Zhang Chen thought Xie Lingyun should have removed the word 'Ma'!
This is Bai Lu, who was once the leader of the four great disciples of the Five Villages Temple. Bai Lu had already reached the Twelfth Tier back then, and now, after so many years, how much further has Bai Lu's cultivation grown?
Looking at Bai Lu across from him, Zhang Chen felt as if facing a great enemy, his skin tense, the Golden Scissors appearing in his hand, hidden within his sleeve.
Xie Lingyun was also panicking tremendously because she had never seen Zhang Chen this nervous before. Even when facing Zhang Shicheng, Zhang Chen had never displayed such anxiety.
"I remember you!"
Just as Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun were murmuring, Bai Lu seemed to recall something, staring intently at Zhang Chen with a hint of murderous intent in her gaze. Just as she finished speaking, before she could make any further move, her body suddenly shattered, turning into dust and disappearing into the heavens and earth.
"Dead?" Zhang Chen looked at the other's inexplicably shattered body, his eyes full of astonishment, unable to understand why Bai Lu appeared here mysteriously and died just as mysteriously.
"Indeed dead, with her soul scattered and leaving no trace." Xie Lingyun affirmed with a nod beside him.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent, unable to understand why Bai Lu appeared here. Could it be that this place is related to the Five Villages Temple? After the celestial punishment in the Five Villages Temple years ago, what exactly happened?
After gazing at the Five Villages Temple ruins for a long while, Zhang Chen thought, "Isn't this the Daoist Temple of the Five Villages Temple? It's just that it was shattered, so I didn't recognize it at first glance. But upon closer inspection, the layout is exactly the same as the Five Villages Temple back then."
Having lived in the Five Villages Temple for over a decade, how could he not recognize it?
"But what did the Five Villages Temple suffer back in the days, that it ended up in such a state?" Zhang Chen's eyelids twitched as he looked at the ruins where Bai Lu emerged, recalling that there seemed to be a broken underground chamber there.
However, Zhang Chen wasn't in a rush to explore. To him, the source of the green light and the flame perched upon the stone platform were of utmost importance.
Looking towards the high platform, Zhang Chen said to Xie Lingyun, "Follow me!"
The two of them protected by the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, headed towards the high platform, and Zhang Chen soon recognized its origins. The high platform was where the Nine Bends Yellow River Array of the Five Villages Temple once stood on a cliff, the place where he trapped the Ancestral Master of Longevity.
To uncover the ancient mysteries left behind, one must start from the remnants within the ruins.
Leading Xie Lingyun to the high platform, Zhang Chen was stunned upon seeing the scene before him: "What is that?"
On the high platform was a branch about a meter high, from which the green light emitted, and above the branch hung a black fragment the size of a grain of rice, shining brilliantly like a tiny sun, illuminating the entire underground world.
"It's that branch..." Zhang Chen observed the branch as it absorbed the energy radiating from the fragment above, completing photosynthesis; the tiny fragment seemed to contain endless divine power, continuously releasing earth-shattering strength.
Within the little sun lies an indescribably domineering force, capable of incinerating a person's organs and soul into ashes, forcing one to halt even from hundreds of meters away.
"Such a domineering force seems to ignite my organs, but fortunately, I have the Fire Extinguishing Pearl, no matter how intense the light is, it cannot affect my pearl." Zhang Chen took out the Fire Extinguishing Pearl, and indeed all the heat was blocked outside, allowing Zhang Chen and Xie Lingyun to approach gradually, eventually stopping ten meters away.
"This little tree is quite mysterious." Xie Lingyun fixed her gaze on the tiny tree, her eyes full of curiosity.
"It's not a little tree, just a branch." Zhang Chen replied.
"A branch?" Xie Lingyun, filled with disbelief, wondered how a branch could possess such unbelievable power, and if it were a complete tree, what unimaginable divine might would it have?
Scrutinizing the branch, Zhang Chen's vast knowledge base began to churn, the knowledge acquired from the Five Villages Temple finally coming in handy:
"This is a branch of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu!"
"What is Heaven-Reaching Jianmu?" Xie Lingyun had never heard of the name Heaven-Reaching Jianmu.
Zhang Chen explained, "Heaven-Reaching Jianmu, also known as the World Tree, can connect heaven and earth, transforming chaos energy into innate primordial qi, regarded as the king of trees."
Xie Lingyun's eyes lit up, "In that case, haven't we hit the jackpot?"
Zhang Chen nodded, "Just not sure if this branch has taken root and sprouted."
However, Zhang Chen had an idea in mind. He had the Ascension Pool, and wondered if the liquid born from it could transplant this Innate Jianmu branch.
