From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Zheng Zha placed his hand on the ground and immediately received a notification from the main god:

[Access the story item: Nine-Turned Iron Rod]

Originally, it was a nine-ringed tin staff forged by the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang using a nine-cycle technique after his return from his pilgrimage to the West. Over time, the gold and silver on the staff wore away, leaving only the staff shaft...

Later, Jiang Liu obtained it and used a dual cultivation technique to wrap "golden hoops" around both ends with living materials...

Previously refined by Jiang Liu through nine cycles, it contains the principles of the cultivation methods he practiced, including: Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques, Dharma Image... Error, Sun and Moon Refinement... Unknown, Great Void... Unknown, Tai Chi Chuan, Bajiquan, Sixteen-Foot Golden Body Sumeru Method, Primordial Qi Natural Breathing Method, One Day Fire Cultivation Technique, Four Seasons Fire Cultivation Technique, Gene Lock, etc.

Divine weapon level, with unlimited potential, it can grow together with its master!

A glimmer of Xuanzang's spiritual light lies hidden within... Unknown! Error! This must not be brought back to the Main God Space! Reincarnators, please stay away from the Nine-Turn Iron Cudgel before returning! Do not touch! Do not touch! Do not touch!

[Mission: Return the Nine-Turn Iron Rod to Jiang Liu. Reward: One Rank B side quest, 2000 reward points!]

"What do you think?" Zheng Zha snapped out of his daze, his emotions still unsettled for a long time—

Eight-Nine Mysterious Techniques!

And what about that Dharma image... could it be some kind of great supernatural power like the Dharma of Heaven and Earth?

Just considering the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, Zheng Zha was already breathing heavily, unable to imagine that Jiang Liu had actually mastered Yang Jian's martial arts from "Investiture of the Gods"!

"The Lord God is afraid."

But Chu Xuan's focus was completely different from Zheng Zha's; it was on that "hidden spark of Xuanzang's inspiration."

Xuanzang must refer to the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang.

But what exactly does "inspiration" refer to? Is it a product of spiritual transformation?

unknown.

However, considering the repeated "unknown" and "error" prompts from the main god, and recalling that Zhan Lan also received a warning from the main god after receiving Jiang Liu's light—

He could foresee that "spiritual light" was something that would frighten the Supreme God... no, it should be something that might cause the Supreme God to have a "program bug," and this kind of thing was something that could be "cultivated" through practice.

[To roam freely for trillions of years without end, a single spark of light forever filling the void...?]

Relating this to the concept of "fate," Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses and realized that the existence of the Main God Space was quite likely an imitation and application of this "spiritual light." Once a cultivator who had cultivated a bit of spiritual light entered the Main God Space, their life and death would most likely be beyond the control of the Main God, and there was even a chance that the "powerful beings" among these cultivators would seize their relevant permissions.

Whether for cultivating powerful individuals or for some other purpose, the tasks issued by the Main God Space are excessively cruel and twisted... If the Main God Space is a machine creation, was its program modified by one or more entities beforehand?

With this thought in mind, Chu Xuan returned to the present and said to Zheng Zha, "There's no rush to do this B-level side quest. Jiang Liu can handle it even without the weapon, but with the help of this weapon, we might be able to explore Black Mountain better and find Zhang Zhiwei along the way."

"Zhang Zhiwei?"

Zheng Zha was taken aback, then remembered who this guy was, "The Taoist priest who was the first to enter the Ghost Realm? The friend Jiang Liu mentioned?"

"He dared to be the first to break in, so he must have fought with that underworld emperor on the mountaintop. Judging from Jiang Liu's tone, he trusts Jiang Liu's strength, so he certainly won't die so easily. He's probably hiding in these mountains. We can look for him."

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses. "However, this is just a side quest for us. The main quest is still to destroy Lanruo Temple... This might depend on clues—"

Originally, we were supposed to be the ones to draw the fire, but because of the river, all the ghosts and monsters in the mountains have hidden themselves, so we can join the team that collects clues.

While we're at it, we should contact Zhao Yingkong and the others. If we can't find any useful clues in the area near the foot of the mountain, they should come with us to search among the densely packed, strangely shaped earthen buildings and roof tiles on the mountain, going from house to house. As long as the ghosts and monsters don't swarm us, we'll have a chance to survive.

The Supreme God will not offer a path where certain death is inevitable.

Zheng Zha: "..."

really!

Chu Xuan is acting like a monster again!

"What are you standing there for? Send a message."

“Me?” Zheng Zha pointed to himself.

"Since you are the captain..."

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses. "Then act like a captain. We've been through two horror movies, and this is the third. If you're still clinging to wishful thinking..."

"Then I deserve to be tricked by you!" Zheng Zha took a deep breath and, using Zhan Lan's mental points, contacted Qi Tengyi, Arno, and Zhao Yingkong.

"The three of you, if you can't find any clues down the mountain, then come up here. The ghosts and monsters in the mountains have all hidden themselves, so you won't encounter the 'Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts' at this stage..."

# Chapter 346 Zheng Zha and Others in Action (Part Two): The Iron Rod That Recognizes Its Master

After sending a message to Qi Tengyi, Zhao Yingkong, and Arno, Zheng Zha grabbed the "Ruyi Jingu Bang" and pulled it up with force.

"I go!"

Upon feeling the weight of the iron rod, Zheng Zha was taken aback and said with slight surprise, "It actually weighs more than ten kilograms! It's almost as heavy as a large watermelon. Add to that the area of ​​force it bears when held in the hand... Can Jiang Liu wield it freely even without circulating his Qi?"

