Lu Zhou was in no hurry to decipher the memories. Since it was night, he opened the wooden windows and allowed the night breeze to enter.
He felt much better now. What happened today had bothered him. ‘Who’s this Ye Zhen character?’
The cherry blossom tree on Lofty Steep Mountain bloomed all year round. That must be due to the power of the Daoist veins. The dojo’s setting and the position of the ‘ru’ canvas were strange. There was definitely more than met the eyes with Ye Zhen. He did not regret using his Deadly Strike Card. Under those circumstances, Ye Zhen clearly had many other plans he could fall back on; it was most reasonable to kill Ye Zhen to spare himself troubles in the future. Regardless, despite having already killed Ye Zhen, he could not help but feel that something was amiss.
There were many strange things in the world. There was Emperor Liu Ge who had an immortal body, and then, there was the fake emperor Liu Gu who was a Wuqian… There was also his first disciple, Yu Zhenghai… Someone as cunning as Ye Zhen would surely have methods of preserving his own life. With this thought in mind, he began to feel it was a loss to use that card,
He decided to confirm his suspicions tomorrow before making any decisions. It was too early to think about these matters now.
The night breeze pulled him back to the present at this moment. He closed the window and returned to the table. He extended his wizened hand and placed it gently on the crystal.
Whizz!
The familiar buzz of resonance rang in the air.
All of a sudden, Lu Zhou felt as though a fog had settled in his mind. It felt like he was plunged into a white world. This situation was similar to the other half of the memory crystal as well. He moved forward and arrived in front of a wall. 26 alphabets divided themselves into half before they arranged themselves in no particular rhyme and order.
Lu Zhou sighed emotionally. It was likely he was the only one who could decipher the secrets of the crystal. ‘What memories did Ji Tiandao seal? Why did he seal them? Hopefully, I’ll obtain my answers soon.’
Lu Zhou tried to touch the symbols. Although he recognized them, some of them were too small. He attempted several times before he succeeded in making contact. Fortunately, he had prior experience so he moved with familiar ease.
‘The bright moon shines over the sea; from far away, we share this moment together’.
The wall that barred his way faded away.
The first part.
Ji Tiandao’s fragmented memories spanned different timelines.
“The system’s coordinates can’t be wrong, but everything is too dangerous here. I have to find a way to leave this place as soon as I can…”
“My cultivation base is too weak. If it’s possible, I’d rather not come here. This is such a troll.”
When Lu Zhou lifted his head, the scenes began to distort.
“I finally obtained ten pills! I must leave this place! Are my eyes playing tricks on me? I swear I saw a black lotus descending from that place… Is he a Fiend Zen cultivator?”
The scenes and voices distorted again.
“I think my eyes must be overworked.”
Lu Zhou saw Ji Tiandao swiftly leaving the danger zone. A loud energy resonance energy rang in his ears, accompanied by crashing sounds. Terrifying beasts were hidden in his surroundings.
“I’ve fought through countless perilous situations and mammoth beasts along the way with all my might. It’s great to be alive.”
“I should continue fleeing. I wonder when I can return to Great Yan.”
A long flight, fatigue, hardships, experience of finding shelter outside; all these scenes appeared in Lu Zhou’s mind.
The second part.
“I met an extremely intelligent and polite girl. Her name’s Luo Xuan. She knows a lot about the lands. She also knows the tongue of beasts and is gifted in music.”
Scenes of two people walking appeared.
“I’ve asked Luo Xuan many things along the way. To be safe, I didn’t reveal much about myself. She told me the place where I left might be called Great Void. I didn’t think much of it. She told me she’s lost and that she couldn’t find her way back. She asked me to bring her back to Great Yan with me. I didn’t agree. After all, I need to be cautious. In any case, it didn’t stop her from following me.”
The journey back to Great Yan was extremely difficult. His weak cultivation base was completely exposed while Luo Xuan put her gift in the tongue of beasts to good use. Her cultivation base seemed profound sometimes, and other times, it did not seem impressive at all. Nevertheless, they managed to evade many beasts and dangerous situations.
“Luo Xuan asked me what I got from Great Void. I didn’t tell her.”
“Luo Xuan’s curiosity and exploratory spirits are unusual. To satisfy her, I gave her many riddles and problems that are unsolvable in this world. She’s completely engrossed in solving them. However, she has yet to solve even one of them.”
The third part.
“I’ve organized the items I obtained from the unknown land. There are several books about ordinary cultivation methods and 10 pills. Luo Xuan saw them and expressed her interest in them. She didn’t seem to recognize the pills. Instead, she was curious about the cultivation methods. To thank her for her help, I gave her the books that contain ordinary cultivation methods. She was happy.”
To return to Great Yan, they had to traverse a seemingly endless forest. Ji Tiandao’s weak cultivation base meant that he had to be cautious at all times. This slowed his progress.
“Luo Xuan is impressed with the wonders of the cultivation methods… This is my first time seeing a red lotus avatar. I was in awe. It reminded me of what I saw in the unknown land.”
“Luo Xuan has been studying the unsolvable riddles and problems every day. She’s truly a genius. She managed to grasp many concepts after listening to my explanation one time. However, it doesn’t seem like she’s making any progress with the problems. I told her they’re only the tip of the iceberg.”
“Luo Xuan told me she wants to become my disciple, but I refused her. I told her that every person had their own ideals and pursuits in life. She loved exploring, but there’s nothing I can teach her about that. However, Luo Xuan would still call me her teacher from time to time.”
The fourth part.
Ji Tiandao woke up one morning and discovered Luo Xuan was gone.
Luo Xuan left a note behind that read: I’m sorry. I’ve taken one Great Void Seed so I can study it. I’ll continue to search for the secrets of the worlds. You taught me many things along the journey. It’s just as you said; there’s no end to learning. When I finally understand these things, I’ll look for you again. I promise that I won’t leak any information about you. I hope that you’ll accept me as your disciple when we meet again.
Ji Tiandao organized his possessions again. He had lost one pill. Otherwise, all the other items were still there. He was puzzled by the term ‘Great Void Seed’.
“I’ve taught her so many things, and she stole my pill… These are pills that can greatly improve the quality of cultivation. I’ll have to be cautious from now on. Nobody can know about their existence.”
…
The fifth part.
Ji Tiandao finally returned to Great Yan.
Emperor Liu Ge had subdued the Other Tribes and brought peace to the lands.
100 years had passed.
Ji Tiandao finally reached the peak of his cultivation base. He was in the Eight-leaf Nascent Divinity realm.
“Should I start recruiting disciples?”
Ji Tiandao decided to recruit disciples and teach them in the Evil Sky Pavilion.
After that, Ji Tiandao recruited some disciples.
“I must conceal their backgrounds.”
The memories distorted again.
The sixth part.
“The Nine-leaf plan failed at the last minute. I should continue to seal the crystal. Luo Xuan knows that I’ve been to the unknown lands. In that case, I’ll seal those memories as well.
The scene of sealing the memories in the crystal appeared in Lu Zhou’s mind. Lu Zhou saw the Evil Sky Pavilion, the gazebos, and the barrier.
Swoosh!
Lu Zhou opened his eyes. He returned to the present.
The room was quiet, and the bright moon hung in the night sky.
