Chapter 436 – Questioning Past and Present, Main Body Breaks Through to Spirit Transformation

Biyou Mountain, mountain palace.

Although Lu Chen had anticipated the situation here, when he saw the palace layout nearly identical to the one in the game, he couldn’t help feeling as if an eternity had passed.

Led by the two little Taoist novices—one black and one white—Hua Ling and Lu Chen soon arrived before a mountain palace. Gazing at the palace, Lu Chen’s mind was suddenly enlightened as he looked behind it, where a faint, illusory towering tree could be glimpsed. The tree was entirely of white jade, crystalline and translucent, radiating an extraordinary aura.

“Little Hua, Little Black, Little White, you may leave now.”

As a voice echoed from within the palace, Hua Ling, along with the little novices of night and day, promptly exited. Without a doubt, the speaker was the current master of Biyou Mountain—White Jade Pine Deer. Although Little White Deer’s voice now sounded more mature compared to Lu Chen’s memories, he recognized her instantly.

After Hua Ling and the others departed, an ethereal figure gradually materialized before Lu Chen. Though it was a form conjured from spiritual power, even Lu Chen’s Dharma Eye couldn’t discern its falseness—it was as if the body Little White Deer had condensed was truly made of flesh and blood.

Witnessing this display, Lu Chen couldn’t help but laugh and remark, “Your mastery of the Three Lives Dao is impressive. It seems you’ve progressed much further on this path than your master.”

Indeed, the technique Little White Deer had just demonstrated was the Three Lives Dao that Lu Chen’s first Deity Transformation Stage Clone had fused with. However, though the Dao is the same, the methods differ; though the methods are alike, the techniques vary. Even if they were fundamentally identical, Lu Chen could still perceive significant differences between Little White Deer’s Three Lives Dao and his own.

“Master, how could my humble skills compare to yours?” Little White Deer approached Lu Chen. Unlike the youthful girl from the game, she had now blossomed into a graceful and peerlessly beautiful woman. Her demeanor was transcendent, her features exquisite, resembling a celestial maiden descended to earth, so stunning it was almost unbearable.

Yet, the change in appearance was secondary. The most notable transformation was in Little White Deer’s aura. Even standing simply, her every movement now carried an indescribable presence—a presence cultivated over years of holding a high position, imperceptibly ingrained and impossible for ordinary people to imitate.

But to Lu Chen, the lofty and unapproachable Palace Lord of Biyou Palace remained the familiar little apprentice he had always known.

“Master, just as you said back then, you’ve returned here at this very time.” Though it was a simple statement, Lu Chen discerned many hidden meanings within.

Seeing Lu Chen lost in thought, Little White Deer seemed to recall something and said, “Master, due to special reasons, I cannot tell you certain things now. After all, the matters involved are not easily discernible by those below the Immortal realm. And as you once said, unless you achieve Immortal Ascension, it’s best not to mention anything about the events of those years. I beg your understanding.”Lu Chen was not surprised by Little White Deer’s words, showing no change in expression on his face.

Heavenly secrets must not be divulged—this was something Lu Chen had understood long ago.

Immortals and Gu Xian, especially those at the True Immortal level, were essentially part of the Heavenly Dao or infinitely close to it.

Unless they themselves were willing to let others know about their affairs, outsiders who happened to hear about them would inevitably be affected in some unseen way.

It was evident that during the game, or at some point in ancient times, he had discovered something that led him to specifically instruct Little White Deer with these words.

Since it was his own arrangement, Lu Chen naturally would not easily go against it.

As for whether this was a reason fabricated by Little White Deer to deceive him, Lu Chen considered that possibility extremely slim.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Chen said, “Then tell me what you can.”

Little White Deer nodded, then turned around.

The next moment, the tightly shut gates of Biyou Palace slowly opened.

“Master, please come with me first.”

Led by Little White Deer, Lu Chen soon arrived deep within Biyou Palace at this point in time.

The layout of Biyou Palace was quite simple.

The palace appeared spacious, but its decorations were not elaborate, giving off an inexplicable sense of desolation.

