All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 394 - 37 True Martial True Dragon (1/3)

Chapter 394: Chapter 37 True Martial True Dragon (1/3)

"What?"

Even someone as carefree as An Jing couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment upon hearing You Ruhui’s words, "The Ancestral Dragon Hall has given you all the scriptures related to the True Dragon Spine?"

[Yes, all of them.]

Assuredly, You Ruhui confirmed, [Although I don’t know why, they indeed gave them all to me... I am currently reviewing them, and I’ll be able to pass them on to you shortly!]

An Jing thought for a moment and realized that it might not be a case of ’not knowing why,’ but rather because the higher-ups at the Ancestral Dragon Hall had noticed You Ruhui’s breakthrough with the help of Dragon Qi. They considered that You Ruhui might be able to break the curse that the ’renegade Da Chen imperial lineage cannot cultivate to the Divine Repository,’ which is why they decided to invest in her.

Speaking of which, the relationship between Da Chen and dragons is quite subtle.

In ancient times, there were legends that the Holy Ancestor had a Dragon Master impart teachings, and in the Northern Border, a True Chi Dragon guarded Hanhai. The various dragon clans were mostly regarded as River Dragon Kings or Lake Dragon Kings, serving as semi-officials of Da Chen, most possessing a Granting Talisman and belonging to the water governance system.

Although the relationship may not be that good today, having driven away the Hanhai True Chi Dragon, it is suspected that the connection is not only in martial arts but perhaps even deeper.

"The back of the turtle is bent like the sky, the bottom is flat like the earth. The divine turtle that has existed for thousands of years knows everything, prolific yet without male offspring, employing the serpent as the male. Therefore, when the turtle and the serpent are combined, it is called Xuanwu... If the Da Chen dynasty really has connections with Xuanwu, then the ’dragon’ being symbolic of the ’tail of the serpent’ is quite clear. However, this also implies that there is another part of Da Chen’s heritage related to the ’turtle,’ of which the origin is unknown."

An Jing shared his thoughts with You Ruhui and then inquired, "What’s the difference between the True Dragon Spine and the True Martial Spine? What do you think of the True Dragon Spine?"

[As for the so-called ’turtle,’ I know. The turtle, whose shell is like the sky and bottom like the earth, supports the earth and holds up the sky, is the character ’person.’]

You Ruhui, indeed a well-studied scion of the Da Chen imperial bloodline with a clear understanding of her heritage, and now with access to the scriptures of the Ancestral Dragon Hall, was simultaneously perusing and explaining to An Jing: [Humans, being the leaders among myriad spirits, embody benevolence and virtue. A monarch governs the world, brings peace to a region, and guards it like a turtle; dragons and serpents, the overlords among beasts, represent the wilderness, sweeping across the land, chasing the deer through martial prowess, looking down on the world like a dragon.]

[The so-called Xuanwu represents the dual paths of kingship and dominance, the interchange of Yin and Yang, in harmony with heaven and earth, known as ’True Martial.’]

[In my view, the True Dragon Spine is somewhat too overbearing, as it involves a large dragon’s spine evolving numerous meridians, engulfing the essence of heaven and earth into one, with both the Purple Mansion as the Heavenly Sea and the spine as the Earth Vein. Combined with one’s own True Spirit Dragon Blood and the fusion of heaven and earth spirits, it condenses into a unique ’Creation Dragon Qi,’ a heritage only usable by the dragon clans.]

[The True Martial Spine, however, is a Divine Abnormality fashioned owing to the human body being incomparable to the dragon’s form. It uses the Heavenly Sea and Earth Vein of an area as its base, constructing cities in formations where the people dwell, thereby creating a self-sufficient heaven, earth, and humanity, thus giving rise to Dragon Qi. We of the imperial bloodline wield the seat of power at the Imperial Court to attract ’Imperial Court Royal Dragon Qi’ within our bodies, forming the True Martial Lord’s physique.]

[Simply put, dragon physiques are strong enough to integrate the three talents of heaven, earth, and spirit Qi all by themselves, whereas the Holy Ancestor, with his extraordinary abilities, turned an entire nation into a great dragon, with every city’s Earth Vein as its meridians, the Complete Circuit as its Divine Sea, and the countless subjects as its Spirit Mechanism, forging the entire ’Da Chen dynasty’ into a dragon of the human path.]

[The entire Da Chen dynasty, the entire nation and its people, everything that exists above, all act as sources of ’Dragon Qi.’ Thus, the Imperial Court has the responsibility to ensure the happiness and well-being of the populace. Only when the nation thrives will there be more Dragon Qi, enabling us, the imperial lineage, to advance further.]

