The river of time, a boundless expanse, flowed ever onward with its enchanting, limpid waves. A single ripple, a fleeting disturbance, could stir countless reflections.

Zhang Linchuan, having observed Lu Yan’s silent, swift departure from the dim ruins of the underground palace, suddenly opened his mouth and expelled a fragment of shattered viscera. His face remained impassive as he produced a fresh handkerchief and meticulously wiped the blood from the corner of his lips.

Had he been truly committed to achieving Dao through slaughter within the doomed Wusheng Sect, he should not have allowed Lu Yan to escape. Yet, Lu Yan was no ordinary Shenlin cultivator. Possessing the innate gift of Mingyan, he was leagues beyond the cultivators from the small Middle-domain sects who, spurred by the Mirror World Platform’s decree, swarmed in search of easy gains.

The state of Jing, eager to curb Qi’s growing influence and assert its dominance in this campaign against evil, naturally sought to personally annihilate the Wusheng Sect. A Shenlin prodigy from Jing’s Litianfu, accompanied by the already terrified Yigui, readily agreed. They mustered a vast host of small sect cultivators, intending to crush the Wusheng Sect like a giant stone upon an egg, like a hawk preying on a rabbit, a veritable hunt across Yanyun Mountain, with eleven Shenlin cultivators amongst them!

After such a battle, it was likely that these small sects would face utter decimation.

Had it not been for the hidden perception he had placed upon Yigui, had it not been for his deliberate desire to confront this very situation, had it not been for the necessity of crafting a tribulation for himself, how could he have possibly afforded such an imbecile as Yigui this opportunity?

The White Bone Sacred Body, painstakingly acquired, was nearly flawless. The reason for stating “nearly” was that this body possessed only four divine abilities, rendering it incapable of reaching the Tianfu realm. It wasn’t that the White Bone Sacred Body lacked the potential; rather, the White Bone Evil God of that era, still bound by the Will of the Present World, had created this physical manifestation for His descent, a raft upon the bitter sea. Heaven’s Will permits no perfection!

This White Bone Sacred Body, forged from Wang Changji’s flesh as its foundation and tempered by the battlefield’s killing qi, harbored latent dangers. These dangers were minuscule, typically without effect, yet at the precipice of ascending the absolute peak, they would determine whether Heaven’s Will would reject him!

Since time immemorial, ascension to the absolute peak had been fraught with peril. In the arduous climb, adding even a single feather felt like shouldering ten thousand jun! Who could possibly carry the rejection of Heaven’s Will to the very summit?

In essence, this body held no hope of attaining Dao. The original White Bone Venerable God could disregard this; His sacred body’s descent could proceed. Zhang Linchuan, however, could not. Without the vision and means surpassing the absolute peak, he couldn’t easily purge this hidden danger. He had only detected this peril after achieving True God status; prior to that, he hadn’t even possessed the qualification to discover it!

His audacious gamble of replacing Lei Zhanqian, of boarding Qi’s mighty vessel, was precisely to leverage the foundation of a hegemonic state to find a safe passage for himself. Indeed, this was the most crucial reason.

Lei Zhanqian, with his unique family background, possessed immense potential within Qi. Zhang Linchuan could indeed utilize Lei Zhanqian’s identity to ascend to a considerable height. However, Lei Zhanqian’s body, no matter how exceptional, could never surpass his own White Bone Sacred Body. And a substituted life could never exceed the original self. If his true body’s cultivation stagnated, the cultivation of the substituted body’s shell would be capped just shy of the corresponding realm.

Therefore, finding a means to safely resolve the sacred body’s hidden danger was his paramount desire, for it determined whether he could ultimately achieve Dao.

Of course, Lei Zhanqian’s identity was exceptionally advantageous. Even if that body progressed only to the True Person realm, he was confident he could rely on it to contend for a Nine Cadres Commander position. Such a position, compared to the Wusheng Sect which had swelled to several hundred thousand followers, held far greater practical significance. He could fully utilize the resources of a hegemonic state and single-mindedly pursue Dao.

All his actions in Lushuang County had followed a clear trajectory, each step solid and directed towards his ultimate goal. One might say, every step was well-founded, save for that single, sudden, idle move when he perceived an exceptional opportunity…

He truly hadn’t anticipated that all of it would be ruined by an Inner Mansion realm Blue Card Constable.

