The space inside the cave dwelling was spacious but spartan, with no furnishings besides a stone bed and a stone table.
As Luo Xiu stepped into the cave hall, his eyes imdiately fell upon the stone table. On it lay a book and a diamond-shaped, glowing jade stone.
The mont Luo Xiu's hand touched the jade, it began to glow and heat up. A beam of spirit light suddenly shot out from it, transforming in the air into the phantom of a man.
He was an old man, his face etched with the passage of ti, yet he appeared hale and hearty. His eyes, sharp as torches, held the profound weight of ages.
Luo Xiu was startled for a mont, then bowed to the phantom. "Disciple pays his respects to Master."
This phantom was none other than Luo Xiu's revered master and the founder of Ghost Valley, the Ghost Sword Heavenly Emperor, Guijian Chou.
"Alright, you little rascal, drop the formal act with ."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu laughed heartily. He glanced around the simple cave dwelling and asked with a grin, "Are you telling all you left was this jade stone and this sword manual? Nothing else?"
Guijian Chou replied, "Our Ghost Valley has always been frugal. We put our resources where they are truly needed, such as in war."
Luo Xiu fell silent for a mont before saying seriously, "I have many questions."
"Your master has a rough idea of what you want to know." Guijian Chou's form drifted. "However, this wisp of Divine Sense I left behind doesn't have much ti, so let's make this brief."
Luo Xiu plopped down on the nearby stone bed. "You talk, I'll listen."
Floating back and forth before Luo Xiu like a true ghost, Guijian Chou began, "First, about your origins."
"All I know is that you were the Azure Emperor who appeared out of nowhere in the Three Thousand Worlds of the Upper Realm, hailing from the Luo Family of the Lingtian Plateau. But I'm sure you already know by now that you aren't truly a mber of the Luo Family, but an orphan they found."
Luo Xiu nodded.
"According to my analysis," Guijian Chou continued, "you must have co from sowhere in the Celestial Realm. It was the Construct Wood on the Lingtian Plateau that allowed you to pass through the spatial barrier and descend into the Upper Realm."
Luo Xiu asked, "Then what is my relationship with the Creation Green Lotus?"
Guijian Chou shook his head slightly. "To be honest, that is sothing even I have never figured out. Perhaps you share a symbiotic relationship, or perhaps your birth parents left it with you for your protection."
After a short pause, Luo Xiu said, "Actually, I'm not too concerned about my origins right now. Old man, tell about the Six Emperors creating a god."
Guijian Chou heaved a long sigh. "The Six Emperors created a god for one purpose: to annihilate The Void."
Luo Xiu frowned slightly. "I've heard the Emperor of Calamity Extermination ntion The Void."
"The god created through the blood sacrifice of countless lives from various eras is what we call 'Asura'," Guijian Chou explained. "But Asura's Divine Soul and Divine Power are incredibly difficult to command, even for one who possesses a Divine Body."
He then fixed his gaze on Luo Xiu. "Only you can command it."
"Back then, after your defeat in the Boundless Heavens, you fell into the Kunlun Ancient Realm to recover. When I found you later, you agreed to inherit Asura, so we traveled to the Tomb of Civilization together."
"And after that?" Luo Xiu asked.
"At that ti, Asura was incomplete and hadn't even developed a full divinity. So, you sacrificed your own soul to suppress and rge with the imnse resentnt from the countless beings sealed within the sword. That is how 'Dream and Asura' was ultimately created."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu's gaze wavered. "I sacrificed my own soul?"
"Precisely," Guijian Chou affird. "It is because you sacrificed your soul that you lost your mories."
"Under the circumstances, my only choice was to revert you to the state of an infant, preserving a single wisp of your soul fire so that you could be reborn."
Luo Xiu was quiet for a mont, then asked, "Then who was the one who orchestrated the Great Calamity of the Land?"
"Behind the Great Calamity of the Land," Guijian Chou stated, "is The Void."
"Its purpose was to use you as a pawn, sacrificing the beings of the New Era to bring Asura into the world. Then, it would refine you after your ascension to godhood and seize your Divine Power and Divine Soul."
Luo Xiu said, "Back then, there was a man who looked identical to you."
"Correct. That was my Void Entity. As you suspected, I too was corrupted by The Void."
"My Void Entity was the mastermind behind the Great Calamity of the Land because he understood that the only thing in this world capable of threatening The Void was Asura."
"At the sa ti, he was enthralled by Asura's power and sought to claim it for himself."
"As for that Luo Hao, he was nothing more than an ambitious pawn who was unwilling to remain a pawn."
"What exactly is The Void?" Luo Xiu asked.
Guijian Chou shook his head with a light sigh. "If we knew what The Void was, we wouldn't have been so passive over these countless ages, losing generation after generation of our people."
"Little Mule, you are the only one in this world unaffected by The Void. Perhaps your very arrival was for the sake of its destruction."
"Years ago, the Ancient Ten Emperors of the Upper Realm, who were like brothers to you, sought to uncover the truth of The Void. They willingly faced death to question it, sending their souls into the Mysterious Central Realm to probe the very end of the Starry Sky Ancient Path."
