The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

"A demonic beast?... "

Zhu Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, but he immediately sensed something was wrong. The ancient scales did not exude any evil aura; instead, they were permeated with faint fluctuations of blood and qi.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered something, his expression shifting slightly.

"Could this be a 'Dharma form'?"

Only a Dharma Image could possess a body devoid of demonic aura yet possess a demonic form. Therefore, it is highly likely that the owner of the scales is the "White Dragon King" Dong Biwu.

"The White Dragon King, is he really a dragon?..."

Thinking of his title, Zhu Yu's eyes widened in astonishment.

According to his reading of the books in his collection.

The "Dharma Form" is not simply formed by condensing Qi and Blood True Qi. Rather, it is formed by the innate "Divine Words" that integrates the Qi, Blood, Muscles, and Bones of the body, supplemented by rare and precious materials, and then nurtured and forged by a massive amount of "Human Reputation".

Because the warriors' "divine words" and "beliefs" differed.

The manifested "Dharma forms" are diverse in appearance and power.

Other than that, let's leave it at that.

The more a Dharma form resembles a mythical creature, the stronger its power, and vice versa.

And "dragon".

It is among the most powerful of the many mythical creatures.

Just as he was thinking this.

"roar…"

A painful roar, like muffled thunder, resounded throughout the ship. The glass windows cracked and shattered, and the surging river water poured into the cabin.

Without a second thought, Zhu Yu drew his sword and wrote the character "封" (seal) in mid-air. A flash of blue light appeared, transforming into a light curtain that blocked the "window".

The river water was blocked outside, but when he saw the winding cracks all over the cabin, his face suddenly turned extremely ugly. The exclamations he heard made him not have time to think and he turned around and walked out of the cabin.

The river water had already overflowed the corridor, reaching several feet high, but fortunately the boats were no longer capsizing.

When Yu Lou, Liu Peisan, and the others saw him come out, they all crowded around him.

"Big brother..."

Zhu Yu raised his hand to stop them from speaking, and said in a deep voice, "No need for further words, just wait." He paused, then added, "If the boat breaks apart, the brothers from Shanshui, please take good care of the other brothers."

After speaking, he held the rusted sword "Qingyuan," which had lost most of its rust, and engraved the characters "Feng" and "Gu" in the cabin. Then, he used the divine words "Haoran Zhengqi" to activate the "Wenqi" contained in the sword and paused.

The characters “封” and “固” erupted with a surge of blue light, spreading rapidly in all directions like ripples on water, lasting for several breaths before disappearing.

Everyone stared blankly at the scene. When they came to their senses, they suddenly realized that the sound of the river water flowing back into the corridor had disappeared, and the river water in the corridor had stopped rising.

Their gazes instinctively fell upon Zhu Yu, whose expression remained calm and composed, the divine inscription "Righteous Qi" gradually fading from his head, and the sword whose rust had crumbled more than halfway off.

"Big Brother's 'divine words' have such wondrous uses..."

At this time.

With a worried expression, Dong Qing'er stepped forward and said softly, "Thank you for your help, Junior Brother."

Zhu Yu shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Senior Dong, he..."

Dong Qing'er shook her head slightly. She knew what Zhu Yu wanted to ask, but she didn't know what had happened. She could only vaguely sense that her father's situation seemed to be not good.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he stepped into a room and looked out through the dim blue light. The outside world was pitch black, and there was no trace of the black scales.

His heart sank, and a bad thought surfaced in his mind.

Could it be that "White Dragon King" Dong Biwu has abandoned them and run away?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this might be the case.

The one who dared to attack and injure "White Dragon King" Dong Biwu was most likely the "Zhenwu Guard" who had recently arrived by river.

Thoughts raced through his mind. Zhu Yu turned and returned to the cabin, his gaze falling on his sworn brothers and sisters who were whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with apprehension. He spoke loudly:

"Which of you brothers skilled in water management is willing to go out and explore?...

"This matter concerns our very survival. If any of my brothers are willing to go out and investigate, I, as their leader, will not hesitate to bestow my 'reputation' upon them."

Having said that, he waited for his brothers and sisters to make their decision.

The "Peerless Sect" stands by the river, and many of its disciples possess the "divine words" of good water. At least 30% of the people present also possess the "divine words" of good water.

"Going out?... "

Everyone instinctively looked into the room inside the door that had been breached by the water. Through the faint blue light, it was pitch black outside, and they couldn't tell where the boat was. Going out at this time would be extremely dangerous.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Those who did not possess the "divine word" of Manifesting Good Water all turned their gazes toward those who possessed it, their eyes displaying various expressions—some expectant, some urging—but over time, their gazes gradually took on a different meaning…

Just then.

A clear, melodious voice rang out, "Wow!"

The crowd instinctively parted, revealing a young girl dressed in a chivalrous robe. She had dark skin, wasn't particularly beautiful, but was exceptionally cheerful. She stepped forward, clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Brother, I've been good at swimming since I was little. Let me go."

