# Chapter 1371: Luo River
Demon Ridge was located at the border of the Eastern Domain, adjacent to the Eastern Sea and the barbaric wilderness, far from the territory of the First Central Empire.
On this land, there were tens of thousands of commandery kingdoms, each ruling over their own territory. They acknowledged the First Central Empire as their sovereign, yet also maintained their own imperial courts and royal clans.
In Demon Ridge, there had originally been thirty-six commandery kingdoms, but now they had been unified into a single superior commandery kingdom—Yunwu Commandery.
Within Yunwu Commandery's borders, half consisted of human civilization, while the other half was a primeval jungle—sparsely populated, extremely dangerous, and accessible only to martial artists who cultivated the way of martial arts.
At the boundary where human civilization met the primeval jungle flowed a great river. In its wider sections, the current was gentle, like a still lake.
It was called "Luo River."
Legend said that Luo River had fallen from the nine heavens above, transforming into a river that nurtured tens of millions of people, making this once barren land incredibly fertile.
At this moment, a small green wooden boat drifted on Luo River.
A man with disheveled hair lay lazily at the stern of the boat. Thick stubble covered his lips and chin, clearly untrimmed for who knows how long. In his hand, he clutched a wine gourd, frantically pouring its contents into his mouth.
Standing at the bow was a woman of elegant bearing, holding a bamboo pole as she poled the boat.
This woman was not only beautiful in appearance but also held an extraordinary status. She was the number one expert of present-day Yunwu Commandery, the sister of the commandery prince, and formerly the Ninth Commandery Princess, Zhang Yuxi.
With such a noble identity, if word spread that she was poling a boat for a drunkard, it would surely shake the entire commandery kingdom.
Zhang Yuxi's beautiful eyes carried a look of concern, along with some reluctance. Eventually, she spoke: "Ninth Brother, how much more will you drink? Are you going to remain this despondent forever, no longer pursuing your sacred path?"
She was naturally very happy that her ninth brother had returned, but seeing his will so dispirited made her heart ache unbearably.
"Sacred path? What is the sacred path? Wine today, drunk today—isn't that better than the sacred path? Carefree, without attachments—isn't that better than the sacred path? Traveling mountains and rivers, watching the wind and admiring the moon—isn't that better than the sacred path? Even the gods' lives can't compare to mine."
Zhang Ruochen took another gulp, smacked his lips, and said: "Wine Madman truly is a grandmaster of brewing. He never disappoints me."
Zhang Yuxi sighed softly, unsure whether to be happy or worried.
On the surface of Luo River, mist rose like a fairyland.
Zhang Ruochen finished all the wine in his gourd, tossed it away, turned over, and stood up. "Ninth Sister, I'll teach you a set of fist techniques. Do you want to learn?"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was willing to practice fist techniques again, Zhang Yuxi's eyes brightened. She quickly nodded. "Yes, I would. You should have taught me a few moves long ago. I want to learn every day."
"Every day? How can you be so greedy? I'll only teach it once. How much you learn depends on your comprehension."
Zhang Ruochen was reeking of alcohol, looking drunk and unsteady, his body swaying as if he could barely stand. He raised his limp arm and threw out a fist technique: "First form, Heavenly River Divides Labor."
"Second form, Nine Bends and Nine Turns."
"Third form, Horizontally Severing the Heavenly Path."
...
Zhang Yuxi watched Zhang Ruochen's swaying figure with a furrowed brow. She felt he was completely drunk, just flailing about randomly, his punches soft and powerless.
"Ninth Brother, what kind of fist technique is this?"
Zhang Ruochen continued practicing while drunkenly saying: "Luo River Fist Art."
Zhang Yuxi naturally knew of the Luo River Fist Art. It was a technique created by Senior Luo Xu—profound, mysterious, and immensely powerful, with a great reputation even in the First Central Empire. But the fist techniques Zhang Ruochen was throwing out seemed childish, like random gestures after getting drunk.
"Ninth Brother, let's just go back... Ah... What's happening..."
Before Zhang Yuxi could finish her words, the small green wooden boat suddenly began spinning violently, nearly throwing her off.
However, Zhang Yuxi's cultivation was no longer what it used to be. She immediately steadied herself and looked down. Below the boat, a whirlpool had appeared.
Whether the whirlpool had existed before or had just formed was unclear.
Zhang Ruochen, who had been practicing his fist techniques, immediately stopped.
Then, the whirlpool gradually calmed and disappeared as well.
As if sensing something, Zhang Ruochen stared at the water's surface. In his dazed eyes, a glimmer of spirit emerged.
"What happened? Such powerful rotational force, yet it vanished in an instant?" Zhang Yuxi looked utterly bewildered.
From the shore came a laugh.
Yunwu Commandery Prince Zhang Shaochu, wearing a golden royal robe, looked at Zhang Ruochen and Zhang Yuxi on the boat and called out: "Ninth Brother, Ninth Sister, you went out to enjoy the mountains and waters without inviting me. Do you still consider me your brother?"
Since becoming commandery prince, Zhang Shaochu had grown another size larger, like a ball. When he laughed, the flesh on his face jiggled.
"Fourth Brother, you've come at the right time. Dispatch an army to help me with something," Zhang Ruochen said.
