Chapter 109: The Cyan True Seed

Hearing the sounds of astonishment and doubt, Ao Jinyu, holding the “stolen goods,” felt quite satisfied and immediately cast his gaze onto his hand, exclaiming in surprise, “It’s actually genuine seeds… Heh heh, Young Master Liu, your luck is truly remarkable. Such precious items—who would have thought Ao Hong carried them with him?”

Inside the precious box Liu Ping held were six azure true seeds, of excellent quality, radiating a dense green aura. They intertwined, generating a faint purple hue that was visually delightful.

“Six true seeds. Though not purple, their deep green quality is second only to the light purple. These six are roughly equivalent to one light purple true seed, even surpassing some,” Liu Ping murmured, a hint of joy in his voice.

Nearby, Uncle Kong and Ao Jinyu exchanged glances, both noticing the astonishment reflected in each other’s eyes.

The speaker was unaware, but the attentive listeners were intrigued. Purple true seeds were not for ordinary use; only the royal family had some privileges, and aside from them, only the unparalleled talents under the Celestial Emperor could enjoy such resources. Thinking of Liu Ping’s formidable prowess, they naturally inferred that his backing must be extraordinarily powerful.

While they were still imagining, a howl suddenly rang out. To their shock, Liu Ping swallowed all six true seeds in one gulp, causing their eyes to widen in disbelief. Was he really going to consume the purple true seeds like this?

Ao Jinyu watched Liu Ping quickly sit cross-legged to cultivate, speechless. Coming from a refined and delicate lineage, she had seen much of the world, but faced with Liu Ping’s extravagance, she found herself utterly at a loss.

In truth, if Liu Ping had time to cultivate properly, how could he afford such wastefulness? Not savoring the six true seeds carefully—although they weren’t his—still pained him somewhat. Yet, with storm clouds looming, despite the satisfaction of the recent battle, he was acutely aware of the lurking dangers. His spiritual power was rapidly depleting, and more enemies awaited. If he faltered, the consequences would be dire. Now was the time to swiftly bolster his strength—if not now, then when?

The enlightenment time granted by the six true seeds was only three minutes, slightly better than the one minute offered by a purple true seed. After digestion, Liu Ping quickly swallowed a bottle of the Foundation Strengthening Pill, rapidly refining it.

Within his body, in the central dantian, a terrestrial flower seed was sprouting swiftly under the continuous flow of spiritual energy.

Moments later, Liu Ping took another bottle of the Foundation Strengthening Pill. The refined spiritual force it produced was exquisite. After finishing two bottles, the terrestrial flower finally bloomed fully.

He had reached the second transformation of the Human-Immortal realm, the peak of the Human-Flower stage.

“This rapid progression might be somewhat unstable, but fortunately, the Foundation Strengthening Pill’s effect forcibly stabilized it,” Liu Ping sighed in relief. Internal vision revealed the central dantian, where spiritual energy swirled around the terrestrial flower, colorful clouds shifting and expanding the dantian. More spiritual power surged in, circulating around the flower.

Seeing Liu Ping finish his cultivation, the impatient Ao Jinyu hurriedly said, “Young Master Liu, we should destroy the formation and seize our last chance to escape.”

Liu Ping was momentarily puzzled. “Why now?” he asked thoughtfully, continuing, “Why didn’t we do this earlier, but use it now to leave?”

Ao Jinyu smiled helplessly. “If we had destroyed the formation earlier, openly breaking the contract, both you and Uncle Kong would have endless troubles. If not for that, I would at most be married off to those uncles, with no threat to my life, and you would be safe. But now that Young Master Liu has severely wounded Ao Hong and completely angered them, trouble is inevitable. How can we afford to worry about methods?”

Liu Ping replied, “I see. But if we destroy the formation now, you lose your legitimate foothold. Even if we escape, it would be impossible to refine the Water God Seal. How could I let you suffer that?”

Hearing this, Ao Jinyu smiled wryly. “You’re right, but things are grim now. How can we care for such concerns? You are righteous, and I cannot let you sacrifice further.”

Liu Ping said firmly, “If you won’t consider it, I still can’t let it happen.”

He felt a deep sense of guilt. Ultimately, Ao Jinyu’s current predicament was because of him. Had he not destroyed the teleportation formation, they would have already reached the Water Mansion of Zhang County. Having grasped the importance of the Water God position to her, how could he let her lose it so easily? If stubbornness was needed, then so be it!

Unaware of Liu Ping’s remorse, Ao Jinyu misunderstood, her heart moved. Such a heroic rescue was every maiden’s dream, and his words seemed tinged with confession. Flustered, she was at a loss for words.

Liu Ping did not notice her unusual behavior, his attention drawn elsewhere. Frowning slightly, he said coolly, “They’re coming.”

From afar came the rising clamor, like the beating of war drums. Ao Jinyu and Uncle Kong’s faces changed instantly. How did they arrive so quickly? And with even greater momentum!

“Young Master Liu, is there still time? Are you really not leaving?” Ao Jinyu asked again, her face paling with uncertainty.

“Of course not,” Liu Ping smiled faintly, turning to gaze into the distance, murmuring, “We are not wrong. Why should we flee? In this world, might makes right. Today, I shall stand up for you!”

Ao Jinyu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded softly, whispering, “Very well, then I entrust my fate to you.”

The thunderous beating of drums in the sky grew louder and clearer.

Ten squads of water troops, more than five hundred men, surged forward with flags waving and battle cries. At the forefront stood a middle-aged man, dressed elegantly with a distinguished aura. Beside him was Ao Yu, both staring below in shock.

Down below, the general Huadu sighed deeply, surrounded by five squads of elite soldiers, all listless and dejected. Their miserable appearances were clear even from afar. Further away lay a dragon-like figure, motionless as if dead…

Ao Yu gasped, "That’s Ao Hong! How could this be? He’s been beaten half to death?"

Their formidable force had not gone unnoticed. Huadu’s eyes brightened as he spoke, “Finally, more fools come to die!”

Matching his lip movements, Ao Yu’s father, Ao Ming, murmured softly, “Finally, more fools come to die…” Then, stunned and nearly spitting blood in anger, he cursed, “This guy!!!”

Afterwards, he muttered uncertainly to himself, “But what exactly is going on?”

“Father, let’s observe a little longer,” Ao Yu suggested.

Ao Ming considered and nodded, “Very well, as you say.”

Watching the water troops halt at a distance, refusing to advance, Liu Ping sighed, “These guys, why aren’t they coming? Cowards?”

Soon, a third water god clan arrived—not dragons, but water spirits shaped like a golden carp. Though cautious, seeing the third wave approaching, Liu Ping shouted sharply, “Hand over Ao Jinyu at once! Spare your lives!”

The golden carp spirit sneered arrogantly, but Liu Ping snarled, “Who do you think you are, shouting here so boldly?”

At that moment, Ao Ming and Ao Yu led their forces forward, sensing that delay would be fatal. Though Ao Yu was reluctant, he could not disobey his father’s orders and complied. Soon, the third wave arrived.

More than a thousand water troops pressed forward, darkening the sky above Liu Ping. Four powerful experts at the Earth Immortal realm looked down from above. Hearing Liu Ping’s fierce command, they all turned their gaze toward him.

The eyes of countless water troops likewise fixed on him, their attention focused completely.