Chapter 676: First Confrontation with Haotian

Yu Liancheng left Taoshan.

He flicked his sleeve, taking with him the peach blossoms covering the mountain.

The next place he went was Zhishou Temple; as one of the Four Unknowable Places, even within the Xiling Divine Palace, few people knew in which deep mountain that Taoist temple was located.

But those who had entered the Xiling Divine Palace knew that Zhishou Temple was not far from Taoshan, separated by several precipitous mountain peaks. When the weather was clear, one could even see the Divine Palace under the sunlight from within Zhishou Temple.

Yu Liancheng withdrew his gaze from the direction of the Divine Palace and looked at the Taoist gate before him, which appeared even somewhat crude.

Zhishou Temple was an Unknowable Place of the Dao Sect, so naturally, it could not be as crude as its exterior suggested.

It was just that when Zhishou Temple did not wish to be open to the outside, almost no one could enter or leave at will.

Xiong Chumo had told Yu Liancheng that the method to enter Zhishou Temple was "seven in, thirteen out."

There were a total of six stone steps in front of the temple.

Yu Liancheng walked to the stone steps, turned around, and walked backward up the six stone steps, then down the six stone steps, and then turned around again to walk backward up seven steps.

The stone steps in front of the temple were only six levels; after walking backward seven steps, his back should have hit the wooden door, yet he hit nothing at all, because he had already entered Zhishou Temple.

To know its male, to guard its female—that is Zhishou Temple.

To know its advance, to guard its retreat, to use retreat as an advance—only then can one enter Zhishou Temple.

Seven in, thirteen out—that is what this means.

"You arrived faster than I imagined."

A middle-aged Taoist had already been waiting in Zhishou Temple for a long time, his face gentle, his tone calm, as if he had met an old friend he had not seen for many days.

"Heh, is your injury healed?"

Yu Liancheng was not surprised, as if he had long known this middle-aged Taoist would be waiting for him here.

Not long ago, it was this middle-aged Taoist who had peered into Yu Liancheng's cultivation through the Ming Scroll, and was subsequently wounded by a terrifying Sword Intent of his.

The middle-aged Taoist sighed and raised his right hand; on it was a sword wound that bled incessantly. Although after several days of recuperation it no longer pained him to the marrow or gushed blood like a spring, the wound refused to heal, and fresh blood continued to flow. If he were not a Daxingzhe above the Five Realms himself, he would have long since bled to death.

From this sword wound, he felt a type of Sword Intent named "death."

The wound sliced by this Sword Intent was already "dead"; perhaps only the great Haotian could bring "dead" things back to life.

"Sun sets, sand brightens, heaven opens; waves rock, stones move, water circles," Yu Liancheng said calmly. "You should know why I have come, and you should also know that you are no match for me, so your most rational choice now is: a good dog does not block the way."

"True, the single Sword Intent you unleashed while in Southern Jin left me severely wounded. Now that we meet face to face, I am naturally no match for you; you are even more terrifying than the world imagines. I should have handed over the Heavenly Books. But unfortunately..." the middle-aged Taoist sighed leisurely, "I am not the Master of Zhishou Temple; my Senior Brother is the Master of Zhishou Temple, and he does not allow me to hand the Heavenly Books to you at will."

Yu Liancheng sneered: "In the past, Fuzi went up Taoshan and cut down all the peach blossoms; the Master was beaten like a stray dog and has not dared to set foot on land since. The experts of your Zhishou Temple have also withered and been crippled. Do you really think you alone can stop me? That is wishful thinking."

"I indeed cannot stop you, but do not forget that in this Zhishou Temple, besides a useless middle-aged Taoist like me, there is also... the Heavenly Books."

As he spoke, the middle-aged Taoist flicked his sleeve, and a scroll floated in mid-air; on the pitch-black cover was the character "Sha."

—The Sha Scroll of the Seven Volumes of Heavenly Books.

The reason this Heavenly Book was called the Sha Scroll was that it recorded countless cultivation methods—some exquisite and indescribable, some from wild sects, some the divine mysteries of the Haotian Dao Sect, some the various laws of the Buddha Sect, and even the most mysterious and evil techniques of the Demon Sect; they were as numerous as the sands of the river, impossible to count.

