Translator: CKtalon
Zhou Wen seemed to have his hair stand on end as he tried to gather his strength to escape the old man’s grasp. An Sheng also realized that something was amiss as he stared intently at the old man, prepared to attack at any moment.
To Zhou Wen’s surprise, the elder released his hand and picked up a treasure map in the shape of a wooden plaque. He handed it to Zhou Wen and said with a smile, “Lad, this treasure map is on the house. Dig it up and take a look. If you can dig up a treasure, it won’t be too late to buy treasure maps from me.”
Zhou Wen stared at the old man and sized him up, but apart from his eyes, there was nothing about the old man that resembled Jing Daoxian. He couldn’t even sense the Essence Energy fluctuations and exuberant vitality that a cultivator should have. If the old man hadn’t grabbed him, Zhou Wen would have imagined that he was an ordinary person.
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony with an old man like me. Dig it up. Who knows, you might be able to dig up an immortal’s treasure? However, not everyone can take this immortal’s treasure. Without the Lost Immortal art, I’m afraid you won’t be able to return.” The old man stuffed the treasure map into Zhou Wen’s hand.
When Zhou Wen heard that, he felt that the old man in front of him was highly likely Jing Daoxian. Otherwise, why would he say the word “Lost Immortal?”
“Young Master Wen?” An Sheng walked to Zhou Wen’s side, but his eyes were still warily staring at the old man squatting behind the stall.
Zhou Wen originally didn’t want to take the treasure map, but he failed to avoid it. The treasure map was stuffed into his hand as he clenched it. Zhou Wen’s Essence Energy was ready to erupt at any moment.
The old man slowly packed his things and put everything on the stall into a bag. Then, he got up and left. As he walked, he shook his head and sighed. “It’s getting harder and harder to survive in this world.”
“Young Master Wen, do you know that old man?” An Sheng couldn’t help but ask when he saw that Zhou Wen was still staring at the old man’s back despite him having walked half a street.
“I suspect that he’s Jing Daoxian,” Zhou Wen whispered.
An Sheng’s body trembled when he heard that. He said in disbelief, “You know Jing Daoxian?”
“I’ve met him once. Although he looked different back then, I think it should be him.” Zhou Wen was somewhat hesitant, unsure if he should chase after him.
Zhou Wen really wanted to figure out the Lost Immortal Sutra, but the person in front of him was the most legendary devil in the Federation’s history.
Many devils had appeared in the early stages of the Federation and all sorts of devils had appeared later, such as Ják and company. Although they might have killed more people than Jing Daoxian, none of them were as legendary as Jing Daoxian.
Zhou Wen knew very well how terrifying Jing Daoxian was. Lord Alcohol and Xia Jiuhuang were shrewd old men, but they had been toyed by Jing Daoxian.
Even though Zhou Wen had impressive achievements, he didn’t dare underestimate such a person.
Previously, Zhou Wen had secretly investigated Jing Daoxian, but the information he obtained was very limited. All he knew was that Jing Daoxian had been severely injured in a dimensional zone and was nearly crippled. Therefore, the bureau had taken the opportunity to pursue him.
Even so, the Special Inspector Bureau’s pursuit failed. They failed to capture the crippled Jing Daoxian.
Zhou Wen had encountered Jing Daoxian during that period of time and obtained the Lost Immortal Sutra.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Wen got up and chased after him. Although Jing Daoxian was terrifying, avoiding him wasn’t an option. Some things could only be answered by Jing Daoxian.
An Sheng chased after Zhou Wen, but when they took the turn which the old man had taken, they realized that there was no sign of the old man. It was as though he had vanished into thin air.
Zhou Wen kept using Truth Listener to monitor the old man, but he failed to discover how he had vanished. It was as though he had teleported.
After searching his surroundings and not finding any traces of the old man, Zhou Wen’s heart stirred as he looked at the treasure map in his hand. He saw that the treasure map was a wooden plaque. In front of the wooden plaque was a simple map, and behind it was a time. It was obvious that it had just been written.
“From the looks of it, it might really be Jing Daoxian. Young Master Wen, are you going?” An Sheng asked as he looked at the time on the treasure map.
“I have some questions that only Jing Daoxian can answer.” Zhou Wen handed the treasure map to An Sheng. “Help me take a look. Where is the location marked on this map?”
“It’s in front of the Earth temple. Converting the time to local common time, it should be 3:30 in the morning,” An Sheng said after looking at it for a while.
“Alright, let’s wait until night,” Zhou Wen said.
“Young Master Wen, find a place to rest first. I’ll make some preparations,” An Sheng said.
Zhou Wen wasn’t in the mood to visit the Earth temple to pay his respects to Earth Lord. He found an inn in town and stayed there, waiting for night to arrive.
An Sheng didn’t return until three in the morning. When he returned, he said to Zhou Wen, “There was too little time. I tried my best to make some preparations. However, if the other party really is Jing Daoxian, my preparations might not be of much use. Young Master, you have to be careful.”
Zhou Wen nodded and didn’t say a word.
Seeing that it was about time, Zhou Wen headed to the Earth temple with An Sheng.
The front of the Earth temple was naturally not as lively as in the day. There was no one around, but at the same spot, the elder had his stall set up.
“The surveillance Companion Beasts I set up didn’t work. I didn’t even notice when he entered the Earth temple,” An Sheng whispered to Zhou Wen.
“It’s fine.” Zhou Wen shook his head slightly before walking towards the elder.
As he walked towards the elder, Zhou Wen also activated the Slaughterer Life Soul. At the same time, he prepared to summon his Companion Beasts. As long as there was anything amiss, he would immediately attack with all his might.
“You came after all,” the elder said with a smile.
“Since you came looking for me, what’s the point of hiding?” Zhou Wen said as he walked towards the elder.
The elder didn’t comment as though he was admiring a treasure. He sized up Zhou Wen and said, “I originally thought that you would be dead. Even if you didn’t die, you should be a lunatic now. However, not only are you not dead or crazy, you seem to be living very well.”
“Because of the Lost Immortal Sutra?” Zhou Wen asked. This was the problem he wanted to figure out. He didn’t know the origins of the Lost Immortal Sutra.
Now, he was basically certain that the elder in front of him was Jing Daoxian.
“That’s right.” Jing Daoxian nodded and said, “I found you pleasing to the eye back then. I originally wanted to give you the Skyfiend Treatise that I had researched for fun, but to my surprise, you actually dared reject me. No one in this world can reject me. Even if they do, they will have to pay a price. Therefore, I gave you the Lost Immortal Sutra. In fact, the Lost Immortal Sutra had already changed owners several times before you. Every owner either died or went mad. Even I was tortured by it. If not for this Sutra, I wouldn’t have suffered heavy losses in the dimensional zone.”