Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 383 What did you call the previous era? (4000)

Fayan gazed at the palace ahead:

“Stone gambling shops are very common in the Holy City. They dig out strange stones from some dangerous places. Among them, there may be rare treasures or even spiritual objects left over from the previous era. Of course, there may also be nothing at all.”

"However, I have never heard my elders mention a gambling stone market of this scale."

Zhang Yuanzhu gently stroked the long ruler, carefully examining the palace complex.

"I've always been curious about what exactly this so-called 'previous era' was?"

Upon hearing this, the woman fell silent, seemingly contemplating how to proceed.

After a moment, her red lips parted slightly, and she slowly spoke:
"I don't know much, I only have some information."

"Rise and fall are the same since ancient times, and our path of cultivation is no different. The tide will always rise and then fall one day."

"And the years from the rise of the tide to its fall, we call it an era."

"The last era was extremely glorious, and it is said that figures above Bodhisattvas were born. Unfortunately, the Great Dao despised them, and they were all buried in the passage of time."

The gentle voice flowed among the three, making Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes grow even deeper.

Above the Bodhisattva, and above the Dao Lord, is naturally the Dao Venerable. He had witnessed such power at the Peach Blossom Village Gathering.

Have all those beings truly vanished into the annals of time?

The young man gripped the measuring ruler tightly with his five fingers and strode toward the palace.

A soft whisper drifted out from behind her.

"What were we called in the previous era?"

"Taoist True Lords, Buddhist Arhats, unorthodox sects, and demonic powerhouses are collectively known as the Great Wilderness."

"The Primordial Era".

Zhang Yuanzhu muttered to himself.

He seemed to see heroes rising into the sky, geniuses roaming the world, and countless powerful figures discussing the Dao and scriptures, only to turn into dust under the erosion of time.

"years?"

The young man, with mixed feelings, entered the palace.

Several armored guards stood in front of them, each of them possessing a cultivation level of at least the ninth level of Qi Refining, making them quite formidable.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have an invitation to Yang's Stone Gambling House?"

Zhang Yuanzhu paused slightly and raised his hand.

Crackling!

A burst of cyan-gold lightning erupted, spreading an aura of righteousness, utmost yang and strength.

In an instant, the guard's face showed fear.

"Does this count as an invitation?"

"The supremely yang and powerful thunder that vanquishes demons is naturally worthy of being called an invitation."

A loud laugh came from inside the palace.

A tall, middle-aged man, standing at a full three meters, stepped forward and approached Zhang Yuanzhu and the others.

Clasping your hands in a fist salute!
"Du Shi Yang Lin greets fellow Daoist Qingyangzhai."

"I have met you two fellow Buddhists."

Fayan came to the young man's side, put his hands together, and returned the greeting.

"So it's a jade gambling den under the Du family. No wonder I've never heard my elders mention it."

The middle-aged man laughed loudly, a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Not long ago, we integrated most of the stone gambling shops in the Holy City and took out some rare stones from our clan to open stone gambling shops. It's normal that you haven't heard of them before."

After a pause, the middle-aged man turned his gaze to the crimson figure and asked:
"This fellow Daoist from Qingyangzhai, are you here to gamble on stones? It just so happens that some great talents from various sects are all here."

“Your esteemed disciple is even discussing the Dao with my master.”

Zhang Yuanzhu nodded slightly to his forehead, a smile playing on his lips.

"After years of seclusion, contemplating the extremes of meditation, I have come to this mortal world for a brief journey."

"Cultivation should naturally involve a balance of work and rest, please!"

The middle-aged man stepped aside to make way, pointing his palm towards the interior of the palace.

Zhang Yuanzhu did not hesitate and strode forward into the palace.

Legal terms and legal provisions followed closely behind.

The group quickly passed through the corridor and arrived at a spacious garden, where all sorts of strangely shaped rocks were placed, emitting light and mist.

One after another, cultivators with distinguished bearing moved about among the strange rocks.

As Zhang Yuanzhu and his group arrived, many figures stopped in their tracks and turned their gazes toward them.

A young man with a long sword at his waist and wearing a feathered robe strode over, his gaze fixed on the Emperor Sword behind Zhang Yuanzhu.

"Sword cultivator?"

Zhang Yuanzhu glanced at the boy indifferently, then ignored him and began to observe the garden, but did not find his junior sister.

However, the other party's aura was not far away, very close to this place.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanzhu was not in a hurry and turned his attention to the strange rocks in the garden.

Yang Lin, looking embarrassed, pointed at the young man and began to introduce him:
"This is a disciple of Qingyangzhai, who has come here to gamble on stones."

Then, he prepared to introduce the young man in front of Zhang Yuanzhu.

"Who is this"

"I am Jian An from the Jianmen Sect, from Zixia Sword Peak. Please forgive my abruptness, fellow Daoist."

At this moment, Zhang Yuanzhu finally withdrew his gaze, looked at the boy in feathered robes, and spoke calmly:
"A disciple of Qingyangzhai greets fellow Daoist."

Jian An paid no attention to the young man's perfunctory introduction. Instead, he stared intently at the imperial sword behind the young man, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"Brother Dao, you are also a sword cultivator. I wonder how skilled you are?"

