"Congratulations! Your Dragon Clan's Fortune has increased! +1 point!"
As he watched Receiving Daoist depart into the distance, Ao Qing heard the sweet chime of a system notification in his ear.
The corner of his lips curled slightly.
This Receiving Daoist really lives up to his future legacy.
To think that the man who would one day found Buddhism and become Amitābha was this good at manipulating relationships… handing over a top-tier treasure just to curry favor.
Unfortunately for him—
All of that effort was for nothing.
Ao Qing had no powerful patron backing him. If he did, the Four Seas Dragon Clan wouldn't have been oppressed for generations.
"Your Majesty is truly brilliant. You even managed to scam a congenital treasure out of a Saint... the Exquisite Spirit Tower. This old turtle admires you more with every passing day!"
Prime Minister Turtle was practically stunned. His admiration for Ao Qing was growing by the second.
Ao Qing didn't respond. Instead, he gazed out over the distant waters of the Eastern Sea Shore.
"Prime Minister Turtle," he said calmly, "it's time. Go gather the clan elders. We're heading out again. It's time we truly elevated the strength of our shrimp soldiers and crab generals."
"Strengthen them?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll get right on it!"
Although a little confused, Prime Minister Turtle didn't hesitate. Considering the string of miracles Ao Qing had pulled off lately, he had long since stopped questioning his Dragon King's decisions.
He moved quickly to gather the key leaders of the clan.
Watching him go, Ao Qing's smile deepened.
My next destination... isn't the Yin-Shang human dynasty...
It's the immortal sects of the human cultivators.
That's right.
The Sword Cultivation Sects of the Human Realm.
After observing the recent evolution of many fish spirits and sea beasts in the Four Seas, Ao Qing realized something troubling:
Though their strength had improved massively, their combat techniques were completely lacking.
Most relied solely on their raw talent and instincts.
They had no formal martial techniques.
In human terms?
They had power, but no way to use it.
Ao Qing had thought long and hard about it, and ultimately reached a bold conclusion:
The entire Four Seas would begin learning human martial arts.
Why?
Because though the Human Race was the weakest among the myriad clans, they were also the smartest.
Through sheer intelligence and ingenuity, they had climbed to the peak of the world, and created countless techniques and martial methods that surpassed natural gifts.
Ao Qing, being a transmigrator from the human world himself, knew this better than anyone.
Give a beast a martial art...
And its power would multiply tenfold.
Imagine his shrimp soldiers wielding the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
His crab generals mastering Dugu Nine Swords.
His fish spirits flying on swords using Shushan Sword Techniques...
Even the celestial troops and heavenly generals of the Heavenly Court wouldn't stand a chance.
What Ao Qing didn't yet know was whether occupying these sects would allow the Four Seas' power to evolve the way his seas had—but that was a problem for later.
For now, they had to act.
As expected, Prime Minister Turtle's efficiency was top-notch.
Before long, Ao Guang arrived leading the clan elders, each of them glowing with excitement.
They'd already heard about the Exquisite Spirit Tower and how Ao Qing had tricked a Saint into giving it up.
Their reverence toward Ao Qing had reached new heights.
"Your Majesty, where are we headed this time?"
Third Prince Ao Bing beamed with enthusiasm.
"Yes, I'm getting restless already!"
Ao Guang chuckled, cracking his knuckles.
Ao Qing turned, his expression calm but his smile confident.
"This time... we're going to Shushan."
Shushan.
The name alone carried weight.
Even in the Investiture of the Gods timeline, Yin Shiniang, a famed cultivator, had received her teachings there. The legendary Shushan Sword Art was famous even among gods.
At this time in history, Shushan was not yet the colossal sword sect it would become. Merely a few hermits practicing swordsmanship atop a sacred floating peak in the Bashu region.
Even so, they had begun forming a unique cultivation system, and the embryonic form of the Shushan Sword Sect was already in place.
Just imagine it:
If the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the Four Seas could fly on swords and strike from thousands of miles away...
What kind of terrifying force would that be?
Ao Qing had considered many cultivation sects, but none matched Shushan in sheer practicality and lethality. Their swordsmanship had endless room for scale and adaptability.
And besides…
There was another reason he had to visit Shushan.
Hidden within Shushan was the fabled artifact: the Heart of Pangu.
"Shushan?"
Prime Minister Turtle blinked. He'd never even heard of such a sect.
Bashu Region. Shushan.
Far across the human realm.
Floating high above the mountains was a massive immortal peak, suspended like a cloud palace in the sky—this was Shushan, one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Mountains and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
Its reputation was so vast that every year, thousands of cultivators attempted to climb the peak in hopes of being accepted as disciples—seeking power, technique, and a path to immortality.
Other sacred sites on par with Shushan included:
Qianyuan Mountain's Golden Light Cave, under Taiyi ZhenrenFive Dragon Mountain's Cloudy Sky Cave, future home of Manjushri BodhisattvaZhongnan Mountain's Jade Pillar Cave, cultivated by YunzhongziPhoenix Mountain's Douzhuo Palace, home of Princess LongjiSkull Mountain's White Bone Cave, ruled by Lady Stone-Skull
And of course—
Kunlun Mountain, headquarters of Yuanshi TianzunPenglai Immortal Island, seat of the Goddess of the West
In this Yin-Shang era, the world was teeming with cultivators. Everyone dreamed of transcending mortality and entering the divine register.
At the summit of Shushan, nestled atop a sacred ridge, stood a vast, ancient sect.
Countless white-robed Taoist priests and sword cultivators were diligently training.
"Huuuhh..."
A slow, long breath echoed across the mountain peak.
Several white-haired elders opened their eyes in unison, having just finished sensing the fluctuations of heaven and earth.
But in the next instant—
The sky darkened.
Thick clouds rolled in from nowhere.
The entire world turned dim and heavy, as if shrouded by an enormous shadow.