This Heavenly Book recorded almost all the cultivation techniques in the world. Whether in terms of the vastness of the collection or the quality of the techniques, only Shuyuan Houshan could rival it. As for the famous Qinghe County Library, it was not even qualified to be compared with the two.

A look of regret appeared on the middle-aged Taoist's face. With a wave of his sleeve, the most sacred Heavenly Book of the Dao Sect began to dissolve in the wind, turning into countless millions of tiny specks of dust.

Immediately after, the second page of the Sha Scroll also turned entirely into sand, then the third page, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Page after page of the Heavenly Book turned into sand, condensing into billions of grains, becoming a river of sand that rushed from the middle-aged Taoist's hand toward the firmament. In the deepest part of the firmament, it received an indescribable, profound meaning, and then roared toward Yu Liancheng.

The Sha Scroll of the Heavenly Books recorded almost all the techniques of the Haotian cultivation world; this was by no means something achieved by human power. Aside from the collection of the Dao Sect, it came mostly from the divine power of Haotian.

Today, the Sha Scroll turned into countless grains of sand; the ink characters recording the techniques melted on the paper, then dissipated, then turned into the finest particles, each grain seemingly possessing the power of a technique.

Billions of grains of sand meant billions of techniques, surging toward Yu Liancheng; this was by no means something human power could withstand, and it could even crush a small nation.

"Interesting." Yu Liancheng chuckled and suddenly spread his arms, as if to embrace the world. Nine extremely powerful auras erupted from his body, shooting straight into the clouds.

The middle-aged Taoist's face showed astonishment. In his perception, these nine auras were manifestations of techniques completely different from the Haotian world, and each technique seemed to point directly to the Dao. Even the most brilliant techniques in the Sha Scroll could not compare to them at all; they were truly supreme techniques.

Those billions of grains of sand could not even get close to him at this moment; before these Gui Cang Nine Paths, they were truly just dust.

Boom!

The next moment, something even more unexpected to the middle-aged Taoist happened.

Yu Liancheng pulled his hands back, top and bottom meeting, palms facing each other. As he did this, the nine extremely powerful auras began to contract and squeeze, collapsing toward the center one by one. Finally, the nine merged into one, manifesting behind Yu Liancheng as a pitch-black, ink-like existence resembling a black hole, emitting endless suction, devouring the surrounding energy, light, and... sand.

The sand grains turned from the "Sha Scroll" were all swallowed into this black hole.

The Gui Cang Nine Paths were originally formed by Yu Liancheng incorporating the divine arts and techniques of many worlds; any technique could be contained and absorbed, becoming its foundation and pillar.

And the middle-aged Taoist had turned the "Sha Scroll," which recorded countless techniques, into sand; these grains were essentially the concrete embodiment of those techniques. Yu Liancheng was not polite, using the Gui Cang Nine Paths to absorb the entire Sha Scroll. Perhaps he could not consume it in a short time, but as long as he was given time, he could turn it into resources for further advancement.

"This... this..."

The middle-aged Taoist's face was filled with disbelief.

Ever since the Master Chen Mou was defeated by Fuzi and could not set foot on land, he had been in charge of Zhishou Temple; his cultivation and insight were among the best in the world.

But the scene before him still made his jaw almost drop; it was incredible to the extreme.

Watching more and more sand grains being swallowed, the middle-aged Taoist finally gritted his teeth and waved his sleeve.

The Heavenly Book Ri Scroll, the Heavenly Book Luo Scroll, the Heavenly Book Dao Scroll, and the Heavenly Book Kai Scroll appeared one after another.

There were seven volumes of Heavenly Books in total: Ri, Luo, Sha, Ming, Tian, Dao, and Kai.

Among them, the Ming Scroll had followed the Great Divine Official of Light to the Wilderness a thousand years ago to establish the Demon Sect, and its whereabouts were never found again.

The Tian Scroll had been taken away by the Master yesterday.

The remaining five volumes of Heavenly Books were all here.

As the middle-aged Taoist channeled his Mind Power, the other four volumes of Heavenly Books also began to annihilate page by page, starting from the end of the cover, turning into the finest particles and drifting toward Yu Liancheng.

