Chapter 392

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Protagonist:

Yu Changsheng

"Hehe."

Listening to Yuan Menghua's worry, Yu Changsheng suddenly curled his lip and laughed "hehe," a trace of cold light flashing in his eyes.

"If that is truly the case, then let them come. Being able to kill one Huanlong Zhenjun means there will also be a second."

Yu Changsheng said lightly, his tone calm yet carrying a trace of undeniable domineering air.

"..." Yuan Menghua was silent for a long time, drew in a deep breath, looked at Yu Changsheng's calm demeanor, and after a long while, smiled faintly, patting Yu Changsheng's shoulder.

"In any case... it is good that you can have this kind of mindset."

Yuan Menghua fell silent for a moment, then after a long pause raised his head to look straight at Yu Changsheng, his expression unconsciously carrying a trace of guilt: "However, regarding this trip to Luo Ya Shen Yuan, the one I am most uneasy about is you."

"The crisis on you is many times greater than on others. Countless eyes from both sides will be fixed on your head; I hope you can withstand the pressure."

"Of course, leaving aside that you are now the Young Sect Master of Wanxiang Sect, even if you were merely an Ordinary Disciple of my Wanxiang Sect, the Sect would still spare no effort to protect your safety; you can rest assured on this point."

Yuan Menghua thought for a moment and spoke with a serious expression; his brow suddenly lifted, a trace of domineering air leaping onto his face, his tone flat and unwavering.

"As long as you remain a disciple of my Wanxiang Sect for a single day, and as long as I, Yuan Menghua, still live, I will protect you well and absolutely not let anything happen to you; so you also need not worry excessively. Just maintain the necessary vigilance."

"Very well, many thanks, Ancestor."

Yu Changsheng felt a mix of emotions inside; his gaze shifted, he lowered his head and bowed respectfully to Yuan Menghua, his tone carrying a trace of gratitude.

"No need for such formality; it is only what should be done. Just don't blame the Sect for lacking the ability to protect you."

Yuan Menghua fell silent, his throat bobbing; finally, after a barely perceptible sigh, he gently pulled Yu Changsheng up, his expression complex.

"If one day, the Sect truly reaches the point..."

Yuan Menghua began to speak, but the words halted abruptly halfway; he swallowed the rest back down, then turned to Yu Changsheng with a faint smile, waving his hand, and fished out a jade pendant from his sleeve, handing it to Yu Changsheng.

"This is..."

Yu Changsheng's expression flickered slightly; he subconsciously received the jade pendant, held it in his hand weighing it, and examined it, somewhat surprised.

This jade pendant was entirely a blue-white color, half a palm in size, emitting a dense Sub-Talisman aura that could not be ignored; a wisp of Spirit Light faintly flashed on it.

"This Protective Jade Pendant was refined by me through consecutive nights these past few days; it can withstand three attacks from a Sub-Talisman True Lord and also stores three bursts of my own Sub-Talisman power. You wear it well; at a critical moment it may just protect you completely. Whatever I can do, I will naturally do to the utmost."

Yuan Menghua closed Yu Changsheng's palm and personally fastened this Protective Jade Pendant to Yu Changsheng's waist, speaking with a smile on his face.

Yu Changsheng was moved; looking at Yuan Menghua's smiling face, after a long while he respectfully clasped his fists and bowed; this time his tone held several degrees more sincerity:

"Changsheng thanks the Ancestor; it has troubled the Ancestor, making the Ancestor expend heart blood."

Yu Changsheng spoke humbly, lowering his brow.

This Sub-Talisman protection thing — for a Sub-Talisman True Lord the consumption is also not small; in a lifetime one cannot make many. What needs to be fused into it is not merely the refiner's cultivation base, but also a small part of their Shenjue.

And if one encounters a powerful cultivator, they can even use this protection to trace Karma and impose it back onto the refiner.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, a Sub-Talisman True Lord would not go to great lengths to make this thing; only for some direct-line descendants might they prepare a few.

What truly moved Yu Changsheng was not merely that this thing was hard to make, but that given Yuan Menghua's current state, he was still willing to expend so much of his own heart blood to refine this Protective Jade Pendant for him.

You must know, Yuan Menghua is now nearing the end of his lifespan, nearly burnt out; he avoids acting if he can. This also means that making this Protective Jade Pendant will impose an even greater burden on him, even damaging his lifespan.

For a moment, moved in his heart, Yu Changsheng looked at Yuan Menghua's kindly smile, and a trace of intimacy involuntarily showed in his eyes.

"It is nothing; your peace and safety is the greatest reassurance to me. Of course I hope you never have to use it, but that seems a bit unrealistic."

Yuan Menghua smiled and nodded, his gaze very gentle.

"Right now your radiance is too brilliant, easily attracting the scheming of petty people; be careful in everything."