Zhu Yu looked at the girl, and information about her surfaced in his mind.

Yu Fuyu, ranked thirteenth in the sworn brotherhood, is a late-stage cultivator in the Divine Word Realm. He possesses the divine word ability "like a fish in water," and his registered information states that divine words greatly benefit cultivation.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Zhu Yu stepped forward to help her up, asking with concern, "Thirteenth Sister, are you confident?"

The girl, Yu Fuyu, straightened up, patted her chest, and grinned, saying, "Don't worry, big brother, I know what I'm doing."

"it is good."

Zhu Yu didn't ask any further questions. He reached out and patted Yu Fushui on the shoulder, directly giving her the "reputation" that would save her about three years of arduous cultivation, and said gently:

"Be careful, and come back quickly if you can't manage it."

He paused, then added:

"Remember, your own safety is the most important thing."

Yu Fushui, who was still reeling from the shock that Zhu Yu would share such a large portion of the profits with her, a warmth welled up in her heart upon hearing these words, and she said in a deep voice:

"Don't worry, brother, I'll be right back."

Zhu Yu said no more and led Yu Fushui, who was being watched with anticipation and envy by the others, into a guest room.

Arriving at the sealed window, he raised his hand and tapped lightly. The blue light melted away, revealing a dark opening, and the river water poured in.

Yu Fushui nodded slightly to Zhu Yu, and the divine words "like a fish in water" manifested. His body truly resembled a fish leaping out, his legs together, and with a light sway, he disappeared into the depths of the river.

Zhu Yu sealed the window shut and briefly assessed the duration of the seal. He estimated it would last for about half an hour without him replenishing it.

Without much thought, I closed my eyes and concentrated, waiting for the blessed water to return.

The corridor outside the cabin.

Someone muttered, "Isn't the elder brother giving Yu Fushui a bit too much 'popularity'? What if she doesn't come back?" This immediately sparked a buzz of discussion.

"It's just scouting outside; why give so much 'reputation'?"

"Yeah, if I had that many, I could unlock all my acupoints."

"Give it to me, and I can break through the 'Three Realms'."

"Sigh, I didn't react in time and Yu Heizi beat me to it."

"..."

The crowd chimed in with their own opinions, subtly expressing their dissatisfaction with Zhu Yu giving so many people so much attention to Fu Shui.

After all, in their hearts,

The "popularity" gathered by Zhu Yu is to be shared with them. Since so much blessed water has been given, the amount they receive in the future will naturally decrease.

in the crowd.

Suddenly, a strange, sarcastic voice rang out.

"A lot? If you give so much, why don't you stand up for us?" Sending a little girl out like that, ha...

Upon hearing this, everyone glared angrily at the person, their anger intensifying upon seeing him.

Some who manifested not to benevolent water "divine words" cursed:

"You mud monkey, you're asking for a beating. Don't think that just because you've won over Big Brother, we won't dare mess with you..."

Those who had "divine words" about the Manifestation of Good Water mostly looked embarrassed. Some were thick-skinned and didn't care, while others were narrow-minded and secretly held a grudge against "Yuan Guang".

Yuan Guang glared back without any politeness, and was about to say something when he heard an impatient voice from the side.

"Stop talking nonsense, the eldest brother is in the room. Anyone who dares to go out and investigate can go."

As they were talking, Dang Qing tossed his bangs and strode into the room with an air of indifference. Shortly after, he was yelled at, "What are you doing, you landlubber?" and then kicked out.

"Ha ha…"

When everyone saw him return, they all laughed. But Dang Qing tossed his bangs, glanced at them disdainfully, and opened his mouth slightly, but no words came out.

But the lip movements clearly said "a bunch of cowards".

"You one-eyed bastard, you'll get what's coming to you when we get out of here..."

Enraged, the crowd glared at him.

Dang Qing looked completely unconcerned, and "Li Ling," standing next to him, jokingly said, "Brother Dang, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up...?"

Dang Qing glanced at him and mouthed back.

Li Ling's smile froze, he shook his head speechlessly, turned to look at "Liu Peisan," and said, "Third Brother, aren't you going to do anything about Fourth Brother?"

Liu Peisan didn't even open his eyes, and said calmly, "He's right."

Li Ling frowned almost imperceptibly, then turned to look at You Mang, "Seven..."

You Mang glanced over with his narrow eyes.

Li Ling stopped speaking abruptly, gave an awkward laugh, and moved aside.

You Mang frowned, walked over to Yu Lou who was chatting with someone, and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice under Yu Lou's questioning gaze.

"Change my ranking."

"Huh?" Yu Lou was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood what he meant, and firmly shook her head, saying, "The 'sworn brotherhood' cannot be changed."

You Mang narrowed his eyes, stared at him for a few moments, then turned and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Yu Lou breathed a sigh of relief, but a sense of smugness welled up inside her, and she snorted to herself:

"No matter how strong you are, you're still the 799th brother..."

