Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit
Chapter 120 - 97 Gui Prime Minister, Crab General, Shrimp General! [First update, ask for monthly pass!]

Chapter 120: Chapter 97 Gui Prime Minister, Crab General, Shrimp General! [First update, ask for monthly pass!]

The heavens and earth conceal profound mysteries, while fields hide dragon palaces.

There is magic in the mundane, its truths spoken without words.

...

Chen Jichuan entered the waters, pushed open the palace gate, climbed ninety-nine steps, and arrived at the grand hall. The civil and military officials he had seen before had all vanished, as had the silver-bearded elder.

The hall was empty.

Desolate and silent.

"The scenes in the hall just now—were they fabrications of a spell, or did such grandeur truly exist in this Water Mansion many years ago?"

Chen Jichuan looked around, recalling the rows of civil and military officials and the sight of the Yellow Luo Umbrella, pondering silently.

If it was the former, then so be it.

But if it was the latter, then the former glory of the Lishui Water Mansion must have been truly remarkable. Yet, for some reason, this grand place had fallen into such decay, now standing empty and abandoned.

"A great enemy invaded?"

"The spiritual energy dissipated?"

Various thoughts crossed Chen Jichuan’s mind, but no one was there to provide answers.

He roamed the main hall but found nothing unusual. Moving to the rear hall, he found it in complete ruin, covered in dust, making it nearly impossible to step through.

"The front hall is intact, yet the rear hall has collapsed."

Chen Jichuan thought to himself with a hint of mischief, "Turns out even Immortals care about appearances."

He chuckled.

After scanning the rear hall and finding no hidden treasures, he returned to the front, approaching the seat where the silver-bearded elder had originally been seated.

As soon as he sat down—

The Yellow Luo Umbrella appeared.

"Oh?"

Chen Jichuan let out a surprised sound and quickly used the "Insight Skill" to examine it—

[Magical Treasure: Yellow Luo Umbrella]

[Level: Low Grade]

[Description: Crafted by Lishui Mansion Master ’Mu Qianshan,’ a defensive magical artifact. While under the umbrella’s protection, one can summon the civil and military officials of the Water Mansion. The civil officials are ’as eloquent as a river,’ and the military generals are ’like impregnable fortresses.’ Approaching the Yellow Luo Umbrella nullifies all magic, rendering attacks ineffective. It can withstand attacks from cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm.]

...

"The Yellow Luo Umbrella!"

"What a treasure!"

Chen Jichuan’s eyes instantly lit up.

He had personally experienced the power of being "as eloquent as a river" and "like impregnable fortresses."

The combination of the two—

Even a Ninth Grade Grandmaster would struggle to break through, and invading recklessly could even result in death.

Chen Jichuan had initially thought this was merely a trial left behind by the Lishui Water Mansion.

That after the trial, the phenomenon would dissipate.

He hadn’t expected it to be the power of this Yellow Luo Umbrella.

The civil and military officials he saw earlier were merely phantoms summoned by this Yellow Luo Umbrella.

Even the paper beings that transformed into their true forms before the silver-bearded elder were not the elder’s own doing. Like the officials, they were simply manifestations of the umbrella’s power.

"Rise!"

Delighted, Chen Jichuan reached out to grab the Yellow Luo Umbrella.

Rumble!

He exerted force, but the Yellow Luo Umbrella remained unmoved. Instead, bright spiritual light erupted from both sides of the hall, radiating chaotically from it as its center.

"Welded to the ground?"

Chen Jichuan tried again with more strength.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

A series of loud noises, but the Yellow Luo Umbrella still wouldn’t budge.

"It won’t move!"

"Does it require refining to utilize?"

Chen Jichuan frowned slightly.

If the inability to move it was because he hadn’t refined it yet, that would be fine. The worry was that even after refining, the umbrella might remain immovable.

That would considerably reduce its value.

No matter how powerful a protective treasure is, if it can’t move, it’s little more than a sitting duck.

"Can’t be too greedy."

"With this umbrella standing here, if a great enemy ever appears in the future, retreating into the Water Mansion would make for an excellent refuge."

Looking at the Yellow Luo Umbrella, Chen Jichuan felt a tinge of disappointment but wasn’t overly dejected.

In his left hand, he held the Lishui Seal.

In his right, the Yuanchen Sword.

