Yu Zhaozhao Obtains Another Great Treasure

Yu Zhao was extremely perceptive; she noticed that this powerful figure was scrutinizing her, and that gaze made her feel uneasy.

Nonsense, being scrutinized by such a powerful being would make anyone feel uneasy.

Yu Zhao couldn't stand the strange look in his eyes, so she tentatively called out to him:

"Senior, when did we begin guiding you through that dragon energy?"

This is a way of reminding the other person to get down to business and stop staring at her.

Hearing her voice, the bearded man laughed and said:

"The matter of guiding the dragon's energy is not urgent. As for what preparations need to be made, this is not the place to discuss matters. I will take you elsewhere."

Before Yu Zhao could react, the bearded man simply waved his hand, and the surrounding scenery instantly changed.

They arrived at a cave after leaving the wilderness.

With a wave of his hand, he could change the world, which greatly frightened Yu Zhao and Shen Yunshu. They had already imagined the power of this bearded man as much as possible, but now it seemed that they had underestimated him.

This person's power has exceeded their comprehension.

Yu Zhao looked around and found that the cave was quite simple. In front of them was a large pot, in which an unknown black liquid was simmering and bubbling.

Besides that, there was only one bed in the corner, and Qingxuan was lying on that bed, sleeping peacefully.

To be honest, this bearded man was quite chivalrous; when the world was changing, he put the unconscious Qingxuan on the bed.

While Yu Zhao was observing her surroundings, Shen Yunshu, with a terrified expression, grabbed Yu Zhao's clothes and hid behind her. This time, she wasn't pretending; she was genuinely scared.

Noticing the two girls' fear, the bearded man thoughtfully stepped back a little to show he meant no harm. He continued throwing medicinal herbs into the large cauldron while reassuring the two women:

"My two young friends, there is no need to be alarmed. I have no ill intentions towards you. Once this pot of medicine is ready, my young friend Shen can help me channel the dragon energy, and then you will be able to leave."

"May I ask, senior, when will this pot of medicine be ready?" Yu Zhao asked boldly.

"It will take another forty-nine days."

Upon hearing this time, Yu Zhao was speechless. They actually had to stay with such a terrifyingly powerful being for forty-nine days?

Seeing Yu Zhao's expression, the bearded man clearly misunderstood and continued:

"Young friend, don't worry. I'm old enough to be your ancestor. In my long life, I've seen too many beautiful women. I won't have any lustful thoughts towards you."

If you are still worried, I can leave here during this period. In that case, I will need your help to look after the medicinal herbs. It won't be too much trouble; just stir them once every three days.

"Senior, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. This is your cave dwelling, and there's no reason for me to kick you out."

Although Yu Zhao thought it would be better if you could leave, he dared not say it aloud. Although this senior seemed to be a gentleman, he could not be too presumptuous.

"Hahaha," her words made the bearded man laugh. "Even if you have this worry, it's nothing. But to dispel your concerns, I can tell you some things you shouldn't know right now."

At this point, the bearded man paused, seemingly considering how to phrase it, before continuing.

"For proud daughters like you, the higher the cultivation level, the less likely cultivators are to do anything to you easily, because you are very likely to achieve unparalleled success in the future. Doing anything excessive to you will create karma, and if it attracts you to come back from the opposite direction of time in the future, it will be troublesome."

Therefore, great cultivators would not harbor ill will towards the chosen ones of heaven without reason, and they would not easily take action, so you two young friends can rest assured.

"I've been given a second chance at life, I won't do anything unnecessary."

The bearded man's words revealed a great deal of information, and Yu Zhao was greatly surprised. She instinctively blurted out a question:

"Senior, do you mean that I, from the future, can meet with myself in this present timeline?"

Is this reasonable? This involves a spacetime paradox!

Is this what cultivating immortality is like? Is it really that cool?

Seeing Yu Zhao's interest, the bearded man chimed in, but instead of explaining, he raised his hand, showed his palm to Yu Zhao, and then asked:

"Young friend Yu, what did you see?"

"Afterimage." Yu Zhao answered without much thought.

She saw afterimages of the bearded man's hands as he moved them.

"That's right, it's just an afterimage." The bearded man was very satisfied with this answer. He hadn't misjudged her after all. This little girl was very perceptive. In that case, he wouldn't mind giving her another push and forming a good relationship.

So he began to explain, "Our cultivation is like the turning of this hand, leaving behind a [afterimage] at every moment."

