CHAPTER 399: 358

As Hong Yuan stepped onto the first stair, a misty, star-like luminescence of watery light spiraled up from beneath his feet. The next moment, an image appeared before Hong Yuan’s eyes.

Hong Yuan saw Han Jiuming as a young child and also noticed the existence of Han Kui.

The warm breeze was gentle, drifting through the open hall and into the martial arts field.

The child Han Jiuming followed the clan’s martial instructors, practicing the Bodily Coiling Skill.

As a little white dragon, Han Jiuming’s body was very weak, not much different from an ordinary grass snake.

He coiled around the wooden stakes time after time, making good progress. He was also the first among his peers to switch to iron stakes and the first to confront a ferocious beast.

"Hmph." Hong Yuan snorted coldly, waving his purple-gold sleeve, and continued to step forward.

As he advanced, various images of Han Jiuming practicing Demon Skills and Divine Powers emerged.

Before such legacies, Hong Yuan remained completely unimpressed.

For he had already understood them long ago!

It was not until the ninety-ninth stair that Hong Yuan stopped, his face showing an expression of great interest.

A pale golden star mist rose, enveloping Hong Yuan and transmitting information to him.

Hong Yuan’s vision began to change, and he saw Han Jiuming nourishing the Flood Gathering War Banner Holy Artifact.

In the image, Han Jiuming had elevated the Flood Gathering War Banner from the fifth Tao Species Level to the Holy Artifact State. Doing so required a great effort to search for the nine special waters of the world.

These waters were remarkable. One was a drop of Ten Thousand Heavy Water, possessing an immense, crushing weight. Another was a drop of Heaven One Life Water, capable of healing broken bones and mending flesh. There was even the Time Light Divine Water, which could strip away Life Span!

Furthermore, Han Jiuming had repeated the process of refining the Flood Gathering War Banner Holy Artifact three times, accumulating experience through failure.

Truly incompetent to the extreme. Hong Yuan pursed his lips slightly, somewhat disdainful.

His own artifact refining was always successful in one go, never failing.

This Han Jiuming used so many rare and exotic treasures, and still ended up so incompetent. Tsk tsk, an ordinary person would have been bankrupt long ago!

However, the following scenes did slightly lift Hong Yuan’s spirits.

In the image, the Flood Gathering War Banner, successfully refined by Han Jiuming, needed nurturing. However, Green Grapes Immortal Nuance or Immortal Nuance Stones were insufficient to meet its needs.

If left unchecked, the Flood Gathering War Banner might even degrade in rank.

Seeing this, Han Jiuming seldom used the Flood Gathering War Banner.

After each use, he would search the world for miraculous waters to nurture it. This process was so tedious it could drive anyone insane.

Interesting. So the maintenance of a Holy Artifact is this complicated. It’s not that I’m ’special’ in this regard.

Hong Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and summoned the Flood Gathering War Banner Holy Artifact.

HUMMM. The azure banner slowly floated out from Hong Yuan’s Destiny Demon Realm, hovering beside him. Hong Yuan grasped its pole.

Hong Yuan looked at the now-docile Flood Gathering War Banner in his hand. Then, he glanced at the "Flood Gathering War Banner" in the image—unruly and demanding nothing less than the world’s marvelous waters—and a smile appeared on his face.

Refine, nurture, and use—three phases. I’ve not only made achievements in ’refining,’ but I’ve also surpassed ordinary individuals in ’nurturing.’ This brings me tremendous convenience.

Hong Yuan mused, gripping the Flood Gathering War Banner’s pole with satisfaction.

Thereafter, Hong Yuan stowed away his Flood Gathering War Banner Holy Artifact and quickened his pace.

He ascended to the three hundredth step, then the four hundredth, and eventually the five hundredth.

Various images of Han Jiuming confronting enemies, practicing Demon Skills and Divine Powers, and refining or nurturing Holy Artifacts appeared before Hong Yuan.

This greatly supplemented Hong Yuan’s understanding of Han Jiuming’s life story and rise to power.

During this process, Hong Yuan’s "Myriad Silence Realm" Divine Power spontaneously revived, its representative blue Immortal Cave slowly unfolding behind him.

As Hong Yuan progressed, the blue Immortal Cave gradually became inscribed with more patterns representing Han Jiuming’s ’Tao’ and ’Law.’

Hong Yuan’s aura strengthened progressively, growing rapidly.

In the past, he needed two to three years of preparation. Only then could he trigger the first Earth Difficulty Heavenly Disaster Tribulation in his Destiny Demon Realm and advance towards the seventh-tier Demon Saint realm.

But now, thanks to the opening of this Great Moon Saint’s treasure, he had briefly achieved completeness.

At the nine hundredth starlit stair, Hong Yuan closed his eyes and shifted his consciousness to the Destiny Demon Realm within.

Now isn’t the best time.

Purple-Gold Furnace, stabilize!

As Hong Yuan’s thoughts stirred, his Life Holy Artifact, the Purple-Gold Furnace, boomed. Thick purple-gold immortal mists spread from the furnace body, engulfing the sky and temporarily delaying the onset of the first Earth Difficulty Heavenly Disaster Tribulation.

A sixth-tier Demon Saint must overcome three Earth Difficulty Heavenly Disaster Tribulations to reach the seventh tier. Yet, Hong Yuan’s Demonic Body had accumulated enough power in less than ten years of cultivation to initiate this tribulation.

His talent was indeed astonishing, befitting a Great Emperor-level genius, worthy of the Demon Clan’s Destiny!

However, this truly isn’t the right time.

Hong Yuan withdrew his consciousness from his Destiny Demon Realm, squinting at the ephemeral figure above the Flying Immortal Pool.

Handsomely aloof, as cold as an immortal—Han Jiuming!

In an instant, Hong Yuan’s entire body tensed. His expression turned icy as he gazed at Han Jiuming’s phantom.

He was no Wuxia Ameng.

The Supreme Saint Emperor’s Son of the Human Race operated by preparing for the worst while striving for the best. He, Hong Yuan, did too!

He might not have fully sensed the watchful eyes of the Nine-tailed Crocodile Dragon, the Sky-connecting Tower Spirit, and the Great Moon Spirit, but he had his suspicions.

Hong Yuan had also long been prepared for the possibility that Han Jiuming might attempt something as despicable as seizing his Demonic Body for rebirth.