As the five volumes of Heavenly Books annihilated page by page, the middle-aged Taoist felt extreme heartache. As a devout believer of Haotian, destroying the most precious classics of the Dao Sect with his own hands brought an unspeakable sense of sin upon him.

The five volumes of Heavenly Books represented five different powers and rules; at this moment, they all converged toward Yu Liancheng.

Boom!

Boom-boom!

Suddenly, the area where Yu Liancheng was located was enveloped by a chaotic and formless power.

Under this kind of power, even a powerhouse like the Temple Master would likely find it difficult to take a single step. In the world of Haotian, the only person capable of walking within such a blockade of rules was Fuzi from the Academy, that peerless powerhouse who once ascended Taoshan, cut down all the Peach Blossom, and with his own strength, heavily wounded the Temple Master, the Peak Master of the Scripture Hall, and others.

"Hey, hey, hey, you dead Daoist, this Heavenly Book is already in my pocket; if you dare to damage it any further, I will beat you into a pig's head."

Boom!

Yu Liancheng took a step forward, forcibly breaking free from the restraints of the five volumes of the Heavenly Book. Crack, crack, crack! Countless interwoven black cracks appeared in the void, resembling black chains, but they could no longer stop his footsteps; he advanced step by step, and with every step he took, new black cracks were born in the void, and the entire area seemed to turn into chaos.

"He can actually walk within the blockade of the Heavenly Book?" The middle-aged Daoist frowned, shocked beyond measure.

This is the world of Haotian; besides that old immortal Fuzi who has lived for a thousand years, and the already deceased Buddha, could there really be someone else capable of resisting the will of Haotian?

One must know that even Ke Haoran, who was once arrogant and truly invincible in the human world, still died under Heaven's Punishment, did he not?

Boom!

Rumble!

The five volumes of the Heavenly Book could not trap Yu Liancheng at all, yet under the guidance of the five volumes, Haotian once again sensed the aura of that outsider from ten years ago.

This outsider was becoming increasingly powerful, even completely ignoring its will.

Thus, Haotian was enraged.

A mass of chaotic and majestic malice swept in from all directions between heaven and earth.

A series of thunderclaps resounded through the world; in the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered overhead, countless bolts of lightning exploded, and snakes of electricity intertwined, pouring down toward Yu Liancheng like a glowing waterfall. Gale winds blew between heaven and earth; this kind of gale possessed unimaginable power, not only capable of cutting through gold and iron, but even capable of destroying the soul. The ground collapsed continuously, and magma surged from the collapsed earth.

A scene of the apocalypse.

Dense talisman light emerged throughout the entire Zhishou Temple; if not for the protection and reinforcement of these talisman lights, the entire Zhishou Temple would likely have been shattered and destroyed in the confrontation between Yu Liancheng and Haotian, turning into ruins.

The middle-aged Daoist was filled with fear and anxiety.

He had never imagined that there would be such an apocalyptic scene before his eyes.

Looking at Yu Liancheng, who was getting closer, his figure was not particularly tall, yet he gave people an incomparably imposing feeling.

The middle-aged Daoist saw four words on Yu Liancheng, four words that were extremely blasphemous to Haotian.

——Heaven and Earth are useless.

Yu Liancheng was using the small world formed by the Gui Cang Nine Paths to confront this great world of Haotian.

Although Haotian only applied a portion of its laws and power upon him, it was still terrifying to the extreme. The so-called "man can conquer heaven" is merely because Heaven has not yet truly revealed its power.

Under this terrifying pressure, Yu Liancheng still stepped forward one step at a time, walking firmly toward the middle-aged Daoist.

The middle-aged Daoist felt panic, and a terrifying aura completely submerged him. He wanted to flee, but Yu Liancheng reached out his palm and grabbed casually; the Sword Heart Purgatory of Sword Two-Three enveloped the middle-aged Daoist, and he instantly became unable to move, unable to even perform a simple action like blinking.

The laws of heaven and earth became increasingly terrifying, and Yu Liancheng finally arrived in front of the middle-aged Daoist.

He slowly pushed out a punch; the fist was heavy as a mountain, and the fist was high as the sky.

