Lu Changsheng gave a bitter smile. Now that he had become entangled with the Evil Spirit, it was only a matter of time before they met again.
Probably, the Evil Spirit was trying to restore its own cultivation level.
Given his current weakened state, there are many in the Immortal Realm who can seal his existence.
Wait a minute.
Lu Changsheng sent out a strand of Divine Sense to the Inner World within his body.
The Human Sovereign Cauldron stood erect under the Wordless Monument, motionless.
When the Evil Spirit emerged, the Human Sovereign Cauldron had fluctuated slightly, but at that time Lu Changsheng’s attention was all on the battle with the Evil Spirit and Grand Preceptor Xu, and he did not notice the abnormality of the Human Sovereign Cauldron.
Now, Lu Changsheng had some clues.
Regardless of whether the spirit of the Human Sovereign Cauldron could understand or not, Lu Changsheng murmured as if talking to himself, “During the long process of its sealing, not only did the Evil Spirit not weaken, but it grew stronger day by day. Furthermore, the Evil Spirit tried to erode the two magical treasures—the Qing Emperor Sword and the Human Sovereign Cauldron—initially used by the Qing Emperor to suppress it, hoping to one day escape from the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum. You have noticed the intentions of the Evil Spirit, and also knew that the Qing Emperor Sword, which had direct contact with the Evil Spirit, was inevitably contaminated, but powerless to stop it, so to avoid ending up like the Qing Emperor Sword, you have been trying to leave the Qing Emperor Mausoleum.”
“Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Daoyu Demon Venerable came here, trying to obtain the treasures left by the Qing Emperor to confront the Heavenly Court. Originally, the Daoyu Demon Venerable couldn’t decipher the Ancient Formation left by the Qing Emperor, but out of selfish motives, you obstructed the operation of the Ancient Formation, deliberately letting the Daoyu Demon Venerable in, and were taken away by him.”
“However, once in the Demon Realm, you discovered that the united cultivators of the Human Race back then had now divided into two camps: the Immortal Realm and the Demon Realm. Moreover, the Daoyu Demon Venerable planned to annihilate you as the spirit of the cauldron, to completely refine the Human Sovereign Cauldron that served as a magical treasure, so you escaped from the Demon Realm again.”
“When you reached the Nine Nether Abyss between the Demon and Immortal Realms, you were already severely injured, so you hid inside my body, and continuously drew some of my True Qi to repair the cauldron body.”
“So, is my speculation correct or not?”
Lu Changsheng laid out the events, but the Human Sovereign Cauldron still did not show any response.
“You don’t need to reply. Since you are a spirit born from the Qing Emperor’s magical treasure, I won’t eradicate your existence like the Daoyu Demon Venerable did. You can continue to reside within my body, but in exchange, you must provide me protection whenever I am in danger. Understand?”
Lu Changsheng caressed the aged and simple body of the Human Sovereign Cauldron, soothing the cauldron’s emotions.
The Evil Spirit could erode the Qing Emperor’s magical treasures, and the Human Sovereign Cauldron must have been shocked when it discovered this.
If the Qing Emperor were to be resurrected, holding the Human Sovereign Cauldron, he might still suppress the Evil Spirit; however, with the Qing Emperor fallen, the Human Sovereign Cauldron as a magical treasure was powerless.
Knowing that the spirit of the Human Sovereign Cauldron was akin to a new life, Lu Changsheng decided not to refine this magical treasure, opting instead to form a contract with it.
Lu Changsheng could choose not to attempt refining it, but at critical moments, it had to actively protect Lu Changsheng.
This way, Lu Changsheng had an additional means to protect his life.
If the Human Sovereign Cauldron could even repel the Daoyu Demon Venerable, then encountering the Demon Lords of the Demon Realm in the future wouldn’t render Lu Changsheng powerless.
“Hmm.”
Contrary to Lu Changsheng’s expectations, the previously silent spirit of the Human Sovereign Cauldron responded!
And this spirit was even feminine.
As expected of Qing Emperor’s magical treasure, it has even developed a sense of consciousness.
Since the spirit had agreed, Lu Changsheng was able to use this magical treasure, albeit reluctantly.
This was a bit short of completely refining the magical treasure, but still better than nothing.
If he were to forcibly refine the Human Sovereign Cauldron, he would be no different from the Daoyu Demon Venerable, and the Human Sovereign Cauldron would most likely choose to escape.
After all, once a magical treasure develops a full autonomous consciousness, it becomes not much different from a person, seeking gains and avoiding losses, driven by the instinct to fear death and cherish life.
The Human Sovereign Cauldron chose to leave the Qing Emperor Mausoleum mainly out of fear of being eroded by the Evil Spirit.
Lu Changsheng could even feel that the spirit of the Human Sovereign Cauldron was always burdened with guilt.
