Having gotten rid of those annoying "international friends," Zhang Shaozhong was in high spirits. He put his arms around his two wives and prepared to head home to continue his peaceful life.
Just as he reached the intersection leading down the mountain, a voice suddenly rang in his mind without warning—it was none other than Elder Long!
"Young friend, wait a moment. I am Long Zhenyue, and I have important matters to discuss with you. I would like to ask the three of you to come with me, young Zhou."
This method of transmitting sound was incredibly precise; only Zhang Shaozhong, Ling Qingxue, and Ye Meier could hear it.
Zhang Shaozhong paused, exchanging glances with Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier.
A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the two women.
"What's this old dragon up to?"
Zhang Shaozhong muttered something to himself, but still turned around and shouted to Mr. Zhou, who was directing his men to clean up the mess not far away, "Old Zhou! Elder Long wants you to take us there!"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou immediately jogged over, his face showing respect: "Gentlemen, please follow me."
Instead of descending the mountain, he led three people towards a more secluded and remote valley on the back of Huangshan Mountain, a place inaccessible to ordinary tourists.
Deep in the valley, there was a small, extremely ancient, and even somewhat dilapidated Taoist temple.
There wasn't even a plaque at the entrance of the Taoist temple; it was covered in moss, as if it had long been forgotten by the world.
Mr. Zhou stopped at the entrance of the Taoist temple, bowed and said, "Master Long is inside. Please come in, the three of you. I will wait outside."
Zhang Shaozhong was highly skilled and daring. Without much thought, he pushed open the creaking wooden door and led the two women inside.
The interior of the Taoist temple was even simpler than the exterior, containing only a dusty statue of the Taoist patriarch, a futon, a stone table, and a few stone benches.
Meanwhile, Old Man Long was sitting on a stone bench, slowly brewing a pot of tea. The fragrant aroma of the tea seemed out of place in this dilapidated environment.
"sit."
Old Long pointed to the stone bench opposite him, his tone calm, as if he were entertaining an old friend.
Zhang Shaozhong didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with an air of authority.
Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier stood on either side of him behind him, their eyes warily scanning Elder Long.
"Elder Long, what brings you here? Just say it."
Zhang Shaozhong got straight to the point.
Elder Long poured a cup of tea for each of the three before slowly speaking. What he said made Zhang Shaozhong's pupils shrink.
“Young friend, there’s no need to be nervous. I’ve called you here to tell you some things… about this world, about the truth of cultivation.”
He took a sip of tea, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.
"Do you know why the spiritual energy on Earth is so thin now, and why the path of cultivation is so difficult?"
Zhang Shaozhong shook his head; this was also a question that had been lingering in his mind. Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier also perked up their ears.
"Because the core of the spiritual veins of this planet beneath our feet... has been sealed."
Old Master Long made a startling statement.
"seal?!"
Zhang Shaozhong almost jumped up, "Who did this? Why?"
"Who it was is now impossible to know; perhaps it was an ancient, powerful being, or perhaps it was an existence from beyond this realm. As for the reason..."
Elder Long paused, then said in a deep voice, "According to scattered ancient records and speculations from some ancient traditions, it seems to be for... protection."
"Protect?"
Zhang Shaozhong was even more confused.
"To protect this planet and the civilizations that have been born on it from being discovered or interfered with by certain...overly powerful beings or rules."
Elder Long explained, “Spiritual energy is both a form of energy and a kind of ‘coordinate.’ Excessively dense spiritual energy is like a lighthouse in the dark, easily attracting unwanted attention. Sealing the core of the spiritual vein and keeping the spiritual energy at an extremely low level is actually a… safe disguise.”
Zhang Shaozhong was stunned; this was a lot of information!
Is Earth just a "disguised" "beginner's village"?
"Then... what about this seal now?"
He asked tentatively.
"The seal is loosening."
Elder Long sighed, “In the last few hundred years, especially in the last few decades, the loosening has become more and more obvious. This is why there have been more and more abnormal events around the world. Some ‘things’ that were originally isolated have begun to be able to infiltrate with a trace of power, or, like the Blood Demon Ancestor’s mark and the Orochi Evil God’s clone that you encountered, they have slipped in through the cracks.”
Zhang Shaozhong suddenly realized what was going on when he thought of the Blood Pill from Qingcheng Mountain and the Yamata no Orochi from Mount Fuji.
"So, what about Japan..."
"The Yamata no Orochi of Japan is merely a tiny projection of the power leaked from a sealed evil god. Its true form is probably far beyond the seal."
Elder Long confirmed their guess.
"Then... how many Nascent Soul experts like yourself are left on Earth now?"
Zhang Shaozhong asked the most crucial question.
Elder Long held up five fingers: "For thousands of years, there have only been five. China has two, I am one, and another is stationed in Kunlun. The other three are in the northern ice plains, the western papacy, and... somewhere in the deep sea."
"Only five?!"
Zhang Shaozhong was astonished; this was even less than he had imagined!
"The Nascent Soul stage is already at its limit in this kind of spiritual energy environment. Each attack consumes a huge amount of energy, and it is extremely difficult to replenish it."
Elder Long said helplessly, "If those three foreign devils hadn't gone too far today, I wouldn't have shown myself so easily. Most of the time, we exist only as a 'deterrent,' and unless it concerns the survival of the nation, we won't easily intervene in the struggles between secular people and low-level cultivators."
Zhang Shaozhong understood. This was a nuclear weapon-level weapon, mainly used to scare people. If it were actually used, the cost would be too high.
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