Essence!
Heaven-Breaking Pass!
These two terms made Zhao Ya’s spirit lift.
Of course, he knew about the Essence Realm, which was a realm above the Primordial Sea Realm.
But ever since heaven and earth’s primordial qi began to decline a thousand years ago, no one has been heard of attaining this realm.
The path of Martial Dao in this world seems to have reached its end at the Primordial Sea Realm.
Never would Zhao Ya have imagined that today, aboard this Black Ship that had intruded into the world, someone would mention these two words again.
As for what the subsequent Heaven-Breaking Pass is, Zhao Ya did not know.
But that was not important.
Since this Snake Woman could speak and knew the inside story, he might as well ask her directly.
With this thought, Zhao Ya’s knife flashed like the wind, swiftly eliminating the other unknown creatures, then flickered over to stand before the Snake Woman.
But before he could speak, the Snake Woman prostrated herself on the ground.
"Spare me, my lord, I know what you want to ask, and I am willing to tell you everything I know, just please don’t kill me."
Zhao Ya slightly raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You know what I want to ask?"
The Snake Woman lifted her head, her charming and enchanting face filled with a fawning smile.
"You must be wanting to know the origin of this Black Ship and what our purpose is here."
Zhao Ya did not speak.
He had to admit that the two questions posed by the Snake Woman hit the nail on the head.
Seeing Zhao Ya remain silent, the Snake Woman licked her lips excitedly, "To be honest, I truly did not expect that in this tightly sealed world, a powerful Essence realm expert like you would still be born."
"Essence is powerful?" Zhao Ya asked back.
"Of course, it is the final watershed between mortals and immortals. Crossing this barrier means truly stepping onto the path of immortality, able to touch the deepest secrets of the world."
"But precisely because of this, crossing this barrier is extremely difficult. Since ancient times, countless brilliant geniuses have broken down at this pass, never advancing further in their lifetime, hence it’s called the Celestial Gate!"
The Snake Woman spoke seriously while stealing glances at Zhao Ya’s reaction, growing more and more terrified.
Because Zhao Ya’s aura was even more powerful than those Essence realm experts she had seen before, like an unfathomable abyss.
And the key was his extremely young age.
This youth was not the kind caused by taking Rejuvenation Elixirs.
That kind of youth was only on the surface; upon closer inspection, the interior was very old, even emanating a strong sense of decay.
But Zhao Ya was different.
Standing there simply, yet a vibrant vigor was ready to burst forth, indicating this was his true age.
But an Essence realm expert only in his twenties, let alone in this "backwater" small world sealed for years, even in those places where heroes rise and thousands of sects vie for supremacy, was extremely rare.
This sufficiently proved the extent of this young man’s talent and fortune, even calling him the favored child of destiny.
Thinking of this, the Snake Woman’s gaze almost dripped with water.
If it were outside, with her status, to engage with such a character would be impossible, so she naturally had to seize the opportunity.
Zhao Ya remained deep in thought.
He actually understood that the Snake Woman might have been mistaken.
Though strong, his realm was still the Primordial Sea Realm.
The mistake might stem from his Divine Thought.
This power was evidently not something a martial artist of the Primordial Sea Realm could possess; if not for the Golden Finger, unlocking the brain and gaining Tongxuan talent, he probably wouldn’t wield such power.
Thinking of this, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but recall that immense Celestial One Chessboard behind the Celestial One Pavilion.
In that chessboard, he had seen something like a three-dimensional map of Beyond the World and places like Great Yan.
Though it was just a fleeting glance, Zhao Ya remembered clearly that the map was surrounded by dense fog.
Judging by what the Snake Woman had just said, could this world truly be sealed by some unknown power?
And who was the one helping him to unlock the brain?
Zhao Ya couldn’t make sense of it, so he temporarily set aside these questions and asked, "Where do you come from, and what is your purpose here?"
The Snake Woman hesitated, carefully scanning the surroundings.
By now, the rain had stopped, and the Black Ship floated on the sea, its location unknown.
"My lord, could you first use your Divine Thought to isolate us, to prevent eavesdropping?"
Suddenly, the Snake Woman’s voice sounded by Zhao Ya’s ear.
He looked at her, noticing no change in her expression, not even her lips moving, only a pleading look in her eyes.
Zhao Ya’s heart stirred; the vague feeling of being watched was confirmed.
Indeed, some kind of presence was secretly observing him.
But how to use Divine Thought to isolate himself and the Snake Woman?
He had never done it before!
Sensing Zhao Ya’s thoughts, the Snake Woman’s voice came by his ear again.
"My lord, first envelop the surroundings with Divine Thought, then visualize the power of Divine Thought contracting into a cocoon, encasing both of us to isolate from external prying."
Zhao Ya didn’t doubt her words.
After all, this operation was too simple for him; a small experiment would show its effect, impossible to deceive him.
Soon, Zhao Ya followed the Snake Woman’s method, spreading and then condensing his Divine Thought.
Moments later, outside sounds were indeed completely blocked, and the Snake Woman breathed a sigh of relief, smiling seductively, "My lord is truly formidable; this cocoon of Divine Thought is much more solid than any I’ve seen."
"Get to the point, quickly tell me your origins and purpose!" Zhao Ya said coldly.
"Yes, my lord!" The Snake Woman answered, then spoke.
"We come from the Pure Bright Realm, and this Black Ship is the most famous symbol of the Wuyou Longevity Palace there."
Pure Bright Realm, Wuyou Longevity Palace!
The unheard names surprised Zhao Ya greatly.
"This world has been sealed for too long; it’s normal that my lord wouldn’t know these."
"The Pure Bright Realm is a great world at an unknown distance, filled with sects and outstanding talents, where all kinds of cultivation paths are constantly emerging."
"The Wuyou Longevity Palace is a renowned sect among them, best known for Mechanical Spirit and life modification."
At this point, a dark and resentful look flashed across the Snake Woman’s face, "I, for instance, am one of their creations!"