Chapter 247: Hou's Breakthrough—The End of the Wangchuan River

"Where on earth does this will come from?" Tian Yuan said with a sunken face, his eyes filled with confusion.

Tian Yuan was no longer who he once was; the power of the Wangchuan River could no longer easily erode him.

Feeling the complex energies surging all around, Tian Yuan's figure escaped into the Wangchuan River.

In an instant, dense death energy and resentment swarmed toward him, wrapped in an inexplicable will.

As many Earth Veins were cleared and the Earthly Dao and Humanity revived, the will of Mount Buzhou surged; Tian Yuan could already ignore these attacks.

He intended to take this opportunity to properly explore the Wangchuan River.

The Wangchuan River accompanies the Huangquan Road; it is clearly the only proper path leading to the Underworld.

Houtu has proven the Dao to Hunyuan, and the Underworld has already manifested in the Netherworld of the Primordial World, yet only this Wangchuan River shows no movement.

Tian Yuan guessed in his heart that the manifestation of the Wangchuan River might lack a catalyst, and it was highly likely related to the Fierce Beast Hou.

However, in the Original Work, the Fierce Beast Hou was killed by Fuxi and Nuwa, and its physical body and Primordial Spirit transformed into the four great zombie ancestors.

Without Hou, how could the Wangchuan River manifest in the Primordial World? The many distracting thoughts in his mind were all drawn to the ghastly white bones beneath the blood-red water.

At a glance, the entire Wangchuan River was filled with corpses. They were either collapsed or floating in the blood-red water, and their missing limbs still revealed the immense size they possessed while alive.

Sensing the aura of a living being, many of the massive corpses around stirred slightly, and one after another, vengeful spirits surged out, almost simultaneously looking at Tian Yuan in the river.

Shrieking, excited roars echoed, and those many vengeful spirits crazily pounced toward Tian Yuan.

And with the sounding of those cries, the riverbed shook, and within the churning blood-red waves, countless dense phantoms emerged.

At a glance, they were numberless, and even Tian Yuan was startled by the scene before him.

After breaking through to the Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, it was not as if he had never been to the Wangchuan River, but it had never been this exaggerated.

"Just how many vengeful spirits are buried in this Wangchuan River!" Through the white corpses bobbing up, Tian Yuan could see even more phantoms emerging in the distance.

At this very same moment, Tian Yuan felt the eroding will increase quite a bit, but he still did not care.

Just as Tian Yuan was about to shake off the many vengeful spirits, the Wangchuan River before him suddenly shook, and an inexplicable aura rippled from afar.

"The aura of Hou?" Tian Yuan looked toward the distance in surprise.

This time, besides exploring the Wangchuan River, he also intended to see the cultivation progress of the Fierce Beast Hou.

Because he was afraid of disturbing Hou's cultivation, Tian Yuan did not communicate with him immediately. He thought he would wander around the Wangchuan River first, but who knew that Hou would react instead.

As that aura rippled through the river, the vengeful spirits that had originally been surging toward Tian Yuan stopped in mid-air in unison, then crazily pounced toward the distance.

Many wandering spirits that drifted past Tian Yuan also directly ignored his existence.

With a hint of curiosity, Tian Yuan quickly escaped in the direction from which the aura rippled.

In the churning blood-red water, massive corpses could be seen everywhere, and the vengeful spirits emerging around them were becoming more and more numerous.

It was as if there was a great attraction ahead, causing all the vengeful spirits to ignore Tian Yuan, this outsider.

Feeling the aura getting closer and closer, Tian Yuan's eyes lit up.

Hou's fluctuations were rising and falling violently; he must have reached the edge of a breakthrough.

"He came at just the right time!" Tian Yuan smiled and immediately accelerated.

Hou had entered the Peak Primordial Golden Immortal realm long ago; in order to take that step, he had been in seclusion in the Wangchuan River, and breaking through again would mean becoming a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Once he proves the Dao to Hunyuan, perhaps he can figure out the strangeness of the Wangchuan River.

