If it was that thing, it made sense that it could ignore the immunity to backlash granted by Cloud Sea Resplendence.
After all, It could even pollute a host of ancient gods, let alone a new god like himself who hadn't even reached the eighth-stage.
Chen Zhou frowned deeply; he had been too reckless. He had thought that possessing the complete Divine Path Authority would make him invincible.
He hadn't expected to face the ultimate boss, the Heavenly Tribulation, so early.
No, perhaps that wasn't even the Heavenly Tribulation itself. It merely existed within a memory, yet it could pollute anyone who peered into that memory. There was no telling how powerful Its true form actually was.
Chen Zhou closed his eyes and looked inward.
A black line had mysteriously entwined itself around his divine soul.
It looked like a strand of hair, with one end buried deep within his divine soul and the other extending into the void, vanishing at the end of causality.
Chen Zhou tried to burn it with Hatred Fire.
The black flames wrapped around the black line and burned for a long time, but the line didn't budge an inch.
He tried to corrode it with Withering Venom.
It was useless.
He tried to assimilate it with death qi.
Still useless.
The black line seemed like something that didn't belong to this world; it existed upon the divine soul yet did not interact with it in any way.
It didn't absorb anything, it wasn't repelled, and it caused no immediate effect.
It simply coiled there, quiet and still.
Chen Zhou opened his eyes, his brow furrowed tightly.
This looked like a mark from the Heavenly Tribulation.
A mark It had left on him after failing to find him.
The next time he touched something related to the Heavenly Tribulation, this mark would activate.
The Heavenly Tribulation would follow the mark to find him faster and erode him more violently.
Until he was completely polluted, becoming the next Nüba.
Chen Zhou took a deep breath.
He recalled the moment the Golden Light of Merit had exploded.
The golden light had surged from his body, traveling backward along the causal lines and chasing that eerie aura all the way into the vision.
That dragon roar...
Was it the Golden Dragon of Merit?
No.
Chen Zhou shook his head.
The Golden Dragon of Merit was indeed within his body, but its rank was too low. Even if it had once been the Dragon Ancestor, it was currently only a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon that had just reached the seventh-stage symbiosis.
It hadn't even reached the eighth-stage.
It couldn't possibly have blocked the Heavenly Tribulation.
Not even a sliver of the Heavenly Tribulation's aura.
Then what was it?
Chen Zhou pondered for a long time, then called out.
"System."
There was no response.
"System?"
Still no response.
Chen Zhou frowned.
He called out a few more times, but the system panel remained motionless, not saying a damn word.
Playing dead?
Or was it because the consumption was too great, and it couldn't respond for the time being?
Or... did it not dare to respond?
For some reason, had mentioning certain things made it fear attracting the Heavenly Tribulation's gaze again?
Chen Zhou opened the system panel and looked through the logs.
Among the dense records, he found a line of small characters. The color was so faint it almost blended into the background; he wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't looked closely.
【Host encountered an unknown source of pollution; the system has automatically activated the emergency protection mechanism.】
【Merit consumed: one zhang.】
【Protection in effect; pollution has been isolated.】
【Note: The emergency protection mechanism is a passive skill; it cannot be triggered manually, cannot be used repeatedly, and the conditions for the next activation are unknown.】
Chen Zhou stared at that line for a long time.
One zhang of merit.
He only had seven zhang of merit in total, and one zhang had been burned away just like that.
As expected, the system had saved his life in the end. That was very typical of the system.
He closed the panel and leaned against the steps of the divination platform, looking up at the night sky.
The sky over the City of the Wrongfully Dead was gray and hazy, but the stars were bright. Chen Zhou watched them as his mind processed the information he had seen in the divination.
There was no need to guess the Goddess's identity anymore; her appearance when she was on the verge of death was very familiar to Chen Zhou.
It was almost an exact replica of what Lian looked like now.
It turned out that when Lian was alive, she was such a peerless figure. Holding the living soil, she protected an ancient kingdom, accompanied by auspicious beasts, while her people lived in peace and prosperity.
Everything changed after the Heavenly Tribulation arrived.
Red rain.
Floods.
Strange beasts.
Slaughter.
Pollution.
Chen Zhou thought of that gray-white ancient beast. Its body was covered in scales, its head was massive, and its eyes were blood-red—lacking pupils, they were just two spheres of burning blood-light.
What was that thing?
A messenger of the Heavenly Tribulation?
A part of the Heavenly Tribulation itself made manifest?
Or was it an auspicious beast that had been polluted by the Heavenly Tribulation?
He couldn't guess; there was too little information.
Furthermore, the segment from Lian turning into a monster to being on the verge of death had been fast-forwarded and blurred. After she became a monster, her eyes were gouged out and her mouth was sewn shut.
Who did it?
Was it her believers?
