Human strength inevitably has its limits, and this saying not only describes Zhang Chen but also every cultivator under the overwhelming forces of great trends.
From Tier Twelve Divine Beings to the common masses, everyone is swept up by these great trends.
Even though Bai Cang is a military advisor and the Grand Steward overseeing numerous armies, he cannot defy the great trend of the Demon Race. If he dared to act wilfully and instructed all demon beasts not to eat humans, he would likely be torn to shreds by various demon races in an instant, causing the mighty Demon Race to collapse and fall apart.
Everyone fights to the death, risking their lives to battle the Human Race with you, and you do not let them reap the rewards? Who would still follow you then? Why would anyone risk their lives? You’d probably be considered a traitor of the Demon Race!
Since ancient times, demons have eaten humans, demons have eaten demons, and humans have killed demons. This is the natural order, and even a Tier Twelve Divine Being wouldn’t dare to defy it; otherwise, the demon race beneath them would fall apart, and even a Tier Twelve Divine Being couldn’t withstand the backlash.
Thus, Zhang Chen had no choice but to agree with Bai Cang’s words, watching Bai Cang’s Yin Spirit depart, leaving Zhang Chen silently gazing at the mountain full of corpses.
After a long while, Zhang Chen sighed deeply: "Human power is so insignificant in the face of the vast forces of Heaven and Earth! Even though I have mastered Divine Techniques, I can only slightly influence the course of events."
As for merit?
No merit descended!
The lives of billions are just a cycle of reincarnation relative to Heaven and Earth, and their rise and fall have no impact on Heaven and Earth.
Zhang Chen descended the mountain, looking at the still unconscious old eunuch. He conjured the Beast Taming Technique in his mind to capture a wild horse, then placed the old eunuch on it, treading through the mud.
"It’s time to leave the Northern Land. Once the floods in the Northern Land are all regulated, I will lose the support of the river’s water, and it will be challenging to discreetly leave the Northern Land," Zhang Chen contemplated, planning to leave the Northern Land.
Now that he has found Dugu Qiu, how far can the Tree of Life Coffin be?
"However, Dugu Qiu is a Ninth Tier strongman and possesses the mystery of the Twelfth Tier. If he becomes aware of the Golden Core’s properties and develops inappropriate intentions towards me, I must guard against him. Moreover, Dugu Qiu is a person of the court and loyal to the Great Victory Royal Family. I am now a criminal, and if in the future Dugu Qiu accepts orders from the Great Victory Royal Family to kill me, won’t my actions today be nurturing a viper?" Zhang Chen glanced at Dugu Qiu’s body, who was now in a deep sleep state, completely unguarded, making it the best time for Zhang Chen to act.
One must know that while a person may not intend to harm the tiger, the tiger intends to harm the person.
After feeding the Golden Core to this Dugu Qiu, not only will his injuries heal, but his strength will undoubtedly take a significant leap, potentially causing me big trouble down the road.
Currently, Dugu Qiu’s state is akin to the past state of Demon King Zhao Lie, no, even worse than Demon King Zhao Lie back then. He has completely fallen into a state of slumber, oblivious to the external world, and his internal injuries are severe, making it the perfect opportunity for Zhang Chen to act.
With the ten years of cultivation Zhang Chen spent at the Five Villages Temple, coupled with the reinforcement of the Six-Word True Mantra Seal within Chengyu’s soul in the real world, Zhang Chen’s understanding of the Tathagata’s Original Vow Curse has reached an exceptionally profound state.
Especially as the Six-Word True Mantra Original Vow Curse in Chengyu’s mind constantly absorbs the Power of Faith, the Six-Word True Mantra Seal has taken on a tangible form under the vast supply of faith from the Yellow Heaven Dao.
Looking at Dugu Qiu, Zhang Chen recited the True Words, and then as the Six-Word Mantra was uttered, it transformed into a Calligraphy Guide, piercing towards the center of Dugu Qiu’s brow.
The full name of the Six-Word True Mantra Seal is the Tathagata’s Original Vow Curse.
This curse represents the blessings of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the heavens. It is the supreme Wonderful Technique of the Buddhist sect, where suppression is just a minor function. Its true purpose is to assist in cultivation, granting the blessings and fortifications of the gods and Buddhas of the heavens. Dugu Qiu, being in a severely injured state and having his Essence, Qi, and Spirit seriously damaged, realized he needed the blessings of the gods and Buddhas of the heavens. The Six-Word True Mantra Seal is highly beneficial for him; thus, he instinctively accepted the blessing of the Six-Word True Mantra Seal without any resistance.
The Judgement over there didn’t sense any crisis, allowing Zhang Chen to proceed without hindrance. Seeing Dugu Qiu accept and fully merge with the Six-Word True Mantra Seal, Zhang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I’ve gained a huge advantage this time. Otherwise, trying to ordain the Six-Word True Mantra Seal on a Yang God level master would indeed be impossible! However, now that Dugu Qiu has gained the blessing of the Six-Word True Mantra Seal, his future prospects are limitless, with even the hope of reaching the Twelfth Tier."
It can also be considered a chess piece that I secretly laid down. In the event of a mishap in the future, I could have the Blood God Child devour him, transforming him into nourishment for the Blood God Child, allowing the Blood God Child to take his place.
