Daqin Zhentiansi

As the deep purple light of the last "Godslayer Bow" faded under the reflection of the lightning, Zhang Yuan's gaze turned to the mountain of Kui Niu remains.

His mind was like lightning, instantly locking onto several pieces of leather from the abdomen.

Its toughness far surpasses that of gold and iron, and the Daoist essence of thunder flows like a tangible substance. Its inherent vitality has not been exhausted even after being tempered by thunder for thousands of years.

Meanwhile, the remaining divine bone essence powder from the refining of the divine bow, shimmering with star-like light, floated up.

Zhang Yuan pressed down lightly with both hands.

Instead of urging the manifestation of the Heaven-Burning Divine Flame, it combines the vast Chaos True Essence, the extreme high temperature of the Heaven-Burning Divine Flame, and the will of the Great Qin Heavenly Dao to rule all directions, and highly condenses them!
"Om-!"

In the void, two indescribable "giant hammers" suddenly appeared!
They are formless and intangible, yet they are formed by countless Dao runes that glow and fade, and chains of laws that are solidified into physical form, twisted and intertwined!

A terrifying pressure spread out.

The space was distorted and sunken.

The passage of time seemed to become viscous and sluggish.

The sea of ​​lightning maw in the core area of ​​the Thunderfall Abyss emitted a muffled groan under this oppressive force!
Forged by the Laws!

"Boom——!!!"

"Boom——!!!"

"Boom——!!!"

"Boom——!!!"

The formless and intangible yet heavier than the stars, the giant hammer of law, each strike is not a physical impact, but a fusion of the imprint of the will of the Great Dao and the origin!
The hammer strikes with unparalleled precision against the suspended leather and bone powder frame!

Each hammer blow unleashes a roar from the abyss!

The core of Thunderfall Abyss, the Thunder Mash Sea, was like boiling oil thrown into a boulder, exploding and boiling wildly!
Billions of bolts of lightning converged from all directions, transforming into wildly dancing electric snakes, emitting a deep, rumbling sound like the beating of an ancient, primordial beast's heart!

The entire Abyss was trembling violently, like a giant war drum that spontaneously beat for the birth of a divine artifact, spanning the heavens and the earth!

The "Heavenly Punishment Thunder Prison Body" that Zhang Yuan comprehended.

That's the essence of absolute defense and thunderous counterattack.

The unwavering protective will of "Rock Array" throughout the ages.

And the invincible aura and the roar of the indomitable fighting spirit of millions of soldiers, etched deep in his soul, originating from the Qin army's "steel torrent" that crushed everything and "fire waves that spread across the plains" that burned the eight wastelands...

All of these were hammered into every primordial Dao pattern of the drum embryo by him with supreme power, like the deepest imprint on the soul!
Lei Yu stared intently at the bulging light cluster enveloped by the storm of laws.

With each strike of the hammer, the bloodline of the Kui Niu, which had been dormant for hundreds of millions of years, surged and boiled within him, as if the sleeping will of his ancestors was awakening!
A domineering aura of primordial divine beasts, almost forgotten and originating from the source of bloodline, surged and roared in the resonance of the drumbeats!
He felt that the barrier of the third realm of Venerable, which he had been trapped in for countless years, was violently shaking!
The young Kui Niu was mesmerized by what he saw, his breathing becoming rapid.

His body uncontrollably overflowed with azure lightning, which resonated intensely with the faint aura emanating from the drumhead.

The feeling was as if one's own insignificant power had suddenly merged into the vast and boundless ocean of lightning's origin, giving rise to boundless awe and longing.

He murmured, his voice trembling, "Father... this drum... it makes me feel... so powerful! So ancient!"

"boom--"

At the heart of the storm, where thunder and fire intertwined and laws boiled to their peak, two war drums, exuding an aura of world-destroying destruction, finally tore through the chaos and appeared in all their glory!
The Kui Niu shakes the heavenly drum.

The drum was over ten zhang tall, its entire body pitch black like ancient ink jade, so profound that it seemed even divine consciousness could be swallowed up.

Its surface is naturally covered with intricate and mysterious Kui Niu totem patterns, flowing with azure lightning, which seem to move and roar like living creatures on the drum body.

