The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 324 Devouring God
The crimson array emitted a fierce light, and the earth seemed to transform into a blood sacrifice altar. Countless semi-transparent chains flew out from the ground, binding Zhou Yan's wrists, ankles, and waist. The crimson light shone brightly, and Zhou Yan felt as if he were falling from the clouds, only able to hear Kai Ming's exclamation.

The exclamations of enlightenment faded away like smoke, gradually disappearing from sight.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and 'saw' himself in a peculiar position, with no upper or lower, only surging waves of sound crashing against him, like the clamor of billions of rivers. Zhou Yan could see nothing, paused slightly, closed his eyes slightly, and then opened them again.

Zhou Yan activated his enlightened Dharma Eye and finally saw the true form of the being he was looking at—it was an immense, boundless form, standing calmly in this world, tall and majestic, and in Zhou Yan's eyes, it looked like a human.

However, his enlightened divine vision told him that this was not a human being.

Rather, it is a more special existence. The reason why it appears as a human in Zhou Yan's eyes is simply because Zhou Yan is a human. In the eyes of the merfolk, it is a merfolk-like existence. In the eyes of other animals, it conforms to their respective races.

The skin has a translucent texture, and the flesh is entirely composed of flowing water.

Enormous, majestic, divine, and indifferent, as if facing the heavens and earth directly, this was the being Zhou Yan saw: [Water God Gonggong]. Almost instantly, Zhou Yan understood that Gonggong, at least the one he saw before him, was not human.

The aura of many negative laws dissipated.

Zhou Yan felt the jade scroll tremble. All sorts of great supernatural powers lost their luster before this majestic God of Calamity, especially the Dharma Realm: Water Element Compendium, whose jade talisman dimmed almost instantly. This meant that this Dharma Realm from Lord Qingyuan was utterly useless against Gonggong.

The great sovereign of all waters, the overseer of all rivers, the supreme lord of all waters flowing between heaven and earth.

A sense of instinctive pressure arose within Zhou Yan, a feeling of facing a terrifying presence head-on. He was already somewhat numb, having come here only on the spur of courage, but he had not anticipated that Gonggong's existence would be so unexpected.

What monster was Yu fighting back then?

The majestic being seemed to realize the presence of a special ant. It lowered its gaze and looked down. On Zhou Yan's left arm, the chains of the King of Yu were shaking violently, but even so, it could not suppress the malice on the arm within this domain.

The water god Gonggong discovered Zhou Yan.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zhou Yan's lips twitched. He raised his head and looked at Gonggong:

"Have you eaten?"

"If you haven't eaten, then I won't bother you any longer."

Gonggong stared at Zhou Yan: "Si Wenming... and... ah." The god, who was originally so indifferent, suddenly had an extreme killing intent and murky malice mixed in his gaze.

boom! ! !
Boundless waves crashed down on Zhou Yan.

The chains formed from the blood sacrifice bound Zhou Yan. He was surrounded by the aura of humanity, and the three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand swung like a dragon, tearing out streaks of sharp, cold light that ripped apart the cascading water.

These water streams disintegrate into water vapor, which disperses in all directions, only to condense again in an instant.

wow-

These water vapors collapsed inwards, turning into streaks of condensed water.

In an instant, it thrust its blade towards Zhou Yan.

This change was extremely rapid, and the condensed water-based spikes were even more sharp and menacing. In just one strike, they pierced through Zhou Yan's entire body. Zhou Yan let out a muffled groan, and his clothes were immediately soaked and stained red with blood.

This was only because the essence of the shark pearl he had absorbed earlier provided him with considerable water resistance; otherwise, this single blow would have severely injured Zhou Yan.

He used his three-pointed, double-edged sword to support himself on the ground.

He felt a stinging pain in his body, as well as a dull, continuous ache caused by the water vapor injected into his body; the fire element of the Bingzhu True Essence within his body circulated rapidly, attempting to erase this watery energy.

