Chapter 62

Su Zhen collapsed limply by the edge of the water, reviewing the dreamlike experience she had just endured.

She felt a slight pang of regret. Because that final moment had been far too overwhelming, she had only been thinking of bringing it to a swift end, and thus missed the subsequent events that were supposed to unfold.

"Can I still go back in and watch more?"

Su Zhen looked down at the pool of water and murmured.

Unfortunately, no one answered her.

Yet she had a vague premonition that if she were to enter once again, the third trial would likely begin.

The duration of this second trial had far surpassed the first; she had suffered through years of torment within those memories.

True to expectation, the difficulty was gradually escalating.

The first trial had only involved practicing fist techniques for a few hours before several individuals materialized and beat her soundly from all directions.

In the second trial, although that sickly, frail fishing village youth could only grit his teeth and venture out to sea to catch fish, it was precisely because she could barely endure it all that she had been delayed from waking up.

Su Zhen pondered the similarities and differences between the two, her thoughts drifting to another matter.

Within those memories, once she managed to completely break free from the shackles of the original owner's identity, she would be able to unleash her own power—

Yet if not for that sudden upheaval, if not for that horde of demonic cultivators, would she have been forever unable to find her true self?

Su Zhen gazed at the calm, fathomless pool of water, releasing her spiritual sense slightly to inspect it with utmost care, yet she could detect no special array or barrier concealed within.

She merely sensed an abstruse and ancient aura masked beneath this clear, ice-cold, stagnant water.

This time, no rewards appeared, though she vaguely felt that she had grown slightly stronger, even if she could not articulate exactly how.

She left a mark upon the ground, only to discover that her spiritual power dissipated rapidly. After experimenting with several types of spell seals, she finally managed to leave a faint trace within this space.

Even if she could not teleport directly here next time, it would at least make it easier to locate nearby realms.

With a thought, Su Zhen departed this bizarre, miniature world.

Perhaps because she had spent far too much time inside, the barren desert realm outside had already collapsed—

Xiao Yu was not here either.

He had been unable to wait for her indefinitely, and thus could not sustain the existence of that small world, though he most likely had pressing matters of his own to attend to.

Su Zhen materialized in another region of the void realm, not pausing for a moment before setting off once again. After traversing realms consecutively several times, she returned to the mortal world.

Now, with a single thought, she could traverse millions of miles, making travel remarkably convenient.

Su Zhen was well-accustomed to this sensation, yet her heart held little joy. She produced a jade slip, hurriedly dispatched a message, and headed straight for the Central Domain.

Xiao Yu did not reply.

Su Zhen suppressed the anxiety welling within her, choosing to believe he could handle whatever befell him, while also knowing that if a true accident occurred, her current level of cultivation might not suffice to render aid.

Yet if she could unravel the secrets hidden within those memories—

She vaguely felt that she might thereby attain true power.

Though she could not clearly define what that power actually was.

Concurrently, she experienced a faint, rather uncomfortable sensation. This feeling did not originate from her primordial spirit or physical body, but rather from the external world.

In the southern region of the Central Domain stood Clear Dew City, bounded by the sea on three sides. Countless villages, towns, and settlements clustered around it, with a coastline stretching over a thousand miles and harbors and docks too numerous to count.

Su Zhen wandered the sea and the coastline, failing to find the familiar bay and beach from her memories.

She entered the city to stroll for a while, continually inquiring of passersby—asking the fishmongers on the street, the chefs and tavern keepers in the restaurants, and the scholars setting up writing stalls at street corners—yet she obtained no answers.

Some were locals, while others hailed from nearby towns and villages, yet not a single soul knew of Milu Mountain.

Su Zhen proceeded to visit the local aristocratic families.

The spiritual veins around Clear Dew City were scarce and resources meager, rendering the local Gu family rather mediocre in strength, and growing weaker with each passing generation. The previous family head, at the Earth Immortal realm, had suffered a breakthrough failure and perished prematurely, leaving behind only an only son at the True Immortal realm, with hardly any competent experts left within the clan.

This family kept an exceptionally low profile, living in seclusion among the immortal mountains on the outskirts of the city, completely unknown to the surrounding villagers.

Seeing through the illusion at a glance, Su Zhen submitted a name card requesting an audience, still employing a false identity.

She revealed a trace of her cultivation, prompting the guard to rush inside to announce her presence. Before long, the head of the Gu family came out to greet her personally, politely inviting her inside.

The family head appeared to be in his early twenties, with a refined, scholarly appearance and an exceptionally gentle manner.

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, upon hearing him inquire about the purpose of her visit, Su Zhen produced a handful of spiritual stones. "Might I purchase a topographical map of the southern mountains?"

