Chapter 1682: Dark Undercurrent

Bodhi trees covered the ground. The dilapidated Mount Meru no longer possessed the vast power of faith, nor did it cascade with golden light. Instead, it was filled with greenery and vitality. Bodhi trees stretched across the entire mountain, shedding a certain grandeur and gaining a sense of simple, profound truth.

In an ancient temple deep in the mountains, the great bell tolled softly. Chants resonated, distant and profound, like vows from five hundred years ago being passed down.

The wind blew, and Bodhi leaves danced like prayer wheels turning, as Zen chants echoed.

An encounter five hundred years ago, a look back after five hundred years, prayers before the Buddha throughout five centuries. Finally, a single oil lamp, a stone Buddha, and a lone figure remained, companions in solitude.

A fine mist of rain fell, and Bodhi leaves drifted down, dampening the temple and stirring up dormant memories. A pristine jade hand picked up one falling bodhi leaf after another amidst the rain, meticulously carving each character imbued with wishes.

The leaves drifted down, carried away by the wind.

Raindrops glistened, pure and crystal clear. The entire mountain was verdant with bodhi trees. Chants carried on the wind, sweeping across the silent Mount Meru, gently drifting away for five hundred years only to return. It was a cycle, circling mountains and waters, deeply moving to the heart.

What remained was the solitude of an era, listening to a single person's quietness deep within Mount Meru.

Bodhi leaves rose one after another, carried away by the wind.

The mountain was serene, with only faint, lingering Zen chants. Long Yuxuan, Zhang Wenqing, and others reluctantly turned and descended the mountain.

"Never mind," he said. "Master has been to Beidou and must have visited the Western Desert. He probably knows more clearly what happened than we do."

"What is this?" Zhang Wenchang exclaimed in surprise.

At the foot of the mountain, Bodhi leaves fell one after another. Each leaf had a single character, yet none of them could be recognized.

"Why don't I recognize these?" Long Yuxuan asked.

"Hmm, it's related to the power of faith I've been researching; it contains the power of the afterlife!" Zhang Qingyang was astonished, feeling a pure thought-force.

He closed his eyes and sensed with his heart. He was greatly inspired. The carver acted by instinct, but he elevated it to the forefront of theory, refining and comprehending it.

For him, this was an immense gain, deeply moving and enlightening.

"Buddhism is as deep as the ocean. Perhaps even the Buddhas themselves never realized what kind of achievement this is. Past, present, and future are full of mystery."

Zhang Qingyang diligently explored, feeling inspired. However, he couldn't accurately read the characters. He could only vaguely grasp the meaning of "next life's encounter" from the characters, realizing that this wish-power was only visible to specific individuals.

They took a deep look at Mount Meru and departed with the bodhi leaves.

The three hurried towards Zhongzhou. There was a five-colored altar there that could lead to the distant depths of outer space. They needed to use it to depart.

Five-colored divine light gleamed. They left the area, traversing the starry sky, passing through star seas in an instant, traveling at immense speed.

This was a marvelous process. Occasionally, they could peer through the spatiotemporal barrier to see the shimmering starry sky outside and various cosmic phenomena.

"Who... who is that? So terrifying, so powerful!"

As they passed through a sea of stars, they saw a man in white, covered in blood. However, it was definitely not his own blood, but rather the result of a fierce slaughter while pursuing various primordial divine beasts.

How could there be so many divine beasts? It was unbelievable.

Each of the white tigers, larger than colossal mountains, roared, shattering the universe, their bodies emitting a sacred silver-white radiance as they were driven to flee by him. The green dragons, tens of thousands of miles long, now fled frantically.

From transformed snakes to Vermilion Birds, all kinds of divine beasts and ancient creatures from the primeval era were being driven to flee by this person, their blood splattering as they were slain.

This seemed unreal and incredible.

"No, he's undergoing tribulation, but it's too terrifying. That tribulation simulated a vast immortal realm, manifesting auspicious immortal creatures like real birds and beasts. This is at least a quasi-emperor's tribulation of the third heaven or higher!"

"Master has a formidable enemy!"

The three were deeply moved and astonished. A person capable of invoking such a grand tribulation from the heavens must be extraordinary. When Ye Fan underwent his quasi-emperor tribulation, an immortal realm also descended, with various divine beasts and auspicious birds appearing, something unheard of by others!

"Remember his appearance!"

Unfortunately, they were too far away to see clearly, and the person had his back to them.

Suddenly, the person sharply turned around, as if sensing something. A pair of eyes pierced through the space-time channel, transforming into two divine beams that shot towards them.

"How terrifying!"

All three changed their expressions. What kind of person was this? His spiritual perception was too keen. They had never heard of anyone with such terrifying instincts, capable of piercing through heaven and earth, even detecting those traversing the void.

The man in white rushed closer. The very fabric of heaven and earth collapsed under his steps. The surrounding sun, moon, and stars plummeted, like an ancient deity descending to the mortal realm.

Most astonishingly, chaos energy enveloped his face, then spread to his body, obscuring his features.

"Could he be a Chaos Body?" Long Yuxuan said, astonished. There had always been rumors that this physique was unrivaled, causing even Celestial Venerables to be wary during the Mythical Era, and some who achieved Dao had bled because of it.

The only fortunate thing was that Zhang Wenchang and the others were traversing the cosmos. They only paused for a moment before instantly moving far away.