It even made one feel that this was not a palace at all, but merely an empty arena.

However, at the center of the palace was an island in a lake.

At the center of the island grew a small white jade tree.

Without a doubt, this small white tree was the true form of the White Jade Deer Pine.

But unlike the towering tree conjured by the Three Lives Dao outside, the true form of the White Jade Deer Pine was not in good condition.

The trunk of the small tree was not only covered with many scars but also tainted with mysterious black patterns that had corrupted its true form.

Seeing this, Lu Chen immediately furrowed his brow.

“Have you been tainted by the Nine Realms Heavenly Dao?”

Little White Deer smiled wryly. “Yes, Master. As you can see, although I’ve done my best to suppress those Gu Xian and prevent them from easily reviving, during this process, I’ve inevitably been contaminated by some of the Nine Realms’ power due to repeated battles with them.”

“Although compared to ten thousand years ago, the power of the Nine Realms has weakened significantly due to its conflict with the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao, the gap between the Heavenly Dao and us Immortals is as vast as that between mortals and Immortals.”

“Only you, Master, could…”

At this point, Little White Deer seemed to recall something or triggered some kind of taboo, causing her to stop mid-sentence.

“…It seems you made quite a few preparations before leaving, Master.”

“I almost let it slip just now, but for some reason, I couldn’t speak of those ancient secrets—as if something made me instantly forget that part of the matter.”

“It seems you anticipated that I might not be able to keep my mouth shut in the future, which is why you made these arrangements.”

As she said this, Little White Deer wore a teasing expression.

Without a doubt, she was insinuating that Lu Chen did not even trust her, his only disciple.

And Lu Chen had no grounds to refute this.Because he would even scheme against his own disciples… that was truly something he was capable of doing.

Even the Heaven and Earth Sword Formation he had laid out in the game—Lu Chen hadn’t placed all his hopes on the Azure Cloud Sect members. Instead, he had made additional preparations.

His goal was to ensure that the Heaven and Earth Sword Formation would remain intact even if the Azure Cloud Sect failed to protect the Sword Tower.

Judging from the current state of the Immortal Alliance and the information he had received, it seemed that the four Sword Towers had encountered some issues.

If the four Sword Towers had been unharmed, Lu Chen—who had now successfully fused with the Fiend-Slaying Sword Formation and advanced to the Transformation Soul Stage—would surely have sensed something within the Immortal Alliance. Yet, at this moment, he could detect nothing, indicating that his plans had encountered unforeseen changes in the future.

However, the appearance of Little White Deer made Lu Chen realize something important: he must have set up numerous contingencies in the future.

And these contingencies had likely proven useful. Otherwise, given Little White Deer’s relationship with him, it would have been difficult for her to survive until today.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen asked, “How did you manage to evade the great calamity back then, and why did you settle Biyou Mountain here? Briefly tell me what you can.”

Little White Deer nodded and began recounting some of her experiences from the future.

Although many details remained unspoken due to certain restrictions, Lu Chen managed to piece together a general understanding from the limited information she provided.

According to Little White Deer, her presence here was related to the Immortals of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

The current Ten Thousand Mountains were actually the former Western Divine Province. However, because the Nine Realms had merged with the present Azure Cloud World, the Ten Thousand Mountains now differed significantly from the original Western Divine Province.

The Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends deep within the Ten Thousand Mountains was actually a fragment of the Ancient Nine Realms.

The Ancient Nine Realms, unable to withstand the power of so many Immortals and Ancient Fiends during the war between the two realms, shattered into many pieces. These fragments now exist as Forbidden Lands in the current Immortal Alliance Era.

Among those who shattered the Ancient Domain were Little White Deer and her Biyou Mountain.

Although Little White Deer couldn’t explicitly say it, Lu Chen understood one thing: he had also participated in the shattering of the Ancient Domain, and might have played a significant role in it.

After the Ancient Domain was shattered, the Nine Realms Heavenly Dao was severely damaged. Yet, as the Heavenly Dao, even in such a state, it was not completely eradicated by the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao.

