Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 324 Blocking the Road, I'll Take the Reward Myself (4000)

The jade boat glided across the sky, speeding eastward, its pace quickening.

Level 7!
Level 5!!

The third level!!!
The group passed through one magnificent city after another.

In less than half a month, Zhang Yuanzhu had already piloted the flying boat to the first pass. Once they crossed this pass, they would be completely out of the border region.

The young man stood at the bow of the ship, his black hair flying, and wisps of blood and energy emanating from him as his robes billowed.

He casually draped his arm over the long, white ruler, gazing at the ancient city ahead. His deep, double pupils were as captivating and mesmerizing as the starry sky.

Since learning of the Wuliang Palace's great defeat, another half month has passed. Cultivation, body refinement, and comprehension of magic are all proceeding in an orderly manner.

This group of people seemed to have been forgotten, silently speeding along the border and disappearing into the distance.

Lost in thought, Zhang Yuanzhu reached out with his free hand and formed a hand seal.

Boom!

The jade plaque hanging at the bow of the boat shone brightly, illuminating a vast expanse of mountains and rivers.

Such a commotion was naturally noticed by the first guard.

The next moment, array patterns appeared on the city wall, and a vast and ancient aura emerged, permeating the sky and the earth.

The ancient city trembled slightly, and all the surrounding wilderness was sealed off, blocking the way home.

Everything happened in an instant, before the young man could even react.

Zhang Yuanzhu frowned slightly and took a step forward.

boom!
It was as if a great mountain suddenly appeared, forcefully breaking through the overwhelming pressure.

"With the jade tablet before you, what is your intention?"

With a low shout, an invisible wave of energy swept in all directions.

The earth was torn apart, the clouds were buried, and the mountains and rivers were blown apart, turning into dust that filled the sky.

The young man was extremely assertive, showing no sign of panic or being caught off guard.

The blockade remains unchanged, the city remains vast as ever, and a peaceful voice emanates:
"We have not received any instructions to allow any living beings to leave, so how can we let them pass?"

"As for the authenticity of the jade plaque, we will need time to determine it."

Zhang Yuanzhu's double pupils were half-closed, his five fingers tightly gripping the long ruler.

The talisman carrying the aura of a True Lord in his bosom was about to be activated to exert its power.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a ripple stirring deep within his eyes in a corner not far from the city, bathed in the glow of the ancient city.

He slowly uttered two words:
"time?"

"I won't keep you waiting any longer, young friend. At most, ten days will be enough to verify its authenticity."

The young man loosened his grip on the measuring rod and gazed intently at the first barrier.

"hope so!"

As the words fell, a curtain of light burst forth from the jade boat, obscuring everyone's figures and blurring the flying boat.

At this moment, Elder Huo strode over and looked towards the ancient city through the light screen:
“Yuan Zhu, they must know that the jade tablet is genuine.”

"I am clear."

Zhang Yuanzhu whispered.

Within a month, the news had definitely reached the first level.

The reason they did this was simply because they didn't want them to leave, or...

"Delay for time!"

The young man's eyes were deep and unfathomable as various thoughts raced through his mind, trying to guess the other person's motives.

Because he couldn't determine Wuliang Palace's true motives, he had just tried to force his way through the pass.

but……

Zhang Yuanzhu unconsciously looked towards a region near the city.

The array patterns flickered, the runes flowed, and rays of light rose, covering all directions, making it difficult even for those with double pupils to see clearly.

'Medicinal Herb Garden.'

Whispering in the heart of a young man.

When he first arrived at the border, he saw the medicine garden of the Thousand Tribulations Temple, and the array surrounding the medicine field was this kind of formation.

I never expected to see this here.

Old Master Huo's face was serene as he softly instructed:
"Yuanzhu, prioritize your own safety above all else; you can sacrifice anything if necessary."

"Don't worry, senior, I know what to do."

Zhang Yuanzhu nodded.

The two chatted for a while longer before Old Huo slowly left.

