Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1585 Calamity Strikes the Great Swamp

The old man sat motionless on the rock, with only his fishing rod stretched forward, reaching far into the lake.

Temperatures in Kitazawa are always low, and some of the shallow shores may not have fully thawed yet this month.

The most famous spectacle at this lakeside is the Qibao Lake mist. Every May and June, large wisps of colorful, crystalline mist envelop the lake and spread to the surrounding waters, making it difficult even for locals to distinguish between the lake and the shore.

There are even legends that this is the time when gods and ghosts are cleansed, so ordinary people usually don't come here during this period.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that, knowing that the clash between the two worlds was about to happen here, Chen Chuan had notified the central city of Haixi Road before he arrived here, prohibiting the people of nearby villages and towns from approaching this place in the next few days, and also closing the passage for certain upper-class people to come and visit.

At this moment, he looked at the old man's figure, trying to discern the style and era of his clothing.

The old man did not turn around, but continued to say to himself: "Look at this vast lake, which reflects countless outstanding figures throughout history."

But now, heroes and emperors are nowhere to be seen; only the waves continue to flow.

The nations of the world, from the dawn of civilization to the present day, have existed for only a few thousand years. Compared to the sun and moon in the sky, they are far inferior even to the stone beneath my feet.

All things rise and fall, are born and die in an instant, and humans, living in this world, are as insignificant as fireflies or dust.

Now, the great calamity is approaching, and under the changes of the two heavens, large groups of strange gods, demons and monsters are invading the world. People are in a state of panic, fearing that they will be ruled by the gods and demons and reduced to beasts.

However, in my opinion, this is completely wrong!

Since ancient times, all living beings have existed in association with gods and ghosts; how could they ever be separated from them?
The world has abandoned gods and spirits for a mere hundred years; a hundred years of going astray, and now relying on them as the right path—is this not strange indeed?

As he spoke, wisps of mist drifted in from the lakeside.

Chen Chuan seemed to sense something and looked over. He saw groups of people wearing animal skins and carrying spears performing a ritual by the lake in the mist. Heads rolled into the water, instantly turning the lake red. Then, horned monsters appeared, receiving their blood and offerings of divine gifts.

After a while, people dressed in ancient clothes came to scoop up water to drink, set up an altar to worship, and then a deity appeared and bestowed blessings.

A little while later, an imperial procession arrived, dropping down golden scrolls and jade books. Then, thousands of auspicious clouds and mists gathered on the lake, and celestial beings appeared.

A moment later, another group of well-dressed people, dressed in imported formal attire and wearing tall hats, arrived by airship and held a secret ceremony in front of the lake, praying to the demon to grant them supernatural powers.

All these past scenes seemed to reappear before my eyes at this moment.

After looking at it, he turned his gaze to the old man and said, "What you see is that humans exist in the presence of gods and ghosts, but what I see is that over the past few thousand years, the human world has become stronger and stronger, from stone axes and wooden clubs to golden spears and armor, and now to firearms and cannons."

In my view, the potential of humankind far surpasses that of demons and evil spirits, and expelling these monsters is the only way forward.

For thousands of years, they could contend with demons, and in this short span of a hundred years, they have banished them from the heavens, rendering them unable to control the will of the people. In another hundred years, who knows if they will not be able to command gods and men and subdue demons?

The old man shook his head and said, "Wrong, wrong. Compared to the vast universe, our world is but a drop in the ocean."

What you can see is confined to a small space. There are countless gods and ghosts beyond the heavens. What you have seen in the past is only a partial view. It is like looking at the sun and moon through a well, which is difficult to see their greatness.

But things are different now. With the two worlds merging, wondrous things have appeared. Countless demons, coveting this divine opportunity, surge forward and backward, chasing after this place. Past wisdom is no longer capable of resolving today's changes.

He suddenly smiled.

"Moreover, the nations of the world each have their own agendas. You are already weak, and now it is difficult for you to unite as one. Under the pressure from the outside world, you will crumble in an instant. Therefore, it is a very bad strategy to fight with force."

Chen Chuan said, "So, it seems you have a better plan?"

"Naturally, that means rediscovering the ancient ways!"

The old man's voice suddenly grew louder, "The nations of the world need not contend with gods and ghosts. They only need to emulate the ancients, serve the gods and ghosts, offer sacrifices without ceasing, and also understand how to discern the winds and the distinction between superiors and inferiors, and they will survive for a long time!"

Chen Chuan nodded slightly and said, "I understand. If a demon wants to eat your flesh and blood, you should let it eat you; if a demon wants to bully and abuse you, you can't resist; if a demon wants to kill your relatives and friends, you can't speak up or stand up for them, you can only obediently accept it. That makes sense, right?"

The old man shook his head, then smiled and said:
"Those who are eaten, sacrificed, and tortured are merely the lower classes and commoners. You, who have long attained high positions, are not among them. Moreover, who is eaten and who is sacrificed is entirely up to you. When you ascend to immortality and become gods, you will be on the same level as them and will no longer be bound by such constraints. This is the true path!" Chen Chuan said, "In the end, it's still the same old story about us giving up resistance and letting ourselves be slaughtered. There's nothing new about it."

