Primordial Era: Starting with slaughtering all the gods and Buddhas in the sky

The black wind loomed overhead, like a dark cloud sliding along the mountainside. Huang Chen carried one on his back and held another in his arms, while several other children followed behind, their steps faltering and slipping on the loose stones.

A muffled rumble continued from deep within the mountain behind us, like a giant beast writhing underground, causing fine sand to fall from the cliff face.

Don't stop.

"Huang Chen said in a low voice, "Follow the path I've walked."

The older boy in front gritted his teeth, supporting another child whose legs were weak, panting heavily: "I... I can keep up."

'

"If you can keep up, shut up and save your energy."

Huang Chen spoke harshly, but slowed his pace slightly.

The night in the forbidden area of ​​Zushan is not just dark, but also carries a sense of being watched closely. The old pine trees along the mountain path are blown about by the wind, their branches and shadows swaying wildly against the rock walls, like outstretched hands.

Occasionally, the sound of bells could be heard from afar, deep and muffled, carried across layers of mountains, leaving only an echo as it reached the back cliff, like it was being struck from a grave.

He didn't take the main road.

The main road was patrolled by disciples, and also by talisman arrays. Huang Chen followed the rock crevices and broken walls of the back cliff to circle outwards. When he encountered a steep slope, he would put down the child in his arms first, and then carry the makeshift vehicle to move over little by little.

The vehicle was salvaged from fragments of a flying boat; its edges were roughened, and it was a mixture of wood and iron. It made a soft, scraping sound as it dragged across the stone surface. Huang Chen pressed his hand down, trying to keep the noise from spreading.

The youngest child in his arms was already drowsy, his face buried in his chest, his voice as soft as a cat's meow.

"Big brother..."

"Um.

'

"They...won't chase after us, will they?"

Huang Chen glanced back; the dark mountain wall looked like a tomb entrance blocking the way.

Not for now.

This is the truth.

With the interlayer of the sacrificial vein so badly damaged, the people underground are currently focused on covering up the truth, protecting the image, and saving the situation; they won't immediately turn the entire ancestral mountain upside down for investigation. The more shady the place, the more they fear it coming to light.

Huang Chen circled around the back cliff until he was far enough away from the main peak of Zushan Mountain before stopping in a rocky hollow behind a windy pass.

As soon as the children stopped, their legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground.

Some people's feet were worn raw, covered in dust and blood; some had chafing marks on their arms, with bruises all around; the youngest one was shivering from the cold, his lips white.

Huang Chen raised his hand and took out two fasting pills, crushed them into small pieces, and gave them to them to slowly suck on.

"Don't swallow too quickly, take your breath."

The older boy held the medicine and stared blankly at him: "Big brother, aren't you going to take it?"

'

"I don't need it."

After Huang Chen finished speaking, he touched his cuff.

The blood had stuck the lining together.

Enduring the pressure within the sacrificial vein's interlayer and forcibly removing the Soul-Destroying Chisel fragments resulted in a significant backlash.

I just didn't have time to deal with it then. Now, with the wind blowing, the wound starts to swell in waves, and even the bones feel heavy.

He didn't sit down to rest, but just closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings.

The spiritual energy in the direction of Zushan was still chaotic. Several divine senses could be vaguely seen sweeping across the outer mountain ranges. They came quickly and left quickly, carrying an uncontrollable agitation.

That old bastard Zhao Wuji has probably already received the news.

Thinking of this, Huang Chen twitched the corner of his mouth.

The angrier the better.

Let them investigate the underground sacrificial veins, the remnants of the forbidden formations, and find out who exactly made the move under the ancestral mountain.

The more intense the investigation, the more people, formations, and incense offerings are needed at the ancestral hall to suppress it. The more layers are piled up on the outside, the bigger the boil inside becomes.

He took a breath, lowered the black windproof cap again, and continued on his way.

They were gone for most of the night.

