Chapter 236

Chapter 236: A Story

"Daoist brother, I have come to fulfill our agreement."

Duobao Daoist walked into Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and bowed in salutation.

Ye Xu looked surprised, but he immediately recalled that during the Hidden Dragon Gathering, Duobao Daoist had made an agreement with him that after the day of the transformation, he would visit again.

Now was the time he fulfilled his promise.

"Congratulations, Daoist friend, your cultivation has advanced to the next level," Ye Xu said, cupping his hands in congratulations.

The recovery of the origin of the Yuan Realm greatly benefited Duobao Daoist, jumping from the peak of the Great Emperor Realm to the peak of the Emperor Venerable Realm, accumulated power unleashed, leaving him only one step away from attaining immortality.

However, the advancement in one realm level had little actual effect on Duobao Daoist’s strength.

He held the Ten Thousand Scrolls Method, with his formation skill at an unmatched peak, and even against a true immortal, Duobao Daoist could put up a good fight.

"After the day of the transformation, many great emperors have risen to the Emperor Venerable Realm, and my published Great Emperor Golden List will need reshuffling," Ye Xu chuckled softly, "It will drain me of more effort again."

"Daoist brother is joking,"

Duobao Daoist flattered and said, "With your ability, brother, deducing affairs under heaven should only be a flick of your fingers."

"Uncle Bald-head, please have some tea."

Ye Xian’er handed him a cup of tea.

In the previous debate at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion when Duobao Daoist and Ye Xu discussed Dao, she had gained much and felt great affection for Duobao Daoist.

"Thank you,"

Duobao Daoist thanked him, accepted the tea, and seated himself facing Ye Xu.

"This humble one has come not only to honor our appointment but also to express gratitude to you, brother," Duobao Daoist smiled and said, "Brother subdued Di Wuyou and severely wounded him, which vented some anger for me."

"Daoist friend, you misunderstood,"

Ye Xu smiled and said, "I only wanted to observe the origin of the Yuan Realm; subduing Di Wuyou was done incidentally."

These words by Ye Xu were not a lie.

The origin of the Yuan Realm held the Yuan Realm’s hidden history, highly beneficial for him to understand this universe; as for the origin itself, Ye Xu had no need for it.

Moreover, Ye Xu feared the Black-robed Immortal King who had subdued the World Master of the Xuankong World; if he had shown the slightest envy at that time, it might have provoked the Black-robed Immortal King to attack.

Inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, he was invincible, but outside its bounds, he was just a peak true immortal.

If a battle had ensued, his myth of invulnerability would surely have shattered.

Following that, Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s prestige would have plummeted to the depths.

That business was a disastrous loss; even with the tiniest probability, Ye Xu could not permit it to happen.

"Di Wuyou bears the fortune of both realms; he has great luck and vitality, and cannot be killed in the short term," Duobao Daoist said solemnly. The wonder of the Enlightenment Tree was astonishingly unexpected.

In a situation with certain death, Dao King still escaped; besides the power of the Enlightenment Tree, part of the reason was the fortune he possesses.

Nangong Zhandao carried the fortune of the ancestral home, encountering opportunities constantly.

The fortune borne by Dao King could also turn misfortune into fortune.

"Fortune is consumable and will run out one day," Ye Xu said lightly. "Daoist friend, with your vast learning and mastery over the Taihuang Purple Gold Hammer, Dao King can no longer stir big waves."

Duobao Daoist chuckled with embarrassment. "Daoist brother, you truly have remarkable wisdom."

Dao King was severely injured and escaped, causing the scene to descend into chaos, so he took the chance to seize the Taihuang Purple Gold Hammer.

This treasure could weaken fortune and was an essential magical artifact for restraining a child of fortune.

"Daoist friend, you didn’t come today for Dao King," Ye Xu looked at Duobao Daoist and said with a laugh, "Let me guess your true purpose…"

"It should be her, right?"

Duobao Daoist’s eyes grew misty, he lowered his guard, his expression mingling joy and sorrow, and his lips moved slightly as he said, "I have a story, Daoist brother, would you care to listen to me recount it?"

At the mention of listening to a story, Ye Xian’er’s eyes shimmered brightly, she brought over a small stool and sat beside Duobao Daoist.

"Daoist friend, please go ahead."

Ye Xu straightened his posture and began to listen attentively.

