The Dao of Reincarnation (442-443) (Patreon)

Chapter 442: Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 1)

Su Chen opened his eyes. He had died. An Immortal King could not die, yet this concept seemed ineffective against the "Scourge."

Su Chen opened the Reverse Fate Scripture.

"Just what is going on?"

When Su Chen turned the pages of the Reverse Fate Scripture, the two hundred forty-five thousand three hundred sixty-second life was completely blank on this page, as if nothing had ever existed.

Looking at the remaining two thousand Reverse Fate Points, Su Chen's heart was as still as water. He showed no panic.

He began to think.

"Perhaps everything is as Imperial Extremity Immortal King said. The world has been corrected. The traces of our existence have been erased. Yet my memories have not been lost, which means those scenes were not illusions. They truly occurred."

Su Chen turned to the previous page. The life belonging to the Recorder on that page had not yet vanished. This indicated that the "Scourge" had not corrected everything.

At the very least, the "Scourge" was not so unsolvable that it could not be defeated.

His existence had caused a significant impact upon the "Scourge."

[Talent: 0 (+)]

[Comprehension: 0 (+)]

[Background: 0 (+)]

[Dao Heart: 30,000,000]

As long as the Reverse Fate Points did not return to zero, hope still remained.

Su Chen casually allocated one hundred points each to talent, comprehension, and background. He slowly closed the Reverse Fate Scripture in his hands.

...

"Sect Master, Sect Master, something terrible has happened!"

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. Before him was a solemnly decorated great hall, and he sat in the position of Sect Master.

Yet... of the elders who should have stood in rows on either side, only one remained: a white-haired old man in a black robe.

This was the Law Enforcement Elder of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

"Elder Yan, are you referring to the fact that the other elders have all chosen to leave the Mountains and Rivers Sect and seek refuge with other sects?"

Elder Yan nodded. "Sect Master... you already knew?"

Su Chen rolled his eyes. "This Sect Master is not blind. At present, the only elder left in the sect is likely you alone, Elder Yan."

Elder Yan heard this and looked at the empty surroundings. Grief overwhelmed him. He prostrated himself and wept. "Our Mountains and Rivers Sect has shone for ten thousand years with unbroken inheritance. Saints have illuminated the Nine Provinces; Venerables have suppressed the world. Yet the Mandate of Heaven is hard to defy... Today, we old fellows of the Mountains and Rivers Sect have failed the Young Sect Master. The Young Sect Master should have been the one to revitalize the sect, yet he has become the final Sect Master of our Mountains and Rivers Sect..."

The Mountains and Rivers Sect was a sect of the Sun and Moon Continent. It had known glory, and it had known decline.

In this life, Su Chen's name was Han Chen. By unfortunate chance, he had been born in the era of the Mountains and Rivers Sect's decline. His outstanding talent led the previous Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect to adopt him.

Su Chen did not disappoint the expectations of the previous Sect Master. From a young age, his cultivation surpassed all of his peers. Yet in this world, affairs were unpredictable, and fate toyed with people.

The former glorious history of the Mountains and Rivers Sect transformed into the sharpest blade pointed at the Mountains and Rivers Sect. Within the Great Yan Dynasty, the rumor spread that the Mountains and Rivers Sect still retained a Saint inheritance. Han Chen rose to become the foremost genius of the younger generation in the Great Yan Dynasty, catalyzing this rumor to its extreme.

The previous Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect saw the sect being oppressed and was unwilling to accept it. He chose to make a desperate gamble and poured everything into breaking through to the Emperor realm.

In the end... he failed at the final step and fell with regret. When the outside world learned of the news, they swarmed forth like jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.

The Mountains and Rivers Sect fell into a state of internal and external troubles, battered by wind and rain.

No one wished to take over this hot potato.

Thus, the title of Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect fell upon Han Chen. After the death of Han Chen's master, the previous Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect, many of the sect's elders and disciples suddenly died violently, throwing the Mountains and Rivers Sect into panic. Now they no longer even bothered to put on a show.

The six great sects joined forces and pressed directly upon the Mountains and Rivers Sect, slandering it as a demonic path and attributing every sin of the Great Yan Dynasty to the Mountains and Rivers Sect. Their ambitions were plain for all to see.

Husband and wife were birds of the same forest; when disaster struck, they flew their separate ways.

How much more so for a vast sect like the Mountains and Rivers Sect?

The elders and disciples loyal to the sect had long since died outside its gates. Those who remained were mostly opportunistic scoundrels. Han Chen was not surprised by their flight. He had stayed behind precisely to live and die with the sect. Only at the critical moment did his memories awaken.

Su Chen slowly rose. He walked down the steps like a gentle breeze, unhurried and unhurried. Before Elder Yan could notice, Su Chen had already arrived at his side at some unknown point.

"Elder Yan, everyone has the right to make their own choice. This Sect Master is glad that Elder Yan has remained. If Master learns of this beneath the nether, he will likely feel comforted as well. As for the other elders and disciples who left the sect, there is no need to feel grief or anger over their choices. The victor becomes king and the loser a bandit. This world has always been thus."

