Chapter 819: Chapter 41: Tianshu River
The third calamity has yet to arrive, yet the sky has already turned very dark.
This darkness is such that even a cultivator with divine eyes cannot see through it; this shadow is such that even a cultivator with a bright divine soul cannot discern it.
And this darkness has descended upon Zhou Yan, and also upon every place in the world around him.
In the darkness, as if an unknown figure quietly coughs, yet it is impossible to discern what existence it is, or where exactly it resides.
Zhou Yan only felt a chill rise from his spine, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.
Because a moment ago, he didn’t know what it was, but in the next moment, it was as if a pair of bloody eyes appeared silently behind Zhou Yan, just staring at him.
Then, a soft breathing sounded, accompanied by a hint of a bewildered cough, emanating from behind Zhou Yan.
But Zhou Yan’s sensing power clearly perceived that there was nothing around, no change in the void, the aura of the calamity had not altered at all.
All of this seemed like an unknown terror suddenly descending upon his back.
In this world, Zhou Yan has undergone two rounds of heavenly tribulation, now achieving a brief recovery, so he knows clearly that there will be nothing unusual behind him, so where does this so-called terror originate from? From where does it appear?
Could it really be ’something out of nothing’?
Zhou Yan dared not move because he had a feeling that as soon as he moved, his body would be cut in an instant, falling apart.
This unknown terror surpassed everything from before, this time, it leaves no traces to follow.
Zhou Yan very much wanted to turn his head, use his Eye of Destruction and Nine Orifice Exquisite Heart to explore thoroughly, but the enormous fear was so overwhelming that he could not move because he knew that if he remained still, he might still have a sliver of a chance to think of a countermeasure, but once he turned around, he might instantly die, his Tao would vanish.
The first two rounds of heavenly tribulation, one could only say it was more about opportunities, Qi fortune, as well as various bits of luck and substantial strength himself, that allowed those two rounds of great calamity to be overcome, but now with this third round, Zhou Yan had no experience.
Nor did he have any confidence.
Zhou Yan prepared the River Map and Luo Shu, gradually condensed the Emperor Xuan Yuan’s Energy from the Xuanyuan Sword, focusing his mind to face it.
But the ’huff huff’ of that gaze seemed to gradually grow sharper and more bloodthirsty, as it stared at his back, becoming increasingly ferocious.
"The Bitter Sea has no bounds; turn back, and there’s the shore."
Suddenly, a vague voice whispered at his ear, as if offering comfort, incredibly compelling.
At that moment, Zhou Yan seemed to see his parents who gave birth to him, Zhou Wangchen, and Li Yunjin on the Sword Burial Ancestor Star.
Zhou Yan’s mind was involuntarily swayed by this alluring voice.
It wasn’t that Zhou Yan’s will was not firm, but this enchantment was too overpowering, completely irresistible.
Even though in the deepest part of Zhou Yan’s heart, he knew there was something fishy here, in this place, he couldn’t control his mind at all.
Unable to control himself, Zhou Yan slowly turned his head.
"Don’t turn around—"
Suddenly, as if from far away, yet right in front of him, a voice suddenly shouted sharply, seemingly carrying a warning.
Yet Zhou Yan felt this voice conveyed from a dreamy, ethereal distance, even almost unreal.
...
The Fiery Flame Throne.
Somewhere outside the Void Ancient City.
"In terms of time, it should be almost right. The message conveyed by the awakened soul power indicates that Father King is about to face the grand calamity of Ever-Changing Longevity. Qing Luo, you take the ’Virgo’ array patterns, refine this third round of the calamity, and open the ’Tianshu River’."
A red-clothed girl said to the purple-clothed girl beside her.
"Commandery Princess, wouldn’t this be somewhat inappropriate? After all, this involves the power of transcendence of time..."
"It’s alright, go ahead. If we don’t take action, it could be perilously uncertain. After this, Father King will truly rise. It has been incredibly difficult for him to get this far, and it’s nothing to sacrifice a ’Virgo’ array pattern for this. Besides, if it were just the grand calamity of Ever-Changing Longevity, Father King would definitely have no problem surpassing it, but Father King has already ’Sword Slash Sky’, which was the trend of conquering the heavenly tribulation, thus this third round of heavenly tribulation is impossible to pass. Uncle has already clearly instructed me on this point; if this day really comes, the hidden danger must be resolved at all costs.
Uncle’s life and death are unknown now, how can I remain indifferent at such a critical moment? Even if discovered by enemies, it doesn’t matter now.
Tell me, is there anything more important than my own Father King?"
The red-clothed girl sighed softly.
"But..."
The purple-clothed girl was still hesitant, though she seemed to realize something and finally swallowed back the words she wanted to say.
Some words, in fact, do not need explaining because both of them understood in their hearts.
The red-clothed girl said nothing more, while the purple-clothed girl, after a slight hesitation, bowed in salute, then from the center of her eyebrows suddenly flew out a mysteriously spinning array pattern. The array pattern derived into a throne-like shape, carrying the purple-clothed girl to a seat, then transformed into a light, directly entering the void.
The purple-clothed girl had already left, but the red-clothed girl still stood there, lost in thought, and no one knew what she was thinking.