The edge of the drum is inlaid with a ring of tiny, purple lightning crystals that contain destructive energy, like lightning stars surrounding a black hole.

The most impressive part is the drumhead.

That was not inanimate leather, but a violently boiling and churning azure thunderstorm that had been forcibly compressed and imprisoned within a drum frame!
At the eye of the storm, the faint phantom of an ancient Kui Niu roaring to the sky can be seen!
Zhang Yuan pushed him toward the Thunder Prison: "Senior, this is the 'Kui Niu Shaking the Heavens Drum'! Use your primordial thunder as the mallet and your bloodline as the catalyst to strike this drum!"

"With a single beat of the drum, the sound waves shattered souls and destroyed laws, and even a fourth-level Venerable could not escape the calamity of death and annihilation!"

"It can also resonate with the thunder of heaven and earth, amplifying the power of one's own thunder and weakening and suppressing the mind and strength of all enemies."

"With this drum, your power will increase many times over, and you will be able to directly confront even the might of the top divine beasts of the primordial world!"

Lei Yu stretched out his slightly trembling hand, the moment his fingertips touched the cold drum body—

"Sizzle—!"

A tiny arc of azure lightning, yet containing world-destroying power, burst forth from the storm on the drumhead!

The space around it instantly solidified like ancient ice.

Even the surging thunderbolts and flashing lightning paused for a moment!
Lei Yu's dormant aura suddenly erupted, becoming several times stronger than before!
A roar, suppressed for countless years and brimming with supreme power and overwhelming fighting spirit, reverberated through the abyss: "Shaking the Heavens! What a magnificent roar! My path is within reach! The Heavenly Palace is but a petty villain, what is there to fear!"

The barrier that had troubled him for countless years now showed clear cracks under the resonance of the divine drum!
Venerable One, the Fourth Realm!
Zhang Yuan looked down at the other war drum in front of him.

The war drums that startled the gods.

The drum is a majestic dark gold, with ingeniously integrated mysterious array patterns unique to the Qin army, symbolizing iron will, order, and the belief in victory, within the thunder patterns, faintly echoing the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses.

The drumhead is not a storm, but a deep crimson.

It was as if a world-destroying divine fire was flowing endlessly beneath the drum skin.

Crimson clouds swirled, and the scorching heat distorted the space, threatening to erupt at any moment and incinerate everything that stood in the way of the army!
Zhang Yuan put it away, and the drum body transformed into a stream of dark golden light and disappeared into the storage space.

"This drum is called the 'God-Shaking War Drum,' and it is the soul of my army's command! When the drum sounds, the blood and qi of ten thousand soldiers will surge like dragons from the abyss, and their fighting spirit will solidify and take form. Even gods and demons will be terrified and retreat upon hearing it!"

----------------

Just as Zhang Yuan and Lei Yu, father and son, successfully forged their weapon in the Thunderfall Abyss, wielding their divine bows and war drums, their imposing aura resounding throughout the abyss, the echoes of the new divine artifact's birth reverberated.

High above the nine heavens, in the main hall of the Patrol Guard.

Zhao Kun prostrated himself on the ground, shouting hoarsely, almost drawing blood from his forehead: "Governor! The evidence is irrefutable!"

"The images brought back by Commander Ling are incredibly clear!"

"That traitor Zhang Yuan, his armed giant ape is like a torrent of steel, his poisoned eagle demon is like a dark cloud of death, and he has trained the human race's battle formation to be a perfect whole, indestructible!"

"Such power is beyond the control of the Guardian Temple! He is currently in the Thunderfall Abyss, colluding with the remnants of the Kui Niu, and is definitely plotting to overthrow the Heavenly Palace!"

Zhao Kun, who had been monitoring the camp, was not surprised to know Zhang Yuan's whereabouts.

Zhang Yuan was invited by Kui Niu to Luo Lei Yuan, and there was no way to hide this matter.

The Governor of Yucheng sat on his throne, toying with the jade tablet that recorded the image between his fingers.

Amidst the shifting light and shadow, there are giant apes armed to the teeth charging into battle, eagle demons with poisoned feathers darting like lightning, and the human race's chaotic rock formation, a seamless whole resembling an impregnable fortress...

