Chapter 1 Turbulent Rivers and a World in Turmoil

The raging Fengmo River thundered for eighty-three thousand *li*, originating from Pingbo Mountain, passing through three prefectures, six cities, and twelve counties, irrigating farmland on both banks, benefiting millions of people, and finally flowing into the South Sea.

It was already late autumn, and although the depths of winter had not yet arrived, the cold air had already come with the river water, affecting this area of southwestern inland water towns.

Jing'an City was majestic and tall, backed by three mountains and nine rivers, rich in products, and densely populated, naturally giving rise to endless prosperity.

At this time, it was the first year of the Taiji Era (the 89,600th year of the Huangtian Eleventh Era). After a world-shattering battle thousands of years ago, the central continent had a temporary peace.

Jing'an City could not compare with 'Qingdu,' the largest city in the central continent, but it was also one of the largest cities in the central continent.

With the city as the center, countless small towns, counties, and villages were scattered like stars, their population ten times that of Jing'an City.

Unlike Jing'an City, these common people lived by fishing and hunting, supplemented by planting spiritual fields, mining veins, and transporting goods for passing merchants.

In the nearly 90,000 years of changes in the world, the 'Jia Carriages' centered on Qingdu City had already spread throughout the central continent, but shipping was naturally indispensable.

Jing'an City, known as the city of three rivers and nine rivers, naturally became the transportation artery of the southwest, handling countless goods every day, supporting countless people.

Because of the presence of Daoists from the Taiji Daochang (Taiji Temple), there were still many ghosts and monsters, but they were all suppressed beneath the prosperity, and ordinary people had even forgotten the existence of ghosts and monsters.

Woo~

A thunderous roar resounded through the wilderness, alarming the birds and beasts in the distant vegetation.

Xu Xun suddenly looked up and saw a giant object, twelve *zhang* high and hundreds of *zhang* long, roaring along the straight road that ran through the wilderness and mountains.

Its speed was extremely fast, and bubbles of air violently flowed in the air could be seen with the naked eye, and the sound of sonic booms like dragons roaring and tigers howling was left far behind.

After the Jia Carriage roared past, it exploded like a string of firecrackers in the wilderness, forests, and mountains.

The beasts were terrified!

"What war is happening again? More than a hundred Jia Carriages have passed by in one day, and we haven't even hit a bird all day!"

A young man dressed as a hunter looked unlucky.

The movement of the Jia Carriages terrified all beasts, and where its sound waves exploded, not to mention ordinary wild animals, even the legendary demon beasts would run away with their tails between their legs.

It would be strange to be able to hit anything.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Xu Xun shook his head slightly, feeling a little puzzled. The Jia Carriages were coming and going too frequently. They had chosen a remote place to hunt that was not usually traveled.

His name was Xu Xun, courtesy name Shengyang. He was eighteen years old, slender and tall, with a heroic appearance. Although he wore linen clothes, it was difficult to hide his heroic spirit.

His father was a failed scholar, and his mother was a lady from a prominent family, who was said to have eloped to escape disaster.

Because of such parents, he could have a courtesy name in addition to his given name. Ordinary villagers even named themselves haphazardly, let alone giving themselves courtesy names.

"It seems we won't be able to hit anything today."

His companion called out unluckily, put away his sword and bow, arranged the long arrows one by one, and then said, "I heard that someone in the next village saw immortals from the 'Taiji Daochang' appear in these mountains a few days ago, maybe there are monsters in these mountains, it's better not to spend the night here."

"You go back first."

Xu Xun hesitated slightly, but shook his head and refused.

He came out this time not only to hunt, his father was seriously ill and needed precious medicine to prolong his life, and he also needed spiritual meat to nourish him.

More importantly, he was the best hunter within a hundred *li*, but he had never seen those legendary demons and ghosts in recent years.

In his heart, he didn't really believe it.

"Then be careful." His companion knew Xu Xun's character, asked casually, and when he saw him refuse, he didn't say much. He waved his hand and prepared to go down the mountain.

