Chapter 263 : The Use of the Dragon Vein

Chapter 263: The Use of the Dragon Vein

A grand war was no trivial matter.

Every time a sect war concluded, there were numerous affairs to be dealt with.

As the Mirror Moon Dao Child, Chen Beiwu held more symbolic than practical authority, and the tasks he took on were simple.

First, to assist Senior Sister in calming the sect cultivators and calculating and announcing the compensation for the deceased cultivators.

Second, to assist Senior Sister Yun in setting up a second-tier peerless Spirit-Gathering Formation to lock down the Dragon Vein Qi at the heart of the Biyuan Mountain Range, and await the arrival of True Person Nine-Palace leading the cultivators of the Formation Hall.

Third, to dispatch sect cultivators to carry Gold-Seeking Compasses, drill into the mountains and survey the mines, probing the flow of spiritual veins to determine the remaining reserves of the Hollow Gold Marrow Vein.

Thus, it wasn’t until nightfall that Chen Beiwu finally returned to the makeshift, crudely-carved cave dwelling.

He hung up his cultivation plaque at the entrance, casually arranged a few concealment and perception-guarding formations, and with a thought, his figure vanished as he brought Golden Egg and Iron Egg into the Chaos World.

“Buzz!”

As if in response to Chen Beiwu's arrival, the crimson dragon shadow swimming above the Chaos World suddenly plunged down, revealing its true form. Its dragon eyes met his gaze directly, completely ignoring Golden Egg to the side.

Golden Egg, on the other hand, looked around with a puzzled expression.

It wasn't his first time entering the Chaos World, but it was the first time he felt his bloodline stirring here, as if a peerless treasure were present—yet he couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of it.

“Gulu?”

Golden Egg cast his gaze toward Iron Egg, who was lying on the ground.

“Woof.”

Iron Egg shook his head, indicating he hadn't sensed anything unusual.

After all, unlike their master, he couldn’t see fate with the naked eye.

Hearing this, Golden Egg instinctively looked toward Chen Beiwu.

‘Such terrifying fate!’ Chen Beiwu marveled inwardly.

Compared to the Crimson Fortune Dragon before him, the fate he had painstakingly accumulated through divine abilities over the past few years was as insignificant as grains of sand.

With this in mind, Chen Beiwu took a deep breath and extended his right hand, attempting to touch the crimson dragon.

“Buzz!” The dragon’s body suddenly collapsed, transforming into a stream of crimson fortune that swam in Chen Beiwu’s palm.

At the same time, an indescribable and mysterious intuition surged in Chen Beiwu’s mind.

‘A human who gains great fortune may transcend tribulations and reach the rank of True Monarch; a beast who gains great fortune receives heaven’s favor, and its bloodline ascends to the profound.’

The meaning was clear—starting today, Chen Beiwu had three ways to utilize his fate:

First, by channeling the power of the Nine-Breath Chaos Supreme Treasure to activate the eighth breath of the Nine-Breath Divine Ability, Rising Fate, and continue accumulating fate to enhance the quality of this Crimson Fortune.

Second, to bless himself, directly absorbing the Crimson Fortune Dragon to increase his own fate and dispel tribulations on his cultivation path.

Third, to bestow fate upon Golden Egg, allowing the Companion Beast to receive heaven’s favor, with a certain chance of its bloodline evolving into a Fourth-Tier Mystic Beast in the future.

‘Compared to triggering fortuitous encounters, directly absorbing fate seems like a huge loss!’

Chen Beiwu’s mind stirred. The newly awakened effect of the Nine-Breath Chaos was intriguing—channeling divine ability to bless fate actually required compatibility.

With this realization, Chen Beiwu closed his eyes to sense and communicate with the Nine-Breath Chaos, discovering that his compatibility with the Crimson Fortune Dragon was too low. Direct absorption would cause him to lose a full ninety percent of the fate.

A ninety percent loss—what did that mean?

Even though Chen Beiwu couldn't see his own fate and didn't know its level, he could still reason: if it took ten full streams of Crimson Fortune to gain complete protection and alter his Fate Pattern, the cost was utterly extravagant.

Unless his accumulated fate was abundant, there was no way he could justify such wastefulness.

