Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 263: Just like our first meeting on a snowy night, without the slightest change.

Zhang Yuanzhu looked up and gazed at the rising sun.

"It seems I don't need to get involved."

"From now on, all that's needed is to protect yourself."

The boy's voice was calm, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

It's naturally a happy thing to have an old friend who is doing well.

As for myself, I will continue forward, traversing the Demon Land, and treat this experience as a trial.

Treading on the corpses of demons, one ascends one's own path.

Beyond the Fallen Demon Mountain lies an unknown land.

The river is vast and filled with starlight, exuding mystery and tranquility.

A graceful figure, draped in a blue dress, sat cross-legged on the platform, her eyes closed, her aura fluctuating in intensity.

"My disciple, guess what news your master brought from Fallen Demon Mountain?"

A gentle laugh came from the end of the great river.

In the next instant, a figure shrouded in mist appeared before the woman, looking at his disciple with satisfaction.

"The seventh person in the Immortal Soldier Valley in thousands of years has emerged from the Demon Suppression Pass, set foot on the Blood Plains, and declared that he would compete with all the great geniuses, causing quite a stir."

brush!
The woman suddenly opened her closed eyes, revealing sky-blue eyes that were pure and vast.

The Milky Way seemed to boil, stirring up towering waves.

A jade slip inscribed with runes appeared in the woman's palm. She lowered her eyes and looked at the cracks on it.

Silent.

“Disciple, you rarely show such emotional fluctuations. Is it because of that cultivator named Zhang Yuanzhu?”

A slightly curious voice echoed between the two.

The figure shrouded in mist sat cross-legged opposite the woman.

The woman's blue hair fluttered in the wind, her red lips slightly parted:

"He was one of the pillars I left for Immortal Soldier Valley, but I never expected him to fall into this predicament. It's a pity."

Calm and without any ripples.

"is it?"

A hunched figure chuckled softly, and as the mist dissipated, a pair of eyes were revealed.

What kind of eyes were those? They held images of shattered stars and rebuilt space.

Horror to the extreme.

"It is indeed a pity, but there are many people in the world with extraordinary talent. He may not be unable to forge a path through blood and bones."

The old man commented with a relaxed air, seemingly unconcerned.

He's just a Qi Refining Realm cultivator. Even if he achieves one technique per realm and forms a high-grade spiritual platform, so what?

A golden core seed is, in the end, just a golden core seed.

No one knew better than him how difficult and arduous the path to immortality was!

Immediately, the old man fixed his gaze on the woman in the blue dress and scrutinized her carefully:

"Has the poison of the Celestial lineage of the Soul-Eating Poison Palace not been completely eradicated yet?"

The woman, with her deep eyes and arms resting flat on her knees, slowly responded:

"It will take another two years."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded gently on his forehead.

The next moment, the figure vanished.

The woman sat cross-legged on the river, without making any significant movements.

The sun and moon alternate three times.

A sigh slowly escaped.

"The human heart is indeed the most unpredictable thing in the world."

Despite countless schemes and meticulous planning, he ultimately misjudged human nature.

No matter how you look at it, that person shouldn't have set foot on Mount Fallen Demon, but the result was unexpected.

Out of gratitude, disregarding the future, they stepped into a deadly situation.

Just like when we first met on a snowy night, nothing has changed.

A gentle smile, emanating from the heart, appeared on the woman in the blue robe's exquisite face.

In any case, the 'gift' she had prepared was eventually handed to the boy.

After an unknown amount of time, the smile on the woman's face vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.

"Seek the Dao! Pursue the Dao!!" Three days have passed since I left Xuan Yin City.

Zhang Yuanzhu completely left the Crimson Plains and entered the 'Mortal Land'.

The population gradually increased, and more and more trees, mountains, rivers, and villages appeared.

Finally, he stopped in front of a massive city, gazing at the two pale figures at the city gate, his brow furrowed slightly.

They were two paper figures, with rosy cheeks and lifelike figures.

'Paper Doll Peak.'

The boy whispered in his heart.

He looked thoughtfully at the paper figures at the city gate.

He didn't know much about Paper Doll Peak, but he knew a lot about the Paper Doll Dao lineage of Immortal Soldier Valley.

Although the two schools of thought share the same origin, they are mortal enemies.

With his double pupils half-closed, wisps of corpse energy emanated from the white bone beads at his waist, concealing his figure, as he strode towards the city.

This time, he did not reveal any strong aura, and followed the flow of people closer to the city.

The closer they got, the more Zhang Yuanzhu frowned. Both paper figures at the city gate had been infused with living souls, and quite a few of them at that.

"Enter the city, ten low-grade spirit stones." The paper figure stretched out its hand, its voice hoarse.
With a thought, Zhang Yuanzhu sent ten spirit stones flying out of his storage bag and into the paper heart.

They took another step and headed into the city.

The paper figures behind them mechanically recited the city's rules.

"Killing is forbidden, fighting is forbidden, and looting is forbidden."

Zhang Yuanzhu paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before continuing forward.

We passed through the city gate and entered the city.

On the street paved with black rocks, monks walked about. There were no vendors hawking their wares on either side of the road, and no shopkeepers in the shops.

There were only paper figures, pale all over with rosy cheeks.

They are scattered throughout the city, with eerie smiles on their faces, trading with passing cultivators.

Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes were deep and unfathomable as he scanned his surroundings, focusing on the paper figures.

He saw beneath the paper figures, souls wailing day and night, and with each cry and wail, the paper figures became more vivid.

The boy remained silent; it was yet another demon city.

He couldn't understand why such unbridled slaughter of mortals didn't seem to worry about mortals being wiped out and the entire Fallen Demon Mountain turning into a barren wasteland.

Or perhaps, the demonic path possesses some means that allow mortals to never perish.

Keep going.

"Senior, would you like to buy a Spirit Flame Blood Cake?"

A girl made of folded paper holds a cake with burning blood flames in her hands and tries to sell it.

"Senior, these cakes are spiritual foods made from the hearts of infants. They have a certain innate energy and can help with cultivation."

"Spirit Flame Blood Cake is a local specialty and worth buying."

The paper doll girl smiled brightly and enthusiastically promoted her product.

Zhang Yuanzhu, however, saw through the paper a girl curled up in the corner, constantly weeping.

Smiles and sobs intertwined, blood and souls entangled.

Such an absurd and bizarre scene was presented to us in all its reality.

Zhang Yuanzhu bent down, extended his palm, and took the pancake burning with blood flames, looking directly into those ink-stained eyes.

Whisper:

"I don't like spirit bread."

Though the voice was soft, it carried a serious tone, overcoming numerous obstacles and reaching deep into the soul.

Let the weeping souls stop and look up.

She saw two great blue suns, gentle and full of life, a radiance she had never seen before in her life.

"However, I'm still willing to buy this pie, and..."

'Let those who created all this suffer the greatest pain in the world.'

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured to himself, put the blood cake away and placed it in the corner of his storage, and handed the spirit stone to the paper doll girl.

He straightened his back, strode away, leaving behind a bewildered soul and a paper figure that operated mechanically.

The boy walked forward, observing every blade of grass, every tree, and every stone around him, and then wandered around near the city wall.

As darkness fell, Zhang Yuanzhu left the city without looking back.

They began to walk around the city.

(End of this chapter)