Woo woo~

Another Jia Carriage sped past.

Xu Xun shook his head in his heart, but he could only change places. However, the Jia Carriage's sound shook for a hundred *li*, and it was impossible to be completely unaffected.

In fact, Jia Carriages ran across the central continent, and in a sense, they were also the first line of defense against wild animals.

"I have to go deep into the mountains..."

Xu Xun bent down and tightened his trouser legs, and plunged into the mountains with his sword and bow, away from the Jia Carriages.

As he walked, he could still hear the Jia Carriages speeding past, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself that this frequency was not right.

His pace was very fast, and each step was several *zhang* away. The rugged and impassable mountains did not cause him any trouble.

But perhaps because he had been frightened by the Jia Carriages, he rarely saw any birds or beasts along the way, and there was no trace of the spiritual beasts he needed.

Gradually, the sky darkened, and Xu Xun's brow furrowed even deeper. Even if the frequency of the Jia Carriages had become higher today, he should not have gained nothing.

"Huff!"

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sun was about to set, and Xu Xun finally stopped, sweat on his forehead.

He had a little bit of martial arts, but he was not a master. He was very tired after walking for so long, and the sky was getting dark, so he had to find a place to stay.

There were no huts built by hunters in these deep mountains, and Xu Xun searched for a long time before finding a secluded valley.

But as soon as he walked into the forest, his brow furrowed.

He heard a faint sound of human voices coming from the valley. Were there people in these deep mountains? Could it be that there were hunters resting here?

He cautiously entered the valley.

The Snake Valley was not large, but the grass and trees seemed to be evergreen and there were various unknown flowers blooming. Xu Xun saw many valuable spiritual materials in it, but unfortunately, they were not what he was looking for.

Before long, the faint sound of human voices became clearer. Xu Xun's heart stirred, and he hid in a clump of grass, quietly observing.

In the center of the valley, there was a small lake where a small waterfall converged.

Beside the lake stood an old tree that could be embraced by several people. The old tree had lush branches and leaves, but it emitted a faint green light, which was particularly bright in the twilight.

And under the tree, there were four old men, some wearing tall crowns and broad belts, and some wearing Daoist robes, facing each other, as if playing chess.

"This is..."

Xu Xun's heart stirred, and he heard one of the old men in Daoist robes say, "There is no constant strength in the world, and there is no long-term victory or defeat. The Old Celestial Master has been missing for three thousand years, I'm afraid those three across the sea are about to make trouble."

The voice of the old man in Daoist robes was full of Daoist meaning, and it felt like a spring breeze. Xu Xun felt that the fatigue of a day's running was completely dispelled, and his body was warm as if he were soaking in a hot spring.

He was immediately surprised and suspicious: "This, could this be an immortal from the Taiji Daochang?"

People are always very strange. They don't believe that ghosts and monsters harm people, but they believe in gods and immortals. Xu Xun was naturally no exception. His heart was eager to move, and he wanted to go out and become an apprentice.

"The Old Celestial Master may be dead or alive, but the Divine Court is still hanging above the nine heavens, regulating the monks of the world. The Great Spiritual Official's divine power is unmatched, and his Dharma eyes monitor the world. Those three fought with the Old Celestial Master only a few thousand years ago, I'm afraid they are no match for the Great Spiritual Official..."

The one who spoke was a monk holding Buddhist beads. He sighed slightly, "It's a pity for the Old Celestial Master. If he hadn't chosen such a path, becoming a Buddha or a patriarch would have been a trivial matter, right?"

Old Celestial Master?!

Who are they talking about?

The current Old Celestial Master of the Taiji Daochang?

Or the legendary two Old Celestial Masters?

Xu Xun's mind was full of thoughts, and he was stunned for a moment and didn't go out.

"The Divine Court is strong, even without the Old Celestial Master, there is still Yan Xiake, Wei Shaoyou, and Gou Huang. The war is probably not about to break out, right?"

