The secret joy that had risen in the Old Flood Dragon's heart from escaping death vanished in an instant.
The speed of his already exhausted Lightning Evasion technique surged once again.
His entire Dragon body transformed into a bolt of pitch-black lightning, frantically fleeing forward.
He didn't want to die.
He had lived for so, so long!
Even if his Lifespan was nearing its end... even if today hadn't happened, if there were no other way, he would still die of old age in this land within a few thousand years.
But if he had truly become indifferent to life and death...
Why would he still be bitterly seeking a method for a Breakthrough?!
How could he accept his own death?!
"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, wait!"
The Old Flood Dragon shouted at the top of his lungs while fleeing wildly.
"This old Dragon is willing to surrender! This old Dragon is willing to surrender!"
"This old Dragon knows countless secrets of this Spirit Mountain! As long as Fellow Daoist spares this old Dragon's life, I am willing to be your mount and be at your beck and call!"
However.
The only response he received.
Was the sound of breaking air behind him, growing closer and more piercing.
In the blink of an eye.
The golden rainbow had already closed in to within a hundred feet of his back.
The Old Flood Dragon felt a chill down his spine.
It felt as though just being shone upon by the golden light caused his entire body to ache with pain.
He subconsciously turned his head.
He saw the Girl in Black Robes standing within the golden light, her long hair dancing wildly and her expression cold.
Her fair and slender palm had already been slowly raised.
Within her palm.
Black mist churned, and a red glow suddenly appeared.
Like a life-claiming Yama, she was indifferently gazing at a line of names in the Book of Life and Death.
"A family should be kept together and complete, don't you think?"
The girl whispered softly.
Then.
She pressed down with her palm.
An extremely brilliant red glow, like the only color in the world at this moment, shot out furiously from the girl's palm.
"No—!!!"
The Old Flood Dragon's terrified roar came to an abrupt halt.
Sizzle—
The red glow surged into his Primordial Spirit without any hindrance.
There was only the lightning scattering across the sky, and the intense despair that finally erupted from the depths of the old Dragon's Primordial Spirit.
If he had known this day would come... if he had known that this seemingly harmless girl was actually such a cold-blooded killing god...
He would have rather died of old age in his cave than ever take that step!
Unfortunately.
There is no medicine for regret in this world.
Boom—!!!
With the final explosion of thunder.
At this point.
The Seventy-Two Caves of Spirit Mountain.
The first-ranked Jiuying, the second-ranked White Eye, and the third-ranked Old Flood Dragon.
These three Demon Emperors of the Ascending the Tower Realm, who were usually high and mighty like gods.
In less than half an hour.
Had all fallen!
[Killed an Ascending the Tower creature, gained 1,033,442 years of Dao Cultivation]
A cold notification sound rang out in her mind.
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes slightly, and a very faint curve finally appeared at the corners of her mouth.
This trip wasn't in vain.
It wasn't just the Dao Cultivation.
The girl waved her wide sleeve.
Billowing black mist poured out, forcing the Old Flood Dragon's remnant soul into her body.
In an instant.
Thunder exploded all over her body!
Silver-purple and silver-black lightning liquid constantly surged over her skin.
This wasn't all.
Jiang Yuechu slowly raised her hand and spread her fingers.
"Come."
Myriad Demon Swallowing Heaven activated!
A massive suction force swept up the remaining Primordial Spirit fragments.
As the final stream of light entered her body.
Her cultivation, which was already at a Bottleneck, finally underwent a qualitative leap at this moment.
The eighth level of Ascending the Tower, broken!
With unstoppable momentum and no hindrance.
Until—
The ninth level of Ascending the Tower!
The towering building within her body was now nearly at Perfection, just one final step away from reaching the top and overlooking all the phenomena of the mortal world.
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes, which were originally pitch-black like ink, now held an indescribable radiance.
"Ninth level now..."
The girl murmured softly.
Compared to the Realms before Ascending the Tower... the Realm of Ascending the Tower was undoubtedly the one she had stayed in the longest.
However...
Jiang Yuechu composed herself, not immersing herself in this joy for too long.
Only when one manages the household does one know the cost of living.
Although she had a satisfying killing spree on this trip, the accounts still had to be settled clearly.
With a thought, the panel that only she could see slowly unfolded before her eyes.
"Let me calculate..."
Jiang Yuechu extended her finger, gesturing in the Void Realm with a slight frown.
"I had originally saved up over 400,000 years of Dao Cultivation..."
"For that damned 'The Method of Myriad Transformations Returning to the Golden Body', I spent 130,000 years..."
"Then there's the 'restocking'..."
The girl counted on her fingers one by one.
"That ugly Jiuying contributed over 860,000 years..."
"That multi-eyed freak White Eye, over 900,000 years..."
Speaking of this, Jiang Yuechu curled her lip, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
"Unfortunately, to record that fellow, I spent over 900,000 again..."
This income and expenditure meant she had worked for nothing.
But since it was for recording demons, it wasn't too much of a loss.
"Then there's that Azure Fox, 850,000..."
"And the Old Loach right in front of me..."
Jiang Yuechu glanced ahead.
"1,033,442 years."
As expected, the older, the wiser; this Old Loach had lived a long time, and his accumulated wealth was the thickest.
Calculating it like this...
Jiang Yuechu silently did some addition and subtraction in her head.
40 minus 13, plus 86, plus 85, plus 103...
It should be over three million at least, right?
However.
When her gaze fell upon the final number at the bottom of the panel.
She was slightly stunned.
"Huh?"
The girl blinked, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Or perhaps she had forgotten how to count.
She leaned in closer and carefully counted the string of numbers at the end.
"4,723,540 years?!"
Jiang Yuechu suddenly looked up, her face full of bewilderment.
That's not right!
These numbers... why don't they add up?
Although she hadn't spent many days in school and her math was taught by a PE teacher, she shouldn't be wrong about such simple addition and subtraction, right?
Where did these extra 800,000-plus years come from?
Could it be...
Jiang Yuechu rubbed her chin, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes.
"Could it be that some demon was actually a twin? Buy one get one free?"
"Or maybe..."
"This damn System finally opened its eyes and saw I was living a tight life, so it gave me some benefits?"
She thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
How could she know?
In Chang'an City, tens of thousands of miles away.
Her Golden Body Dharma Image had just slaughtered a Taiyuan Demon Emperor that had delivered itself to her doorstep.
Over 800,000 years of Dao Cultivation, not a single bit less, had all been credited to her account.
"Forget it."
Jiang Yuechu shook her head, too lazy to dwell on these minor details.
No matter where it came from.
As long as it was in her pocket, it was hers.
While calculating, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Over 4.7 million years of Dao Cultivation!
Such a massive number would have been unimaginable in the past.
With this huge sum of wealth.
All the things she couldn't afford to upgrade before can now be arranged!
"As the saying goes, 'Heaven does not fail those who try hard'... the ancients truly did not deceive me~"