No, it didn't seem likely. The believers of the Ancient Kingdom who had finally taken Nüba away remained loyal even after their goddess became a monster. It didn't seem like something they would do.
Those people were likely the original Grave-keeper clan of the Western Region.
Building the god's tomb, watching over the god's remains, generation after generation.
Perhaps some of them had heard that gods do not die; as long as enough time passed, a god would eventually revive.
So they were full of hope, guarding her for generations, wishing for the day Lian would wake up again.
But they probably didn't know that what had polluted the Oasis Goddess was the Heavenly Tribulation, which existed above the rules.
A long, long time ago, the Western Region was likely a land of greenery. It only became the wasteland it was today because of the arrival of Lian's dying remains.
If it wasn't Lian's believers, what other existence could have taken her eyes?
A Yao had only said that false gods were born from the inner godheads of polluted true gods, and it was only after the Battle of Qingtian that false gods began stealing from heaven and established the Sky-Monitoring organization in Central Province.
So, what about before the Battle of Qingtian? When the Divine Path had just been polluted by the Heavenly Tribulation, had false gods already been born then?
Also, Chen Zhou had performed the divination on the black plate, using an object to find its owner, with the goal of uncovering the identity of Central Province's Xuan Cai.
Why did the divination show him Lian's past? Did Lian and Xuan Cai have a deep connection?
Or had Xuan Cai appeared in the images Chen Zhou saw, but he simply hadn't recognized him?
Finally, there was Qingzhou, which appeared to be the former site of the Southern Tang ancient kingdom before the outer provinces split away.
As Chen Zhou thought, he suddenly felt a chill.
An evil spirit's body wouldn't feel cold, so it was his divine soul that was shivering.
The black line entwined around his divine soul was like a thread of ice, emitting a faint, lingering chill.
Chen Zhou mobilized his Golden Light of Merit to warm it.
The golden light circled it, and while the black line didn't react, the chill dissipated somewhat.
But only somewhat.
It treated the symptoms, not the cause.
Chen Zhou sighed.
For now, he couldn't get rid of this black line.
He would have to wait until he grew strong enough to face the Heavenly Tribulation head-on.
When would that be?
The ninth-stage?
The tenth-stage?
Or even higher?
Chen Zhou didn't know.
He didn't even know what the highest rank in this world's cultivation system was.
He only knew that those ancient gods, those existences at the peak of the Divine Path, had all been polluted by the Heavenly Tribulation.
As a newcomer who had only been transmigrated for a year, the fact that he could escape unscathed from his first encounter with the ultimate boss was entirely thanks to the system and the merit he had accumulated.
Chen Zhou thought of another question.
Merit.
In ancient times, merit was the best protection. Those with deep merit would be loved by heaven and earth, favored by the rules, and guided away from calamity.
But heaven and earth had long since mutated.
The will of heaven and earth no longer existed.
Merit was almost a useless thing.
There were even lightning tribulations specifically meant to punish those who did good, while those with heavy sinful karma were left ignored.
Then how was his Golden Light of Merit working?
What had the system used to replace the will of heaven and earth, allowing the defunct merit to function once again?
Thinking about it this way, the system seemed quite extraordinary as well.
He stood up and brushed the dust off his robes.
Whatever.
Blessings and disasters are two sides of the same coin.
Knowing ahead of time what kind of existence he would have to face wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least he could be more cautious and prepared in the future.
Having considered the things within the rules, it was time to think about the things outside them.
Since he couldn't get rid of it for now, he would just leave it be. The Heavenly Tribulation had already marked him; hiding was useless.
In the future, there might even be a way to use this mark to his advantage.
Rather than letting his imagination run wild here, it was better to think about how to respond.
Chen Zhou walked down from the divination platform.
The steps still held the residual warmth from the array's operation, and the white jade surface was slightly hot to the touch.
Around the platform, the Mingchan were lying in disarray. Having chanted for an entire day, they were all paralyzed.
Of the thirty-six Mingchan, not a single one could stand up.
Their wings were still fluttering unconsciously, but the frequency was completely chaotic. The buzzing was intermittent, and they were only holding on through sheer willpower.
Duke Wu stood at the bottom of the platform, leaning on his cane. His face was also somewhat pale, but his spirit was still steady.
Seeing Chen Zhou come down, he hurried forward.
"My Lord, are you alright?"
Chen Zhou shook his head.
"I'm fine."
"Your face..."
"It's nothing. You all worked hard."
As his voice fell, the Mingchan lying on the ground all looked up at once.
Chan Yi quickly struggled to sit up. "My Lord, you are too kind!"
"Serving you is our duty, My Lord! Even ten thousand deaths would not be enough to repay you!"
"My body and soul have long belonged to you, My Lord. I have never dared to forget the grace of my emergence!"
"My Lord..."
