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Chapter 556: The Unbelievable Truth!
Chapter 556: The Unbelievable Truth!
On February 14th, 2025, in a fleeting moment, a desire from the depths of his bloodline surged like towering waves, relentlessly battering Qin Zheng's sense of reason, almost rendering him incapable of maintaining his composure.
However, just as a thought of seizing emerged in his mind, a sense of illusory helplessness, akin to popping a bubble, instantly calmed him down.
At this moment, while he could physically experience everything around him, this place was merely a memory illusion, a predetermined scene from the past, not a real-time occurrence.
Moreover, as he couldn't control the current body, he couldn't seize the JingXue. Qin Zheng suppressed his desire and quickly scanned his surroundings.
He found himself in a dim cave with numerous dim passages in every direction, resembling honeycomb cavities. The scent of blood that almost overwhelmed his reason emanated from these passages.
Standing in the cave, he was accompanied by eight other silhouettes, all of whom were heavenly prodigies from the memory illusion. A middle-aged man stood opposite them.
"You nine are the most outstanding heavenly prodigies of our Tianyuan Clan. You will represent our clan in the upcoming Ten Thousand Clans Grand Competition!"
The middle-aged man's voice remained solemn, unaffected by the nine's successful trials.
Upon hearing this, Qin Zheng immediately felt a surge of excitement, knowing it wasn't his emotion but that of the body's owner.
The other eight shared the same feeling.
To them, representing the Tianyuan Clan in the competition seemed like the ultimate honor, causing even the nine Ling Gu Realm cultivators to struggle to control their emotions.
The middle-aged man, seeing their reactions, nodded in satisfaction, then softened his tone, "The Ancient Clans are the children of the heavens, blessed with top-tier innate talent and fengyun."
"Therefore, in the competition, there will be heavenly prodigies beyond common imagination. Although our Tianyuan Clan ranks outside the top hundred, it once belonged to the Ji Gu Realm's great clans."
"This time, after a millennium of deliberation, the clan elders have decided to open the ancestral mausoleum for you to seek opportunities. See if you can receive help from our ancestors and undergo another transformation before the competition!"
As the middle-aged man finished speaking, Qin Zheng felt his 'body' becoming even more excited, an emotion more intense than before.
"However..."
"I must clarify something first."
The middle-aged man's voice echoed again, his gaze sweeping over the nine, lingering briefly on 'Qin Zheng', then continuing, "Opportunities are elusive and uncertain. We cannot guarantee you'll gain anything."
"The Tianyuan Clan's ancestral mausoleum is a transformation of the Ji Gu Realm ancestors' divine weapons, designed to prevent prying eyes from our clan's inheritance. It's filled with countless changes, and even our elders cannot pinpoint the extinction sites of each ancestor."
"So, within the mausoleum, you might find astonishing treasures, such as the Dao Gu Realm ancestors' inheritance insights or their remaining artifacts. But you might also gain nothing, wasting your time."
"But now, I offer you a choice."
As the middle-aged man finished this sentence, Qin Zheng felt his 'self' becoming tense, and the man continued, "The reason we selected nine of you for this competition..."
"...is that our clan elders have located the extinction sites of nine Shen Gu Realm ancestors. If you make your own choices, I can provide the location information, allowing you to directly receive their inheritance."
"Of course, by doing so, you'll only obtain the Shen Gu Realm inheritance, missing the elusive Dao Gu Realm inheritance and the even more elusive Ji Gu Realm inheritance!"
"But it also eliminates the risk of gaining nothing."
"I'll give you half an hour to consider. After that, inform me of your decisions."
After speaking, the middle-aged man sat down, his eyes closing as if in deep meditation, and the cave became eerily quiet.
Qin Zheng once again felt his 'self's' emotions shift from tension to hesitation. Vague thoughts flooded his mind, allowing him to perceive his 'self's' intentions more clearly.
While the Dao Gu and Ji Gu inheritances were undoubtedly more powerful than the Shen Gu inheritance, the chances of finding them were significantly lower.
After all, the higher the realm, the fewer its practitioners, and there was only one Ji Gu Realm practitioner, the Tianyuan Clan's ancestor.
The Shen Gu Legacy was a sure thing, and all it took was a choice to obtain it. Although it wasn't as prestigious as the Dao Gu or Ji Gu Legacies, it would still grant them a significant boost and transformation.
As long as they performed exceptionally in the Ten Thousand Clans Grand Competition, and if they didn't receive the Dao Gu Legacy as a reward, those who ranked within the top hundred would even have a chance to obtain the Ji Gu Legacy!
Therefore, the current choice should be made in preparation for the upcoming competition rather than for their future cultivation path.
Half a moment later, when the middle-aged man opened his eyes and stood up, six Tian Yuan Clan prodigies stepped forward, opting for the safer Shen Gu Legacy.
What surprised Qin Zheng was that, according to his perception, his body's original intention was also to choose the secure Shen Gu Legacy.
But at the last moment, for some unknown reason, his body changed its mind, stood still, and chose a different path.
However, the 'self' should have ultimately acquired the Shen Gu Legacy; otherwise, what appeared during the purification of the wrapping cloth wouldn't have been the Shen Gu Legacy but the Dao Gu or even the Ji Gu Legacy.
Qin Zheng thought to himself.
The middle-aged man slowly nodded, and his gaze swept past the six prodigies who had chosen the safe option before landing on the three who had chosen a different path. He spoke solemnly, "I'll remind you one last time."
"Choosing the Shen Gu Legacy is a sure thing, but seeking opportunities on your own may lead to nothing. Are you sure you want to find your own path?"