"Changsheng understands."

Yu Changsheng clasped his fists and nodded, responding quietly, then accompanied Yuan Menghua for a while longer; not long after, he withdrew from the room.

"Huu..."

At the room's doorway, Yu Changsheng let out a long breath; his gaze flickered uncertainly; he suppressed the myriad thoughts in his heart, lowered his head to glance at the Protective Jade Pendant in his hand, solemnly fastened it at his waist, then shook his head and smiled quietly: "Enough. Soldiers come, generals block; water comes, earth covers. It just so happens I also want to see what the people of Qingzhou are capable of."

"As for the two States' side, perhaps they really are afraid; they would actually be wary of a mere child like me; I also need to maintain vigilance."

Yu Changsheng laughed a cold "hehe," but kept the matter in his heart; he knew Yuan Menghua's words were not wrong.

Indeed there are people who do not wish for his rise, especially since his growth speed has exceeded everyone's expectations, making them take him even more seriously.

After all, Cao Jinxian, merely at Sub-Talisman Peak, could kill a Spirit Dragon comparable to Spirit Transformation Peak with a single sword strike... and going by his current momentum, breaking through to Sub-Talisman does not seem far off.

After suppressing these chaotic thoughts, Yu Changsheng pondered no further; he mused for a moment, then headed up to the Deck. He actively sought out Li Minghan and the others, and told the other disciples in full detail the information he had obtained about Luo Ya Shen Yuan.

For a moment, some people let out a breath of relief, patting their chests in gladness; some disciples' eyes brimmed with Combat Intent, inexplicable flames burning fiercely.

The battlefield shifted from direct large-scale clashes to cultivators under a hundred years old slaughtering each other in the Abyss depths. For them, although it was still vicious, there was no doubt the survival probability was greater. Especially since it was not a direct battlefield clash, this also meant they could coordinate in groups better.

Thus, blazing gazes involuntarily cast onto Yu Changsheng's body, their eyes carrying eagerness and heat.

"Young Sect Master, since it is so, may I act together with you? Rest assured, I will not hold you back; serving tea and pouring water and such, I am good at it."

Among the disciples, someone asked cautiously, their expression carrying a trace of pleading.

Yu Changsheng's strength they had all witnessed; although they did not know what dangers lay beneath Luo Ya Shen Yuan, clinging to Yu Changsheng's thigh was clearly the wise move.

Yu Changsheng was slightly stunned; looking at the expressions of everyone around, he mused slightly, then smiled and said:

"Of course. We are all Wanxiang Sect people; naturally we act as one."

Actually, most of the disciples departing for Luo Ya Shen Yuan this time were faces familiar to Yu Changsheng; whether it was the previous Blood Dragon Pool trip or the Tian Sha Secret Realm struggle, quite a few were among this departing group.

And while Yu Changsheng might still be somewhat unfamiliar with them, they were already familiar with his side to the point of being unable to be more familiar; therefore they valued him more, and were even more convinced of and trusted him.

"Good, then we trouble the Young Sect Master."

Some were beaming with smiles, speaking loudly, while others had complex gazes as they looked at Yu Zhangsheng, somewhat dazed in spirit, but overall the atmosphere was no longer so oppressive.

Looking at Yu Zhangsheng surrounded by the crowd, Zhang Tianwen and Shen Xingchen shook their heads and smiled, not saying much more, merely pondering, each with their own plans.

"Luo Ya Shen Yuan..."

A flash of sharp light flickered in Li Minghan's eyes; he lightly pursed his lips and gritted his teeth, looking up at Yu Zhangsheng who was like the moon surrounded by stars, a smile surfacing in the depths of his eyes.

"According to Wan Beast Tower's intelligence, what I need should be inside there; coincidentally, my opportunity to advance to Golden Core is also inside. With Zhangsheng accompanying me, it should be as good as certain."

Li Minghan muttered to himself, exhaling a deep breath.

…………

The Spirit Boat pierced through clouds and mist, rippling open layer upon layer of ripples in the high sky. Luo Ya Shen Yuan was very far from where Wanxiang Sect was located, but fortunately the Spirit Boat's speed was extremely fast. After seven consecutive days of sunrises and cloudfalls, finally, at noon on the seventh day, they neared Luo Ya Shen Yuan.

At this moment it was precisely noon; the blazing sun shone high, the bright sun hung aloft, unhesitatingly sprinkling its light and heat upon the mortal world, trapped upon the earth. Thus the earth began to revive, a scene of spring harmony and bright scenery. Yet there were also places where light could not tilt into, where the sun shone but not a blade of grass grew, life force extinguished.

And Luo Ya Shen Yuan was precisely such a place.

"We're almost at Luo Ya Shen Yuan; those cultivating can finish up. Prepare yourselves; we'll disembark the Spirit Boat shortly."