However, those with lower cultivation levels cannot detect this [afterimage]; it can only be detected after reaching the [First Realm].

At that time, we will go back in time and erase these "afterimages," which will be a permanent testament.

"Does my young friend understand now?"

The bearded man's words were very abstract, and Shen Yunshu was full of questions, but Yu Zhao understood them.

In other words, it's like trees. A tree leaves an annual ring every year it lives, and so do people. Trees leave annual rings, and people leave traces. These traces are also called cause and effect.

Great cultivators are able to detect these traces, sever them, and thus break through to a higher level.

"Senior, do you mean that what traveled against the flow of time wasn't my future self, but rather a 'residual image' I left behind in the future?"

"This child is teachable!"

The bearded man clapped his hands excitedly. This young friend Yu was incredibly insightful. In his long life, there were only a handful of people who could understand this at the Qi Refining Realm.

And without exception, those people were all giants of the immortal path.

He was right; this young friend Yu was destined to become a great figure in the future.

So when Big Beard looked at Yu Zhao, his eyes lit up, and he could hardly contain his desire to take him as a disciple.

Just as he was about to say something, he found that Yu Zhao had already sat cross-legged, with his palms facing upwards and his eyes closed, having entered a state of enlightenment.

Seeing this, the bearded man's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily:

"wake up!"

This loud shout abruptly interrupted Yu Zhao's enlightenment. Seeing her open her eyes in confusion, the bearded man was both amused and exasperated. "You little brat, you're too audacious! You're only at the Qi Refining Realm. You're just an ant-like character trying to comprehend the supreme Dao."

"You will pass away within a short time."

The bearded man was both annoyed by Yu Zhao's audacity—truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers—and astonished by her comprehension.

To be able to touch such a supreme Dao at the Qi Refining Realm is already an extraordinary talent; this is like the Dao's own daughter.

That's outrageous; I've never seen anyone do that before.

This girl is truly unprecedented.

The bearded man couldn't understand how this strange little girl could actually touch upon the supreme Dao.

"However, you've also turned misfortune into blessing. With this experience, you'll be free from any obstacles below the Nascent Soul Realm. You could sleep your way to the Nascent Soul Realm even if you just sleep all day."

The bearded man admitted he was envious. He considered himself a genius, but compared to Yu Zhao, he was truly stupid.

They were rushing to feed their pets on the main road.

The bearded man's words delighted Yu Zhao. She stood up, dusted herself off, and asked, "May I ask, senior, what comes after the Nascent Soul stage?"

"That's not something you should be thinking about right now. This world can't nurture anyone above the Nascent Soul Realm. Once you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, you'll know what path to take next."

"Can't this world nurture anyone above the Nascent Soul stage?" What does that mean?

Is it because there isn't enough spiritual energy?

What's the story with this senior?

So what level is this senior at? If he is above the Nascent Soul stage, why was he injured by a Nascent Soul expert and left with so-called dragon energy that he cannot eliminate?

Yu Zhao was puzzled, but she only dared to think about it in her heart. She dared not ask it out loud, because asking it would be like poking a nerve.

The bearded senior is very kind; he's the best senior she's ever met, and she can't bear to hurt him.

The bearded man seemed to have seen through Yu Zhao's inner turmoil. He looked at Yu Zhao with a smile and said, "Young friend Yu, you're probably wondering why I was injured by someone at the Nascent Soul stage, aren't you?"

Yu Zhao: "!!!"

Holy crap! Mind reading?

"Young friend, there's no need to panic. Since you're curious, I'll tell you what it is."

As he spoke, the bearded man waved his hand again, and a tea table appeared in front of them. He led Yu Zhao and Shen Yunshu to sit down, poured tea for the two women, and thoughtfully brought out some unknown small fruits as refreshments.

Seeing the tea and fruit, Shen Yunshu's tense mood eased a bit, and she focused on enjoying the tea and fruit.

The fruit was delicious, and Shen Yunshu couldn't help but smile as she ate it, while Yu Zhao remained much more composed.

The bearded man was observing the two women's reactions. Seeing that Shen Yunshu was just like any other young girl, captivated by the Earth Spirit Fruit he had given her, he finally felt a sense of balance.

That's more like it. This young friend Shen is more like a female cultivator of this age, while this young friend Yu is far too monstrous.

"I once hit a bottleneck, so I buried myself in the sand, trying to defy fate and live a second life."

Unfortunately, an unforeseen event occurred. Although I successfully lived again, I did not achieve complete success, which resulted in my current flaws. The dragon energy contained within the Azure Dragon bloodline can precisely restrain me.