"Yes!"
As the man's voice fell, three voices echoed simultaneously, resonating with unwavering determination within the vast cave.
"Good!"
The middle-aged man nodded and waved his hand. Among the countless cavities around them, nine glowed brighter, and the scent of blood became more intense.
"You cannot choose these nine locations; the rest are yours to decide."
Qin Zheng was slightly surprised by this.
There were only six people choosing among the nine Shen Gu Legacy sites, leaving three unclaimed. However, the man's action effectively reduced the choices for the remaining three.
After all, the remaining three were only gambling on a chance, not rejecting the Shen Gu Legacy sites.
Qin Zheng didn't quite understand the man's behavior, but 'self' and the other two had no objections. After a slight nod, they chose one of the cavities based on their feelings and transformed into streams of light, rushing into it.
The vast cave receded into the distance, and the quiet passage filled their vision. Qin Zheng still couldn't understand why 'self' had suddenly changed its mind and made a different choice.
Just then—
"Who are you?"
'Self' stopped, turned around, and looked back at the dim passage, confirming that no one else was there. Then, with a heavy tone, he asked, "Who are you?"
Qin Zheng, who had been pondering the reason for 'self's change of heart, was startled by this question. His heart skipped a beat, and his mind quickly calmed and focused.
He could sense that the question was directed at him!
There was no one else in this quiet passage!
Qin Zheng remained silent, even suppressing his mental activities, instantly entering a state of no thoughts or desires.
However, 'self' didn't stop questioning. He spoke again, as if to himself, "My later thirteen talents are not bad, but I believe my greatest strength lies in maintaining a calm and focused mind."
"But every time you appear, I get scolded by the elders for having an impure mind, which is impossible for me!"
"During my cultivation, I've been pondering why I get distracted at specific moments. After carefully reflecting on the differences between those times and my usual state, I realized something was amiss."
"It's because you descended into my body, and your will interfered with my mind, causing my distraction. That's the root of the problem!"
"Although your interference is limited, at most, it makes me look at unnecessary places, but for me, it's extremely dangerous!"
Not a single mistake, not a single word, not a single breath, not a single look, not a single book, not a single glance!
"But since you don't stay long each time and haven't harmed me, I've kept your presence a secret. Otherwise, if I inform my clan's ancient Dao ancestors about you, they'll surely extract you from my body and refine you!"
The voice of Later Thirteen was calm and certain, as if he had no doubts about his guess, directly confirming Qin Zheng's existence.
Even as he finished his last sentence with a hinting threat, silence once again enveloped the quiet passageway.
After several breaths, Hou Shi San's brows furrowed slightly, and he spoke again, "You need not think that by not responding, you can hide from me. The moment you descended upon me, I realized you had arrived."
"Though I don't know who you are or why you silently entered my body, I won't just sit and wait for death!"
"Today, within our ancestral mausoleum, there are jigu dao-soldiers watching over us. Either you are strong enough to occupy my body, or I'll summon the jigu dao-soldiers to slay you!"
"I'll give you ten breaths. After that, I want a response!"
Hou Shi San began counting down immediately after his declaration:
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"...Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
As the final second of the countdown echoed, Qin Zheng sighed inwardly and attempted to communicate through mental transmission, "I mean no harm. I just..."
"Is there no response? Did I guess wrong?" Hou Shi San's muttering broke the silence, causing Qin Zheng's heart to skip a beat, but it also eased his mind.
Hou Shi San's unwavering tone and the events he described matched Qin Zheng's descents into his body, making him believe they were real.
This meant that the Scroll of Merit didn't just allow him to witness a memory but had transported his consciousness across time and space, directly into Hou Shi San's body in the 'present'! The former was like reading a book, passively observing past events, while the latter had the potential to interfere with and influence the past, and it was the ancient clan's past!
Qin Zheng's thoughts raced.
Just then, Hou Shi San spoke, "Never mind."
His voice echoed as he continued to rush deeper into the quiet passageway. Moments later, he entered a spacious cave, also riddled with cavities, and followed his senses into another dim passage.
Countless choices and paths unfolded before him.
During this repetitive process, Qin Zheng's thoughts drifted back to the previous question.
Hou Shi San... Did he sense my presence? If he didn't notice the changes in his body, why did he test me earlier? But if he did perceive my presence, even if it's a faint awareness, it signifies a vastly different and significant meaning! What can I do to benefit the future or prevent the emergence of the Curse Power?
Countless complex thoughts flooded Qin Zheng's mind, and he meticulously sorted through the information he had, optimizing and eliminating possibilities, planning his next course of action.
At this moment, both Hou Shi San and Qin Zheng were immersed in their thoughts until they entered another cave and saw a figure sitting composedly in the center.
A surge of ecstatic joy awakened Qin Zheng from his deep contemplation, and he, too, saw the figure in the cave.
It was a figure as massive as a mountain, wrapped in an unknown giant beast hide, exuding a formidable aura that inspired trembling fear.
Even in death, the aura emanating from this figure was far more potent than that of the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was in the Divine Ancient Realm! Qin Zheng instantly assessed the man's cultivation level, as he was almost cliff-like in strength compared to the heavenly prodigies of the Divine Ancient Realm.
The aura emanating from this figure was also cliff-like in its superiority to the middle-aged man.
At the same time, Hou Shi San's eyes gleamed as he stared at the figure, his heart filled with intense joy, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's true! Just as the legends and records say!"
"When that ethereal will descends upon one, it greatly enhances their fengyun, allowing them to encounter great opportunities that were previously unimaginable!"
"My guess was right!"
(End of Chapter)
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