Chapter 757
"I swear by the name of the Heavenly River, once we cross this bridge, we will be free from the Sword Array of the Extermination of Immortals."
"I will never kill you either."
Upon hearing this, not only did Zheng Fa feel a flicker of trust, but even Zhi Tong's expression softened.
Suddenly, black and white mystical light surged from the arch bridge before them, causing the stone bridge beneath to flicker as if it were about to vanish.
The cultivators from the four sects grew anxious.
Before Zhi Tong could speak, several disciples from the Taishang Dao surged forward.
Zheng Fa pondered for a moment and followed suit. He wasn't particularly afraid of trouble; after all, the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant had given him a bit of goodwill, and the Jiu You Mo Zu still needed him for the live broadcast.
Even now, he still hadn't figured out the purpose of the Jiu You Mo Zu's broadcast.
Even if the Jiu You Mo Zu had truly gone mad, Zheng Fa was confident that he wouldn't be killed... at least not until the very end.
As Zheng Fa moved, the disciples from Haori Mountain followed suit.
Zhi Tong seemed to have come to a realization; after all, moving forward might not be a true path to survival, but retreating was undoubtedly a dead end.
It was better to heed the Jiu You's advice and give it a try.
A group of them flew toward the opposite bank, with the Taishang Dao disciples moving the fastest.
Just as they reached the air above the river, they immediately began to plummet, as if someone were gripping their ankles and dragging them into the water.
"Senior Brother!"
The remaining Taishang Dao cultivators hurriedly halted and shouted.
Zheng Fa looked into the river and saw that as soon as those Taishang Dao disciples touched the water, their flesh began to peel away, leaving only a few white bones that slowly drifted downstream.
Similar scenes unfolded in the other three live broadcast locations.
The voice of the Jiu You Mo Zu echoed again: "This river is called Wangchuan, and even birds find it hard to cross."
There was an unmistakable delight hidden in his tone.
"Cross the bridge!" Zhi Tong barked, leading several disciples from the Thunder Sound Temple onto the bridge.
Naturally, the others followed.
As they stepped onto the bridge, everyone's faces tightened, even Zhi Tong's expression was cautious.
The Wangchuan kills without a trace, and this bridge was surely not an ordinary one.
But to everyone's surprise, the arch bridge seemed to possess no supernatural qualities at all; they all crossed it safely and stepped onto the opposite bank.
Zheng Fa felt a mix of surprise and suspicion, turning back to look at the arch bridge, his expression frozen in shock:
The arch bridge, Wangchuan, and the Three Lives Stone had all vanished.
It was as if everything that had just happened was nothing but an illusion.
Zhi Tong, however, did not look back but continued to gaze ahead.
Before them stood the Heavenly River Sect.
The main hall, the pavilions, and layers of buildings loomed in the distance.
At the foot of the mountain was a large city, where the families of the Heavenly River Sect disciples resided.
But it was not the Heavenly River Sect.
The spiritual energy on the mountainside had faded, and the valley was filled with chilling winds; the palaces and pavilions were all shut tight.
The city was eerily silent, as if no living souls remained.
The ground beneath their feet was muddy and damp, permeated with the stench of blood.
Zhi Tong's expression darkened; he seemed unfazed, merely sneering, "Jiu You Mo Zu, you truly are a man of your word!"
"Man of my word?" The figure of the Jiu You Mo Zu suddenly appeared atop a distant mountain, looking down at Zhi Tong and the others, his presence as imposing as a deep abyss.
"I said I would let you out of the Sword Array, and you are no longer within it. How can you say I am not a man of my word?"
"…"
Zhi Tong, the old monk, raised his voice, "Then where is this place?"
Zheng Fa heard two familiar names:
"Yin Mountain, Wangsi City."
(End of this chapter)
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Chapter 514: An Eye for an Eye, the Jiu You's Intentions (Happy Children's Day!)
Even Zheng Fa felt a bit dazed:
We skipped the process and ended up in the underworld?
Mu Qingyan's memories resurfaced in his mind:
The Jiu You Mo Zu's power seemed to be tied to the underworld.
His appearance might change the subtle dynamics, but the Jiu You Mo Zu's scheme had likely been in the making for an entire epoch.
The underworld had indeed arrived as scheduled.
As the words "Wangsi City" echoed in everyone's ears, wisps of white smoke enveloped the Jiu You Mo Zu.
The smoke thickened, almost tangible, descending from above to shroud the dark Yin Mountain and the lifeless Wangsi City, slowly flowing toward Zheng Fa and the others.
Behind Zhi Tong, the Buddha's visage reappeared.
The Wisdom Sword swept forth, radiating a crescent-shaped, magnificent Buddhist light.
