The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 98 Earthly Soul and Heavenly Collapse

Zhou Yan was just gambling, but after he shouted it out, the mountain-like giant blade trembled and actually shrank a little. The original rocks crashed down with a rumble. Ao Xuantao was stunned, while the spirit of Misty Hidden Peak laughed:

"Oh? Humanity's destiny?"

"Yes, that's good, my lord, make it even smaller."

Zhou Yan said, "Smaller, smaller!"

The massive mountain grew smaller and smaller with each urging. Soil brought by millennia of weathering crumbled from the rocks, crashing to the ground and turning into dust. The knife eventually shrank to the size of a normal horizontal scalpel, its surface rough.

Zhou Yan felt that the weight of the knife was also decreasing.

When it reached the size of a regular horizontal sword, only heavier than a regular sword, Zhou Yan gripped it and used his wind manipulation technique to transform into a gust of wind to deflect the force, slamming it onto the mist summoned by the mountain god of Misty Hidden Peak.

The fog dissipated, and Zhou Yan landed.

The knife in his hand fell heavily to the ground, easily embedding itself in the earth.

The entire blade was a mixture of ink and blood colors, not smooth, almost as if it were made from a single piece of mixed iron, with ancient patterns, extremely heavy, and surrounded by a rich spiritual aura.

A line of ancient seal script characters was written on the spine of the knife.

[The earth and sky tilted, thirty-three zhang high, yet as heavy as a mountain weighing a thousand jun.]

The spirit of Misty Peak said, "This sword has indeed appeared in the world..."

"Young master, you can give it a try."

Zhou Yan said, "This knife has become lighter."

The spirit of Misty Peak laughed:
“All divine weapons possess a spirit. Divine objects conceal themselves, and this knife is just normal.”

"The more magic power is poured in, the heavier it will become."

"If my lord truly possesses supreme magical power to infuse it, then this sword can naturally transform into the divine weapon that slayed demons in ancient times."

"Splitting mountains and breaking peaks is nothing more than a piece of cake."

Zhou Yan understood.

That's great!
Another thing that can drain your magic power.

However, just the fact that the sword was in its normal state at this moment already filled him with joy. After all, he had already broken two weapons in the fighting and battles. Now that he was holding a sword formed from the essence of a mountain, he couldn't let it break again!
Reaching out to grasp the hilt of the knife, Zhou Yan could feel the earth's veins more clearly as the knife plunged into the ground.

When he pulled the sword out, the enhanced link with the ley lines was severed.

But that powerful spirit still remains.

The long sword was held horizontally in front of him. The blade was not very thin, but rather very sharp. It was mainly heavy and imposing. The spirit of Wuyin Peak said, "This treasure doesn't have any great abilities. Its greatest strength is its sturdiness. Young master, take this sword with you, and I can rest for a while."

Zhou Yan picked up the knife and swung it with a flick of his wrist.

He unleashed the horizontal slash and heavy chop technique that Shen Cangming had taught him.

His moves were swift and powerful, and his connection with the earth's veins was faintly stronger than before. When he stood on the ground, his swordsmanship was powerful and domineering.

He suddenly gathered his strength and unleashed a powerful slash.

The consumption of the Beacon Slash was twice as great as usual, but the blazing flames were especially fierce. In the end, Zhou Yan put the sword away, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Old Mountain God. I just happen to be short of a sword."

The spirit of Misty Peak laughed and said, "No need for thanks, it's just a matter of repaying kindness with kindness."

"Just a reminder to my lord."

"This sword is connected to the earth's veins and the fate of humankind. Since this sword has transformed from a mountain peak into a weapon in this life, there may be demons that must be slain by this sword. My lord, take this sword well, and the karma between us will be considered settled."

"Just remember, remember, never reveal the true nature of this sword."

The old wood in the air swirled and transformed into a scabbard, which landed in front of Zhou Yan, carrying a faint misty spiritual aura that could suppress the divine intent of the sword.

As the mist dissipated, the mountain spirit's faint laughter slowly drifted away.

Clearly, they are not bound by gratitude.

When Zhou Yan saw this place, it was still the same as before. However, looking into the distance, he saw that there was a huge gap in the mountains and fields, making it look much more spacious. The magic sword behind Zhou Yan was whistling, but the knife in his hand remained as quiet as ever.