Mountain roads, rocky ridges, shallow streams, and miasma forests stretched out one after another. When the children were almost exhausted, Huang Chen would take turns lifting them onto the vehicle and towing them for a while.

As dawn approached, the group finally passed through the familiar edge of the miasma and could see the dark red array at the entrance of the Valley of Fire in the distance.

The campfire in the valley was still burning.

The watchman heard the commotion first, raised his spear, and was about to question them when he saw a figure emerge from under the black wind.

"Yes, sir!"

'

"Open the side door quickly! Hurry!"

'

A crack appeared in the array, and warm, hot air rushed out. The smell, a mixture of herbs, wood smoke, and porridge, was like stepping from the depths of hell into a land of the living compared to the stench of blood and decay emanating from the ancestral mountain.

Lao Tie was the first to rush out, still holding half a pair of iron pliers in his hand, as if he had been fixing something halfway through at night.

"You're finally back—"

He was halfway through his sentence when he noticed the blood on Huang Chen's sleeve and hem, and his face immediately darkened.

Then he saw the few skinny boys behind him, and Lao Tie cursed under his breath, his voice low but full of anger.

"These beasts, they don't even spare children."

'

Huang Chen handed over the youngest child.

"Settlement first.

Boil some water, cook some thin porridge, and wash the wound with salt water and herbs. Don't let people crowd around asking questions.

'

The old man took the child, his movements becoming gentler: "Okay, I'll do it."

Huang Chen then pointed to the boy with the injured knee: "His foot is rotten, don't let him put his feet on the ground yet."

'

"I've got it."

Ashi also ran over from behind, covered in sweat, clearly having just rushed over from the valley after hearing the commotion.

"Sir, the room has been vacated, and the bedding has been replaced with new ones."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the children, pursed his lips, his eyes reddening, but he didn't ask any more questions.

Huang Chen nodded.

"Take them in."

'

"Yes, sir."

Ah Shi bent down and tried to soften his voice: "Come on, follow me, it's safe in the valley."

Don't be afraid.

The children were initially tense, but once they entered the valley and saw the fire, people, and steaming pots, they seemed to suddenly relax.

A little girl burst into tears after taking only two steps, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Old Tie, carrying the child, cursed under his breath but ran as fast as he could, heading straight for the stone house.

Huang Chen stood at the entrance of the valley until he saw everyone go inside before letting out a long sigh of relief.

The sky was already turning a bit gray.

He didn't go back to the house immediately, but went first to the blacksmith's shed at the back of the valley. The shed was piled with the remains of the flying boat, broken array poles, and blackened metal plates, and there were also black wood fragments taken from the Soul-Binding Banner scattered on the ground.

The items I received a few days ago have all been neatly categorized and organized by my friend.

"Hey bro, come here later."

'

"Right away," Lao Tie replied from across half a stalk of grain.

Huang Chen reached out and took the Soul-Destroying Chisel fragment from the system space.

The item felt icy cold as soon as it landed in my palm.

The fragment was no more than the length of a palm, dark and heavy, with pitted and uneven edges, as if it had been smashed and buried for thousands of years. But as soon as the true essence touched it, the sinister energy inside, which was specifically designed to attack the soul and the core of the array, immediately burst out, causing a slight pain in the sea of ​​consciousness.

Huang Chen narrowed his eyes and placed it on the anvil.

Not long after, Lao Tie arrived, followed by A Shi.

Old Tie first looked at the fragments on the anvil, then at Huang Chen: "Is this the thing that pierced through the bottom of Zushan Mountain?"

"almost.

'

"It looks like a rotten nail." Old Tie clicked his tongue, reached out to touch it, then pulled his hand back abruptly. "Damn it, my hair stood on end before I even touched it."

'

Huang Chen said, "This thing is specifically designed to break through soul-binding formations, array eyes, and incense-based dharma images. Now there's one more step: refining it."

'

The guy immediately perked up: "Tell me, how do you train it?"