Yuan Menghua, at ease, suddenly opened his eyes, gazing into the distance. His faint voice reverberated by everyone's ears, trembling lightly.

One disciple after another awoke from cultivation, expressions varied. Yu Zhangsheng exhaled heavily, walked to the deck's edge, and looked downward following the clouds and mist.

Below lay a boundless plain. The entire plain presented a gray-black color. Even under the blazing sun's illumination, it still gave a gloomy feeling. Upon it vegetation struggled to grow. Boundless, without undulating mountain ranges, without great rivers running north-south. A vast desolation, giving a sense of oppression, exceedingly stifling.

The Gray Plain was vast, stretching to the limits of vision, its size inestimable, connecting to the boundless, vast sky horizon. And what drew the eye most was a crack standing erect in the plain's center, opening toward heaven, like a soul-devouring great maw, a fissure piercing through the entire plain.

The crack spread, forming a Yi Xian Tian, dividing the entire Gray Plain into north and south portions. Within, light was dim, Yin wind roared, width approximately a hundred li. The intact earth had been ruthlessly torn open, jagged and uneven, shaking the soul.

"Beneath the crack is Luo Ya Shen Yuan."

Yuan Menghua rose, looking down at Luo Ya Shen Yuan, tone faint, gaze carrying a trace of reminiscence, he began to explain:

"Several thousand years ago, a Xuan Yin Gate Spirit Transformation Peak Daoneng exhausted all his strength in one sword stroke, cleaving open the Gray Plain, extending a thousand-li crack, thereby dividing the Wuzhou and Qingzhou border, naming this place Luo Ya Valley, and establishing the Luo Ya Treaty of mutual non-aggression."

"Over a thousand years, time rose and fell. The Xuan Yin Gate Spirit Transformation Peak Ancestor has also passed away. Friction between the two states has never ceased in these thousand years, including several major outbreaks of warfare."

Yuan Menghua's expression carried a trace of attachment and an indescribable implication. His gaze carefully examined the crack on the plain. His nose lightly sniffed once. He continued: "Thus, Luo Ya Valley, a thousand years of unceasing warfare, plus some major upheavals and geological changes. Over the long years, Luo Ya Valley gradually evolved into the present Luo Ya Shen Yuan."

"What lies beneath the abyss, we're not too clear. Only that over these thousand years, countless cultivators from the two states who died in battle inside here are not few. If it continues evolving for much longer, perhaps it would also become another Forbidden Zone."

The disciples listened quietly. As the Spirit Boat descended, the entire fissure abyss became increasingly clear within their perception. Consequently, one by one their expressions changed slightly, faces dazed.

As they drew closer, they could more keenly sense the abyss's immensity. A hundred-li wide Xia Gu, and from below endlessly blew violent, darkly Yin gang winds, stirring the Void's wind and clouds, transforming into rampaging storms. Under such conditions, even cultivators with low cultivation bases would find it difficult to fly across.

"What astonishing Sword Intent... and..."

Yu Zhangsheng's expression was somewhat distracted. His Divine Sense extended outward, probing downward to sense. His expression changed slightly, somewhat surprised.

Beneath the abyss, a strand of astonishing Sword Intent, having endured a thousand years of time, still retained residual resonance, lingering without dispersing, as if thoroughly engraved into this abyss. The gang winds were also suppressed.

Without question, it was precisely what that Xuan Yin Gate Spirit Transformation Peak Ancestor slashed out several thousand years ago.

"This Sword Intent bears some similarity to the Tai Chu Kai Tian Sword... perhaps it could help my comprehension of the Tai Chu Kai Tian's artistic conception..."

Yu Zhangsheng's mind moved. He secretly thought, carefully sensing the aura beneath the abyss, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Besides this, the long years of warfare have also caused who knows how many living beings' corpses and bones to accumulate inside this abyss, trapped beneath it, never seeing the light of day. Therefore, the resentment and blood fiend qi inside have already reached an astonishing degree..."

Yu Zhangsheng pondered inwardly, sensing the somewhat restless Heavenly Dao Golden Core within his body. A gloomy light flashed through his eyes. Bit by bit, intangible Qi mechanisms, from above the abyss, as if drawn, converged upon Yu Zhangsheng. As Yu Zhangsheng lightly extended his hand, they instantly slowly flowed from between his fingers into the Heavenly Dao Golden Core within his body.

Now, the Heavenly Dao Qi — Heavenly Sha — had completely fused into Yu Zhangsheng's Golden Core, perfectly integrated, indistinguishable from each other. The Heavenly Dao Qi's characteristics were naturally also bestowed upon the Heavenly Dao Golden Core.

Under such circumstances, Yu Zhangsheng could clearly feel his cultivation base had become considerably more active. All aspects of himself had obtained no small enhancement. Combat power would also be even more astonishing. (Chapter End)