Chapter 150: Battle of the Flood Dragon and the Clam

"What are the Ghost King's commands?" Hearing this, Lu Qian felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He was never afraid of people demanding exorbitant prices.

The pugilistic world revolved around the single character of "profit"; loyalty and sentiment were currencies that depreciated quickly. Lu Qian did not fear dealing with interests; relationships built on mutual interests were the most stable ones.

What he feared most were those who traded in righteousness and sentiment. That kind of emotional debt was far harder to repay than pure gold and silver.

"I need you to take a trip to the south, near Qiyuan, and help me find someone."

Candle Ghost King projected a wisp of black Qi.

The black Qi coalesced into the visage of a female child, a little girl of about five or six years old.

"This is my eldest daughter. She went missing when she was five. It has taken this old man twenty years of searching to finally find a single trace."

Candle Ghost King turned his gaze toward Lu Qian, the flames flickering restlessly within his eye sockets.

"As long as you agree, I will instantly wipe away your flaws and present you with intelligence regarding the Yellow Springs Astral Qi."

"Furthermore..." Candle Ghost King paused, adding, "If you succeed, I will grant you a thirty-three percent stake in the Three Families Ghost Market."

As soon as these words fell, everyone present was momentarily stunned.

The pure annual profit of the Three Families Ghost Market alone exceeded tens of millions, not to mention fixed assets such as spirit fields and storefronts.

Neither of the other two families held such a high share.

If they really gave Lu Qian that much stock, the three major merchant associations would practically become two.

Yet the heads of the other two families raised no objections.

Those two families were originally vassals of the ghost race, factions that had branched off from the ghost lineage to practice alternative arts. Candle Ghost King's word was law; no one dared to dispute it.

"Very well," Lu Qian agreed.

His goal for the next decade was to refine his astral Qi, and heading over there happened to align with his plans.

"It is roughly around here."

Candle Ghost King once again manifested his ghost Qi, shaping it into a map.

It roughly outlined a region with a radius of ten thousand miles.

"This..." It was Lu Qian's first time seeing a complete map.

He had originally assumed the northern and southern regions were roughly equal in size, but compared against the scale of the entire map, he realized the south was ten times larger than the north.

Divided entirely by the Reaching Heaven River, the northern region looked like a solitary, isolated peninsula.

Beyond the map lay a boundless expanse of ocean.

"Is this your first time seeing a map of the Southern Spiritual Domain?" Candle Ghost King asked, somewhat surprised.

"The first time. I have never laid eyes on one before." Lu Qian spoke the truth.

The Southern Spiritual Domain was immense, dozens of times larger than the Earth in his past life's memories.

The distances between various factions easily spanned tens of thousands of miles.

"Beyond the boundless seas lie even larger realms; you will learn of them in time. Among the Myriad Clans of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, places even vaster than this are countless," Candle Ghost King chuckled.

"I see." Lu Qian remembered obtaining a pictorial atlas from the Underworld and decided to examine it another day.

"Oh, right, and the information regarding the Yellow Springs Astral Qi," Candle Ghost King nearly forgot the matter. "I do not know the exact location of the Yellow Springs Astral Qi, but I know who does."

"Who?"

"The Grand Administrator of Winter from the Nine Heavens Dao Alliance. The art he practices is the Nether Astral Qi, a variant of the Underworld's Yellow Springs. He should know where the Nether Astral Qi can be found."

"The Nine Heavens Dao Alliance?"

Lu Qian retained an impression of this sect; the Black-and-White Taoist he had slain previously belonged under the command of the Grand Administrator of Autumn.

He still carried the token of the Autumn Administrator with him.

Could he use that token to infiltrate the Nine Heavens Dao Alliance?

"I do not know the Winter Administrator personally, but a friend of mine does. You may use my name when you meet him."

"Why me?" Lu Qian voiced the doubt that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.

"Because you are bold and decisive. You dare to play your games right under the eyelids of experts. That is why it is you."

Ever since learning Lu Qian's true identity, Candle Ghost King had developed a deep appreciation for the young fellow before him.

Whether it was Taoist Tongyou or Fubo, both were first-rate fiends.

Ordinary Dao Foundation experts would detour widely to avoid them, let alone meddle beneath their noses.

Vast though the ghost race was, none possessed Lu Qian's combination of audacity and intellect.

"Moreover, the person you will face possesses formidable cultivation. He is known as the Five Viscera Taoist."

The Five Viscera Taoist had refined his own internal organs into magical artifacts. His cultivation was profound, on par with Candle Ghost King himself.

When his daughter went missing back then, this person had been involved.

