Pure Yang!

Chapter 508 A Born Spiritual Child! The Great River Flows Eastward, Washing Away the Past
The mighty river flows eastward, its waves washing away the moonlight, which is then scattered across thousands of miles of rivers and mountains.

The howling wind seemed to be bidding farewell to the mortal king, and the quiet night seemed to be bringing an end to the lives of gods and demons.

However, at that very moment, when that ethereal sound resounded, it was just like in the Zhenwu Mountain of yesteryear, when the mystery of the womb was broken and a ray of light appeared in the endless night.

“Jiang Lai… Jiang Lai…”

Zhang Fan struggled to lift his head, looking at the bright young girl, his heart trembling.

He never expected that, at this critical moment of life and death, she would stand in front of him again.

"Let him go!"

Jiang Lai's voice rang out again, blending into the river breeze. The volume was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Um!?"

Yuan Tiandu frowned slightly as he looked at the girl standing on the dilapidated embankment. The moonlight outlined her slightly thin figure, and a gentle breeze from the river stirred, brushing against her shoulder-length short hair.

With Yuan Tiandu's cultivation level of [Celestial Master], he could naturally tell that the girl in front of him did not have much cultivation. At first glance, she looked like an ordinary person who had accidentally wandered into this place.

"Little girl, do you know him?" Yuan Tiandu asked casually.

"Hmm!" Jiang Lai gave a soft "hmm".

"I don't know you, get out of here." Zhang Fan gritted his teeth and whispered.

With Feng Ping'an and Sui Chunsheng's deaths looming before his eyes, he didn't want anything to happen to Jiang Lai.

Although Zhang Fan knew that Jiang Lai was extraordinary, the person standing in front of her now was a dignified Celestial Master, a being at the pinnacle of cultivation.

"Don't worry, dealing with your connections is a task for the local authorities. We won't interfere casually." Yuan Tiandu's words revealed his unparalleled magnanimity.

A man like him, high above others, is like a national hero. He rarely leaves the capital, let alone travels around or does such meticulous work.

The fact that he was willing to take action this time is already a huge favor to the title of "Master of Wuwei Sect".

"Little one, go back now. Someone will come to examine you later."

Yuan Tiandu spoke indifferently, not even bothering to inquire about the other party's background, simply assuming she was some naive mortal girl.

Even a venerable Celestial Master would regard ordinary people as nothing more than ants, and to speak of driving them away would be an act of immense compassion.

"If you won't release them, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands," Jiang Lai whispered.

Such reckless words first stunned Yuan Tiandu, but then, an impatient look appeared in the eyes of this Celestial Master from Baihe Temple.

"A girl..."

Rumble…

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Lai, who had been standing still, suddenly blurred without warning!
There were no signs, not even a sound.

She appeared like a ghost less than ten feet in front of Yuan Tiandu, her speed faster than lightning, even beyond the sight of this celestial master.

"you……"

At this moment, Yuan Tiandu's expression finally changed. His arrogance and impatience froze instantly, replaced by unprecedented shock and solemnity.

He could see, of course, that when the girl took that step, there was no fluctuation within her body. She seemed to have become part of the river wind, and as the wind blew and the waves rose, her figure appeared before him.

Rumble…

Without thinking twice, Jiang Lai raised her hand and threw a punch.

In an instant, a vast, primordial, and terrifying aura, seemingly originating from the very beginning of creation, erupted like a slumbering prehistoric beast suddenly awakening.

Rumble…

The ground beneath my feet trembled slightly, as if an earth dragon were turning over!
Wow…

The Yangtze River beside me surged with waves even without wind, its raging torrents roaring!

In the night sky, clouds gathered wildly, accompanied by the faint sounds of wind and thunder!
Zhang Fan's eyes widened, his pupils reflecting an expression of disbelief.

"This is……"

Jiang Lai's seemingly ordinary punch unexpectedly triggered a change in the celestial phenomena.

This power is unrelated to Taoist techniques and cultivation levels; it seems to be the purest manifestation of its nature.

"The unity of man and nature?! No...that's not right!"

Yuan Tiandu was deeply shocked. The other party did not possess the harmonious and effortless state of mind that a Celestial Master would have, but rather seemed more like...

Heaven and earth instinctively surround and protect her!

"Who are you?"

With a roar, Yuan Tiandu's cultivation at the Celestial Master level instantly surged to its peak.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, drawing upon the vast river beneath his feet. The rolling waves were distinct, and the raging water roared, instantly transforming into a gigantic water dragon with clearly defined scales and lifelike features. It bared its fangs and claws, roaring with an overwhelming and unstoppable power of heaven and earth as it met Jiang Lai's seemingly delicate fist.

A fist collides with a water dragon!
No sound.

Or rather, the sound was annihilated by an even more terrifying energy before it could erupt!

Centered on the point of impact, a semi-transparent force field suddenly expanded outwards, distorting the air and refracting light wherever it passed. The pebbles and silt on the riverbank were wiped away as if by an invisible hand, instantly turning into dust!
At the edge of the force field, the river water was displaced, forming a huge depression.

next moment--

"Boom!!!"

