From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 216 Wang Chan
Slay evil spirits and demons; Xinzhai only kills, does not save.

Nan Mian told Chen Xuan that Xin Zhai, in ancient times, had appeared in the world eight times, leaving behind such a prestigious reputation in the long river of time.

"Isn't Xinzhai (心斋) destiny?"

Chen Xuan frowned and asked, "No matter how you look at it, Xinzhai is similar to Tianming; it's a special ability."

The only difference.

The power of Xinzhai is specifically designed for the Mandate of Heaven, placing it above all other Mandates of Heaven.

Moreover, Xinzhai does not have a Heavenly Mandate Space, nor does it have its own exclusive Heavenly Mandate Scripture.

"It was not destiny. In the era of the mountains and seas, demons ran rampant... and something like Xinzhai was born."

Nan Mian shook his head with a smile, then laughed and said, "Chen Xuan, if the Venerable One hadn't backed down early and left, you probably would have taken the opportunity to control his destiny across the boundary between Taixu and Guyao Mountain, right?"

He knew the temperament of the Venerable One, and with his character, he would never retreat in dejection after only unleashing one sword strike.

He must have seen the way Wu Taotie died and instantly thought of something about Xinzhai, so he hesitated and couldn't continue.

"Immortal Emperor, who gave you permission to speak like that? Do you think we're that close?"

Chen Xuan frowned, thinking to himself that Nan Mian was clearly very sensible, but he was just incredibly annoying.

Beside her, Hua Liuli stared at Chen Xuan in astonishment. He had been watching Wan Shizun the whole time, and now he was about to attack Wan Shizun directly? She was shocked. So decisive?

"You...sigh, there's nothing I can do with you." Nan Mian sighed helplessly. What a prominent figure he was in the outside world! Even Shen You had to lower his head and be respectful when he saw him, not daring to look down on him.

But it was in these Guyao Mountains that he encountered Chen Xuan, who didn't take him seriously at all.

The cold wind howled.

Nan Mian could only console himself that, thankfully, Chen Xuan was only sarcastic and hadn't insulted or beaten him... Nan Mian was a proud man with a strong sense of principles and wouldn't suffer humiliation indefinitely. If Chen Xuan went too far, then he would lower his standards a bit for the time being!

"By the way, I'll tell you a secret for free."

Nan Mian suddenly spoke, looking at the hidden underworld in the sky, the underworld that governs destiny, which is omnipresent.

Although he cannot see, Xiao Qingtian, who is well-versed in refining the Heavenly Fate Elixir, has a way to specifically sense the arrival of the Lesser Underworld.

"Hmm?" Chen Xuan followed Nan Mian's gaze.

"The chosen one of the underworld is called the Yin-Yang Couple. He must have discovered you when you killed Huang Liang Meng, or even earlier, before the Mountain Spirit Goddess."

Nan Mian smiled and said in a calm tone, thinking to himself, "Pain can't be endured alone, let's all come to the underworld together!"
"..." Chen Xuan frowned upon hearing this.

"Hiss! This Nanmian is trying to shift the blame eastward, he's utterly wicked!" The black cat immediately let out an angry screech, its back arched and its fur standing on end.

……

……

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the Guyao Mountains, a few remnants of the army who had once followed Wu Taotie lay in ambush on a barren mountain, shrouded in gloom.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, it seems he's gone."

The middle-aged swordsman Wan Jiansheng said in a deep voice. A jade talisman in his hand cracked open, and the last trace of life force of the Martial Glutton disappeared. He looked at the distant sky where the fighting had subsided, his expression solemn.

"Immortal Wan Jian, Wu Taotie's attempt to ascend to godhood through a desperate struggle for survival has failed. What should we do now?" a rogue cultivator from Yunmeng Prefecture asked with a sigh.

These evil heretics from Yunmeng Prefecture originally numbered nearly twenty, but more than half a year ago, in a battle with the two realm lords, most of them were killed or wounded. The few remaining are now trapped in Guyao Mountain, with no hope for the future.

Nobody really bothered them.

