Chapter 1409: The Most Precious Thing

He tried to subtly inquire, but no matter how he asked, the other party refused to answer. Zu'an understood that this matter likely involved great complexity, and it was understandable that they were unwilling to reveal everything.

“Then let’s change the question,” Zu'an asked curiously, “Why are the Taotie Devouring Heaven Art and the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture also from the White Emperor lineage? One is clearly from the Shang Dynasty and the other from the Zhou Dynasty. How are they connected to the White Emperor?”

“I’ve seen people from the White Emperor lineage use them, so of course I know they belong to the White Emperor,” the voice replied, sounding somewhat surprised, as if he had asked a foolish question. “In fact, distinguishing between the White Emperor and Black Emperor lineages is quite simple. The White Emperor lineage worships the phoenix, and their totems are often various birds transformed from the phoenix, while the Black Emperor lineage’s totem is the divine dragon.”

Hearing this, Zu'an thought to himself that it was no wonder dragons and phoenixes held such high status in his previous life's Chinese civilization; their origins lay here.

It went without saying that the Zhou Dynasty's cultivation technique, the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, had "phoenix" in its name.

As for the Shang Dynasty, he had spent a long time in the Yin Ruins previously and was very familiar with many things about the Shang Dynasty. Legend had it that the Shang Dynasty's ancestor was conceived after swallowing an egg of a Xuan Bird.

And the Xuan Bird was, of course, a phoenix.

At this point, Yan Xuehen couldn't help but ask, “According to your explanation, Senior, during Hou Yi’s heroic journey, he slew those terrifying fierce beasts. If those beasts are dead, how can one retrace his path?”

The voice explained, “You underestimate those fierce beasts. They were born from heaven and earth, nurtured by various negative emotions in the human realm. Even if killed, as long as there are diverse desires among humans, they will resurrect after a certain period. Calculating the time, it should be about their resurrection day now.”

Hearing his words, the group’s expressions immediately turned grave. They could resurrect? What kind of beings were these?

Yun Jianyue then asked, “Even if we complete your so-called heroic path, why would we obtain a divine artifact? I don't see any necessary connection between the two.”

“This is the law of this world,” the voice explained. “As long as you can retrace Hou Yi’s heroic path, you will gain the recognition of the world’s will and naturally obtain a divine artifact.”

“What kind of divine artifact is it?” Yu Yanluo asked worriedly. “From the story you told, if Yu were still alive, he would undoubtedly be incredibly powerful. How could a single divine artifact be enough to deal with him?”

“You needn't worry about that,” the voice replied. “With that divine artifact, you will gain the ability to deal with Yu. As for what it specifically is, please forgive me, but I cannot tell you now. You will know when the time comes.”

Zu'an thought to himself, 'Riddlers are truly annoying.' He then said, “But if we truly complete the task, and you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain, we’ll have no guarantee, will we?”

“If you can complete the task, you will have already gained the recognition of this world’s will and be holding a divine artifact,” the voice chuckled. “If you can even defeat Yu, how could you not be able to deal with me?”

Zu'an: “...” That made too much sense; he couldn't refute it.

“Senior, could you possibly come out and meet us?” Yun Jianyue, having come from the Demonic Cult and being accustomed to countless schemes, felt uneasy.

The voice sighed, “I wish I could come out, but a sealing formation here has me confined. With your current strength, forcing your way in would only cost you your lives for nothing. Just follow my instructions: first, embark on the heroic journey and gain the world’s will recognition before discussing anything else.”

The group exchanged glances. They had already suspected as much, having clearly sensed his immense power previously, yet he had never shown himself. Now their suspicions were confirmed.

Yan Xuehen's voice, transmitted via vital energy, rang out: “This cave dwelling is indeed covered in intricate rune formations. Both their power and profundity far surpass anything we saw earlier in the Demon Clan Imperial Mausoleum, truly beyond my current comprehension.”

