Chapter 144 What Do You Like? I like what you looked like when you were little, but...
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted you," Bai said decisively. "Aunt Qing, please tell me quickly."
"Little fellow, do you know why this imperial tomb exists? Why can it imprison us, yet allow you to enter?" The Azure Dragon Immortal Emperor asked instead of answering.
Upon hearing this, the White Tiger Immortal Emperor and the others realized what the Azure Dragon was talking about.
Bai shook her head and said cutely, "Aunt Qing, don't keep me in suspense, just tell me, okay?"
"Alright, alright, let Aunt Qing tell you." The Azure Dragon Immortal Emperor held her in his arms and sighed, "The origin of everything lies here. The Chaos Azure Lotus was once nurtured here."
"The Chaos Green Lotus? Isn't that a primordial divine object from the beginning of time?" Bai exclaimed in shock.
“That’s right,” the White Tiger Immortal Emperor replied. “At the end of the last era, we fought a final battle in this realm against many demon emperors of the Void Demon Clan. That battle… caused the heavens and earth to collapse and the stars to reverse. It not only shattered this realm, but also unfortunately destroyed the place where the Chaos Green Lotus was born.”
"So, there's still a Chaos Green Lotus here?" Bai pressed.
The Azure Dragon Immortal Emperor flicked her head lightly and chuckled, "Little one, you're not that old, but you're dreaming. Even we have never seen such a divine object. What we shattered was the lotus pond that nurtured the Azure Lotus."
"The lotus pond contains Chaos Divine Water. The chaotic energy that escaped when it was broken, intertwined with the imperial blood of this place, and was also permeated by the killing intent since ancient times, which formed the special field we see today."
Another Immortal Emperor sighed softly, "We are trapped here, and to some extent, we are also bearing the consequences of the destruction of divine objects, which caused the changes in this place."
"So, Aunt Qing, what exactly is this opportunity you're talking about?" Bai asked anxiously.
The Azure Dragon Immortal Emperor spoke slowly and deliberately: "The ancient Chaos Azure Lotus shattered, and its fragments transformed into many innate spiritual treasures. However, although the Chaos Azure Lotus was destroyed, its original lotus pond still exists, and within the lotus pond, there is actually a seed that has never sprouted."
"Whoa!" Bai exclaimed in surprise, "The Chaos Green Lotus Seed?"
The Azure Dragon Immortal Emperor nodded and reminded her, "But you must know that the great war back then was too brutal. This world has been shattered into the fragmented state it is today. Whether that seed has survived is still unknown."
The White Tiger Immortal Emperor also spoke up to advise, "The Emperor's Tomb is vast and boundless, fraught with danger. To find a seed whose existence is unknown is like searching for a grain of millet in the ocean. Little brat, the right path is to cultivate steadily."
Bai also wrinkled her furry face and pleaded in a childish voice, "Can't we go together? Cheap old lady, will you stay in my body and come with me to find the seed of the Chaos Green Lotus?"
“No way! We old folks are the culprits who shattered this world. If we go with you to search, even if we find the seed, I'm afraid that seed will jump up and beat you up first,” Xuanwu interjected with a chuckle.
“Okay, then Jiaojiao and I will go. I want to go out and have a look.” Bai said very seriously, “I don’t want to sit and wait for death. I don’t want to let go of any opportunity to become stronger.”
The White Tiger Immortal Emperor sighed softly and said earnestly, "Little brat, it's not that I'm trying to stop you, but do you know that this Imperial Tomb is permeated with the eerie aura of the Void Demon Clan year-round? Even if the Azure Lotus Seed still exists, it has been immersed in this environment for millions of years..."
"I fear that divinity has already been corrupted, and what you find with great difficulty may not be good fortune, but calamity."
"How will we know if we don't try?" Bai retorted. "If we do nothing, we can only watch helplessly as the demon army marches into the Nine Provinces, and the tragedy of the past will be repeated."
These words plunged the hall into silence. The remnant souls of the Immortal Emperors fell silent; they were powerless to help, and anything they said would be futile.
"Then let's go."
The sudden sound broke the silence.
Bai quickly turned his head and saw that Zhong Jiuli had awakened from her enlightenment, and it was she who had spoken just now.
Her aura was restrained, and she seemed to merge with the surrounding space and time. Although she was standing there, it was as if she was standing on the other side of space and time, and she looked much more ethereal. Obviously, the enlightenment she gained this time far exceeded her expectations.