Zhou Yan locked his gaze on the enormous, towering figure. The chains on its arms swayed, and Kaiming's voice, intermittent and seemingly drifting from another world, rang in Zhou Yan's ears: "Kid, run!"

Zhou Yan activated his true form.

The crimson flames transformed into a colossal Dharma form, tearing out arcs of light that shattered the surging water. Zhou Yan exclaimed, "The Water God Gonggong is different from those I know. What is the truth of the ancient times?!"

Kaiming's voice was urgent: "A person? Ahhhhh, you brat."

"How could it rush so fast?!"

"Gonggong, the Water Official, is a human, but he is a different concept from Gonggong, the Water God."

"Gonggong, the Water Official, is only one aspect of the Water God. He is a part of the Water God, but the Water God is not the Water Official of Yanhuang. Your current state is that you have been pulled in front of Gonggong, the Water God."

"The four directions and the space above and below are called the universe, and the past and present are called the cosmos."

"According to your understanding, at the beginning of the universe of this concept, along with the positive concepts of water's creation and nourishment, the negative concepts of devouring, eroding, and returning to zero also accumulated."

"When these laws of annihilation reached a critical point in a certain era, Gonggong, as their embodiment, condensed from the silent years of heaven and earth, becoming a moving calamity. However, this calamity coexisted with humans for a period of time."

"Do you understand?!"

Zhou Yan paused, looking at the chains on his arm. His mind grasped the underlying meaning of these words, and his lips twitched. He said, "You mean, the Gonggong of this world is..."

"Conceptual God?"

Kaiming said, "Yes...!"

"The struggle for the throne with Zhuanxu was actually an ancient war, aimed at transforming the human race of Yan and Huang into the followers of the water god and abandoning the earth; indeed, some of them left the earth and were transformed into merfolk."

"Because of these ancient secrets, Zhuanxu realized the terror of these gods. Unable to defeat them in battle, he could only choose to sever the connection between heaven and earth, trying his best to prevent these gods from entering the heart of the human race. Even so, Gonggong still came here."

"It was Yu who used the earth as a seal to seal him away."

“Listen to me, you have the aura of King Yu, the aura of Ji Xuanyuan and Chi You. Back then, you used soil from Nuwa to control the floods, and Nuwa even pinched your eyes. There’s also the aura of the mountain god on you…”

During this part, my voice suddenly became a little hoarse, and I couldn't hear clearly.

In the end, Zhou Yan only heard Kaiming shout: "In short, in Gonggong's eyes at this moment, you are a manifestation of all his past enemies and adversaries, gathered together!"

"It is something that can completely attract the attention and hostility of this concept."

"Do you think that whoever kills Qingyuan-jun will be identified?"

boom!
A huge torrent of water crashed down!
Zhou Yan's body seemed to be subjected to an immeasurable amount of pressure, as if his physical body had been submerged in the deep sea and had to bear immense pressure. Even his physique couldn't help but make him kneel on the ground, and a trace of blood appeared in his mouth.

Suddenly, the chain on his left arm tightened.

The chains, which were originally translucent, seemed to be subjected to tremendous force at the other end, pulling Zhou Yan away from the divine water and heading in one direction. In that direction, ripples appeared in the air, forming a portal.

Kaiming shouted, "Anyway, you've seen him, let's go!"

"Now that we know who the enemy is, hurry back and stop the seal!"

Zhou Yan was pulled backward.

Under immense pressure, the young Taoist priest decided to forget all the boasts he had made.

Next time, wait for next time!
I will definitely make up for this huge mess for you.

I'll incur debt this time.

Nine out, thirteen back.

There's an old saying in the Central Plains: Anyway, I'm outta here.

Zhou Yan retreated swiftly, slashing with his weapon. But as he rushed back, he suddenly sensed a familiar, bloody scent. He abruptly turned and saw a flowing, crimson light shifting within him—

That represents the power of the blood sacrifice ritual performed by the Merfolk on Gonggong.