Speaking of this, the bearded man was speechless. His original plan was to wait until the time was right, then possess another body and be reborn. At that time, although it would be a rebuilding process, his foundation would be perfect.

But an unexpected turn of events led to his survival, though not through possession or rebirth—a huge difference.

He is now an anomaly, rejected by the Heavenly Dao. As long as he remains in this world, he will be crushed by the Heavenly Dao.

If he were to leave this world... that would be even worse, as he currently lacks the ability to traverse the void.

So now it's quite awkward. Although Big Beard is considered the pinnacle of this world, there's something that restrains him. If he wants to leave, he has to be cleansed by the heavenly tribulation first, and given his current state, this cleansing could very well leave him half-dead.

What will we use to traverse the void then?

Therefore, he had to choose another method, and Shen Yunshu was the key to whether this other method would succeed.

For Yu Zhao, it was a completely unexpected surprise.

Upon hearing the other party mention the unexpected turn of events, Yu Zhao blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. If she wasn't mistaken, this turn of events was related to them.

After all, they were the ones who discovered the burial place of this predecessor.

Even so, this senior did not blame him. This senior is truly a good person!

Thinking of this, Yu Zhao's goodwill towards this senior increased exponentially, and she asked very sincerely:

"Senior, is there anything we sisters can do to help you?"

"It would be enough if you could help me channel the dragon energy, but I can't refuse your kindness. If you want to help, how about lending me some merit?"

The bearded man grinned, his smile honest and revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Yu Zhao: "???" Damn it! I was careless. You actually wanted it? I should have known better than to be so talkative.

For Yu Zhao, who is notoriously stingy, asking her for things is no different than killing her, and she couldn't be more heartbroken.

However, since the words had already been spoken, and Xiao Yu was concerned about saving face, she could only suppress her heartache and say, "It's enough that I can help you, senior. It's just that I don't know what merit is, nor do I know how to give it."

"That's simple. All you need to do is write down a blessing document. I'll teach you how after the dragon energy is transferred."

As he spoke, the bearded man noticed Yu Zhao's distress and stopped teasing him. He wanted to build good relationships, and continuing to tease him would only make enemies.

This little girl is petty.

So he took out an item from his sleeve, put it on the ground with a thud, and said, "As a senior, I can't accept your merits for nothing, so I'll exchange this magic treasure with you, young friend."

Looking at the object on the ground, Yu Zhao's mind went blank for a moment. She recognized the object; it was the coffin she had seen in the ruins.

You're offering me a coffin in exchange for merit? Is that fair?

As a proper and righteous cultivator, is it reasonable for me to want such a magical treasure?

It's the coffin you slept in!

"Young friend, please don't misunderstand. This is not the coffin I slept in. This coffin is called the Tranquilizing Coffin, which has the wonderful effect of nourishing the soul. My coffin is the Soul Nourishing Coffin. They are just similar, not the same one."

Fearing that Yu Zhao might find it offensive, the big-bearded man thoughtfully offered an explanation.

Although he hadn't slept in the coffin, Yu Zhao still felt it didn't suit her, but she gladly accepted it nonetheless.

Even if you don't really like what the other person offers in exchange, at least you have something to exchange, which is better than nothing.

Seeing that Yu Zhao had agreed to the exchange, the bearded man smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and took his leave.

"It's getting late, my two young friends, please rest. I'll come back in a few days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man disappeared before the two women's eyes.

After he left, Yu Zhao went to acknowledge the coffin as his own, hoping to see if his cheat-like abilities could purify it.

I can't believe it actually works!

[Detected: Demonic Treasure, the Coffin of Peace, a top-tier Immortal Treasure. Purification initiation begins, transforming it into a Bronze Emperor Coffin, grade ???]

Unlike before, this purification didn't display the grade; instead, it showed a series of question marks.

The original blood-red coffin has been transformed into a dark green bronze coffin, its size seemingly tailor-made for Yu Zhao.

Upon seeing the coffin, Yu Zhao felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, as if the coffin had always belonged to her.

She couldn't help but lift the coffin lid, and as if possessed, lay down inside. She immediately felt comfortable, closed her eyes, and made soft moaning sounds.

"Junior sister, please close the coffin lid for me, thank you."

Shen Yunshu: (ー_ー)!!

My senior sister is getting more and more crazy. And how come this coffin has changed so much? The material is different too!

Shen Yunshu felt her worldview was crumbling...