"Perhaps when your Mysterious Central Realm returns, the Ten Emperors will bring back intelligence about The Void."
"And what is the Mysterious Central Realm?" Luo Xiu questioned.
"It is a small world you created, but I do not know the specifics."
"Luo Xiu, my ti is almost up… We will be waiting for you in the future, ready to fight by your side."
"This jade stone is called the Cave Heavens Talisman. It can contain the entire Ghost Valley Mountain. From now on, carry it with you."
"This sword manual contains the Ghost Valley Supre Knowledge, including a Divine Skill."
"From this day forward, Ghost Valley is yours."
"One more thing. If you get the chance, go to the twelfth level of the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven. There is a Wordless Stele there. It should be sothing left for you by an Ancient God."
After a long while, Luo Xiu closed the sword manual, stood up, and walked out of the cave dwelling.
Lao Ba, who had been waiting patiently outside, hurried over to him. "Hehe, how was it, Young Master? Did His Majesty pass down the Ghost Valley Supre Knowledge to you?"
Luo Xiu nodded lightly.
Lao Ba imdiately bowed his head. "This subordinate greets the Crown Prince!"
"Crown Prince?"
"Ah, you may not know, Crown Prince, but the title of the Ghost Sword Heavenly Emperor is not passed down by bloodline, but through ntorship."
"Since His Majesty passed this sword manual to you, it ans he has nad you his successor, the Crown Prince."
"Your Highness, you must study it diligently! If you master this, you'll be able to roam the Celestial Realm uncontested!"
"I've already learned it," Luo Xiu stated plainly.
"What?" Lao Ba's eyes widened in shock. "You've learned it all in just this short amount of ti?"
A faint smile touched Luo Xiu's lips. "I still need to test it out in a real fight, though."
…
By the ti Luo Xiu returned to the wooden pavilion, Luo Xian and Luo Qingxian had fully absorbed the dicinal power of the chicken soup.
"Taoist Ao," Luo Xian said, "thank you for the chicken soup. Not only are my injuries healed, but I also feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough."
Luo Xiu scratched his head. "Well, to be honest, we're quite poor here in Ghost Valley and don't have many other treasures. As for the sword techniques on those steles, if you're interested, I can make copies for you later."
The two won were taken aback by his words. In the Cultivation World, where techniques are jealously guarded, Luo Xiu was willing to share these Supre Sword Techniques with outsiders.
Luo Qingxian replied, "There's no need. The truth is, no matter how powerful a sword technique is, it can be harmful if it doesn't align with one's own Sword Dao. Practicing it could throw one's Dao Heart into chaos."
"That's true," Luo Xiu nodded in agreent.
Luo Xian smiled sweetly. "But we could still learn a thing or two by observing. So, if we have the chance, we'd love to spar with Taoist Ao and ask for pointers."
Luo Xiu chuckled. "No need for such formality. We can simply learn from each other. You two fairies must co from distinguished backgrounds yourselves; I'm sure you possess many Unique Arts."
He then added, "It looks like the grotto heaven will be closing soon. Why don't you two head back first and focus on your breakthroughs?"
Luo Qingxian frowned slightly. "Yang Ju and his group won't let this go. What will you do after we leave?"
Luo Xiu gave a relaxed smile. "Don't worry. Even if I can't beat them, I can still run, can't I?"
"Worst case, I'll just stay away from the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven for a while."
"In any case, I'm not so stubborn as to clash with them head-on."
…
Shortly thereafter, after watching the two fairies activate their spells and depart from the Divine Oracle Cave Heaven, Luo Xiu turned gracefully and walked toward the wooden pavilion.
Sorry, but I am actually quite stubborn.
Perched on Luo Xiu's shoulder, Lao Ba shook his head smugly, his two beady eyes gleaming with wisdom. "You did that on purpose, didn't you, Crown Prince? They wouldn't have left with peace of mind if you hadn't said that."
"Heh, I, Lao Ba, am a genius for figuring that out."
Standing before the wooden pavilion, Luo Xiu took out the Cave Heavens Talisman. Silently activating the spell within it, he announced, "Lao Ba, Black Fatty, pack it up! We're going down the mountain to take care of them!"
…
In an instant, the entirety of Ghost Valley Mountain vanished as if it had evaporated. Standing in the middle of a vast wasteland, Luo Xiu looked around in a daze, then glanced down at the Cave Heavens Talisman in his hand. "This Jade Talisman is truly miraculous."
"You bet it is!" Lao Ba declared proudly. "That thing holds the entire might of Ghost Valley Mountain. You can use it as a weapon to smash people, and its power is terrifying."
"How terrifying?" Luo Xiu asked.
Black Fatty licked his paw. "Why not try it and see?"
Luo Xiu slowly tilted his head back, his gaze rising to the sky where a colossal airship was steadily flying toward them. Surrounding the airship were nurous massive Fierce Beasts.
He weighed the Cave Heavens Talisman in his hand. "On this tenth level, I can only use the strength of the Mahayana Realm. So, you two handle the native Fierce Beasts. As for the people… I'll take care of them."
With that, he swung his arm in a great arc and hurled the Cave Heavens Talisman at the approaching airship.
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