Zhang Yuanzhu tilted his head slightly, a grin spreading across his face, and the Imperial Sword behind him trembled, emitting a clanging sound.

"This sword is in my hand, indestructible, capable of cutting through anything, and invincible against anyone."

"Fellow Daoist, would you like to test your sword?"

"I can't ask for it!"

Jian An laughed loudly. He had traveled from Jianmen to the Shichuan Plain and finally encountered a cultivator who dared to fight.

As the words fell, all the cultivators who were watching the two of them looked on with helplessness.

As expected of the Sword Sect madman, regardless of the reason, he uttered such provocative words, leaving the Qingyangzhai disciples in awe.

Don't forget that the entire Shichuan Plain is Qingyangzhai's territory.

"Brother Dao, please don't overthink it. You know the nature of the Sword Sect disciples; this is not a provocation."

A Taoist priest wearing a Taoist robe stepped forward quickly and offered words of advice.

"Today's jade gambling is all at the invitation of the Du family's descendants. They are competing here. Where is the host's house?"

Words of advice came from the group of cultivators.

Yang Lin, standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up as well:
"Yang's Stone Gambling House prohibits duels. Anyone who damages spiritual objects must pay for the damages and will be permanently banned from entering the stone gambling house again."

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his hand and lightly gripped the sword hilt, seemingly ignoring the advice, and simply gazed indifferently at the young man.

Jian An remained silent, his hand instead falling from the hilt of his sword as he whispered:
"This occasion is indeed inappropriate. I will seek your advice from you after we leave the gambling stone market."

"Ah!"

Zhang Yuanzhu chuckled and shook his head.

This swordsman was somewhat lacking in foresight and consideration.

He strode forward, past the boy, and out of the garden, beginning to observe the unusual stone.

Since he had come all this way, he didn't mind buying some unusual stones to see if he could find anything of value.

As for Qin Yuyao, she's not far away; if you want to see her, you'll see her soon.

His eyes were deep, and the secret technique 'Dispelling Illusions' was activated as he carefully observed the strange stone.

what!
The young man was surprised; the thin layers of stone seemed to contain some kind of energy, obscuring his detection.

In the next instant, all kinds of pupil techniques were activated at full power. Blue and black light bloomed from his eyes and swirled around each other, like two great suns, dazzling and terrifying.

Yet it was still blocked by an invisible barrier, making it impossible to investigate.

“Brother Dao, these strange stones are all tainted with the mysterious aura from the destruction of the primordial era, which cannot be discerned by secret techniques.”

Fayan followed behind the young man.

"Is that so?"

Zhang Yuanzhu nodded slightly, ceasing his futile efforts. He began selecting unusual stones based on his instincts and preferences, while softly asking:

"Do the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect come from beyond the Plains of Passing River?"

"South of the Shichuan Plain lies the location of the Sword Gate, a bustling area. If you have some free time, you may wish to visit it."

"That day will come."

Zhang Yuanzhu chuckled and stopped in front of the strange rock, which was the size of a human head.

He gazed at the black mist swirling around the strange stone, stretched out his palm, and gently tapped it, producing a sound like metal clashing.

He then waved to the guard beside him.

"How about this one? What's the price?"

"Thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones, non-refundable once purchased."

The guards looked serious and responded earnestly.

Zhang Yuanzhu's hand fell from the strange stone, took out a storage bag, and tossed it over.

"This one is fine. I'll pick out a few more, and we'll cut them together later."

The young man didn't care too much about the gains and losses; instead, he enjoyed the process. A few spirit stones were nothing; if they could make him happy, that was naturally excellent.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhang Yuanzhu selected two more rare stones, spending a total of 320,000 high-grade spirit stones.

Such a gesture naturally attracted the attention of the group of cultivators.

In the center of the garden, many cultivators gathered around three strangely shaped rocks of different sizes.

There are strange rocks the size of a head, shrouded in black mist; there are strange rocks shaped like artificial mountains, radiating a faint glow; and there are strange rocks that resemble fairies ascending to heaven, ethereal and otherworldly.

The three strange stones, except for the one on the far right that was shrouded in black mist, were all worth tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones, making them exceptionally valuable.

"That strange stone in the middle has a faint glow, it must contain some extraordinary treasure. If I had enough spirit stones, I would definitely buy it."

"The Fairy Stone on the left is ethereal and otherworldly, yet it shows no other unusual features. It is unfathomable, utterly unfathomable!"

"More than 300,000 high-grade spirit stones were all selected in less than an incense stick's time. That person wasn't worried about losing money at all; he was too casual."

A cacophony of noise arose, with various discussions echoing around.

Yang Lin stood before the strange stone, his eyes filled with excitement. Over 300,000 high-grade spirit stones—a good haul.

"Fellow practitioners, silence!"

With a low shout, the group of cultivators fell silent.

The middle-aged strong man looked toward the tall, slender figure.

Bow with hands clasped!
"Thank you for your trust, fellow Daoist. I will do my utmost in this stone cutting to ensure that no gem is overlooked."