As for the three from Jin Guang Ge, they rarely spoke after boarding the ship and stayed at the stern to cultivate.

The young man stood alone on the deck, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He reached into his robes, took out the jade bottle containing the essence blood of the Thunder Rhinoceros, and slowly swallowed it.

Crushing the remnants of souls, tempering the blood, quietly waiting for time to pass.

……

the other side.

The first checkpoint: two figures, one tall and one short, stand on the city wall, gazing at the flying boat.

The two were dressed in ancient Taoist robes, and their powerful auras caused ripples in the surrounding space.

"Rumor has it that this seventh member of the Immortal Soldier Valley is unruly, but it seems he knows when to advance and retreat."

"Hey, so what if we don't back down? Are we relying on that True Lord Talisman, whose authenticity we don't even know?"

The burly, middle-aged Taoist priest let out a cold laugh.

Nobody's a fool. The entire temple has analyzed that talisman countless times during this period.

Based on the other party's various deeds and some secrets, it is believed that there is a 70% chance that the Golden Elixir Talisman is fake.

"This time, even if he doesn't retreat, he can still destroy the first barrier."

"I do not believe!"

The short, elderly man pressed his palms against the city wall:
"If it weren't for the oath that Wuliang Palace could not take action against cultivators who aided the Dao lineage, we would have crushed this scourge right now."

"No need, let's wait for those people to arrive."

The two discussed the matter, their murderous intent making no attempt to conceal it.

Abandoning the forging of the tenth level of the Demon Land and retreating to Ancient Cliff Mountain, peace is about to be ushered in at the border.

The forces we need to deal with next are obvious.

……

The sun sets in the west, and the bright moon rises.

On the yellow jade boat, Zhang Yuanzhu concealed his aura and took out an array plate to conceal his aura from his storage bag. He even used the Golden Sky Talisman given to him by Ruan Yu again.

At this moment, the young man seemed not to exist in this world, but in another space, his figure like a dream.

With one step, it disappeared into the flying boat.

He blended into the night and rapidly approached the area below the ancient city.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they arrived in front of an array, and activated their pupil technique 'Insight' at full power.

His vision continued forward, past runes, array patterns, and rising light, until he saw blurry spiritual herbs and enormous beast shadows planted in the ground.

Zhang Yuanzhu grinned, a look of pleasure on his face.

This place is indeed a medicinal herb garden.

His gaze shifted from the herb garden to the runes and array patterns on it.

He took a step forward, wandering around the great formation, observing every minute detail.

Time passes minute by minute.

Half an hour!

One hour!

Two hours!!!

tower!
Zhang Yuanzhu stopped in his tracks, stretched out his arms, and formed a series of hand seals.

At the same time, array plates flew out from his bosom, merged into the earth, and generated patterns.

He couldn't break the formation with his strength, but through his mastery of formations, he could find another way and integrate a smaller formation into the larger one.

Thus, they gained some control over the formation and entered the herb garden silently.

As the hand seals were continuously cast, the array patterns and runes began to twist and deform, eventually cracking open with a tiny fissure.

Zhang Yuanzhu stepped in without hesitation.

Boom~
In an instant, an extremely rich spiritual energy mixed with the fragrance of medicine rushed towards us.

At this moment, his mind trembled slightly, his blood and qi surged, wanting to absorb it, but it was forcibly stopped.

It's not the right time yet; mere spiritual energy won't satisfy him.

Zhang Yuanzhu's sharp eyes swept across the herb garden. Various precious herbs of different shapes were scattered all over the land, and the remains of demonic beasts were stuck upside down in the soil, their flesh and bones turning into fertilizer.

Although most of these precious medicines are only at the Qi Refining level, some are quite valuable.

"The herb garden is a bit small."

He strode forward, heading towards the nearest monster corpse.

He took a few steps and came to the corpse of a lion-like creature. Its fur was dull and its flesh was dry. However, it still exuded a savage aura, representing its power in life.

"The corpse of a demon beast at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment?"