The approaching person was fast, but it was impossible for him to intercept them.

"If he were one realm higher, he could probably intercept the teleportation power of the five-colored altar. What kind of person is he?" All three showed concern.

Behind them, chaos energy surged, then began to transform into a great dao divine object. It finally shattered, reforming into a Chaos Cauldron, which hovered above the person's head, his gaze incredibly profound.

However, the three individuals could not have witnessed any of this.

Traveling through the starry sky, one could sometimes witness many strange and fantastic things. At other times, only endless darkness and solitude met the eye; individual experiences varied, as did perceptions.

The three had not yet recovered from their previous shock when their expressions changed again, for they beheld a wondrous sight.

The space-time channel traversed a star. This ancient land of life contained a vast blue sea, within which shadows of the sun, moon, and stars sank, presenting a myriad of grand spectacles.

Most astonishingly, an endless expanse of green lotuses grew in the sea, shimmering and radiating green light, obscuring the sun. Each plant was like a massive ancient tree.

"Yan Ruyu!" Zhang Qingyang cried out in surprise.

Having been in Beidou for many years, they naturally knew and had seen the statue of this woman. They recognized her at a glance as one of the most outstanding demon cultivators in the entire universe for the past ten thousand years.

"What is she doing?" All three were stunned.

At the center of the sea, there was a special green lotus, emitting chaos energy and towering into the clouds. Its lotus flower was pure white like snow, and its petals cradled a heart that beat with a thumping sound.

Yan Ruyu was seated cross-legged on a green leaf opposite it. It seemed as if she was guarding this Chaos Green Lotus, or perhaps cultivating and comprehending the Dao using this ruby-like heart.

"That Chaos Lotus must be the Green Emperor's weapon, right? It's said to be forged from his original body, very special."

"No way?!"

They stared at the blue sea, profoundly shocked. Many thoughts flooded their minds. It was truly bizarre that Yan Ruyu, who had been missing for years, was on such an ancient star, guarding a green lotus and cultivating the Dao.

Clearly, Yan Ruyu had entered a deep state of Dao comprehension. She wouldn't awaken for several years and wouldn't be able to perceive anything.

And they couldn't linger too long. They transformed into streaks of light and vanished, rushing into the depths of the universe, disappearing beyond the starry sky.

Armu Star, a small but vibrant planet, was a vital hub in the universe. Due to its unique geographical location, all routes to realms like the Underworld, the Dao Palace, or imperial dynasties passed through it.

On this star, there was an ancient divine platform used for transit. Many cultivators therefore came here to use the passage.

The five-colored altar didn't offer endless void traversal. After emerging, Zhang Qingyang and his companions needed to change routes here to continue to the Heavenly Court, which was fortunately not far away.

"Queue up, come in order. First state your destination coordinates, then pay the fee."

This was no longer the five-colored altar, but a divine platform left by an Ancient Sovereign. It also offered directional teleportation, simple, fast, and very convenient.

However, powerful soldiers guarded the divine platform. Each held a divine halberd, wore armor, and exuded a menacing aura.

"You wish to go to the Dao Palace? You must pay a thousand sets of Vulcan Copper Armor!" a soldier told several people stepping onto the divine platform.

"That expensive?" The few people immediately jumped up. They had already infused the divine platform with enough energy to activate it, never expecting to pay such a hefty toll.

"Expensive? If you were going to the star domain where the Divine Organization is located, a charge of ten thousand sets of Vulcan Copper Armor wouldn't be considered much." A captain sneered, forcefully striking his iron halberd into the ground.

The few individuals dared not speak despite their anger. This place was now in the Underworld's hands, and the tolls were astonishingly high. However, few dared to resist this formidable power.

The people ahead all swallowed their anger, paid the corresponding amount of Vulcan Copper essence blocks as passage fees, and departed.

When it was Zhang Qingyang, Long Yuxuan, and the others' turn, when they stated they wanted to go to the Heavenly Court's territory, the soldiers immediately scrutinized them for a long time before saying: "Ten catties of Grand Luo Silver Essence!"

"What?! Are you robbing us? It's just a passage, and you're demanding such divine material?" Long Yuxuan exploded in anger.

"Poor wretches! If you don't have anything, step aside. Going to the Heavenly Court costs this much!" The captain walked over, saying coldly, and scrutinizing them intently.

"Your attitude is truly awful, isn't it?" Zhang Wenchang said.

"Oh, what do I see? A brother at the second layer of the Immortal Terrace, how peculiar! You want to travel the universe with such cultivation? Hahaha..." The Underworld captain laughed unrestrainedly, forcefully striking his iron halberd into the ground, full of mockery.

Zhang Wenchang didn't argue. Zhang Qingyang, long accustomed to worldly affairs, was already unperturbed by honor or disgrace. Long Yuxuan shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "We don't have Grand Luo Silver Essence. How about we pay later?"

"If you don't have it, get lost! Don't make trouble for yourselves; you won't be going to the Heavenly Court!" the captain said with a cold face.

"Who talks so boldly, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue in the wind?" The void cracked open, and several figures emerged together, one of whom had a shining bald head. He said: "The Underworld truly has guts, completely blockading the Heavenly Court and secretly deploying ghost soldiers and generals. Are you planning to deal with us before the decisive battle of the four major powers? If it's a war, then it's a war! Who's afraid of whom!"