Chapter 215 - 244: The Great Sect Elder’s Secret, Ming Luo Ancestor! Canglan City
To Su Bai’s senses, the Great Sect Elder’s aura had grown extremely faint, indicating a severe injury.
After sifting through the memories of numerous prisoners—especially those of the recently defeated man in the red robe—Su Bai had learned a few basic things about the mysterious Great Sect Elder.
The man was a son of the current Emperor Yu of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty—specifically, the Second Prince. His mother was apparently something of a mystery, a special figure who had rarely, if ever, made a public appearance.
And this Great Sect Elder possessed a potent Yu Immortal bloodline.
The Yu Immortal was the powerful being who had founded the Dayu Immortal Dynasty. It was said he eventually attained the Dao and ascended, becoming a figure of legend.
Possessing such a potent Yu Immortal bloodline, the Great Sect Elder had indeed been held in high regard by Emperor Yu, who had provided him with vast resources for his training.
But for some unknown reason, the Great Sect Elder eventually left the territories of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty with a few trusted aides and subordinates, settling in a remote land.
Later, with his covert aid, the Great Xia Dynasty was established and has endured to this day.
’This Great Sect Elder is hiding some big secrets of his own...’
Su Bai mused as he flew toward the feeble aura.
「In the eastern sky.」
Clouds and mist swirled, shot through with shimmering rays of light.
His face deathly pale, the Great Sect Elder raised a hand to wipe away the purple blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His gaze was profound.
"I never thought that Ming Luo Monster and his ilk actually managed to obtain an artifact of the Demon Venerable from that wretched place..."
He muttered, his heart filled with apprehension.
The moment he finished speaking,
wisps of black light erupted from his forehead, which was slick with cold sweat and blood.
They looked like ferocious, writhing black insects clinging to his skin, letting out silent, malevolent screeches.
As the black light flared, the Great Sect Elder’s face contorted violently. A wave of excruciating pain, like a sharp blade scraping against bone, washed over him in an instant.
"Hm?"
"Is that... his aura?"
The next moment, as if sensing something, he halted.
He gazed into the distance.
When he saw Su Bai was completely unscathed, his deep brown, bloodshot eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew full well what had happened.
The five Nine Tribulations Realm experts who had come to surround and kill him had, at Ming Luo Monster’s instigation, changed their target to ambush Su Bai, intending to eliminate the threat he posed ahead of time.
But now, Su Bai was perfectly fine, while the five of them were nowhere to be seen.
’Doesn’t that mean...’
A moment later, Su Bai’s figure flickered, and he appeared before the Great Sect Elder. His gaze fell upon the older man as he asked,
"How did you get so injured?"
To Su Bai’s senses, the Great Sect Elder was gravely injured and on the verge of death; his condition was abysmal.
If not for a unique, mysterious wisp of energy protecting his heart meridian, the Great Sect Elder likely wouldn’t have more than a few days to live.
Even so, in his current state, he probably couldn’t hold on for long.
His injuries were simply too severe.
The wisps of black light erupting from the man’s forehead were especially astonishing, even to Su Bai.
Each erupting wisp of black light seemed to be composed of thousands, even tens of thousands, of strands of Evil Qi and Demonic Qi!
They were compressed and refined to their absolute limit.
It was far more potent than the Demon Fiend aura that had leaked from the cracks in the 9th-layer tower deep within the cavern.
At the same time, the two energies also shared a common source.
’Perhaps this black light also comes from the Demon Venerable’s artifact...’
Su Bai mused, his focus returning to the present.
Meanwhile, the Great Sect Elder, standing high among the clouds, let out a soft sigh.
He collected himself, then began to speak slowly. "A short while ago, there was a sliver of an incarnation from the Black Lotus Sect’s Tai Sui Immortal Elder, the Sky Sea Demon Sect’s Venerable Green Robe, the Third Venerable Lord of the Red Flame Demon Sect, the Evil Spirit Pavilion’s Red Halberd Ancestor, and the Seventh Demon Lord from the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Palace."
"The five of them were lying in wait, intending to surround and kill me."