Upon confirming that Lei Zhanqian’s fate could no longer be utilized, he immediately pivoted to damage control. Deliberately exposing his identity, inciting Jiang Wang’s emotional turmoil, was solely to plant a seed of evil…

That fatty’s cunning had slightly surprised him. The ferocity of his combat power had also somewhat surprised him. Jiang Wang’s capacity to sow discord, however, far exceeded his imagination. He hadn’t believed Jiang Wang possessed such resolve, such hatred, or could mobilize such resources.

One could only say that no one could calculate all under heaven, especially given the complexity of the human heart.

Since his initial decision to embed himself within Qi, he could fully accept all the ensuing consequences, whether good or ill. His lifespan truncated, his cultivation fallen, the Wusheng Sect he had meticulously built and expanded collapsing overnight—

Originally, one of the methods he had envisioned for himself was to await the Wusheng Sect’s growth to millions or even billions of believers, then utilize the immeasurable power of faith to purify this body, employing “human intent” to mend “Heaven’s Will’s flaw,” and ultimately achieve the Great Dao.

“One Sword Supreme.”

Now, even this path was blocked. At least on one point, he hadn’t lied to Lu Yan—he, too, had no other options left. And this method was, of course, not what he had told Lu Yan: to slaughter millions of people. While that might indeed be a path, and perhaps held a minuscule possibility… even if it led to achieving Dao, it would be a dead end. He desired only to grow stronger, not court death.

His final recourse was the Nine Tribulations Law, which he had long researched but always set aside. Rather than waiting for the “malice” of the Present World’s Will to descend upon him at the moment of ascending the absolute peak, it was better to actively embrace it, to preemptively induce the “tribulation.” To face it prepared, perhaps transforming calamity into fortune. This was the fundamental concept behind this law.

However, “Heaven’s Will has flaw,” something no great tribulation could eradicate. The Nine Tribulations Law was the tempering by Heaven’s Dao’s “malice,” confronting Heaven’s Will consecutively nine times, directly facing the tribulations. But each tribulation was a gamble of nine deaths and one life. Who could be certain that after enduring nine such perilous trials of life and death, they could still find that elusive sliver of hope?

Thus, although he had long considered the idea, he had always shelved this law, unwilling to employ it. Life was but a single journey; with choices available, one naturally opted for the more secure path.

Until now…

The Wusheng Sect was declared destroyed, his painstaking efforts ruined in an instant, his path to achievement already severed. The exposure of his substitution of Lei Zhanqian would undoubtedly prompt the world’s major top forces to scrutinize their own prodigies with heightened vigilance. In other words, replicating Lei Zhanqian’s trajectory was now exceedingly difficult.

Today, unless he intended to forever conceal himself, to forever hide in the shadows and watch Jiang Wang ascend step by step… How could he be willing to stop? Better to, in this desperate situation, directly initiate the Nine Tribulations!

The Nine Tribulations Law was a gamble of nine life-and-death trials. Failure meant utter annihilation. Success, however, would cleanse all hidden dangers from the sacred body, making the path to Dao smooth!

Today was the first tribulation. Heaven’s Will encompassed the profound and subtle; he could not interfere excessively, lest the tribulation fail to count as a “tribulation.” Simply finding a group of people to surround and kill himself would not constitute creating a tribulation. It had to genuinely involve immense danger, facing a life-or-death crisis.

When he gave Yigui the opportunity, he hadn’t known what kind of lineup Jing’s Shenlin prodigy would bring. Whether it would be like that shameless fatty, directly inviting a True Person to accompany them. Even facing a True Person, he might have had a chance to escape. If the other side even invited a True Monarch, going so far as to invite a Daoist Celestial Master to chase and kill a temporarily Shenlin realm evil cult leader, then his fate was sealed. He would simply face it as a death tribulation!

The fierce battle in the dim underground palace revealed the shortcomings of those small sect Shenlin cultivators. Apart from two particularly formidable ones, most were insignificant. Jing’s prodigy, however, lived up to his name, inflicting immense harm upon him at the critical juncture of life and death. But it wasn’t until Lu Yan suddenly appeared that he realized the full scope of the first tribulation! Lu Yan was also a part of this killing tribulation. Given the opportunity, Lu Yan would absolutely not hesitate to end him. Just as he was familiar with Lu Yan, over these years, Lu Yan had undoubtedly been diligently observing him.

