241: Wanzai Peach Spirit

It was seven days later when Gao De returned to Qianjiao Cliff with Green Edge and Iron Pincer.

The gains from this trip to Ghost Cry Gorge far exceeded expectations—his cultivation base had been promoted to the Fourth Order Mid-Stage, he had fused with the source of ten thousand waters, and he had obtained the wave splitting halberd and the Chi Dragon Legacy, causing his strength to explode several times over.

More importantly, his understanding of the water Law had reached a new height, and the Natal Dragon Pearl within his Dantian showed faint signs of transforming toward a higher level after fusing with the Chi Dragon essence.

Everyone within the Water Mansion felt the increasingly unfathomable aura emanating from Gao De, and they were all invigorated.

Turtle Three Thousand was moved to tears—the stronger his master became, the brighter the future of Qianjiao Cliff would be.

Ao Xue walked out of the quiet room, her crimson eyes sweeping over Gao De as a flash of surprise crossed them: "Your body... the water element aura is purer, and there's an ancient scent to it."

"I had some chance encounters," Gao De did not elaborate, instead asking, "Has anyone come to cause trouble these past few days?"

"Messengers from two small factions came to scout us out, but they were sent away by Turtle Three Thousand," Ao Xue's voice was cold. "However, the master of 'Cold Pond Cave,' thirty thousand miles to the west, sent congratulatory gifts and is willing to submit to Qianjiao Cliff."

Gao De nodded. The master of Cold Pond Cave was a Third Order Mid-Stage Cold Flood Dragon; though not strong, he was well-informed, so this move served as a clear statement of his stance.

The deterrent effect of Qianjiao Cliff's great victory was becoming apparent. For a period of time, the surrounding forces would either submit or wait and see; there shouldn't be any more large-scale conflicts in the short term.

This gave him precious time for development.

"Turtle Three Thousand, continue to preside over the Water Mansion's affairs. Iron Pincer, you are responsible for reorganizing and training the newly incorporated aquatic tribes according to the standards of the Mysterious Crocodile Guards," Gao De instructed. "Green Edge, follow me to Lesser Qingqiu."

"Master is going to Lesser Qingqiu?" Green Edge's eyes lit up.

Lesser Qingqiu was the territory it had managed during the years Gao De was away. Although it had been left to subordinates to manage during these recent years, it had always remained on its mind.

"Yes, it's time to take some things," Gao De's gaze was deep.

He was referring to that Ten Thousand Year Peach Tree where the neon luan bird nest was located.

When he first arrived at Lesser Qingqiu, he had sensed that the giant Ancient Peach Tree growing deep within the Peach Blossom Spring was extraordinary—it was over ten thousand years old and contained a majestic Wood Essence and spirituality within its body, yet for some reason, it had failed to transform or gain intelligence, only able to rely on instinct to breathe in Spiritual Qi and emit an Enchanting Miasma.

At that time, Gao De's strength was insufficient; he could only take the neon luan bird nest from the tree and was unable to truly subdue it.

Now that he had promoted to the Fourth Order Mid-Stage and obtained the Chi Dragon Legacy and the source of ten thousand waters, he had a deeper understanding of the Dao of "growth" and "nourishment."

More importantly, the Dragon Blood Infusion Enlightenment Art he mastered was precisely prepared for such natural spiritual objects that lacked intelligence but had a profound foundation!

If he could use his own dragon blood to enlighten this Ten Thousand Year Peach Tree, helping it open its intelligence and transform into a demon, he would not only add a powerful Fourth Order Wood-attribute Great Demon King to Qianjiao Cliff but also truly bring the entirety of Lesser Qingqiu under his control, making it an important stronghold for Qianjiao Cliff in the Yunmeng Great Marsh.

And... Gao De had an even bolder idea in his heart.

"Ao Xue, you come along too," Gao De looked at the Blood Dragon girl. "You possess the Blood Dragon Bloodline and are sensitive to life essence; perhaps you can help."

Ao Xue nodded slightly without asking more.

Three days later, Lesser Qingqiu, Peach Blossom Spring.

This blessed land, once occupied by fox packs and monkey demons, had already begun to take shape under Green Edge's years of management, and the original Changyou Monkey King had also become a partner of Qianjiao Cliff.

Warning Formations were set up on the outskirts, and the Ancient Peach Tree in the core area was under heavy protection.

But when Gao De stepped into the Peach Blossom Spring again, he was still shocked by the sight before him.

That Ten Thousand Year Ancient Peach Tree was still as magnificent as it had been back then.