"But then, because the Sun and Moon Sect’s Ming Luo Ancestor made a personal appearance, the five of them abandoned their plan to kill me and headed for the Imperial City instead."
"Those five... they must have been after you, young friend."
"But now, those five are nowhere to be found."
"And yet you, young friend, are unharmed."
At this, the Great Sect Elder paused.
He stared at Su Bai with an intense gaze, a faint smile touching his lips as he sighed with admiration.
"It seems you must have struck down all five of them, young friend!"
Su Bai nodded slowly.
Seeing Su Bai’s admission, the Great Sect Elder was shaken to his core.
’To slay five Nine Tribulations experts while only at the Dao Palace Realm.’
’In all the world, could there be anyone else capable of such a feat?’
At this thought, his expression grew distant.
His thoughts couldn’t help but drift to the legendary Yu Immortal, a being who existed only in myth.
’This young man’s talent is likely on par with the mythical Yu Immortal.’
He even had a preposterous intuition.
’That perhaps even the great Yu Immortal was far inferior to him!’
"Were any of the Righteous Sects involved in this?"
The next moment, Su Bai’s voice pulled him from his reverie.
"Yes."
The Great Sect Elder nodded and said casually, "The ancestor of the Heavenly Repair Sect. He and I have been friends for a millennium, despite the difference in our ages."
"I thought I had finally found a true confidant in this world, but I never imagined he would be the first to turn his blade on me."
Heavenly Repair Sect!
’The leading power among the Righteous Sects outside the Great Xia Domain.’
Su Bai frowned. "Why did he attack you?"
"For longevity."
The Great Sect Elder let out a long sigh. "He likely had his eyes on my Dragon Turtle Scripture."
"After all, his lifespan is nearing its end."
"The older one gets, the more one fears death."
"And the more one pursues longevity, the easier it is to lose oneself."
The Great Sect Elder suddenly chuckled. "Truth be told, if he had just asked me for it directly,"
"I would have given him the cultivation technique. But alas, the man is insatiably greedy."
"He didn’t just want the technique; he wanted my life as well..."
The Great Sect Elder sighed softly.
Su Bai fell silent for a moment.
Then he asked, "Was it the Ming Luo Ancestor who injured you this badly?"
"Yes and no."
The Great Sect Elder gave an ambiguous answer before continuing, "The Ming Luo Ancestor has had a breakthrough in his Cultivation, reaching the Ninth Tribulation Realm Ninth Layer. While he could suppress me, he couldn’t actually harm me."
Here, the Great Sect Elder’s expression turned extremely grave. "The reason he was able to injure me so severely was because, at the critical moment, he activated an artifact of the Demon Venerable!"
"I was gravely wounded in a single instant. If I hadn’t possessed a hidden technique to repel him, I’m afraid I would not have survived this tribulation."
’So it really was an artifact of the Demon Venerable!’
Su Bai’s mind stirred.
’Ming Luo Ancestor...’
He mulled over the name the Great Sect Elder had just spoken.
’His Cultivation is at the Ninth Tribulation Realm Ninth Layer!’
’A fat sack of experience like that is hard to come by!’
The two chatted for a while longer.
Su Bai casually inquired about the exact location of the Sun and Moon Sect and the whereabouts of the Ming Luo Ancestor.
"The Sun and Moon Sect is located in Canglan City, the largest city in Cangzhou."
"As for the Ming Luo Ancestor, he is elusive. He might be within the Sun and Moon Sect, or he might be in seclusion somewhere. No one can say for certain."
The Great Sect Elder didn’t hold back, sharing this information with Su Bai directly.
’Cangzhou, Canglan City...’
Su Bai committed the city’s name to memory. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the Great Sect Elder, he vanished on the spot.
The Great Sect Elder watched Su Bai’s departing figure for a long time.
The sunlight slanting from the horizon illuminated his form, making his frame seem slightly stooped.
It cast his shadow long across the clouds.
"Such an astonishing figure..."
"To say he merely has the talent for Ascension to Immortality is likely an understatement..."
After a long moment, his lament echoed across the sky.
Then, his body transformed into a streak of crimson light.
And scattered across the heavens.