Having single-handedly supported the White Bone Dao, and having waged war and expanded alongside the Wusheng Sect over the years, resulting in countless deaths… Lu Yan, intimately familiar with him Zhang Linchuan, with White Bone secret arts, Wusheng profound arts, and Youlei forbidden laws, who had undoubtedly made countless preparations in secret over the years… now, in his severely injured state, was no easy opponent.

Thus, he had grandly spoken of achieving Dao through slaughter, of killing millions, all solely to finally unleash his secret art and compel Lu Yan to depart.

Now, as he spat out this blood-stained fragment of internal organs, he felt a sense of lightness, as if undergoing metamorphosis. Although at this level of cultivation, physical injuries were exceedingly difficult to heal, the body’s pain could be completely dispersed by the soul’s pleasure.

The first tribulation had passed! And through it, he had gained a deeper understanding of “Heaven’s Will’s tribulation,” better equipped to induce and respond to the next.

Moreover, the reason for his grand slaughter in Yanyun Mountain, for choosing such a grand stage for his first tribulation, was indeed to send a signal to Jiang Wang— Since you declared we cannot coexist under the same sky, I am here today. Where are you?

He eagerly awaited Jiang Wang’s arrival, to conveniently complete one of his Nine Tribulations. Vaguely, he sensed this would be a profoundly important step. He completely believed it would be an exceedingly dangerous battle, yet he also completely believed he would emerge victorious.

Chen Pu had spoken of “Hundred tribulations life and death not turn back.” He keenly anticipated where he would stand after the Nine Tribulations.

Neatly folding the blood-stained handkerchief, he calmly strode out of the underground palace, leaving the lifeless remains behind. The blinding sunlight was somewhat jarring, but he stood his ground, tilting his head to face the sun suspended in the sky. The fierce sun blazed. How could it not illuminate him?

After gazing thus for a while, a smile spread across his lips. He had already decided his next destination. The battle here in the underground palace would soon spread, and the nearby states of Dan and Song, bordering Yanyun Mountain, would undoubtedly be on high alert… He decided to venture into Wei to test the waters.

Wei’s Great General Wu Xun was a renowned figure under heaven. He possessed the power and strategy to kill him, and would certainly not lack the resolve. Such a heroic figure was perfectly suited to host his second life-and-death tribulation.

Smiling, he let out a light, joyful laugh. A smile like flowers, blooming in the bronze mirror. This smile felt somewhat unreal. The woman adjusting her makeup in front of the mirror carefully fine-tuned it for a while longer before managing a more natural laugh. A laugh that could topple nations.

“Where has Jiang Wang arrived?” she asked without turning.

The maid behind her, entranced by the copper mirror, snapped back to reality upon hearing the question: “He just passed Xingyue Plain not long ago.”

“So fast? It seems this time his killing intent is truly resolute.”

Ye Laner, the Great Chu’s foremost beauty, rose from the makeup mirror and turned. The color of her exceedingly luxurious long skirt suddenly dimmed. So-called shaming all flowers, so-called bright moon covers face. She was a figure from a painting, who had stepped into the mortal world. Without any extraneous movements, her brows and eyes held landscapes within them.

“I will go meet him again.” Regarding someone’s panicked flight from the ‘See Me Tower’ earlier, she was naturally dissatisfied. The current Jiang Wang possessed greater strength, higher status, wielded greater influence… and was thus more challenging.

The maid discreetly stepped aside to open the door, understandingly remaining silent. Ye Laner thus walked out. But upon crossing the threshold, she stopped. For a person stood outside the door. A woman. Her face was covered by a light veil, yet it left her enchanting eyes visible. A stroke of red lips, even more vivid through the thin veil, was captivating. The mere gaze of their two pairs of beautiful eyes felt like emerald and white jade, amber and bright pearls, mutually shining, beautiful beyond measure.

“At this time, do not disturb him,” the woman standing outside the door said. Her voice was exceedingly lazy, like a crabapple tree waking from a spring slumber. It was less an admonition and more a plea.