Wait a minute—his own compatibility was low, so what about Golden Egg and Iron Egg?

Chen Beiwu’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at his two beasts and connected to the Nine-Breath Chaos.

‘Activate Rising Fate, using the Crimson Fortune Dragon to bless the mutated Golden-Scaled Beast. It will increase fate, nurture the bloodline, and at the critical moment of a realm breakthrough, receive heaven’s favor to awaken the most compatible ancient latent bloodline. Fate loss: ten percent.’

‘Activate Rising Fate, using the Crimson Fortune Dragon to bless the Black-Cloud Snow-Treading Hound. It will… receive heaven’s favor to awaken the most compatible ancient latent bloodline. Fate loss: seventy percent.’

Upon receiving the results, a trace of doubt flashed through Chen Beiwu’s eyes.

He was clearly the host of the Nine-Breath Chaos!

Why was there such a large disparity in fate loss between him and Golden Egg, and between Golden Egg and Iron Egg?

Could it be because this Crimson Fortune Dragon originated from a dragon vein, making it more compatible with Golden Egg, who possessed draconic bloodline?

‘Forget it. Without experimentation, speculation is meaningless. Should this Crimson Fortune Dragon be used to trigger a fortuitous encounter, be bestowed upon Golden Egg, or simply be left unused?’

Chen Beiwu furrowed his brows slightly and quickly made a decision.

To gain, one must be willing to give.

The stronger the talent and power he demonstrated, the more attention he would receive from both the Immortal Alliance and the Southern Wastes, and the higher the level he could reach.

Moreover, he needed to know the true effect of fate enhancement—a test was necessary.

With a thought, Chen Beiwu channeled his divine ability and communicated with the Nine-Breath Chaos.

“Buzz!”

The Crimson Fortune in his palm trembled slightly, then burst apart, transforming into countless glimmers of fate that scattered throughout the Chaos World.

In the next second, under Golden Egg’s astonished gaze, a pillar of light descended upon his entire body in this realm of unformed chaos.

“Gulu.”

Bathed in the nourishing light, Golden Egg tilted his head back, showing an expression of comfort.

As time passed, in Chen Beiwu’s eyes, the golden radiance of fate atop Golden Egg’s head suddenly broke free from its shackles and gradually transformed into a Crimson Fortune Dragon—albeit its form still slightly illusory.

‘How do you feel?’

Once the light pillar faded, Chen Beiwu picked up Golden Egg.

“Gulu.”

Golden Egg looked puzzled.

After being illuminated by the pillar of light, its restless desire for bloodline evolution vanished, as if its bloodline had already achieved perfection, and there was no urgency to evolve.

Yet, Golden Egg didn’t sense any change in cultivation strength.

‘That’s perfectly normal.’ Chen Beiwu patted Golden Egg’s head.

There was a saying—When one encounters wind and clouds, they transform into a dragon.

If Golden Egg wanted to receive heaven’s favor, it would have to wait for the right opportunity.

Until then, the Crimson Fortune Dragon around it likely only served to suppress its fate.

Thinking of this, Chen Beiwu activated his divine sense, exited the Chaos World, and teleported with Golden Egg and Iron Egg to the Immortal Alliance to purchase a formation-related book. Then, he returned to the Southern Wastes cave dwelling.

Soon after, he heard waves of clamorous noise from outside.

There was no doubt about it—because he had hung a cultivation plaque at the cave entrance, even if upper echelons of the sect arrived at the Biyuan Mountain Range, not a single sect cultivator dared to disturb Chen Beiwu.

This was the shift brought about by his identity as the Dao Child.

“Greetings to True Person Nine-Palace.”

Chen Beiwu rose and left his cave dwelling, taking the initiative to pay a visit to the Formation Hall Master, Yu Shuiyao. He had a few questions to ask.

Seeing him approach, Yu Shuiyao gave her disciples some final instructions regarding the formation setup, then spoke warmly: “No need for such formality, Junior Nephew.”

Yu Shuiyao held a good impression of Chen Beiwu, believing him to be a like-minded person. She thought he would likely surpass her in the future, making him a suitable person to exchange Dao with. Thus, she showed none of the airs typical of a Golden Core True Person.

If it were an ordinary inner sect disciple, they wouldn't even qualify to meet her.