Zhang Chen completed his plans and relaxed, glancing at the Judgement before setting off again.
Finding a place with river water, Zhang Chen constructed an Ice Ship to carry Dugu Qiu’s body away. Half a day after the Ice Ship set sail, the unconscious Dugu Qiu opened his eyes.
Dugu Qiu battled Hu Li the Immortal for thousands of rounds. Hu Li, having gained immense Great Creation, reshaped his bloodline foundation and surprisingly awakened ancient blood, falling from the Tenth Tier and rebuilding his sinews and bones. Although his strength fell short of Tier Twelve, he mastered Sound Wave Divine Techniques, making him even more difficult to contend with. Lacking the Tree of Life Coffin by his side for continuous supply, he was ultimately forced to burn Essence, Qi, and Spirit to wield Tier Twelve Mysterious Power, unleashing a world-shattering attack before seizing the opportunity to escape.
Yet, Hu Li the Immortal, hit by his own Tier Twelve Mysterious Power, would not fare well either; this round was a draw.
As Dugu Qiu regained his senses and opened his eyes, he saw a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy with a delicate face and wearing coarse linen clothing, who was scrutinizing the Mysterious Judgement in his hands.
Without speaking, Dugu Qiu discreetly sensed the condition of his own body, and next, surprise flickered in his eyes as he felt a powerful Vitality burst forth within him, mending his damaged organs and even tempering his sinews and bones, causing his cultivation to accelerate significantly.
In his stomach, there was still half a digested Elixir Pill releasing a continuous stream of medicinal power, tempering his sinews and bones.
"This pill... can actually enhance my cultivation, allowing me to quickly transform from the Ninth Tier to the Tenth Tier; it’s truly incredible." Dugu Qiu closed his eyes to sense the pill in his abdomen, his eyes filled with disbelief, unable to comprehend that such Divine Medicine existed in the world.
"I was able to awaken quickly, and even my injuries have greatly improved, all thanks to the power of this Elixir Pill. If I can completely digest the pill in my abdomen, my entire skeletal structure will surely transform into Jade Bones, stepping into the Half-Step Tenth Tier. What is the origin of this pill, with such Creation?" Dugu Qiu pondered with no recollection of such extraordinary pills existing in the world, nor could he remember who gave him such a precious Elixir Pill.
Dugu Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at Zhang Chen with a contemplative look, watching the river water recede on both sides, harboring a suspicion: "Could the pill in my abdomen be related to this boy?"
Hence Dugu Qiu spoke, "Do you like this spear very much?"
While examining the Judgement, pondering how to reap unexpected rewards, Zhang Chen was startled by Dugu Qiu’s words, almost dropping the Judgement spear. However, Zhang Chen quickly calmed his mind, seized the Judgement spear, and turned towards Dugu Qiu, seeing his face pale like gold paper but his aura stabilized, and a hint of joy in his eyes. "You’re awake?"
"Did you save me?" Dugu Qiu asked.
"You nearly died; if I hadn’t coincidentally picked up a Golden Core and given it to you, you would certainly not have survived. So, you owe me a life!" Zhang Chen said.
His statement held considerable meaning, revealing two pieces of information: firstly, the Golden Core was picked up by him; secondly, Zhang Chen pointed out his assistance to the other.
Dugu Qiu knew well the value of the Golden Core and looked at the solemn expression of the boy in front of him, his lips curling into a smile, "I owe you a life. I never owe anyone anything; whatever conditions you have, feel free to mention, and I will fulfill them all. Wealth, glory, fame, and advantage, just say the word, and I will not reject even half a syllable."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen shook his head with a pure smile, seemingly genuinely innocent, "Forget it. That Golden Core was hard and unappetizing, and I couldn’t even bite it. If it saved your life, it was well-utilized; no reward is needed since the Golden Core was picked up by me anyway."
"Where did you pick up such Divine Objects?" The mention piqued Dugu Qiu’s interest, prompting him to ask. He recalled the opening of the Immortal Realm, suspecting the Golden Core might have fallen from there, and if so, the chances of finding more were slim without searching thoroughly in the mud.
Zhang Chen responded, "Earlier, a Demon Beast tried to kill me. I skewered it with this spear, and during roasting, I found the Golden Core in its belly. When I saw you were severely injured, barely clinging to life, I figured I’d take a chance and feed you the Golden Core, and surprisingly, you recovered."
Hearing this, Dugu Qiu was momentarily stunned, a sense of disappointment washing over him, realizing that searching for other Golden Cores was merely wishful thinking.
"I have never owed anyone favors in my life. You saved my life, and I benefitted greatly; repaying you is crucial, lest I remain uneasy." With these words, Dugu Qiu sized up Zhang Chen, noticing the boy enveloped in Mysterious Power, the ship crafted from ice, aware that Zhang Chen also wielded Mysterious Power. Estimating families, he asked, "Which family are you from?"
Zhang Chen shook his head: "I’m just an ordinary person."
"If you are merely ordinary, how did you acquire Water Control Power?" Dugu Qiu curiously inquired.
Zhang Chen stated, "Previously in the Northern Land, there was a severe drought. I swallowed a purple light orb and fell asleep; upon waking, I had the ability to control water."