Zu'an looked towards the continuous Mount Jiuyi and added, “Not only are there rune formations, but this cave also utilizes the surrounding mountain ranges and dragon veins as conduits, forming a formidable sealing array that draws upon the momentum of heaven and earth. Even the Demon Emperor or Zhao Hao, if suppressed inside, wouldn’t be able to escape.”

He had recently gained some insights from studying the *Elucidations on the Profound Essence of Heavenly Stems*, allowing him to faintly perceive the grand layout of mountains and rivers.

Seeing that their doubts had cleared, the voice began to explain Hou Yi’s heroic journey: “The first beast Hou Yi slew back then was Yayu...”

After listening to the explanation, Zu'an asked a few more questions, then said, “This junior will do his utmost, even to death, and will certainly not betray Senior’s trust.”

The expressions of the three women showed surprise; they hadn't expected him to agree so readily.

However, being composed, they didn't voice their doubts immediately, despite having them.

The voice conveyed a sense of great relief: “After so many years, I finally see the dawn of success, hahahaha! Heaven has indeed been kind to me.”

Zu'an seized the opportunity to say, “Since Senior is so pleased, why not bestow upon us some divine artifacts or immortal tools, or perhaps some unparalleled cultivation techniques? This would not only benefit us but also help us complete Senior’s task more effectively. It’s a win-win situation!”

The voice chuckled lightly: “You're quite the sly one, kid. But precisely because of that, I feel even more hopeful for your success. As for divine artifacts or immortal tools, I don't have any here. As for divine cultivation methods... I don't have those either.”

Zu'an: “???”

He had been excited by the first half of the sentence, only for his hopes to plummet with the sudden turn.

It was as if he recalled a passage from a Lu Xun text he had studied in his previous life: “There are two trees in my yard; one is a jujube tree, and the other is also a jujube tree.”

Does he not know that talking like that easily earns you a beating?

Seemingly sensing his resentment, the voice said, “My divine consciousness is incomplete, so I no longer remember cultivation methods or the like. Furthermore, my cultivation methods are related to my bloodline, so even if I did remember, you wouldn't be able to practice them.”

Zu'an thought to himself, 'That might not be true. After all, I have my cheat — the keyboard. Who knows, I might learn it instantly then.'

“You needn't be disappointed,” the voice consoled. “I have already given you the most precious thing.”

“How would I know that?” Zu'an asked, his expression strange. “Don't tell me the most precious thing is chastity; I certainly don't want that.”

The three women beside him blushed slightly. This guy was still as obnoxious as ever.

The voice: “...”

Shun’s Anger Value: 233,233,233...

Clearly, he was struggling to keep up with Zu'an’s thought process. “Hmph, of course not! It’s the ancient secrets I just told you. These have mostly been lost in the long river of history, and with those in power deliberately concealing things, hardly anyone knows the truth. By understanding these origins, you'll be able to see through the fog and find the truth when facing various situations in your upcoming tasks, which will help you complete your trials.”

Zu'an sighed, “Senior, you are the stingiest senior I’ve ever met in all these years.”

The reason he had deliberately spoken that way was to provoke the other party. After all, he hadn’t even seen their face, so how could he know if what they said was true or false?

Therefore, using his cheat, the keyboard, he had indeed detected that this was Shun’s soul power, which finally put his mind at ease.

“Hmph, ignorant boy,” the voice huffed in displeasure, clearly a little annoyed. “One day you will understand that no divine artifact or secret manual can compare to the value of what I told you today.”

Shun’s Anger Value: 250,250,250...

“Keep boasting,” Zu'an said dismissively. “I don't expect anything else, just remember your promise once this is done.”

There was no point in staying any longer, so he quickly led the women away from the place.

“A'Zu, do you really believe what he said?” Yu Yanluo asked worriedly. “And that Yu sounds like an extremely powerful being. Are we really going to provoke him?”

Although Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen didn't speak, their worried expressions were evident.

“Actually, I didn't take on this task because I believed his words,” Zu'an explained. “You haven't been to the Land of the Unknown before. Basically, every Land of the Unknown has something akin to a main quest. You must complete this quest to unlock the secret realm and have a chance to successfully leave; otherwise, only eternal perdition awaits you.”