The Wangchuan River floats in the void, with no source and no end; he had even used this river to reach the Northern Ancestral Vein back then.

Tian Yuan had previously shrouded it with the will of Mount Buzhou more than once, yet he still could not figure out the reason behind it.

Now that Hou is achieving the Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, he might be able to discern the secret of the Wangchuan River.

The three thousand Chaos Demon Gods had already perished in the Opening Heaven Calamity, and these Fierce Beasts were merely derived from the corpses and Essence Blood of the Chaos Demon Gods.

After such baptism by time, they could no longer stir up any waves, let alone the vengeful spirits left behind by the Fierce Beasts.

In Tian Yuan's view, even if the Wangchuan River was strange, it was because someone had plotted it, hence it was so eerie.

Hou has an inexplicable relationship with the Wangchuan River, and the Wangchuan River belongs uniquely to the Netherworld; Hou, having proven the Dao to Hunyuan, must certainly have a connection with the Earthly Dao.

Tian Yuan, flying through the air, could already clearly hear waves of roars and howls.

Through the dense mass of vengeful spirits in the air, one could vaguely see a massive figure standing proudly on the river surface in the distance, roaring at the sky.

Tian Yuan broke out of the river surface and saw that the space had turned into a huge vortex.

Countless vengeful spirits from all directions scrambled to rush out, pouncing toward Hou's massive body, only to be sucked in by his open mouth and fiercely swallowed into his belly.

As more and more vengeful spirits poured in, Tian Yuan clearly felt Hou's aura surging.

Beside him, rosy light surged, and a figure stepped out; it was Houtu, from whom he had just parted not long ago.

Looking at the scene in the distance, Houtu exclaimed in a low voice: "So many vengeful spirits!"

Upon feeling the thick resentment and death energy before her, Houtu's beautiful eyes shone with golden light.

As the Lord of the Earthly Dao, Houtu had naturally noticed the existence of the Wangchuan River long ago.

If it weren't for her deriving the Naihe Bridge back then, the Netherworld would still be separated from Mount Buzhou, and the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk would absolutely not have been repaired so quickly.

She was, of course, curious about the Wangchuan River, but the Earthly Dao Will was weak, the Wangchuan River could erode the will, and the Fierce Beast Hou had been cultivating in it, so Houtu had not paid it much attention.

She did not expect that this strange Wangchuan River would actually gather so much resentment and death energy.

It seems that the task of detaining wandering spirits in the future should start with the Wangchuan River.

If the Wangchuan River manifests in the Primordial Underworld, the endless wandering spirits between heaven and earth could all reincarnate on their own.

Thinking of this, Houtu could not help but feel a burst of excitement in her heart.

"Dao Brother is far-sighted; Houtu is not as good." Houtu did not know the root cause and just assumed that Tian Yuan had arranged for Hou to enter the Wangchuan River long ago just for this day.

Tian Yuan, listening, smiled and said softly: "Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. It is just a coincidence; besides, this Wangchuan River is not simple."

To say nothing else, just looking at the scene before him, Tian Yuan felt it was filled with oddities.

He had just thought that these vengeful spirits were all actively attracted by Hou to be used for his breakthrough, but it was clearly to stop Hou.

They emerged from the entire Wangchuan River, crazily biting at Hou's physical body, and even attempted to burrow into his body.

However, Fierce Beast Hou was a creature evolved from the bone on Pangu's forehead, its physical body not inferior to an Ancestral Witch, so it had no fear of these vengeful spirits at all.

On the contrary, the energy within these vengeful spirits instead fulfilled the needs of Hou, who was on the verge of a breakthrough.

"Brother, are you referring to those strange wills?" Houtu nodded slightly, her brow furrowed with doubt.

From the first time she saw the Wangchuan River to her current Proving the Dao to Hunyuan, Houtu had always been able to sense the will shrouding the Wangchuan River.

