Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 409 How dare you appear before me? (4000 words)

Having cultivated for nearly seven years since breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he is now only one step away from the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Zhang Yuanzhu narrowed his double pupils, sensing the surging magical power within his dantian. A smile spread across his face, filled with pleasure.

The transformation of one's essence, energy, and spirit officially begins with the breakthrough in one's realm.

Within his dantian, the eight spiritual platforms trembled, and streams of magical power were generated, continuously rising and attaching to the spiritual platforms.

Within the body, muscles, bones, skin, and internal organs vibrate and continuously grow stronger, transforming towards a higher level.

In his mind, spiritual awareness rapidly increased and filled every part of his mind. The glazed pagoda stood in the center and trembled slightly. Spiritual awareness rushed in, and the eleventh floor of the pagoda slowly emerged.

Inside the pagoda, a small golden figure sat cross-legged, his hands forming ancient hand seals as he organized his spiritual consciousness and constructed the pagoda.

As time goes by, the transformation of the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit becomes more and more intense.

It took a full five days for this breakthrough to completely come to an end.

Zhang Yuanzhu rested his arms flat on his knees, carefully sensing his own body.

Its magical power was as vast as a boundless ocean, incredibly powerful.

His body was filled with blood energy like a dragon, which roared and boomed as it flowed.

In his mind, an eleven-story glazed pagoda stood in the center, exuding an aura that suppressed the eight directions and six realms.

He is now terrifyingly strong; he can even fight and kill a third-step expert in the Condensation Realm.

Such achievements are unprecedented for living beings in the past, and may not be seen by living beings in the future.

Call ~
The young man exhaled, calming the turmoil in his heart.

The road ahead is long, and his cultivation has only just begun; he still has a long way to go.

Then, he lowered his gaze and looked at the jade slip placed to the side.

He was still somewhat curious about the sonic attack method Xie Beiling had given him.

He stretched out his palm, picked up the jade slip, and his spiritual consciousness surged into it.

In an instant, the words "Requiem" flashed into his mind, and he learned about the method of cultivation and its origin.

"It is not a demonic sound attack method."

Zhang Yuanzhu muttered to himself, somewhat surprised, as he continued to flip through the pages.

This is a mysterious art form, said to have originated in ancient times, and was originally a ritual song for sacrifice or prayer.

Using one's own spiritual awareness to attack the enemy's soul and will through melodies.

This is essentially a spiritual attack spell!
The young man was moved. He carefully perused the jade slip, his expression growing increasingly serious as he learned its contents.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally accepted the jade slip and gently tapped his forehead.

"A decent spell, worth practicing."

However, there is no rush in practicing magic; one must plan one's future path of cultivation.

Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes flickered as he quickly processed information.

Having broken through to a higher realm, there is no possibility of advancing further in the short term.

The ninth level of the Body Refinement Technique requires finding a special location and is extremely time-consuming, so it cannot be practiced for the time being.

That leaves only perfecting the divine form—the Qilin—and cultivating the 'Requiem'.

Various thoughts raced through the young man's mind, eventually settling into one.

From morning to noon, he practiced the "Record of Purple Lightning and Green Frost"; from noon to night, he practiced the "Soul-Suppressing Song"; and from night to dawn, he perfected his spirit and form.

Time is divided into three parts, each without disturbing the others, allowing for a rapid increase in combat power.

However, one cannot let cultivation interfere with the pursuit and killing of righteous, demonic, and secret realm natives.

Fighting and cultivating at the same time is the most suitable thing for him.

After making his decision, Zhang Yuanzhu stood up and walked towards the stone gate.

Extend your palm forward and exert force.

Crunch!

The stone gate opened, and I stepped out.

A woman dressed in black leaned against the wall, watching the young man step out. A smile appeared on her pretty face, and her red lips parted slightly:
"Congratulations, senior brother, on taking another step forward."

"Just a little progress."

Zhang Yuanzhu waved his hand, not paying much attention.

He continued forward, arriving in front of the woman, sensing her steady aura, and gently nodded to her forehead.

"It seems you haven't wasted these past few days; your cultivation has become stable."

“If even someone as talented as my senior brother has to cultivate diligently, how could I, a mere woman, dare to slack off in the slightest?”

The woman straightened up, her beautiful eyes fixed on the young man, and spoke, word by word:
"I really hope to see my senior brother's back forever!"

Zhang Yuanzhu remained silent.

It is incredibly difficult for his peers to keep up with him, but he also hopes that someone can walk alongside him and climb the great path together.

Place your palm on the long, white ruler and rub it gently:

"I am looking forward!"

After a pause, the young man changed the subject and began to recount his various experiences after entering the secret realm.

Xie Beiling listened quietly, and then recounted her own experiences without reservation, eventually revealing several hidden outposts of the Puppet Sect.

The two stood facing each other, chatting back and forth, their cheerful laughter occasionally breaking the silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Beiling and Zhang Yuanzhu arrived at the edge of the cave, looking down at the lush ancient forest.

"My senior brother has fought countless battles and survived thousands of fights, but unfortunately I am not strong enough to kill enemies for him."