The Gu family head was momentarily stunned. "Of course. I shall have someone bring a copy for the Immortal directly. But why not purchase one in the Heavenly Capital?"

Su Zhen spoke instinctively, "Your esteemed family has resided here for generations; why look afar when what you seek is close at hand?"

A subtle expression crossed the Gu family head's face. After a brief silence, he replied, "We only moved here a little over a thousand years ago."

For cultivators, this duration was certainly not exceptionally long, yet neither could it be considered brief, catching Su Zhen somewhat off guard.

Among the various clues within the second set of memories, the followers of the Gluttonous God of Destruction suggested that those events had transpired at least four thousand years ago.

—Once the God of Destruction was devoured, His followers would no longer bear the God's covenant mark; they would either perish alongside Him or lose that source of power entirely.

Su Zhen could not help but scrutinize the Gu family head. "Both of the Immortal Lords in the Heavenly Capital share the Gu surname, just as your esteemed family does. Are you related?"

The latter offered a wry smile. "We are distant relatives."

Su Zhen regarded him thoughtfully.

Those two city lords possessed formidable prestige and towering influence, commanding allegiance from three thousand immortal manors and aristocratic families across the Central Domain, as well as the majority of forces spanning the fourteen provinces.

Normally, their relatives ought to have risen to prominence alongside them; even with inferior abilities, they should not have been reduced to guarding a minor locale like Clear Dew City.

Sensing that the family head was a straightforward person, Su Zhen could not resist asking out of curiosity, "You possess no small skill, Immortal, and share blood ties with the two Immortal Lords Gu. If you were to reside in the Kunxu Immortal Mountains, I imagine you could secure a place of your own?"

This was not entirely empty flattery, as an upper-seven-realm cultivator would never be spurned by any immortal manor.

The Gu family head waved a hand dismissively. "You jest, Immortal. The Gu surname is a major clan within the Central Domain; the kinsmen of the Cangming Immortal Lord and the Jiangxiao Immortal Lord are numerous, and over the past two thousand years, they have continuously split into branches until they are too numerous to count. What manner of figure am I that I should warrant a second glance from them?"

Even as they spoke, someone entered the room bearing a thick scroll, placed it upon the desk, and retreated with a bowed waist.

The Gu family head picked it up, causing it to suspend in mid-air and slowly unfurl by itself. It was precisely a detailed topographical map of mountains and subterranean ley lines.

The entire map spanned roughly a zhang square, presenting a magnificent sight. Shadow-mapping spells had been employed during its creation, rendering the rivers, lakes, and seas upon the map in a flowing state that clearly illustrated their courses.

Su Zhen silently slid the handful of spiritual stones forward. "Thank you, Immortal."

The Gu family head shook his head. "Consider this map a gift to the Immortal. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask."

Su Zhen rose, walked over to the map, and inspected it closely, yet failed to find any mountain ranges matching the pronunciation or name she sought. However, a few blackened mountainous regions caught her eye.

She grew all the more grateful that she had not departed in haste. Turning back to the Gu family head, she inquired about those pitch-black, desolate mountains, "When did these areas shrouded in miasma first come to be?"

The Gu family head looked at her with a bewildered expression, seemingly trying to guess her intentions. "To which one is the Immortal referring?"

Studying the map, Su Zhen selected several locations whose geographical positions closely matched the circumstances in her memories.

The Gu family head stood up, and though entirely perplexed, he proceeded to explain them one by one. As the head of the most powerful family in the vicinity of Clear Dew City, he was naturally intimately familiar with these matters.

"—This one dates back much further. By the time my great-grandfather brought the entire family here to settle, it was already swarming with fiendish entities. A hundred miles east from here, deep in the mountains, there even remains an abandoned boundary gate."

A shock rippled through Su Zhen's heart, surmising that this must be the place.

Back then, when the avian demon entrusted its child to the master of those memories, it had mentioned that a boundary gate existed amidst the Milu Mountain ranges a hundred miles to the east, leading to the Demon Realm.

Unwilling to let him know precisely what she was investigating, Su Zhen refrained from asking further, resolving instead to inspect the site personally.

She packed away the map and took her leave. The moment she stepped outside, she completely concealed her aura and sped directly toward that ancient, desolate mountain.

Within the blink of an eye, Su Zhen spotted from afar the mountain ridges shrouded in miasma.

To prevent the miasma from spreading, heavy barriers surrounded the area, with sealing incantations shimmering in brilliant arrays of light.

Ordinary mortals could perceive nothing save the air, but she could discern every single incantation glowing within the curtain of light. A glance filled Su Zhen with profound astonishment.