Although he was able to break steel bars with his bare hands and even twist them into pretzel shape after receiving the enhancement from the main god, that was an explosive force. Once his internal energy was exhausted and his vampire energy was depleted, he could only do it under the premise of unlocking his gene lock.

Of course, once the gene lock is unlocked, as long as one survives, the body will instinctively adapt to this power and gradually become stronger. Now, with sheer strength, one can even break steel bars.

But this is a special case for these reincarnators!

Did Jiang Liu possess strength exceeding several thousand kilograms even in ordinary circumstances before he came into contact with the gene lock?

Lifting a weapon weighing more than ten pounds is something any normal person can do. He had heard that many ancient generals used weapons weighing from ten to over a hundred pounds for training.

But to be able to wield it skillfully and fight the enemy, the lighter the weapon, the better. If, on top of that, its hardness and toughness are far beyond the ordinary, that would be even better!

For example, a high-vibration particle cutting dagger!

During training, they complained that the weapons were too light and not enough for practice; during combat, they complained that the weapons were too heavy and consumed too much energy.

That's exactly the point!

Extraordinary People —

He was still human, not beyond the realm of humanity. If his Qi was exhausted, his physical abilities wouldn't be far ahead of Zheng Zha's. In fact, many of the forty-two people had much weaker physical abilities than him.

But Jiang Liu seems to be an accident?

"No! It's getting heavier!"

After holding it for a while, Zheng Zha noticed that the iron rod in his hand seemed to be getting heavier. The circulation of his internal energy seemed to be affected by the strange power of the rod, causing his strength to weaken!

"Oh? This thing can recognize its master? ... It probably amplifies the master's strength and weakens the enemy's. Judging from how this thing affects the energy circuits in other people's bodies, that seems to be the case."

Chu Xuan remained unfazed. "Carry it. With your current strength, you can easily lift something weighing ten tons."

"Easy for you to say!"

Zheng Zha was speechless.

Indeed.

He can handle it.

Even if there is a limit to the increase in weight of this thing, how can he fight when he encounters danger while carrying a "heavy object" that can disrupt his internal energy circulation and the alchemical array pattern?

But unfortunately.

Just as Zheng Zha mustered a bit of strength, he suddenly stumbled—

The iron rod has become lighter again.

"What's going on? Sometimes it's light, sometimes it's heavy?" Zheng Zha was puzzled when he saw the iron rod tremble and actually break free from his hand, hovering between the two of them.

Then, the two golden-banded dragon patterns on the pillars came to life, raising their heads and dragon heads. The dragon had two claws and two horns, and its eyes were blue; the real dragon had four claws and one horn, and its eyes were silvery white.

"He's really alive?"

Zheng Zha exclaimed, "This weapon has a spirit!"

"Living material?"

Chu Xuan recalled the message from the main god when he touched the iron rod, realizing that the golden hoops at both ends of the rod were made of a living material. "Can you understand our language?"

"nature."

The iron rod was raised horizontally, and the azure dragon with dark gold dragon scales and green patterns opened its mouth, "Young Master is fighting with that big guy up there and is unable to defeat him in a short time, so he is distracted. We want to help him destroy this Black Mountain."

The white dragon with dark gold scales and white stripes also spoke, "Just now it was just a little girl being mischievous, testing your strength."

Zheng Zha's mouth twitched, thinking to himself: Just as I thought! Like master, like weapon! Even weapons can play tricks on people!

"Is the target the entire mountain?"

Chu Xuan grasped the key point.

"The underworld emperor's strength is no match for the young master, but his body seems to be connected to the strange magnetic field of the entire Black Mountain. Even if he is reduced to ashes, he will recover in an instant. Therefore, without destroying the entire mountain, there is no way to defeat him."

Bai Long revealed the source of the Underworld Emperor's power: "I can sense the young master's thoughts. He has some guesses that the Underworld Emperor probably cannot leave the mountaintop area or go too far from the Nanwu Temple."

“Namo Temple? Shouldn’t it be Lanruo Temple?” Zheng Zha asked in surprise.

“Generally speaking, Buddhist temples built in mountains and remote places can be called Lanruo,” Chu Xuan glanced at Zheng Zha and explained.

But for some reason, Zheng Zha saw a hint of disdain in Chu Xuan's eyes—the wisdom of mortals!

【Oh shit!】

Zheng Zha snorted coldly in his heart, but he also understood the current situation:

Their mission upon returning was to destroy Lanruo Temple, which is also known as Nanwu Temple on the mountaintop.

The Namo Temple is guarded by the "Emperor of the Underworld." To destroy the Namo Temple, the monster must be defeated; and to defeat the monster, the Great Black Mountain must first be destroyed.

Depend on!

How can such a huge mountain be destroyed?

They don't have the strength to lift mountains!

"Chu Xuan?"

"If the Ghost Realm were to overlap with reality, the matter in this space would most likely slowly dissipate into nature. At worst, the Smiling Tiger has 20,000 troops, and with a barrage of cannons, he could accelerate the collapse of the Black Mountain."

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, realizing that to resolve this mission, he needed to utilize the warlords' firepower. "Things in two-dimensional space, upon reaching three-dimensional space, either undergo dimensional ascension or are crushed by three-dimensional space—"

Ascending to a higher dimension is not so easy, so once the ghost realm completely overlaps with the real space, it will inevitably be affected by the physical laws of the entire reality.

No world with stable physical laws would allow things from other dimensions to intrude.

Similarly, dealing with a lower dimension from a higher dimension is by no means as simple as tearing a piece of paper.

Just like three-dimensional beings, such as humans, we can easily tear a piece of paper, but we cannot tear two-dimensional space by tearing a piece of paper. What we can tear is only a piece of paper with thickness, nothing more.