Chapter 534
Failure?
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression thoughtful, and said:
"So, the Apocalypse Emperor ultimately failed?"
However, the middle-aged man shook his head again and said:
"It's far from being a 'failure.' Moreover, throughout his life, the Tianqi Emperor never failed in anything he wanted to do."
After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man said:
"The Tianqi Emperor kept the matter of absorbing the power of divine beasts extremely secret. Even his trusted confidants who helped him collect the remains of divine beasts never knew his true purpose. The only person the Tianqi Emperor revealed this to outsiders was me."
"And I can tell you with certainty that what he did was undoubtedly correct."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng looked at the middle-aged man, frowned, and said:
"What you just wanted to tell me, you didn't mean to make me follow the same path as Emperor Tianqi and continue to devour the power of divine beasts, did you?"
Faced with Li Musheng's question, the middle-aged man neither admitted nor denied it, saying:
"Your purpose in entering the Tomb of the White Emperor is very clear: you came for the ancient ferocious beast, the White Tiger. Moreover, you can devour the power within the White Tiger's remains. You should be able to discern whether what I'm saying is true or false."
"However, what I want to tell you is not this matter, but that the Apocalypse Treasury contains what you want."
As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man casually waved his hand, and a blur flew towards Li Musheng in an instant.
Seeing this, Li Musheng reached out slightly and caught the flying afterimage in his hand.
Then, he merely glanced down at it, his expression shifting, and said:
"The key to the Apocalypse's secret treasure?"
Immediately, Li Musheng seemed to have thought of something, and looked at the middle-aged man with a suspicious expression, asking:
"Did you get this key from the owner of the Green Mountain Pavilion?"
However, the middle-aged man shook his head and said:
"Although it is rumored that only by collecting seven keys can the secret treasure left by the Tianqi Emperor be opened, the materials used to forge these keys actually came from a meteorite from outer space."
"Back then, the great craftsman of the Great Qi divided this meteorite into eight pieces, and one of them was given to me by the Tianqi Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng glanced at the object in his hand. He could clearly sense the same magnetic field power on this thing as the Heavenly Revelation Treasure Key.
"You mean, this can also be considered a key to unlock the secrets of the Apocalypse?"
Li Musheng looked up at the middle-aged man, who nodded slightly with a determined look in his eyes.
"What can truly unlock the secrets of the Apocalypse is the unique power found in extraterrestrial meteorites. If those seven meteorites could do it, my share can naturally do it as well."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.
If what the middle-aged man said is true, then the thing in his hand can indeed be used as a key.
In this way, he will have five keys. If he can get the key from the Green Mountain Pavilion Master later, he will only need one more key to open the Heavenly Revelation Treasure.
Thinking of this, Li Musheng was overjoyed. Regardless of whether things would go so smoothly, having this thing in hand would be beneficial to him.
"Great, I'll take this key."
Li Musheng casually stuffed the object in his hand into his pocket, then looked the middle-aged man up and down, and said:
"Given your status, it's not surprising that you know so many secrets about the Tianqi Emperor and the Tianqi Treasury."
"However, I am a little curious about whether the Tianqi Emperor is really dead? After all, even you have been 'alive' for a thousand years, so there is no reason for someone like him to die so cleanly."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man stared at Li Musheng, a strange look flashing in his eyes, and said:
"Actually, this is something I've wanted to know for a thousand years. To be honest, I don't believe that my brother could disappear so peacefully into the river of history."
Then, the middle-aged man changed the subject, saying:
"As for why I have lived for a thousand years, the inside story may be different from what you guess."
"In his quest for immortality, Emperor Tianqi searched the world and seized countless secret techniques and medicines from all sides. However, most of them could not even strengthen the body or prolong life, let alone grant immortality."
"But there are always exceptions. After continuous attempts by the people under the Tianqi Emperor, they finally found several methods of immortality, and these methods of immortality did indeed have unexpected effects."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng nodded slightly. Clearly, the White King before him had also used the method of immortality obtained from the Tianqi Emperor.