"Where should we begin with this strange stone?"

"This one, please."

Zhang Yuanzhu pointed to a head-sized rock on the right and began to speak.

Then, his arms fell down, hanging naturally at his waist.

He was also curious about his own luck.

With the stone identified, Yang Lin took a step forward and stood before the strange stone, taking out a short knife from his robes.

He gripped the short knife tightly in his hand and suddenly slashed down.

Stab it!

One-third of the strange stone fell off.

Immediately, a flash of light appeared, stone chips flew everywhere, and a wisp of dark light emanated from the strange stone.

As the stone chips detached, the dark luster became even deeper.

bang~
The last layer of stone fell away, revealing a palm-sized gem.

The gemstone was jet black, shrouded in a faint black mist, exuding a kind of demonic aura.

"Demon Spirit Stone, how could such a demonic creature still exist in our righteous land?"

Yang Lin handed over the jet-black gem.

"Fellow Daoist is quite lucky. Demonic Spirit Stone is a primary material used by the demonic path to forge evil weapons. Unfortunately, the methods of forging weapons by the demonic path are always brutal, so it probably won't be of much use."

"However, its intrinsic value exceeds 30,000 high-grade spirit stones."

Zhang Yuanzhu took the Demon Spirit Stone, carefully sensed it, and then put it deep inside his storage bag.

These casting materials are of little use to him at present.

Then, the young man turned his gaze to the strange rock that resembled an artificial hill:

"continue!"

"it is good."

With a response, the short sword slashed out again, sending stone chips flying as the strange stone continued to shrink.

Soon, the top of the artificial hill disappeared, leaving only the bottom.

"The mountaintop shines the brightest, yet it is completely empty; it seems the outcome will not be good."

"There shouldn't be any spiritual items; tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones have been wasted."

"That's how jade gambling is; it's normal to make a profit and lose money."

Whispers echoed in the air.

Zhang Yuanzhu's expression remained unchanged. To him, spirit stones were like gravel on the roadside, not much different.

Moreover, a small portion of the strange stone has not yet been cut open.

The blade flashed, stone chips flew, and the strange stone continued to shrink.

Suddenly, a ray of dark yellow light burst forth, illuminating the entire garden. The dark yellow liquid, like a liquid, flowed slowly in the stone hollow.

In an instant, Zhang Yuanzhu gripped the long ruler tightly with his five fingers, his eyes solemn.

He felt the power of thunder in the dark yellow liquid, deep and restrained, as if it could suppress everything.

"Zhenyue Xuanhuang Thunder Marrow, a rare and precious liquid with thunder attributes."

Fayan put his hands together in prayer and slowly began to speak.

"Fellow Daoist, you have great insight. This is the Zhenyue Xuanhuang Thunder Marrow. This spiritual liquid is a precious liquid that can only be formed when a divine mountain collapses."

"Unfortunately, the precious liquid appears restrained on the outside but is violent inside, making it unsuitable for alchemy or ingestion; it can only be used as a material for forging weapons."

Yang Lin looked regretful and handed back the strange stone that held the precious liquid.

"Although this item is rare, its value is limited. Fellow Daoist, you have still lost out in the end."

Zhang Yuanzhu had a smile on his face.

In his view, he would be willing to exchange even a million high-grade spirit stones for the Zhenyue Xuanhuang Thunder Marrow, let alone tens of thousands.

From this point on, the fifth type of Thunderous Elixir will be collected, and the Body Refinement Technique will advance further.

Lost in thought, he took out a jade bottle from his bosom, carefully put away the Thunder Elixir, and placed it in his bosom.

At the young man's prompting, Yang Lin began cutting the last piece of the strange stone.

This was the most expensive rare stone I bought, costing nearly 200,000 high-grade spirit stones.

At this moment, as treasures appeared one after another, all the cultivators in the garden gathered here to watch the stone being cut.

The blade flashed, stone chips slid down, and the middle-aged man's movements were very gentle, cutting little by little.

Once the fairy stone is reached, the head-cutting is complete.

Ding dong~
A melodious sound emanated from within the strange stone, wisps of mist swirled around it, and rays of light appeared in the sky.

"This is a massive explosion of strange rocks!"

One of the monks shouted in a low voice, his eyes burning with fervor.

"I told you the Fairy Stone was extraordinary; it must contain treasures."

At this moment, even Yang Lin unconsciously slowed down his movements, carefully scraping away the stone bit by bit.

The melodious sound grew clearer and clearer, as if a fairy was singing, captivating all who heard it.

The light in the sky grew increasingly dazzling and brilliant; had it not been for the protection of the gambling stone workshop's grand formation, it would have already spread out.

When most of the strange stone was worn away, it came to the belly of the Fairy Stone.

stab~
With another stroke, the delicate white jade emerged, revealing a small hole in the jade.

"This unusual stone is not for sale at my stone gambling shop!"

In an instant, Yang Lin's expression changed drastically, and he reached out and grabbed the strange stone.

At the same time, cultivators made their moves, bursting forth with various colored lights as they rushed forward to seize something, clearly having discovered something.

(End of this chapter)