Huang Chen glanced at the materials in the shed.

"Take the spirit metal skeleton from the wreckage of the flying boat, the yin wood core from the broken pole of the Soul-Binding Banner, and the remaining embers from the demon core of the Crimson Flame Demon King. Don't try to refine them into magic weapons, just try to temporarily stabilize them so they can be used three times without collapsing."

'

Lao Tie understood immediately.

"Use strange fire to temper the bones, lock the shape with yin wood, and then borrow spiritual energy to repair the crack?"

'

"right."

"Okay, give me half an hour."

'

The guy turned around and went to move his things.

Ah Shi stood obediently to the side and asked in a low voice, "Sir, would you like to treat your injuries first?"

'

"Refine it first."

"grown ups……"

Huang Chen glanced at him.

Ashi immediately shut up and ran over to bring over the stove, the blower bag, and several spare iron clamps.

The stone shed quickly warmed up.

As soon as the furnace was lit, the residual fire within the Crimson Flame Demon King's demon core was gradually drawn out by Lao Tie, and the flames were no longer pure red, but had an eerie golden hue at the edges. The spirit metal skeleton from the remnants of the flying boat was cut into thin strips, which emitted a slight hum after falling into the fire.

When the broken pole of the soul-binding banner was burned, it emitted a bitter black smoke that smelled like a mixture of old coffin wood and incense ash, making people feel choked and stuffy in their chest.

As Lao Tie pumped the bellows, he cursed, "Those bastards from the Xuantian Sect dare to mix in all sorts of evil stuff."

'

Huang Chen did not respond.

He sat cross-legged in front of the stove, his mind focused on the system panel.

The number in the merit column is much higher than last night. Saving those children and destroying the soul-binding setup in the sacrificial vein's inner layer were all done cleanly.

The karmic burden has increased dramatically, and the number of lives lost due to the shady dealings beneath the ancestral mountain is far more than one.

He started by opening the lottery wheel.

This time, instead of choosing the regular or silver option, I directly invested the merit points I had just received to start the gold lottery.

The wheel spun rapidly in his mind, spreading out in concentric circles of golden light, carrying a heavy pressure.

Huang Chen stared at it, and it sounded like countless tiny prayers and cries were mixed together in his ears, making his temples throb.

A few breaths later, the roulette wheel suddenly stopped.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the equipment: Nine Netherworld Forbidden Nail (One-time Use)]

A long, black nail with dark purple patterns on its surface appeared in the shadow.

The nail was short, only half a foot long, yet it carried a menacing aura that could penetrate any crack or block any barrier.

The system's judgment then appeared:

【Nine Netherworld Barrier-Breaking Nail: A one-time-use barrier-breaking object that can tear temporary openings in major formations, ancestral temples, and forbidden area nodes. The duration depends on the strength of the barrier.】

Huang Chen's eyelids twitched slightly.

nice one.

Smashing the ancestral hall is too risky.

If you can first tear open a gap at a crucial point, and then use the Soul-Destroying Chisel fragments to nail it in, the path will be smooth.

Without delay, he looked at the Karma Mall.

[Intermediate Witch Clan Battle Body Completion Pack]

【Ten Thousand Evils Charming the City Talisman】

Neither of them was cheap, and they consumed a large portion of my karma. The numbers on the panel jumped, as if a piece of my flesh had been ripped out.

Huang Chen didn't hesitate and exchanged the items directly.

In the next instant, a flood of information about body tempering, periosteum thickening, tendon and vein compression, and flesh and blood reprocessing poured into his mind.

Immediately afterwards, the blood and qi in my body felt like they had been thrown into a pot of boiling oil, and they exploded with a bang.

"Hold.

'

Huang Chen grunted, and the veins on his forehead bulged out on the spot.

Old Tie was tapping the spirit metal with his head down when he looked up and saw him like this, and his hand stopped for a moment: "What's wrong?"

