Chapter 84

Zhenbao hurriedly inquired about the ins and outs of that day's events, and at this moment, Tianwu no longer kept it a secret, revealing everything he knew, explaining it thoroughly. Zhenbao then learned about Tianwu's origins...

Tianwu was indeed the River God, and could be considered a deity, but among the various deities, his status was on par with the Earth God, being the lowest-ranking deity, with little influence and few offerings. If he made even the slightest mistake, he would be taken away to serve, truly living a miserable life, not as free as the Mountain God or the Earth God.

Initially, the countryside was simple and honest, easily deceived, and would offer sacrifices and pray for blessings at the slightest sign of trouble. However, later on, a practitioner of the Five Rings Sect of Yin-Yang moved into the mountains, and the villagers no longer treated the River God with respect. Not only did they stop offering incense, but even the basic monthly sacrifices on the first and fifteenth of the month gradually ceased.

The River God's life became even more difficult.

At that time, Tianwu harbored evil intentions and caused trouble at the confluence of the Nuchang River and the Shimen River. He capsized countless fishing boats, intending to scare the villagers into offering more sacrifices. However, he inadvertently provoked a certain ancestor of the Five Rings Sect!

This ancestor was no ordinary person, possessing the ability to communicate with the spirit world from a young age. After cultivation, he could command the spirits of the underworld to do his bidding. In a fit of anger, he ordered the spirits to capture Tianwu and imprison him under the stone gate, where he would remain for a thousand years... If being captured was all, it would have been fine, but one day, a red-robed monk appeared, saw Tianwu lying in the water, and immediately used his great powers to try to take his life, intending to capture his soul in a golden bowl and a silver cup.

However, this spell clashed with the seal on top of the stone gate. With a loud crack, the stone gate collapsed, and the monk fell into the water. Due to this clash, the monk's attack missed, only taking Tianwu's life but failing to capture his soul, allowing him to escape.

The monk, looking quite proud, disdainfully sighed, "Indeed, my powers are not sufficient, and my cultivation is not deep enough, hence this outcome. I will wait until the year of Jiazi. When the cycle of fate turns, we will speak again!"

With that, he left, disappearing into the night.

Tianwu, terrified, fled from the stone gate to the San Yu Kou, hiding his soul in the river. After a few days of wandering, he felt slightly relieved when he saw no sign of the monk. However, he could not feel at ease, as the monk had hinted that he would return to the Nuchang River in the future.

After much consideration, Tianwu realized he was powerless to resist and decided to seek a way to leave. He began searching for people with extremely bad fates and scattered souls, taking their souls to cultivate and try to regain his original form, escaping the Shimen River.

This time, at the San Yu Kou, he encountered a practitioner of the Dingjia Sect. Out of curiosity, he secretly returned to the stone gate to see what was happening. Coincidentally, he met Zhenbao and Zhao Lüzi falling into the water. Upon first seeing Zhenbao, he noticed something different about him, sensing a heavy concentration of yin energy. At the time, he did not think of taking over Zhenbao's body but only wanted to devour his soul...

Later, he followed Zhenbao to the canyon and attacked. However, this attack backfired!

In the critical moment, he could not hold back and rushed into Zhenbao's body, intending to temporarily avoid the attack and then devour his soul, take over his body, destroy his spirit, and break his fate... However, the yin energy in Zhenbao's body was far stronger than expected, and it trapped him inside, making him a part of Zhenbao!

According to the methods of the Dingjia Sect, Tianwu had become Zhenbao's guardian spirit, inseparable from him!

Zhenbao was both amused and exasperated by this story. He never thought that his plan to escape the Dingjia Sect, though it fooled others, was seen and remembered by a soul. If not for his innate abilities, he would have been destroyed long ago. Thus, he asked Tianwu about his cultivation methods, and Tianwu explained in detail.

Zhenbao's fate was quite peculiar, and he seemed to be part of a grand destiny. If Tianwu stayed by Zhenbao's side, helping him cultivate, when Zhenbao achieved immortality, Tianwu could also attain enlightenment. Not only could he regain his original form, but he might even become one of the Five Higher Immortals, achieving great honor.

The Five Higher Immortals are: Heavenly Immortal, Earthly Immortal, Divine Immortal, Human Immortal, and Ghost Immortal.

- Heavenly Immortals reside in the ninth heaven, revered by all, having achieved the ultimate enlightenment.