With this knife, Zhou Yan felt relieved.

They also gained some confidence regarding the matter of the Reclining Buddha Temple.

"Let's go back."

Ao Xuantao transformed into a dragon and led Zhou Yan along the Jing River to the meeting place on the east bank of the river in Wugong Town. It was only at this time that the Taoists of Louguan arrived.

The Taoist priests were completely silent as they looked around. They saw that a mountain peak had disappeared, and the knife marks on the ground were deeply embedded in the earth, exuding a powerful aura. They were speechless for a moment. Sun Simiao's disciple, Xuanzhuzi, rolled his eyes.

Taking advantage of the disturbance caused by the Taoist priests, they slowly retreated.

"I've been stuck here for so long, I'm so bored."

"With such a display of power, I must go and find this person."

........................

After returning to Guhuai Village.

Zhou Yan showed Shen Cangming the sword at his waist. Following the old mountain spirit's advice, he only mentioned that he had obtained an ancient weapon from Misty Hidden Peak. Shen Cangming said:

"The next step is weapon forging, but this knife is, after all, an ancient weapon. With the methods of modern Xuan Guan, it may not be able to achieve good results."

"But even if it's of some use, it's still something."

"I'll go prepare the ritual for weapon forging. You go to the Hedong Beach Association and buy the necessary materials." Shen Cangming wrote a note, which was densely covered with the materials needed for weapon forging. Zhou Yan took the wooden plaque given to him by the local earth god and went to the teaching platform.

He poured his magic into the wooden plaque, and ripples appeared in front of it. Zhou Yan and Ao Xuantao walked into it together, and a wide street appeared before Zhou Yan's eyes. He looked back and saw the peaceful and tranquil Wugong Town behind him.

"Is it a smokescreen, or something like the market run by the Lord of the Azure Netherworld?"

Curious, Zhou Yan watched the people coming and going outside, then turned around and saw the market, which seemed to be reflected in the water, eerily quiet, with strings of lanterns illuminating the left and right, quite mysterious. Zhou Yan looked at it for a long time before turning his gaze away.

This isn't him.

Before he arrived, he stood by the well at Yin Zichuan's house, pointed to himself, and said, "Change!"

With a flicker, he transformed into a young man, handsome and refined, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old—precisely Zhu Zicheng. He pinched his brow, changing his eyes to phoenix eyes, and spent about an hour sculpting his face before Shen Cangming urged him to set off. The young man had a rare opportunity to experience his hometown; he could play the game later, but he had to make sure his character's face was perfect.

Among the things he could get rid of were Zhu Zicheng's weapon, the pearl of the clam spirit, and the treasure made by the Weaver Girl that could change appearance. As for the pseudo-emperor's seal in Hei Feng's hands, it should be quite valuable, but it was not easy to sell.

Now that they had arrived at the beach fair, Zhou Yan saw many people coming and going.

Most of them were covered by hoods, using various methods to conceal their presence. However, there were a few monks and Taoist priests sitting cross-legged there. The monks' eyes were wide open as they scanned their surroundings.

After inquiring, Zhou Yan learned that these monks were there to help the souls of the dead find peace.

So I came here to scout out the location.

Once they discover a malevolent spirit, these monks and Taoists will start vying for business. Zhou Yan watched in amazement and said, "Isn't this entrapment?" Ao Xuantao said, "Each lineage of cultivation has its own tasks to perform."

"Both Buddhism and Taoism have practices for exorcising vengeful spirits and malevolent energy."

“Purely eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers is not a way to cultivate Buddhism. Each lineage and official must walk their own path. For example, my lord, the weapon in your hand is formed from mountains, so naturally you are walking the path of earth vein cultivation.”

“Monks need to perform rituals to help souls pass on, and Taoist priests need to accumulate external skills.”

"There aren't many monsters or ghosts in this world."

"Taoist priests and Buddhist monks sometimes just don't get along."

Zhou Yan's lips twitched.

Okay, Master Buddha and Master Tao have some business conflicts.

They couldn't stand each other.

This extraordinary world is quite realistic.

Zhou Yan had an idea and casually asked, "Doesn't anyone create a place for vengeful spirits and then perform rituals to help them pass on?"