Zhong Jiuli stood up and bowed to the remnant souls of the Immortal Emperors: "Seniors, could you please tell me more about what happened back then?"
The Immortal Emperors spoke one after another, slowly recounting their experiences. Through their descriptions, Bai Ye and Zhong Jiuli seemed to have witnessed the great battle firsthand. Stars fell, the earth collapsed, and a universe was destroyed at will in the hands of these powerful beings, like a toy.
Although they had described the location of the Chaos Lotus Pond and the surrounding mountains as clearly as possible.
Unfortunately, this world is now like a jigsaw puzzle, in complete chaos. Whether or not one can encounter the Chaos Lotus Pond truly depends on luck.
Zhong Jiuli listened quietly, without a trace of discouragement in her eyes. "These clues are enough. As for the outcome, we will not force it."
"Yes!" Bai nodded in agreement. "I'm lucky to have it, so I'll just have to give it my all."
The White Tiger Immortal Emperor looked at her little cub with reluctance in her eyes, but she knew she shouldn't stop him. She said, "Since you've made up your mind, go for it. As for those remnant souls of the Demon Emperors, you don't need to worry. I'll keep an eye on them for you."
"Thank you, my dear old lady." Bai Ye grinned, showing off her bright white teeth.
Time was precious, so Zhong Jiuli didn't waste any more time. She hugged the little white tiger and turned to leave.
"Hey, hey, wait for me! You've forgotten about me!" Jiao Jiao hurriedly chased after them on her short legs, shouting behind them.
Bai also poked its head out from Zhong Jiuli's shoulder and waved its paw behind it: "Jiaojiao, wait for me here. Learn more skills from Senior Xuanwu. We'll need you to crack walnuts in the future."
"You brat! You just said you'd take me with you, but as soon as Sister Zhong woke up you abandoned me. You're such a heartless brat!" Jiao Jiao angrily cursed.
"Next time, I'll definitely take you next time." Bai Ye's voice came from afar as Zhong Jiuli carried her further and further away until her figure could no longer be seen.
Jiaojiao watched their departing figures, sighed helplessly, turned around and returned to the Ruomu Temple. Even Yezai was working so hard, she had to work her hardest too.
......
The path meanders, and the bamboo shadows sway gently.
The two followed the path they had come from, walking down the mountain through the bamboo forest. Bai nestled comfortably in Zhong Jiuli's arms, looking up at her smooth chin: "Zhong Jiuli, aren't you very powerful now? Can you defeat the remnant soul of the Demon Emperor?"
A smile appeared in Zhong Jiuli's eyes. "Dealing with one shouldn't be a problem. Don't worry, I definitely won't let your little tiger cub be captured and made into a snack."
"Don't call me Little Tiger Cub!" Bai said angrily, puffing out his mustache. "I've rebuilt my innate Dao body, so I'll grow very fast from now on!"
"Okay, you'll grow up to be very, very big, like your mother, a mighty tiger that stands tall and upright."
Hearing her say that, Bai nodded in satisfaction, "That's more like it. From now on, I'll protect you."
Their laughter and chatter faded away on the mountain breeze, and the pervasive mist obscured their figures.
After leaving the celestial palace, Bai transformed back into human form. She peeked out furtively to make sure no demon emperor was waiting for them before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Zhong Jiuli found it amusing, grabbed her by the back of the neck with one hand and lifted her up, "What are you doing sneaking around? Didn't you say those bold words earlier?"
“Those grand pronouncements are made in front of outsiders to express a fearless spirit, but fear is a human instinct,” Bai retorted confidently.
"You have the most twisted logic."
Zhong Jiuli didn't argue with her. Holding Bai Ye's hand, she stepped out of the Immortal Palace. After coming out, she realized that this world was completely different from when she came in.
Heaven and earth are upside down, mountains and rivers have changed positions. The lava lake we saw at the entrance has somehow ended up here.
The magma surged, emanating an extremely terrifying aura that scorched everything around it.
Bai also whispered a reminder: "There's a remnant soul of a demon emperor in that lava lake. My mother beat it up a lot before, so could it be here for revenge?"
Before she could finish speaking, the lava lake instantly boiled, and a hundred-foot-tall lava behemoth roared as it rose and pounced on the two of them.
