Chapter 23: The Embryonic Universe, Zhu Yan Brings Treasures!
"Good boy, you truly have the demeanor of my old self!"
Yao Lao hadn't expected his new disciple to have such a heart, and the admiration in his eyes intensified.
If Xiao Yan had truly accepted his proposal, he wouldn't have said anything, but he certainly wouldn't have admired him as much as he does now.
After all, the "Xiao Yan" in the novel had a misunderstanding with Yun Yun completely unprepared, and he was completely unaware of it beforehand.
But now the situation was different.
This kid had already read the "Fighting Break Sphere" novel. If he continued to do this, it would be intentional.
What's the difference between such behavior and that of a beast?
It seems my choice in this disciple was good; this little guy is much more upright than Han Feng.
Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan and nodded with satisfaction. He then continued, "You're able to stay true to your principles, which impresses me. However, the beast fire of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King is quite valuable. If you can obtain it, you can advance your Burning Technique. And the accompanying Purple Crystal Source and Purple Spirit Crystal are also important. So, we must follow and see..."
After this incident, Yao Lao's love for Xiao Yan was even greater than before.
He had decided to devote all his energy to helping this upright disciple grow rapidly.
With the future information mentioned in the "Fighting Break Sphere" novel, he believed that his training of Xiao Yan would be much smoother.
Perhaps by the time the three-year agreement was up, his disciple would be able to ascend the Yunlan Sect as a Dou Zun, kicking Nalan Yanran with his foot, chopping Yun Ling with his palm, and tearing Yun Shan apart with his bare hands.
As for the Guardian Wu hiding in the shadows, he must not let them go.
The Soul Palace's people must die!
Xiao Yan's chat group seemed to have a cross-world function.
If he could then call on his friends from other worlds to lend a hand, that would be even better.
After all, if Guardian Wu died, Soul Palace would likely immediately send someone to investigate.
If they were willing to come and help, he would be safer too.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a few days had passed.
...
Perfect World.
After several days of bumpy journey, Zhu Chen and Huo Ling'er finally arrived at the Cangmang Mountains in their Pegasus carriage.
These mountains lay deep in the Great Wilderness, and it would have taken months to reach them from the Fire Nation's capital.
At least not with Zhu Chen's current cultivation level.
However, Huo Ling'er knew that there was a teleportation array in the Fire Country that could lead directly to an ancient ruin on the edge of the Great Wilderness within the Stone Country.
Thanks to the teleportation array, they were able to reach this desolate land teeming with ferocious beasts in just a few days.
Although the spiritual energy in the Great Wilderness is thin, it is home to many powerful ancient species.
Some of these powerful species have even reached the Formation Realm or the Venerable Realm.
For example, the Suanni that Shi Hao had killed earlier was a Venerable Realm apex predator!
Zhu Chen's cultivation had only just broken through the Cave Heaven Realm. Even with the support of the soul clone formed from Pangu's blood essence, he could only fight against ancient species at the Inscription Realm. He dared not act arrogantly here.
After all, he had not yet fully refined that drop of Pangu's blood essence.
However, he was not worried about being targeted by those powerful ancient species.
A true man can bend and stretch. If he can't win, can he not run?
He holds the chat group leader privileges, and with a single thought, he can directly cross over to other worlds.
When Wang Lin, the God of Killing, was being pursued by powerful enemies in his early days, he often hid in the Tianni Pearl.
Not to mention Han Li, the sixth brother.
The brothers in the group are all role models, and as the group leader, he naturally has to lead by example.
"Zhu Chen, I found the place you're looking for. It should be just up ahead. Just cross that mountain..."
Just as Zhu Chen was pondering, Huo Ling'er suddenly approached with a map.
Zhu Chen took a closer look and discovered that the place Huo Ling'er had found was a vast lake.
Near the lake, there was a faint sign for a village. This must be Shi Village, the first ancestral land of the Shi Nation.
However, the Shi Village had likely relocated under the protection of the Willow God.