In fact, for some reason, the Great Firmament Heavenly Dao still couldn’t gain the upper hand against the wounded Nine Realms Heavenly Dao.

This was because some Immortals from the Daluo World had interfered in the war between the two realms.

Although Lu Chen had anticipated this, learning that Immortals were actively promoting the fusion of the two realms still weighed heavily on him.

The allure of the Great Dao was too strong for these Immortals, so much so that they were willing to stake the entire Daluo World—which encompassed the Thirty-Three Heavens and all other Major Thousand Worlds.

The more one knows, the more one realizes how much remains unknown. Lu Chen had thought that after meeting Little White Deer, he would uncover many truths.And thus make some preparations accordingly.

But it seems Lu Chen had thought too much.

For someone who hadn’t reached the Immortal realm like him.

Many things remained difficult to resolve even after understanding their origins.

After confirming he couldn’t learn more ancient secrets from Little White Deer.

Lu Chen inquired about a speculation in his heart.

“Little White Deer, you must have something to give me, right?”

Little White Deer smiled and said: “As expected, I can’t hide anything from you, Master.”

As she spoke, Little White Deer waved her hand.

Immediately, an elixir flew out from the depths of Biyou Palace.

The elixir appeared utterly ordinary, without any mysterious pill patterns.

Nor any particularly special spiritual power.

Yet this seemingly common elixir.

Made Lu Chen instantly detect an unusual aura the moment he saw it.

“Master, this is something you entrusted to me back then, saying I should give it to you when you reappeared.”

“Although I don’t know exactly what this is for, after seeing your current state, I roughly understand the answer.”

Saying this, Little White Deer handed the elixir to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen held the elixir, examining it carefully.

This seemingly ordinary elixir actually contained profound mysteries.

In terms of grade, this elixir was only about third-tier.

And most of the medicinal ingredients used were commonly found materials.

Yet such an elixir was like a treasure to Lu Chen.

Because this Golden Core contained two things he needed most.

One was Primordial Qi.

The other… was the Years and Time Way.

Both were essential for his main body’s breakthrough to the Transformation Soul Stage.

After brief consideration, Lu Chen guessed this elixir might be the special pill he ultimately refined using the Jiaoxian Dao Fruit from the Ancient Domain.

The effect of this elixir was quite simple.

It could enable Lu Chen to more easily fuse with the Years and Time Way.

Greatly increasing his main body’s success rate in breaking through to the Transformation Soul Stage.

Thinking this, Lu Chen stored the elixir.

“Little White Deer, is my cave residence still preserved?”

As if having anticipated Lu Chen’s question, Little White Deer immediately waved her hand.

Instantly, Lu Chen’s cave residence that he had always used within Biyou Palace appeared before him.

Moreover, it appeared completely unchanged.

This left Lu Chen with complex emotions.

But Lu Chen wasn’t one to dwell on sentimentality.

After instructing Little White Deer to guard his cultivation, he entered the cave residence alone for seclusion.

When this seclusion ended, it would be time for his main body’s breakthrough to the Deity Transformation stage.

Watching Lu Chen enter the cave residence and disappear from view.

Little White Deer looked down at her right hand.

On her jade-white arm, numerous cracks had clearly appeared.

And these cracks seemed to be slowly spreading.

Actually, ever since noticing the abnormalities in Little White Deer’s main body, Lu Chen had guessed her condition might not be good.

But Lu Chen had tacitly avoided this topic, not inquiring further.

Because even if he asked now, the situation likely couldn’t be resolved.

This was something Little White Deer understood as well.

But being unable to solve it now didn’t mean it would remain unsolvable forever.

Looking at the sealed door of Lu Chen’s cave residence, Little White Deer whispered: “Master, the day you prophesied is coming soon.””Perhaps this time, we can truly bring all of this to an end…”

As the words faded, Little White Deer’s body, formed from Spiritual Power, vanished within Biyou Palace.

Simultaneously, inside the Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends outside Biyou Palace.

A black lump of flesh sprouted from the barren soil.

Then, the black lump found the nearest Fiend Corpse and instantly pounced upon it…

(End of Chapter)