"Nine Provinces, it's been a long time!"
After the rain, a rainbow appeared in the sky. A magnificent dragon boat glided leisurely across the ocean after a storm, and the clouds and rain gradually thinned on the cloud tops.
On the deck of this dragon boat, which had already been hidden and could not be seen by ordinary creatures, a female cultivator dressed in a light green dress gazed at the outline of Donghua Continent emerging where the sea and sky met in the distance.
Looking from afar, although it is not as rich in spiritual energy and imbued with immortal charm as the Taishangdao Mountain Gate, it still has a magnificent divine light that soars straight into the sky, like a pillar supporting the heavens and awe-inspiring all directions.
"Senior sister, I forgot to ask earlier, what kind of person were you before you entered the sect?"
Feng Bingwen stood at the starting position where his senior sister had come from behind, gazing at the familiar continent and carefully examining the several beams of divine light rising from the vast ship like pillars supporting the sky.
It's somewhat laughable, though he was born on this continent, this is the first time he's ever seen such a sight. He used to travel to and from Donghua Continent using the teleportation array set up inside the Taishangdao sect, without crossing the ocean, and instead entered or returned to Donghua Continent in a relatively normal way.
Feng Bingwen could easily imagine that any cultivator from other continents, regardless of their background, would be deeply shocked and filled with awe upon seeing those divine lights as they approached Donghua Continent.
These beams of divine light that soared straight into the heavens were not caused by the leakage of spiritual energy from some sacred mountain or immortal land, but by the divine might of the divine emperors. Each beam of divine light represented an emperor.
The more powerful a cultivator is, the more they can feel the terrifying power of those divine lights that combine and faintly envelop the entire continent. They are like a prison or a sea, unfathomable, unpredictable, and absolutely not to be offended.
"Me? Before I entered the mountain gate, I was just a princess of a small country in Nanzhanzhou."
Luo Lingxiao glanced back at Feng Bingwen, then wrote casually.
"So it turns out that before Senior Sister entered the mountain, she was a princess. No wonder when I first met her, I felt that she had a dignified and noble air about her. It turns out that she was born into such an extraordinary family. Unlike me, I am just a wild child from a rural village!"
Feng Bingwen laughed, deliberately flattering his senior sister.
I have to say, this senior sister's elixir was incredibly delicious. He ate it all the way, and even though she misunderstood him at times, he patiently explained it to her and the misunderstanding was cleared up. He even tasted an elixir with a dragon blood flavor, which could increase his qi and blood and strengthen his body, although that was of little use to him.
"If I could choose my birth, I would rather be a wild girl rolling in the mud than a princess."
Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, Luo Lingxiao's tone was indifferent, yet subtly revealed a hint of sorrow.
"Well!"
Feng Bingwen felt he couldn't respond to this; judging from his senior sister's tone, she seemed to have a story to tell.
But the story doesn't seem to be going well; it doesn't sound like it has a happy ending, and it didn't leave this senior sister with any pleasant memories.
"I was born in a very weak country with a small territory and a poor population. In my memories, I remember my father and many of my brothers often having to personally put on armor and lead troops into battle."
"That's really weak."
Feng Bingwen muttered to himself, but didn't say anything. If a country's royal family members, or even its rulers, had to wear armor and carry spears and swords to fight on the battlefield, then the country's demise was only a matter of time. It was too weak; there was no reason for it not to perish.
When a monarch leads the army, it is only natural that he will win many times. On the contrary, if he loses even once, a small country can declare its demise, but even an empire will be severely weakened if it suffers such a defeat.
"Born in a country like this, becoming a royal princess, what do you think my situation is?"
"I can't figure it out!"
Feng Bingwen realized he had chosen the wrong topic. Who knew that this seemingly noble senior sister had such a tragic past before she began her cultivation—what use could a princess from a small country possibly be? There were only a few possibilities.
“You really can’t imagine that during a war of invasion by an enemy country, my brothers died one after another, and even my father was seriously wounded. At that time, I was still a minor and was pushed onto the altar as a sacrifice to the gods!”
"..."
Feng Bingwen's lips twitched, and he lowered his head slightly, trying his best to suppress the expression on his face.
