I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

With a thought, he silently recited the incantation, and in the next instant, he appeared on the playground of Peking University on Blue Star.

It was dusk, and the setting sun dyed the sky a golden red. The Divine Realm cultivators of the same period had all made their gains, and their auras were more solid than before.

Tang Hao's body was filled with powerful and abundant qi and blood, and he was about to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

After surviving the ordeal in Chechi Kingdom, Chen Feng's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and he has already become a True Monarch of Returning to Emptiness.

Luo Zhantian was talking to Sun Rongrong and others on the side.

When everyone saw Ning Chen return, they all stood up and quickly surrounded him.

Tang Hao stepped forward, his brows furrowed.

"Brother Ning, recently, many people have come to my Zhongnan Mountain to seek refuge, saying that the mortal world has become a living hell. There are even officials and their families who have come up the mountain, specifically asking me to come out of the mountain and save the country."

He paused, his voice low.

"I just can't take it anymore!"

Ning Chen did some quick calculations and sighed inwardly.

Since Sima Yi and his son seized power from Wei and established the Jin dynasty, their accession to the throne was illegitimate. They killed meritorious officials, and the eight princes fought each other, causing the Central Plains to lose its vitality. Now, the northern tribes are eyeing the country covetously, and it is feared that blood will soon flow like rivers.

He sighed.

"Taoist arts can save hundreds of people, but they cannot change the rise and fall of dynasties in the mortal world. If you are to be drawn into this mortal torrent, you will inevitably die and your Tao will perish. Your master Zhang Qingxuan was like that back then. After descending the mountain, he was caught up in the war, which caused his foundation to be ruined and made it impossible for him to become an immortal."

Tang Hao clenched his fists and said, word by word.

"But if I stand by and watch the people suffer, I will be filled with resentment. Brother Ning, I know you mean well, but if I don't try, all this cultivation will have been in vain!"

Seeing that his eyes were bloodshot and he had already fallen into a trap, Ning Chen knew that further persuasion would be useless.

Everyone has their own destiny. Just like when he went down the mountain to save Qing'er, the patriarch tried to dissuade him, but when he couldn't stop him, he let him go.

This trial in the mortal world must be Tang Hao's tribulation in his journey to becoming a deity. If he can overcome this hurdle, Tang Hao will have a chance to ascend to immortality.

If he fails, Tang Hao's path to enlightenment will likely be cut off here.

He sighed and said softly.

"In that case, I won't stop you. But you must remember, no matter what, you must leave yourself a chance to survive, preserve the Tianyi Sect's lineage, and prevent the Tianyi Sect from dying out!"

Tang Hao nodded emphatically.

"I originally intended to appoint Qing'er as the ninth sect leader, but recently a disciple named Zhang Heng has emerged with exceptional talent. After all, Qing'er is a descendant of a half-demon, so I am prepared to appoint Zhang Heng as the ninth sect leader!"

"Judging from his aura, he seems to be a descendant of Zhang Tianshi!"

Ning Chen nodded. If that's the case, handing the Tianyi Sect back to Zhang Tianshi's descendants would be a way of giving an explanation.

With civil war looming, these immortal beings from the divine realm are indeed no longer suited to appear in public.

Luo Zhantian, at some point, also came over.

He touched his bald head and sighed.

"We've only lived in Louguantai for a few more years, but the people who come to burn incense treat us like gods. Some powerful and wealthy people have even traveled thousands of miles to seek the secret to immortality after learning that we have never aged. It's really a headache."

Ning Chen smiled.

"Why don't you divide Zhongnan Mountain into outer and inner sects? You can all enter the inner sect for quiet cultivation, and the transmission of cultivation techniques can be carried out outside the sect, thus reducing the entanglement of incense offerings!"

Lao Luo sighed.

"That's the only way. When I was the head of Shaolin, I had both inner and outer sects, so I'm familiar with this method."

After everyone finished chatting, Lao Luo asked Ning Chen again.

"By the way, Ning Chen, what kind of monster guards the eighteenth level?"

Ning Chen smiled.

"Since everyone's here, let's get together and chat."

Once everyone had gathered around, Ning Chen smiled.

"This eighteenth level of the Divine Realm is called the Tongtian River. The demon king guarding the gate is named King Linggan, who is an incarnation of a goldfish spirit and is most skilled in water combat. Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

No one panicked upon hearing this.

After all, they had connections with the West Sea Dragon Palace, and they had fought in the water more than once or twice, so they weren't particularly afraid.