After a few polite exchanges, Chen Beiwu opened his mouth and said, “Martial Aunt, this disciple has recently been studying the ancient formation text, Eight Analyses of Earth Formations, and I find myself puzzled by the concept of ‘Dragon Vein Spirit-Gathering’.”

“Eight Analyses of Earth Formations? What kind of formation book is that?” Yu Shuiyao’s gaze sharpened with interest.

Within the Transmission Hall, there were exactly thirteen thousand six hundred eighty-five volumes of arts related to formations. She had read them all—but not one bore the title Eight Analyses of Earth Formations.

Chen Beiwu remained calm, taking out a tattered scroll from his storage ring and offering it with both hands:

“This disciple came across this remnant scroll by chance. It records how one may use a dragon vein to nourish formations, maintaining a third-tier treasure formation for a millennium without decline. However, the formations described are too abstruse.”

“This disciple wishes to ask Martial Aunt—are there any suitable dragon vein sites within the Earth Proliferation Territory to comprehend Eight Analyses of Earth Formations, or any methods to search for dragon veins?”

The claim of studying the Eight Analyses of Earth Formations was merely a cover for Chen Beiwu’s true objective—to find a suitable dragon vein site.

The reason was simple: compared to slowly accumulating fate each day through the Nine-Breath Breath-Absorbing Divine Ability, destroying dragon veins and detonating spiritual energy nodes yielded far more fate, at a much higher efficiency.

If he could find several sites where dragon veins converged, Chen Beiwu could soar by reaping fate.

However, dragon vein convergence sites were difficult to find, and most belonged to cultivation clans and sect territories.

Ownerless dragon veins were extremely rare, and each emergence would spark fierce competition among the strong.

For instance, during the Immortal Alliance era, all spiritual veins and blessed lands on Sky Abyss Star were the property of the Immortal Alliance. Privately destroying a dragon vein was a grave crime, subject to severe punishment.

But the Southern Wastes, where strength reigned supreme and resources abounded, were different.

If Chen Beiwu managed to find a dragon vein site, as long as he acted cautiously, he could destroy it with impunity—no one would dare speak against him.

To that end, Chen Beiwu directly purchased a copy of Eight Analyses of Earth Formations from the Immortal Alliance official website and deliberately obscured its origin, making it appear distinct from the Southern Wastes’ formation knowledge—just so he could seek True Person Nine-Palace’s advice on how to locate dragon veins.

Yu Shuiyao’s eyes grew brighter the more she read.

The Eight Analyses of Earth Formations recorded eight third-tier treasure formations based on dragon veins. Each formation’s setup logic and efficiency in utilizing dragon vein Qi were astonishingly precise, wasting not a shred of spiritual energy. The formation philosophy also differed significantly from the mainstream of the Southern Wastes.

Unfortunately, the scroll was incomplete. Of the eight formations, only two had complete information; the remaining five were mere fragments. Even so, Yu Shuiyao gained much inspiration from them.

“Finding dragon veins is actually quite simple,” Yu Shuiyao explained. “In the end, a dragon vein is a node where Yin-Yang energies and the world’s spiritual mechanism circulate in harmony, connecting heaven above and earth below.”

“I have a copy of the Mountain-River Dragon-Seeking Formula. Once cultivated to mastery, it allows one to perceive the flow of Earth Qi and glimpse the presence of dragon vein Qi.”

A glint of light flashed at Yu Shuiyao’s fingertip as she retrieved a jade slip containing the technique from her storage ring and handed it to Chen Beiwu, reminding him:

“It is acceptable for the Dao Child to use dragon veins for formation cultivation, but one must be cautious—dragon veins embody the momentum of heaven and earth, mountain and river. Forcibly altering or destroying them may provoke retribution from heaven and earth.”

“This disciple understands.” Chen Beiwu accepted the jade slip with a solemn expression.

He had heard such warnings before.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would not forcibly detonate the spiritual energy nodes of a dragon vein site.

But if no other method of harvesting fate remained, Chen Beiwu would take the risk—even if it meant destroying the dragon vein—especially since the Nine-Breath Chaos could suppress his own fate.

“Oh right, the Sect Mission Hall maintains long-term bounty tasks for locating dragon veins.”