A gentle breeze blew, causing her black dress to flutter and her jet-black hair to dance, while a bitter expression appeared on her pretty face.

That bitterness vanished in an instant, transforming into allure:

"However, I can also help my senior brother in other ways."

Her slender, jade-like hand reached out to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress, elegant and captivating.
"After fighting all the way, the high-grade spiritual artifacts must have been quite worn out. I can forge one for my senior brother."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes. He turned his gaze away from Shanhe and looked at the woman.

"You can forge high-grade spiritual artifacts?"

He currently has very few spiritual artifacts at his disposal, only the Golden Spirit Lamp and the Jade Bracelet (characteristic: injury substitution, obtained from Ancient Cliff Mountain) are two high-grade spiritual artifacts.

Other high-grade spiritual artifacts were either damaged or their [characteristics] were too precious to be used.

"Senior brother underestimates me. Although my talent for cultivation is 'a bit lacking,' my talent for weapon crafting is still quite good."

Xie Beiling chuckled, seemingly quite pleased with the young man's astonishment.

"If you want to forge a spiritual weapon of a certain shape and function, just tell me directly, Senior Brother."

Zhang Yuanzhu's double pupils were deep and thoughtful.

After a moment, he spoke:
"A high-grade lightning-attribute spiritual weapon, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities; as for its appearance..."

"bead!"

"Beads? Great!"

Xie Beiling nodded, his mind wandering to the casting method and materials.

Before I could think any further, streaks of light drifted over and hovered in front of me.

There were gems shrouded in demonic energy, dark golden carapaces, tree branches covered in a light black mist, the head of an old servant at the Condensation Realm, and box after box of Yin-attribute spiritual water.
"Demon Spirit Stones, Golden Crocodile Insect Shells, the flesh and blood of the old servant of the Du family, Yin-attribute spirit wood and spirit water—these spiritual materials are at your disposal. If you have any other needs, please feel free to ask."

Xie Beiling stared at the various spiritual materials in front of her, her lips twitching.

Senior brother, you seem more like a disciple of the demonic path than I am. Are you sure you want to use these spiritual materials to refine a lightning-attribute spiritual weapon?

Forging magical artifacts is easy, but creating a powerful and yang-dominant thunder artifact is more difficult.

“Senior brother, we have enough spiritual materials, even a lot more than we need. However, we need to think about the forging method, and it will take a while.”

The woman spoke, her expression serious.

With a wave of her delicate hand, she collected all sorts of spiritual materials in front of her.

"When we meet again in the future, I will surely give you a spiritual weapon that satisfies you."

"You want to leave?"

Zhang Yuanzhu frowned slightly, his five fingers gripping the long ruler tightly.

"Is my senior brother trying to persuade me to stay?"

The woman smiled faintly, turned her body slightly, and gazed into the depths of the cave:

"If we don't leave now, my two elder sisters will have to go into seclusion to cultivate until the secret realm ends." As the words drifted away, she took a step and stepped into the air.

Her black dress fluttered, her hair danced, and she disappeared into the formation like a fairy from a painting.

The world fell silent, save for a barely audible female voice echoing in the air:

"Senior brother, a message came from the Demonic Sect's undercover agent seven days ago."

"Six hundred and thirty thousand li to the east of this place, all the members of the Du family have gathered in front of a ruin. If you are interested, you can take a walk there."

Zhang Yuanzhu remained silent, gazing in the direction the woman had left.

A long time, a long time.

Tower! Tower! Tower!
A crisp sound of footsteps came from behind, and Fayan and Fading emerged from the cave and came to the young man's side.

"That demonic witch certainly knows how to show off."

"Fellow Daoists, please watch your words!"

Zhang Yuanzhu interrupted the two women.

His face was calm and expressionless, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Now that our rest is over, it's time for us to leave and continue our pursuit of our enemies."

Fayan's eyes shone with a Buddhist light, peaceful and compassionate, yet subtly tinged with a hint of fanaticism, as he stared directly at the young man:

"Shall we travel 630,000 li to the east to kill the Du family disciples?"

"Yes!"

The young man spoke.

The next moment, a golden lamp floated out from his arms, rapidly expanding to the size of the house.

Zhang Yuanzhu leaped onto the lamp wick and looked down:
"My two fellow Daoists underestimate me too much. There are some things that I understand clearly and can weigh freely in my heart. I don't need others to remind me many times."

"It's good that you understand, fellow Daoist; we were just being overly concerned."

Fayan clasped his hands together and responded softly.

She walked gracefully forward, ascending the lamp wick.

The statutory law followed closely behind.

The three stood side by side under the lamp wick, gazing at the mountains and rivers in the distance.

Zhang Yuanzhu extended his palm and gently beckoned.

Formation plates and flags arrived from all directions and disappeared into the storage bag.

After collecting all the materials for setting up the formation, he slightly bent his knuckles and gently tapped the lamp.

boom!
Golden flames were generated, spreading across the sky and scattering across the rivers and mountains.