Boom!

An earth-shattering roar sounded; the middle-aged Daoist was blasted away, dragging a long trail on the ground, crashing into the lake water deep within Zhishou Temple; the entire lake surged with waves, water jets exploded, and the lake water churned violently. The middle-aged Daoist's momentum remained unabated, and he finally smashed into a thatched cottage originally used to store the Heavenly Book.

The runes in the thatched cottage were the most complex and the most solid in the entire Zhishou Temple.

But under the impact of the middle-aged Daoist, it was forcibly collapsed; mud and stone fell, and the gold-and-jade-like thatch fell to the ground with a rustle, turning into the most ordinary thatch.

Without the control of the middle-aged Daoist, the five volumes of the Heavenly Book finally stopped annihilating and fell down with a rustle, but were scooped into his sleeve by Yu Liancheng with one hand.

And without the guidance of the five volumes of the Heavenly Book, coupled with the Xuanji Dao confusing the heavenly secrets, Haotian lost its perception of Yu Liancheng, and the Heavenly Might finally gradually dissipated.

Only the dark clouds in the sky did not disperse for a long time, and the thunder continued to emit muffled sounds, as if Haotian's lingering anger had not yet subsided.

After a round of Heavenly Punishment, Yu Liancheng's state was also quite disheveled; his clothes were torn, his acupuncture points were burst open all over his body, and blood surged out. But before that blood could hit the ground, everything began to rewind, and the acupuncture points regenerated.

"Heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs."

Yu Liancheng looked up, gazing faintly at the firmament, his eyes flickering: "A Heavenly Dao that has developed self-awareness, is that still a good Heavenly Dao?"

Then, he lowered his head again, as if piercing through countless miles away, seeing an island in the far southeast.

On the island, there was a thin, small Daoist in green clothes, standing on a high reef.

The terrifying giant waves kept crashing against the base of the reef, the sound like thunder, the island rock trembling, but he was completely unaware.

The green-clad Daoist looked quietly into the depths of the ocean, watching the sky-high hot mist evaporated by the submarine volcanic magma there.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something, turned his head to look at the distant, invisible land, and across thousands of miles of distance, his gaze clashed with Yu Liancheng's.

The green-clad Daoist's appearance was very ordinary, and his name was also very ordinary; he was called Chen Mou.

He is the Master of Zhishou Temple; many years ago, he was forced to the South Sea by Fuzi with a single staff, and never dared to set foot on land again.

Yu Liancheng stretched out his fist, raised it high, and then slowly raised his middle finger, giving a friendly gesture to the green-clad Daoist and the dark Haotian, before disappearing.

……

……

Ever since the Caijuedashengonguan came out of the mountains, he had been the focus of the world's attention.

Everyone could foresee that the Demon Sect expert called 'Yu Liancheng' would die without a burial place.

And the Caijuedashengonguan would also take the opportunity to launch a slaughter in the world, carrying out a bloody purge to further consolidate the majesty of the Xiling Divine Palace.

But the subsequent development was completely unexpected; that Demon Sect expert named Yu Liancheng actually killed the Caijuedashengonguan, and the group of Divine Palace personnel who were following the Caijuedashengonguan at the time also suffered heavy casualties, with less than one in ten surviving.

This was enough to cause an uproar in the world, and then something even more unexpected happened: that Yu Liancheng actually went to Taoshan alone.

Although the subsequent news was blocked by the Xiling Divine Palace, there were simply too many people who witnessed it at the time, so it was inevitable that some news would leak out. Coupled with the fact that there was not a single Peach Blossom on Taoshan, it made people discuss it even more.

Haotian is the only true God in the world; once this matter came out, I don't know how many devout believers cried until they went blind.

The last time this kind of thing happened was decades ago, when Fuzi cut down all the Peach Blossom on the mountain.

Does this mean that this Demon Sect powerhouse already has cultivation close to Fuzi?

And if the Demon Sect really had such a powerhouse, why were they wiped out in the first place?

Of course, there were also quite a few people gloating.

Except for the Wild People of the Demon Sect, even the Tang people were believers of Haotian.

