Listening to Yu Xian’s words, Yun Ze offered no response, merely walking slowly to face him and sitting down at the table.
Having observed his previous actions, Yun Ze had already guessed that Yu Xian likely knew his true identity.
However, since Yu Xian hadn't explicitly revealed it, Yun Ze hadn't felt the need to speak up.
Now that Yu Xian had brought it out in the open, Yun Ze saw no reason to continue the pretense.
He looked at Yu Xian opposite him and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yu, how did you figure it out?"
"Heh, I wasn't sure before, but now I am."
Yu Xian smiled, placing a hand on Yun Ze's shoulder. "Good lad! To fake your own death and fool the Demon Lord, you've truly got some skill!"
"That's all thanks to Brother Xiao," Yun Ze replied with a wry smile.
"Brother Xiao?"
"Xiao Hanshi."
"I knew you were connected to him!"
Yu Xian chuckled and shook his head, pointing a finger at Yun Ze. "You rascal, you're not being honest!"
"Brother Yu, please stop teasing me."
Yun Ze smiled helplessly. "Logically, my disguise was good enough. No one should have found out. Why did you..."
"Hey! Don't rush!"
Yu Xian raised a hand to interrupt Yun Ze's question. "You deceived me first, shouldn't I get to ask questions first?"
"Alright, alright."
Yun Ze felt a wave of helplessness but could only smile. "Brother Yu, you ask first. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Ah, that's more like it! I've been waiting for you to say that!"
Yu Xian shuffled his stool forward, leaning closer to Yun Ze. "Tell me, how did your Brother Xiao help you fool the Demon Lord?"
Yun Ze had expected him to ask about his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment first, not this.
He hadn't intended to hide this method from Yu Xian.
After all, Yu Xian had helped him a great deal, and this secret wasn't really a secret to him.
"A puppet," Yun Ze stated. "Brother Xiao is skilled at making puppets. He made one using my essence blood and fooled them."
"A puppet?"
Yu Xian blinked, then pondered for a few seconds. "It's not impossible. After all, the Demon Lord hasn't dabbled in artifact refining. At first glance, it would be hard to tell. So, who knows that you're not dead? Is it safe?"
"Besides Brother Xiao, there's Bubu, Senior Sister Mu, and Senior Sister Yun."
"You mean Mu Siyue and Yun Xiao?"
Yu Xian was somewhat surprised.
Yun Ze's way of addressing them made it clear what his current status was.
His tone shifted, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, you've now become a disciple of Emperor Guiwu?"
"Yes."
Yun Ze didn't deny it.
No one knew whether Emperor Guiwu was alive or dead. To protect Senior Sister Mu's plan, he had to say this to anyone.
"Good lad, your future is boundless!"
Yu Xian patted Yun Ze's shoulder again, then suddenly realized something. "Hey, so Little Yu doesn't know, right?"
"Correct."
Yun Ze gave Yu Xian a wry smile and cupped his hands. "Brother Yu, please don't tell her. I'm afraid if she finds out I'm alive, she'll be caught between me and the Immortal Mansion."
"Caught between you? You underestimate Little Yu too much."
Yu Xian chuckled, removing his hand from Yun Ze's shoulder. He spoke with earnestness. "She grieves for you, that's true. But if faced with a choice between her camaraderie with you and the progress of the entire human race, she would unhesitatingly choose the latter! And then she'd dissect you inch by inch for research!"
Yun Ze smiled helplessly.
Though he hated to admit it, Yu Xian was indeed right.
Little Yu had an almost obsessive passion for research. Faced with a living Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, she wouldn't be able to control her research urges.
"Right, there's one more thing..."
Yu Xian frowned in confusion. "Your name isn't on the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Rankings. You're a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. Even in the early stages, you should be on the Heavenly Rankings, shouldn't you?"
"This... perhaps the Old Man of Destiny also thinks I'm dead?"
Yun Ze didn't know the reason either, so he could only laugh. "Or perhaps Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment is too powerful and has been filtered into the Core Formation Heavenly Rankings?"
"Never mind, we really don't know what the Old Man of Destiny is thinking."
Yu Xian looked at Yun Ze with a gossipy expression. "But speaking of which, how exactly did you achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment? What happened in that Heavenly Foundation Secret Realm? I asked Little Yu, but she refused to tell me, only saying it's all in the past and I shouldn't meddle."
"She probably has her reasons."
Yun Ze replied, "It's the same if I tell you."
He could actually guess. Back then, Xiu Yun had colluded with others to provide false testimony, likely having made blood pacts with everyone. Little Yu was no exception. She either wouldn't say anything, or she would tell Yu Xian something untrue, which would be worse than saying nothing.
For the next two quarters of an hour, Yun Ze recounted the entire affair to Yu Xian. He didn't hide the method of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment that Bubu had mentioned. However, he replaced the name "Immortal Jade" with "Five Elements Supreme Treasures" and added at the end that all these Five Elements Supreme Treasures had been taken by Xiao Hanshi.
This was a result of his discussion with Yun Xiao. After all, Yun Xiao was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Even though she had reached the Dao Condensation realm in the six paths of Thousand Faces, Evolution, Concealment, Puppetry, Transformation, and Artifact Refining, her cultivation level was still limited. For those who hadn't seen Tu Sheng and Yun Ze, the 'Tu Sheng' forged from these six paths combined would be flawless. However, for those who had seen them and possessed cultivation far superior to Yun Xiao's, there would still be flaws! To ensure Yun Ze's safety even if he were discovered, Yun Xiao had devised this excuse for him. Blame it on Xiao Hanshi! Want Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment? I can give you the method, but you'll have to get the materials from Xiao Hanshi! Of course, Brother Xiao himself was unaware of this matter...