The sealing incantations here were extraordinarily profound, placing immense demands on the caster—a feat utterly beyond the capacity of ordinary cultivators.

Several of the incantations were even unheard of.

Su Zhen was not arrogant enough to think, "There are no secret incantations in this world that I do not know," but a barrier this complex must certainly harbor profound mysteries.

She patrolled the perimeters of several other mountains, only to discover that none compared to this one.

Standing outside the barrier, Su Zhen gazed into the desolate mountain within. Amidst the miasma lay scattered stones, withered forests, and cracked, scorched earth, as though the entire place had once been ravaged by a blazing fire.

She had originally intended to slip inside for an investigation, but the barrier was exceedingly sophisticated. Quite apart from whether she could forcibly shatter it, the moment an outsider triggered it, the caster would inevitably perceive the intrusion.

Even a cursory glance at the composition of those incantations revealed as much.

Su Zhen turned and traveled a hundred miles westward, searching slowly until she finally discovered a village reduced to broken walls and ruins.

Nearby lay a scattering of rock-strewn shallows and collapsed subsidence basins. Sweeping out her spiritual sense, she indeed uncovered numerous skeletal remains buried beneath the earth, most of which appeared to belong to human beings.

She walked through the abandoned village. Countless vicissitudes of life had wrought immense changes, yet she managed to barely trace the outlines of certain locations from her memory.

Su Zhen returned to Clear Dew City, intending to find the Gu family head. This time, the gatekeeper admitted her directly.

Yet the moment she crossed the courtyard and before she even stepped into the main hall, shouting reached her ears, instantly followed by a sudden burst of spiritual pressure.

"—I was ordered to reinforce the barrier, merely asking for a few dozen catties of rare ores, all of which are required for casting spells. Yet you prevaricate and stall at every turn. Could it be you have long since colluded with the demonic faction?!"

A voice bellowed from within the grand hall.

"—If you do not confess the truth, I shall slaughter your entire Gu clan right now!"

Hearing this, Su Zhen guessed what was happening. Hesitating for a moment, she stepped inside nonetheless. "Lord Gu has a guest? It seems I have come at an inopportune time."

The Gu family head sat in his chair, a grip upon his collar hoisting him up toward a suspended fate. At this interruption, the perpetrator abruptly spun around.

"This Immortal, from what sect or faction do you hail?"

The man possessed handsome features, yet his face was plastered with an air of arrogance. Draped in luxurious brocade robes, his cuffs were embroidered with intricate, exquisite sword patterns.

Su Zhen recognized that emblem—it belonged to a disciple of the Sword-Questioning Peak of the Supreme Clarity Sect. Judging by the delicacy of the embroidery, he was likely the personal disciple of some elder.

The Gu family head pushed away the hand grasping him. "This is Immortal Liu of the Jade Pearl Pavilion."

"Jade Pearl Pavilion?"

The cultivator narrowed his eyes, his gaze scrutinizing her full of appraisal, recalling her earlier words which sounded rather like she was an acquaintance of the Gu family head.

"I know a few people from the Jade Pearl Pavilion, and your spiritual pressure is entirely different from theirs—"

Su Zhen offered a mocking smile. "My master is a rogue cultivator who only entered the sect a few years ago."

The cultivator gave a cold hum. "What is your master's surname?"

Su Zhen skillfully shifted the blame to her old arch-nemesis. "Surname Yao."

The cultivator's eyes rolled as he recalled that the Jade Pearl Pavilion indeed boasted an Elder surnamed Yao, originally a wandering rogue cultivator skilled in jade-carving arts who had attached himself to the Jade Pearl Pavilion to secure an elder's post.

Believing sword cultivators to be superior to others, he looked down upon those inept at combat, his eyes carrying a hint of added contempt.

Curious, Su Zhen looked him up and down. "This Immortal mentioned needing a few dozen catties of rare ores?"

Before the man could speak, the Gu family head came to his senses and hastily explained, "Immortal Wang, it is not that I refuse to help you. Leaving aside everything else, take the refined mirror-gold crystal ore—even over a century, we harvest at most two or three catties. You demand twenty; I simply cannot produce it! Whatever I could give was already handed over last time!"

"My senior sister came last time, and since she is now dead in the Demon Realm, naturally you can spin whatever tales you please!"

Immortal Wang retorted with displeasure. "That barrier—"

"What sort of barrier requires such a vast quantity of refined rare ores?"

Su Zhen feigned curiosity further. "I am somewhat versed in sealing arts as well. Perhaps I could offer some insight; who knows, we might find a way that doesn't require so much ore?"

"What manner of creature are you?"

Immortal Wang glanced at her dismissively. "That is a barrier personally set down by our sect master. What qualifications do you have to tamper with it at will?"