Zhong Jiuli gripped Bai Ye's hand tightly. Just as the two moved, a deafening tiger's roar echoed from within the Immortal Palace:
"roll!"
A golden tiger claw tore through the air, slamming down with the force to shatter stars and split the heavens. As the giant claw fell, magma splashed everywhere, and the flames melted away.
Before the lava behemoth could even utter a harsh word, it was once again shattered by the White Tiger Immortal Emperor. Even the lava lake crumbled into countless sparks, scattering in all directions.
Bai muttered under his breath, "My cheap mom is actually pretty reliable."
"You brat, I can hear you." The voice of the White Tiger Immortal Emperor came from inside the Immortal Palace.
"You have no manners!" Zhong Jiuli said with a laugh.
"Hehe, wait a minute, don't rush off. Let me see if I can find the location of the Chaos Lotus Seed." After saying that, Bai asked Xiao Wang, "Xiao Wang, can you check if the book says where the Green Lotus Seed is?"
Xiao Wang quickly logged on and replied in his mind: [No, the book doesn't mention the Void Demon Realm at all. At this point, you're still in Kyushu dating other women. The Void Demon Realm storyline is a side story you created yourself.]
Bai was speechless. Xiao Wang's script was ridiculous. The protagonist did nothing but fall in love all day long. How could he possibly cultivate immortality like that?
And why does she feel a chill?
Bai Ye raised his eyes slightly and met Zhong Jiuli's gaze, which was somewhat frightening.
"What's wrong?" Bai asked, looking bewildered.
Zhong Jiuli shook her head and asked, "Young Master Hei, have you found any clues?"
"No, there's no such thing as a free lunch. We have to find it ourselves."
"Then let's go." After saying that, Zhong Jiuli flicked her sleeves and, along with Bai Ye, soared into the sky, instantly crossing tens of thousands of miles of void.
Their figures traversed among the shattered star debris and continental fragments, each flash covering an endless distance. Yet, within this imperial tomb formed from the remnants of a great world, such speed remained insignificant.
Time slipped away during the search, and half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, they traversed countless shattered continents, some of which were scorched black as if burned by heavenly fire, while others were frozen solid for thousands of miles, with every snowflake carrying a chilling killing intent.
More of the land is completely desolate, a desolation that is utterly absolute. Not only is there no spiritual energy on the continent, but there is no life even in the soil; it is a complete wasteland.
Upon encountering such fragments of the continent, the two of them simply ignored them. The Azure Lotus Seed was a naturally occurring divine object and would never choose to reside in such a perilous place.
Among them were some strangely shaped fragments of the continent, the remains left behind by the dead giant beasts.
Another enormous piece of wreckage appeared ahead. Bai's eyes gleamed with golden light as he carefully examined the remains of the giant beast. Confirming that there was no sign of life within, the two of them simply skipped over it and did not go up to check it further.
Bai closed his eyes, withdrew his supernatural powers, and said, "Aunt Qing said that the place where the Chaos Lotus Pond is located was once the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in this world. Even if the world is shattered, that spiritual energy should still be different from others. But for the past half month, all I have seen is death energy, and I have rarely seen anything with spirituality."
"Don't be impatient. The Imperial Tomb is as vast as the sea of stars. Finding a single seed is not so easy. If it were just laid out in the open, we wouldn't have come to find it," Zhong Jiuli gently comforted her.
"I'm not in a hurry, but I'm a little worried. We've been here for too long. When I left, Kyushu was actually quite chaotic."
Zhong Jiuli made a decision: "Then let's set a one-year period. If we still can't find it after a year, we'll return to Kyushu."
"Okay." Bai nodded in agreement.
The two figures transformed into streaks of light once more, traversing the shattered fragments of the continent. This world was truly vast; they had traveled with all their might, yet they had only explored less than one ten-thousandth of it.
Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye. They stopped moving forward and instead chose to turn back, but this time they took a different route.
On the return journey, all that remained were the same shattered continent and various ruins. Only one area, perhaps the site of the great battle between the two armies, was filled with many broken warships, broken masts, and shattered weapons and armor, all silently floating in the void, a testament to the brutality of the ancient war.
"Want to go take a look? Maybe we can find some ancient divine weapons?" Bai Ye's eyes lit up, and his greedy nature resurfaced.
Seeing how expectant she was, Zhong Jiuli had no choice but to agree: "Stay close to me and don't make any rash moves."
