder boomed, and hurricanes howled.

A colossal, frigid moon slowly rose behind Hong Yuan. It hung high in the sky, its oppressive might bearing down upon the world.

A sense of impending doom, as if the world were ending, gripped the hearts of Sha Batian, Ying Choung, and the other Demons. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably as they revered Hong Yuan as if he were a god.

Even Feng Yu’s heart skipped a beat as he stared at Hong Yuan in utter shock.

And you call this merely ’having the potential to become one of the Upper Three Tao Seeds’? Heh.

At that moment, Feng Yu felt an overwhelming urge to slaughter those Information Tao Demons. Gathering and analyzing intelligence so recklessly, were they?!