...
"Don’t look back—"
Another clear voice suddenly entered the depths of Zhou Yan’s heart, and his head, about to turn, froze in mid-air.
Looking back, there was only a small part, and soon this small part, under the sudden clarity of Zhou Yan’s mind, reverted to its original state.
Chilled to the core, Zhou Yan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Without that unique voice of warning, he would have been confused by unknown things, resulting in a ’look back’ and complete annihilation.
The saying ’Boundless bitter sea, turning back is the shore’ signifies facing the heavenly tribulation with a fearless heart. If one retreats when weathering the tribulation, the outcome is predictable.
Zhou Yan felt a wave of fear in his heart; this myriad-transform long-life tribulation had insidious killing intent, inevitable yet unavoidable, overwhelmingly strong and sinister, making it impossible to discern patterns or find regularity.
If that’s the case, Zhou Yan was indeed helpless against this third round of tribulation.
He concentrated his mind and gazed intently at the void, which remained pitch black, revealing nothing.
Yet, he knew a woman stood quietly there, the very one who almost saved him from being doomed eternally.
However, Zhou Yan said nothing, nor did he express gratitude.
"Lei Yan King, regarding this third round of the myriad-transform long-life tribulation, the Commandery Princess already knew you couldn’t overcome it, so she used my void soul guide to let me enter here to assist you. Actually, only one person before you has faced such a heavenly tribulation. This third round targets the Heavenly Heart and Demon Heart, so you are bound to fall short."
"But now, there’s no need to worry, having avoided the ’turning back is the shore’ issue, the rest requires Lei Yan King’s own sudden enlightenment."
"Additionally, the ’array plate’ you previously used, named ’Virgo,’ is just a damaged part that can take you into the Sword Burial Ancestor Star. This is the way out. After weathering the tribulation and enhancing your realm, the ancient town will naturally break open."
The woman’s voice was gentle yet detailed, narrating many things to Zhou Yan.
Then, the void seemed to condense together bit by bit, and the endless darkness seemed refined little by little, causing an unknown change in the void.
The previous vicious and bloodthirsty gaze shattered within these changes, seemingly easily slain by peerless divine skills.
Meanwhile, the woman’s voice continued, as if narrating some Tai Chu runes that Zhou Yan found hard to comprehend.
He listened silently but did not respond.
After speaking, the woman did not linger longer and disappeared like a retreating light.
However, at the moment of her disappearance, Zhou Yan caught that the object she rode on was very similar to the ’array plate’ he used when traveling to the Heavenly Emperor Universe.
With just a glance, Zhou Yan roughly understood the situation.
Besides his brother Lee Ran and daughter Yanyan now possessing such abilities, who else would send support at such a time?
"Looks like I must return quickly. This third round of heavenly tribulation is evidently unusual and beyond expectations. However, targeting the Heavenly Heart and Demon Heart, I now possess seven Ancient Sword Bodies, lacking only the Demon Heart Sword Body to complete the Eight Great Sword Forms. Once perfected, the Chaos Sword Body will be unlocked."
It might be due to the choice I made, as the critical point of this third round was eliminated but not yet finished."
"What kind of changes will the Heavenly Heart and Demon Heart undergo? I never truly understood them in my past life, though I knew the Heavenly Heart is the Demon Heart, yet couldn’t fully grasp it."
Zhou Yan murmured to himself.
He stood silently for a moment as the dark void suddenly vanished rapidly, seemingly swallowed by unknown emptiness.
Heaven and earth gradually released a peculiar bright light.
This place suddenly became dazzlingly colorful, and Zhou Yan found himself standing by a river.
The river water, deriving from the previously consumed dark energy, was now churning and reversing.
On the banks above the river, a massive ancient tree grew quietly, its lush branches and leaves all seemingly made from the tea leaves of the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
"This is..."
"This is the ’Tianshu River,’ capable of unraveling the ’Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town’ mystery. It’s truly astonishing that you’ve entered here."
Suddenly, the golden-armored man from the Xuanyuan Sword, the Xuanyuan Ancestor, expressed in amazement through a transmission.
Zhou Yan was startled, saying, "Tianshu River?"
"Yes, you’ve arrived here, which is an unprecedented and significant opportunity. Comprehend its mysteries well. This place has a miraculous effect on my soul body recovery, allowing me to awaken briefly."
Xuanyuan Ancestor explained.
Understanding dawned on Zhou Yan; he had deduced this earlier, but now the quick recovery of the Emperor Xuan Yuan’s energy made certain this possibility.
Now having confirmation, Zhou Yan felt much relieved.
"Tianshu River, the secret of the Heavenly Pivot Ancient Town?"
Zhou Yan murmured, starting to ponder.
With hands clasped behind his back, he walked along the riverbank towards the ancient tree.
(Update Note: Writing this book, Can Jian has been deeply invested, each Chapter taking several hours to complete, and feeling utterly exhausted over the past few days. Thus, updates were interrupted. Also, the recommendation and monthly ticket statistics for this book are very poor, hoping everyone will contribute more votes, giving Can Jian more motivation. You say Can Jian’s updates aren’t strong enough, but having written over two and a half million words in a year, it’s not too little.)