His handsome yet eerie face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Zhang Yuan's demonstrated strength, organizational skills, and ability to integrate different ethnic groups are no longer minor issues.

Rather, it truly threatens the Patrol Command's absolute control over the Chensha River war zone and even the surrounding star system!

That bizarre battle formation, that sophisticated weaponry, that deep connection with the divine beasts…

Each one was like a sharp knife, pressing against the most sensitive nerve of the Heavenly Palace.

"Hmph!" Yu Cheng abruptly crushed the jade slip into dust, the dust falling like stardust through his fingers. "Colluding with remnants of divine beasts, privately forging forbidden weapons, practicing subversive battle formations, resisting the Heavenly Palace's inspections..."

“Every single one of these actions violates a major taboo of the Heavenly Palace!”

“This fiend has become a major threat. If we don’t eliminate him, where will the majesty of the Heavenly Palace be? Where will the order of the primordial world be?” His eyes flashed with cold light, like two ice-soul divine swords drawn from their sheaths.

"Ling Hao!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Ling Hao took a step forward, his silver armor clanging, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge and bloodthirsty excitement.

"Gather the three hundred elite 'Silver Radiance Guards'! Wield my 'God-Binding Lock'! This treasure is specifically designed to counter the bodies of gods and demons; even a Venerable would find it difficult to break free!" Yu Cheng's voice was icy and chilling, his killing intent as fierce as the cold winds of the Netherworld.

This item is precisely what the Patrol Guard relies on.

It was because of this treasure that the Jade City Governor was willing to capture Lei Yu, who possessed the third level of Venerable cultivation.

"By imperial decree, the commander hereby orders the mobilization of all capable soldiers from the 'Blackwater Serpent' and 'Crimson Scale Python' clans!"

"There are also other guardian temples and demon clans under the guise of inspecting the temples downstream of the Sunken Sand River for illegal activities and wiping out the remnants of the divine beast Kui Niu, and they will immediately send troops to Luo Lei Abyss!"

He paused, his tone chilling.

"Our primary objective is to capture Zhang Yuan alive! If the Kui Niu clan resists... kill them without mercy! Their divine bones and essence can be harvested to serve as provisions for the Heavenly Palace!"

"I will obey the Governor's decree! I will capture that traitor Zhang Yuan and raze Luo Lei Yuan to the ground!" Ling Hao accepted the order with a sinister grin. With a flash of silver light, he swept up Zhao Kun, who was filled with ecstasy mixed with a hint of fear, and disappeared from the main hall in an instant.

As the imperial edict was issued, the downstream area of ​​the Chensha River and the surrounding area experienced turbulent undercurrents.

High above, in the cold, silver-white hall of the Patrol Division, the imperial edicts shot out like streaks of deadly light, tearing through the fierce winds.

These talismans were precisely aimed at every guardian temple and every demon's lair in the lower reaches of the Chensha River and the surrounding area.

Panshiguan.

The mountain gate is majestic and carved from a single piece of blue granite.

Enveloped in a thick, earthen-yellow protective array of light, it exudes an ancient and unwavering aura of stability.

Inside the main hall, Master Zuo Yuan of Panshi Temple was discussing matters with several elders.

When the silver talisman, carrying the cold aura of the Patrol Division, pierced through the array's light barrier and hovered in front of him, his thick eyebrows suddenly stood up!

His large, fan-like hand slammed down on the hard, iron-like black stone table beside him.

"boom!"

The stone table cracked open with several fissures.

"A decree from the Heavenly Palace? Hmph!"

Zuo Yuansheng's voice was like muffled thunder, causing dust to fall from the palace beams.

Without even glancing at the contents of the silver talisman, he suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a powerful earth-elemental gust of wind swept up the talisman, slamming it against the palace wall and turning it into dust.

"Our Pan Shi Temple only obeys the orders of the Hundred Temples Joint Headquarters and Venerable Pan Shi! Without the official order from the Hundred Temples Garrison, we cannot obey!"

"The Patrol Division's reach has gone far too far!"

He abruptly stood up and shouted sternly towards the outside of the hall: "Send the order! Close the mountain gate tightly! Activate the mountain protection formation—fully!"

