Southward All the Way, Slay the White Snake!
At the same time--
In the far south of the Northern Nether Domain, a group of people, after enduring countless hardships, finally crossed Ten Thousand Li of desert and stepped into the Southern Marsh from the Central Lands...
The leading monk, surnamed Zhu, had already removed his monastic robes...
He had long hair, wore a headscarf, carried a Law Artifact at his waist, and led a red horse with a dragon's head, clearly appearing to be a foot soldier...
"My lord, we have already crossed the desert. That large lake ahead is Wangming Lake in Southern Marsh. Once we reach there, we will have left the Central Lands..."
"This no-fly zone restriction is naturally lifted."
As Zhu Laoba spoke, he led the horse forward...
On horseback, a middle-aged man resembling a scholar-general nodded slightly, then gave an order to the soldiers behind him:
"Southern Marsh is just ahead!"
"Let's prepare to set up camp. From now on, we'll have to rely on ourselves!"
As he spoke--
The soldiers behind him shouted excitedly, and upon closer inspection, they were all Qi Condensation cultivators...
A few generals even possessed the cultivation level of the Dao Foundation Realm!
The leading Confucian general had reached the Dao Foundation Perfection, and seemed poised to break through to the Core Formation stage...
And this Zhu Laoba.
Because of his efficiency and loyalty, he was valued by the scholar-general leader, and although he was just a foot soldier, his position was not low...
With their support and cultivation!
His cultivation level had recently broken through to the Dao Foundation Realm...
I imagine that once things settle down, his status and position will rise again, and by then, this soldier's appearance should be replaced...
Not far away--
A woman looked at Zhu Laoba with a hint of longing in her eyes, but perhaps due to her social status...
Finally, it ended without any apparent cause.
I'll bury this inexplicable feeling deep in my heart for now...
Soon after--
When the army set up camp by the lake, Zhu Laoba would meditate and cultivate in his tent, but the Unseen...
He felt a surge of unease, as if something was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe...
"What exactly happened...?"
"Back then, following Mr. Mengyu's advice, the journey south was smooth sailing and prosperous. But why did things get so much worse the further south we went...?"
"The more I think about it, the more frightened I become."
Even back when I traversed the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains alone, I never felt this way. What is it that's weighing me down...?
Zhu Laoba murmured to himself, but he still couldn't find the reason for his unease...
But not long after...
This feeling of unease dissipated with the wind, and thus Zhu Laoba continued his cultivation; his talent was only average...
If it weren't for the wise man who guided him back then, leading him southwards.
He probably won't even dare to hope to reach the Dao Foundation Realm in his lifetime, but he was lucky, back then he traveled south all the way...
First, they found an High Antiquity cultivator's cave abode, received an unexpected windfall, and thus managed to Qi Condensation. They also obtained an ancient map...
With the help of this ancient map--
At the beginning of the Northern Demon Rebellion, Zhu Laoba followed this map and infiltrated the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains through an High Antiquity secret passage...
He also managed to save a half-demon, and with the help of his race, he managed to cross the perilous terrain and reach the Central Lands with his Qi Condensation cultivation level...
later--
Another Ten Thousand Nations Rebellion erupted in the Central Lands, and he joined the army of a small nation, only to see that nation fall not long after...
He then followed this army, traversing this chaotic world.
They didn't fight for anyone in particular; they united simply to survive, ultimately infiltrating and sacrificing themselves along the way...
They fought their way from the northernmost part of the Central Lands all the way to the southernmost point.
Later, he was even hunted down by Core Formation True Person, and had no choice but to risk venturing into the desert, where, due to the natural restriction on air travel...
They have been walking in the desert for a full fifteen years!
That's why I fled to this Southern Marsh, hoping to find a place to stay. If I could settle down and establish a career here, that would be nice...
maybe--
The south that the wise man pointed to back then is this land of Southern Marsh...
"The people are well-off, and everyone has enough to eat."
"My thoughts back then were so simple and beautiful, but in this chaotic world, how can I possibly realize them..."
Zhu Laoba sighed inwardly. Having lived through a century, he knew long ago that with this chaotic world never ending, how could the dawn of peace ever arrive...
Even if the chaos subsides, how can there truly be peace in this world given the complexities of human nature?
The more you see, the deeper your obsession becomes!
Until now, from the moment I broke through to the Dao Foundation stage...
Zhu Laoba then understood a principle: if one wanted to stabilize this world, the only way was to use violence to control violence, to use absolute power...
Subdue everything! Slaughter everything!
Only in this way can he achieve his desired state and establish a truly peaceful and prosperous world, since this world is already corrupt...
Then overthrow it completely!
From its corpse, he would rebuild order, create the ideal world in his heart, and for that, perhaps killing was the true justice...
This idea had taken deep root in Zhu Laoba's heart.
Since Buddhism cannot save all sentient beings, he will become Shura and plan out a truly peaceful world for them!
But before that--
One must be patient and patient, stockpile provisions, build high walls, and delay declaring oneself king. Only after establishing a solid foundation can one proceed cautiously...
Now that he has reached the Dao Foundation and his lifespan is still sufficient, there is no rush...
His top priority right now is to gradually accumulate strength under Marshal Guo's command, if Marshal Guo can accept his idea...
He was willing to serve Marshal Guo to the death!
Northern Nether Domain -- Northern Continent -- Ten Thousand Soldiers Immortal City!
At this moment, hundreds of thousands of troops left Wanbingxian Ten Thousand Soldiers Immortal City in a grand procession, and the banner of this army bore a large Chinese character!
As for the destination of this trip, it was a small town Ten Thousand Li away.
Located in a mountainous plain, it is a small pass where the war between humans and demons has raged for decades, with the Human Race side...
Centered on the Ten Thousand Soldiers Immortal City, a completely new battle line was established, with passes like these along this line...
There are easily over a thousand of them!
Almost the entire Northern Continent was fortified with a line of passes and defenses, specifically to prevent snow and ice from allowing them to continue southward...
This force, known as Hanbang, was dispatched to garrison this pass, and its strength should not be underestimated...
There are at least five or six cultivators at the Dao Foundation Realm alone!
Among the Dao Foundation forces, they were considered one of the more powerful ones, hence the order to defend the city, seemingly to go to the front lines and fight to the death against the Ice and Ice and Snow Demon Race...
But let's look at it from another angle.
This can be considered a form of enfeoffment, or even a seizure of a territory, allowing one to occupy a peaceful and prosperous place in such a chaotic world...
That's already quite remarkable!
At the heart of the army, in a celestial palace pulled by nine colossal beasts...
Liu Ji has become a great cultivator at the Dao Foundation Seventh Layer. The former Hanbang has now become a powerful force in the Dao Foundation stage!