Chapter 42: The Tathagata Golden Sutra, Subverting Fist Intent

Watching the fish-scale red clouds in the distance, Luo Zhou couldn't help but let out a loud cry.

"You bastards!"

Zhang Youzhi was willing to pay any price to track down the Jellyfish Holy Son.

The Jellyfish Holy Son's Protector was even more sinister, directly inciting sea beasts to attack the city to disrupt the investigation!

These bastards were using the lives of three hundred and fifty thousand civilians as their price.

The Earth Magnetic Demon Gu Shanhe, the Eye-Eating Demon Qiu Jun, and the Yellow Earth Demon Li Feng—these demons had only killed dozens or hundreds of people.

But these people, with a single move, intended to kill hundreds of thousands!

How many children would become orphans because of this? How many elderly people would lose their sons and daughters?

They were more demonic than demons!

Luo Zhou touched his Qiankun Bag, wishing he had a Dragon-Slaying Thorn for every single one of them to kill them all!

If he could quell this calamity by transforming himself into a demon, he would accept it!

But how easy was that? No one knew who the Jellyfish Heavenly Palace Protector actually was.

Even if it were Zhang Youzhi, unless he appeared of his own accord, Luo Zhou wouldn't be able to see him even if he were standing right in front of him!

Furthermore, Luo Zhou had no idea what his actual strength was.

A Dragon-Slaying Thorn might work against someone in the Qi Refining stage, but against the Foundation Establishment stage, there was simply no way.

No, if he could see him, All-Knowing could do it!

But could Zhang Youzhi be the only one investigating here?

There were likely many others hiding in the shadows; even if he killed Zhang Youzhi, it wouldn't stop the sea beasts from attacking the city.

Someone screamed, and people on the streets began to move.

Countless people rushed into their homes to pack their belongings, using every possible means to flee the city, heading toward the provincial capital, Fengtian.

They swarmed together, actually completely blocking the North Gate.

The government sent people to clear the traffic...

But Luo Zhou knew they wouldn't make it. With the appearance of the fish-scale red clouds, the water vapor within a hundred miles had completely erupted.

The road to Fengtian would be blocked by spreading marshes, sky-covering fog, severed transportation, and attacks from water beasts.

Only when the surrounding waters rose would such a celestial phenomenon appear!

Ordinary civilians basically couldn't escape. Only a few great families, with several Qi Refining cultivators as guards, could navigate the perils to reach Fengtian.

Struggling to flee on the road was incredibly dangerous; it was safer to stay in the city.

Many experienced people had already begun hoarding various daily necessities.

Sure enough, an hour later, those who had fled began to return; they simply couldn't escape.

*I wonder if Cheng Wanli and the others have left? What is the situation?*

Luo Zhou returned home to check his food and drink.

He had always kept food reserves, so he didn't have to worry about sustenance.

At dusk, the village chief arrived to conduct registration.

All cultivators in the city had to register and join the ranks to defend the city.

The same applied to all mortals, regardless of age or gender; they couldn't fight on the walls, so they were responsible for logistics, supplies, and other manual labor.

If the city fell, no one would survive.

Luo Zhou registered. The village chief's surname was Xie, and he said

"Luo Zhou, I've assigned you to the thirty-seventh squad. Report to the East Gate tomorrow morning."

"Understood, no problem!"

"When the sea beasts come, remember not to fight too recklessly. Your parents were too reckless back then—they fought to the death without retreating, and in the end, they both died on the city walls."

"Mhm, I understand!"

"If there isn't enough food at home, come find me. In a few days, there will be plenty of seafood; you won't go hungry!"

"Thank you, Uncle!"

After seeing the village chief off, Luo Zhou let out a long sigh. The sea beast siege of five years ago had come to him; if that was the case, then he would fight.

If he knew who this Protector was, he would have to use a Dragon-Slaying Thorn to blow his head off!

Luo Zhou practiced silently. Qing Xuan, Zi Xiao, He Lin, Bai Yang, Hei Ming—the three hundred and sixty forms. He circulated the Great Zhou Heaven, practicing them repeatedly!

With the great battle tomorrow, Luo Zhou did not hesitate to advance his realm!

Having mastered the Blood-Burning cultivation, he promoted directly.

His entire body made cracking sounds, as if it were being crushed and then reconstructed!

Luo Zhou could vaguely see his internal organs as he comprehensively strengthened them.

His constitution grew stronger once again; his skin became like ice, his muscles like iron, his tendons like steel, his bones like gold, his blood like boiling water, and his marrow like jade. His essence, qi, and spirit all ascended.

He grew an inch taller, advancing to the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage: the Organ-Forging Realm!

However, the ninth level would require some time for his internal organs to finish their full evolution before he could advance!

He waited silently until midnight.

"Luo Zhou, sensing a spirit committing evil, punishing it!"

"Preventing a couple from fighting, punishing evil, this is goodness!"

"Reward for rewarding good and punishing evil completed, prize granted!"

In a trance, Luo Zhou felt a power descend from the heavens and pour into his body.

*Dexterity Talent!*

With this talent, he possessed nimble hands.

Luo Zhou knew this talent was brought by that quarreling couple.

They ran an embroidery shop; if they weren't skillful, they wouldn't be able to embroider birds and flowers. Perhaps their ancestors were in the same trade, making the birth of this talent a natural family inheritance.

There should be another one!

He didn't know if it was Tang Moli or Zhang Youzhi.

If it was Zhang Youzhi, he'd hit the jackpot!

"Luo Zhou, sensing a spirit committing evil, punishing it!"

"Rescuing a classmate, punishing evil, this is goodness!"