The trunk was over ten zhang thick, and the canopy was like a cloud, blotting out the sun. The pink peach blossoms bloomed in layers, emitting a dense fragrance and illusory miasma.

On the surface of the tree trunk, patterns similar to dragon scales had naturally formed, shimmering with a faint golden-red luster under the sunlight.

Most startling was the concentration of Spiritual Qi around the Ancient Peach Tree under the enhancement of the Spirit Gathering Formations.

It was several times higher than in other parts of the Peach Blossom Spring!

Wisps of Wood Essence radiated from the tree trunk, nourishing the entire land.

"It... is still growing," Ao Xue stared at the Ancient Peach Tree with her crimson eyes, her tone carrying a hint of solemnity. "Although its intelligence is not yet open, it is instinctively absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the Spiritual Qi of the earth veins. If it can be enlightened, it will surely be at the Late Fourth Stage, and might even touch the threshold of the Fifth Order."

Gao De nodded.

This was precisely the reason he valued this tree—its foundation was too profound.

"Green Edge, have all the Demon Soldiers withdraw three miles outside the Peach Blossom Spring. No one is to approach without my command," Gao De said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" Green Edge took the order and left.

Soon, only Gao De and Ao Xue remained in the Peach Blossom Spring, along with that silent giant tree.

Gao De walked around the Ancient Peach Tree, his Divine Sense carefully investigating it.

Just like years ago, the spirituality inside the tree trunk was majestic but remained in a state of Chaos, like a sleeping giant spirit.

The roots were buried deep underground, connected to a medium-sized wood-attribute Spiritual Vein, continuously drawing nutrients.

At the canopy, those dragon-scale patterns vaguely formed a sort of natural Formation that could gather the essence of the sun and moon.

"No external interference, no marks from other existences... purely the accumulation of years and the nourishment of heaven and earth," Gao De concluded. "This is the perfect subject for enlightenment."

He looked at Ao Xue: "I am going to perform the Dragon Blood Infusion Enlightenment Art to open this tree's intelligence. The process might trigger a massive amount of Wood Essence and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, so I need you to act as my Protector and help stabilize the life energy within its body."

Ao Xue nodded, her Blood Jade Dragon Wings gently unfurling behind her. A chilling Blood Dragon pressure enveloped the surroundings, isolating the entire Peach Blossom Spring from the outside world.

Gao De took a deep breath and sat cross-legged before the Ancient Peach Tree.

He did not immediately perform the enlightenment art; instead, he first circulated the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art to adjust his state to its Peak.

Inside his Dantian, the Natal Dragon Pearl, which had fused with the source of ten thousand waters, slowly rotated, releasing pure dragon origin and water Spiritual Qi.

Then, his hands formed seals as he chanted ancient Dragon language.

This enlightenment was completely different from when he had enlightened the Iron-Spined Dragon Crocodiles and other Yao Beasts.

Those Yao Beasts already possessed intelligence; enlightenment only enhanced their wisdom and potential.

But the Ancient Peach Tree's intelligence was not yet open; enlightenment was equivalent to "creating" a complete Soul consciousness for it. The difficulty was more than doubled.

Furthermore, this tree's foundation was too deep, having accumulated tens of thousands of years of Wood Essence within its body. Once triggered, a slight mistake could cause the energy to run wild, leveling the entire Peach Blossom Spring and even Lesser Qingqiu.

He had to be extremely cautious.

"With my dragon blood, I awaken your spirituality."

Gao De forced out nine drops of Natal Essence Blood from his fingertips—three times more than when he had enlightened the entire Iron-Spined Dragon Crocodile tribe! At this time, his strength was more than ten times greater than it had been back then.

As the Essence Blood left his body, his face turned slightly pale, but he was quickly replenished by the pure dragon origin surging from the dragon pearl.

The nine drops of purple-gold Essence Blood fused in the air, transforming into a complex rune the size of a fist, with lightning, fire, water, and clouds interwoven inside it.

The rune rotated slowly, radiating the supreme majesty of the Dragon Clan and the profound aura of awakening wisdom.

"Go!"

The rune flew toward the trunk of the Ancient Peach Tree and merged into it silently.

In an instant—

"Buzz—!!!"

The entire Ancient Peach Tree began to vibrate violently!

Those dragon-scale patterns on the tree trunk lit up one after another with golden-red light, and the peach blossoms at the canopy swayed frantically, scattering pink petals everywhere.

An unimaginably massive amount of Wood Essence erupted from deep within the tree, turning into a visible green torrent that roared and surged within the trunk!

