Standing before the barrier, Zhang Chen gazed into the world beyond, inexplicably drawn by a lethal attraction emanating from within, yearning to shatter the obstacle and plunge into the creation beyond.
"Bang~"
With a punch, Zhang Chen struck out, yet not even a ripple disturbed the surface, the light on the barrier absorbing his attack effortlessly.
Now, standing on the outside, Zhang Chen’s gaze bore into the barrier, eyes heavy with burden.
"I’ve reached the barrier, yet I can’t enter. Why is that?" Zhang Chen pondered, eyes filled with thought, "The first possibility is that my mental realm isn’t sufficient. The second is that my soul power is lacking, unable to tear through the barrier in front."
"Of these two guesses, surely there’s an unmet condition unknown to me. But what could it be?" Zhang Chen mused, eyes tinged with contemplation.
"This shouldn’t be happening!" Zhang Chen stood before the barrier, noticing that even while merely standing, his soul power was still draining.
Seeing no breakthrough past the barrier, Zhang Chen could only return his spirit to his body and summon the Fox Spirit.
"Why summon me?" the Fox Spirit drawled lazily.
Zhang Chen recounted his experiences in the dark void, then turned to the Fox Spirit, "Did the Ancient Saints experience something similar? Reaching the barrier but unable to penetrate it?"
Fox Fairy Nannan frowned, her playful demeanor vanished; the implications within the spiritual realm were too critical, affecting her future interests, should Zhang Chen penetrate it, she would surely benefit.
"This shouldn’t be!" The Fox Spirit murmured thoughtfully, "The Ancient Saints mentioned reaching that place through mental means, without noting oddities or barriers."
Suspicion arose in Zhang Chen’s mind, his thought forming a hypothesis, "Could it be that the Ancient Saints reached that void through sheer mental prowess into the First Layer of the Spiritual World, whereas I needed external force?"
Aside from this explanation, he could find no other reason.
After thinking for a long time, Zhang Chen took a breath and temporarily abandoned the problem, opting instead to practice martial arts indoors, honing his muscles, seeking skills for utilizing arm strength.
Unfortunately, the afternoon yielded no results, so Zhang Chen began practicing calligraphy.
Though challenging, calligraphy wasn’t overly difficult for Zhang Chen, as the principles of writing shared commonality across art forms.
It boiled down to force control, with added finesse, not greatly difficult for Zhang Chen.
Amidst this, barking echoed from the Daoist Temple, growing closer towards his courtyard.
"Hell, these elders aren’t fools, using dogs to find lost food! Lucky I’ve mastered Water Control Technique, or I’d be found out today." Zhang Chen manipulated moisture in the courtyard, cleansing the air with dry air, refreshing all scent traces.
Then a commotion outside revealed dogs entering nearby temples, spotting halved pig bones placed before altars.
"Who did this!"
The Law Enforcement Elder, seeing pig bones on the altar, was enraged, his furious roar shaking the entire temple.
Zhang Chen, brushing his ears, watched as Chengyu, guilty, hurried from upstairs into Zhang Chen’s room: "These elders called hunting dogs to seek clues, simply too much. Our room just stewed meat; the smell can’t be covered. Don’t stand out, I’ll take responsibility!"
Xiaodouding, boldly thumping her chest, exuding a leader’s air.
Amused, Zhang Chen patted Xiaodouding’s head, "Aren’t you afraid of being punished?"
At the mention of punishment, Xiaodouding trembled, ignoring Zhang Chen’s touch, anxiety overwhelming her: "I ate your meat, and I’m still your elder sister. I can’t ask you to take the blame!"
Voicing her fears with courage, Xiaodouding steadied herself, "Don’t worry, I’ll bear this!"
Seeing Xiaodouding’s fear, yet loyalty, Zhang Chen chuckled, "Don’t worry, my handling was clean; even with hunting dogs they won’t trace us."
"Really?" Xiaodouding’s eyes lit up.
Confidently, Zhang Chen nodded, easing Xiaodouding’s nerves enough for her to return to her room, quietly peeking out a crack in the window.
Inside, Zhang Chen cultivated muscle and practiced brush writing until dusk, when Xiaodouding slept, and he opened the door, activating his Dharma Eye to inspect the temple. Nothing unusual, no sign of Incense Qi anomalies.
"Strange." Zhang Chen mused, rubbing his chin, and then transformed into countless bats disappearing into the courtyard, reappearing at the old Yellow River service site.
From afar, the Yellow River site remained crowded, countless officials encircling underground caves, casting ropes to retrieve something.
In the distant forest Zhang Chen appeared, eyes fixing skyward, observing the dispersal of True Dragon Fate, the Dragon Transformation and Walking Flood Dragon structure irrevocably disrupted, the project failed; yet continued presence puzzled him.
The Yellow River bed remained dry, with a sea of officials and porters wielding torches over miles of illuminated riverbed, ceaselessly excavating something.
"Strange!" Unable to comprehend, Zhang Chen considered using Soul Hook to locate Zhang Shicheng’s soul.
Since Zhang Shicheng was marked, regardless of rebirth, he couldn’t escape Zhang Chen’s awareness—yet the risk of exposure loomed...
"Logically, Zhang Shicheng reincarnated, given his tenacity for longevity; besides, he wouldn’t willingly die. But calculating his lifespan—either as a human or a Dragon Seed—was unclear." Zhang Chen contemplated the risk and decided to try, mindful of his bat transformation skill as a last resort.
With this contemplation, Soul Hook materialized, revealing a golden Divine Dragon soaring skyward, displaying Zhang Shicheng’s visage: "Boy, after waiting a month, I knew you’d return to exact vengeance, to track my rebirth and eliminate me, but you won’t have the chance!"
Zhang Shicheng laughed, eyes aglow with menace.
An immense terror engulfed Zhang Chen, fleeing without hesitation, dissolving into bats hidden within the forest.
Capturing Zhang Shicheng’s soul was infeasible; binding him wouldn’t assure elimination nor safety, risking Zhang Shicheng’s ceaseless pursuit.
Thus, Zhang Chen fled instantly!
Ten breaths after fleeing, a sudden lightning cracked the night, a cyan bolt reduced Zhang Chen’s earlier location to rubble, leaving a deep crater.
"Damn, Zhang Shicheng isn’t reincarnating? Does he intend to remain a Wandering Ghost?" Zhang Chen cursed, bat-formed darting through mountains without looking back, renouncing Moonlight absorption.