"Yet Elder Yan spoke one sentence incorrectly. This Sect Master will not be the final generation of the Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect. Our Mountains and Rivers Sect has passed down its inheritance for ten thousand years. It has had Venerables, and it has had Saints. In the past, you took pride in them. From this day forward, they will take pride in this Sect Master's existence. Ten thousand years of prosperity is only the beginning. The sun and moon illuminate the mountains and rivers, and the mountains and rivers shall endure forever."

Elder Yan raised his head at these words and looked at the youth in the green-blue Mountains and Rivers robe. Faintly, he seemed to see the figures of successive generations of Mountains and Rivers Sect saints slowly overlapping. On the youth, he sensed not the slightest air of decline, only unparalleled confidence.

Looking at the extended hand, as if moved by some unseen force, Elder Yan reached out and clasped that hand, then slowly stood.

Had anyone else claimed that the present situation could still be reversed, Elder Yan would have taken it as mere comfort. Yet when the youth before him spoke these words, he truly believed them in his heart. Even if it meant death...

Su Chen walked out of the sect's great hall, with Elder Yan following behind him.

Outside the great hall, Su Chen saw a graceful woman holding a long sword, with more than ten disciples following behind her.

"Xi Yue, you have not left yet?"

Han Xiyue said, "Han Chen, although I detest you, everything of the Mountains and Rivers Sect is the fruit of Father's lifelong efforts. I absolutely cannot watch it be destroyed so easily."

The inner disciples behind Han Xiyue also shouted, "Sect Master, the sect has treated us well. We will live and die with the sect!"

Han Xiyue was the daughter of Su Chen's master in this life, the second genius of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

Yet with Su Chen's appearance, all the brilliance that should have belonged to her was taken away. Father's favor and the sect's expectations had all fallen upon Su Chen. After Su Chen's master in this life failed in his breakthrough and fell, Han Xiyue's hatred toward Su Chen reached its peak.

Su Chen simply went along with the current and allowed Han Xiyue to leave while he remained to bear everything. He had not expected that in the end Han Xiyue would still return.

Yet none of that mattered any longer. He need not feel powerless, nor cling to the resolve of living and dying with the sect.

As he had said, the sun and moon illuminated the mountains and rivers, and the mountains and rivers would endure forever.

Chapter 443: Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 2)

Han Xiyue always felt that this fellow had changed a great deal.

This fellow, of course, referred to Su Chen.

On him, one could not see the slightest sorrow or guilt over the sect's decline, nor the desolation of a final Sect Master.

It was a kind of composure.

A clear breeze brushed the mountain ridges; a bright moon illuminated the great river.

Han Xiyue scoffed inwardly. "Poser!"

Yet speaking of such things now was already meaningless.

For their lives had begun the countdown. The six great sects joining forces had nearly reached the Sect Master Hall. Among them, only Elder Yan was at the King realm.

Yet what could a single King realm do?

Su Chen glanced at Han Xiyue and knew in his heart that this woman was certainly speaking ill of him.

Su Chen could not be bothered to argue with her.

At that moment, a turbulent sound arose from the continuous mountain peaks.

The six great sects joining forces had already pressed into the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

With the naked eye, one could see streams of light of varying colors. Each of those streams of light represented a powerhouse from another sect.

In almost an instant, powerhouse after powerhouse stood suspended in the void, their gazes arrogant and disdainful.

Even more, enormous dharma bodies manifested, towering a hundred zhang above the mountain peaks. Beneath those dharma bodies, facing this powerful aura, Elder Yan's body suddenly erupted with a current of energy that formed a barrier enveloping everyone.

Among them, a man whose eyes shone with golden light and who possessed the bearing of a tiger king said, "Yan Qisha, the Mountains and Rivers Sect is already finished. Why not join my Tiger Peak Sect?"

"Your cultivation was hard-won. My Tiger Peak Sect will treat you with the position of elder, far better than perishing with your Dao extinguished!"

Elder Yan replied, "The current Sect Master of our Mountains and Rivers Sect has not yet died. Thus, our Mountains and Rivers Sect has not perished!"

Another cyan figure sneered, "Yan Qisha, you refuse a clear path to survival. Do you truly believe that with only yourself at the King's realm you can contend against all of us?"

Powerful existences like the golden figure and the cyan figure numbered more than ten in total.

Some wore cold smiles; others revealed greed in their eyes.

At that moment, Su Chen took a step forward, walking ahead of Elder Yan.

"Han Chen, what are you doing?"

Han Xiyue hurriedly spoke.

Su Chen clasped his hands behind his back. His green-blue Mountains and Rivers robe fluttered without wind, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth. "Please address me as Sect Master."

The various kings above looked at the figure who had stepped forward, their faces filled with disdain, cold to the extreme. In their hearts, Su Chen was perhaps already a dead man.