As the two slowly approached, before they had even boarded the ship, an intense and chilling aura swept over them.
The sounds of metal clashing filled their ears, and countless afterimages seemed to appear before their eyes. War drums thundered, and battle cries shook the heavens. It was as if they had traveled back to ancient times and witnessed that tragic battle firsthand.
They stopped simultaneously, goosebumps rising all over their bodies, too afraid to go any further. The lingering murderous aura here was far too intense; recklessly entering would likely unleash a simultaneous attack from countless dead souls.
Bai coughed lightly, "I think it's best not to disturb the spirits of the dead. It's not good to take the relics of our ancestors. Let's go."
"Little coward." Zhong Jiuli chuckled softly, took her hand, and turned to leave.
Just as the two turned around, a whooshing sound came from behind them.
"Watch out!" Zhong Jiuli shouted, flashing in front of Bai Ye and simultaneously setting up a protective shield.
As a result, the thing that flew out of the warship circled around with great intelligence and then flew into Bai Ye's arms.
She instinctively reached out and caught it, only to find that what flew towards her was a set of battered, dark gold armor. The breastplate had been pierced, and the arm guards were also tattered, indicating that its original owner had fought to the last moment while wearing this armor.
"Why would it come out looking for people on its own?" Bai looked at the armor in his hand with some doubt. Although the armor was worn, it was extremely heavy and emitted a very terrifying aura.
As soon as she finished speaking, the giant black sword flew out of her storage ring, excitedly circling her armor. Its blade trembled slightly, and it looked extremely happy.
The armor seemed to have met an old friend, its dull surface glowing with a warm light that echoed the light emanating from the giant black beast.
"You two know each other?" Bai looked at the sword and armor with surprise.
Big Black shone brightly, as if in response.
"Could it be that you once belonged to the same master?"
The giant black object shone brightly once more, and the dark gold armor also glowed faintly.
"Alright, since we're family, you'll follow me from now on. I'll fix you up later, and you can fight alongside me from now on." Bai grinned and put the armor and Dahei into his storage ring.
Although he failed to board the warship, he unexpectedly obtained a suit of armor, which visibly improved Bai Ye's mood.
On the way back, without the obsession to find the lotus seed, both of them felt much more relaxed.
If you encounter interesting remains of giant beasts, you can climb up to take a look. The largest one you've encountered was so big that its head alone could build a giant city.
As Bai landed above and looked down at the remains of the colossal beast, he exclaimed in astonishment, "This spine is like the Great Wall, stretching for countless miles. How could the Void Demon Clan possess such a massive beast?"
Zhong Jiuli stood side by side with her, her eyes smiling, and spoke of the Azure Dragon's true form that she saw when she fused with the Dao Seed, which was so enormous that it was unimaginable.
"My cheap mother's true form is also exceptionally large. Once my cultivation level is higher, I'll be able to grow bigger too," Bai muttered.
"I think smaller ones are cuter."
Bai looked at her, his eyes sparkling: "Do you like me when I'm smaller?"
Zhong Jiuli nodded: "Yes, it's so small, it's soft and fluffy when you hold it in your arms, it feels very comfortable to touch."
"I didn't ask you to rate the feel of it."
Zhong Jiuli glanced at the man; she saw through his little scheme immediately, but still played along, saying, "I like it."
"what do you like?"
"I like how you looked when you were little, is that okay?"
Bai Ye grinned, showing his white teeth, and nodded repeatedly. "Zhong Jiuli, you confessed to me first. I should have been reserved, but for your sake, I'll agree."
"Yes, yes, thank you for taking my feelings into consideration, Young Hei." Zhong Jiuli shook her head helplessly. "Have we rested enough? Can we set off now?"
"Let's go, let's go." Bai grabbed his wife's hand and flew away.
They had been traveling back to the city for several months, and were only a million miles away from the Immortal Palace. This distance was just a short while for them.
As soon as they set off, the blue lotus mark between Zhong Jiuli's eyebrows suddenly lit up with a hazy blue light.
Bai Ye saw this scene and his eyes widened in disbelief.
Zhong Jiuli also sensed it. She stopped and touched the slightly warm mark between her eyebrows, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"It's... right near us." Bai's face scrunched up in a grimace. "What about all this running around for almost a year? Does that mean we can run away?"
"Don't furrow your brow like that, it doesn't look good." Zhong Jiuli raised her finger and touched the center of her brow, smoothing out the wavy furrows. "That's how things are when opportunities arise; they will appear when the time is right."
