Hearing the words of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, Zhang Chen's mind flashed with countless thoughts: "Escape? Where to escape? And where can I escape to? Now that I'm just a mortal, even if you let him run for eight or ten years first, he still can't outrun the Ancestral Master of Longevity who has achieved great success in cultivation!"
The words of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon were pure nonsense.
So what should he do?
At this moment, Zhang Chen was truly at a loss, like a dead end with no way to escape. If the Ancestral Master of Longevity cornered him in the room, it would undoubtedly mean death.
What to do?
Fortunately, Zhang Chen is not a simple person; he is quite clever. At the critical moment, he made a firm decision and watched as the chains of the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror gently tugged. The next moment, Zhang Chen was directly pulled into the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror.
Just as the Ancestral Master's hand was about to touch the door, the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror closed, and all unusual phenomena vanished without a trace.
Then the Ancestral Master opened the door of the main hall. His eyes fixed on the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, and he held it in his hand, studying it for a moment before saying, "This Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror is very mysterious. To activate it, one still needs to make a sacrifice of the Grass Returning Pill. However, making a sacrifice with the Grass Returning Pill is not easy... Right now, there is a half-finished Grass Returning Pill available, which might barely suffice to control this treasure to achieve success."
Then, he hurriedly rushed out, holding the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, and arrived at the Nine Bends Yellow River Array. He called out to Xu Erniu beside him, "Xu Fu, come over here."
"What are your instructions, Ancestral Master?" Xu Fu stepped forward respectfully, speaking with utmost reverence.
"I'm passing you a mantra to control this supreme treasure of the temple. Later, use it to illuminate that array and see if you can uncover the foundation of the array," said the Ancestral Master of Longevity.
Upon hearing these words, all the disciples were in an uproar. They knew that the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror was the supreme treasure of the temple, and only the Ancestral Master could wield it. Now that the Ancestral Master was bestowing the mantra to control the treasure, didn't it imply he was appointing this little girl as the future Daoist Temple Leader?
Thinking of this, the eyes of all the disciples were envious; they looked at each other with eyes full of intense desire and jealousy.
To become the Sect Leader of the Five Villages Temple — what an honor it would be! With countless resources at one's disposal, achieving immortality and attaining the Fruit Position would be a certainty.
Xu Erniu wasn't foolish, and upon hearing this, she was momentarily stunned. A thought rose in her heart: "Oh vast heavens, you've finally shown me mercy."
She knew well the significance of the Ancestral Master passing down the mantra. Unable to contain her trembling, she immediately knelt on the ground: "Ancestral Master, this disciple will never let down your expectations."
Hearing this, the Ancestral Master smiled, nodded, and patted Xu Erniu on the head: "Good child, rise quickly. The ancestor has high hopes for you, do not disappoint me."
Subsequently, the Ancestral Master bestowed the mantra, and Xu Erniu operated her magical power according to it. The Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror opened, and a beam of light shone upon the Nine Bends Yellow River Array.
It was observed that the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror held fuzzy light and shadows, unexpectedly manifesting complex trails. However, the scenery illuminated was unclear, like flowers in a fog, entirely indistinct.
Within the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, Zhang Chen, pulled into it, saw before his eyes a blur as he arrived in a void world.
In that world, there were two cages, one imprisoning Zhang Chen's body and the other confining a vague figure.
The cages, of unknown material, were indestructible and eternal, with law and order patterns flowing over them, containing infinite mysteries within.
However, at this moment, Zhang Chen didn't ponder over the cages but looked towards his 'neighbor.' With just one glance, he recognized the origin of the other, precisely that Innate Peacock.
But at this time, this figure was in very poor condition, bereft of its physical form, and even its soul was shattered, with only an immortal true spirit struggling to persist.
When Zhang Chen saw the Innate Peacock, the Innate Peacock, of course, saw Zhang Chen. At this moment, enemies met, and one's eyes turned red with hatred. The Innate Peacock, gnashing its teeth in anger, said, "It's you! You've been captured here too? Hahaha, indeed evil has its retribution, and virtue its reward. Who would have thought you, this scoundrel, would see such a day."
Zhang Chen glanced at the Innate Peacock. He needed something from it and didn't want to provoke it to the point where their conversation would collapse, so he sighed faintly: "Why harbor resentment, ancestor? If not for rescuing you, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation."
The Innate Peacock paused upon hearing this, interrupting its sarcastic retort. It blinked its eyes, full of surprise: "What?"
At this time, Zhang Chen began a performance full of emotion: "The elder does not know that in my youth, in reckless arrogance, I saw nothing but spiritual treasures in my eyes, thereby causing the elder to lose his cultivation, and even the innate origin to fall, inflicting severe injury upon you, rendering billions of years of cultivation into flowing water, and so my heart is filled with extreme regret. Later, I roamed the world, seeking the elder's whereabouts, intending to return the Innate Five Elements to you. But who knew, I was unable to find any trace of the elder."
"Until recently, I heard that the elder was imprisoned here, so I came specifically to make amends for past mistakes and to rescue the elder." Zhang Chen lied without a blink, his voice full of sincerity.
The Innate Peacock, in its currently illusory form, could still vaguely see its features. It glared at Zhang Chen: "What trick are you playing, boy?"
It wasn't foolish; it would be strange to believe those words.
Zhang Chen didn't beat around the bush: "The junior was invaded by the Innate Yin Yang Origin and knows that you were born from the Innate Five Elements, mastering the Innate Five Elements Dao to the extreme. Therefore, I came to consult with you on how to complete the mutual transformation between the Innate Five Elements and Innate Yin Yang."
The Innate Peacock was stunned at hearing this, looked Zhang Chen up and down, and immediately realized Zhang Chen's predicament. It couldn't help but laugh uproariously, the sound full of schadenfreude: "Hahaha! Hahaha! You scoundrel, did you think you could seize my Innate Five Elements just like that? To think you'd end up like this!"