They did not wish to engage in a life-and-death struggle with a King-level, yet that did not mean they feared one.

The King realm was also called the Profound Connection realm.

This realm was already very distant for Su Chen.

"Who said our Mountains and Rivers Sect has only one Profound Connection? This Sect Master stands here. Am I not at the Profound Connection realm?"

As the words fell, a powerful current of energy erupted from Su Chen's body.

Spirit Soul First Layer... Spirit Soul Second Layer... Spirit Soul Ninth Layer... Profound Connection realm.

Profound Connection First Layer... Profound Connection Second Layer...

Terrifying tides of vital energy blanketed the heavens and earth, enveloping the great sun. The vital energy within a radius of ten thousand li moved solely because of one person.

Han Xiyue gazed at the figure enveloped in the center of the vital energy storm. Behind him, a painting of mountains and rivers slowly unfurled, seeming even more dazzling and radiant than the sun.

Han Xiyue could no longer distinguish whether it was that person who was too brilliant or the painting of mountains and rivers behind him that was too brilliant. She thought of the legends of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

Legend said that the Mountains and Rivers Scripture cultivated by the Saints of the Mountains and Rivers Sect, when cultivated to great completion, could evolve the imagery of mountains and rivers, seize the radiance of the sun and moon, and contend with divine and sacred bodies. Even in a great era of myriad talents, it could still claim a place... yet was this not merely a legend? Had the Saint inheritance of the Mountains and Rivers Sect not long since vanished?

Han Xiyue once more recalled the day her father departed, when he had called her over. That day she saw her father for the last time. She had wished to replace her father as the new Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect. Yet in the end, the token representing the Sect Master of the Mountains and Rivers Sect still fell into the hands of her junior brother.

"That token is far too heavy. Entrusting it to you would not be a good thing."

Han Xiyue thought in her heart, "Father, you were truly biased. Our Mountains and Rivers Sect truly possesses a Saint inheritance, and you handed it to junior brother."

Yet she looked again at that towering figure who stood between heaven and earth.

"Yet Father, if only you had not chosen to attempt the breakthrough to the Emperor realm, perhaps you could have witnessed the sight of our Mountains and Rivers Sect rising once more."

With merely a single step forward, Su Chen's aura had already reached the peak of the King realm. Had the vital energy been sufficient, he might already have been an Emperor-level powerhouse.

Su Chen looked down upon the tiny "ants" below. A "King" and a king were ultimately different.

"It must be the Saint inheritance. The Mountains and Rivers Sect actually truly possesses a Saint inheritance!"

The man of the cyan dharma body cried out in delight.

In the next moment, he could no longer speak.

Terror filled his eyes to the extreme.

At that moment, a hand clutched his throat. With a casual squeeze, his body exploded with a roar. A fine rain of blood fell, irrigating the territory of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

A disciple of the Mountains and Rivers Sect stared woodenly with wide eyes at this inconceivable scene. Blood rain splashed into his mouth. Upon tasting it, it seemed somewhat sweet?

Su Chen looked at the other towering figures present and pointed a finger. Another figure likewise exploded.

Killing those at the King realm seemed no great matter to Su Chen. Not the slightest ripple appeared in his eyes.

In fewer than several breaths, accompanied by screams and despair,

every force that had invaded the Mountains and Rivers Sect was completely annihilated. Such a change caught everyone completely off guard.

Elder Yan suddenly recalled the words his Sect Master had spoken in the great hall.

"Could it be... that the sect is truly about to rise?"

No wonder his Sect Master had remained so calm from beginning to end. Those elders who had abandoned the sect at the critical moment must now be filled with bitter regret.

Su Chen remained calm and composed as he looked at everyone and said, "Clean up the battlefield. This Sect Master must make a trip outside."

Elder Yan asked, "Sect Master, what do you intend to do?"

Had the crisis not already been resolved?

Su Chen spoke. "Courtesy demands reciprocity. The six great sects treated our Mountains and Rivers Sect with such a 'grand gift.' If this Sect Master does not return the courtesy, it would make our Mountains and Rivers Sect appear lacking in manners."

Return the courtesy?

Elder Yan naturally could not believe this was a simple return of courtesy. He hurriedly said, "Sect Master, the six great sects all have Emperor-level powerhouses in residence. Sect Master, you must not lower your guard..."

Before the words finished, the youth's figure was already nowhere to be seen in the sky.

Only a single sentence remained.

"No matter."

Had it been earlier, Han Xiyue would certainly have complained inwardly, "Poser."

Yet today she unusually did not complain.

She suddenly felt that the figure no longer seemed so displeasing to the eye.

Not long afterward, a piece of news detonated the cultivation circles of the Great Yan Dynasty.

The six great sects that each possessed Emperor-level powerhouses in residence had actually vanished completely within a single day. Even their own Emperor-level old ancestors had been nailed to the mountain gates, with a single sentence left beneath the corpses.

"Those who offend my Mountains and Rivers Sect shall meet this end."