Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Ancient Taoist Stele
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Under the azure sky, mountains stretched on endlessly, with odd peaks standing tall, verdant and precipitous, shrouded in mist and fog.
Even on clear, sunny days without a hint of rain, one’s clothes would still get damp in the depths of the clouds.
Inner Mountain Gate.
The core territory of the Cloud Sun Sect!
A small winding path meandered forward, disappearing into the depths of the fog.
At the roadside stood a majestic stone stele with two large characters inscribed on it: “Cloud Sun”.
The calligraphy was bold and unrestrained, brimming with the charm of the Tao.
It was mesmerizing to behold!
Wang Chen, carrying a basket of Spirit Peaches, arrived in front of the mountain gate’s stone stele.
The Mysterious Turtle that Wang Chen was looking for lay quietly next to the stele, its eyes closed, sound asleep!
The turtle was huge, with a dark yellow shell that rose high.
It resembled a small hill!
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And when Wang Chen approached the Mysterious Turtle.
It suddenly opened its eyes and exhaled a heavy breath through its nostrils: “Hmm～”
It sniffed vigorously.
Wang Chen respectfully bowed: “Junior Wang Chen pays respect to the Elder Mysterious Turtle!”
This Mysterious Turtle was older than any cultivator in the Cloud Sun Sect, having guarded the entrance to the Inner Mountain Gate for a thousand years.
It could not be regarded as a mere monster beast.
“The peaches are good.”
The Mysterious Turtle opened its mouth, from which a thunderous rumble sounded.
It was like rolling thunder.
Wang Chen immediately offered the Spirit Peaches: “I’m glad the elder likes them.”
The Mysterious Turtle inhaled, and plump, juicy peaches from the basket flew straight into its mouth.
It swallowed them all at once.
After eating, it smacked its lips: “Remember to bring more next time.”
Before Wang Chen could reply, the turtle inquired: “Are you here to retrieve Wang Shaoyuan’s storage bag?”
Wang Chen nodded: “Yes.”
His heartbeat suddenly quickened by two beats.
Lv Defang had always suspected that Wang Shaoyuan had encountered a great fortune when exploring the Secret Realm years ago.
He held onto that suspicion, even developing a heart demon because of it.
But despite all his efforts, he failed to pry the secret from the former owner.
Now, Wang Chen felt that he was about to find the answer!
“Your aura is correct.”
The Mysterious Turtle spoke sluggishly: “There’s also no third person around, meeting the conditions for retrieving the item.”
It spat out a small Storage Bag.
Wang Chen quickly bowed: “Thank you, elder!”
He reached out to take the Storage Bag into his hand, planning to open it after returning.
“Give the Storage Bag back to me.”
Just as Wang Chen turned to leave, he was called back by the Mysterious Turtle: “That’s mine!”
Dizzy!
Wang Chen had no choice but to channel mana into the Storage Bag, only to find it empty.
Apart from a letter, there was none of the treasured items he had imagined!
To say Wang Chen wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed would be a lie.
But he was not so mentally unbalanced by this.
What’s meant to be will come, what’s not won’t come no matter how hard you try!
Wang Chen’s luck was already good enough.
Tucking away the letter, he returned the Storage Bag to the Mysterious Turtle.
After swallowing it, the turtle closed its eyes again, sinking back into deep sleep.
Wang Chen did not return to his home.
He went once more to the residence in Cloud Mountain City.
Even though he hadn’t found the treasure, the letter was still immensely important to Wang Chen.
Because it could very well completely resolve the grievance of the original soul’s residual spirit.
And normalize Wang Chen’s Divine Soul attribute!
Sitting in the room where the original owner had once lived, Wang Chen opened the letter left by Wang Shaoyuan.
Inside were three sheets of paper, densely written upon.
Wang Shaoyuan’s handwriting was excellent, each stroke carrying an edge of sharpness.
Yet between the lines, Wang Chen read a sense of heaviness and resoluteness!
Word by word, he took nearly the time of a stick of incense to finish reading the entire content of the letter.
…
Seven years prior, Wang Shaoyuan and Lv Defang, along with others, had teamed up to explore Heaven Cloud Mountain but accidentally stumbled into a Secret Realm.
The team suffered heavy casualties within the Secret Realm, and in the end, only the two of them were lucky enough to escape alive.
Just as Lv Defang had guessed, Wang Shaoyuan did come across a treasure during the exploration.
A simple, small monument.
After returning to the Cloud Sun Sect, Wang Shaoyuan consulted countless books and documents.
At last, he suspected that he had entered the “Azure Drop Heaven” Secret Realm.
The Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm was rumored to have been created by an ancient Power Man.
Due to a heavenly anomaly, it fell from the Upper Realm into the Mountain and Sea Realm, where it was later occupied by the Many Treasures Taoist.
This Many Treasures Taoist was extremely famous.
Not only was he a Nascent Soul True Immortal, but he was also a grandmaster in the field of Artifact Refining.
