Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 390 The River of Time, Time? (4000)

At the foot of Qingmu Mountain.

A streak of silver light fell from the sky and lingered for a hundred meters.

The flying boat hovered, and Zhang Yuanzhu, Fayan, and Fading looked down upon the new world.

The trees are lush, the streams are clear, the air is full of vitality, and birds and animals can be heard calling from time to time.

Fayan admired the scenery before her, her expression gentle, her red lips slightly parted:

“Brother Dao, this is the central part of the Shichuan Plain, and also the location of Qingyangzhai.”

"Legend has it that the River of Departure, which runs through ancient history, finally dried up and disappeared from the world here. Therefore, various schools of thought also refer to this area as the Riverbed of Departure."

The woman's voice was gentle, recounting an ancient era.

Zhang Yuanzhu stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind, his eyes as deep as the starry sky.

"The River of Departure must be a very interesting river."

A river that can give a name to a vast plain must be extraordinary.

Upon hearing this, Fa Yan chuckled and stretched out his palm, pointing to the vast rivers and mountains.

"It's naturally interesting. It's a river that's older than the primordial era, born from the heavens and earth, and legend has it that it carries the power of time."

"Unfortunately, it withered at the beginning of our time."

"Time?"

Zhang Yuanzhu muttered to himself, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

Between heaven and earth, time has always been the most difficult thing to comprehend, and also the most mysterious and profound law.

Of course, he always firmly believed that there is no invincible path, only invincible people.

The path of Yin and Yang, in his hands, can traverse the world, sweep across the ages, and defeat all enemies.

Lost in thought, Zhang Yuanzhu lightly stomped his foot on the deck, and the flying boat began to move forward.

No matter how mysterious the river, it has long since flown away.

For them, it would be best to leave this area as soon as possible, as it would be somewhat inconvenient for the Qingyangzhai sect to remain here.

Fayan clasped her hands together, tilted her head slightly, looked at the handsome young man's face, her red lips curved, and softly chanted the Buddhist mantra.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanzhu glanced at the mountains and ancient forests rushing past below, but his mind was on the matter of cultivation.

The body refinement technique has broken through to the eighth level, and it is necessary to temper the spiritual consciousness, going a step further beyond the physical body, but the tempering methods are even more explosive.

Crimson Thunder Bees, Spirit-Melting Flowers, and Tailless Black Snakes—these are the poisonous creatures needed to temper one's spiritual consciousness.

Each one is a highly poisonous substance, tearing apart the spirit and corrupting the will, yet in the cultivation of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body, it is called a precious medicine for body refining.

By first destroying and then building, one's spiritual awareness naturally becomes more powerful.

Once broken, it cannot be restored, and its potential will inevitably be greatly diminished.

Zhang Yuanzhu recalled the contents of the Body Refining Method, his lips twitching. No wonder there were almost no practitioners who had mastered this technique since its creation.

Each body-training session is like dancing on a knife's edge, with the possibility of failure at any moment.

If it weren't for the rarity of body-refining techniques and the extremely fast cultivation speed of the "Nine Tribulations Thunder Body," he wouldn't have chosen this body-refining technique.

Call ~
Exhale softly.

He began to ponder how to obtain these three poisons.

The riverbed of the Shichuan River is bustling. When passing through the Immortal City, you can stop temporarily to inquire about its inhabitants.

As he was lost in thought, Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his gaze and looked down.

Flowing blood, severed limbs, and shattered houses—a desolate village came into view.

Fayan also witnessed the same scene. His eyes narrowed slightly, and after observing carefully, he murmured:
"They are all mortals, not a single one is a cultivator."

"Could this be the work of demonic cultivators?"

Despite experiencing various tragic scenes, the woman's heart was still filled with anger.

They fought countless battles along the way, but never slaughtered ordinary people; all those they killed were cultivators they had hunted down.

Zhang Yuanzhu shook his head, extended his palm, and gently beckoned.

A wisp of mist rose from the wreckage and drifted into my palm.

"Demon!"

The young man had an indifferent expression, his five fingers clenched together.

bang~
The fog exploded and disappeared.

"The ferocious monsters in the righteous lands have long been eliminated. Even if some remain, they have been driven to remote and harsh places to serve as trials for the disciples."

Fa Yan frowned, his eyes filled with confusion.

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his hand, placing it on the long ruler, his eyes calm:
"Just take a look and you'll know."

In the Demon Land, he experienced hell a hundred or a thousand times worse than the human hell, and personally slaughtered millions of lives.

But he never became indifferent or numb; he always had compassion for all things in the world and did what he could to help.
He's willing to help!
Before the sound had even faded, the silver boat had already changed direction and sped away.

Fa Yan and Fa Dong looked at the young man with complicated expressions. They thought he would ignore them, but they chose to take action immediately.

The silver boat glided through the air, relentlessly pursuing the demonic aura.

Villages and towns, cities where ordinary people lived, were reduced to ruins, the earth was stained red with blood, and there were limbs and pieces of flesh everywhere.

Time passed by minute by minute.

An hour!
Two hours!!
Three hours!!!

Half a day later, a tremendous roar and howl echoed from the ends of the earth.