If he could, he would like to ask this senior sister if the country she was born in was only the size of a few villages, since only the most ignorant villagers would do things like offering sacrifices to gods.
Moreover, the deities worshipped are often not legitimate gods, but rather mischievous spirits and monsters that can use tricks and illusions. It's not that powerful demons don't do such things, but true great demon kings would never touch incense offerings.
Human blood sacrifice—how much audacity and what kind of skill does one need to dare to cross this red line in the Nine Provinces? Anyone with a little bit of background knows what things are off-limits.
Doesn't that sound ridiculous?
Even without receiving a response from Feng Bingwen, Luo Lingxiao continued speaking. Clearly, Feng Bingwen's question had stirred up unpleasant memories within her.
“If my master hadn’t happened to pass by back then, I would have turned into ashes, just like my father and brothers.”
"Senior sister, I'm so sorry, I didn't expect you to have such an experience before entering the mountain, but the past is the past, please..."
"Junior brother, do you know how old I am?"
Luo Lingxiao interrupted Feng Bingwen's words of comfort, turned her head slightly, revealing her perfect profile, and wore a faint smile. Although her voice was cold, she was indeed smiling.
"..."
Feng Bingwen remained silent; there was no point in guessing such a question, it was pointless.
"Although it's not a pleasant memory, I've moved on from it; I just feel a bit sentimental!"
"Senior Sister, your talent is unparalleled and your character is exceptional. If you weren't so engrossed in alchemy, even my master could only look up to you from behind!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen immediately offered a clumsy attempt at flattery.
"You little rascal, stop saying things like that. You're not good at this kind of thing, it sounds really weird."
"Since you don't like it, senior sister, then I won't say anything more!"
The young Taoist priest clenched his fist and coughed lightly. He was indeed not good at flattery, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, everyone has their strengths, and it was understandable that he wasn't cut out for it.
"Don't forget why we came out here. Didn't you ask your disciple for my alchemy insights? In that case, take me there and see what kind of gem you've found. If it has good potential, I don't mind giving you some pointers and being her guide."
"To describe me as a rough gem is perhaps an exaggeration; she doesn't deserve such praise!"
Feng Bingwen was slightly embarrassed.
To be honest, if he hadn't known in advance about the reincarnation of a primordial deity with such an extraordinary background, he wouldn't have even given a second glance to his eldest disciple, Wang Shu, given her talent. Let whoever wants to teach her do so; he certainly wouldn't take her under his wing.
"You'll be able to see my nephew soon, why are you being so modest?"
Luo Lingxiao didn't take Feng Bingwen's words seriously at all, thinking he was just being modest on behalf of his own disciple. She just didn't believe that the disciples they, the Taishangdao people, could be that bad, no matter how poor their aptitude was.
If she hadn't been so talented back then, the master who happened to be passing by wouldn't have rescued her and taken her back. At most, he would have just dumped her somewhere out of the way and wouldn't have cared about her at all.
Disciples of the Supreme Dao should at least have a second-grade pulse, if not a first-grade pulse on average. Even the worst should have a third-grade pulse. Anything lower would be beneath them; they shouldn't even bother entering the Supreme Dao's gates. How could they possibly have the nerve to do that?
"Alright, Senior Sister, let me tell you the truth. My disciple's aptitude is so poor that it's beyond words. He can barely manage to cultivate!"
"Hehe, junior brother, you don't need to say these things to me. No matter how bad his aptitude is, as long as he has some talent in alchemy, I can teach him how to refine pills step by step. I can't guarantee it, but making him a real alchemist is not a problem!"
Luo Lingxiao continued to dismiss Feng Bingwen's nonsense, completely ignoring the truth, after all, that's common sense.
"Senior sister, I've remembered what you said. If you don't let my disciple learn alchemy, I won't let you go!"
Feng Bingwen quickly seized the opportunity to speak, as he had also been deeply concerned about that divine being.
"Although I am a woman, I know the principle of keeping one's word, and I would never go back on my word!"
Seeing Feng Bingwen's appearance, Luo Lingxiao found it somewhat amusing, but he was also a little curious. What level was the disciple his junior brother had taken in? Why was he behaving so strangely, as if his talent was truly extremely poor?