With waning interest in the immovable Yellow Luo Umbrella, Chen Jichuan redirected his attention, glancing around. "Now, where should I hide this Water Mansion?"

The Lishui Water Mansion was heavy.

But even it could be swept away downstream by the mighty currents of the river. With his roots in Shi’an County, he couldn’t possibly follow wherever it drifted.

"Find a boat to tow it?"

"Wouldn’t that be too conspicuous?"

Chen Jichuan pondered, feeling a slight headache.

At this moment, opposing armies were entrenched on the north and south riverbanks. Though he had the authority to mobilize manpower and ships, the people from Biqing Cliff were unlikely to sit idly by.

But without using a boat, Chen Jichuan truly didn’t know how to manage this Water Mansion.

Especially when he still hadn’t refined the Lishui Seal.

As he was deep in thought—

Suddenly.

There was a commotion outside the Water Mansion.

...

Crash!

The waves surged violently, lifting the massive palace.

Along the way, every fish, shrimp, and crab scurried to avoid it, fearful of being swept into the chaos. Yet amidst the retreating figures, several shadows charged toward the palace instead.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be a shrimp, a crab, and an old turtle.

Ordinary as it may sound, any person witnessing the scene would likely be scared out of their wits.

The shrimp was larger than a human, leaping forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, racing toward the palace.

The crab, dark green and black like armored tanks of a bygone era, scuttled sideways with an imposing air, its speed surprisingly fast.

The old turtle, even larger than the crab, displayed an aged and weary demeanor, lazily paddling through the water. Though slower than the shrimp and the crab, it wasn’t far behind.

Soon enough—

The trio arrived at the palace.

Clang, clang, clang!

The giant shrimp pounded its massive pincers against the palace rooftops.

Bam, bam, bam!

The crab, too, struck fiercely at the walls with its claws.

The old turtle, more composed, swam around before finding the palace door. With a pair of ancient, wise eyes reflecting ages past, it bumped its head against the door, then stopped.

The shrimp and crab, finding no success in breaking the roof or walls, circled to the front and joined the old turtle at the gate.

Seeing the turtle, they rushed forward from the left and right—

But just as they got close, their bodies stiffened, freezing in place as if struck by a sudden spell.

...

Chen Jichuan sat upright inside the hall, the cool Lishui Seal nestled in his hands, while the Yellow Luo Umbrella swayed gently in the breeze beside him.

The grand hall shimmered, and before long, a row of civil officials and a row of military generals manifested within.

Rubbing the Lishui Seal, Chen Jichuan glanced around but saw no sign of the silver-bearded elder. He mused silently, "I obtained the Lishui Seal. Does this mean I’ve taken over as the elder’s replacement?"

As he mulled it over—

He gazed at the rows of civil and military figures around him and tentatively called out, "Ministers?"

"..."

"..."

The civil officials ignored him, while the military generals didn’t even look his way, as though they hadn’t heard a word.

Chen Jichuan wasn’t embarrassed, though. He contemplated briefly, then placed his hand on the Yellow Luo Umbrella and infused it with True Yuan. Immediately, a sense of spiritual connection surged through him.

Delighted, Chen Jichuan called out once more, "Ministers?"

"..."

"..."

The civil officials still paid no mind, and the military generals remained aloof, just as before.

"What is this—"

Confused, Chen Jichuan could sense the connection between himself, the Yellow Luo Umbrella, and the manifest officials, yet he couldn’t control them.

As he delved deeper into this puzzling situation—

A white-clothed envoy suddenly ascended the steps outside the hall.

Behind him were three figures: a hunched old man with white hair and beard, a burly general clad in green armor with a copper-plated body and iron pincers in hand, and a tall, lanky general in red armor, also copper-plated, with iron pincers similarly equipped.

The trio, grotesque in appearance, hardly looked like virtuous folk.

But upon reaching the hall, they were uncommonly reserved, trailing behind the white-clothed envoy like submissive pupils, not daring to act out.

Chen Jichuan observed closely.

These three were no longer accompanied by their bodies, which had been left behind outside under the spell of illusion. What had entered the hall were their disembodied souls.

Under the envoy’s lead, the trio approached Chen Jichuan and bowed respectfully, declaring, "Greetings to the Mansion Master."

"So that’s how it works."

Chen Jichuan finally understood. The illusion outside was designed to draw in individuals’ souls and bring them to the hall.