"This story starts from tens of millions of years ago…"

"I came from a humble background, a farming family, and made a living by herding livestock…"

Duobao Daoist showed a reminiscent look, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

That memory touched the tender part deep within his heart.

Duobao Daoist’s homeland was a village named Yuehua Village, remote and desolate. Legend had it that the village got its name due to a clay statue within it.

The origin of the clay statue had long been lost to history.

But Duobao Daoist could still clearly recall the statue’s appearance: a breathtakingly beautiful fairy who appeared ready to vanish into emptiness, incredibly lifelike and heart-stirringly lovely.

Every full moon night, the moonlight would gather upon the clay statue, as if it were a spiritual embryo, absorbing the moon’s essence.

One night when he was twelve, during the full moon, Duobao Daoist returned from herding. It was deep at night, quiet all around, and he was physically and mentally weary, so he sat on a stone and gazed dazedly at the statue.

At that very moment, a miracle occurred.

Under the glow of the moonlight, the clay statue’s exterior began to flake off bit by bit, revealing smooth, jade-white skin like porcelain.

He saw an exquisitely beautiful woman, face fair with a rosy hue, entirely unclothed, as captivating as a moon palace fairy, of unmatched grace and charm.

This scene imprinted vividly in his mind.

"Fairy sister…" the young Duobao Daoist was astounded, eyes entranced as if frozen, unable to look away.

Speaking to this point, Duobao Daoist gave a foolish chuckle as if he were reliving his childhood.

"Cough cough…"

Ye Xu lightly coughed twice.

"Bald uncle, why didn’t you continue?" Ye Xian’er asked eagerly, "Later, did this fairy take you as her disciple, and you two begin a mentor-disciple romance?"

"…"

A corner of Duobao Daoist’s mouth twitched, snapping back from his pleasant reverie to reality, saying, "The first time she saw me, she declared she intended to kill me."

"However, I was young then, and she stated that she didn’t harm powerless children and mortals."

"What happened later?"

Ye Xian’er inquired curiously.

Duobao Daoist chuckled darkly. "I told her that if she could teach me immortal techniques, once I’d cultivated to mastery, she could come kill me."

"……"

Even Ye Xu couldn’t help but admire Duobao Daoist’s audacity and cleverness. When he was twelve, he was still immersed in games and novels every day, utterly addicted.

"Did she agree?" asked Ye Xian’er.

Duobao Daoist nodded and continued his tale.

"She accepted my request, taught me a foundational secret—the Great Profound Perception Secrets—made an appointment for eighteen years later, and then ascended to immortality."

"That scene… it was truly breathtaking."

Duobao Daoist seemed entranced by the memory.

"When I was young, I was the tyrant of my village, fearless and bold. Back then, my thinking was simple: such a beautiful immortal maiden, of course I wanted to bring her home as my wife. But once that eighteen-year pact was set, I got scared."

"That was an immortal maiden descended from heaven! No matter how hard I cultivated, I could never catch up to her within eighteen years. If I actually followed the arrangement, I’d be dead for sure."

Recalling those days, Duobao Daoist sighed heavily, still shaken by the memory.

"However, eighteen years later, I’d cultivated to the Dao Palace stage, yet she never came as promised." A flicker of relief appeared in Duobao Daoist’s eyes, but also a trace of melancholy.

"Baldie Uncle, you’re truly amazing!"

Ye Xian’er stared at Duobao Daoist in astonishment. Rising from nothing to the Dao Palace stage in just eighteen years—he was undoubtedly a cultivation prodigy.

Ye Xu remained unimpressed.

Duobao Daoist was certainly a genius.

Otherwise, how could he have attained the Immortal King fruit?

"And then? Is that the end?"

Ye Xian’er asked, perplexed. The story felt unfinished; this couldn’t be the complete version– Duobao Daoist surely had more to tell.

"Naturally there’s more."

Duobao Daoist smiled but didn’t resume the story immediately. He sipped his tea instead, gesturing for Ye Xian’er to refill it.

Once the teacup was full again,

Duobao Daoist shifted into a comfortably lazy posture and continued. "I’ve always been a restless soul since childhood. Once my cultivation bore fruit, I gathered the cultivators of the Seven Mountains and Six Caves under my banner and founded the Moonlight Sect."

"However, due to the techniques I practiced, my realm plateaued at the Divine Catastrophe stage, completely stalled."

"Then, one day, I heard news about her again—this time in Jade Sky Ancient City."

"And so, up to that point, the first half of my life became inextricably intertwined with hers."