The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 367 He Awakened

The surging, majestic spiritual light radiated its power. Because of Zhou Yan's special nature—the Heavenly Pillar—the barriers of the three worlds separating him were almost nonexistent.

This beam of light pierced through the human realm, displaying its power freely throughout the spiritual world. In just an instant, it illuminated an entire area, attracting countless gazes to fall upon it.

These gazes were originally intended only to observe what problems had arisen in the human realm.

Could it be that some faction has successfully carved out a hole in the human realm, allowing them to descend to earth in their true forms, or at the very least, to transfer more power, or even cause some trouble for Fuxi?

Amidst a flurry of gazes—some filled with unbridled joy, others with arrogance, still others with greed, and still others simply neutral—all finding the situation amusing, the same point converged upon—

They saw this scene.

In one world, a majestic and sacred figure pierces through the heavens and earth. The distorted timeline transforms into layers of clouds, and dark red scales move through these clouds formed by time, appearing and disappearing. The aura emanating from it reveals the terrifying feeling of a colossal creature.

What's most terrifying is what's beside this enormous creature.

A bright sun and a bright moon hang in the sky!
In an instant, heaven and earth, sun and moon, twisted into the vast and boundless aura of time and years, spreading out in an overwhelming manner.

In stark contrast to his usual reserved demeanor.

Those gazes, each carrying its own thoughts, froze almost simultaneously.

After a three-breath pause, the divine will erupted with ripples of extreme shock, enough to show that even these ancient gods and demons who had witnessed many great events of antiquity were greatly stunned in this instant.

"This is?!!"

"Illuminating the nine netherworlds, its eyes piercing the sun and moon? Is it the Candle of Nine Yin?"

"How is this possible? He has been resurrected!"

Because they were separated by an entire world, these ancient gods and demons could not see their true forms.

When they decided to investigate further, this pillar of light, which contained immense power, vanished without a trace, just as it had appeared without a trace.

Mysterious and unpredictable, as if it merely appears to demonstrate its existence.

Only these ancient gods and demons remained, stunned by the aura displayed by the appearance of the [Primordial Candle Dragon Lord].

After a long time, they finally regained their composure and peace of mind.

However, this second spiritual world, which represents the entire world where all records, and even time, do not flow linearly, fell into a long period of silent stillness.

After an unknown amount of time, a deep voice finally spoke:
"Primordial Candle Dragon Lord..."

Could it be fake? It looks so real—

Even the vast and ancient divine charm is exactly the same, with a chaotic timeline that seems to have survived only after the years have been accelerated or reversed; the most direct representation of the power of the Candle Dragon is the embodiment of the sun and moon; representing a world that supports the Nine Netherworlds.

All these traces and clues are so real.

But what does it mean when it displays its strength only to disappear in an instant?
But, no matter what—

Zhulongjun, one of the ancient gods, is suspected to have appeared in the human world.

This intelligence struck the hearts of these ancient gods and demons like a heavy hammer, completely suppressing their restless thoughts after the water god Gonggong nearly succeeded in Langzhong, and their intention to reveal all their trump cards in one fell swoop.

At least, for this moment, it has been completely suppressed.

"In any case... we must first figure out Zhulong-jun's position."

"Suppose that this Primordial Candle Dragon Lord joins forces with Fuxi... but isn't He neutral?"

The ancient gods and demons watched over the human world.

The surging and rolling subsided, silencing the second spiritual world that was currently filled with malice in the human realm.

【Langyuan Wonderland】

"Hu Chi... Hu Chi..."

Heaving breaths and large drops of sweat sliding down his face.

The Primordial Dragon-Turtle, which could withstand the force of the attack, elbowed Zhou Fujun, who had won the elbow strike. He knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his right hand on the ground, his arm flapping like a butterfly's wings at an extremely high frequency.

It's not just about magic power anymore.

Even their vital energy and power seemed to have been drained.

Three breaths.

It was just three breaths.

With the support of the Taishan ley lines and a significant increase in his own magical power, Zhou Yan fell back to his original form from his current form as Zhulong Jun.

Ba appeared beside the young Taoist in a wisp of spiritual manifestation, squatted down beside him, reached out and poked the Taoist's cheek, and said:
"Yan, is this not enough?"

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth: "Don't say that to me with that expression."

"You are forbidden from looking at those forbidden books in my mind again."

"Huh? How could this be!"

Zhou Yan took a deep breath, reached out and pressed his hand against Ba's face, kneading and flattening it. The girl was soft and didn't get angry. She just reached out and pulled Zhou Yan's cheek, then chuckled. She was clearly a natural airhead, but at this moment, her breath and smile carried an indescribable natural charm.

She felt like a fluffy cloud, even her breath tasted sweet.

Zhou Yan's heart raced, and he instinctively turned his gaze away.

Ba noticed Zhou Yan's actions and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Yan?"

She took a half step forward, reached out and pressed her hand to Zhou Yan's forehead, then pressed her other hand to her own forehead, puzzled: "He doesn't have a fever."

Zhou Yan raised his hand and lightly tapped Ba's head, saying irritably, "Of course I didn't."