The next morning, after everyone had finished getting ready, they stepped into the divine realm scroll.

As the light and shadow shift, a great river stretches across the horizon.

But there, the moon's light shone brightly, and its vast shadow floated in the sky.

The Ling Sect swallows Mount Hua, and its long flow runs through hundreds of rivers.

A thousand layers of surging waves roll, ten thousand layers of towering waves crash.

No fishing lights flicker on the shore, only egrets sleep on the sandbar.

Vast and boundless as the sea, stretching as far as the eye can see.

..........

Meanwhile, Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Buddhist protectors stood atop the clouds and saw Ning Chen and his group appear from the golden light, heading towards the Tongtian River.

The Bodhisattva, holding a vase and with eyes as calm as still water, gently instructs the Dharma protectors beside him.

"Go and inform that beast in the river to stop Ning Chen. Our Buddhist sect's appointed pilgrims for the journey to the West cannot reach this place because of the magical contest in Chechi Kingdom. Today, I am acting on the name of the World Honored One to block their westward journey at Tongtian River. I will not block them for long, just for a hundred days."

Upon hearing this, the Dharma Protector clasped his hands in reverence, accepted the order, and transformed into a golden ray of light, heading straight for the Tongtian River.

The Bodhisattva thought for a moment and then instructed the Jiedi.

"Go again and tell them that to cross this river, they must offer a young boy or girl as a sacrifice. If they do, you can impeach them!"

The Golden-Headed Immortal nodded.

"promise!"

As soon as Ning Chen and his group arrived at the riverbank, they were hit by a torrent of water vapor.

The river water was muddy and turbulent, with waves crashing against the bank one after another, splashing water as high as ten feet.

The river was so wide that the opposite bank was invisible; only rising mist and haze swallowed up the distant horizon.

Teacher Luo also sighed with emotion.

"How wide is this river? It feels even wider than the sea!"

Ning Chen said.

"Spanning eight hundred li, it would be truly difficult to cross without some supernatural powers!"

Everyone nodded in amazement.

"It's so wide, it's probably even bigger than a river!"

Ning Chen frowned slightly, about to say something, when suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and the river water suddenly swelled up, with layers of huge waves, like small mountains, rushing straight towards the shore, about to flood the place where everyone was standing.

Everyone quickly stepped back several paces to avoid the splashing water.

Tang Hao made a water-repelling spell, enveloping everyone in a faint light barrier, thus preventing them from getting completely soaked.

Luo Zhantian wiped the water droplets from his face and cursed.

"What the hell is this river? It was fine just a moment ago, how did it suddenly swell up?"

The Traveler of the Gods laughed.

"Teacher Luo, be careful! The river is swollen so much, it's coming straight for you!"

"Teacher Luo, if you get swept away, you'll definitely be captured by a monster."

After some laughter and banter, the group was stumped again.

There must be monsters haunting this great river; how will we be able to cross it?

Suddenly, an old man emerged from the reeds on the bank, swaying as he walked.

The old man was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, and his face was gaunt.

He grinned and chuckled when he saw everyone.

"Gentlemen, are you here to cross the river?"

Zhao Zhenyuan nodded.

"It is indeed you, sir. Is there a ferry across this river?"

The old man shook his head.

"Don't try. Without a human sacrifice, you cannot cross this river."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhao Zhenyuan frowned and asked.

"What do you mean by that, sir? What is meant by 'human sacrifice'?"

The old man sighed, looked at the surging river, and said slowly.

"There is a monster in this river named King Linggan. He is extremely powerful and manipulates the water waves and makes wind and rain every day. If you want to cross the river, you must find a boy and a girl to offer as a sacrifice to him. Only then will he stop the water waves and let people pass. Without a sacrifice, not only can you not cross the river, but even if a god comes, he will not be able to cross it."

After the old man finished speaking, he said no more, turned around with his hands behind his back, and walked into the depths of the reeds.

Zhao Zhenyuan turned to look at Ning Chen, his expression somewhat solemn.

"Brother Ning, did you hear that? There's a monster in this river that demands young boys and girls as sacrifices before it will let us pass. If we do that, how is that any different from the actions of a demon?"

Ning Chen did not answer immediately. He looked in the direction where the old man had disappeared, and then looked at the rolling river. He already understood a few things.

The Buddhist community's setting up of this checkpoint was likely intentional.

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "You want virgin boys and girls? Sure!"

This king of inspiration certainly has quite an appetite.

I just don't know if he can bear to accept this pair of young boys and girls!