"What is it?" Zhang Shaochu asked.
"Dredge the river."
Zhang Shaochu was stunned. "Dredge what river?"
"Dredge the riverbed beneath this boat. See if we can dig up anything." Zhang Ruochen lay down on the bow and added: "Also, send me another gourd of wine. Remember, it must be Wine Madman's strongest brew. The strongest."
With the commandery prince's personal order, a nearby army immediately arrived and plunged into Luo River, beginning to dredge with all their might.
This army consisted of three thousand soldiers. Each had drunk Wine Madman's Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine, giving them physiques far beyond ordinary people.
A year ago, after arriving in Yunwu Commandery, Zhang Ruochen had not left.
Wine Madman and Gu Songzi were already idle men, and worried that Bright Hall Saint Ancestor would return to settle accounts with them, they didn't dare abandon Zhang Ruochen. So they stayed in Yunwu Commandery as well.
With nothing else to do, the two began brewing Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine and refining Saint Transformation Pills.
Neither the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine nor the Saint Transformation Pills could be produced in one go. They required repeated experiments before genuine products could be made.
Naturally, Yunwu Commandery's army became their test subjects.
Of course, even half-finished Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine and Saint Transformation Pills brought immense benefits to ordinary cultivators.
Half a day later, commotion arose on Luo River.
"Ninth Brother, Ninth Brother! We've dug up something incredible. Come see quickly!"
Zhang Shaochu showed no trace of a commandery prince's dignity, waving his arms excitedly.
Zhang Yuxi revealed a strange expression and murmured to herself: "They actually dug something up. Was Ninth Brother truly despondent, or was he faking it? It feels like coming to Luo River wasn't simply about enjoying the scenery."
Zhang Yuxi and Zhang Ruochen stepped ashore. A squad of soldiers was dragging six iron chains, pulling a stone tablet up from the riverbed.
More precisely, it was a broken tablet.
The broken tablet was six zhang high, four zhang wide, and one zhang and five chi thick—extremely heavy. It took three hundred powerful soldiers to drag it.
Zhang Shaochu laughed: "Ninth Brother, isn't it a coincidence? This broken tablet was dug up right where your boat was earlier."
After the soldiers washed the mud off the broken tablet, Zhang Ruochen walked over.
"Such ancient writing. Never seen it before."
"Such a heavy broken tablet—is it really carved from stone?"
...
The soldiers whispered among themselves, finding it incredible.
Zhang Yuxi also carefully examined the stone tablet, frowning deeply. "What kind of writing is this? I've never seen it before."
"There are tens of thousands of written languages in the world. No one can know them all. But by using spiritual power, one can decipher the meaning of any script."
Zhang Ruochen said this and began observing the stone tablet, using his spiritual power to decode it.
After a moment, Zhang Ruochen stumbled backward. His head ached violently, and he nearly fell to the ground.
Zhang Yuxi quickly supported him, asking with concern: "Ninth Brother, what's wrong?"
Zhang Ruochen recovered quickly and opened his eyes again. "Such powerful writing. Even with my spiritual power, I can't decipher it."
"Even you can't decipher it? What kind of ghost thing is this?"
Zhang Shaochu was shocked. He knew better than anyone how terrifying his ninth brother's cultivation was—a Saint.
And there were words even a Saint couldn't decipher?
"There's someone who might be able to decipher the writing."
Zhang Ruochen used spiritual power to send a message, informing Gu Songzi of the matter.
Moments later, Gu Songzi and Wine Madman flew over, descending from the sky and landing beside the broken tablet.
"Haha, Zhang kid! After an entire year, you've finally taken an interest in something again. Let this old man take a look and see what remarkable thing it is."
Gu Songzi glanced at the broken tablet. The next moment, his expression changed drastically. He quickly put away his smile, walked over, unable to take his eyes off the stone tablet.
Gu Songzi's face was extremely serious as he touched the writing on the broken tablet. The further down he looked, the stronger his shock became. He muttered to himself: "God... Defying... Stele..."
Wine Madman was somewhat moved and asked: "Old ghost, what exactly is recorded on the stele?"
Seeing the content on the stele, Gu Songzi closed his eyes, his entire body trembling. For a long time, he did not speak.
Wine Madman grew anxious: "Say something, will you?"
Gu Songzi let out a long breath, waved his hand, and said with an extremely grave expression: "Everyone else, withdraw."
Zhang Shaochu clearly realized that what had been dug up from Luo River was no ordinary thing. He quickly ordered: "Everyone, hear my command. Withdraw!"
Soon, all the soldiers had withdrawn.
Gu Songzi glanced at Zhang Shaochu and Zhang Yuxi and said: "You two, withdraw as well."
"I... can't... know either..."
Zhang Shaochu pouted, but seeing Gu Songzi's sharp gaze, he eventually withdrew.
After Zhang Shaochu and Zhang Yuxi left, Gu Songzi finally spoke: "This stele probably does not belong to Kunlun. It fell from the Heavenly Court."
...
(Seeing many readers asking how much of this book has been written. Let me answer!
According to my outline, roughly half has been written. What follows will be an even more magnificent and grand era. All the plot holes will be filled one by one. Even bigger mysteries will gradually surface.)