Old Tie was tapping the spirit metal with his head down when he looked up and saw him like this, and his hand stopped for a moment: "What's wrong?"

'

"It's okay, continue."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Chen's shoulder and back muscles tensed up suddenly, and his joints cracked.

The feeling wasn't like practicing martial arts; it was like someone was hammering my bones inch by inch with a heavy hammer, then pouring molten iron into my tendons. First, my chest and abdomen felt hot, then the heat surged into my limbs and bones, even forcing out the hidden injuries caused by the pressure of the formation, making me feel numb with pain.

He held his breath tightly, letting the brute force surge within him.

Blood seeped out again from the torn old wound.

It was forcefully pushed back by even stronger qi and blood.

After an unknown amount of time, and after the fire in the shed had been ignited twice, Huang Chen slowly opened his eyes.

The view was much clearer than before.

The sounds of bellows, crackling charcoal, and the voices of people rising in the valley at dawn were all drawn out even more faintly.

He could even tell the difference in the weight of footsteps passing by outside the stone shed. The most obvious difference was in the physical body—it was heavier and more stable, like an iron ingot just taken out of the furnace, still hot on the outside, but already solid on the inside.

System panel refresh:

[Host: Huang Chen]

[Realm Level: Early Stage Earth Immortal]

[Battle Body: Intermediate Witch Clan Battle Body (Increased Completeness)]

[Karma: Around 30,000]

[Merit: Decline]

Huang Chen flexed his fingers, and his knuckles made a low, muffled sound.

The Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus was hidden deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, and each time it was activated, it would cause a burning pain to the soul.

The pain has been significantly reduced, as if a thicker layer of bone has been added to the outside, which has also increased the body's resistance to attacks on the soul.

He exhaled a breath of hot, turbid air and put the [Ten Thousand Fiends City-Piercing Talisman] he had just exchanged into his system space.

That thing had such a fierce aura that once it was taken out, the entire grain would feel a chill.

Meanwhile, Lao Tie's rough work was almost finished.

The flying boat's spiritual metal was stretched into several thin bands, binding the cracks in the Soul-Destroying Chisel fragments. The Soul-Binding Banner's yin wood burned into black liquid, seeping into the cracks little by little, barely locking in the originally scattered and overflowing yin energy.

The last wisp of the Crimson Flame Demon Core's embers were hammered into the core of the fragment by Old Tie. With a "clang," sparks exploded, and several dark red lines suddenly appeared on the surface of the black fragment, like a venomous snake that had been dormant for many years opening its eyes.

The old man took half a step back and grinned.

Whether it works or not, you'll see for yourself.

Huang Chen reached out and picked up the broken pieces.

This time it wasn't just a simple chill; it was a coldness concealing fire, its edge more piercing and ruthless. A system notification then popped up:

[The Soul-Destroying Chisel Fragment has been temporarily upgraded to: Soul-Destroying Chisel - Remnant (Rank B, one-time use, durability 3/3)]

[Note: Specifically designed to break through soul-binding artifacts, key nodes of formations, and incense-related magical images.]

Huang Chen stared at the line of words for a moment, then slowly suppressed his smile.

enough.

Old Tie wiped his sweat, leaned closer and whispered, "Are you going out again?"

'

Huang Chen hummed in agreement.

Old Tie frowned: "He just crawled out from under Zushan Mountain, and he's still covered in blood."

How about we take a half-day break first?

"Just take a half-day break."

"I will be in seclusion until the afternoon," Huang Chen said. "No one should disturb me during this time."

"Those children are awake, but don't let them run around."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"Old Tie paused, then lowered his voice, "Is it really that urgent over at Zushan?"

Huang Chen put away the Soul-Destroying Chisel Remnant and looked up at the mountains to the north.

The morning mist was rising from the valley entrance, obscuring the distant mountain ridge. Beyond that direction lay the ancestral land of the Xuantian Sect.