Before the fall of the Qing Emperor, he left behind the Human Sovereign Cauldron and the Qing Emperor Sword to suppress the Evil Spirit, hoping that the lapse of long years would completely exhaust the Evil Spirit.
The moment the Human Sovereign Cauldron chose to be taken away by the Daoyu Demon Venerable, it had already gone against its master’s wishes.
The Human Sovereign Cauldron was no longer a mere magical treasure and could not be treated the same as other magical treasures.
“Master, that stone monument is still perfectly intact, truly miraculous. I wonder what material it is made of?”
Lu Qinglian drew everyone’s attention with her words.
The battle between Grand Preceptor Xu and the Evil Spirit had turned the underground palace of the Qing Emperor Mausoleum into ruins, and while everyone thought there was nothing to gain, they overlooked the still-standing enormous monument.
In front of the Qing Emperor Mausoleum stood a ninety-nine zhang tall giant monument inscribed with the words “Suppressing Evil,” still standing unyielded.
Everyone initially thought it was just an ordinary monument, but since the body of the mausoleum itself was destroyed and this monument remained undamaged, it was indeed beyond everyone’s expectations.
There must be something more to it!
Everyone present was an experienced cultivator, and they quickly sensed that there was something unusual about the stele.
The group approached the stele, which only had the words “Suppressing Evil” and no other inscriptions.
“What is so intriguing about this stele?”
Lu Changsheng, Yuexi, the Princess, Zuo Jianqing, Lin Qingzhi, and others tried hard to discern the peculiarities of the stele.
Mo Huazhi was captivated by the calligraphic charm of the words “Suppressing Evil”.
Daoist Earth Hound also circled the stele, trying to uncover any secrets it might hold.
“This appears to be just a simple stele…”
Lu Changsheng could not identify anything odd about the stele.
Isn’t it normal to have a stele in front of a tomb?
“Take this punch from me!”
Lu Qinglian, uninterested in conjecture, directly threw a punch at the stele.
“This is a stele of the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum, one must not offend the Qing Emperor…”
The Princess was about to stop him, but suddenly remembered that the mausoleum had been destroyed, and her argument seemed to lose its persuasiveness…
The moment Lu Qinglian’s fist hit the stele, ripples emanated from it, and Lu Qinglian actually merged into the stele.
“Hmm?”
Lu Changsheng, the Princess, Yuexi, and others exchanged glances; they had been examining it for so long, yet they accomplished less than action-oriented Lu Qinglian.
Yuexi reached out to touch the stele, but the sensation was icy cold, unable to penetrate the interior of the stele.
Lu Changsheng, the Princess, Lin Qingzhi, and others also couldn’t enter the stele.
“It seems this opportunity is greatly related to my disciple.”
Lu Changsheng roughly guessed that the stele had chosen Lu Qinglian, who inside, might possess the inheritance of the Qing Emperor.
If there were not precious things inside the stele, it wouldn’t be so sturdy.
“If your disciple could get the Qing Emperor’s inheritance, it’s unimaginable…”
Yuexi was even more astounded.
Lu Changsheng was already defying the heavens, and now his disciple seemed to do the same; if Lu Qinglian secured the Qing Emperor’s inheritance, the Human Race might have a new Great Emperor in the future.
“Seems like the second sister is really lucky.”
Shen Xiaoyao couldn’t help but express his feelings.
Since Lu Qinglian had entered inside the stele, Lu Changsheng and his group waited outside; meanwhile, Lu Changsheng casually searched for treasures among the ruins of the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum.
Lu Changsheng had the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator, he didn’t need to reward his disciples with intact items to receive rewards.
For instance, the last time Lu Changsheng gave his disciple an Ancient Scroll, he was able to retrieve a complete Qing Emperor Manuscript.
So Lu Changsheng scavenging through the ruins of the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum might yield some findings.
Broken pots, shattered tiles, and stone fragments, Lu Changsheng collected all into his Space Ring.
The Princess and Yuexi exchanged glances, not understanding why Lu Changsheng was scavenging here.
“I get it now, Daoist Lu has exceedingly high Comprehension, as long as he finds some manuscripts of the Qing Emperor in the ruins, he can deduce the complete manuscripts.”
The Princess came to a conclusion she believed in.
Thus, the Princess also joined in scavenging, hoping to find some fragments to then give to Lu Changsheng, who could then deduce the complete cultivation techniques and gift them back to her.
Last time, it was with Ancient Scroll fragments that Lu Changsheng deduced the Qing Emperor Manuscript.
“…”
Zuo Jianqing noticed the Princess scavenging all over the Qing Emperor’s Mausoleum and momentarily was at a loss for words.
Could they really recreate the complete cultivation technique with these broken copper and rotten iron?
“…”
Yuexi wasn’t sure whether she should join them or not.