This is probably why the other party and his two daughters, who are enemies with each other, have been able to live for thousands of years in the Tomb of the White Emperor.
However, Li Musheng had little interest in these methods of achieving immortality, since the White King before him was neither human nor ghost, and was not truly immortal and could live for a thousand years.
Moreover, he is still young and even has a book on immortality, which is enough for him to study for the time being.
With this in mind, Li Musheng gave the middle-aged man in front of him a deep look, but did not continue to ask about the private matter of the other party's method of achieving immortality.
He reached out and picked up the unconscious white cat from not far away and brought it to his side. At this time, the canyon was still collapsing, but the extent of the collapse was far less than the commotion caused by the white tiger's skeleton.
“You’re a man of honor who’s willing to accept defeat. You can afford to lose, and you’re a man of integrity. You even gave me a key to the Heavenly Revelation Treasure. So my trip to the Tomb of the White Emperor wasn’t in vain.”
As Li Musheng spoke, he flicked his finger and sent a wisp of energy into the white cat's body to wake it up, since he didn't want to carry such a large cat on his journey.
At this moment, the big white cat slowly opened its eyes, and a flash of murderous light appeared in its green eyes.
The big white cat looked around at the devastated canyon, now a ruin, and was startled. But when it looked up, it saw that Li Musheng was still alive and well beside it.
Its heart was immediately put at ease again, and it secretly breathed a sigh of relief. For the big white cat that blindly trusted Li Musheng, as long as the other party was still there, it would be difficult for it to get into trouble even if it wanted to.
After waking the big white cat, Li Musheng didn't rush to leave the secret realm immediately. Instead, he looked at the middle-aged man who remained quietly in place, thought for a moment, and asked:
"I only have one last question now. You don't seem like someone who's obsessed with immortality, yet you've gone to great lengths to live for a thousand years. I'm very curious, what exactly is your purpose?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man stood silently for a moment before slowly speaking:
"Although I do have my reasons for doing this, you are still young and cannot understand a principle: no one in this world can truly take life and death lightly. Faced with immortality, anyone would find it hard to resist greed."
After saying that, the middle-aged man waved his hand and said:
"Since there is nothing you want here, I will take you away."
Then, the middle-aged man turned around and walked back the way he came.
Seeing this, Li Musheng didn't ask any more questions. He followed with the big white cat, and as they stepped into the canyon space where ripples appeared, the two of them and the cat reappeared in the poor little village. However, the village seemed to have just suffered an earthquake. Cracks appeared on the ground and in the walls of the houses, and several beams and pillars had collapsed.
“Your fight with the White Tiger skeleton just now was too loud. This secret realm, the White Emperor Tower, and the underground White Emperor City will definitely be greatly affected.”
The middle-aged man glanced around the village and then explained.
At this moment, a rare hint of reluctance and sadness appeared in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had a very special feeling for the village in front of him.
At this moment, Ah Xiu, the girl who had stayed in the village, saw that Li Musheng had returned unharmed. Her anxious and uneasy mood was finally relieved, and she immediately rushed to greet him.
However, when her gaze fell on the large white cat following Li Musheng, a hint of suspicion was clearly visible in her eyes.
She clearly remembered that the cat that had been following Li Musheng before was a large black cat the size of a black panther. How come after following Li Musheng inside, it came back with its fur all white?
The big white cat, however, ignored the girl Ah Xiu's strange gaze with its head held high, completely disregarding her now that it had inherited the legacy of the ancient ferocious beast, the White Tiger.
"We've got what we needed, and I don't care about anything else here, so we won't stay any longer. Please take us back to Baidi Tower."
At this moment, Li Musheng spoke to the middle-aged man, naturally having no intention of staying in this dilapidated village any longer.
All he wanted to do was return to Baidi Tower and retrieve the key to the Heavenly Revelation Treasure from the Green Mountain Tower Master; that was the most important thing for him at the moment.
"Of course, no problem. However, I hope you can do me a favor after you leave here."