"Unfortunately, it's not a lightning-attribute demon beast."

Zhang Yuanzhu whispered.

If it is a lightning-attribute monster, you can try to extract its essence blood.

The gaze shifted away from the demon corpse and continued forward, past the wreckage.

In the herb garden, the more you make a move, the greater the chance of being exposed. Only when you encounter a precious herb or a lightning-attribute monster that interests you is it worth taking action.

He stepped through the mud, slowly moving forward, observing his surroundings.

Finally, he stopped in front of a precious medicinal herb, his double pupils drooping.

The branches and leaves are emerald green, the flowers are snow-white, and the petals sway in the breeze, with specks of silver mist swirling around them.

The precious medicine is sacred and mysterious.

Zhang Yuanzhu gently inhaled the fragrance of the flowers and felt his mind become clear and his spirit serene.

This is definitely a precious medicine related to spiritual consciousness, and it is extremely valuable.

The young man, with his double pupils half-closed, carefully examined the precious medicine.

"what!"

Zhang Yuanzhu was surprised. Looking around the precious medicine, he saw an ingenious and very well hidden array.

The next moment, a hand reached out, fingers spread, and lightly tapped in mid-air.

Then, grasp it directly at the base of the precious herb.

In an instant, the entire precious herb vanished, while the surrounding formation remained completely still.

At the same time, a palm-sized array plate flew out from his bosom and landed where the precious medicine had disappeared.

In an instant, the array plate disappeared, and the phantom image of the precious medicine reappeared.

The young man stood on the ground, sensing the precious medicine inside the storage bag, and nodded in satisfaction.

The method works, continue!
He quickened his pace, wandering around in search of precious medicines and the remains of thunder beasts.

Before an incense stick could burn, he stopped again in front of the corpse of a two-horned horse demon.

The remains were relatively plump, and the two horns were wreathed in wisps of lightning.

Zhang Yuanzhu flicked his sleeve, and the remains of the Thunder Beast vanished.

"We are still missing the essence blood of four types of Thunder Beasts."

He had consumed the essence blood of three kinds of thunder beasts, and there was also a kind of thunder spirit essence blood in his storage bag, in addition to this two-horned thunder horse.

Of the nine types of Thunder Beast essence blood required for the Body Refinement Technique, only four are missing.

With his mind focused, he moved swiftly, continuing to gather precious herbs and collect thunder beasts.

The next day, early in the morning.

As the sun rose in the east, Zhang Yuanzhu stood at the bow of the boat, a smile playing on his lips.

Huo Lao stood beside the young man, gazing thoughtfully at his disciple.

"What business does Yuanzhu have with me?"

The old man's voice was hoarse, and his age was hard to conceal.

Without wasting words, Zhang Yuanzhu stretched out his palm, his five fingers spread, and a jade box appeared in his hand.

A light flick of the fingertips.

Click!

The jade box was opened, revealing a transparent fruit the size of a longan.

In an instant, a rich vitality filled the space around the two of them.

"This...this is..."

"Longevity Fruit!"

Zhang Yuanzhu spoke softly, pressed his palm down, and closed the jade box.

Then, it was handed directly to the old man.

"This precious medicine, though it cannot prolong life, can restore vitality, which is quite rare."

Huo Lao remained silent, first glancing at the jade box, then glancing at the first level.

Given the character of his own disciple, if he possessed such a treasure, he would never have taken it out now. In other words, the Longevity Fruit must have been obtained not long ago.

The old man shook his head and pushed the jade box back.

"This old man is not much use to me; it will only prolong my life by a few months."

The young man, with a calm expression, gently moved his hand away from the old man's and placed the jade box in his arms.

"Senior, do you really think I would need such a precious medicine?"

His voice was calm, yet it contained absolute confidence.

The old man sighed helplessly, his gaze falling to the jade box in his arms.

His emotions grew increasingly complicated, and he sighed softly.
“Yuanzhu, your lineage has held you back. With a temperament like yours, you would be better than Zhuoyang in any other lineage…”

"Your Excellency is mistaken. The lineage has been worthy of me, and I will certainly be worthy of the lineage."