Zhang Chen's gaze shifted from the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu branch to the small sun floating above it. At this moment, the small sun shot out a brilliant light that illuminated the entire underground world. Although the light point was small, it was too dazzling to look at directly. Zhang Chen opened his Dharma Eye, and the golden light in his eyes was instantly pierced, burning through his retinal membrane. Fortunately, Zhang Chen's Blood Control Technique had reached the level where flesh and blood could regenerate rapidly, and within a breath, he had swiftly repaired it.
Zhang Chen, having repaired his retina, had a lingering fear in his eyes, "My True God Golden Light actually faced a nemesis again, it's simply unbelievable. It's always been that my True God Golden Light suppresses others, when did it get overpowered?"
Zhang Chen changed his approach; since the Dharma Eye could not handle the True God Golden Light, he directly activated the Eye of Devouring. As he opened the Eye of Devouring, the golden light was no longer blinding. In his Eye of Devouring, the fragment turned into a mass of firelight, within which a small bird seemed to fly back and forth. As the small bird flapped its wings, beams of firelight scattered, forming the source of the light illuminating the entire underground world.
Yet even Zhang Chen couldn't tell the origin of the light point immediately, so he retracted his Dharma Eye, pondering over the opportunity to seize the treasure.
"Zhang Chen, the sapling is yours, I want the light point." Just at this moment, a tense voice filled with suppressed excitement echoed in Zhang Chen's ear. Xie Lingyun's eyes were full of fervor.
"Sister, have you recognized the origin of that light point?" Zhang Chen curiously looked at Xie Lingyun.
"Do you know that for cultivators of the Divine Soul Dao to advance from the Yin Spirit to the Yang God realm, they need to complete the transformation to Pure Yang?" Xie Lingyun said.
Zhang Chen nodded, "I've heard about it."
"There are two ways for a Yin Spirit to transform into Pure Yang. The first is for the Yin Spirit to enter the clouds, endure the sculpture and refinement of thunder and lightning, and eventually complete the transformation, birthing a strand of Pure Yang Qi." Xie Lingyun explained, "But this method is extremely dangerous; a slight carelessness and the Celestial Thunder can be too powerful, resulting in the soul being scattered. The second method is to find an object of Pure Yang, incorporate it into one's soul, and subtly transform the soul over time."
"The object before us is a mineral descended from the sun, containing Pure Yang Qi. If I can refine it into my Yin Spirit, transforming into a Pure Yang Daoist is just a matter of days. What in this world contains purer Pure Yang Qi than that in the sun?" Xie Lingyun's voice was filled with zeal.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced at the light point; no wonder it could emit boundless radiance, even breaking through the True God Golden Light to scorch his retina, so that was the reason.
"I can let you have the object, sister, but it contains immense searing power. Are you sure you can subdue it?" Zhang Chen asked.
That is the power of the sun; even if it's just a bit, it could still incinerate mountains and boil seas.
A hint of curiosity appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. He didn't know what confidence Xie Lingyun had to claim she could seize a sun fragment.
Hearing those words, Xie Lingyun laughed, "This object is destined to be with me. If I encountered the sun fragment before Zhang Shicheng's demise, I might have had to watch helplessly, but after Zhang Shicheng's death, I acquired a Dragon Pearl from him. After refining the Dragon Pearl, my Yin Spirit's transformation is at a critical juncture, and by combining it with a Secret Technique I acquired in the past, I could attempt to seize this object. But I'll need to borrow your Fire Extinguishing Pearl; it's my confidence in refining this object."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen stepped aside, allowing Xie Lingyun to take the main position, "Sister, go ahead, just be extra cautious. Don't let that sun fragment burn your soul to ashes."
Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Xie Lingyun nodded seriously, "I know."
She knew the ferocity of Sun True Flame; if it ignited her soul, not even the Celestial King could save her.
Zhang Chen handed the Fire Extinguishing Pearl to Xie Lingyun, watching as she took it and gazed steadfastly at the meteorite ahead, walking forward with a resolute expression.
Zhang Chen, holding the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror, followed closely behind Xie Lingyun, shielding her from the vitality depletion of the Jianmu branch.
When they were ten meters from the meteorite, Xie Lingyun suddenly halted, turning to Zhang Chen, "I have something to tell you in advance. If I die under the sun's true flame, you must tell my father to treat you like his son, just as he treats me. Consider this my favor to you."
As she spoke, Xie Lingyun tore off a piece of her hem, then took a dagger from her waist to cut her finger, quickly writing a note on the fabric, drying it with the sun flame before handing it to Zhang Chen, "This document is evidence, you must preserve it with utmost caution, never allowing it to be lost."
Zhang Chen was stunned at her words, staring blankly at the note Xie Lingyun handed him, knowing its immense weight.
Xie Lingyun truly treated him well, and his efforts for Xie Lingyun were not in vain.
"What are you standing there for? Take it!" Xie Lingyun rolled her eyes at Zhang Chen, seeing him dazed.