As Yun Ze’s question arose, Dan Chenyu and Yun Xiao also turned their heads to look at Bu Bu.
Xian Jue.
Though this term was unfamiliar to Dan Chenyu, with her intelligence, she could naturally infer its importance from the subtle clues in their conversation.
As for Yun Xiao, she knew quite a bit.
She had once helped Tu Xiu search for Sen Jue in the Zhu Tian Secret Realm, but unfortunately, she had failed.
“No.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Bu Bu calmly uttered two words, shook her head, and then said, “According to records, after Chu Futian gathered all six Xian Jue, the patriarch of the Zhu family reached an agreement with the patriarchs of the Shi and Kong families. They gathered the Shi Jue and Kong Jue, two Xian Jue, and performed a secret deed.”
“Bu Bu, don’t keep us in suspense now!”
Yun Ze said helplessly, “What was it? Just tell us directly!”
“I don’t know what it was specifically.”
Bu Bu paused, then turned to look at Yun Ze and said, “The inheritance ended here, leaving only one sentence in the end.”
“Ling Xian, if later generations obtain Xian Jue, they should assist with all their might. Perhaps humanity will have a sliver of hope.”
Hearing this, Yun Ze couldn’t help but frown, “The person who left the inheritance… knew your identity!?”
Nearly a million years had passed since ancient times. The person who left the inheritance could still discern the identity of the recipient!
This was too fantastical!
“This is also what I find perplexing.”
Bu Bu nodded with a frown, then said, “However, once you meet someone, you probably won’t find this strange anymore.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
As soon as Yun Ze finished speaking, an old man’s voice echoed from not far away.
The group was initially on guard, but soon they saw a hunched figure slowly approaching.
He came to Bu Bu’s side, completely unguarded, exposing his entire body to the demonic liquid. Yet, there was no demonic energy about him.
One had to know that Bu Bu was also unguarded because she could use spatial means to isolate herself from the demonic liquid. But this old man… was truly strange.
Just as Yun Ze was sizing him up, Yun Xiao had already spoken, “Heavenly Mandate Elder?”
“Heavenly Mandate Elder?”
Yun Ze was stunned. He looked at the old man before him and asked doubtfully, “Are you the Heavenly Mandate Elder?”
He had heard of this person long ago. Moreover, he even had a drop of this person’s condensed vital blood within him, used to solidify his Fire Origin.
“It is I.”
The Heavenly Mandate Elder smiled, raising his hand to stroke his beard. “Young friend, we have known each other in spirit for a long time, but this is our first meeting. Did the Heavenly Mandate Blood help you?”
“You… you knew?”
As Yun Ze asked this, he realized he had been foolish.
When this person gave the Heavenly Mandate Blood to Xiao Shu back then, he had said that this blood would eventually be given to someone else. It was likely that he had already calculated the karma for today.
Right! Karma!
The person who left the inheritance could see through the river of time and know that Bu Bu was not dead. Wasn’t this similar to the Heavenly Mandate Elder’s methods!
Could it be… he was also one of the Four Great Families?
“It seems young friend already understands the karma involved.”
The Heavenly Mandate Elder nodded with a smile. “That’s right. I am also someone who has reincarnated from ancient times, though a bit earlier than the Kong family’s member. This is how I came to be known as the Heavenly Mandate Elder.”
Yun Ze’s eyes lit up.
The Four Great Families were one family, and he was now considered a member of the Kong family. This meant he had gained a powerful backer out of nowhere!
He knew that among the Emperor Lords in this world, besides the Immortal Lord and Demonic Lord, the most mysterious and powerful existence in the cultivation world was the person before him.
Although this person had never made a move in front of others, his Emperor Lord realm cultivation was acknowledged by both the Immortal and Demonic Lords. Coupled with his heaven-reaching methods in compiling the Heavenly Ranking, who else could be ranked third in the world but him?
If he had him as a backer, wouldn’t he be able to restore his original identity?
“Young friend, you don’t need to think about it.”
The Heavenly Mandate Elder seemed to have seen through Yun Ze’s thoughts and said directly, “Although I have also received the inheritance and am instructed to do my best to assist the person who obtains the Immortal Jade, I am different from the Kong family’s member. I can see too much. If you were to grow and walk under my protection, that sliver of hope for the future might vanish. Therefore, after this meeting, the next time we meet will be after you ascend to the Emperor Lord realm. Otherwise, there is no need for us to meet again.”