Seeing the trio bow reverently, Chen Jichuan scanned them with Insight and noticed their true forms. His eyes lit up in delight, and he spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "The three of you are skilled. My Water Mansion happens to lack a Prime Minister and two Generals. Might you be interested?"

Having just acquired the Water Mansion, Chen Jichuan was immediately approached by three wandering spirit monsters seeking positions. Such a gift was impossible to refuse.

"Willing, willing!"

"We are willing!"

The three spirit monsters responded eagerly, rushing to agree.

Chen Jichuan glanced at them. Strength-wise, they were comparable to Level 8 Innate beings, but their spiritual wisdom was far inferior to individuals like Er Ban or Jin Shenggu from the Da Liang World.

He used Insight Skill to inspect them—

Name: None (Turtle Spirit)

Age: 1064 (1)

Level: 8

Gift: Turtle Breath (8)

Spells: None

...

Name: None (Crab Spirit)

Age: 88 (1)

Level: 8

Gifts: Copper Body and Iron Bone (8); Herculean Strength (8)

Spells: None

...

Name: None (Shrimp Spirit)

Age: 88 (1)

Level: 8

Gifts: Copper Body and Iron Bone (8); Piercing Thrust (8)

Spells: None

...

"Turtle Spirit."

"Crab Spirit."

"Shrimp Spirit."

With Insight Skill, Chen Jichuan quickly discerned that these three were creatures of Lishui who had unexpectedly gained spiritual enlightenment. The old turtle had lived for over a thousand years, while the shrimp and crab spirits had each lived for eighty-eight years.

Only recently did they gain spiritual wisdom.

Roaming the waters of Lishui, they had discovered the Water Mansion and were instinctively drawn to it. Falling prey to its illusions, they entered the hall, mistaking Chen Jichuan for the Dragon King. Overjoyed at being granted official positions, they hastily accepted.

"You three have only just awakened your spiritual wisdom. You lack the knowledge of cultivation and the understanding of magic. I shall first teach you the Immortal Skill. For the time being, remain in this Water Mansion and focus on your cultivation."

The three newly enlightened spirit monsters, each strong at Level 8, would be significant assets to Chen Jichuan.

Especially in the water, where even he might not be their match.

Teaching them a cultivation method and binding them to his service would allow Chen Jichuan to command both the Martial Alliance on land and the Water Mansion in aquatic realms.

His only concern was their loyalty.

However, as newly formed spirit monsters in the early stages of their cognitive development, this was the best time to bind their allegiance. Providing cultivation techniques now would forge a bond of gratitude that, unless they were extremely treacherous by nature, would make future betrayal unlikely.

Besides, without other water-based factions present, they had nowhere else to go, even if they wished to defect.

Still, caution was always wise.

Chen Jichuan taught the Turtle Spirit the "Taiyin Refining Body Technique" and the Shrimp and Crab Spirits the "Seventy-two Extreme Skills," but only the first eight layers of each.

That was sufficient for them to practice for now.

By the time they reached the eighth layer, Chen Jichuan would assess further and decide whether to teach them the next stages of the techniques.

Such methods were common across most sects and power structures for controlling disciples and subordinates.

It was nothing unusual.

"Thank you, Mansion Master!"

The Turtle Spirit, Crab Spirit, and Shrimp Spirit were oblivious to the considerations Chen Jichuan had just gone through. Newly enlightened, they were still fumbling their way through this new state of existence and had no idea how to cultivate.

Now that they had been granted methods, they were ecstatic and profusely expressed their gratitude to Chen Jichuan.

Chen Jichuan smiled and asked, "Do the three of you have names?"

"We do not."

Born of nature, they understood the concept of names but lacked the imagination or knowledge to create their own.

"Since that is the case, I shall call you Gui Prime Minister, Crab General, and Shrimp General for now. As for individual names, you can decide them yourself after you’ve studied and gained more experience, or I can help you then if you wish."

Chen Jichuan refrained from assigning permanent names.

If they matured and disliked the names given, it would be awkward to either change them or force them to bear names they didn’t like.

Better to leave it for later and let them decide on their own terms.

"Gui Prime Minister."

"Crab General."

"Shrimp General."

The trio of spirit monsters appeared somewhat bewildered but also faintly thrilled by their titles.

It was a strange mix of emotions.

All they knew was they felt a fondness for Chen Jichuan and the Water Mansion, unable to keep from grinning foolishly.

...