When they first arrived, the vast mountain range had already collapsed in several places.
Vast volcanoes were now spreading along the fissures in the ground.
The toxic fumes within the lava were enough to kill any woman or child without cultivation.
It seemed likely that the ancient beasts that had come to fight over the mountain's treasures had already begun fighting.
"Let's go and take a look."
Zhu Chen withdrew his gaze from the map and, igniting his chariot, sped towards the lake.
A few minutes later,
the two arrived safely at the lake. It had also collapsed, leaving only a large amount of silt at the bottom, topped with dried fish carcasses that emitted a foul stench.
Zhu Chen took Huo Ling'er out of the car and observed the surroundings. After confirming that this was the lake near Shi Village, he nodded gently.
"This is a dry lake. What are we doing here?"
Huo Ling'er asked curiously.
Zhu Chen turned around and was about to say something.
Suddenly, a deafening beast roar echoed from afar.
The sound reverberated through the valley, and the oppressive aura it carried shook the barren mountains for dozens of miles. [
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Countless ferocious beasts and birds were startled and fled in all directions.
"Such a terrifying aura! The owner of this beast roar has probably reached the level of a Venerable. Zhu Chen, we should get out of here quickly..."
Huo Ling'er shrank back, and fearfully, she subconsciously grabbed Zhu Chen's arm.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here..."
Zhu Chen reached out and stroked Huo Ling'er's hair. Then, with a thought, he manifested the divine ring of the cave world on his body and took the celestial carriage into the cave world.
They had stolen this carriage, and they couldn't damage it.
Huo Ling'er watched Zhu Chen store the two celestial horses in his cave heaven, and a look of disbelief crossed her face. "Oh my God! Zhu Chen, your cave heaven can even hold living things?"
"Yes,"
Zhu Chen nodded noncommittally.
While other cultivators' cave heavens could also store objects, they were only capable of storing inanimate objects devoid of life.
However, after his Divine Ring Cave Heaven merged with Pangu's essence and blood, it mutated, now capable of storing not only inanimate objects but also living creatures.
He also discovered that as his cultivation level continued to rise, the world within his cave seemed to expand.
"I once read in an ancient tome a legend about the ancient immortal era. It's said that in that era, cultivators refined a rudimentary universe and stored it within their bodies. If that rudimentary universe could continue to grow, perhaps it could evolve into a true heaven and earth. Your cave can accommodate living things, so could it also be a rudimentary universe?"
Huo Ling'er analyzed thoughtfully, her eyes filled with shock.
However, Zhu Chen didn't care for anything else at the moment. He hurriedly took out the soul-hiding veil and draped it over Huo Ling'er, then used his transformation technique to transform himself into a cucumber and hide in the "empty space" on Huo Ling'er's chest.
"Ah—Zhu Chen, where are you hiding?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"You, you gotta get out of here!"
"Shh, don't talk. Use the Qi Condensation Technique to hide your presence. A big guy's coming."
"No, no, get out of here first."
Huo Ling'er couldn't hear any more of this. Blushing, she grabbed the cucumber Zhu Chen had transformed into, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and was about to pull it out.
But just then, a giant ape, taller than a mountain, with a white head and bare feet, suddenly dropped from the sky and landed heavily near the lake in front of them.
"—Boom!"
The earth shook with a loud bang.
The impact of the ape's landing caused the surrounding rock to collapse, and the ground cracked layer by layer. Cracks spread rapidly like a ferocious python, almost reaching Zhu Chen.
"It's Zhu Yan!"
Huo Ling'er's already panicked heart suddenly rose to her throat.
She covered her mouth and whispered, her voice filled with undisguised fear.
This Zhu Yan was an ancient beast on par with their Fire Nation's sacred spirit, the Vermillion Bird. Its strength had long since reached the peak of the Venerable Realm. Even her father had to retreat upon seeing it. He was not one they could provoke.
...
(End of this chapter)