Provoked by Yuan Guang and Dang Qing, and tempted by their "popularity," many people entered the room, but Zhu Yu turned them away, saying that "there is no need for my sworn brother and sister to take risks for the time being."

Although they were somewhat dissatisfied, they were helpless.

In an instant.

This caused another round of noise and commotion.

in the room.

A smile flashed in Zhu Yu's eyes. The reason he rewarded Yu Fushui with a large sum of money and then refused others was to dispel the idea of ​​getting something for nothing in everyone's mind.

After all, their concept of "righteousness" is somewhat special and unstable, while "popularity" will become his bargaining chip in the future to control everyone and unite them as one.

This includes the subsequent cleanup of "Qingfeng Village".

He did not intend to distribute "reputation" equally, but instead implemented a system where those who did more received more and those who did less received less.

This led him to think of even more things.

To ensure that his "eight hundred" sworn brothers and sisters wouldn't be left behind, he also planned to implement a "promotion system" and a "last-place elimination system." Of course, elimination wouldn't mean severing ties; rather, it would be postponed...

Once these rules are deeply ingrained in people's minds, and they are then influenced by "righteousness," they will firmly stick by his side and there will be no possibility of betrayal.

As his thoughts raced, Zhu Yu suddenly sensed something, abruptly stood up, went to the window, reached out and wiped it open, and as the river water poured in, a dark shadow leaped into the room like a large fish.

Her blood and qi surged, and water droplets slid off her body, revealing a dark-skinned girl, Yu Fushui.

Zhu Yu sealed the windows, carefully examined her to make sure she was alright, then breathed a sigh of relief and asked:

"Will Thirteenth Sister encounter any danger when she goes out?... "

Yu Fushui, who had taken in his expression, felt even warmer upon hearing this, and his conviction in Zhu Yu as his elder brother grew stronger. He shook his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and replied:

"Brother, our boat is stranded in a depression at the bottom of the river. It's only a kilometer upstream to the surface. The surrounding area is a wasteland, and I don't know where we are."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and carefully took out a dark black fragment from her sleeve and handed it over.

"km…"

Zhu Yu felt a sense of relief. With everyone's cultivation level, a thousand meters of water pressure was nothing. He then looked at the fragment handed over by "Yu Fushui". With just one glance, he recognized that the fragment was the same as the scale armor he had seen before.

Reaching out to take it, it was warm to the touch, with a faint, pricking pain. My senses enveloped it, and a wisp of pale golden light, almost dissipating, lingered on the edge of the shattered scales.

"Is this the power of a 'military formation'?..."

Zhu Yu frowned almost imperceptibly. He had felt something was wrong when he sensed the "array spirit" earlier, and now he could see that "Da Yu" clearly had the inheritance of "military strategy".

It seems to fit in with the "martial arts world", but he can be 100% sure that the "Way of War" is definitely not derived from the "martial arts world".

Not for any other reason.

The "Way of War" could not have originated from the "Heavenly Spirit Ruins World," and it was only after hundreds of thousands or millions of years of war since the birth of intelligent beings that the "Way of War" had the opportunity to emerge.

The reason why its conditions are so demanding is that it violates the rules, can gather the power of ants, and cause a qualitative change, unleashing a force far exceeding its own.

Zhu Yu wondered, "Where did the Great Yu obtain the 'Way of War' from?..."

You need to know about the "tradition of military strategy".

Even within the "Twelve Celestial Alliances," it is a top-tier inheritance, and it is not easily obtained.

The "Dragon Warriors" he traded with the "Nine-Headed True Man" were forged using the lowest-level "Golden Blade Formation." When a hundred of them formed a team, they could contend with cultivators who had reached the Qi Refining Perfection stage for a short time.

Even so, because the "Golden Blade Formation" was incomplete, it was impossible to form a battle formation for the dragon warriors, let alone nurture the "formation spirit".

If it can form an array, it can contend with Qi Refining Perfection cultivators who have mastered the "Spiritual Body Technique". If it can nurture an "Array Soul", it can contend with Qi Refining Perfection cultivators who have mastered the "Field".

Furthermore, the more "Dragon Warriors" there are, the stronger they become...

A glimpse of the whole picture through a tube.

Zhu Yu sensed that his "original body's" journey might not be so smooth, as the "martial world" was far more mysterious than he knew.

After transmitting the information to the "main body" and leading "Yu Fushui" out of the room, the corridor fell silent as hundreds of eyes turned to them. When they saw Yu Fushui, who was unharmed, a look of disappointment flashed across the eyes of many.

Zhu Yu walked to Dong Qing'er, whose brows were furrowed, handed her the broken scales, and said succinctly:

"Senior Dong may have left first. This ship will soon break apart. We need to leave this place first and then make further plans."

After speaking, he turned to his sworn brothers and sisters and said:

"Shanshui's brothers, please take good care of the other brothers..."