Yet, as the light pierced through the thick smoke, it vanished without a trace, like a cow sinking into the sea.
"I told you, I won't kill you."
The Jiu You Mo Zu stood atop the mountain, coldly observing Zhi Tong's struggles.
Zhi Tong seemed entirely unconvinced; he activated his divine footwork, transforming into golden light, retreating along the path they had come.
But what path was there to return to?
The golden light flitted about like a headless fly, circling in the air three times before revealing Zhi Tong's figure once more.
His face grew increasingly frantic.
To be fair, Zheng Fa, like Zhi Tong, didn't believe the Jiu You Mo Zu would let him off the hook.
He glanced at the live broadcast, only to find that the four screens had merged into one.
Ni Chang Yuan Jun and her companions had also crossed the arch bridge and were now in the same desolate expanse, just nearby.
Yet, looking around, he saw no one.
Despite being surrounded by many, not a single person was visible.
A chill crept up from his tailbone, coursing through his spine, making the back of Zheng Fa's head tingle.
"Want to leave?" The Jiu You Mo Zu's voice dripped with mockery. "Once you cross the Naihe Bridge, even if you are a true immortal, wishing to turn back is futile."
So it really was the Naihe Bridge.
Zhi Tong's expression darkened, his lips moving as if reciting a Buddhist chant.
Zheng Fa couldn't make out what he was saying, as another sound compelled him to look up.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the once silent Yin Mountain and Wangsi City suddenly erupted with life.
Shouts of battle, angry roars, and cries of despair echoed through the mist.
They grew louder, more intense.
More piercing.
The chaotic noise clawed at Zheng Fa's ears, drilling into his mind.
One by one, ethereal souls emerged from the white mist.
They wore similar garments, hailing from the same sect.
Yet now, they fought each other like sworn enemies, leaving no room for mercy.
They used the Heavenly River Sword Technique to slay their fellow disciples, only to be killed in turn by the same technique.
Even as they fell to the ground, these disciples cried out for their senior brothers and younger brothers.
The emotions hidden in those cries—whether hatred, confusion, or nostalgia—were impossible to discern.
This was the scene of the Heavenly River Chaos.
Zheng Fa couldn't bear to watch closely; he simply closed his eyes and murmured, "Wangsi City."
In the live broadcast, Zhi Tong and the others also lowered their eyelids, as if unable to face it.
…
In the Jiu Shan Realm, Xie Qingxue held the Tongjian in her left hand and tightly gripped the Qingping Sword in her right, her killing intent soaring.
Even Yan Wushuang, with her carefree demeanor, trembled as she held the Tongjian.
Elder Pang gazed skyward, softly saying, "Such a brutal scene, the Jiu You Mo Zu has remembered it for hundreds of thousands of years…"
The elder's face bore a rare solemnity.
"If you were him, if such a thing happened in the Jiu Shan Realm, would you forget?"
"…"
The Heavenly Emperor looked at the imposing figure of the Jiu You Mo Zu atop Yin Mountain, feeling a twinge of pity.
"You dare not look."
The Jiu You Mo Zu seemed to smile.
"You don't even dare to face what you did back then."
Even the eloquent Zhi Tong found himself at a loss for words.
"But I have not forgotten for a single day."
"I carry their lingering souls, hiding and fleeing, constantly hearing their wails."
"The scene you cannot endure for a moment, I have witnessed for hundreds of thousands of years."
The Jiu You Mo Zu was not one for many words, yet now he spoke at length, clearly harboring deep-seated hatred.
It was easy to imagine that the Jiu You Mo Zu's revenge would be all the more ferocious.
Yet, unexpectedly, the Jiu You Mo Zu continued:
"Rest assured, I swore by the name of the Heavenly River, I will not kill you."
"Unlike your four sects, I will not tarnish that name."
Zhi Tong and the others did not feel reassured.
On Yin Mountain, within Wangsi City, the countless souls of the dead suddenly burst into laughter, their laughter chilling to the bone.
"Who goes there?"
A disciple from Haori Mountain beside Zheng Fa asked.
Zhi Tong and the others looked around.
Unbeknownst to them, many figures had appeared beside them.
The faces of these figures were indistinguishable in the thick fog, but they all possessed considerable cultivation.
It was known that the disciples of the four sects who could enter the Heavenly River Sect were the elite of their respective sects.
Yet the strange figures appearing beside them were hardly weaker.
Zheng Fa hurriedly glanced at the live broadcast, and indeed, these figures were Ni Chang Yuan Jun and her companions.
Zhi Tong also sensed something was off and spoke up, "Hold on, don't act rashly!"
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