Hearing Lin Li’s movents, the old man looked up, his face still showing undisguised curiosity and scrutiny. "Young friend, have you finished cultivating?"
Has he been watching for a while now?
Lin Li’s expression was still a bit stiff, but he then let out a small sigh of relief. From this reaction, it seed that the old man had no malice towards him.
At least not for now.
So he nodded and politely inquired, "Sir, you are...?"
"My Taoist na is Shan Qing, you can call Shanqing Daoist." The old man stroked his beard and smiled.
"Greetings, Shanqing Daoist, I am... Lin Li."
Lin Li initially considered introducing himself as Bai Bufan, but thought better of it. This Old Deng might have so ability to see through falsehoods, and if he lied and was found out, his impression points would imdiately plumt.
Better to be honest.
"It’s a pleasure to et you too, young friend Lin Li. How did you enter this forbidden land? Could it be that this place is now connected to the outside world?"
Shanqing Daoist stepped forward and appeared just two ters in front of Lin Li, his eyes filled with even more curiosity:
"Your robe style is novel, and the stitching is even finer than that of the Celestial Craft Workshop, yet it has no hint of Daoist charm or mysterious qualities. Or is it that my old eyes are too dim to see?"
He was probably referring to the protective suit he wore.
"And these items, why have I never seen them before? Has the outside world transford so drastically in the past century?" The old man pointed at the scattered materials on the ground and pursued,
"Your people, your karmic connections, I can’t see them at all..."
"Shanqing Daoist..."
The unexpected situation left Lin Li montarily speechless as he had no plan in place.
In such circumstances, where there’s no ti to concoct a story, the best solution is to speak the truth:
"I am not from this world, nor am I from the outside world you speak of. The reason I could co here is due to a sort of... innate divine power."
"What do you an by not being from this world? Are you an Outer Heaven Demon? But how could an Outer Heaven Demon be so weak?"
The old man was even more perplexed upon hearing this, his eyes filled with doubt.
"Shanqing Daoist, you should have noticed that these items, while mundane, are completely different from what you’re familiar with. These are things I’ve brought from my world. You can understand it as... I co from a completely isolated Grotto Heaven Blessed Land."
"Moreover, in my Grotto Heaven, the logic of the Heavenly Dao is completely different from what you know, and there is no Spiritual Qi in the heavens and earth..."
Lin Li attempted to explain in a way the old man could understand.
Listening to Lin Li’s explanation, Shanqing Daoist fell into thought, then uncertainly confird:
"So, you ascended from a purely mortal world to our world, is that correct?"
"That’s about the gist of it. My divine power is ascension, and this place, which you call the forbidden land, is the point of my ascension. This is not sothing I can choose, and if my presence has disturbed you, I apologize."
Lin Li nodded and then apologized.
"No need to apologize. This is not truly my domain, and besides, ascending to this place is perhaps your misfortune. You should have noticed that this land is desolate and devoid of life," Shanqing Daoist shook his head:
"If you can’t practice Avoiding Grain currently, rely relying on the supplies you brought would make survival challenging."
"Shanqing Daoist, my innate divine power enables to return, so that’s not a concern." Lin Li thought for a mont and decided to speak up.
"You can return? Such a miraculous divine power that allows one to traverse between worlds is unheard of." Shanqing Daoist raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Especially in this forbidden land where the great laws are eroded. It stands to reason that outsiders cannot enter, and those inside cannot leave. Are you truly certain you can return?"
"I’ve returned before, and shortly I can demonstrate it for you."
"Can’t you demonstrate it now?"
"My divine power has certain limits; it requires ti." Lin Li did not want to squander the opportunity.
"A divine power capable of breaking through this place’s chaos..." Seeing Lin Li so confident, as if he had actually returned before, made Shanqing Daoist’s eyes light up, "Can it carry others or objects?"
"It can only carry objects, and they must be entirely lifeless. Even deceased living things cannot be carried." Lin Li shook his head, "If you doubt, you’ll soon be able to see and verify."
Lin Li had tested this last ti; the rule for carrying objects in this world was the sa as in the apocalypse world. Fresh at could be brought here, but not taken back.
However, he had not tested it with things placed inside the "Qiankun Ring" because Lin Li was worried he might end up leaving the "Qiankun Ring" in this world.
"That seems reasonable... great power always cos with restrictions." Shanqing Daoist nodded upon hearing this but couldn’t hide his disappointnt.
"So, Shanqing Daoist, are you trapped here?" Lin Li took advantage of the pause in conversation to steer it in another direction, trying to obtain information by interrogating Shanqing Daoist.
"Yes and no. Although you can see now, I am actually already dead."
"Are you Yang Jian?"
"Who is this?"
"Never mind, please continue."
...
Shanqing Daoist did not hold back much as he briefly explained to Lin Li his background and that of the place they were in.
This forbidden land has no na; a hundred years ago, it was the ultimate battlefield for the human vs. demon war.
A classic deadly battle persisted for years, so much so that the great Dao was truly eroded.
In the end, the result was a pyrrhic victory for the human race; the powerful mbers of the Demon Race were killed, their remnant souls suppressed and ground away. But achieving all this ca at the cost of Shanqing Daoist and two other human auras sacrificing their mortal flesh and lives, using their bodies to imprison and erode the remnant souls.
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