Oh well.
Yun Ze felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. His hard-won backer was gone!
But he could only force a smile and cup his hands, saying, “Senior, please rest assured, your junior will do his best and not disappoint everyone’s expectations.”
“Oh? You said that. Then don’t back down later.”
Bu Bu suddenly spoke from the side.
Yun Ze was taken aback and turned to look at her with a hint of confusion.
Before he could ask, and before Bu Bu could explain, the Heavenly Mandate Elder continued to walk forward.
“Let’s go first. Everything has been prepared.”
Bu Bu remained silent, merely following behind the Heavenly Mandate Elder. Yun Ze and Dan Chenyu, with puzzled expressions, followed closely.
“Bu Bu, what have you prepared?”
Yun Ze was indifferent and stepped forward, asking Bu Bu.
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Yun Ze rolled his eyes in frustration.
Wasn’t this just teasing him?
There was probably no one better than her at teasing!
However, just because Bu Bu didn’t want to say it didn’t mean the other person didn’t know.
As Yun Ze looked at the Heavenly Mandate Elder, his voice slowly sounded, “Young friend, we are almost there. If you are in a hurry, a few more steps forward and you will see it.”
“Alright.”
With the Heavenly Mandate Elder, this powerful figure, by his side, the Nine Nether Gate at this stage was practically a place where he could walk sideways.
Yun Ze didn’t think much of it and stepped forward a few paces, reaching the Heavenly Mandate Elder’s side.
But just as he was about to pass him and walk forward, an invisible force blocked him, even subtly pushing him back!
This was… demonic energy!
No, that wasn’t right!
Even the demonic liquid in the Holy Pool didn’t have this concentration!
Yun Ze frowned, trying to push through, but found that the Heavenly Mandate Elder had already caught up from behind.
He walked with his hands behind his back, instantly blocking the strange repulsive force.
Was this the method of an Emperor Lord?
Seeing this, Yun Ze no longer tried. He took a step back and followed behind the Heavenly Mandate Elder.
It wasn’t that he was no longer curious, but seeing the person before him, he had some questions to ask.
“Um… Senior.”
“Young friend, you can just call me Shi You.”
“That won’t do. I’ll call you Senior Shi.”
“So be it.”
Shi You didn’t seem to mind and then asked, “Young friend, you probably want to ask about the matter of the Heavenly Ranking first, right?”
“Yes, besides that, your junior is also curious about something else.”
Yun Ze nodded.
They say talking to intelligent people is very convenient, but how could it be more convenient than talking to someone who can see through the river of time?
“Senior Shi, what exactly is the Heavenly Ranking? How can it monitor the various prodigies of the Nine Great Profound Heavens in real-time, and even know their hidden strengths?”
“Both of these questions are quite easy to answer.”
Shi You smiled. “Actually, the so-called Heavenly Ranking is the Shi Jue.”
“The Heavenly Ranking is the Shi Jue!?”
“Yes.”
Shi You explained, “Unlike young friend Kong, when I awoke, the Shi Jue was always with me. Although I haven’t been able to fully develop its characteristics, I have mastered some of its abilities. Knowing the cultivation of prodigies below the Nine Great Profound Heavens is only a small part of my abilities. In ancient times, the Shi Jue already had this function. I have only developed a small part of it. With this explanation, you should understand why you are still alive, yet your name is not on the Heavenly Ranking, right?”
“Is it because of the Xin Jue and Miao Jue?” Yun Ze replied.
“Correct.”
Shi You smiled. “The Xin Jue and Miao Jue, like the Shi Jue, are all Immortal Jade. Although you wore them before, they were not truly recognized as yours. Now that you have integrated them into your Sea of Qi Origin, although it hasn’t reached the level of true recognition, it is still easy to interfere with the Shi Jue’s detection, as they are also Immortal Jade.”
“I see.”
Yun Ze nodded. This explained things.