In an instant, the earthen-yellow light curtain outside the mountain gate surged, its radiance soaring into the sky, illuminating the entire mountain as if cast in gold, isolating the inside from the outside, and demonstrating an unwavering will as firm as a rock.

Not all garrison temples are as resolute as Pan Shi Temple.

Chenyun Temple is situated atop a misty peak, its halls appearing and disappearing in the mist.

At this moment, the deputy abbot was counting medicinal herbs in the alchemy room, which was filled with the fragrance of herbs.

"Om-"

A silver talisman appeared out of thin air above the alchemy furnace.

Deputy Abbot Yun Gu frowned almost imperceptibly, waved his hand to take the silver talisman, swept it over with his divine sense, and instantly his face was covered with an extremely enthusiastic, even slightly obsequious, smile.

It was as if the silver talisman was an invitation from a close friend.

"Oh dear, Inspector Ling has come in person! I am so sorry for not being able to greet you properly!"

Yun Gu strode out of the alchemy room, bowing repeatedly towards a certain spot in the sky, his smile almost dripping with honey. "It's not that I'm shirking responsibility, but the elite troops of the temple are all under the command of Commander Zhang at the Martial Guard, hunting in the Ancient Forest of Ten Thousand Miasmas. They've been recalled at this moment..."

"This might delay the important task of exorcising the demon, and we also need time to reorganize our equipment and reassure our disciples..."

He rubbed his hands together, speaking with utmost respect, but his eyes darted around, never mentioning when he could send troops.

The wisps of smoke rising from the alchemy furnace behind him added to the ambiguity and mystery.

……

Bibo View.

Built by the water, the main hall is reflected in the shimmering water.

Abbot Sun Qing was leisurely enjoying tea in the waterside pavilion.

The silver talisman flew through the air and hovered above his teacup.

Sun Qing's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he grabbed the silver talisman. His face instantly flushed with wild joy and excitement, as if a hungry wolf had spotted a piece of meat.

"How dare we disobey the imperial decree!"

He suddenly stood up, his voice so loud it echoed throughout half the Taoist temple, startling a flock of water birds.

"Our elite troops of Bibo Temple are fully prepared and ready to be dispatched at any time by Inspector Ling to annihilate the rebel Zhang Yuan and bring peace to the world!"

He impatiently shouted the order, then turned to his confidant and growled, "Quickly! Bring that batch of top-grade 'Azure Sea Spirit-Concentrating Pills' from the storeroom! Present them to the Inspector! This is my way of showing loyalty!"

Beside the waterside pavilion, disciples hurriedly ran about, the light of the spirit boat magic treasures flashing one after another, creating a scene of "loyal and busy" activity.

The attitudes of the various guardians differed, and the various demon clans also received the talisman at this time.

The ancestral home of the Blackwater Serpent Clan.

Nine Abyss Cold Pool.

The bottomless, dark, icy pool was filled with churning black water and pervasive poisonous miasma.

A huge serpentine statue sits coiled around the edge of the pool, its scales menacing.

The silver talisman hovered above the snake statue's head.

Kui Yue, the Great Elder of the Blackwater Serpent, suddenly thrust his massive head out of the pool.

Its cold, vertical pupils locked onto the silver talisman, and then it burst into a deafening laugh, the sound waves causing the black water of the icy pool to surge up into towering waves hundreds of feet high!

"Hahaha! God help me too!"

Kui Yue's serpentine eyes burned with the flames of revenge.

"Zhang Yuan, you little thief, stole my sacred artifact! Kui Niu, you old devil, injured my ancestor! Today, we'll settle all our old and new scores! My men!"

With its hoarse roar, countless thick, dark shadows burst forth from the bottom of the pool and from the caves, their hissing sounds converging into a tide of death.

"Follow me into the Thunderfall Abyss, slaughter all the Kui Niu, and skin Zhang Yuan alive! To avenge our blood feud and uphold the glory of our race!"

A thick, inky cloud of poison instantly shot into the sky, blotting out the sun and carrying the entire serpent demon army, hurtling towards Thunderfall Abyss with an aura of destruction. (End of Chapter)