The old man said, "You, a martial artist of your caliber who is only a hair's breadth away from the upper realm, could clearly be free from those burdens, so why be so attached to them?"
Every martial artist who has cultivated to the highest realm has received the help of Heaven, not the help of others. Why should we care about those irrelevant outsiders? We have long since transcended our own kind, so why should we care about their survival?
I observe that you, sir, possess lofty aspirations and a spirit free from constraints. Is this not in accordance with your principles?

Chen Chuan knew that some fighters did indeed have this idea, the most typical example being the Ascending Ladder, which was the most fitting for this approach.

He has cultivated himself to this point, and while some things he has achieved are indeed the result of his own hard work, he has also received help and support from others, so it is impossible for him to simply let go of them without any burden.

Although he sought freedom from constraints, in his view, directly breaking free from one's kind was not a symbol of freedom, but rather an escape from the inability to change things. True freedom meant having the ability to break free from constraints and make the choices one desired, even when faced with external pressure and limitations.

Furthermore, he has always believed that humanity has great potential, and that given enough time to develop and grow strong enough, it is no exaggeration to say that they could overpower gods and demons.

Before reaching a certain level, he did not believe that he could fight against all the demons alone. Instead, he believed that mutual support and assistance would allow them to go further. If he truly abandoned his race as this person said, it might seem like he was getting rid of the burden and gaining immediate benefits, but that would actually be an extremely short-sighted move.

He said, "Xuanji martial artists are not born with these abilities. Each of them has reached the peak by relying on the experience, inheritance, concepts and countless resources of their predecessors. How can we only look at their achievements today and ignore where they all came from?"

"Your Excellency speaks so negatively of people while simultaneously creating gods out of thin air and dividing races. Such actions precisely demonstrate that the gods and demons behind you fear and dread me. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to use words to deceive me; you're merely trying to make me dig my own grave. There's no need to bring these demonic and heretical theories before me anymore."

The old man was silent for a while, then chuckled and said, "You consider yourself a human being, but in all the countries of the world, there are some people who are more demonic than demons and more like evil gods than evil gods."

Chen Chuan said calmly, "There are rotten trees in the deep forest, and withered petals in the abundant flowers. If they are demons, then let's get rid of them."

In reality, some people become demons, yet they can't bear to see others not become demons. They desperately want to see their original kind corrupted and perish, so that they can prove they've chosen the right path, right, White Fish Roe?

"Hehehehe..."

The old man burst into laughter, and after a long while, he calmed down and then said in a cold voice:
"I was appointed as the Celestial Master Huo and suppressed here, guarding the Northern Marsh for eight hundred years. Now that the Xuan Tribulation is about to arrive, it should be my time to be freed!"

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "You can indeed be free now. I'll see you off later."

Bai Yuzi was originally a True Man of the Xuan Sect. A thousand years ago, he established his own sect and cultivated to an extremely high level. If he could take another step forward, he could become a Xuan Ancestor.

However, he had ulterior motives and used many forbidden and bloody sacrificial methods to ascend to heaven. As a result, he was knocked down by Master Huo when he went to the outer heavens.

He was also formidable, with a wisp of divine energy remaining. Relying on his previous rich accumulation and borrowing the energy of the gods, he once again reached the pinnacle after two hundred years. Before he could put this into action, he was once again approached by Master Huo, who forcibly conferred upon him the title of the Northern Marsh Water God, and ordered him to be suppressed here to protect the Eastern Continent from the invasion of foreign gods and demons.

From then on, apart from a small number of foreign tribes, it became very difficult for foreign tribes to travel on the Western Sea Road, because the upper-class military forces of the tribes were either blocked by Bai Yuzi or killed by him.

However, not many people know about this matter nowadays, and he happened to have read some of the relevant books in the Heavenly Secrets Sect, so he was one of the people who knew about it.

Bai Yuzi then shook his sleeves and stood up from the stone. As he did so, a rattling sound of chains rang out around him, and chains that seemed to be condensed from water vapor fell from his body.

He then slowly turned around.

As you can see, half of his face is covered in water, and the other half is flesh and blood, but as he moves, the water is rapidly disappearing and turning back into normal flesh and blood.

He coldly said, "Master Huo used rituals to imprison me and suppressed me with his true power. Today, the two forces have merged, and the power binding me will collapse here. I should take this opportunity to leap to the upper level and become an immortal force. You cannot stop me!"

As he spoke, his words seemed to resonate with the heavens and earth, producing a thunderous roar out of nowhere. At the same time, he pulled out the fishing rod and lashed it forward, and a dazzling light exploded out instantly.

Chen Chuan raised his hand to block, and as the spiritual light dissipated, his body instantly retreated several kilometers away. He also became weak for a while, and purple aura emanated from some parts of his body.

He glanced at the person opposite him. It was indeed a bit of a stretch to fight against this Xuanjiao master who was only one step away from the upper level with just one clone.

So……

At that moment, a rift suddenly appeared in the void, as if a bolt of lightning had flashed across the sky, brightening the area for a brief instant. A beam of platinum-gold light fell from the sky and landed instantly on the spot where he was standing!
……

……

(End of this chapter)