Ao Xuantao looked at the boy in astonishment: "This, this is too evil."

"Why would you have such a thought, my lord?"

Zhou Yan remained expressionless: "Just thinking about it."

It's all caused by Paradox Interactive games.

If those gamers came to this world, assuming they survived, they might become demons... no, even demons would be alarmed and called them heretics, right?

Zhou Yan thought to himself, "This is what I'm thinking."

Ao Xuantao said, "Both Buddhism and Taoism have their own lineages. Moreover, both lineages involve cultivating the mind, making it difficult to deceive oneself. If one actively does evil, one cannot go very far in the Buddhist and Taoist sects."

After thinking for a moment, Ao Xuantao added:
“However, I am referring to the orthodox lineage.”

“Some people, lacking concentration in their spiritual practice, will resort to all sorts of unorthodox methods. Their methods may appear to be from Buddhist or Taoist traditions, but in reality, they have added other elements. Young master, you must be careful when you encounter them.”

Zhou Yan nodded and used the gold given by Shen Cangming to exchange for a lot of basic materials. The materials needed for forging the beacon tower were hidden among them to avoid revealing his background. He wanted to sell the pearl, but he couldn't find a suitable price.

Zhou Yan was somewhat envious of many things sold here, such as clothes that would never get dirty; and a beautiful piece of pork belly that, once cut in half, would grow back on its own the next day, making it a meat that could be eaten indefinitely.

And there's a wine jug that never runs out.

There was also a huge snail.

The seller said that there was an extremely beautiful spirit inside the snail, who would help the owner clean the house, cook, do laundry, and do all sorts of wonderful things every day. However, the prices that these "people" offered were also very strange.

Some people are looking for a three-legged golden toad.

Some people want a full moon.

Some require an ancient treasure basin; put the treasure inside, and the treasure's value will double the next day.

Zhou Yan was dazzled by what he saw, but in the end he left with regret. Among them was a doctor. Zhou Yan asked about the conditions of Lian Niang, Shen Cangming, and Hui Niang. The doctor stroked his beard and said, "We cannot treat such injuries."

“Under the whole world, unless one is a descendant of the Medicine King, the Miraculous Response Immortal Sun Simiao, I'm afraid no one can cure the people you mentioned.”

Zhou Yan asked, "Where is that Medicine King, Master Sun?"

The 'doctor' opposite sighed and said:
"Master Sun has passed away. As for his successor, alas, who knows?"

Zhou Yan silently recorded Sun Zhenren's words and asked, "By the way, does anyone have a pot of green lotus planted in this Hedong Beach area?"

He still remembered what the old man in his dream had said.

The doctor's expression was somewhat strange. He pointed in a direction and said:
"That's it."

Zhou Yan thanked him and went over with Ao Xuantao. He heard the inhuman doctor behind them mutter, "Another one, another one." There was a small wooden hut on one side of the street. Zhou Yan knocked on the door and said:
"Is anyone home? Excuse me..."

After knocking for a while without any response, Zhou Yan felt something was wrong. He closed his eyes, circulated his magic power, and opened them again. His gaze fell upon a wisp of pure energy and a turbid karmic force. The beacon's instincts made Zhou Yan sense that something was amiss.

Is this a sign of a previous battle?
Isn't this the Hedong Beach meeting place?! It should be safe enough!

He burst through the door and saw an old Taoist lying nearby, while a burly monster was carefully picking lotus seeds. The monster glanced at Zhou Yan, looked shocked, and then his expression turned fierce as he pounced on him.

"Danqiu Sheng lives alone here, and yet someone still comes here?!"

"trouble!"

I'll kill you first!

The monster moved swiftly, transforming into a leopard and pouncing on Zhou Yan. Almost instinctively, Zhou Yan raised his sword and slashed down heavily. It was the most basic sword technique that Shen Cangming had taught him, which was simply heavy and slashing, without any fancy moves.

Hmph, what crude swordsmanship!
The monster chuckled and casually raised its claw to block the blade.

The knife and claws collided.

Zhou Yan poured all his magical power into the sword, revealing its unique characteristics.

The monster's nonchalant expression suddenly froze.

It felt like my claws were blocking the way of a mountain.

Ok? ? ?
wrong!

(End of this chapter)