Chapter 138: The Nine-Nether Flood Dragon, Gradually Entering the Finest Realm

"Greetings, fellow Daoists."

"I have met the Master of Black Mountain."

"I am Fatty An, greetings to the Mountain Master."

The two guests spoke with polite formality. Black Mountain truly lived up to its name, perpetually shrouded in darkness. To the two visitors, the Daoist before them possessed an air of profound mystery.

"Please, be seated."

Lu Qian waved his hand, and the paper spirit soldiers behind him vanished instantly. The two dog-headed Daoists exchanged a glance, then instinctively conjured chairs, wine, and food. These were Lu Qian’s newly refined dog-headed Daoist soldiers, capable of calling winds, summoning fire, and passing through walls. As the saying goes, wild dogs run in packs; three or more of these soldiers could form a formation to cast the Water Dragon Spell, significantly increasing their power.

Recently, his collection had grown to twenty ox-headed and horse-faced soldiers, along with nine dog-headed ones. Only the final type of "Three-Body" spirit soldier remained, which was far more difficult to refine. Taking advantage of this period of leisure, Lu Qian had decided to invite these visitors, whom he had previously turned away, to his abode.

After the three chatted for a while, Ma Huang, a deacon of the Ghost Market, could no longer restrain himself and asked, "Master, will you still be handling the business of the agency?"

"No," Lu Qian replied, shaking his head. Managing too many people was cumbersome. Furthermore, the agency business was overly complex, involving brokerage, loans, human trafficking, and cargo storage—the links were too loose and difficult to oversee. "However, I will continue to sell goods as usual. Please, take a look."

He could not stop doing business entirely; otherwise, how would he exchange resources? Lu Qian produced a small, sealed box. As he opened it, wisps of green smoke drifted out, faintly forming the shape of agonized human faces.

"Human-face Flowers, Ox-head Fruits, and Essence of Yin. The quality is remarkably high," Deacon Ma remarked in surprise. These materials were even superior to the goods previously offered by the Suixin Agency.

"In the future, we will supply a certain quantity of materials and medicinal pills every quarter. What do you think of this arrangement?" Lu Qian was confident in his products. The Yellow Springs Yin energy from the Sun-Swallowing Demon Sunflower had altered the environment, greatly increasing both the quantity and quality of these plants. These items weren't precious enough to catch the eyes of major powers, but their growth requirements were too harsh for smaller groups to manage, making them rare. By handling them this way, he avoided unnecessary trouble.

"We accept. Our three Ghost Markets demand an eighty percent share," Deacon Ma stated.

"Deacon Ma, that’s not very neighborly. You must leave something for your brothers," Fatty An complained, clearly dissatisfied.

Ma laughed drily. "Heh, we’re still worried it’s not enough ourselves."

After some haggling, they settled on a sixty-forty split, with an agreement that Black Mountain would prioritize supply to their two houses.

"Naturally," Lu Qian smiled.

"May I ask if you have any other business?" Fatty An could not help but ask.

"Bounties!"

*Whoosh!*

As soon as the words left his lips, a surge of malevolent energy rushed toward them.

Lu Qian transformed into a flood dragon, shrouded in rolling blue clouds, and returned to the mountain peak in the blink of an eye. "Fellow Daoists, let us part ways here—hahaha!" Lu Qian’s hearty, unrestrained laughter echoed from all directions, sounding like demonic incantations piercing their ears.

"His malevolent energy is fully mastered!" The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock, yet they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. The master of this place was formidable, far stronger than them, but he was not the "dragon crossing the river"—a master of the late Spirit-Nurturing or Dao Foundation stage—that they had feared. Otherwise, the city of Bangshui would be drowning in blood and chaos.

"Bounties... he truly has the courage that comes with great skill," Fatty An muttered in wonder. Bounties, as the name implied, involved hunting down those on the wanted list to earn spirit money. Many organizations on Vientiane Island specialized in this. Beyond simple bounties, these groups often acted as mercenaries; when major halls went on expeditions or clashed with rival factions, they would hire these people. Such an organization could not survive without significant strength.

Regardless of what the two thought, Lu Qian had already arrived at the summit. Beneath the Sun-Swallowing Demon Sunflower, he inhaled the Yellow Springs Yin energy, condensing the True Water of Forgetting. He was currently focusing on the *Yellow Springs Scripture Diagram* and the *Blood Refining Method*. He discovered that when the True Water of Forgetting tempered his physical body, his progress in the *Blood Refining Method* accelerated in tandem. With the rich Wood Essence provided by the Sun-Swallowing Demon Sunflower, his body refinement was actually progressing faster than his spirit cultivation.