"However, the reason I went out this time is to find a suitable disciple. I have been working hard for your disciple, junior brother, so you should also put some thought into this matter for me!"
"Of course, Senior Sister, please rest assured, I will definitely find you a suitable disciple!"
Feng Bingwen patted his chest and agreed to the task.
In his view, this was easy to solve. After all, it involved a primordial deity. He could just find that second brother, since he was good at divination and fortune-telling. He could just let him do the calculation.
"We've entered the country!"
As the two were talking, the dragon boat, which had activated its concealment array, sailed across the border where Donghua Continent met the vast ocean. At that very moment, both Feng Bingwen and Luo Lingxiao felt their bodies sink slightly.
However, before they could react, the force that had given them a momentary unease, which they might have mistaken for an illusion, moved away.
"Which emperor is that?"
Luo Lingxiao, who was originally in a relatively relaxed mood, now looked somewhat serious. The feeling he had just experienced was probably that a certain divine emperor was looking in their direction. Although his gaze only lingered for a very short time, that emperor was indeed paying attention to them.
"I don't know. Although I have a good relationship with the gods, I really don't know much about those emperors!"
Feng Bingwen was helpless in the face of such a question. He could not answer it. He knew that the strongest gods in the Eastern Continent were those emperors, but he had no idea how many emperors there were or what their names were.
"real?"
Luo Lingxiao didn't care about anything else, only about Feng Bingwen's statement that he had a good relationship with the Divine Path.
"I wouldn't lie to my senior sister about something like this!"
Feng Bingwen said with a serious face, "Are you kidding? If the Emperor really has his eye on you, it won't matter how many magical artifacts you bring."
"That's good!"
Luo Lingxiao let out a long sigh of relief. She was certain that she had not had any contact with the Donghua Continent Divine Path before. Given her status, she naturally could not have attracted hostility. In other words, that glance just now was probably related to the junior brother in front of her.
After all, the land of a continent is so vast, and the number of cultivators and living beings entering and leaving Donghua Continent every moment is countless. If the Emperor were to pay attention to and verify the identity of each one, even the Emperor with boundless divine power would not be able to handle it.
"What are you looking at me for? What's so interesting about it!"
Feng Bingwen's shoulders tensed slightly. He naturally thought of the reason for that glance just now, which was probably mainly due to him.
But he wasn't pleased with himself; in fact, he felt a bit apprehensive. The feeling of having a powerful figure watching him all the time was terrible, very unpleasant.
"If you really appreciate me and want to thank me, you'd be more practical to reward me with a few divine artifacts."
The young Taoist muttered to himself, but on the surface he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anything amiss, displaying the demeanor of the former Supreme Taoist Master.
After entering the country, everything was calm and peaceful, with no unusual events, no mountain gods, water gods, or incense gods coming to visit, and no messy cultivation forces.
This is thanks to the dragon boat's shielding array, which is always in operation; those without special abilities really can't see it.
Dragon and Snake Secret Realm
After entering Donghua Continent, Feng Bingwen led his senior sister directly into this special secret realm.
"Descendants!"
Upon entering the secret realm, Luo Lingxiao, who had been wondering what Feng Bingwen's disciple would look like, was immediately drawn to the largest object in the secret realm, his eyes shining brightly.
In the eyes of a highly talented alchemist like her, the corpse of the Heavenly Serpent with bloodline before her was the most top-grade alchemy material, which could allow her alchemy skills to advance further and enter a completely new realm.
Even the most powerful alchemists wouldn't give her top-tier materials that could even be related to alchemy to practice with and accumulate experience in alchemy.
"Junior Brother Feng, you didn't tell me you had such a good thing in your possession!"
Originally, Luo Lingxiao was dignified, elegant, and graceful, but now her smile became somewhat unrestrained. She looked at Feng Bingwen beside her with a strange expression.
“Senior sister, these remains of the descendant are not mine. They were discovered first by my good-for-nothing disciple. They belong to her.”
Feng Bingwen declared.
What's the difference?
Luo Lingxiao was puzzled. What was the difference? Teachers who impart knowledge and skills are no different from one's own parents in terms of status.
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