- Earthly Immortals guard the earth, serving the people, living forever, and enjoying eternal cultivation.

- Divine Immortals live in bliss, timeless, seeing the new sun and moon, laughing and talking about the three mountains.

- Human Immortals have achieved a certain level of enlightenment but are still bound by the world, waiting for the right moment to fully realize their path.

- Ghost Immortals reside in the underworld, achieving their ultimate fate, wielding power over yin and yang, and accumulating great merit, free from the cycle of life and death.

The Five Lower Immortals are: Insects, Fish, Birds, Beasts, and Insects.

These are not worth discussing...

Since this concerned his own fate, Tianwu explained in great detail, not only clarifying his relationship with Zhenbao but also swearing to serve him faithfully, hoping for a chance to ascend with him.

In the human world, things that were once incompatible can change when intentions shift. Just like this situation, Tianwu now persistently urged Zhenbao to cultivate!

Although Tianwu's intentions were for his own benefit, they did not conflict with Zhenbao's plans. Thus, Zhenbao asked if there was a good place to go, and they discussed it, finding common ground. They forgot their initial conflict.

One wanted to use Zhenbao's power to achieve his goals, while the other wanted to help Zhenbao cultivate to perfection, truly embodying the saying, "Those who calculate the days and those who predict the fate must work together for the two to be complete."

Although Tianwu had only lived in the river, he did not know how to find a master for cultivation. So, Zhenbao decided to continue his original plan to find the Hundred Ghosts Market. This led to his encounter with the Liu family, who were fleeing.

With Tianwu's help, how could he be harmed by a mere knockout drug?

Zhenbao saw the Liu family's malicious intentions and did not want to associate with them. After resting under a tree, he continued his journey alone, feeling at ease.

This road was originally a trade route for merchants, transporting livestock and furs from the border regions to the inland and silk and tea from the inland to the border regions. However, due to conflicts and wars, merchants began to take northern routes, leaving this road abandoned.

After several years, although the wars ended, the road was replaced by steam trains, becoming a dead end. The once-prosperous inns, taverns, villages, and post stations along the road were all abandoned, with only a few elderly and weak people remaining, living in isolation, tilling the land, and passing their days. When their time came, they were buried in the yellow earth.

The sun set.

The vast wilderness was desolate, and even the sunset seemed to have turned gray and bleak, casting a pale, desolate light on the trees, making the tall trees on both sides of the road look sad and lonely.

Zhenbao slowly walked along the deserted road, accompanied by the noisy Tianwu, but he felt no joy—because he sensed an indescribable feeling, though he did not know what it meant, it made him uneasy.

This, perhaps, was the taste of chaos.

As the sun set, the pale afterglow grew faint. At this moment, the outline of a small town appeared in the distance, once a bustling place of luxury and envy, now forgotten, a place where dust settled.

The street was not long or wide, with only inns, taverns, and a few simple teahouses, where travelers could enjoy a hot bowl of soup and a comfortable bed.

There were countless such towns in the world, each with rough rooms, simple meals, sturdy innkeepers, and loud servants. The only difference was that this town, though it still had such shops, was now deserted.

A wooden fence, made of whole cypress logs, stood about ten feet high, protecting all the houses. It had once defended against wolf attacks, but now it was overgrown with weeds.

The houses inside were dilapidated, covered in thick layers of dust. The doors and windows were broken, and spider webs hung from the corners. The wind blew, stirring up dust and sand, making a rustling sound.

Zhenbao suddenly stopped at the entrance to the street, listening to the creaking of the broken sign in the wind. He sniffed the air, his eyes showing confusion. Tianwu's voice echoed in his mind, "What smell?"

"Blood," he closed his eyes, carefully identifying the direction of the smell, then opened them. "It's very strong, very sticky, like it's clinging to you and won't let go..." He looked toward the back of the inn, though the dilapidated wooden wall blocked his view, he seemed to see something. "Besides this, there's a faint sense of hatred and fear, as if someone has been greatly frightened..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped, not knowing why he could understand these things from the smell. Then he thought, perhaps this was Tianwu's ability. Since he could use Tianwu's power, he could also use his abilities...

Zhenbao thought for a moment, gently pushed open the wooden fence, and walked over. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood became. Turning the corner, he suddenly saw a face!

A face with eyes gouged out, blood streaming down! (To be continued)