During this time, Yu Xian didn't interrupt, merely listening silently as Yun Ze spoke, acting as a listener. When Yun Ze mentioned the Five Elements Supreme Treasures, his eyes flickered slightly, as if he had thought of something.
After Yun Ze finished his account, Yu Xian immediately asked, "What are these Five Elements Supreme Treasures you mentioned?"
As expected...
Yun Ze's heart sank. Even someone as laid-back as Brother Yu couldn't resist the allure of exploring Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. He pondered for a moment, then uttered three words.
"A piece of jade."
"Jade..."
Yu Xian frowned, then took out a dark green jade slip from his spatial ring. "Are you talking about this kind of jade?"
*Buzz!*
Instantly!
Yun Ze felt his sea of consciousness erupt violently! The wood element within his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and the wood spirit that was suppressing it also shook, as if it were about to break free! The other two elements, gold and water, within the Five Elements also began to boil, and Xin Jue and Miao Jue let out joyful cries, as if celebrating something!
Yun Ze's heart trembled incessantly, but he dared not be distracted. He quickly sat cross-legged, forcefully suppressing the commotion in his sea of consciousness, yet his thoughts still raced uncontrollably.
Sen Jue! That was Sen Jue! But why was Sen Jue in Brother Yu's hands? Wait... a hundred years ago! Didn't Brother Yu enter the Heavenly Foundation Secret Realm a hundred years ago! Was it then? Right! It must be! Brother Yu entered the Heavenly Foundation Secret Realm back then and stole Sen Jue! Come to think of it, if he hadn't taken Sen Jue beforehand, I might have died at Di Sha's hands...
Just as the anomaly occurred with Yun Ze, the Sen Jue in Yu Xian's hand also trembled violently. He knew something was wrong and quickly put it away. "Little Yun? How are you?"
"No... I'm fine."
As Sen Jue was put away, Yun Ze also managed to suppress the commotion in his sea of consciousness! He opened his eyes and looked at Yu Xian helplessly. "Brother Yu, that jade of yours..."
"Found it in the Heavenly Foundation Secret Realm."
Yu Xian shrugged. "When I found it, I felt something was off. Later, I did discover some uses for it, but to call it a supreme treasure... it's a bit of a chicken rib, isn't it? The Five Elements Supreme Treasures you mentioned, this must be it, right?"
"Yes."
Yun Ze stood up and returned to his seat, looking at Yu Xian. "This item is called Sen Jue. It's an ancient relic. Calling it a supreme treasure is no exaggeration. Perhaps you haven't discovered its true use yet, Brother Yu."
"Ancient supreme treasure?"
Yu Xian nodded thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the table repeatedly. Then he looked up at Yun Ze. "So, many people want this thing?"
"Yes."
Yun Ze nodded, adding, "Senior Sister Mu and Brother Xiao entered the Heavenly Foundation Secret Realm back then precisely to find this item for Emperor Guiyuan."
"Emperor Guiwu?"
Yu Xian frowned, quickly connecting it to something. He asked, "I heard that Emperor Guiwu could control water and manipulate metal back then, but was it because of the Immortal Jade?"
"Highly likely."
"Sigh..."
Yu Xian sighed helplessly and rolled his eyes again. "Little Yun, tell me honestly, you have this thing too, right?"
"Mm."
Yun Ze didn't deny it. The reactions of Sen Jue and himself just now were enough to explain everything. There was no need for denial. If the other party wanted to make a move, under the current fourfold protection, whatever happened in this room would not be known to the outside world. With Yu Xian's strength combined with Sen Jue, even if he used his hidden sword, he would have little chance of winning, and it was uncertain if he could even escape. He stared intently at Yu Xian, but saw no trace of greed in his eyes, only a face full of sorrow. After a few seconds, he slammed his palm onto the table!
*Bang!*
Yun Ze was startled, and then he heard Yu Xian speak.
"This is utterly ridiculous!"
Yu Xian looked up at the ceiling. "I just wanted to be a salted fish and cultivate peacefully! Why are you stuffing such a hot potato into my hands! Ah! Is this fun?!"
Seeing this, Yun Ze tilted his head. From Brother Yu's words, it seemed... he didn't want the Immortal Jade?
"Little Yun."
Yu Xian spoke again, looking at Yun Ze. "If I give this to you, do you dare to take it?"
"I dare!"
Yun Ze didn't hesitate at all! He wasn't afraid of hot potatoes, but he was afraid of what Bubu had said: if he couldn't balance his sea of consciousness with either Sen Jue or Yan Jue, he might be crippled!
"Good!"
Yu Xian also said "Good!" with a smile and directly took Sen Jue out of his spatial ring, throwing it towards Yun Ze. "Then I'll give it to you!"
But in the next instant...
*Buzz!*
Another tremor exploded!
Yun Ze's sea of consciousness was once again in turmoil, and the Sen Jue thrown into the air flew back towards Yu Xian!
"Pfft!"
This time, Yun Ze didn't have time to suppress his sea of consciousness and directly spat out a mouthful of blood, falling to the ground!
Seeing this, Yu Xian quickly put Sen Jue back into his spatial ring and helped the fallen Yun Ze up. "Little Yun, what's wrong with you..."
"I don't know."
Yun Ze replied, sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness and slowly stabilizing it. Fortunately, he had often experienced fluctuations in his sea of consciousness before, so it wasn't a big deal. Otherwise, with that level of turmoil, he feared his sea of consciousness would have shattered by now, and his cultivation would be ruined. He looked at the spatial ring in Yu Xian's hand and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Perhaps this Immortal Jade and I are not fated?"
"Not fated... Wait! I think I know what's going on."