Reflecting on this, Lu Qian checked the information in his consciousness:
*Yellow Springs Nine Palaces Meditation Scripture Diagram (Novice: 286/2000)*
*Nine Heavens Moon Essence Blood Refining Method (Wood Essence: 521/50000)*

In the illusionary realm filled with Yellow Springs Yin energy, he could gain about ten increments per day. That meant he would reach the "Minor Achievement" stage in one hundred and seventy days. After that, he didn't know how much more effort would be required. He felt that ten years of arduous, uninterrupted cultivation might be cutting it close, not to mention the need to refine *Gang* energy during that time—for which he still lacked clues. The *Blood Refining Method* was faster, at about twelve increments a day, requiring roughly a dozen years for perfection. These were calculations without external factors; pills would surely speed things up. However, time was never truly abundant, and with so many unexpected variables, he could not simply focus on cultivation without mastering any lethal techniques.

"Don't overthink it; just practice." Lu Qian stopped pondering and transformed into a flood dragon, bathing in the Yellow Springs demonic energy. His golden pupils revealed a hint of human-like emotion. Surrounded by demonic energy, he looked truly sinister. His physical body beneath the dragon form manifested as a fish-dragon, breathing in the essence of the surrounding flora. From time to time, a drop of yellow True Water of Forgetting would condense and enter his *Jiang* Palace. The dragon hovered quietly, closing its eyes in comfort.

Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from the dragon. Boundless black demonic energy spread out for hundreds of feet, forming various grim-faced *Yaksha* demons. The sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling were incessant.

This was the flood dragon’s domain—the Nine Nether Demon Formation. At this moment, the malevolent energy within the formation condensed, weaving with the demonic energy to form a three-zhang-long flood dragon. It looked much like the form Lu Qian had taken, differing only in the lack of horns; otherwise, it was indistinguishable from the dragons of myth. Yet, there was one difference: its scales were not as pure or lustrously dark-yellow as Lu Qian’s, but were mottled with white and black spots, significantly dampening its presence.

*Crash!*

The mottled dragon rolled on the ground and transformed into a burly, bearded man in black armor, holding a hook and chain with a long saber at his waist.

"Greetings, Master of the Yin!" the man rumbled.

"So you are the flood dragon spirit soldier? Let's call you 'Jiao Da' from now on," the dragon in the air said, its voice majestic and human.

"I thank the Master of the Yin for the name."

"What are your abilities?" the dragon asked, looking at Jiao Da with interest.

Jiao Da stood up and declared, "I possess demonic patterns on my soles, allowing me to walk on air. I have Yin seals in my mouth to spit Yin fire and poisonous winds, killing silently. My hook can trap demons, and my blade can cleave giants." As he spoke, he demonstrated, his body emitting profound frost and Yin-煞, freezing everything he touched. He could even transform back into a flood dragon to take flight. Within the demon formation, he appeared even more formidable, moving like a ghost.

"Good!" Lu Qian was satisfied. The Yellow Springs techniques were indeed extraordinary; these spirit soldiers were far more powerful than the common "Blood Seal" soldiers, which were little more than mortals with minor tricks.

*Crash!*

Lu Qian retracted his power, and Jiao Da vanished. "So, when demonic energy condenses to a certain level, it produces spirit soldiers?" Lu Qian had roughly grasped the method.

What followed was the monotonous grind of cultivation. Aside from his core practice, he had his paper servants refine "Mysterious Gold Sword Bags" and "Meat of Vision." Routine tasks like alchemy and treasure refinement were left to the servants or maids; only critical matters required his personal touch. Spell practice was more difficult; he typically dedicated two out of every five days to training or learning new knowledge.

Day and night, he practiced without respite. The number of spirit soldiers in the Nine Nether Demon Formation grew to eighteen. The ox-headed, horse-faced, and dog-headed soldiers occasionally went out to hunt the cultivators on the bounty lists. Combined with the yields from Black Mountain, he had finally begun to accumulate wealth instead of just spending it. Because his targets were only Spirit-Refining cultivators, Black Mountain had gained some fame, though not quite matching the major organizations. As Lu Qian spent most of his time in seclusion, the people of Black Mountain remained low-profile.