"Don't say I'm not good-looking. I'm the most handsome man in the world," Bai said shamelessly.
"Alright, you're so cute. Let's go see where that mysterious blue lotus seed is hidden." Zhong Jiuli took the little tiger's hand and led her to leap towards that piece of land fragment.
That area was no different from other places; it was just an ordinary fragment of a continent. Only when you got closer could you realize that it was a hidden paradise.
This place is full of life, with lush vegetation, beautiful mountains, and a clear blue lake in the center of the land.
"Looks like we've found the right place. The vitality here is amazing." Bai Ye's eyes lit up as he and Zhong Jiuli landed on this land.
The two landed not far from the lakeside, about a thousand feet away.
As soon as Zhong Jiuli stood still, her expression suddenly changed. She reached out and pulled Bai Ye behind her, reminding him, "Something's not right. The vitality here contains a strong death aura. Be careful."
Bai also sensed something. This feeling was very strange. It was like a plate of perfectly braised pork belly, with layers of fat and lean meat, and the sugar was caramelized to a glossy shine. It looked delicious, but if you smelled it closely, you could tell that the meat was rotten.
"Could the seeds be in the lake?" Bai guessed.
"You follow behind me."
After saying that, Zhong Jiuli took a step forward. As she got closer to the place, the mark between her eyebrows became brighter and brighter, and the sensation clearly pointed to the lake.
The two cautiously approached the lake, and the closer they got, the stronger the contradictory feeling of life and death mingled.
The vegetation by the lake was also quite strange. On the same plant, the half closest to the water was blooming with beautiful flowers, while the other half had withered like rotten wood. Blooming and withering happened at the same time.
Seeing the strangeness of the place, the two of them were highly focused and on guard. Just as they approached the lake, the strange thing happened.
With a "splash," the calm lake surface instantly exploded.
A huge, jet-black tentacle emerged from the lake, like a lurking python pouncing as its prey approached.
Zhong Jiuli was prepared, and immediately unleashed her strongest defense. The illusory image of the World Tree appeared behind her, radiating divine light and firmly protecting the two of them. At the same time, she reached forward and struck out fiercely.
The laws of heaven and earth moved accordingly, transforming into a giant hand of law that slammed down in front.
"town!"
The giant hand of law collided with the black tentacles, and the resulting shockwave swept up water waves, overturning all the vegetation on the lakeside. The black tentacles were also slapped back into the lake.
This ferocious attack was clearly just the beginning. The lake was like a boiling pot, with seven or eight equally thick tentacles bursting out of the water and attacking the two from all directions.
"This thing doesn't look like a solid object." Golden light flashed in Bai Ye's eyes. It could be seen that the tentacles were formed from black energy and had no flesh or blood.
"Hmm, the source of the anomaly might be at the bottom of the lake."
Bai also glanced at the frenzied tentacles, which were wreathed in death energy and could even corrode Zhong Jiuli's immortal shield. There was no point in her staying here.
"You hold off these monsters while I go check the bottom of the water?"
Zhong Jiuli was a little worried. She looked at Bai Ye, hesitant to speak.
Bai patted his chest, his face full of confidence: "Zhong Jiuli, look at me. Standing in front of you now is the youngest Mahayana cultivator in the history of Kyushu, and the future White Tiger Immortal Emperor. You should have more faith in me."
“Alright, I’ll trap them. Be careful, and retreat immediately if things become unbearable,” Zhong Jiuli instructed.
"Don't worry! I'll just join if I can't beat them!"
A burst of spiritual light emanated from Bai Ye's body, which rapidly twisted and deformed. In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a sneaky little black tentacle, which slid and twisted into the lake.
Zhong Jiuli watched her enter the water, then formed a hand seal and shouted, "Time-Space Imprisonment!"
In an instant, the silver light surged, freezing everything in its path. Whether it was the splashing water or the menacing tentacles in mid-air, everything was frozen in place.
Apart from that small, dark tentacle swimming underwater, there were no other moving creatures in this space.
After confirming that Bai had already dived deep into the depths, Zhong Jiuli suddenly clenched her outstretched hand.
"broken!"
The entire space collapsed instantly, and the frozen tentacles exploded one after another, turning into black mist and dissipating. The lake surface did not calm down; new tentacles continued to emerge.
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