Chapter 66 How Is It Her?

After being tempered by sword intent and spiritual energy, my physical body has become even stronger!

Chen Pingan stood up, glanced around the familiar sword pool, and a look of lingering reluctance appeared on his face. He softly murmured, Master, I will find you. Just wait for me.

With that, he bowed three times toward the sword pool and slowly walked out.

Now that I have broken through to the tenth-layer peak of the Golden Body Realm, I must have stayed in the Qingyun Secret Realm for quite a while. It is time to leave, Chen Pingan said with a sigh.

He activated the teleportation token, and instantly, a ray of light enveloped him and he vanished from outside the sword pool.

The next moment, Chen Pingan appeared on the Qingyun Peak plaza.

Ancestor!

The Xuan Ancestor and Du Rulong appeared on either side of Chen Pingan like a whirlwind.

To await the ancestor, the Qingyun Peak plaza had long been designated as a forbidden area, inaccessible even to elders of the sect.

How long has the sword pool been open?

Seeing the peaceful surroundings, Chen Pingan calmly asked.

The Xuan Ancestor smiled and said, Ancestor, you have been inside the sword pool for two months.

Goodness, I really broke the record.

Chen Pingan raised an eyebrow with a somewhat awkward expression. According to the rules once set by his master, one could stay in the sword pool for a maximum of fourteen days. But his master cherished him, this disciple, and had actually left a loophole. Had he not wanted to come out back then, he could have continued refining until the Divine Repository Realm.

Ancestor, Xiaolong is guilty. Please punish me!

With a thud, Du Rulong fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the ground.

What crime could you possibly have?

Chen Pingan asked curiously.

Du Rulong trembled uncontrollably and said nervously, Ancestor, Lin Chong offended the ancestor. He truly deserves to die!

So it was because of Lin Chong...

Chen Pingan shook his head, smiled faintly, and said, Forget it. That child is simply arrogant and conceited. I have already taught him a lesson, and it has nothing to do with you. However, as the Master of the Qingyun Sect, you should guide him well in the future and keep him from straying down the wrong path...

As an ancestor who had lived for over ten thousand years, he really couldn't be bothered to quibble with a twenty-year-old disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

The ancestor is merciful.

The Xuan Ancestor hurriedly flattered him, glared at Du Rulong, and snapped, Why aren't you getting up already?

Yes.

Covered in cold sweat, Du Rulong hurriedly got to his feet.

With thoughts of his suspected ex-girlfriend in mind, Chen Pingan calmly asked, Is Tianyuan City located in the Northern Province?

***

The Xuan Ancestor pondered for a moment and said, Ancestor, Tianyuan City is a small town in the western part of the Northern Province...

Alright, I am going there for a trip.

Chen Pingan instructed Du Rulong, Arrange an immortal boat for me, and bring me a map of the Northern Province.

Just as Du Rulong was about to agree, the Xuan Ancestor suggested, Ancestor, why not let Xiaoxiaoliang act as your guide, just like last time?

No need. I will go alone to look around and clear my mind.

Chen Pingan shook his head in refusal. He didn't want to delay Xiaoxiaoliang's cultivation; after all, time was precious for these proud disciples of the Qingyun Sect. Toing and froing would only waste a lot of time.

Very well then.

The Xuan Ancestor had no choice. He glanced at Du Rulong, and the latter immediately hurried away.

After a short while, Du Rulong returned holding a spatial ring.

Ancestor, inside this ring are an immortal boat, a map of the Thirteen Barren Prefectures, spiritual stones, as well as gold, silver, and clothing.

He respectfully presented it.

After taking it, Chen Pingan nodded in satisfaction and slipped the spatial ring onto his left hand.

With a gentle wave of his hand, a small immortal boat materialized out of thin air.

Alright, I am leaving now.

Chen Pingan stepped aboard, gave a few parting instructions, and piloted the immortal boat away from Qingyun Peak.

The ancestor's cultivation speed is truly terrifying. It has only been a few months, and he is already at the tenth-layer peak of the Golden Body Realm...