The problem is that although the powerful beings in the cauldron can consume the essence of the heavens and drink the vital energy, and can fast for a long time, the Guyao Mountain is extremely barren, with no vegetation and very little immortal energy.

"I've been starving for over ten months, I'm about to die," muttered a sallow-faced, emaciated demonic overlord. His body was dull and lifeless, his aura fading day by day, and he was utterly listless. The cold mountain wind, like a knife, chilled the hearts of these people.

"What's Qin Yu's backup plan?" someone asked in a deep voice. "Wan Jiansheng, don't think everyone doesn't know you're here to monitor Wu Taotie. Now that he's dead, will the Sword Inquiry Dojo take any responsibility?"

Wan Jiansheng placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face full of helplessness, and shook his head, saying:
"We sword cultivators do not refine pills. Our sect was commissioned by a Martial God of the Fighting Division. But Wu Taotie died too early, and the big shots outside probably miscalculated... Who could have known that a Holy Son of the Southern Wilderness would appear out of nowhere? He killed Wu Taotie as soon as he entered the furnace."

Wan Jiansheng was shocked. Last year, he met the young man of destiny, Chen Xuan, in the Yunmeng market. He could kill him without even a single sword strike, but now, Chen Xuan had grown to the terrifying level where he could suppress the corpse of the Martial Glutton.

Wan Jiansheng, from the Sword Official lineage, possesses the greatest killing power in the world. He has combat skills comparable to some chosen ones and is confident in defeating the Wu Taotie, who has only left behind a corpse. However, it will take him a long time, and he cannot end the battle as quickly as Chen Xuan.

"I managed to send a message back to the Sword Inquiry Dojo, but whether my sect received it is unknown..."

Wan Jiansheng sighed, "Guyao Mountain is very strange. These outstanding people among us are gradually noticing something is wrong."

Wan Jiansheng spoke to appease the group of rogue cultivators from Yunmeng, and then he quietly crushed a black jade talisman in his hand with a snap.

This is a jade talisman given to him by Wu Taotie.

Wan Jiansheng was unaware of the origin of the jade talisman.

But he could vaguely guess some of the situation, probably from that strange organization that Wu Taotie obtained the pill formulas of the Two Realms Master and the Ten Thousand Worlds Venerable.

……

……

A celestial palace, with gauze curtains billowing in the wind, and a massive bronze chain extending from the palace into the depths of the clouds.

A drop of scalding, crimson-gold blood slid down the bronze chain that stretched across the sky into the depths of the palace, accompanied by the mournful and painful cries of dragons and pythons that had existed since ancient times, echoing through the clouds.

"Crack!"

A white, jade-like light suddenly shone on the decaying, dust-covered wooden table.

Immediately, the eyelids covered in cobwebs lifted, and a pair of dim golden eyes lit up.

"Wu Taotie, the road is blocked."

An ancient sound, like the friction of gravel.

The seated Taoist priest raised a slender, withered finger and lit a dusty glass lamp on the table. The flame flickered in the lamp, illuminating a flickering light that resembled a human face.

That's a picture...

If Chen Xuan were here, he would recognize it as a familiar, handsome face—the one from the story of Huang Liang Meng Wang Chan.

"Dong dong!"

A finger tapped on the decaying table, producing a series of crisp sounds, as if someone were thinking.

"The mountain spirit was deceived, while the Yin-Yang Couple in the Lesser Underworld, after observing for five and a half years, still suspects that the person is... a fake Xinzhai."

The ancient Taoist figure muttered to himself, then flicked the sleeve of his tattered Taoist robe, as if commanding the air:
"Descend to the mortal realm and confront Tai Xuan. If that old antique remains stubborn... kill him again."

The flickering lights illuminated the dimness of the ground.

In the firelight, a face resembling Wang Chan revealed a resentful yet excited expression, emitting a sinister, chuckling laugh: "Senior brother, senior brother..."

The soul and spirit that vanished in the dream of wealth and glory reside here.

In this world, there are not only mountain spirit goddesses who have witnessed the dream of the Yellow Millet Dream, but also other beings who have experienced it in a lifetime.

(End of this chapter)