A Yao's tears finally fell. She held the small branch and whispered softly.
“I am not lonely.”
“Our old friends... for the same ideal, for the same world. Some held the flame, some cast swords, some buried their names in the dust but left their light in the wind. We walked different paths, yet we never truly parted.”
“So even if we fell upon the Sky-Cloud Ladder or buried our bones in the Central Province, even if all that remains of us is a wisp of smoke or a grain of dust, when the wind blows, we will still head in the same direction.”
“So, A Yao is not lonely.”
The little branch nuzzled against her.
The Golden Dragon's voice turned gentle.
“That is good.”
“It is very happy. It has many things it wants to say to you.”
“It wants to tell you that it can move now and can go with you to see the world outside.”
A Yao wiped her tears and smiled.
“Alright.”
“I have many things to tell you as well.”
She turned to Chen Zhou and asked.
“Where did you find Jianmu?”
Chen Zhou answered truthfully.
“In Tianchi Province, beneath the Eternal Scars.”
“It was rooted deep within the ley line, guarding a cluster of ancient beast eggs, waiting for you for tens of thousands of years.”
A Yao's expression was complex as she took a deep breath.
“I didn't expect that after all these years, my old friends would have all perished.”
“Only Jianmu remained, still guarding the ley line, waiting for a group of people who were late to return.”
“Young man, thank you.”
“Thank you for bringing it back.”
Chen Zhou shook his head.
“There is no need for thanks. This seat promised it.”
A Yao smiled.
“Regardless, I will remember this kindness.”
She looked down at the little branch.
“Come, I will take you to see the Immortal-Slaying Shrine.”
“Though it doesn't compare to the places you saw back then, it has been my home for the forty thousand years since my death.”
The little branch flashed excitedly.
A Yao held it and left enthusiastically.
Yuheng watched A Yao's departing back and sighed softly. “In the Mountain and River Calamity, how can anyone remain untouched?”
After saying that, Yuheng sized Chen Zhou up again, a flash of appreciation in his eyes.
“I can see that the aura on your body is harmonious, and your Golden Dragon of Merit has become even more solid.”
“It seems you have accomplished many great things during this time.”
“How is it? Has the authority of the Yin-Yang Decree been completed?”
Chen Zhou nodded.
“It is complete.”
“A while ago in Gloomlight Province, I obtained a fortuitous opportunity.”
Yuheng stroked his beard and laughed.
“Good, good, good.”
“Is my horsetail whisk still handy for you?”
Chen Zhou took the Yin-Yang Judgment Whisk from the system space and gave it a flick.
“Quite handy.”
“A Yao's Cloud Sea Resplendence was also successfully completed recently, and it has played a massive role.”
Upon hearing this, Yuheng laughed even more happily; he loved hearing people praise his divine weapons.
Mo Cang, standing to the side, urged impatiently.
“Alright, alright, business first.”
“Little friend, you're here to fish again, aren't you?”
“However, you haven't reached the eighth-stage yet. According to the rules, you cannot obtain a new fishing opportunity.”
Chen Zhou said.
“Even if I temporarily elevate to the eighth-stage?”
Mo Cang was stunned for a moment before laughing loudly. He clapped Chen Zhou on the shoulder and said.
“I almost forgot that during your first visit, you obtained an inheritance that allows you to use faith to temporarily boost your strength.”
“It works! As long as you can reach the eighth-stage, even if it's temporary, go ahead and try!”
Mo Cang's face was full of expectation.
The divine artifacts of A Yao and Yuheng had both been fished away by this kid, and lately, he felt like he was being isolated by them.
Divine artifacts have spirits.
Mo Cang felt that his own treasure would surely recognize Chen Zhou as well. This was the successor to the divine path he favored most in tens of thousands of years.
It had been so long; surely it was his turn now.
He was looking forward to his corpse jar and his inheritance seeing the light of day again. He wondered if any old enemies still remembered the fierce reputation of the Ghost King Mo Cang.
Being stared at by Mo Cang's glowing eyes made Chen Zhou feel a bit uneasy.
He quickly activated Faith Conferment, temporarily breaking through to the eighth-stage Siming.
Chen Zhou then communicated with the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, borrowing the fortune of the Auspicious Noble, causing an auspicious cloud to surround him.
The Golden Dragon of Merit also emerged from behind him, letting out a long roar toward the heavens, its merit providing protection.
The little pig reverted to its Nightmare true form, its terrifying thirty-foot-tall fiendish body standing guard beside Chen Zhou. Hundreds of nightmare eyes opened in unison, baring its fangs as fiendish qi billowed.
With his buffs fully stacked, Chen Zhou arrived at the edge of the black sludge pond.
The pond water was as black as ink and as thick as glue, emitting a nauseating, foul stench of decay.
Chen Zhou took out the Golden Buddha meat and the crane feather, rolling them together.
Death qi transformed into a fishing rod. He hooked the Golden Buddha meat and cast the line casually.
The moment the bait fell into the black sludge pond.
A sudden change occurred.
Ten thousand rays of golden light erupted from the Golden Buddha meat.
Everywhere the golden light touched, the darkness in the pond water was instantly purified. The death qi that had accumulated for tens of thousands of years was rapidly dissolving.
In just a few breaths, the entire black sludge pond became crystal clear.
Then, in the next instant.
The bottom of the pond suddenly began to vibrate.
Countless massive entities woke up from the depths.
Huge black shadows swam through the water, tearing and biting toward the bait like mad. Each one emitted a terrifying aura.
The weakest among them was at the eighth-stage Siming.
The strongest had even reached the peak eighth-stage!
They fought frantically over that clump of Golden Buddha meat, biting and devouring one another.
The entire black sludge pond boiled as the water surged, kicking up massive waves.
Yuheng looked on in shock.
“This... what kind of bait is this?”
“How can it cause such a massive disturbance?”
Mo Cang was also stunned.
The three of them had fished in dreams for countless ages, but they had never seen a scene like this.
The effects of the Golden Buddha meat were far too authoritative; even the death qi that had settled for tens of thousands of years in the black sludge pond was completely purified.
A Yao, who was playing with Jianmu, was also startled by the commotion.
She flew over holding Jianmu, her eyes full of shock as she looked at the boiling black sludge pond.
“What kind of good stuff did the young man use as bait?”
“It's made these old guys, who have been dormant for tens of thousands of years, go absolutely crazy! What grade is that thing?”
The three of them looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Every time Chen Zhou arrived, he managed to give them a fright.
Chen Zhou stared at the water's surface, the fishing rod in his hand remaining perfectly still.
The golden light spread faster and faster, and in the blink of an eye, the entire black sludge pond was illuminated.
The scene at the bottom of the pond became clearly visible.
It was a pile of white bones, dense and layered, stacked like a mountain.
Between the bones, countless massive black shadows swam.
Some looked like fish, some like snakes, some like humans, and some had no discernible shape at all.
The eerie creatures devoured each other—the big eating the small, the strong eating the weak.
The more they ate, the larger their bodies became and the stronger their auras grew.
A few of the giants were already on the verge of breaking through the eighth-stage, and they were still growing.
Chen Zhou frowned; he realized he had underestimated the allure of the Golden Buddha.
The Golden Buddha is addictive, and its Purity Aura naturally attracts all sorts of biological entities, excluding evil spirits.
The things in this Wanchuan pond had been trapped at the bottom for tens of thousands of years, their minds eroded by death qi until only instinct remained.
To them, the Golden Buddha meat was like a spring in the desert or food to a starving beast.
How could they not be driven to madness?
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