This made Houtu think of the chaotic, frenzied Free-roaming Will in the firmament.

Within the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, only these wills were beyond Tian Yuan's control.

Without waiting for Tian Yuan to reply, Houtu continued, "Perhaps once Hou breaks through, we will know."

Insight into the secrets of the Wangchuan River might allow the Wangchuan River to manifest in the Underworld.

Tian Yuan did not speak, but stared unblinkingly at the burly figure of Hou in the distance, his eyes devoid of worry.

Although these vengeful spirits were numerous, they could not shake Fierce Beast Hou at all. Roar! With a heaven-shaking roar, the many vengeful spirits that had gathered frantically were all shattered.

They turned into a sky full of resentment and deathly aura, which Hou swallowed in one gulp.

Yet, the vengeful spirits emerging from the Wangchuan River showed no signs of decreasing; they came one after another like moths to a flame.

Finally, amidst a violent aura, a powerful ripple swept outward.

Fierce Beast Hou had broken through, successfully Proving the Dao to Hunyuan and achieving the status of a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal.

The frenzied, violent aura and the surging pressure made even Tian Yuan glance over slightly.

Following Hou's breakthrough, the many vengeful spirits that had been rushing over from all directions froze in mid-air, then turned and fled frantically.

And the blood-red water of the Wangchuan River, already churning due to Hou's breakthrough, boiled completely.

Amidst the blood-colored waves, white bones rolled and corpses floated; the Wangchuan River, hanging across the void, emitted tangible deathly aura and resentment.

Standing proudly in the air, Hou lowered its head slightly, a low roar echoing in its throat.

Piercing screams filled the entire void, and all the visible vengeful spirits were shattered.

Having done this, Hou opened its mouth slightly, and the endless energy transformed from the vengeful spirits poured into its mouth.

Tian Yuan did not pay attention to Hou, but cast his gaze into the distance, where he vaguely seemed to see the end of the Wangchuan River.

"Brother, up ahead!" Houtu also noticed it, looking at the horizon in surprise.

Before the two could look closely, black light surged before them, and a Hou that had shrunk countless times landed in front of Tian Yuan.

It lowered its head slightly and walked quietly to Tian Yuan's side, no longer as ferocious as before, looking somewhat harmless to humans and animals.

Seeing this, Tian Yuan patted the other's head and said softly, "Let's go! Let's go see the end of the Wangchuan River!"

He was very satisfied with Hou's reaction.

He had been slightly worried in his heart just now that this fellow might have other ulterior motives after breaking through, but he did not expect it to remain the same as before.

Tian Yuan did not know if this was Hou's style of conduct or if it still held fear of him in its heart.

However, Tian Yuan did not care about this; when he forcibly subdued Hou back then, it was only because he saw that the other had extraordinary origins and should not perish in the Primordial World due to its nature.

And the result was just as he had thought; the Wangchuan River was inextricably linked to Hou.

Although he had taken it as a mount, in the eyes of the current Tian Yuan, Hou was no different from Zhenyuanzi and the others.

Their mission was to benefit this world and bring blessings to all living beings in the Primordial World.

After speaking, Tian Yuan leaped up, with Hou following closely behind, and they fled toward the end of the Wangchuan River.

Houtu, who immediately followed, looked at Fierce Beast Hou with curious eyes.

She naturally knew a lot about this one's fierce reputation; it was one thing to have submitted to Tian Yuan earlier, but now that it had achieved the status of a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, it was still so respectful to Tian Yuan.

The thick deathly aura and resentment on Hou just now were enough to explain the other's relationship with the Wangchuan River.

With this reliance, plus a cultivation realm not weaker than Tian Yuan's, how could this not surprise Houtu?

Not to mention the violent and frenzied Fierce Beast Hou, even if it were other ordinary living beings, they probably would not be so obedient anymore.