It is just that while many people maintain their faith in Haotian, they are filled with disgust for the corrupt Xiling Divine Palace.

Of those Red-robed Divine Officials stationed all over the world, how many are not high and mighty? They enjoy the riches of the human world and wantonly whip the common masses.

The sensation caused by this matter was truly too great; even though that powerhouse named Yu Liancheng did not show his face for a period of time afterward, he remained the most discussed topic in casual conversation.

……

Xiling, Taoshan.

Because of Yu Liancheng's entry into the mountain, the prestige of the Xiling Divine Palace has greatly diminished, so the number of believers coming to worship has decreased significantly, yet the quantity remains quite considerable, each one carrying an expression of piety and fanaticism.

In the black Judgment Divine Palace, the 'Dao Idiot' Ye Hongyu stepped into the divine palace.

Her complexion was slightly pale, as if her serious injuries had not yet healed, and her gait appeared somewhat unsteady, yet she gave people a feeling of unwavering determination.

In the once solemn Judgment Divine Palace, there was a scene of clamor. From time to time, one could hear a vulgar curse or two, with everyone arguing in a mess.

The Caijuedashengonguan is dead, so naturally, a new Great Divine Official must be chosen.

But at present, Taoshan is in a state of total chaos, and even the Headmaster is seriously injured and in seclusion, so this Ruling Divine Seat is difficult to fill for the time being, as everyone wants to sit in that position.

The Dao Idiot Ye Hongyu walked step by step toward the black jade God Seat behind the curtain, her blood-red Dao robes drifting slowly across the smooth black floor, catching everyone's eyes.

People's gazes gradually gathered on this former Great Secretary, their expressions complex, and they gradually quieted down.

A Divine Official of the Judgment Division stood by a stone pillar and shouted coldly: "Presumptuous! Ye Hongyu, how could you covet the position of the God Seat? Even if you were once the Great Secretary, you are now nothing more than a wounded person; retreat at once."

Another Judgment Division Divine Official shouted in a rage: "Presumptuous!"

More Divine Officials surged out, their red clerical robes rolling like blood across the vast black floor, then gathering into a sea of blood, while angry and cold shouts rang out incessantly: "Presumptuous!"

A small number of Divine Officials who had survived the battle to crusade against Yu Liancheng kept their heads lowered, motionless. Yet they seemed incomparably respectful, as if welcoming their new Great Divine Official.

The thunderous roar did not cause the slightest change in Ye Hongyu's expression; she remained as calm and indifferent as ever, the distance of every step exactly the same.

Not until a Divine Official with great ambition for the Ruling Divine Seat reached out to grab Ye Hongyu did she part her red lips and let out a cold shout.

"Presumptuous!"

A sword light flashed.

And so, that presumptuous Divine Official was slashed into two halves.

One by one, the Divine Officials blocking her path were slashed into two halves.

Stepping over blood and corpses, Ye Hongyu lifted the curtain and sat upon the black jade God Seat.

Outside the divine palace, apart from piles of corpses, were figures kneeling and trembling.

The Judgment Divine Palace acts on behalf of Haotian to punish the world, upholding the rule that 'strength represents everything'; as long as one is strong enough, one can possess all power.

The Divine Officials thought Ye Hongyu was seriously injured, so they could bully her at will.

But they did not expect that Ye Hongyu's injuries had already mostly healed, and that she had realized a stronger Sword Dao from the two sword marks.

She had become even stronger, strong enough to bully everyone, strong enough to sit upon the black jade God Seat.

Now, she sat upon the black jade God Seat, not looking at the group of kneeling, shivering Divine Officials, but looking toward the white, holy palace, her gaze icy cold.

"Xiong Chumo..."

Ye Hongyu coldly spat out the three words, her crimson corners of the mouth curling into a cold and beautiful smile, like a blooming poppy.

Headmaster Xiong Chumo is seriously injured and in seclusion.

Ye Hongyu knew that the reason Mr. Yu did not kill Xiong Chumo was by no means because he feared the Haotian Taoist Temple behind the Xiling Divine Palace, but to let her do it herself.

With the Master being so generous, how could she let the Master down?

……

PS: 5600 words, big chapter, requesting monthly votes.