Rumor had it that it was precisely this man who had abducted his child.

"Very well. In that case, this subordinate will go make preparations."

Obtaining intelligence on the Yellow Springs Astral Qi made this trip well worth it.

As for searching for Candle Ghost King's daughter, he would assess the situation when the time came. If it proved too difficult, he would simply record the specific location and return to draft reinforcements from Candle Ghost King.

Black Mountain.

Within the Sun-Facing Devil Sunflower spirit field, the flood dragon drew in and exhaled the Yin Qi of the Yellow Springs.

The Nether Devil Formation slowly condensed Dao soldiers.

As the number of Sun-Facing Devil Sunflowers increased, the Yellow Springs Yin Qi grew much denser.

By now, the flood dragon Dao soldiers had increased to over fifty.

Combined into the Yin Wind Flood Dragon, their power had multiplied tenfold.

If he were to encounter Pavilion Master Changfeng's Peacock Dao soldiers again, he could likely cut them down within a few exchanges.

Boom!

The Yin Qi converged, forming dark clouds.

The dark clouds swirled into a vortex, plunging downward frantically.

Rumble!

A deafening roar erupted from below.

A beam of yellow light soared into the sky from the black-robed Taoist's body.

The earthy-yellow radiance was exceptionally pure, carrying a magical force capable of washing away all things and reshaping them anew.

After a long while, the Yellow Springs Yin Qi slowly dissipated.

Lu Qian opened his eyes, a yellow light flashing across them and vanishing.

[Yellow Springs Nine Palaces Imperial Cultivation Secret Scripture Diagram (Minor Accomplishment: 1/8000)]

The Yellow Springs Scripture Diagram had finally broken through to the realm of minor accomplishment, and the accumulated Unfeeling True Water was now fully capable of performing a complete heavenly circulation.

The current volume was sufficient to support his astral refinement.

At this thought, Lu Qian summoned the three women and the two elders of the Xu family.

"I will be going out for a period. Internal affairs shall proceed as usual; do not expand blindly. Important matters may be left to Yaoyue to decide."

"Lord Yin, why don't we accompany you? This old man might be able to offer some assistance," Xu Zi said.

"Never mind. You two stay and guard the home."

With Lu Qian leaving, he had no idea how long it would take before he returned.

Short trips took three to five months, long ones three to five years.

Having issued his instructions, Lu Qian presented the two sisters with the Primordial Qi Pearl obtained from Pavilion Master Changfeng and the Heavenly Horse Rampant Dragon Horn for self-defense.

He then took sixty Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians with him.

The flesh-beast sank into the earth, rapidly burrowing underground.

The conflict between Lingbo Tower and the Heavenly River Society had ended with True Person Yinhu injured, Fubo missing, and Lingbo Tower destroyed.

Judging by the intensity of the Heavenly River Society's recent searches, Fubo was likely no longer on Vientiane Island.

At least for the next few years, Black Mountain would face no danger.

Flying to the riverbank, Lu Qian deployed a small skiff.

The lightning storms above the Reaching Heaven River were too fierce for flight.

With unknown demonic beasts lurking in the waters, taking a boat was the safest choice.

The Reaching Heaven River was roughly six hundred miles wide.

Starting from the center of the river, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would take about a day to reach the opposite bank.

The next day.

Lu Qian stood at the bow of the boat as towering waves crashed down, blocked by a barrier of light. The gentle breeze merely ruffled the hem of his robe.

Boom!

The water surface ahead suddenly exploded.

A gigantic column of water surged into the sky.

A flood dragon twenty zhang long, mottled with yellow and white scales, leaped out of the water.

Catfish-like barbels grew on either side of its mouth, and a single eye sat dead center on its forehead.

Trailing behind the flood dragon was a house-sized black clam.

The clam spirit's shell clamped tightly onto the flood dragon's tail, and a moon-bright pearl weighing thousands of jun battered the dragon's body blow by blow.

Boom, boom, boom!

Every time the clam pearl landed, it produced a thunderous sound, shattering large patches of the dragon's scales.

The flood dragon cried out in agony, cursing, "Which water spirit are you? Do you not know this lord belongs to Wolong Temple?"

"I am your clam grandmother! How dare you trespass on your grandmother's territory? Sons and grandsons, charge!" The clam spirit issued a screech like an aged woman.

Hundreds of small clam spirits took to the air, continuously biting and gnawing at the flood dragon's body.

Lu Qian watched from the shadows, debating whether to assist either side or simply walk away.

At that moment, a clam spirit the size of a millstone leapt out from the water, squeaking in a childish voice, "Grandmother, there is a person over here!"

"Kill him!"