Zhou Yan saw that the power of the ritual blood sacrifice flowed into Gonggong's body. On Gonggong's majestic body, there were streams of dark golden light, flickering and changing, leaving behind an ancient pattern as they passed by.

It's a seal.

The Gonggong clan is attempting to use human blood, the blood of the Yanhuang, as a blood sacrifice to corrupt and destroy the seal left by the human emperors, thereby freeing Gonggong from his confinement. Zhou Yan instinctively stopped in his tracks.

Kaiming said, "Come back quickly!"

His voice paused, the usual mockery gone, and he said, word by word, "I don't care what you saw, right now, this is definitely not something you can handle—come back."

Zhou Yan turned back and continued running towards the entrance opened by Kaiming.

Even breathing seemed to draw thick air into one's internal organs. When moving, the streams of water seemed to have their own spirit, wanting to entangle and bind one's gaze, keeping it here forever.

However, it was cleaved in two by Zhou Yan's three-pointed double-edged sword. This place, filled with dense water elemental power, was originally the most perfect location for the application of the [Dharma Realm Water Elemental Compendium], but the Water God Gonggong's rank was obviously above Qingyuan Jun's, and he was greatly suppressed in the same type of Dharma Realm domain.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to rush out, screams of agony echoed from the dead silence of the water.

Zhou Yan paused, his pupils contracting sharply.

He glanced to the side and saw that in the hands of Gonggong, the enormous water god who seemed to be the center of the entire world, a string of blood-red water droplets was held aloft. It was blood sent by the blood sacrifice ritual, human blood, and the blood gathered into a path with the phantom images of people on it.

That is a soul.

Half of their souls were submerged in the river of blood, while the other half remained outside. They struggled with their arms, trying to break free, but to no avail. They were filled with fear as they were carried into Gonggong's body.

The soul of the person who was sent into the body vanished as if it had been erased.

Distraught?

No, it was not so; rather, it was erased, covered by the water.

Zhou Yan stared intently at everything, his heart pounding in his chest. However, the difference in rank between him and a Concept God was enough to suppress his anger. Zhou Yan clenched his fists, slowly turned his head, and was pulled by chains toward the entrance.

Yes, it's what should be done, it's only natural.

There is no need to face an opponent that is absolutely unbeatable.

I need to go back to Langzhong to treat Li Zhiwei; I have to go…

"Help!"

Cries of agony rang out, and Kaiming felt the resistance increasing as he was pulled. He shouted, "What are you doing?! Kid, come back! You have no obligation to face Gonggong!"

Zhou Yan looked at his palm and suddenly clenched it.

The chains rattled.

He clenched his teeth and said, "I didn't, but Lord Taishan did."

This is a duty, a necessary action, not a force to be used to tyrannize others.

One cannot only display one's so-called righteousness when things are going smoothly and when facing the weak.

tread!
Zhou Yan looked at the entrance that was so close at hand and suddenly turned around.

He reached out and grasped the three-pointed, double-edged sword, and his Dharma image rose up.

The water god Gonggong was devouring souls. A sixteen-year-old boy was crying hysterically and was about to be devoured when suddenly a golden light flashed, and a three-pointed double-edged sword pierced through him almost instantly.

This move used all of Zhou Yan's strength; it could be said that even the Golden Heavenly King would run away from it. However, it only pierced through slightly. The next moment, Zhou Yan's true form appeared here and raised his hand to grab the three-pointed double-edged sword.

The river of blood, still carrying souls, flowed into Gonggong's body.

Water is also the underworld, the soul, and has been the source of life and death since ancient times. The concept of the River Styx is present in various mythologies.

Zhou Yan raised his hand, activated his power, and a true form of mountains appeared between his brows.

The five fingers are clenched together, and the wrist is slightly rotated, as if pulling on something.