A deep, muffled roar, like thunder from the heavens, suddenly exploded, the shockwave spreading out in a ring, pressing a huge bowl-shaped depression into the distant river surface, which took a long time to recover!

Jiang Lai swayed slightly and took a half step back, the ground beneath her feet cracking inch by inch.

In contrast, the mighty water dragon crumbled from its head down, turning back into a misty spray.

"This...this is Jiang Lai!?"

Zhang Fan's eyes trembled, filled with disbelief. The Jiang Lai before him was completely different from the one he knew. Now, she actually possessed the power to rival a Celestial Master!

"Who exactly are you?" Yuan Tiandu demanded again.

Just now, although his attack wasn't at full strength, it was still a perfect harmony between man and nature, stirring up the surging waters of the Yangtze River. Such power was actually shattered by a single punch from this girl before him!?

With this in mind, the expert at the Celestial Master level dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

He was simply curious: the world was vast, how had such a master appeared? He looked so young, yet he already possessed the cultivation of a Celestial Master!
Jiang Lai remained silent, her cold eyes fixed on Yuan Tiandu, and she moved again.

Her aura surged once again, undergoing some mysterious and profound change.

"Um!?"

Yuan Tiandu's gaze suddenly narrowed to a line. In his perception, Jiang Lai's figure became blurred, as if she was no longer an independent individual, but had completely merged with the ever-flowing Yangtze River beneath her feet, the vast and boundless night sky above her head, and all the atmosphere of this world...
She is Jiang!

She is the night!

She is an integral part of this natural world!

The mighty Yangtze River seemed to respond to her call, roaring with joy and awe, and the invisible power of heaven and earth, like all rivers flowing into the sea, frantically converged upon her.

At that moment, a flash of lightning seemed to strike Yuan Tiandu's mind, and an ancient and terrifying legend surfaced in his heart, making his blood almost freeze and his pupils suddenly shrink to pinpoints.

"Heaven and earth give birth to all things, and the Tao follows the natural order... You are..."

Yuan Tiandu's expression changed drastically, and his startled voice trembled without him even realizing it, filled with disbelief and horror.

……

Late at night.

Shangjing City, a remote suburb.

An abandoned steel mill, overgrown with weeds, resembled a ruin.

At this moment, deep inside the underground factory, which was sealed by heavy rusted gates, the blast furnace that had once stopped was still running. The surrounding temperature was at least twenty degrees higher than outside, and the air became blurry and distorted as far as the eye could see.

Click... click...

goo-dong... goo-dong...

In the dark space illuminated by the firelight, the grating sound of chains being dragged rang out.

A hairy arm reached into the blast furnace, grabbed the bright red copper ball, stuffed it directly into its mouth, and chewed it greedily.

Beside him, a basin of molten iron glowed with a dark red light. He picked it up casually and gulped it down his throat.

Suddenly, His movements froze, His enormous head abruptly lifted, looking south, towards the direction of Yujing City.

A flicker of extreme astonishment first flashed in those crimson eyes, then transformed into overwhelming ecstasy and ferocity. "Hahaha..."

"not dead……"

"So, you're still alive!"

"That would be so interesting... Hahaha... Hahaha..."

Deafening laughter echoed in the enclosed space, sending dust flying down, the terrifying force seemingly threatening to overturn the abandoned factory.

……

Meanwhile, the mysterious Tai Sui Village.

The village is shrouded in mist year-round, adding to its eerie atmosphere.

At the village entrance, flames flickered and paper money fluttered in front of the more than three-meter-high tomb.

"Dragon and Tiger Tomb, Zhang Family Grave, the graves are full of dead people, the dead have no souls in their orifices, without souls or spirits they become immortals..."

The murmured whispers, like a ballad, echoed at the entrance to the mysterious village.

The lame old man squatted on the ground, leaning against the grave, slowly burning paper money. The firelight illuminated his deeply furrowed face.

Beside him lay the cane that had been with him for many years, dark and heavy as if forged from fine iron, which he was idly rubbing at the bottom.

"Um!?"

Suddenly, the lame old man abruptly stopped, a terrifying glint flashing in his cloudy eyes. He abruptly looked up at the southern horizon, his expression instantly becoming incredibly complex, a mixture of astonishment, confusion, and surprise... before finally settling into a solemn look.

"Longhu Mountain... It's really lucky to have survived that great calamity for the Taoist sect."

"Hehe, this is interesting, this is interesting."

The lame old man grinned, then his expression returned to normal. He continued to bow his head, burning paper money and rubbing his dark, shiny cane.

……

Yujing River Beach.

In the hazy darkness, Yuan Tian stared intently at Jiang Lai, each word uttered through clenched teeth.

"A naturally born spiritual entity..."

"You are the innate spirit of Longhu Mountain... So you didn't die!"

These words were like a thunderbolt from the blue, shocking everyone present.

"A naturally born spiritual being!?"

Zhang Fan struggled to lift his eyes and looked at that slender figure that seemed to bear the weight of the entire world, his heart surging with turbulent waves.