He mentally went through the whole process again.

Originally, it was a demon-subduing golden bowl in the hands of a passing earth immortal, who used the name of exorcising demons to actually engage in the business of capturing souls and refining blood.

Then came the Xuantian Sect's pursuers.

Further on, there is Chu Yunfei, the Sky-Hunting Flying Boat, and rows of soul-binding magical artifacts and prison cells for holding people at the bottom of the flying boat.

Then came the Valley of White Bones and Blood, where batches of humans were sold, transported, and sacrificed.

Following the trail, what appears to be a series of events involving demon raids, evil cultivators trafficking people, and sects acquiring goods, always ends up in the same place—the Ancestral Hall.

There, the ancestral master's spirit tablet is enshrined, incense is offered, and the sect's fortune is stabilized.

That place is also the perfect breeding ground for filth and corruption.

Huang Chen was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked Lao Tie, "Do you still remember the first golden bowl?"

Old Tie was stunned for a moment, then cursed, "That bald monk, the Earth Immortal?"

Remember that bastard who used human souls as magical artifacts?

He is not an isolated case.

'

Huang Chen's voice was not loud.

"Chu Yunfei is not one of them either."

The flying boat is no exception. I even stumbled upon the sacrificial vein's hidden layer beneath the ancestral mountain; if the ancestral hall were clean, not even a dog would believe it.

'

The stone shed was quiet for a moment, with only the crackling of the stove fire remaining.

Ashi stood to the side, his fists slowly clenching, and gritted his teeth as he said, "Sir, I'll go too."

'

"No need," Huang Chen replied directly.

Ah Shi grew anxious: "My lord—"

"You stay in the valley."

Huang Chen looked at him and said, "Settle the new kids in, and keep a close eye on the formation's core and the valley entrance."

This is more important than coming with me.

Ashi opened his mouth, but in the end he lowered his head.

"Yes, sir."

Lao Tie didn't try to persuade him anymore, he just let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright. Take half a day to stabilize your injuries, and I'll repair the light armor set from the flying boat fragments for you."

"Also, in case you ever want to use this thing to stab the ancestral temple..." He paused, then pointed to the Soul-Destroying Chisel Remnant that Huang Chen had just put away, "Remember to stab the most painful spot first."

Huang Chen smiled, the smile so short it was almost invisible.

"That's what I think too."

Huang Chen returned to the stone chamber where he had secluded himself for cultivation. He first swallowed a Qi-replenishing pill, and then used a Rejuvenation Pill to neutralize the medicinal power, gradually suppressing the new and old injuries in his body.

Then, he sat cross-legged and mentally reviewed the order in which he would use the Nine Netherworld Forbidden Nail, the Myriad Fiends City-Piercing Talisman, the Soul-Destroying Chisel (Remnant), and the Twelfth Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus.

First, break the restrictions.

Then dig another array.

If we're truly cornered, we can unleash the Ten Thousand Fiends City-Charging Talisman again and drag those bastards from Zushan into it.

The stone chamber was very quiet.

Only when the medicinal power flows in the meridians, like simmering over a gentle fire.

Half a day later, Huang Chen opened his eyes, got up and pushed open the door.

The sun was setting outside, and the wind still carried the smell of burnt iron from the blacksmith's shed. Old Tie was squatting by the door, grinding a piece of scrap iron from a flying boat. Hearing the noise, he looked up at him.

"woke up?"

Huang Chen nodded.

Old Tie tossed over the packaged items beside him: "I added a lining to your black windbreaker, and tightened the buttons even though it's light. The kids have eaten and fallen asleep; A-Shi is keeping watch over them."

Huang Chen took the package and tied it as he walked.

When he reached the mouth of the valley, he stopped again and looked back at the small valley protected by miasma and a protective barrier.

The fire is still burning, and the people are still alive.

The exciting chapter "Chapter 41: Carved into a Killing Weapon" is now available online. Click to read it now!