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Apart from refining magical treasures himself, Many Treasures Taoist also liked to collect all kinds of spiritual artifacts and magical treasures, and he would even resort to forcibly seizing them by any means necessary, eventually hiding them all in the secret realm of Azure Drop Heaven.
A thousand years later, Many Treasures Taoist no longer appeared in the world, and it was not known whether he had ascended or entered eternal meditation.
Without its master, the Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm would appear and disappear intermittently, each time emerging in a different location.
When this secret realm appeared, its portal would open to the outside at the same time.
Those cultivators who happened upon the portal by sheer coincidence could enter to explore and hunt for treasures.
The area of the Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm was vast.
Not only were treasures collected by Many Treasures Taoist sealed within, but there were also countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Left for those destined!
Most special of all, the secret realm was equipped with powerful prohibitions.
The higher a cultivator’s realm, the more severe the suppression they would experience inside!
Only Qi Cultivators were completely unaffected.
However, the secret realm was inhabited by a large number of fiendish entities and puppet beasts refined by Many Treasures Taoist.
Thus, it was extremely dangerous.
Still, there were always some Qi Cultivators who accidentally entered the Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm and emerged lucky, having acquired treasures.
Wang Shaoyuan was one of these fortunate individuals!
After learning the origin of the secret realm, he then painstakingly researched the archaic stele he had acquired.
Although he could not ascertain the provenance of this object, Wang Shaoyuan could be certain that it was no ordinary treasure.
Then, he had an idea.
Wang Shaoyuan found a “Life Consignment Storage” Dharma Technique and, regardless of the cost to his own cultivation level and lifespan, concealed the ancient stele within the body of young Wang Chen, connecting it with the latter’s Divine Soul and bloodline!
The Life Consignment Storage Method belongs to the unique techniques of “Artifact Cultivators”.
Its principle was to entrust the lifeblood and Root Bone of a cultivator to a magic artifact.
Relying on the magic artifact to raise the limit of one’s cultivation level.
To achieve the effect of bone reversal and life transformation!
For example, if a cultivator’s Root Bone limit was at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation.
If he used this method to store a Spiritual Artifact inside his body, then it would be possible for him to Breakthrough Mansion!
However, the Life Consignment Storage Method had various downsides, and even Artifact Cultivators seldom employed it, with very few being aware of it.
Because they had a better choice—Life-bound Magical Artifact!
Wang Shaoyuan also found the introduction in a book and went to great lengths to acquire the technique.
The reason he did this was out of sheer necessity.
Young Wang Chen had inherited his mother’s “Spirit Withering Disease,” and thus was born with dull aptitude; moreover, after being examined by a physician, he was likely not to live past thirty years old!
“Spirit Withering Disease” was extremely difficult to cure, unless a Nascent Soul True Immortal took action to help reverse and transform his fate.
Where could Wang Shaoyuan find a Nascent Soul True Immortal!
Having no other choice, he pinned his hopes on the Life Consignment Storage Method and the archaic stele from the Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm.
As a result, Wang Shaoyuan succeeded and failed.
The consignment of the archaic stele was successful.
But as a consequence, young Wang Chen fell severely ill, suffered a great loss of vitality, and had his lifespan shortened.
The physicians predicted he would not live past seventeen!
Wang Shaoyuan was overwhelmed by guilt and resolutely decided to enter Heaven Cloud Mountain again in search of the Azure Drop Heaven Secret Realm.
Because only then,
Could he find the heavenly materials and earthly treasures to extend young Wang Chen’s life!
Before leaving, Wang Shaoyuan arranged everything.
If Wang Shaoyuan returned with heavenly materials and earthly treasures, then young Wang Chen would not see this letter.
If he did not return, and young Wang Chen lived to eighteen and received the letter from the Mysterious Turtle,
It would mean that young Wang Chen had already survived the crisis.
Then he could die with his eyes closed!
At the end of this letter, Wang Shaoyuan encouraged young Wang Chen to bravely continue living a good life.
He and his wife would be watching from the heavens.
…
At this moment, Wang Chen was already in tears.
In this letter, there was a condensation of Wang Shaoyuan’s deepest fatherly love for the original owner of the body.
This kind of protection, willingly given at the expense of one’s life, also completely melted the original soul’s last bit of attachment towards his father.
Wang Chen felt it very clearly.
The remnant soul of the original host was dissipating, or rather, merging with him.
[Divine Soul +1]
[Divine Soul: 15]
In an instant, it seemed as if a light suddenly shone into the deepest part of Wang Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.
An archaic stele sprang into sight!
He understood.
Completely understood!
And it was during the activation of this stele that the original host’s soul had scattered.
Wang Chen, who had crossed over while staying up late and playing games, had taken over the body!
The next moment.
The ancient stele in the Sea of Consciousness burst forth with thousands of rays of light.
On its front surface suddenly appeared three golden and dazzling characters: Ancient Taoist.
Its true name—Ancient Taoist Stele!
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