He had long known that Jiang Lai was extraordinary, but he never expected that she would have such a background.

Rumble…

Jiang Lai seemed not to hear Yuan Tiandu's exclamation. The aura around her, which blended with the natural world, grew even more powerful. In the depths of her clear and cold eyes, it seemed as if there were undulating mountains and flowing rivers.

boom……

She moved!
Her figure once again merged with the night, the river breeze, and the vast天地 (heaven and earth). In the blink of an eye, the trajectory she traced was like an invisible torrent, rushing straight towards Yuan Tiandu.

Wherever it passed, the void seemed to wail, and the river beneath its feet seemed to stop flowing.

"You've survived so many calamities, how much skill do you still possess?" Yuan Tiandu sneered.

He was not afraid of Jiang Lai at all.

Rumble…

Suddenly, to his left, endless river water surged into the sky, transforming into a colossal black water dragon ten times more solid than before, its scales and claws gleaming, its eyes containing the weight and vastness of the river's power.

To his right, flames erupted from the void. These were not ordinary flames, but rather the Crimson Flame Vermilion Bird formed from the essence of his own fire. With its wings spread, the heat waves that scorched the heavens and boiled the seas caused the air to distort and steam!
The unity of man and nature is the connection between one's own microcosm and the macrocosm.

The real fire ignites the river water, and the river water ignites the real fire, just like the interaction of Kan and Li, yet also like the return of Yin and Yang.

Rumble…

The water dragon and crimson sparrow intertwined and coiled, pressing down upon Jiang Lai. This was the true power of heaven and earth, the might to punish on behalf of heaven!
In an instant, two terrifying phenomena collided violently on the Yujing River beach.

There was no sound, or rather, all sound was silenced.

In the field of vision, only endless light and endless darkness intertwine, devour, and collapse.

Space was distorted, light was bent, and the riverbank beneath our feet shattered like fragile glass, then turned into nothingness by the dissipating energy!
The waters of the Yangtze River were pushed apart by a terrifying force, forming a huge vacuum zone with a bottomless depth that could not be closed for a long time!

Heaven and earth seemed to vanish at that moment, leaving only the destructive, all-consuming chaos of light and shadow!

At the heart of this apocalyptic scene, Jiang Lai's figure fiercely battled against the water dragon and the red sparrow.

Her seemingly small body seemed to become the only reef in the raging waves of heaven and earth, standing firm despite the impact!
It was at this critical moment of life and death, in the instant when the forces clashed most fiercely and the energy field was most chaotic...

Jiang Lai slowly turned around and glanced at Zhang Fan.

"Jiang Lai..."

"My strength has only recovered somewhat..."

Jiang Lai murmured softly, and suddenly, her free left hand swept sharply in the direction of Zhang Fan.

A gentle yet irresistible force instantly enveloped Zhang Fan's critically injured body, tossing him up like a rootless duckweed, cutting through the chaotic energy currents, and sending him plummeting towards the endless, bottomless Yangtze River where the waves had receded.

"Jiang Lai!"

Zhang Fan roared in a low voice. He opened his eyes with difficulty, as if he wanted to remember this scene forever. As far as his eyes could see, the two world-destroying phenomena collided and annihilated each other, completely swallowing up the figures of Jiang Lai and Yuan Tiandu.

At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to disappear.

Rumble…

The next moment, the icy river water completely enveloped Zhang Fan, and the endless darkness and surging undercurrents dragged his consciousness down into an unknowable abyss.

……

I don't know how much time passed, but the long night passed in the blink of an eye.

The first light of dawn appeared in the east.

As the river breeze gradually subsided, the surging river water, having lost its power to churn, slowly resumed its usual flow.

The riverbank was completely unrecognizable, as if it had been gnawed by a giant beast, leaving only a mess of ruins and deep pits.

"how so……"

Just then, a figure, like a swift arrow, broke through the night and staggered to the edge of the ruins.

Fang Changle's face showed the exhaustion of a long journey. His anxious gaze swept across the empty riverbank and over the shocking traces of battle.

No.

Nothing at all!

Zhang Fan is not visible.

The enemy is not visible.

It seemed as if he was the only person left on this vast riverbank.

"Zhang Fan!"

Fang Changle shouted hoarsely, his voice carrying far across the empty riverbank, but only the sound of the river lapping against the shore answered him.

He searched again and again, not letting go of any inch of land or any trace of life.

However, apart from the embers left by the rampaging energy, there was no sign of life.

All the urgency, all the worries, all the unwavering determination, at this moment, all turned into boundless emptiness and suffocating despair.

He slowly raised his head, looking at the long night about to dawn. He felt as if a blazing fire was burning in his chest, or as if he had a pent-up feeling of air that he couldn't exhale, causing his internal organs to ache.

Finally, all the emotions converged into a single, suppressed cry that then erupted suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream...

"what!"

The mournful roar, like the long howl of a wounded lone wolf, pierced the tranquil night outside Yujing, echoing for a long time on the rolling eastward-flowing Yangtze River, dissipating into the soon-to-disappear darkness.

(End of this chapter)