Chapter 1 The Rumbling Volcano

When the voice of the earth vein reverberates between heaven and earth, what resounds is a booming rumble that surpasses even thunder.

So much so that even the incomparably heavy dark clouds of the Northern Lands were pushed away in a circle by the high-heat hurricane of the erupting volcano, revealing the golden sunlight behind it, magnificent and glorious… But this is not the time to sigh at the wonders of heaven and earth!

"P...probably!"

Now, even Zhou Buyi, who had been full of confidence before, looked a little pale, but he still forcibly explained, "This is just harmless smoke and dust, not a volcanic eruption!"

But then, there was no time for explanations.

Because that 'harmless smoke and dust' was mixed with the original rain and snow in the sky, turning into high-temperature 'mud rain' and falling from the sky.

The entire team had no choice but to leave this covered area with all their strength.

"Well, I came because of the volcano's rumble, and I leave because of the volcano's rumble, which can be regarded as having a beginning and an end." Su Zhou, who was splattered with mud all over his face, could only make the best of a bad situation at this time: "At least it's spraying mud, not lava."

After a day and a half of奔波 (bēn bō - rushing about), Su Zhou finally saw the Baijia troops who were there to meet them.

"Wow, although I've heard Buyi and the others mention it before, I didn't expect there to really be a Zhenqi airship!" (Zhenqi = True Qi/internal energy)

At this time, he also saw it, in the snowfield not far away, there was a ship-shaped airship quietly docked, a bit like a hot air balloon or an airship, but with a smaller airbag. Su Zhou couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "I really didn't expect that I could see a Zhenqi-punk creation in the real world!"

"Then you'll have plenty of opportunities to sigh in the future." In his heart, Yala couldn't help but laugh: "Infinite worlds, with infinite differences, you are destined to travel through them, Su Zhou."

The process of being picked up was unremarkable, but it is worth mentioning that almost all the warriors admired their group very much, with expressions of reverence on their faces.

"...That's roughly it. Although no one died, there was no time to clean up."

When the swordsmith warriors, who had been rushing about for a day, met with the reinforcements of the Baijia army, Li Daoran, covered in dust and mud, explained helplessly to the warriors who came to greet them: "Taibai Volcano, as predicted by several masters of the Shu family, did not erupt. In fact, because it spewed out some smoke and dust, the time of the future eruption has been postponed by about eighty years… But our journey was indeed a bit of a mess. We are covered in filth and have lost some etiquette."

"What mess?"

However, next to the three Zhenqi airships, the five Grandmasters who came to meet them but were blocked by the Demon Dynasty reinforcements on the border of Liaozhou all clasped their fists solemnly and bowed sincerely to the fifty or so warriors in front of them, covered in mud and dust, looking even worse than beggars: "You all have great righteousness in your hearts, venturing into desperate situations for the sake of the people, going into danger amidst water and fire. What mess is a little dust, and where is etiquette lost?"

"On the contrary, it is we who did not prepare hot water and new clothes, which is truly disrespectful and lacks etiquette—but please forgive us, everyone, please board the airship! Although the National Preceptor has been executed and the demonic army in Liaodong has collapsed on its own, the Demon Emperor is still there. If you want to rest, rest on the airship!"

Su Zhou was naturally also the focus of attention of these Grandmasters. Especially after they felt the enormous spiritual power cultivation that Su Zhou showed them, they immediately knew that this was indeed an extraordinary person who had killed the National Preceptor and whose strength was probably even greater than that of the three Baijia Grandmasters. They immediately became more polite: "Grandmaster Su, please, we have prepared the best guest room!"

"...There's no need to talk like that, I'm not used to it..."

Feeling the scorching gazes of the more than two hundred reinforcement warriors around him, filled with reverence, admiration, and even a trace of curiosity, Su Zhou, although he considered himself the kind of righteous person who would feel extremely爽 (shuǎng - great) because of other people's gratitude and thanks, was still a little unaccustomed.