Ye Laner, standing in the doorway, still wore a nearly perfect smile and spoke with a nearly perfect voice: “Younger sister, why do you say this? I am going to help him, not disturb him.” Every word she pronounced, every expression she displayed, had undergone countless practices, thus achieving such near perfection. Beautiful enough to claim the first in the beauty-rich land of Chu.

“Younger sister, just listen to me.” The woman outside the door stepped inside, casting a glance around. Waiting for the maid to silently retreat, she then closed the door behind her. “The current him is very dangerous…”

Save for matters of life and death, nothing else was of great consequence. How could those who cherished life constantly contend with life and death?

Jiang Wang’s public letter, triggering a world-wide campaign to exterminate the Wusheng Sect, had its most significant impact in forcing the entire world to recognize this absolute prodigy’s influence. The unparalleled influence of the young generation!

From the moment he seized the championship at the Yellow River Meeting, he had been the focal point of global attention. Then came the battle on Xingyue Plain where Qi’s prodigy defeated Jing’s, followed by the Qi-Xia conflict where he personally quelled the disastrous flood, earning him a marquisate in a single battle. His renown had reached a certain pinnacle— What honor could be more sensational than a 21-year-old military merit marquis of a hegemonic state, personally enfeoffed? What story could be more moving than a young man with boundless future, risking death to save countless people from disaster?

Until this public letter was issued… The world responded. The entire Present World rose in a tide to exterminate evil cults. Not just the Wusheng Sect? In just a few days, countless evil cults across the world were destroyed! People scrutinized and guarded against every suspicious preacher. Those fringe groups, unorthodox paths, sinister evil cults, all tucked their tails between their legs and behaved. The difficulty of preaching during this period was simply akin to being in Qionglu Mountain— in the home of the Present World Gods, competing for faith with them, and not being crushed to death alongside the minor deities behind them?

Most people couldn’t discern the great state game behind this, couldn’t see the grand momentum Jiang Wang had leveraged, couldn’t see the endorsement of the Three Punishments Palace. They saw only that Wuan Marquis Jiang Wang issued a public letter, a banner planted between heaven and earth, and nations across the world responded successively, after which wherever sunlight shone, there was no place for the Wusheng Sect to stand! What kind of prestige? What kind of influence? And the forceful blow he had dealt to evil cults, saving how many people under heaven from fire and water, rescuing how many shattered lives.

People spared no praise, no singing. Some were already shouting the slogan “under heaven’s first prodigy,” without even adding prefixes like Inner Mansion, Outer Tower, or Shenlin.

Jiang Wang, of course, dared not accept this. He knew he was far from possessing that strength, far from wielding that influence, merely pushed to the forefront by chance and coincidence. But this time, flying from Linzi all the way to Yanyun Mountain, everything he faced was vastly different from the past. The entire world was filled with goodwill! His journey was a swift flight, unobstructed. Even at checkpoints, merely reporting his name, and after a brief verification, he was immediately released. More continuously, acquaintances and strangers summarized all information about the Wusheng Sect for him, helping him map out Zhang Linchuan’s trajectory. Encouragements, support, offers to accompany him. Overnight, friends were everywhere!

“To see Wuan Marquis today, how fortunate! Please proceed this way, I will clear the path for you!”

“Quickly open the gate for Wuan Marquis!”

“Greetings, Wuan Marquis! This humble one possesses a Wusheng Sect scripture; I hope it can aid you in striking down the evil cults…”

“Just go ahead; I’ve already sent word. There shouldn’t be any blind fools.”

“You are the person I admire most in this life. I specifically procured the head of an Earth Fiend Envoy. Please tread upon this head as you pass; may your journey be smooth, and may you sever the head of that Wusheng Sect demon!”

It was less like heading towards a life-and-death struggle and more like inspecting the beautiful mountains and rivers of the human world, with flowers and applause along the way. But the more this was the case, the more silent he became. Flying west all the way, only the sword in his hand remained, never loosened.

When the Zhuang state monarch and ministers framed him as demon-tongued, the Mirror World Platform publicly sought his capture, and the world’s scorn was like a tide—he had told himself, I must recognize “I.” Now, having stirred up the flood, standing in the tide of the era, worshipped by the world like a god, he also had to tell himself—I must recognize “I”!