Zhang Chen cleverly stopped at this point. There was no need for him to guide further; the Ancestral Master of Longevity would naturally fill in the blanks in his mind.
Just as Zhang Chen expected, the Ancestral Master of Longevity heard Zhang Chen's words, and his mind immediately formed a complete loop of reasoning: the Returning Pill must be the Grass Returning Pill, and the so-called Treasure Sword should undoubtedly be the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror. Now that his own tribulation was near, certain Celestial Secrets about himself were difficult to suppress and must have been captured by the Xuanji Ancestor, who calculated the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror and the Ginseng Fruit. First, the Xuanji Ancestor and others conspired against Zou Wenlong, causing him to set up the Nine Bends Yellow River Array at the Five Villages Temple. At that time, he would invite everyone over, and as long as the Nine Bends Yellow River Array remained unbroken, they would have an excuse to stay and comprehend it. Then, when his tribulation broke out, they would attack him, vying for various treasures.
Who knew that when the two were discussing, Zhang Chen accidentally stumbled upon them, and the monk Hai Chan felt murderous intent but was stopped by the Xuanji Ancestor, who wanted to take Zhang Chen under his wing and also use Zhang Chen's name to demand Xu Erniu to test him.
By this point, the Longevity Ancestor was certain that these people had ill intentions and must have been targeting him, intending to take advantage of the opportunity to harm him.
"Even the Peacock True Spirit from my Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror is the work of those old bastards. Once I undergo the tribulation, the Innate Peacock True Spirit will surely seek revenge on me. At that time, I will have a life-and-death struggle with the Innate Peacock True Spirit, and they can take advantage of it. I, the Longevity Ancestor, have seen through everything!" The Longevity Ancestor stroked his own Treasure Sword, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Soon, the murderous intent subsided as he calmly continued polishing the Treasure Sword: "The Xuanji Ancestor appreciates you, and I cannot stop you. If you wish to take the Xuanji Ancestor as your master, I will not stop you either."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen quickly expressed his loyalty: "Ancestral Master, you are wrong. A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. You are my master, how could I betray my master? That Xuanji Ancestor wanting to take me as a disciple is a joke to me; he can't even compare to a strand of your hair."
Hearing Zhang Chen's flattery, the Ancestral Master of Longevity felt much better and said to Zhang Chen: "Your loyalty is reassuring and proves I have not wasted my efforts on you. Now, I have a task for you. When you serve them water, discreetly add the powder from this bottle."
The Xuanji Ancestor said as he took out a thumb-sized jade bottle from his pocket, "But you must be careful; if exposed, I fear I won't be able to protect you."
"Rest assured, Master, I will accomplish this task. Even if caught, I will never implicate you. I will bear all the responsibility," Zhang Chen pledged.
Hearing this, the Ancestral Master of Longevity nodded in satisfaction, not forgetting to motivate Zhang Chen with future rewards: "If you succeed, I will teach you the supreme art of the Five Villages Temple, the Universe in the Sleeve, allowing you to cultivate an Immortal Physique."
The Universe in the Sleeve technique?
Upon hearing this name, Zhang Chen was momentarily stunned, but upon considering the presence of the Grass Returning Pill and the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, the appearance of the Universe in the Sleeve seemed not so farfetched.
"Thank you, Ancestral Master." Zhang Chen performed a tearful display of gratitude, which made the Ancestral Master nod repeatedly with satisfaction before dismissing him.
As Zhang Chen left the Ancestral Master's residence, his eyes revealed a strange gleam as he looked down at his toes: "The Longevity Ancestor is doomed! Even if King Yan came, he wouldn't keep him here."
"Don't be careless. Even if you destroy his physical body, with your current strength, it would be incredibly difficult to annihilate his soul unless you lure him into the Nine Bends Yellow River Array to cut off his Primordial Spirit's essence. Then you might have a chance to use the incomplete Golden Scissors to kill him. The Longevity Ancestor's cultivation has already reached the 'fruit' stage; to kill him, you must remove his fruit to fully kill him. Otherwise, even if you destroy his Primordial Spirit, he could revive from the river of time with the power of the fruit," said the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow: "There's such a thing?"
"The fruit stage is already beyond ordinary beings. Once you reach the fruit stage, it's like entering another realm," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon sighed softly.
Zhang Chen found it hard to believe: "My Golden Scissors can't even cut the opponent's fruit?"
"If your Golden Scissors were at their peak, they could naturally sever the 'fruit,' but don't you know what state your Golden Scissors are in now?" the Great Freedom Celestial Demon retorted.
At these words, Zhang Chen was immediately rendered speechless, becoming instantly subdued.
"What do you plan to do next? When will you make a move against the monk Hai Chan?" the Great Freedom Celestial Demon inquired.
"No hurry, I will sow discord a bit more to cause suspicion between both sides before using monk Hai Chan to ignite the fuse," Zhang Chen replied with a smile.
After speaking, he fetched spring water and coal to boil water for the various ancients, only to find them all sitting in the courtyard with solemn expressions, lost in thought.
When he reached the courtyard of the Xuanji Ancestor, he found him frowning as he made calculations, yet no solution seemed to be found.
Seeing Zhang Chen coming to brew tea again, the Xuanji Ancestor put down the tortoiseshell and looked at Zhang Chen: "Boy, you came."
"Greetings, Ancestral Master. I'm here to brew tea for you," Zhang Chen said.
The Xuanji Ancestor gestured for Zhang Chen to come closer and kindly patted his head: "Child, do you know how much it cost me to convince that old scoundrel Longevity to let you become my disciple and inherit my legacy? I've already settled it with the Longevity Ancestor; as long as your sister agrees, she can join you and cultivate with me at my Daoist Temple. Various resources and spells will be at your disposal, and I will nurture you both well," the Xuanji Ancestor said.
Zhang Chen's eyes showed hesitation as he looked at the Xuanji Ancestor, his face filled with conflict before quietly bowing his head to boil water.
The Xuanji Ancestor noted Zhang Chen's expression and thought he was having second thoughts, so he spoke: "Boy, I've convinced your Ancestral Master; you're not thinking of changing your mind, are you?"
Zhang Chen silently shook his head, looked at the Xuanji Ancestor with an expression of wanting to speak but stopping, and ultimately bowed his head again.
"What do you want to say? Just tell me. If there's any problem, I will personally solve it for you," the Xuanji Ancestor said, seeing Zhang Chen's expression.
Zhang Chen let out a bitter smile, looked around, then lowered his voice: "Ancestral Master, you should leave the Five Villages Temple at once! This place is not good. If you stay, there might be an unforeseen disaster. You have shown me kindness, and I cannot repay you, so I cannot sit idly by while watching you fall here. You should leave, and the farther the better, preferably never returning."
"What do you mean?" The Xuanji Ancestor was taken aback: "Why would the Five Villages Temple be dangerous?"
Zhang Chen said nothing and continued to brew tea.
"If you don't explain clearly, I will not leave. Knowing the Five Villages Temple is in danger, how can I turn a blind eye? I have known your Ancestral Master for tens of thousands of years, and we are true Daoist friends with life-and-death bonds. If he's in trouble, how can I just stand by? If we join forces, we fear no disaster. I'll see who dares to offend the Five Villages Temple; I'll ensure they come but cannot leave," the Xuanji Ancestor said.
Zhang Chen gave a bitter smile: "Ancestral Master, how could I not understand what you've said? But what if the threat comes from my own Ancestral Master?"
At these words, the courtyard fell deathly silent, with no further sound.