Zhou Yan's voice was deep:
"The third major power—"

"life and death."

The power of the Lord of Mount Tai was thus unleashed, and the river of blood was abruptly halted. Perhaps it was because the Lord of Mount Tai's power over life and death was indeed formidable, or perhaps it was because the water god Gonggong had turned his attention to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan, wielding a three-pointed, double-edged sword, suddenly slashed down hard.

By wielding the power of the Lord of Mount Tai, he briefly severed this branch of the Blood River.

With a sweep of his sleeve, those people, who were merely souls, were blown about by Zhou Yan and attached to the elongated chains of King Yu, all heading towards the portal opened by Kaiming.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Excellent! The power of the Lord of Mount Tai does indeed overlap with that of the Water God, allowing him to save a person's soul.

He arrived too late to save those people.

At the very least, the soul should be allowed to return to its homeland.

In Zhou Yan's heart, he was not so righteous. He actually felt a strong sense of guilt. If he had not killed Li Yuanying and broken the great formation, perhaps those merfolk would not have chosen to perform a blood sacrifice so quickly.

His own actions, to some extent, were also bloody.

At least there's something we can do...

Kai-ming shouted, "Watch out!!!"

Zhou Yan activated his Dharma form, which allowed him to forcibly wield the authority of the Lord of Mount Tai. However, the consumption was too great, and his movements were momentarily slowed down. A ball of pure water light fell down and directly trapped Zhou Yan, transforming into a huge sphere.

A personhood derived from the primordial concept of God began to devour and erase Zhou Yan.

The Taishan Dao Fruit within Zhou Yan began to circulate.

Outside, Kaiming was so anxious his scalp tingled – he never expected this guy to be so reckless and direct. But just as Zhou Yan said, "Lord Taishan, you can't," the blessed land trembled slightly.

Kaiming suddenly turned his head and looked at the central pillar in the distant concept of this world.

Like a mountain, at this moment, the mountain trembled slightly, and clouds rolled down from above, like an old man stroking his beard and laughing.

Kaiming was stunned.

"This is……"

"Ah, never mind, let's get this kid out of here first!"

Kaiming gripped the chains, intending to activate his true form and pull the boy out. Zhou Yan, however, was being controlled by Gonggong's water elemental energy, almost suffocating. He raged and activated the jade talisman—

Many of his supernatural powers were weakened.

In this time of extreme crisis, only the original jade talisman was still responding to him.

Hungry ghost!

Zhou Yan reached out and grabbed a stream of water element from the water god Gonggong.

Open your mouth and bite down hard!
The Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman erupted with light and began to devour.

Zhou Yan's body was filled with magical power, radiating golden light. However, this was, after all, one of the primordial concept gods, and even if the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman had devoured countless things along the way, it was of no use.

Zhou Yan heard Kaiming's voice: "Kid, I'll pull you out right now!"

Zhou Yan hardened his heart, looked at Gonggong, and bared his sharp teeth.

Not enough Hungry Ghost Jade Talismans?

He remembered what Li Taibai had told him about the wondrous uses of the immortal essence, and the joy and excitement the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman felt when it first encountered the immortal essence. With a determined heart, Zhou Yan channeled the precious immortal essence directly into the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman.

The Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman suddenly shone brightly!

The entire jade talisman underwent a complete transformation, losing its physical texture and resembling a moving cloud. The edges of the jade talisman were blurred, seemingly present yet absent, as if it might merge into the void at any moment. Almost instantly, Zhou Yan realized the state of the jade talisman.

[Immortal Jade Talisman]!
The jade talisman has patterns of the hungry ghost realm around its edge.

It is mysterious and indescribable.

"I don't care what kind of concept god you are, the primordial god..."

Zhou Yan activated the Immortal Jade Talisman, seized the Water God Gonggong's Water Essence, and without hesitation, took a big bite.

"Give me--"

"eat!!!"

(End of this chapter)