However, this matter also seemed strange. According to Bu Bu, the Five Elements Immortal Jade were all collected by Chu Futian, while the Shi Jue and Kong Jue, along with the Demonic Jue, were gathered by the patriarch of the Zhu family at that time. But now, not only had the ancient inheritance been broken, but both the Five Elements Immortal Jade and the Shi Jue and Kong Jue had reappeared. What had happened in ancient times?
As Yun Ze pondered, the Heavenly Mandate Elder stopped.
“We’re here.”
“Here?”
Yun Ze was stunned. He scanned his surroundings and was slightly taken aback.
The sides were all stone walls. Besides the path they had come from, there was only a narrow passage ahead. There was nothing else around. He couldn’t see what had been prepared.
“It’s ahead.”
Shi You pointed to the passage. “You will see it once you pass through.”
He then looked at the few people behind him. “Little friends, it’s the same for you. Once you pass through, you will see the surprise I have prepared for you, including… young friend Ji Xiu.”
The group stepped forward one after another.
Yun Xiao was carrying Ji Xiu on her back. Upon hearing the Heavenly Mandate Elder mention Ji Xiu’s name, she cupped her hands and thanked him, “Thank you for your kindness, Senior. However, Xiao Xiu is still unconscious, so I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Senior to look after him here.”
The Heavenly Mandate Elder said nothing, merely nodding slowly.
Yun Xiao then gently placed Ji Xiu down from her back, cupped her hands to the Heavenly Mandate Elder again, and then stepped forward.
With just one step, she frowned and stiffly took a second step forward.
Seeing this, Yun Ze frowned, vaguely guessing something, and also took a step forward.
The strange repulsive force from before struck again!
Yun Ze was caught off guard and almost flew backward. Fortunately, he quickly took a step back, stabilizing himself.
Seeing this, Dan Chenyu knew that there was something strange ahead. She tried to take a step forward, but… she stood her ground with ease, and even taking several steps presented no problem!
Why was this?
Not only Yun Ze and Yun Xiao, but even Dan Chenyu, who had walked several meters ahead, turned to look at them.
“Is it a formation?”
Yun Xiao seemed to have guessed something and turned to look at the Heavenly Mandate Elder. “Senior, what kind of formation is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Condensing Spirit.”
Shi You calmly uttered two words, then smiled. “This formation has been passed down from ancient times and was often used for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage who had consumed too many pills. Medicine has its drawbacks, especially medicinal herbs that can be used for alchemy. The nature of these herbs and the spiritual energy they carry can have various effects on our human race. However, these are ultimately external substances. If one consumes too much, impurities will inevitably accumulate in the Sea of Qi. To remove these impurities, one would only have a chance during Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering. Thus, in ancient times, formation masters thought of this and created a new formation to remove impurities from the body. The more spirit herbs and materials consumed, the more difficult this path would be. However, if you can walk this path, about eighty percent of the impurities in your body can be removed. You don’t need to fear the difficulty. Previously, your methods were incorrect. As long as you circulate your cultivation technique while walking, it will be slightly easier.”
So that’s how it is!
Yun Ze and the other two nodded slowly, then looked at Dan Chenyu, who had stopped ahead, with envy in their eyes. It was good to have high talent; she had reached this point without consuming many heavenly treasures. Judging by her speed just now, she probably hadn’t consumed much Qi Refining Pill when she opened her Nine Realms Sea of Qi back then. She likely used methods other than consuming Qi Refining Pills.
No!
They couldn’t let this little girl get ahead of them.
Almost simultaneously, the same thought flashed through Yun Xiao’s and Yun Ze’s minds. The two of them walked forward against the pressure. As Shi You said, it was true that as long as they circulated their cultivation technique while walking, the pressure would indeed be significantly reduced. Yun Ze was fine, as he hadn’t consumed many pills besides Qi Refining Pills. But Yun Xiao… she was truly struggling with every step! To prolong her lifespan and break through to Foundation Establishment, who knew how many resources she had invested! However, who was Yun Xiao? Since she knew the purpose of this path, she would not give up. Yun Ze and the other two passed through the passage almost one after another, while Yun Xiao had covered about half the distance. Dan Chenyu and Yun Ze exchanged a look, and both of them stopped tacitly.
Wait!
They would wait for Yun Xiao to witness the subsequent opportunities together.