“If the Dao Child finds the Mountain-River Dragon-Seeking Formula too difficult, you may also accept the task and form a team with the sect’s geomancers to search together,” Yu Shuiyao added meaningfully.

Dragon vein sites varied in size and strength—some near rivers, some near lakes.

Some of the sect’s vassal clans would even go to great lengths to find a dragon vein site to serve as their ancestral land, hoping to produce several more fortunate geniuses in future generations.

But within the Earth Proliferation Territory, the overwhelming majority of dragon veins belonged to the sect.

Mirror Moon Sect was the very heavens of the Earth Proliferation Territory!

“Many thanks for your guidance, Martial Aunt.” Chen Beiwu offered a formal bow and took his leave.

——

At the edge of the Biyuan Mountain Range, in a secluded cave near Shuishan Town of the Ze Kingdom.

An elder with hair and beard like snow, yet face as smooth as a baby's, sat upright on a meditation cushion.

He abruptly opened his eyes, and his flesh and bones let out strained cracking sounds.

This man was none other than Shen Wanshan, the supposed-deceased patriarch of the Yunhai Shen Clan.

“Heaven has forsaken me. The Dragon Vein Qi should not have dissipated so swiftly!”

Shen Wanshan looked up, eyes filled with despair as he gazed through the rocky ceiling toward the heavens.

The three hurdles of Foundation Shattering, Core Condensing, and Gold Tempering were life-and-death trials for a Foundation Establishment cultivator seeking to ascend to Golden Core. A single misstep meant instant death.

Precisely because of this, for any ordinary peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, succeeding in forming a Golden Core without the Golden Palace Pill was nigh impossible.

But where could one obtain a Golden Palace Pill so easily? This third-tier superior-grade treasure pill was reserved for the direct descendants of high-ranking Mirror Moon Sect members. Even seeing one was rare—let alone exchanging contribution points for one.

Thus, most peak Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Earth Proliferation Territory had no choice but to risk using secret Core Formation methods.

Shen Wanshan had chosen the Dragon Vein Core Formation method. He had passed both the Foundation Shattering and Core Condensing stages, successfully reaching the Gold Tempering stage. He was one step away from condensing a top-grade Golden Core.

Yet, at the final step, the Dragon Vein Qi suddenly vanished without warning. The secret method backfired, and Shen Wanshan fell at the final moment.

Just before death, Shen Wanshan struggled to shatter his life-bound jade pendant and sent a divine sense message to his clan: ‘Earth Qi has shifted. Dragon Vein vanished. I failed to form my Core using the secret method.’

But before the message could be fully sent, Shen Wanshan’s body froze, his flesh combusting at a speed visible to the naked eye—leaving only a jade-like skeleton in the cave.

There was no doubt. If no Shen clan cultivator retrieved his remains within a hundred years, this cave might become the site of a fated encounter for some lucky soul.

——

The war between the two sects had destroyed the Biyuan Market, rendering the Rotating Star Hall's teleportation array unusable. Rebuilding the market and restoring the teleportation array would take one to two months.

Returning to his cave dwelling, Chen Beiwu hung a plaque indicating he was in seclusion. Most affairs that the Dao Child was responsible for, he delegated to Foundation Establishment cultivators who had pledged themselves under his mountain, claiming it was to test their abilities.

The rest of his time was mostly spent at the Yuqing Immortal Sect of the Immortal Alliance, listening to Nascent Soul True Monarchs lecture on cultivation. He focused on understanding the path of borrowing beasts to cultivate, and activated the Landscape Diagram of Heaven-Reaching Tree, All-Encompassing River, Ascending Profundity, and Five Elements Unified Dragon Transformation to stimulate Golden Egg’s bloodline.

Occasionally, he would study the Mountain-River Dragon-Seeking Formula, or activate the Companion Beast Transformation Divine Record to transform Golden Egg into a broadsword or spear—completely unaware that the Nine-Breath Chaos’s capture of the Crimson Fortune Dragon had unintentionally caused the failure of the Shen clan patriarch’s Core Formation.

Tides rose and fell, seasons passed in peace.

In the blink of an eye, over two months had passed. The Biyuan Market had been rebuilt, and the end-of-term examination at the Yuqing Immortal Sect was fast approaching.