Zhang Yuanzhu interrupted Huo Lao's words, his eyes calm.

"When we are weak, the Daoist tradition protects us; when we are strong, it will naturally help us."

Huo Lao put away the jade box in his arms and looked at his disciple.

He had indeed made the right choice. Or rather, taking shelter of the young Zhang Yuanzhu at the peak of the Zhuoyang main vein was the most correct choice he ever made in his life.

The old man turned his gaze back to the ancient city and whispered:

"There's no rush to get back. What's important is what you're doing, and you need to be careful."

Before the young man could respond, Old Man Huo had already walked towards the stern of the ship.

For the next period of time, the old man believed that he should keep a close eye on the three people in Jin Guang Ge to prevent them from doing anything bad.

Zhang Yuanzhu watched Huo Lao's departing figure with a gentle gaze.

He sat down cross-legged, and a thought occurred to him.

Four beams of light burst forth from the storage bag and hovered in front of me.

Each precious herb, with its unique shape, floated and sank within the cluster of light, emitting a faint glow.

These four precious herbs were the biggest gain from sneaking into the herb garden last night; as for obtaining the remains of the Thunder Beast, that was secondary.

His deep, dark eyes gazed at the two similar-looking medicinal plants, their branches and leaves emerald green, their petals snow-white, and surrounded by a faint silver glow.

He didn't recognize this precious medicine, but he could still discern some of its pharmacological properties through the Secret Technique of Dispelling Illusions.

This precious medicine, shaped like a flower, should be able to enhance spiritual awareness.

He reached out his palm, past the ball of light, grabbed the white flower, and swallowed it whole.

Boom~
In his mind, wisps of silver mist appeared, hovering above and covering the top of the tower.

Zhang Yuanzhu remained calm, raised his arms, formed a mudra, and began to circulate the "Pagoda Suppressing God Technique".

The silvery mist grew larger and larger, taking up space and enveloping the pagoda.

The glazed pagoda trembled slightly, and the light on its walls became even more dazzling and radiant.

With each passing minute and second, the silver mist surrounding the glazed pagoda would thin out.

Time passed, and I don't know how much time has gone by.

The glazed pagoda suddenly fell silent, then trembled violently, absorbing all the surrounding silver mist.

Zhang Yuanzhu frowned slightly, sensing the sturdy and indestructible pagoda.

"It's still a bit short."

The young man whispered, his gaze falling on the precious medicine that resembled a flower.

Finally, he shook his head, put away the precious medicine that enhanced spiritual awareness, and carefully placed it into his storage bag.

He refined a precious herb, which greatly enhanced his spiritual awareness. He needed a period of time to adapt before breaking through the barrier in one go.

Then, he looked at the remaining two precious medicinal plants.

One of them resembled a weed, was entirely blood-red, and exuded an eerie aura.
A plant with a palm-sized fruit, entwined with azure lightning.

The Demon-Companion Grass and the Thunder-Gathering Fruit are rare and precious items. If you were to exchange them at the border, you would need at least 500 battle merits, and you might not even have any in stock.

Lost in thought, he slapped the demon pet pouch at his waist, and a yellow shadow flashed by.

A dog-like demon, the size of a calf and with bulging muscles, appeared on the deck.

Big Yellow, panting with its tongue lolling out, frolicked around, then circled the young man.

"Master, I can finally come out for some fresh air."

Since arriving at the border, it has rarely gone out.

"The war is fierce, and we are struggling ourselves, so how can we protect your safety?"

The young man patted the dog's head, sensing that Da Huang had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. He nodded slightly, indicating that Da Huang hadn't been slacking off.

He stretched out his palm, pointing to the bright red herbs in front of him:

"The Demon-Companion Grass purifies the bloodline of demons and removes impurities, which will be of great help to you."

"Swallow it, I will protect you."

(End of this chapter)