"Reward for rewarding good and punishing evil completed, prize granted!"

Another power descended.

Luo Zhou was overjoyed; it was indeed Zhang Youzhi!

However, this reward was different from any divine ability or talent he had received before; it was like a scene from the past.

Zhang Youzhi was sitting in a great hall, contemplating a scripture!

Luo Zhou immediately realized that at the Peak of the Ten Thousand Treasures Scroll within the branch of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect, Zhang Youzhi was contemplating a scripture.

*“He Says He Is Great and Mighty Heart Intent Scripture”*

This was one of the precious scriptures of the Peak of the Ten Thousand Treasures Scroll of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect branch. There were as many halls as there were scriptures, totaling thirty-seven halls.

Cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect could watch the scriptures here by either receiving a reward or donating merit.

The *“He Says He Is Great and Mighty Heart Intent Scripture”* was extremely profound. Everyone who contemplated it here gained something completely different, depending entirely on their fate and luck!

One might obtain a spell or divine ability, or awaken a Law Intent or Law Heart.

By contemplating this scripture, Zhang Youzhi had obtained the divine ability "He is Free," which allowed everyone to ignore his existence.

With this, Zhang Youzhi's background was revealed.

He was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but he had not condensed his own characteristic True Qi.

As an inner disciple of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect, he was assigned to menial tasks at the Demon Suppression Academy and was not highly regarded.

No one in the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect cared about this task; after the remnants of a sect that had been wiped out seventy thousand years ago were reported, no one at the Demon Suppression Academy bothered with them.

That was how he was able to take the mission to earn merit...

As for his promise of any position in the Imperial Capital, it was a complete lie.

This left Luo Zhou speechless!

However, the divine ability "He is Free" possessed by Zhang Youzhi allowed him to come and go without a trace.

When he left, he had also applied for a Talisman Treasure at the Demon Suppression Academy that could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Combined with his other methods, he was invincible in Cuiling City; after all, he was an inner disciple of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect.

The reward for rewarding good and punishing evil was simply the transmission of Zhang Youzhi's scripture-contemplation process.

It was as if Luo Zhou himself were contemplating the scripture.

In a trance, Luo Zhou entered a blurred state, and countless scriptures slowly flowed past his ears!

"His heart, he says, he is free!"

"He is not free, great freedom, naturally having his own intent..."

Luo Zhou immediately realized that this *“He Says He Is Great and Mighty Heart Intent Scripture”* was actually the *Tathagata Golden Scripture*!

It was unknown who had obscured and transformed it into this name.

Only a cultivator like himself, who mastered the Primordial Golden Chapter and the Supreme Golden Seal, could sense its true nature.

Perhaps the ancestors of the Heaven and Earth Dao Sect had transformed the Tathagata Golden Scripture into the sect's foundation to provide disciples with the path of sudden enlightenment for Law Intent and Law Heart.

However, this scripture was extremely undervalued at the Peak of the Ten Thousand Treasures Scroll, ranked thirty-fifth among the thirty-seven halls.

A mere contribution from the Qi Refining stage was enough to contemplate it here.

Perhaps they didn't even know the true profound meaning of this scripture?

Luo Zhou's comprehension here was different from everyone else's; naturally, he would not obtain the divine ability "He is Free."

In his trance, Luo Zhou heard an infinite tsunami, the ocean boiling, the world turning upside down, mountains collapsing, the earth splitting, surging waves, moving mountains and seas, and thunderous power...

It was exactly the *River-Turning and Sea-Treading Fist-Palm*. Having gained momentum previously, he used this to guide him, and now he began to comprehend the profound worldly truths contained within.

Of course, the prerequisite was that the *River-Turning and Sea-Treading Fist-Palm* had to possess worldly truths for him to comprehend them.

The Strength Inheritor's legacy came from the Dao Lord, so it naturally possessed worldly truths.

In his trance, Luo Zhou felt five distinct truths!

Torrent, Overthrow, Subvert, Destroy, Innovate.

He could only choose one of these five Law Intents.

Without a word, Luo Zhou wanted to choose "Destroy."

But "Destroy" was too vast, something he could not yet wield; he could not choose it.

"Innovate"—why would there be innovation? Luo Zhou couldn't understand it, so he naturally passed.

"Torrent"—centered on sea-treading, turning into an unstoppable force, piercing through the ocean, roaming without restraint.

"Overthrow"—centered on river-turning, overturning the past order, throwing all forces into chaos.

"Subvert"—centered on both, an irresistible torrent that overthrows all old orders.

If he was already turning rivers and treading seas, why wouldn't he subvert?

Luo Zhou said slowly

"Torrent and Overthrow have their own priorities; it is hard to choose.

I have already become a demonic cultivator, and a head-exploding one at that!

Then let it be Subversion. Using both as the core, I will blow the heads off all these hypocritical bastards!"

His battle intent was like a stat from a game in his past life; once he had battle intent, it was like having a core processor. Activating battle intent was like overclocking until the engine exploded!

As his battle intent rose, merging with his battle momentum, the power of Luo Zhou's *River-Turning and Sea-Treading Fist-Palm* increased several times over.

The *Dragon-Slaying Thorn* suddenly erupted, a one-hit kill, a method of absolute lethality, but it could not be used for prolonged combat.

The divine ability *Nine Bulls and Two Tigers* possessed great strength, but it was disordered and lacked combat techniques, leaving him only able to smash people with a copper staff.

The divine abilities *River-Turning and Sea-Treading* and *Three Thousand Weak Waters* could not be used without True Qi.

Unknowingly, the *River-Turning and Sea-Treading Fist-Palm* gradually became Luo Zhou's core combat method!