"You are currently in a dream form, and you have no body temperature."

"Ah, um... I see."

The girl's expression dimmed slightly. This unintentional remark struck the most painful spot in her heart. No matter how much they spent together, she was ultimately just a soul existing in a dream, even less than a ghost.

An indescribable feeling of sadness welled up in my heart.

The girl blinked, thinking that if her nose were sore, if she still had a physical body, she would have already unknowingly shed tears. No, no, I am the goddess queen of the ancient kingdom of Cuba, I cannot do this, I cannot control myself.

Damn it, he should have been hit on the back of the head with a stick and dragged back!
It was as if a little devil had appeared in Ba's heart, gritting his teeth.

Then she heard Zhou Yan continue:

"If you're going to do that, let's wait until I figure out a way to reshape your body."

The girl, whose eyes had dimmed slightly, was stunned.

Lord Zhou, however, did not understand Ba's confusion and said:
"Didn't we deal with Li Yuanying before?"

“That guy is long dead. The so-called ‘Residual Immortal’ is just a soul. Since he was able to rely on the Dream Array and the Dharma Realm to condense a physical body, I think you can too, as long as certain conditions are met.”

"Back then, when I fought him, after I destroyed his magic array, I not only dismantled half of his array within the Tengwang Pavilion's magic realm, but I also took away some special materials..."

"I had this idea back then."

"However, since there was only half the material to begin with, I'm afraid it won't be possible to complete the repair."

Zhou Yan paused for a moment.

Previously, there were only half the materials for the Dream Array, but later, it became complete.

As for the reason——

Of course, we should thank Lao Jin for giving away the treasure one last time.

King Jin died on the spot, and Lord Zhou licked the bag with tears in his eyes.

After the death of the Golden Heavenly King, his soul returned to the Great Thousand World. Zhou Yan had mixed feelings about the Western Mountain True Lord, who was his enemy but with whom he had often had to join forces to fight against powerful foe.

We lit three incense sticks to commemorate this formidable enemy.

He also inquired with Kaiming, who said that Jin Tianwang's death, with his soul scattered, would not allow him to return to the second spiritual world; and although his cultivation was extremely powerful, he had not yet reached the third-grade immortal realm.

Even those at the third-grade immortal realm, after their souls are scattered in the general sense, have a chance to reassemble in the second spiritual world. This is why some of those ancient gods and demons still exist.

Of course, there's no need to worry about the two third-rank cultivators who were wiped out by Zhou Yan reuniting.

As for why.

This is because of the "Bai Ze Book." The divine soul, karma, and causal relationships were all recorded in the Bai Ze Book, which is equivalent to a large part of the divine soul's core being removed. Even a third-grade immortal god needs a core to reunite their divine soul. If the core is removed, what is there to reunite? Naturally, it returns to the Great Thousand World.

Kaiming added a comment along the way.

"This is why Bai Ze was hunted down by the mythical beasts and demons in the ancient times. This guy really had the ability to wipe out many ancient gods and demons, leaving them no chance of reincarnation."

"Of course, the way of Heaven is constant, but its cycles are ever-changing."

"This also means that although he has the ability to prevent even the highest-ranking immortals from ever returning, his own combat ability is extremely weak. Relying on his special ability to have a weak third-rank Dao foundation, he can still be beaten to a pulp by a group of fifth-rank beasts."

"This can be considered a check and balance of the Great Dao, the so-called imperfection."

"If this guy can both fight and withstand attacks, and can even seal the souls of these third-grade immortals and monsters, how are we supposed to fight them? Don't you think so, kid..."

Kaiming shook his head and sighed, asking casually.

But then they saw Zhou Yan carrying the Primordial Dragon Turtle Shell, and the young Taoist with the Demon-Binding Rope around his waist, the King-Slaying Sword on his arm, the Emperor Jun Bell hanging from his sleeve, and a divine weapon he had forged himself, a weapon with the foundation to become a Taoist soldier.

Kaiming choked on his saliva, almost choking to death.

Zhou Yan asked him, "What's wrong?"

Kaiming shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

However, after carefully storing the Primordial Dragon Turtle Shell, Zhou Yan looked at the spot where Jin Tianwang had died in battle, his soul scattered and vanished, and sighed, "So, he really perished, with no possibility of ever returning?"

Zhou Yan was unsure of how to feel at that moment.

There are some sighs and some lamentations.

Kaiming nodded, but then paused slightly, touched the stubble on his face, and said, "...It seems that's not entirely true."

"how?"

Kaiming explained, "Logically speaking, the Golden Heavenly King should have been completely destroyed, but at the last moment, he broke his own foundation and broke through Fuxi's seal in the human world, reaching the third rank."

"Of course, he was no longer perfect by then, but a third-rank is still a third-rank."

"Perhaps it will stabilize a wisp of his soul, preventing it from disintegrating and entering the second spiritual world. Instead, it will wander in this mortal realm, and if the opportunity arises, perhaps it will be reincarnated..."

Reincarnation?

Zhou Yan asked, "Will he still remember today's battle?"

