Chapter 148 - Raising the Dragon

"Oh?" Gu Hai was uncertain.

"Speaking of which, does Mister Gu remember that this lowly one had changed into my true body and came onto the Nine-Five Island, leading three thousand sea beasts?" Yao Zhengtian asked as a smile appeared on his lips.

"That's right, I also often think about it. Mister Yao, if you can change your form, then why did you cause such a big commotion? There were three thousand sea beasts paving the way for you, you were also in your true form. Wherever you went, thunderclouds were spotted in a radius of a thousand li! Such a wide exposure, wasn't that...!" a slight frown appeared on Gu Hai's brow.

"Too ostentatious!" Yao Zhengtian concluded with a smile.

Gu Hai didn't reply, but the look in his eyes probably had the same intention.

"It's not that this Old Crock wanted to do it like that, but I had no choice but to do it like that!" Yao Zhengtian informed him with a bitter smile.

"Oh?"

"About eight centuries ago, I was just born, and my father was one of the demon kings of the eastern seas, ruling over a domain. It could not be said that he had towering ability, but within a radius of a million li in the sea domain, he was the sole ruler! Our family was living happily in the palace under the sea, but who would have thought that Weiqi Empyrean Court disciples would rush into the palace that year. They were all swallowed by my father. But who would have known that we were, in fact, drawing a terrible disaster to ourselves!" A wry smile took over Yao Zhengtian's face as he explained.

"Terrible disaster? That Bixi sh.e.l.l at the Golden Tong!?" The expression on Gu Hai's face momentarily flickered.

"Yes, that's my father's sh.e.l.l. If you don't want anyone to know about it, don't do it in the first place. My father also couldn't escape, he was later refined into a spiritual tool by Elder Guanqi to seal the earth dragon vein. Not long ago, I had transformed into my true form, and because of my true form, I was able to sense a trace of my father's aura through the celestial sense and tracked it down to the Golden Tong. Finally, I was able to seize my father's remains!" Yao Zhengtian said in a solemn manner.

"You came looking for me, is it related to this matter?" Gu Hai asked, unsure.

Yao Zhengtian nodded his confirmation as he said with a wry smile, "A Xiantian cultivator has a lifespan of two hundred years; a Golden Core cultivator, four hundred years; and Nascent Soul cultivator, eight hundred years. The Nascent Soul Stage is a big watershed, but the limit of cultivation is one thousand years. This Old Crock has turned eight hundred forty-six years old this year. But as I have reached the third stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, my lifespan is over eight hundred years. However, the millennium limit is also about to arrive soon, I was left with no choice but to find my father's sh.e.l.l!"

"Oh? That sh.e.l.l is useful to you?"

"Yes, it can help me break through again, because we Bixi can store our lifelong ability in our sh.e.l.l before our deaths and leave it for future generations, so that our descendants could go farther with their parent's and grandparent's acc.u.mulation!" Yao Zhengtian did not hide anything at all.

"That...!" A confused Gu Hai regarded Yao Zhengtian.

Suddenly, Yao Zhengtian stood up. His figure slightly shook before a large sh.e.l.l slowly emerged on his back, accompanied by cracking noises. Sitting upon this sh.e.l.l was a weiqi board!

"Mister Gu, as you can see, it's a 29x29 Heaven and Earth Weiqi Game, and it's acting like a seal. Although I found my father's sh.e.l.l and fused it with my own sh.e.l.l, it is still there, like a seal, locking me down. This Old Crock has left no stone unturned, but I am unable to resolve this. Some of my subordinates placed pieces on my behalf, but the weiqi game is too complex and too powerful, I lost a dozen subordinates to the game before I received news from the Ding Long Clan. Only then did I come to know that Mister Gu is actually so good at weiqi. This Old Crock begs Mister Gu to help me!" Yao Zhengtian bowed down to Gu Hai in an earnest manner as he completed his plea.

"Mister Yao, you don't need to do this!" Gu Hai stopped Yao Zhengtian at once.

"Mister Gu, whatever you need, you just have to ask. If it's within my power, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill it!" Yao Zhengtian proclaimed in a solemn manner.

"It's really not necessary! Mister Yao, it's a small thing, that's all! Let me take a look at the weiqi board!" Gu Hai said, a smile on his face.

Yao Zhengtian was slightly taken aback. However, he still turned his back to Gu Hai right away, letting Gu Hai look at the weiqi board.

29x29 Heaven and Earth Weiqi Board!?

"Well!?" Gu Hai was taken by surprise for a moment.

"What is it, Mister Gu?" asked Yao Zhengtian, worried.

"It's the same 29x29 Heaven and Earth weiqi game, but it's different from the one at the Ding Long Clan!?" Gu Hai answered as his eyebrow twitched.

"Ah? Different...!" Yao Zhengtian blurted out, worried now.

"There is no need to worry, Mister Yao. It may be different, but it's a bit easier to understand than the one at the Ding Long Clan!" Gu Hai said, shaking his head.

