Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 354 - 254: Blood Rain Falls in Demon City, Tao Qian Grows a Big Belly

Lian Yulou had not yet truly transcended the Nine Calamities of Desire; his past life's mana and memories remained unretrieved.

Outwardly, he appeared to be a contemporary of Tao Qian, but his true soul was at the level of Ultimate Happiness.

Hearing these few words from Tao Qian, Lian Yulou felt a sense of foreboding but still clung to hope, stubbornly retorting,

"Yulou is eager to see how you plan to be inhospitable."

"Threats and brags won't pry open my mouth."

As soon as Lian Yulou finished speaking, Tao Qian made his move.

He did not immediately employ the "True Word Secret Decree," but instead, he formed the Refining God Seal with his hand and stepped forward to deliver another blow to Lian Yulou.

Tao Qian's approach was simple and crude; extracting secrets from Lian Yulou's true spirit would come at a price.

Between a lucid state and one of being dazed by the blows, the latter would likely require less of a price to be demanded.

"Save where you can!"

With this thought, Tao Qian abruptly spoke out.

The True Word Secret Decree required no wind-up; each word possessed power.

"Tell me the origins of the Exotic Treasure that Ninth Prince Zhu Qi is currently nurturing and refining."

Tao Qian did not ask questions like what the Ninth Prince's biggest secret was,

Fearing what might not be that treasure but some palace scandal instead, Tao Qian was not about to waste his mana on others' private gossip.

As expected, once the Divine Skills were employed,

Tao Qian immediately felt his mana being drawn away in waves, a massive amount, almost one-third more than what he had expended battling with Lian Yulou. This meant he owed another large debt to his own Heavenly Venerate, and he was suddenly overcome with a sense of emptiness.

The only consolation was that the method worked.

Lian Yulou began to speak.

He now resembled someone under hypnosis, revealing secrets buried deep in his memory in great detail.

And with just the first sentence, the statue of Yuan Gong that had been lying in Tao Qian's arms all this time also reacted.

Tao Qian had anticipated this response somewhat, and upon hearing it, he simply raised his eyebrows, confirming his suspicions.

"That object is called the 'Mountain and River Map,' which came into being from a Fragment of the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Longevity Barrier upon its shattering."

This statement resounded through the quiet room.

Yunrong, still in the form of Cat Girl, could not help but lift her head, a look of surprise appearing in her eyes.

From within the statue in Tao Qian's embrace, red smoke emerged, coalescing into a phantom of Yuan Gong, which drifted out and stood beside Tao Qian.

Clearly, the reputation of the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique was no small matter.

After all, Yuan Gong was an Old Demon of the Secret Demon Sect who had fallen many years ago. With such status, even he showed excitement and curiosity upon hearing this keyword.

Lian Yulou, affected by the "True Word Secret Decree," did not stop revealing more.

"After the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique shattered, some Fragments went to the Outer Realm, and others fell back to this world, scattering in various places."

"Each fragment gave rise to different treasures, most of which concealed themselves, making it difficult for others to find them."

"To obtain such treasures, one must be guided by Karma."

"As with the 'Mountain and River Map,' it was presented to Zhu Qi by a scholar who lamented his unrecognized talents and sought a Bright Lord to assist in rising to prominence amidst the chaos. This scholar, seemingly named Yang Xiu, was ironically naive; after offering up the treasure map, he directly asked for the position of military advisor, failing to realize Zhu Qi's madness. Zhu Qi immediately ordered the scholar to be captured, cleansed, and steamed in a pot."

"As he faced death, the scholar cursed Zhu Qi, saying he would not die well. I know not where his confidence stemmed from - how could a mere mortal's curse affect a Taishang Demon Son and the current Prince?"

"Despite the bizarre acquisition process, the Mountain and River Map is indeed the first of the divine treasures borne from the Ancestor God's Fragment."

"The second is said to have fallen into the hands of the warlord Zhang Jiudeng who occupies Ancient Qin Province, its name currently unknown."

"Though just a Fragment, the Mountain and River Map possesses part of the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique's power. If someone can refine it and then deploy it to envelop an area, they could create an 'Absolute Spirit Forbidden Zone,' controlling the life and death of all Transcendent beings within that territory."

"This effect might be somewhat exaggerated, but indeed, it's a Divine Treasure that indiscriminately targets the Cultivation World—Daoists, Buddhas, Devils, Demons, adherents of heresy and heterodoxy, Alien Strange Objects... and so on."

"If Zhu Qi actually succeeds in refining the Mountain and River Map, other places won't be affected, but within the bounds of Demon City, even if beings of Ultimate Happiness were to arrive, it's likely they would be no match for him."

"As for those low-level nobodies, he could wipe them all out with a mere thought."

As Lian Yulou finished speaking, the few people in the quiet room all frowned in silence.

Tao Qian's expression was calm, without a trace of surprise.

When he had spied on the conversation between Zhang Baisui and his son, he had already guessed a bit, though he had not known so many details.

"Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Fragment... Mountain and River Map... Doesn't this mean that in the near future, the vast Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, and even countries abroad or the Outer Realm, will frequently encounter similar magical treasures?"

"Just any one of them could form an Absolute Spirit Domain, eradicating all Transcendent beings within it?"

Tao Qian pondered, momentarily unclear whether this was good or bad.

Upon reflection, could it really be worse than the current chaos plagued by Demons?

Although asking a single question incurred a huge debt, Tao Qian was not inclined to stop.

As if Mouth Containing Heavenly Constitution, Tao Qian again addressed Lian Yulou:

"How does Zhu Qi plan to refine the Mountain and River Map?"

"How many forces support him?"

This time, Tao Qian asked two questions in a row and immediately had an amount of mana drawn away equivalent to two-thirds of what he had expended in the entire battle.

Quickly, however, Lian Yulou's answer arrived.

"Because the Mountain and River Map originated from a Fragment of the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique, refining such a Divine Treasure requires exceedingly complex prerequisites."