At the same time, the sky above the Peach Blossom Spring suddenly darkened!

Dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled faintly. The Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius seemed to receive a summons, frantically surging toward the Ancient Peach Tree!

This was the celestial phenomenon triggered when a natural spiritual object opens its intelligence!

Such a commotion was even more startling than an ordinary Yao Beast promoting to the fourth order!

"Steady!" Gao De shouted in a low voice, his hands pressing down as he used his own dragon origin to guide the rampaging Wood Essence within the Ancient Peach Tree. Simultaneously, his Divine Sense followed the enlightenment rune, striking with all its might against the chaotic consciousness barrier at the core of the tree spirit.

Ao Xue also moved.

The Blood Jade Dragon Wings behind her vibrated slightly, and a pure and overbearing Blood Dragon power was injected into the Ancient Peach Tree. It wasn't for destruction, but rather using the ability of the Dragon Clan Bloodline to forcibly suppress and organize that violent Wood Essence, preventing it from losing control and running wild.

Blood Dragon power and Wood Essence were inherently conflicting.

But under Ao Xue's exquisite control, the Blood Dragon power transformed into countless fine networks, dividing and guiding the rampaging Wood Essence as if carving out riverbeds for a flood.

Time passed bit by bit.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Gao De's forehead.

Enlightening such a massive spiritual object consumed Divine Sense and dragon origin beyond imagination.

If he hadn't just promoted to the Fourth Order Mid-Stage and fused with the source of ten thousand waters, greatly increasing his Divine Sense strength, he probably would have been unable to hold on by now.

The vibrations of the Ancient Peach Tree gradually smoothed out, and those glowing golden-red patterns began to flash rhythmically, as if they had a breath.

Inside the tree trunk, an ignorant, pure, yet incredibly massive consciousness was slowly being born and condensed under the guidance of the enlightenment rune and Gao De's Divine Sense.

"Who... am I?"

A tender yet ancient voice sounded directly within Gao De's Sea of Consciousness.

This was the newborn consciousness of the Ancient Peach Tree, posing its first question to its "creator."

"You are this peach tree, having grown here for ten thousand years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and taking in the Spiritual Qi of the earth veins. Today, you receive my enlightenment and open your intelligence; you shall be the 'Dragon Peach Demon'," Gao De responded with his Divine Thought, his voice majestic yet gentle. "My name is Gao De, a Purple Lightning Flood Dragon and the master of Qianjiao Cliff. Today I enlighten you, granting you wisdom and giving you a path. Are you willing to follow me and seek the Great Dao together?"

The consciousness of the Ancient Peach Tree fell silent for a moment.

It was digesting this information and also feeling its own changes—the never-before-experienced clear thinking, the sharp perception of the surrounding world, the majestic power surging within its body, and... the instinctive closeness and awe toward this Purple Lightning Flood Dragon deep within its Soul.

The enlightenment rune had merged into its core, and Gao De's dragon blood and Divine Sense brand had been engraved into its Soul.

This was a connection deeper than any contract.

"Willing... to follow... Master."

The voice of the consciousness gradually became clear and firm.

The moment the words fell—

"Rumble—!!!"

A bolt of green lightning suddenly struck down from the dark clouds in the sky, hitting the canopy of the Ancient Peach Tree directly!

This was not a Heavenly Tribulation, but rather the recognition and baptism of heaven and earth for the newborn intelligence!

After the lightning, the entire Ancient Peach Tree burst forth with brilliant green-gold light!

Those dragon-scale patterns on the trunk surface completely came to life, opening and closing slightly like real dragon scales, breathing in Spiritual Qi.

The peach blossoms on the canopy rapidly withered, fruited, and ripened within the light. What grew were no longer ordinary spiritual peaches, but fist-sized "Dragon-Patterned Immortal Peaches" with dragon patterns faintly visible on their surfaces!

Most startlingly, the trunk of the Ancient Peach Tree began to twist and change, eventually transforming into a middle-aged man dressed in green-gold robes with a handsome face that carried a sense of the vicissitudes of time.

The man had a pair of small dragon horns on his forehead, a peach branch tucked into his hair bun, and phantom images of peach blossoms flowing within his eyes as they opened and closed.

He radiated a majestic Wood Essence and the majesty of the Dragon Clan; his aura had remarkably reached the Late Fourth Stage!

The Dragon Peach tree demon had successfully transformed!

"Dragon Peach greets Master!" The middle-aged man bowed toward Gao De, his voice warm but carrying the weight of endless years of accumulation.