For a moment, Yao Zhengtian's face was filled with a complex expression.

Gu Hai read the game for the time it takes an incense to burn before he picked up the black piece by the side of the weiqi board and placed it down.

As soon as he placed the piece, a white piece automatically landed on the weiqi board.

Tok! Tok! Tok!...

While the black and white pieces were locked in a stalemate, Gu Hai became more and more enthralled. Meanwhile, the changes on the weiqi board also affected Yao Zhengtian. Suddenly, Yao Zhengtian felt a sudden gush of pain transmitted from his back. Nonetheless, he bore it stoically, without even uttering a single cry. But the large beads of sweat trickling down his forehead could not hide how hard it was for him.

Tok! Tok!...

After an hour or so Gu Hai stopped playing...

An explosion suddenly reverberated from the weiqi board as it collapsed into pieces, transforming into a dense mist spreading everywhere. Very quickly, all the mist suddenly drilled its way into Yao Zhengtian's body.

Immediately afterwards, Yao Zhengitan was promptly surrounded by a blue halo, and some sort of unseen chorus was humming around him with a rising note.

Gu Hai, on the other hand, sat down on the ground before he closed his eyes, withdrawing into meditation.

Meanwhile, Gu Qin and the others were patiently waiting outside, without saying a word.

After a good long while, a tremor ran through Yao Zhengtian's entire body before a powerful aura rose from his body, giving rise to a sudden gale of wind.

All the chairs and tables inside the room were blown into shambles at once.

"Huh? Mister Yao!" Gu Qin's expression suddenly changed.

Yao Zhengtian immediately returned to his senses. With a wave of his hand, the gale instantly stopped.

"Young Master, don't worry, when the weiqi game was solved just now, a sudden burst of power charged straight into my heart, which helped me with another breakthrough! For a moment, I wasn't able to stop, which resulted in all the damage. I am really sorry about that!" Yao Zhengtian apologized immediately with a smile on his lips.

"It's alright, nothing happened in any case. Mister Yao, is the effect of the weiqi board completely eliminated?" Gu Qin asked as he furrowed his brow.

"Everything is completely eliminated. Furthermore, Elder Guanqi seems to have foreseen today's event. When the weiqi board scattered, I was also given a nouris.h.i.+ng power in return! Human affairs are really difficult to predict. It seems everything is within Elder Guanqi's calculations!" Yao Zhengtian explained as a wry smile took over his face.

"Oh?" Gu Qin also looked a bit astounded.

Everyone turned their gazes on Gu Hai together. At present, Gu Hai was meditating with his eyes closed. Even though the game had been solved, he was relis.h.i.+ng the weiqi game from a moment ago. Only after a good long while did he slowly open his eyes.

"It was actually an interlinked game!?" A sliver of amazement showed up on Gu Hai's face as he blurted out.

"What interlinked game?" Yao Zhengtian asked, confused.

"The 29x29 Heaven and Earth Weiqi game should not be just one game, but three games; three step-by-step interlinked games. Yours is the most simple one, it could only be counted as the low-level game! The one in the Ding Long Clan should be the intermediate-level, and there should be a high-level game as well!" Gu Hai explained, marveling at the intricacies.

"Low-level, intermediate-level, high-level game? How big is the difference between them?" Yao Zhengtian asked, surprised.

"The intermediate-level game of Ding Long Clan was ten times more complex than this low-level game on your back!" Gu Hai answered in a serious manner.

"Ten times!? Then, wouldn't the high-level game be...?"

"I don't know, it's difficulty should not be lower than the ten times that of intermediate-ranked game, at least. Even if it's me, I am not sure if I can solve it or not!" Gu Hai said, a bitter smile on his face.

A slight bitter smile also emerged on Yao Zhengtian's face. "Such a difficult game, Heaven knows why Elder Guanqi left these games... The dragon tail had the low-level game, the dragon body had intermediate-level, then, the dragon head of the Peony Clan should have the high-level game, right?"

"Perhaps!" Gu Hai nodded his agreement.

Suddenly, a respectful look appeared on Yao Zhengtian's face as he sincerely bowed down to Gu Hai in grat.i.tude. "Mister Gu, thank you very much!"

"Mister Yao, you don't need to be so polite, it was a small thing for me, that's all!" Gu Hai replied with a smile.

"It might be a small thing for Mister Gu, but it was a life-saving grace to my humble self. Mister Gu, if in the future, you need anything for me to do, just send a word to my humble self and it will be immediately done. I will send my subordinates to wait here to obey your instructions!" Yao Zhengtian stated earnestly.

"Mister Yao, you are too polite!" Gu Hai gave a noncommittal smile.

"I see that there is a golden halo lingering around Mister Gu, it should be Karmic Fate, right? Furthermore, I heard that Mister Gu is taking over this mortal domain, is Mister Gu planning to found a kingdom?" Yao Zhengtian asked, his interest piqued.