Watching the departing immortal boat, Du Rulong said with extreme shock.

The Xuan Ancestor smiled and said, After living out his second life, the ancestor has undergone a rebirth-like transformation. His internal Dao seed is surely at least at the saintly grade...

A saintly grade Dao seed?

Du Rulong was startled upon hearing this. In the Barren Lands, such a Dao seed belonged to the realm of legends and had never appeared before.

The Longevity Coffin is truly unfathomable...

The Xuan Ancestor murmured, then turned and left.

A look of envy surfaced on Du Rulong's face. As one of the seven immortal treasures of the Profound Heaven Realm, the Longevity Coffin was said to surpass even the Great Emperors, and those sheltered by it possessed the power of immortality. In this world, no one could kill them. Since the Longevity Coffin could grant immortality, creating a new Dao seed was likely a simple matter as well.

***

Outside Tianyuan City, a youth in green robes slowly walked through the city gates.

This Tianyuan City is not large, yet it has a population of over a hundred thousand. Finding my suspected ex-girlfriend here will be very difficult...

Surveying the bustling streets and the closely packed buildings, Chen Pingan sighed softly, a look of perplexity in his eyes.

Searching for a person within an entire city was no different from finding a needle in a haystack; the difficulty was immense. The crucial point was that regarding this suspected ex-girlfriend, he had zero information—no age, no appearance, no surname. He had to rely entirely on luck.

Although Chen Pingan harbored a slight complaint, he was not in a hurry. Having lived for over ten thousand years, he lacked nothing if not patience.

Hmm? Why is it her?

His gaze shifted, and a female beggar in a street corner caught his eye.

The female beggar was disheveled and in tattered rags. Her unkempt hair covered most of her face, obscuring her expression, and her purple garments were covered in patches, making them look thoroughly worn out. She sat on the ground with her back against the wall, an old, empty bowl placed before her, and a mottled bamboo staff lying beside her.

With her eyes closed, she was ignored by the passing pedestrians on the street, not a single person offering alms.

Chen Pingan walked over, took out a few pieces of broken silver, and gently placed them inside the empty bowl.

Thank you...

The female beggar opened her eyes and cast a grateful look at the man who had given alms. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she hurriedly stood up and cupped her fists.

Senior!

Haha, you were actually able to pierce through this mask of mine...

Chen Pingan touched his face and smiled with some awkwardness. Upon leaving the Qingyun Sect, he had changed into ordinary robes and altered his appearance as well. After all, when he took a concubine recently, it had caused quite a stir throughout the Northern Province, and many people had seen him. Chen Pingan did not wish to be recognized by outsiders during this trip and invite awkwardness.

Yet the female beggar before him had seen right through it at a glance.

This person was none other than the master of the Purple Blood Divine Sect, the purple-robed beauty who had once explored the Ruins Secret Realm with him.

Chen Pingan had never expected that the dignified sect master would transform into a tattered beggar, wandering the mortal world and making a living by begging.

What are you doing here...?

A look of incomprehension appeared in Chen Pingan's eyes.

The female beggar pressed her palms together and spoke respectfully, Senior, this junior wishes to experience all the hardships of the world, using them to temper my Dao heart and perfect the Threefold Primordial Skill.

Very good.

Approval showed in Chen Pingan's eyes. She was the master of the Purple Blood Divine Sect. The weakest among her disciples was at the tenth layer of the Divine Void Realm, and the majority were powerful experts of the Ethereal Spirit Realm. One could say that the strength possessed by the Purple Blood Divine Sect alone was enough to contend with any powerful faction in the Barren Lands.

To perfect her cultivation technique, this sect master had cast aside all her dazzling halos, blended in with the masses, and plunged deep into the mortal world. Tempering oneself meant tempering one's Dao heart; not only did she have to endure the misery of filth and squalor, but she also had to accept the cold stares and contempt of worldly mortals. Without immense resolve, it was utterly impossible to achieve.

Could she really be my ex-girlfriend?

Gazing at the small, grime-covered, and blackened face, Chen Pingan's heart suddenly stirred with a secret speculation.