The silver boat maintained its speed, and in the blink of an eye, it had already crossed a hundred miles of rivers and mountains, where a battle between humans and demonic beasts came into view.

A dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, dressed in golden Daoist robes and wearing cloud-patterned Daoist crowns, were besieging a bear demon, led by a golden-haired elder.

Golden sword light densely filled the sky, like clouds or evening glow, relentlessly strangling the bear demon.

Unfortunately, that bear demon was far too large.

Clad in silver fur, with its feet treading on mountains and rivers, its body reaching into the clouds, and the sun shining above its head, it roars.

Mountains and rivers exploded, sword light was extinguished, and figures retreated, bleeding profusely.

The dozen or so cultivators forcibly stopped their movements, charged forward covered in blood, and launched a frenzied attack.

"Feng Xue, you despicable man, you actually opened the barrier and released the demon beast for the sake of personal grudge. If I survive, I will surely kill you."

"The Great Dao is above, the Golden Cloud Sect is guilty, and its members are incompetent, causing the deaths of countless lives."

“Bear demon, you dare to slaughter the common people, you will surely die, all of you should kill him.”

They might curse, cry, or feel resentment.

Long howls shook the heavens, and streaks of sword light crisscrossed the sky, slashing towards the bear demon.

“A bear demon who has taken the second step of the Qi Condensation Realm, and a Taoist who has just entered the Qi Condensation Realm.”

He spoke softly, his eyes filled with seriousness.

Fayan, standing to the side, looked disgusted and whispered:

"Some sects do indeed cultivate precious demonic beasts as protection for their sects, but they also leave behind various restrictions to prevent the demonic beasts from causing trouble. It seems that the bear demon of the Golden Cloud Sect has gone out of control."

Zhang Yuanzhu stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the city located in the distance, which was almost turned into a dead city by the two sides' conquest.

Mortals are ultimately too weak; for them, battles between cultivators are more terrifying than natural disasters.

In the blink of an eye, the dazzling sword lights were extinguished by the bear demon, and even the golden-haired elder who was at the forefront of the attack was torn apart, his blood staining the sky.

The gap between minor realms is simply too great; only extraordinary individuals can bridge it.

"Ancestor!"

Amidst several cries of anguish, the remaining sword light shone even brighter, its golden glow seeming to burn.

kill!

Those who dare to come here to exorcise demons are not cowards who fear death.

The silver bear's eyes drooped, ferocious and violent.

The bear paw slowly rose, and billowing demonic energy gathered like mist, transforming into a giant hand that covered the sky.

"Humans, I will slaughter you all."

The giant hand pressed down, as if the sky were collapsing, arrogant and domineering.

The sword lights faded and disappeared, and the giant palm descended, about to annihilate the human race within hundreds of miles.

At this moment, the surviving cultivators wept, and mortals knelt on the ground, despair filling every corner. Zhang Yuanzhu stood on the deck, looking up, his gaze calm and unwavering.

The young man slowly raised his palm, spread his five fingers, and strands of purple lightning bloomed from his fingertips, flowing like liquid.

Step out of the flying boat, clench your fists together.

Heaven and earth, sun and moon, and all things blurred in an instant, all contained within the palm of one's hand.

"You beast, take this punch!"

He raised his fist to the sky and struck out with a thunderous roar.

Boom!

The world turned upside down. What was clearly a punch from the ground to the sky appeared to all living beings as a strike from the heavens, crashing down on the demonic bear.

Such a scene is too horrifying, reversing time and space and confusing directions.

The silver bear's beastly eyes were ferocious as it looked down at the crimson shadow, which resembled an ant, and roared to the sky.

"Human race, die!"

The hand, wreathed in demonic energy, swelled up and struck out.

A punch and a palm strike traversed the sky, colliding fiercely in an instant.

Rumble!
Amidst the deafening roar, fist light and demonic energy intertwined, frantically annihilating each other.

After a brief stalemate, the light of the fist overwhelmed the demonic energy, pierced through the bear's paw, and surged forward.

roar~
The silver bear roared.

A jade-colored shield flew out from the bear's body, rapidly expanding to the size of a mountain, and stood in front of it to meet the light of the fist.

The fist flashed brightly and dazzlingly forward, its power unmatched, crashing down with a thunderous roar.

In an instant, everything vanished, and the light of the fist became the sole focus, filling the vision of all living beings.

A crimson figure strode forward, ascended into the sky, and launched a series of attacks.

Fist light and thunder intertwined, and soon the clock struck, with the bear demon's wail echoing from the various colored lights.

After an unknown amount of time, all the surviving creatures vaguely saw a slender figure tearing apart a demon beast in the light, bathing in its blood.

boom!
The silver bear, the size of a mountain, broke in two and fell to the ground.

Blood flowed down like a waterfall, staining the mountains and rivers red.

The remains of the demonic beast shrank rapidly, soon transforming into a mangled body about three zhang tall.

Zhang Yuanzhu landed, stepping on the beast's skull, and surveyed the surroundings.