A sigh escaped You Ruhui’s lips at this point; it was clear she didn’t believe that Da Chen had achieved this. But she quickly rallied her spirits: [As for the True Dragon Spine, it is certainly genuine. By comparing it with the True Martial Spine, I have discerned many doctrines that are handed down in unbroken succession.]

"The sword of the commoners and the emperor... A dragon of the individual and the collective, huh?"

An Jing pondered thoughtfully, grasping the underlying logic of the Ancestral Dragon Hall and the Da Chen dynasty, "Although the latter is more difficult, once order is established, Dragon Qi will flow continuously, and the Imperial Court will certainly not lack powerful individuals... No wonder today’s Da Chen dynasty is the Heavenly Ancestor, and Ancestral Dragon Hall is the Upper Gate."

[That’s true, but things are a bit different here in the Central Continent.]

You Ruhui’s tone became cautious: [Although in my view, the Ancestral Dragon Hall certainly isn’t as powerful as the Imperial Court, that’s merely because the Central Continent has the Shangxuan Sect... If not for a powerful central sect like the Shangxuan Sect, given the Ancestral Dragon Hall’s foundation, it would not be difficult to become the Heavenly Ancestor during the great calamity.]

[But that is a different topic altogether... An Jing, do you intend to practice the True Martial Spine? Since you can now obtain Dragon Qi, cultivating it would definitely be worthwhile!]

"[Even without cultivating, if you compare the scriptures of the True Martial Spine and the True Dragon Spine, you would surely gain a lot even while practicing other Divine Abnormalities!]"

"Hmm, I’m not in a hurry to cultivate, but indeed I could take a look in comparison," An Jing answered.

Although An Jing was initially excited, he now calmed down: even though they were the core legacies of Heavenly Ancestor and Upper Gate, he wasn’t actually in need.

In An Jing’s possession was also a copy of the "Supreme Celestial True Solution." This scripture might appear simple, yet the more one read, the deeper its significance became, much like the Imperial Heaven and Houtu Method, harboring multiple layers of mysteries that required detailed interpretation.

Ordinary people could cultivate, and geniuses could achieve even better results through cultivation.

With just An Jing’s own experience and foundation, interpreting the first one or two layers wasn’t difficult, but the subsequent ones would require more diverse foundational scriptures for analogy and understanding.

Not to mention, both methods required ’Dragon Qi’... An Jing now had Linjiang City, so he could obtain it.

But who could tell about the future? He wasn’t like You Ruhui, who had the Dragon Jade in his possession.

"That’s also a problem. What should I do if I have too much Dragon Qi? It has to be stored, or else it could lead to another Beast Tide calamity."

As An Jing thought this, he asked You Ruhui how to store Dragon Qi and then received a lengthy list of materials.

["...Combine the thirty-six types of Spiritual Materials, forge them into a Container, and you can obtain the ’Dragon Storing Bottle,’ which can be used to store various types of Spirit Qi. One can accumulate it daily and use it when necessary. It is a secret not passed down by the Imperial Court"]

Since leaving the Da Chen region, You Ruhui became increasingly unrestrained—not in personality, but in divulging information about the Imperial Court, which he shared as liberally as if it cost nothing: ["The other materials are just ordinary Spiritual Materials, the only difficulty is that forging this item also requires Dragon Qi, which is why all the Upper Gates are somewhat aware of it, but none can truly forge it"]

["And on the Ancestral Dragon Hall’s side," according to Jin, "the dragon clan possesses a Divine Abnormality which functions similarly to the Dragon Storing Bottle, called the ’Spirit Accumulating Scale,’ which might be the prototype for the Dragon Storing Bottle"]

Upon examination, An Jing found this to be true.

The Spiritual Materials needed for the Dragon Storing Bottle were quite simple: various types of Spirit Jade, the flawless Pure Spirit Jade, myriad five-colored minerals, Earth Vein Gold, and Heavenly Essence Dew, combined with Dragon Qi, were needed.

For higher quality, there are higher-grade materials, and for lower quality, there are lower-grade materials. High-grade Earth Vein Gold and Heavenly Essence Dew could even make Divine Repository True Persons wince, while lower-grade materials could be gathered by Inner Breath Martial Artists over time if they tried.

An Jing had no use for the high-grade materials, while with his current channels in the Tianyuan Realm, he could look around and then dig through the Linlang Commerce Chamber’s storeroom, and he was certain to gather everything needed.

Yet An Jing’s face sported a contemplative frown, revealing a look of surprise.

"Subdue Evil, look..." he murmured in the Divine Sea to the Sword Spirit: "Do you think, does it resemble something?"

"Indeed," Subdue Evil, looking at the Dragon Storing Bottle, also spoke with a tone of surprise: "It’s too similar. It can store Qi, accumulate energy, charge on a regular day, release it when crucial..."

"Isn’t this Dragon Storing Bottle essentially a high-tier Spirit Qi Furnace?"