The rocks melted, the vegetation turned to ash, and all remaining traces were instantly obliterated.

"gone!"

The young man laughed loudly, and his magical power surged forth.

call out!
A golden light rose, traversing the sky, and sped eastward.

Mountains, rivers, and vegetation flashed past beneath me as I sped forward.

Taking advantage of his spare time, Zhang Yuanzhu sat cross-legged and began to perfect his divine form—the Qilin.

Twelve days later, a golden light streaked across the sky, cleaving the heavens.

Zhang Yuanzhu's face was covered with a Nuo mask, exuding a sense of nobility and peace, while his double pupils were exposed, gazing at the spire in the center of the world.

The spire is pure white, the walls are mottled, and it stands on the earth like a sharp sword piercing the sky.

Beneath the spire, figures stood.

There were Taoist priests wearing green robes and jade crowns, burly men with emerald green hair, young men in dark green robes, and noble ladies in light yellow fur robes with long hair tied with jade belts.
The crowd was dense, and most of them exuded an air of refinement.

However, the moment they saw the golden light arrive, or rather, the crimson figure standing on the lamp wick, their expressions changed drastically.

"It's that unorthodox and heretical path."

"Zhang Yuanzhu, it's Zhang Yuanzhu! He's going to continue killing, he really wants to fight us to the death."

"Kill him, kill him! Avenge our fallen comrades!"

Long howls echoed through the heavens and earth, shattering the clouds.

One after another, figures soared into the sky, exerting all their magical power and mobilizing their qi and blood.

The group of cultivators had forgotten what ruins or what opportunities they had encountered.

All they could see was that tall, slender figure wearing a Qilin Nuo mask and a red robe.

kill! kill! kill! !
A chilling killing intent permeated the land, causing the surrounding space to tremble as if it were about to shatter.

Rays of light shot towards the sky, torrents of magic tore through the air and hurtled toward the golden lamp, and various magical artifacts and spiritual weapons transformed into streaks of light that struck the heavens.
Amidst such a fierce attack and the collapse of the heavens, Zhang Yuanzhu concealed his mask, revealing a calm and composed expression.

He slowly raised his arm, his five fingers spread out.

With a simple, almost imperceptible movement, heaven and earth froze, falling silent.

The rainbow light stopped, the spells ceased, and all magical artifacts and spirit weapons stopped moving forward.

Such a scene was too horrifying, terrifying to the extreme.

"The sun, moon, stars, and all things in the universe are but a handful."

The young man chuckled softly, but his voice held no hint of amusement; instead, it was icy cold.

Those five outstretched fingers were under the watchful eyes of everyone.

They clasped hands with a resounding thud!

Boom!

The rainbow light dissipated, and blood rained down; the spells vanished, and the cultivators exploded; spiritual artifacts and magical weapons emitted mournful cries before finally collapsing.

At this moment, the sky cleared, and the surviving cultivators, bathed in blood rain, stared blankly at the crimson figure.

How dare he do this? How could he possibly do this?

The group of cultivators were bewildered and at a loss, and could only instinctively look at the young man.

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his arms and looked down at the earth. His gaze passed through layers of obstacles and saw a boy.

The boy was somewhat thin and frail, with delicate features and bright, clear eyes, like a lake, giving people a refreshing and natural feeling.

"The Du family, Du Qing!"

The young man tilted his head slightly, sensing that the other party's aura far surpassed that of their meeting in Yuanshui Xiancheng.

"It's been several months since I last saw you, and you're even more charismatic than before. It's a pity you've fallen into the demonic path."

Du Qing's expression was complex, and his eyes were solemn.

In front of the Golden Valley Pavilion, this was the man who killed many servants with a single move and nearly killed himself.

If Jiang Xingye hadn't intervened, he might have already perished.

Lost in thought, he pushed aside the Du family disciples protecting him and stepped forward.

“Brother Dao, if you stop the fighting here, I am willing to swear on behalf of the Du family that all grudges will be wiped away.”

Zhang Yuanzhu smiled slightly, stepped out of the lamp wick, and descended into the air.

tower!
The footsteps sounded like the beating of war drums, stirring the minds of the cultivators and causing them to retreat in fear.

"I'm curious, what power makes you dare to appear before me?"

tower!
"Has he broken through to the first level of the Qi Condensation Realm?"

tower!
"Or is it the confidence that you survived one of my attacks?"

Zhang Yuanzhu spoke calmly, facing forward.

Like a sacred mountain shifting horizontally, it was forceful and imposing, carrying an unparalleled sense of oppression.

Du Qing slowed her pace, a hint of fear appearing on her delicate face.

Only when you truly face the person in front of you can you understand what true strength is—not the strength of physical power, but the overwhelming power that comes from within, encompassing your body, your aura, and everything else.

It's chilling, frightening, and leaves you wondering how to overcome it.

Snapped!
A brass-colored hand reached out from behind and pressed down on Du Qing's shoulder.

"Young Master, let me deal with this heretical cultivator."

A tall figure clad in dark green armor emerged from behind, protecting Du Qing.

(End of this chapter)