Looking at Chan Yi's sycophantic, toadying behavior, the corners of Chen Zhou's mouth curled up slightly.
"Go back and rest well. Have Duke Wu arrange some supplements for you. Come back only once you've recovered."
Then Chen Zhou waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
He walked slowly along the main road of the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
It was already very late, and there were few people on the streets.
Most of the believers had already gone to sleep. Only the patrolling paper people were moving through the streets. Seeing Chen Zhou, they all stopped to bow before continuing on their way.
The lights along the moat were still burning.
It was the only place where the lights were still on.
Lord Rat and the others were still fishing.
Chen Zhou walked over and saw Lord Rat squatting on a stone stool, gripping his fishing rod, his eyes fixed intently on the water, motionless.
Poison-Wing was dozing nearby, his head nodding. His wings would flap occasionally, nearly sending him tumbling into the river.
Jian Huaishuang sat on the opposite bank, expressionless, his bamboo pole as still as a statue.
Su Xue sat a bit further away, holding a medical book and reading by the light of the lamps.
He turned and walked toward the Gathering Fortune Pavilion.
Jiu'er was sitting on the stone steps in front of the pavilion, engrossed in a book.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up. Seeing Chen Zhou, he immediately stood and gave a respectful bow.
"My Lord."
Chen Zhou nodded and sat down beside him.
Jiu'er was a bit flustered, unsure if he should sit back down.
"Sit," Chen Zhou said.
Jiu'er sat down cautiously, still clutching his book.
"What are you reading?"
"《Basics of Spirit Plant Cultivation》." Jiu'er turned the book over to show Chen Zhou.
"Big Sister Su Xue told me to read it. She said that because I water the Unaging Pine every day and help hatch the ancient beast eggs, and take such good care of them, she says I have a lot of talent. She says the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm will need someone to help in the future."
Chen Zhou glanced at the words on the pages; they were neat and elegant, clearly a hand-copied manuscript.
"Can you understand it?"
"Some of it, but not all of it," Jiu'er answered honestly. "If I don't know a word, I ask Xiaoyun. If Xiaoyun doesn't know either, I ask the Ugly Hag."
Chen Zhou nodded.
"Jiu'er."
"Yes, My Lord?"
"If someone turned into a monster, would you still recognize them?"
Jiu'er was stunned for a moment, then he nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because no matter what they look like, the person is still that person," Jiu'er said.
"What if they turned into a monster that brings calamity?"
"I think I still would."
"Like my grandpa. Before the demon disaster destroyed our village, when he was sick, his whole leg rotted. His body was covered in human-face sores. The villagers said he wouldn't live long and that the sores were contagious. Even my parents told me not to go near him."
"But I still brought him water every day, wiped his body, and talked to him."
"I was lucky; I didn't catch it."
"Later he died, but I know he was still my grandpa."
After Jiu'er finished, he suddenly realized what he had said and lowered his head in embarrassment.
Chen Zhou looked at him and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Jiu'er, you understand things better than many adults."
Jiu'er's face turned red at the praise, and he whispered.
"My Lord, I don't actually understand any grand principles. I just feel that for a person to live, they need to have something to hold on to."
"Grandpa is my meaningful connection."
"You are everyone's meaningful connection, My Lord."
Chen Zhou's hand paused.
Then he smiled and stood up.
"Read your book well. Don't forget to keep hatching the eggs. As for the Old Pine... never mind, just leave it be. It'll find its own water to drink."
"Okay!"
Just as Chen Zhou was about to leave, a faint cracking sound suddenly came from within the Gathering Fortune Pavilion.
Crack.
Crack, crack.
It sounded like something was tapping inside a shell, rhythmic and steady.
Jiu'er's eyes lit up, and he ran into another room within the Gathering Fortune Pavilion.
Chen Zhou followed him inside.
In a small room against the wall on the first floor of the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, several ancient beast eggs were laid out.
They were of different sizes and colors. The smallest egg among them was about the size of a fist, covered in five colors, and the shell was crisscrossed with golden patterns that looked like flowing flames.
The system panel displayed: 【Egg of an Ancient Beast with [Life Extinguished]】
【This egg's vitality is nearly exhausted. If activated and hatched through a special method, something may be born from it.】
【Hatching Probabilities: ninth-stage ancient beast 0.1%, eighth-stage ancient beast 0.5%, seventh-stage ancient beast 1%, sixth-stage ancient beast 5%, fifth-stage ancient beast 10%, fourth-stage ancient beast 15%, third-stage ancient beast 20%, second-stage ancient beast 30%, first-stage ancient beast 50%】
At that moment, the five-colored ancient beast egg was shaking violently.
The golden patterns on the shell grew brighter and brighter, emitting a scorching light.
The temperature within the entire Gathering Fortune Pavilion began to rise rapidly.
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