An old man with a tall crown and broad belt, who looked like a great Confucian scholar, stroked his beard and his eyes flickered: "The actions of those three are even worse than those of the Taiji Daochang, and they are definitely not the objects we should rely on."

His words were addressed to the blood-robed old man, the only one of the four who had not spoken.

"What's the use of a dog, a skeleton, and a cripple? Without the Old Celestial Master, they can't protect the Divine Court, let alone the central continent!"

The blood-robed old man's voice was hoarse, and his words sounded like iron and stone rubbing together, sharp and harsh, and it felt like a snake was walking on his neck, spitting out its tongue.

Xu Xun's heart 'thumped' and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong. This person didn't seem like a kind person.

"The only destination for everyone is in Huangtian!"

The blood-robed old man pointed to the dim sky, his eyes gloomy: "My lord sensed the will of heaven and foresaw that there will be changes in the southwest of the central continent. This time, I specially invite the three of you to join me and slaughter this southwest land!"

"Slaughter the southwest?"

The monk, Daoist, and Confucian looked at each other, apprehensive, and did not respond.

The Divine Court suppressed the world, and the laws of heaven bound the gods. There had not been a slaughter of mortals in the central continent for tens of thousands of years. How could they easily agree?

Even if they were already dissatisfied with the Divine Court.

The blood-robed old man saw this and got straight to the point:

"The three of you are all great cultivators who have cultivated for thousands of years. You should be laughing proudly at the world, free to roam as you please, but you are bound to the mountains and forests, watching your children being abused by others and unable to take action!

You have been bullied to this point, why not join me and rebel against the evil king!"

"How dare you mention the name of the Great Spiritual Official?!"

The three of them changed color at the same time, as if they had heard the most terrifying thing in the world, and a sense of terror rose uncontrollably in their hearts.

The retribution of good and evil follows like a shadow!

That Dutian (All-Embracing Heaven) Great Spiritual Official's cultivation was unmatched. It was said that he had reached the ultimate realm as early as before the Taiji Era. For tens of thousands of years, few people dared to call him by his name directly.

"I have a treasure with me, why fear the clay statue of the Wang Spiritual Official in the temple?!"

The blood-robed old man replied proudly. In the red light rippling behind him, a divine sword stained with endless bloody slaughter seemed to flash past.

Even if it was just a flash, the hearts of the three of them jumped, as if they had seen a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, an endless scene of slaughter, and their primordial spirits felt a stinging pain.

Xu Xun's pupils shrank even more, and he felt pain all over his body, as if he would be beheaded on the spot in the next moment!

"That, that one actually bestowed this treasure upon you?!" The monk, Daoist, and Confucian were all horrified, wary, and even left their seats, involuntarily avoiding him.

The three descending immortals were said to have been born in accordance with the will of Huangtian, and invincible beings from the upper realms had bestowed treasures upon them, making them invincible.

Between heaven and earth, only the Divine Court could contend with them. Without the Divine Court, even the Old Celestial Master could not stop the power of the treasures!

The blood-robed old man had actually been bestowed a treasure, how could they dare to believe it?!

"Although it is not a complete treasure, it has a trace of its mysteries. Treasures are invincible, and even a trace of their power is enough to dominate the world! With this treasure in hand, Wang E (Evil King) is suppressed and cannot leave the Divine Court without authorization, and the rest of the people in the Divine Court..."

The blood-robed old man stood up, his aura mysterious and powerful:

"If they come, I will kill them like dogs!"

His words echoed, but had not yet landed.

The pupils of the four people, including the blood-robed old man, suddenly shrank, as if they had sensed something extremely terrifying.

They all looked up.

In the newly descended night, the full moon hung in the sky. In the moonlight, which was like water, there was a shadow falling down.

From afar, from thousands of *li* away, it descended among the mountains, above the valley. Its voice was unruly, but like the sound of heaven flowing down, and ten thousand thunderbolts exploding:

"You said, you want to kill dogs?"