"That's the plan!" Gu Hai didn't hide his intention. After all, almost everyone could guess it now.

"Very good, founding a kingdom can help you save Karmic Fate. Otherwise, all the Karmic Fate you have collected would scatter in vain!" A smile appeared on Yao Zhengtian's lips as he commended Gu Hai's choice.

"Oh?" Gu Hai's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.

"However, if Mister Gu can also collect the Nine-Five Island's dragon vein, it could not be any better. The earth dragon vein can totally command a kingdom's Karmic Fate!" Yao Zhengtian said earnestly.

"Mister Yao, please sit, I wonder if Mister Yao could explain such matters to this lowly one!" Gu Hai suddenly grew excited.

After sitting down, Yao Zhengtian asked with a smile,"Mister Gu, you don't need to be polite, my humble self also has loose lips. Mister Gu, do you know about the Divine Continent?"

"I have heard of it many times!" Gu Hai nodded his acknowledgment.

"The Divine continent is the cornerstone of this world. Although the Thousand Islands Seas looks huge, compared to the entire Divine Continent, it's just a backward region!" Yao Zhengtian sincerely explained.

"Backward region?" Gu Hai was slightly taken aback.

"That's right! Take this earth dragon vein for example. In our Thousand Islands Seas, not one has appeared in over eight hundred years, but in the Divine Continent, a new earth dragon vein is bred every decade," said Yao Zhengtian.

"Oh?"

"Maybe even faster than that! Anyone who wants to found a kingdom needs the earth dragon vein, because an earth dragon vein can suppress the Karmic Fate for the kingdom. Therefore, the Sovereign of every true Dynasty needs an earth dragon vein, raising it in his own territory and controlling their own Karmic Fate!" Yao Zhengtian explained to Gu Hai.

"Raise the dragon? Raise the earth dragon vein?" Gu Hai was slightly flabbergasted for a moment.

"That's right, a sect commands the Karmic Fate with their spirit treasure, a country with their imperial seal. The imperial seal is the head of the earth dragon vein. Doesn't Long Wanqing have a Dragon Drawing Jade?" Yao Zhengtian continued explaining.

"She does. I have seen that Dragon Drawing Jade!" Gu Hai nodded his acknowledgment.

"The Dragon Drawing Jade is the raw material to forge the imperial seal. Mister Gu can use the Dragon Drawing Jade to collect the earth dragon vein and forge it into the imperial seal. Then, branch out a wisp of your consciousness and pour it into the earth dragon vein, refining it completely. Then, return the earth dragon vein to your territory, let it stay hidden under your territory. By nouris.h.i.+ng it with your Karmic Fate and earth qi, this earth dragon vein can be made stronger and stronger! This will in turn will help you control more and more Karmic Fate, and when your Karmic Fate can be connected into a single piece, it will become your empire's Zeitgeist!"

"Refining the earth dragon vein and raising it in my territory?" Gu Hai's eyes flickered with a sliver of a surprise.

"That's just the beginning! A Royal Dynasty is just a low-level nation. With the prosperity of the nation, the earth dragon vein will also continue to evolve. As the nation becomes more and more powerful, a low-level Royal Dynasty will slowly become a mid-level Imperial Dynasty, and finally becoming, a high-level Empyrean Dynasty! In today's world, there are only three Empyrean Dynasties, that's all!" Yao Zhengtian explained to him.

"A Royal Dynasty is just the beginning! A Royal Dynasty is just a low-level nation! Then, this mortal kingdom of ours is nothing!? What about the Chen Kingdom, Song Kingdom, Cai Kingdom, and others...!" Gu Hai blurted out, shocked.

"Those! Those can't even be considered as dynasties; they are just small kingdoms, that's all. How can they possibly compare to true Dynasties? Do they have earth dragon veins? No! Even if they could gather the fate, it will be no more than a hundred cosmic units of fate, and the fate of a truel Dynasty is at least 10,000 cosmic units of fate, only then can it be referred as a Zeitgeist! Only when an earth dragon vein is controlling the Zeitgeist can a nation become more prosperous!" explained Yao Zhengtian.

Gu Hai's eyebrows twitched. A true Dynasty's Zeitgeist!? A Royal Dynasty needed at least ten thousand cosmic units of Karmic Fate?

"After a nation is established, not only can its ruler can use the fate, even the ministers appointed by him can do so! It can also a.s.sist the ministers in cultivation! Furthermore, the Zeitgeist of the nation will benefit its ruler and his ministers. It will help in gathering the heaven and earth Spirit Qi, boosting their cultivation speed in turn!" Yao Zhengtian continued to explain.

Gu Qin and Chen Tianshan were flabbergasted. Only Shangguan Hen had no change in his expression. He sat in his chair like he had long known about it.

"Whoever establishes a Dynasty need to raise an earth dragon vein?" Gu Hai narrowed his eyes...