…How should I say it? Playing games is爽 (shuǎng), but playing games for twenty-four hours straight is not very爽 (shuǎng). Su Zhou probably felt like that—he was a little uncomfortable with the enthusiasm of this group of people, and even recalled the memory of being surrounded by several professors from the academy watching him cultivate.

Of course, the Grandmasters and warriors present also saw Su Zhou's predicament at this time. So, two Grandmasters took the lead to lead Su Zhou to the guest room of the Zhenqi airship to bathe and rest, while the remaining three discussed the issue of Grandmaster Han's defection with Li Daoran and Wei Lie, with solemn expressions.

"Alas...Old Han, we are really sorry for him..."

"He has no wife, no children, and his disciples are not very close. Almost all his relatives are dead..."

"Indeed, if there are no descendants and only oneself is left, then what if the resistance against the demonic army succeeds? It's nothing more than...still death. His betrayal is really not surprising, but rather lamentable."

"Solving the lifelong affairs of the core members of the righteous army is the top priority of future ideological work. Those who want to participate in high-level meetings in the future...must be married and have children first."

"That's right, without a fixed occupation, one has no fixed heart..."

It was late at night.

Su Zhou could see that the silvery moon in the sky was full. He had also left the land covered by wind, snow, and dark clouds for the first time, and saw the starry sky of the Godwood world with his own eyes.

The stars were not much different from what could be seen on Earth, at least according to Su Zhou's astronomical knowledge. Although there seemed to be something wrong with some places in the starry sky, it was, after all, a different world, and it would be normal if it were different.

As for the Zhenqi airship, its shape was unexpectedly not as distinctive as the previous Zhenqi furnace. To put it bluntly, it was just a warship with a large propeller and a floating airbag. The overall shape was streamlined due to aerodynamics, taking into account the high-altitude conditions. It was also covered with spiritual patterns. Based on the aura, Su Zhou could confirm that it was a Gale Spirit Pattern to deal with strong winds.

This was probably why the Baijia army and the Demon Dynasty reinforcements were able to arrive so quickly. Compared to the rugged land routes and the winding waterways, being able to fly in a straight line really saved a lot of time.

"Thank you, I don't need anyone to help me bathe. Just send more food and drink."

After arriving at his guest room, Su Zhou shook his spiritual power, and the mud on his body fell off, and he was immediately spotless. He controlled his spiritual power to roll the mud into a ball and threw it outside the airship, showing excellent spiritual power control, attracting the attention of the two Grandmasters, who kept exclaiming in amazement.

As for what the two Grandmasters said about finding a few maids to help him bathe and change his clothes, Su Zhou naturally refused. Compared to that, he, who had been running in the snow all day, wanted to eat some fresh food: "No need for wine, I don't drink. Just make sure there's plenty of food."

"Um...let's start with ten servings!"

Time waits for no one.

The front line was still fighting, and the Demon Emperor was still trying to advance to the Innate Realm. To save time, the grand welcome and celebration were omitted.

While Su Zhou was happily feasting in his room, most of the other warriors had also dispersed and settled into the airship—then, without any hesitation, as the Zhenqi furnace started, the massive internal force activated the talismanic cloud patterns, causing the airbag to bulge and rise.

Driven by several Daoists, the propeller turned, and the three Zhenqi airships took off straight, then confirmed their direction and sped towards the southern land.

On the night of the Thousand Stars Moon, under the bright moonlight, the three airships sped towards the south, towards the real front line, the battlefield that would determine the fate of this world.

On this frost-covered land, all was silent. Three slender shadows swept past, and only the silent snow dust stirred.

In the distance, Taibai Volcano was still rumbling, and the rising black smoke seemed to be a farewell.

Five days later.

After a一路疾驰 (yī lù jí chí - rapid journey) without being hindered by any spiritual plants or demon beasts, the group arrived at the Baijia's front line in Nanjiang.

And Su Zhou, who was wearing the divine weapon Nirvanic Blade and standing at the forefront of the airship, also saw with his own eyes that 'Immortal Banyan Tree'.