Su Zhen blinked. "Personally set down by the Cangming Immortal Lord? For what reason? It is merely a desolate mountain with no major towns or immortal manors in the vicinity, just a bit of miasma—is it truly worthy of his personal action?"

"What do you understand? That is—"

Immortal Wang cut himself off.

Su Zhen frowned. "What is it?"

"None of your concern!"

Immortal Wang rebuked angrily. "What is your motive in prying into our sect's affairs?"

Shaking her head, Su Zhen slowly advanced toward him and pressed a hand against his forehead. Before Immortal Wang could react, his body went limp and he collapsed into a nearby chair.

The Gu family head was struck dumb with astonishment.

Su Zhen swiftly searched Immortal Wang's memories, only to discover that he did not possess the answers she sought.

Why would that place warrant an Immortal Lord taking action to seal it?

Immortal Wang had no idea either!

He only knew that the miasma had been unleashed by an immensely powerful fiendish entity, and unless the Cangming Immortal Lord acted, no one else could seal it.

...Wasn't that stating the obvious?!

Su Zhen was utterly speechless; this answer was equivalent to nothing. Withdrawing her hand, Immortal Wang rose with a dazed expression in his eyes, wobbling as he walked out the door.

The Gu family head slumped back into his chair, watching the scene unfold with terror. "Where is he going?"

"To reinforce the barrier, of course."

Su Zhen casually remarked, "The ores you gave him were more than enough. In truth, the incantation requires only a tiny fraction; his demand for more stems purely from greed, figuring you wouldn't dare go to Kunxu to confront anyone."

The Gu family head let out a long sigh, clearly aware of this reality. "The Immortal has hypnotized him... When he wakes up, given his extraordinary status, what shall we do if he seeks revenge?"

Knowing the man was Xie Changfeng's junior brother, Su Zhen dismissed the thought entirely. "Oh, he won't be able to find me. At worst, he'll seek revenge on my 'master,' and my master excels most at turning hostility into friendship."

Or turning them into sacrifices.

The Gu family head likely disbelieved her, but seeing her nonchalant attitude, he knew she must be an expert. The Jade Pearl Pavilion identity was most likely false, and that Elder Yao probably had a grudge against her anyway, leaving her quite pleased to have someone else go stir up trouble for him.

Su Zhen smiled. "The next person who comes to reinforce the seal certainly won't be this one."

"Indeed?"

Joy filled the Gu family head's eyes. "You have my profound gratitude, Immortal. Though this fellow has some skill, he is... rather difficult to deal with. His senior sister was far better than him; I imagine the next one ought not to be too awful."

Su Zhen smiled. "That barrier is exceedingly troublesome. Since he was capable of stepping in to reinforce it, he must possess genuine skill. Yet he still resorted to extorting ores outside—this suggests the Supreme Clarity Sect possesses an abundance of experts, to the extent that he wasn't even valued that highly. Or perhaps he was simply greedy by nature?"

"That I cannot say for certain. In any case, many thanks, Immortal."

The Gu family head bowed. "Perhaps I should address you as Immortal Lord instead?"

Su Zhen shook her head. "There is no need for that just yet."

The Gu family head started. "Immortal... might you be an attendant to one of the divine lords?"

Unbothered by his assumption that she might be a demonic cultivator, Su Zhen replied, "Why? Do you suppose I intend to destroy that barrier? I harbor no such intentions; I am merely investigating some long-cold cases."

The Gu family head instantly relaxed, clearly unbothered by associating with a demonic cultivator, yet deathly afraid of one wreaking havoc in his vicinity.

Su Zhen cast a glance at him. "I have done you a favor. You ought to repay me, shouldn't you?"

Though she could control him, the task she wished to undertake was somewhat troublesome, making it preferable to win his willing cooperation.

The Gu family head nodded repeatedly. "If the Exalted One requires wealth—"

Su Zhen shook her head, studying him thoughtfully.

The Gu family head paused, a sudden realization dawning on him as his face flushed and he lowered his head. "Exalted One, if you require someone to wait upon you, I am not entirely opposed to—"

Su Zhen: "?"

Before she could speak, she sensed a familiar wave of spiritual pressure.

Turning her head, a familiar figure had appeared in the doorway.

Xiao Yu walked into the room unhurriedly, his tall frame casting a long shadow, a half-smile playing across his handsome, bold features. "Not entirely opposed to what?"

Su Zhen tilted her head to look at him, about to speak.

The Gu family head's gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, a look of sudden comprehension dawning upon his face. "If the Exalted One does not mind, this humble one is willing to take a secondary position and attend you both."

Su Zhen: "???"

Su Zhen: "..."