He was tall and slender, his red robe stained with blood, his black hair wildly flowing, and his eyes reflected the sun, moon, and stars, exuding an extremely powerful sense of oppression.

call out!
A figure shot out, transforming into a sword beam, and fled at lightning speed.

"Senior, do not let the traitor escape. If this villain breaks the demon bear's seal, countless lives will die."

Someone shouted, their eyes filled with deep-seated hatred.

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes. He raised his hand, spread his fingers, and the Golden Bell appeared.

The palm gently sways.

Boom!
With a tolling of a bell, the fleeing rainbow light abruptly stopped.

Immediately, the light shattered, and the figure fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings.

At the same time, Fa Yan piloted the flying boat, lifted it up, and brought it to the young man's side.

boom!
With a casual flick of the wrist, the fleeing creature tumbled into the beast's blood.

"His resentment and hatred are boundless; this person must be the culprit."

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his gaze to the emaciated middle-aged man who had collapsed in the blood. The man's face was pale and his eyes were filled with fear.

At this moment, several cultivators dressed in golden robes struggled to their feet and headed towards this place.

He spoke as he walked:
“Senior, this person is an elder of our Golden Cloud Sect. However, he had a quarrel with another elder and then went mad to release the demon bear’s restraints.”

"We slaughtered the mountain gate and massacred the common people. We and the Supreme Elder chased them all the way here, fully prepared to die. We never expected to survive."

Zhang Yuanzhu remained silent, carefully observing the thin, middle-aged man who had fallen to the ground.

Just because of a single argument?
Isn't such a reason too absurd and ridiculous?

Fayan also sensed something amiss from the explanation given by the Jinxia Sect cultivators. He clasped his hands together, and a faint Buddhist light flashed and disappeared.

Then, he nodded to Zhang Yuanzhu and transmitted his voice:

They weren't lying.

The young man raised his foot and stepped on his opponent's head, as strands of lightning spread down and coiled around his body.

Ahh~
A mournful wail, accompanied by the smell of burning coals, filled the air.

The three surviving Foundation Establishment cultivators looked pleased; if it weren't for their benefactor being there, they would have wanted to personally torture the enemy.

It wasn't cruel, but rather that too many people from the Golden Cloud Sect and ordinary life had died; almost all their relatives, friends, and teachers had perished.

He wished he could extract this person's soul and burn it in the spiritual flames.

After an unknown amount of time, the thunder subsided, and the emaciated middle-aged man was found with his body charred black, his skin, internal organs, and bones reduced to ashes, barely clinging to life.

"I'm curious, why did you do this?"

"Hey, I don't know either."

The middle-aged man strained to lift his head, his eyes, now charred black, staring blankly at the sky, and spoke haltingly:
"It was just an ordinary argument. People with different paths couldn't help but feel angry and do such a thing. It's like a dream."

As the words drifted by, the middle-aged man had already lost his vitality.

Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes were deep and thoughtful, as if he had thought of something.

With a wave of his hand, he collected the remains of the demonic beast, and strode towards the silver boat.

"Please wait, senior."

A shout stopped the young man.

bang bang bang~
The three monks knelt down at the same time, banging their heads on the ground, their voices hoarse.

"Senior slayed the demon bear and eliminated the traitor, which is a great favor to our Golden Cloud Sect."

The cultivator kneeling in the middle raised his head and arms, and one after another, spiritual items flew out of his storage bag and hovered above his head.

"Our sect has suffered heavy losses, and these spiritual items are all we have left as compensation. We hope you will accept them, senior."

"Slaying the bear demon is just something I wish for!"

Zhang Yuanzhu strode forward without stopping.

If it weren't for the bloody battle fought by the Golden Cloud Sect, in which the Supreme Elder and more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators died, there would be something else amiss.

He will surely ascend to the gate of Jinxia Mountain and destroy its lineage.

'The blood and bones of millions of ordinary people should not be calculated in this way.'

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured to himself.

He leaped onto the silver boat, with Fayan following closely behind.

The three cultivators kneeling on the ground exchanged a glance and shouted in unison:

"Since we do not know the name of our predecessor, we can conveniently enshrine him at the mountain gate and kneel and pray to him day and night."

The flying boat traversed the sky and quickly disappeared, leaving only a deep voice drifting down.

"The Blazing Sun Lineage—Zhang Yuanzhu!"

"Zhang Yuanzhu?"

"This senior's name sounds somewhat familiar."

A cultivator murmured, a series of thoughts flashing through his mind, finally settling on a piece of intelligence about the manhunt.

His expression changed drastically, turning into horror, and he cried out in surprise:
"Zhang Yuanzhu, a madman with a bloodthirsty nature, who practiced unorthodox methods."

Those who realized what was happening were also shocked and at a loss.

It was unclear how much time had passed before they calmed their turbulent emotions and began to collect the remains and artifacts of their fellow cultivators, cleaning up the bloodstains from the mountains and rivers.

Finally, they went to a nearby city to sort out the ruins and rebuild the city walls.

Only after everything was dealt with did they return along the route from which they had been pursued.

They collected corpses along the way and cleared away the ruins.

The three surviving monks all wore expressions of apology and sorrow.

(End of this chapter)