"Good! Good! Good!" Gao De said "good" three times, his eyes full of joy.

The enlightenment was a success! Qianjiao Cliff now had a powerful Late Fourth Stage Yao King, and a rare wood-attribute one at that, specializing in healing, support, and crowd control, which perfectly filled the gap left by Gao De and Ao Xue, who only excelled at combat.

More importantly, the roots of the Dragon Peach tree demon were buried deep within the ground of Lesser Qingqiu and connected to the Spiritual Vein. In a sense, he was the "Earth Deity" of Lesser Qingqiu!

With him presiding and a set of fourth-order Formations arranged for him, Lesser Qingqiu would be as solid as a rock and become Qianjiao Cliff's most stable stronghold in the Yunmeng Great Marsh.

"Dragon Peach, now that you have transformed, can you still completely control this Peach Blossom Spring and the Lesser Qingqiu earth veins?" Gao De asked.

"In response to Master, I can," Dragon Peach said respectfully. "My roots have already spread thirty miles beneath Lesser Qingqiu, and I can mobilize over seventy percent of the wood Spiritual Qi and earth vein power here. If an external enemy invades, I can use the earth veins to set up the 'Myriad Wood Senluo Great Array'; even a single Late Fourth Stage existence would find it difficult to break through."

"Very good," Gao De nodded with satisfaction. "From today on, you will be the guardian of Lesser Qingqiu, responsible for the defense and spiritual plant cultivation here. Green Edge and Iron Pincer will assist you."

"Dragon Peach accepts the command."

"Furthermore," Gao De looked at the pair of small dragon horns on Dragon Peach's forehead and the Bloodline aura within him that was vaguely from the same source as his own, "since you were enlightened by my dragon blood, your Bloodline already possesses a trace of Dragon Clan characteristics. I have here a copy of the 'Yimu Azure Dragon Art,' which is an ancient cultivation method for wood-attribute dragons. Though incomplete, it is perfectly suited for your comprehension."

Gao De took out a Jade Slip—this was a portion of the wood-attribute Cultivation Techniques he had organized from his Bloodline Legacy. While not suitable for himself, it was a supreme treasure for Dragon Peach.

Dragon Peach took the Jade Slip, and after a sweep of his Divine Sense, his body shook violently, and his eyes revealed wild joy: "Thank you for the gift of the technique, Master! With this Cultivation Technique, Dragon Peach will surely be able to stabilize his Realm within a hundred years and may even hope to charge towards the Fourth Order Peak!"

"Cultivate well." Gao De patted his shoulder and then looked at Ao Xue, "It's time for us to go back."

Ao Xue nodded and withdrew the Blood Dragon barrier.

When the three left the Peach Blossom Spring, Green Edge and the other Demon Soldiers were all dumbfounded as they looked at the transformed Dragon Peach.

Especially those old demons who had dealt with the Ancient Peach Tree in the past; they were even more shocked—that old tree that had slept for tens of thousands of years had actually come to life and even become a Late Fourth Stage Great Demon King!

The strength of Qianjiao Cliff had suddenly surged by another large margin!

On the return journey, Gao De was in high spirits.

The treasure retrieval at Ghost Cry Gorge and the enlightenment at Lesser Qingqiu—the gains from these two trips to old places had far exceeded expectations.

Now his own strength had reached the Fourth Order Mid-Stage, and under his command were Ao Xue, a Fourth Order Early Stage Blood Dragon; Dragon Peach, a Late Fourth Stage Wood Demon; Turtle Three Thousand, a Third Order Early Stage old turtle; and capable generals like Green Edge and Iron Pincer, who had also successively stepped into the Third Order Mid-Stage, while the Mysterious Crocodile Guards, Shadow Snake Guards, and other Demon Soldiers were also beginning to take shape... Qianjiao Cliff finally had the capital to establish itself in the Qianjiang River Basin and even broader regions.

"Next, it's time to digest the gains, consolidate the forces, and then..." Gao De looked toward the north, the direction of the former site of the Qianjiang Dragon Palace, "it's time to explore the depths of those ancient secrets."

The Ancient Chidao ruins beneath the Dragon Palace, the connection between the Yushui Sect and the Yunmeng Immortal Sect, the Heavenly Demon Cult conspiracy, the attention of Bai Ze and the Mysterious Tortoise... these mysteries were like swords hanging over his head; without clearing them up, he could not rest easy.

Moreover, he had a premonition—a greater storm was brewing.

The current strength of Qianjiao Cliff might only just be enough to qualify for participation in that chessboard that was about to sweep across the entire Shenzhou.