Beyond her surprise, Houtu felt even more admiration for Tian Yuan in her heart.

In the entire Primordial World, perhaps only a figure like Tian Yuan could possess such charisma.

This was not only because of Tian Yuan's strength, but also because of the other's unremitting efforts to benefit the Primordial World.

Thinking about it carefully, everything seemed to become reasonable again.

Hou had completely broken through, but the Wangchuan River beneath them had not calmed down; there were still rolling blood waves surging, splashing blood flowers a hundred feet high.

Hou, following by the side, would open its mouth to inhale from time to time, and vengeful spirits would scream as they disappeared into its mouth.

While flying, Tian Yuan asked about the Wangchuan River, but to Tian Yuan's surprise, Hou did not know much either.

The only thing that could be certain was that the vengeful spirits in the Wangchuan River did not want it to break through.

Moreover, as Hou Proved the Dao to Hunyuan, the will shrouding the Wangchuan River had been weakened a lot.

The end that met his eyes was further than Tian Yuan had imagined; the length of the Wangchuan River was somewhat unexpected.

In the silent void, there was only the rumbling sound coming from the roaring and howling Wangchuan River.

There was no abnormality like the last time they went to the Main Vein in the north; they just kept flying through the void along the Wangchuan River.

Finally, the two saw the end of the Wangchuan River clearly, and their eyes were filled with surprise.

"Chaos! The Wangchuan River actually connects to the Chaos Sea?" The Hou beside them could not help but shout as well.

Tian Yuan and Houtu did not speak, but only quickened their pace.

The two and the beast descended from the air and stood at the end of the Wangchuan River.

There, Earth Wind Water Fire surged and Chaos lightning raged, and at the source, they clearly felt a dense will shrouding it.

Tian Yuan and Houtu looked at each other, their expressions both exceptionally solemn.

The key to the Wangchuan River connecting to Chaos was because of that thick will, and it was also because of this will that their investigation of the Wangchuan River was blocked.

The Wangchuan River had indeed been plotted against, and the only one in the entire world capable of such a feat was that person in the Purple Heaven Palace.

The Hou beside them also noticed it and said in a low voice, "This will is somewhat strange; I will go and swallow them."

He had always felt the Wangchuan River was strange, but due to his Essence Refining Stage, he could not understand why; now, he finally understood.

After speaking, he raised his head to look at Tian Yuan, seeing that the other party did not object.

His figure leaping out, Hou opened his mouth and bit toward the coiled will.

Tian Yuan and Houtu only took one look before their gazes turned solemnly toward the depths of Chaos.

The Nether Blood Sea had been refined by Houtu, and now the will of the Wangchuan River was also being devoured by Hou; the two were indeed somewhat worried about that person in Purple Heaven Palace.

Having Proved the Dao to Hunyuan, Hou had clearly become extraordinary; those entangled wills were constantly diminishing within his bloody maw.

And within the distant Chaos Sea, it remained completely silent.

After a long time, as the last wisp of will faded, there was still not a single movement from the depths of the Chaos Sea.

Withdrawing his gaze, Tian Yuan felt a sense of relief in his heart, yet a trace of regret flashed in his eyes.

There were simply too many legends about Hongjun; while Tian Yuan was wary of him, he also felt a slight yearning.

After Proving the Dao to Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, no one on the Primordial Land was his match; only this Dao Ancestor in Purple Heaven Palace remained.

As Tian Yuan was thinking this, he saw the Wangchuan River beneath him shake, and then, amidst a rumbling sound, it shrank toward the void.

Because the will at the connection point had vanished, the Wangchuan River broke away from the Chaos Sea.

"Let's go!"

Taking one last deep look at the depths of Chaos, Tian Yuan pursued the shrinking Wangchuan River.

Houtu and Hou, who were beside him, did not fall behind either, and in a blink, they vanished into Chaos along with the Wangchuan River.

(End of this chapter)