Kaiming shook his head: "When he entered the third rank, his soul had already begun to dissipate. Even if a wisp of it remained, it would only have the same basic soul color. Even if he were to reincarnate again, he would never become the original Golden Heavenly King again."

"Besides, whether or not one can be reincarnated is not certain."

Zhou Yan nodded at that moment, picked up the ancient sword that had been destroyed by the Golden Heavenly King, and said:
"Then let this broken sword be the agreement. If fate allows, and I see your reincarnation again in the future, this sword shall resound three times."

"If you hadn't been so bad back then, you wouldn't be as extreme as you are in this life."

"I will guide you onto the path of Tao, so that you may repay the cause and effect of this battle."

Zhou Yan tapped the ancient sword with his fingers together. The broken ancient sword rang out three times, as if it had a spiritual connection and faintly whistled, as if in response. At that time, Kai Ming looked at the young Taoist's demeanor and vaguely felt that he was a Taoist master. Then he saw this guy start looting.

"So, consider this as your advance payment for becoming an apprentice."

"I'll gladly accept it!"

"Lock gold!"

enlightened:"…………"

Of course, Zhou Yan eventually learned that the ancient sword was stolen by Lao Jin. He found the Taoists of the Dan Ding Sect, showed them the broken sword, and bought it.

That's when the idea arose to set up a grand formation so that Ba could regain his body.

The girl's eyes, which had dimmed, gradually brightened again.

Suddenly, she spread her arms and threw herself into Zhou Yan's arms, rubbing her soft face against his chest: "Ayan, Ayan, I'm so touched."

Zhou Yan's expression softened considerably; Ba had helped him a lot along the way.

Not to mention, in ancient times, he suppressed Qingyuan Jun with his own divine soul for so many years. Even though Ba had never helped Zhou Yan, Zhou Yan would still try his best to help Ba regain her body so that she could enjoy this world.

Then I heard Ba Dao:

"I've made up my mind, I won't hit you on the back of the head with a stick anymore!"

Zhou Yan: "…………"

"Get off and drive!"

………………

But then—

After bidding farewell to Zhou Yan, the True Lord of the Northern Peak returned to Mount Heng. Upon his return, he was no longer as stingy as before. He took out a jade box, along with many incense sticks and gold beads, and distributed them to the mountain gods of the surrounding mountains.

"Everyone should share, share."

An old local exclaimed:
"Ah, True Lord, where did you get so many gold beads?!"

"You didn't actually do anything dangerous, did you?"

The old land god had a worried look on his face. He knew that, because of a certain secret, his own True Lord had actually been working for other mountain gods outside all along. With just a little bit of gold, he could invite one of the Five Sacred Mountains to come in person.

As long as you offer incense, no matter what the matter, I, Beiyue, will definitely lend a hand.

Seeing this, they felt even more distressed.

But there was nothing they could do; it had always been the duty of the Northern Mountain lineage.

The True Lord of the Northern Peak said in a hearty and generous manner, "Rest assured, the origin of this box of gold pearls is absolutely clean and pure. It was bestowed by the Lord of Mount Tai. You can use it with peace of mind!"

The local deity said, "Lord of Mount Tai? Are you being so kind?"

General Ruoshui was about to say something when he was elbowed by True Lord Beiyue, rendering him speechless.

The True Lord of the Northern Peak said cheerfully:
"Everyone, please continue your cultivation. I will be right back to catch up with you all."

He ventured deep into the Hengshan Mountains, where he found a seal. The seal emanated a chilling aura, and three mountain gods were suppressing the area before it.

"True Lord."

"True Lord..."

Upon seeing the return of True Lord Beiyue, they all looked respectful and wanted to rise to pay their respects, but True Lord Beiyue stopped them. True Lord Beiyue no longer looked as awkward as he had been outside, and solemnly said, "You have all worked hard. Afterwards, continue to take turns suppressing this seal."

"Yes!"

"Please take these incense sticks and gold beads and use them to restore your health."

The True Lord of the Northern Peak took out the incense and gold beads he had obtained from Zhou Yan, and generously distributed a portion of them to all the surrounding mountain gods. Afterward, he had three mountain gods come in turn.

The seal continuously emitted a cold, eerie aura, which seemed to transform into human voices:

"Heh...you've returned. Your Northern Yue lineage has struggled for so many years, using all your incense offerings to suppress us. So, this damned seal, has it sealed us or you?"

"The dignified True Lord of the Northern Peak, the pinnacle of humanity, has thus become a pathetic and pitiful joke, easily manipulated by anyone who offers incense. He can exorcise demons, even grant himself divine powers to guard people's homes, and even..."

"Go up the mountain to find the dog!"

"Just for that little bit of incense, just to trap me."

"Don't you find it ridiculous?"

"Wouldn't it be exhilarating to break this seal and unleash our power throughout the world? In any case, [He] is already gone. How long can you hold out?"

The voice, with its seductive quality, lingered in Bei Yue's ears.

The True Lord of the Northern Peak remained unmoved. He raised his hand and poured all the merit gold beads in the box into the seal.

His face, which had appeared uneasy outside, now hardened like steel. He smiled and said:

"Hold on until I die."

"Jiuyou."

(End of this chapter)