The middle-aged man nodded slightly, and as he walked towards the bamboo bridge leading out of the village, he said:
"The White Tiger Temple is the only power I left in this world. If possible, I hope you can lend a hand and take care of it."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng called for the young girl Ah Xiu and the big white cat to follow, but while watching the middle-aged man's retreating figure, he shook his head and said:
“I don’t have the time or inclination to help. Besides, you probably don’t know, there’s a history between the White Tiger Temple and me.”
"However, I can promise you that as long as the White Tiger Temple doesn't provoke me, I can let them go."
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, glanced back at Li Musheng, but said nothing more, only nodding and saying "Okay".
Then, the scene on the bamboo bridge suddenly changed, bringing Li Musheng, the two people, and the cat back to the White Emperor Tower.
"From now on, do whatever you want. I will not interfere with anything here anymore."
The middle-aged man did not appear in the White Emperor Tower; only his last words faded into the surrounding air.
Li Musheng didn't pay any attention to this, but glanced around and then frowned slightly.
The once impressive nine-story Baidi Tower is now almost a ruin, with broken walls and broken wood everywhere you look.
The original six floors had long since disappeared, and only the remaining three floors were piled up on a pile of ruins. Only a rough outline could be barely seen, and it could be described as extremely dilapidated.
Li Musheng carefully searched for the figures of the three elders of Jingjue Ancient City and the master of Qingshan Tower, but he did not find any trace of the four of them.
A moment later, his gaze fell upon the nine crimson dragon pillars in the ruins, which had long since collapsed and were now damaged. He then narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered to himself:
"It seems those old guys do have some tricks up their sleeves."
Li Musheng could naturally tell that the three elders of the Jingjue Ancient City clan and the master of Qingshan Tower had most likely already broken through the array restrictions on the seventh floor and successfully left before the White Emperor Tower was completely destroyed.
Ah Xiu, the young girl who was following Li Musheng, was secretly worried for the elders when she saw the current state of Baidi Tower.
However, after learning from Li Musheng that they seemed to be unharmed, the young girl Axiu breathed a sigh of relief and asked:
"Your Highness, how should we leave this place now?"
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng slowly shook his head and said:
"Leaving here isn't difficult."
As he spoke, he picked up the martial arts weapon "Zhan Que" that he had obtained from the middle-aged man and slashed it across the ruins in front of him.
The seemingly ordinary iron sword suddenly burst forth with a dazzling, cold light that seemed to cleave the heavens, instantly splitting the entire dark sky in two.
At this moment, Li Musheng reached out and grabbed the girl Ah Xiu and the big white cat. With a swift movement, he stepped into the split sky.
As the scene before her eyes changed rapidly, when the girl Ah Xiu could see everything around her again, she found herself standing in front of the ancient stone gate where she had first entered the small village.
However, the young girl Ah Xiu knew in her heart that the small village in front of her was obviously not the same small village that the middle-aged man had led her into earlier.
"Let's go."
At this moment, Li Musheng's voice came. He glanced indifferently at the village behind the stone gate, then called the girl Axiu and the big black cat to leave.
Upon hearing this, the young girl Ah Xiu agreed and quickly followed.
As Li Musheng retraced his steps, his gaze fell upon the empty-handed girl, Ah Xiu, and he said:
"Xiuer, it seems you haven't gained anything from your trip to the Tomb of the White Emperor."
Faced with Li Musheng's sudden question, the young girl Axiu was slightly taken aback, then quickly shook her head and said:
"With my strength, coming to the Tomb of the White Emperor was already a matter of life and death. I was only able to survive because the elders protected me and His Highness helped me. How could I possibly have any hope for anything in the Tomb of the White Emperor?"
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng waved his hand and said:
"No matter what, we can't have come all this way for nothing. If you see anything you like later, just tell me and I'll snatch it for you."
Upon hearing this, the young girl Ah Xiu was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Li Musheng, clearly flattered.
Li Musheng, however, remained calm, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.
Of course, Li Musheng had his own reasons for doing this.
Because he had never fully believed what the White King said. (End of Chapter)