Chapter 275: The Last Battle Before the Four Ancient Immortals Achieved the Dao

"Did the culprit confess?" Lu Yang asked subconsciously.

Immortal Fairy was confused by Lu Yang's question. "How would I know if the culprit confessed? Nine Heavens Immortal must be exhausted from interrogating them and needs to eat to rejuvenate."

"Let's see what ingredients are left in storage," Immortal Fairy hummed a cheerful tune as she wandered around the kitchen, finally stopping in front of a pool of water.

"Taiyi Sacred Water?" Yunzhi softly uttered the origin of the water in the pool. It wasn't ordinary stuff at all, but Taiyi Sacred Water, so rare it never even appeared at auctions.

Legend has it that Taiyi Sacred Water has the ability to purify all things and cleanse the soul. A single drop can pull a cultivator back from the brink of qi deviation.

If Yunzhi remembered correctly, only a few drops of Taiyi Sacred Water remained in the world. These were scattered among various major powers, serving as vital reserves not to be easily used.

Dao Seeking Sect once obtained three drops, all used on elders who suffered from qi deviation during cultivation. Currently, Dao Seeking Sect doesn't possess a single drop of Taiyi Sacred Water.

Yet, here was an entire pool of Taiyi Sacred Water.

The water's surface was calm and unrippled, reflecting Immortal Fairy's delicate features.

"Why is there a pool here?" Lu Yang didn't recognize Taiyi Sacred Water; he was just curious why a pool would be in a kitchen.

"It's a vegetable washing pool! Don't you wash your ingredients when you cook?" Immortal Fairy said with an expression that made Lu Yang's eye twitch, as if to say, "Lu Yang, you're so unhygienic."

Taiyi Sacred Water can purify all things, so using it to wash vegetables... well, it sort of makes sense, right?

Senior Sister was a bit hesitant, thinking that, as expected of an ancient immortal, she was quick-witted and capable of finding unconventional solutions.

Immortal Fairy extended her index finger, lightly tapping the water's surface. The calm surface rippled outwards in circles.

The water's surface seemed to obey some command, parting from the middle to reveal a space beneath.

There was not a single drop of water or vapor in the space below. A strange power separated the pool from this underwater space. If the pool and the space below were a jar, then the pool was the lid.

The contents of the underwater space made Lu Yang's heart pound: unidentified beast meat emanating vibrant vitality, immortal fruits long vanished in the river of history, impossibly regular spherical stones, and flowers that exhaled colorful light... All these items hinted at their extraordinary origins.

None of these were the key point. The most crucial question was:

"Thirty thousand years have passed, and these things are still perfectly preserved?!" Lu Yang was astonished. Even Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, living in a relay race, would have died off several generations over thirty thousand years.

Yunzhi raised an eyebrow. In her perception, time in this underwater space was completely still.

Immortal Fairy first confirmed her treasures were fine, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. Then she said with a boastful tone, "This space was crafted for me by the Immortal of Time!"

"He used the power of his Dao Fruit of Time to completely freeze time in this space," she explained. "Whatever goes in, comes out exactly the same!"

Lu Yang gasped. Freezing localized time—the Dao Fruit of Time could even do something like that?!

"The Immortal of Time couldn't do this when he first became an immortal and formed his Dao Fruit of Time," Immortal Fairy explained. "He only mastered this technique later with my help. To thank me for my assistance, he created this time-stagnant space for my use."

"Does Fairy also possess mastery over the power of time?" Lu Yang asked, recalling the time-related divine abilities Immortal Fairy had demonstrated.

One was the Art of Feigned Death, which allowed her to control her own time and accelerate the decomposition of her corpse.

Another was weather forecasting, which could accurately predict future weather.

In no way did Immortal Fairy seem capable of instructing the Immortal of Time.

"The Immortal of Time said that one can only unleash the power of their Dao Fruit when facing a threat," Immortal Fairy continued. "But for immortals, there's almost nothing that can be called a 'threat'."

"So he asked me to cook for him," she said. "He wanted to freeze his own time while eating. After a few days of practice, he succeeded."

Lu Yang was speechless.

"Perhaps while he was eating, he remembered the time I pinned him to the ground and beat him when he was in the Tribulation Transcendence stage, which created a sense of 'threat' in him," Immortal Fairy mused. "Nine Heavens Immortal taught me that's called a conditioned reflex."

"Tribulation Transcendence stage?" Yunzhi caught the keywords and recalled a story she had read in ancient texts. "Fairy, do you know if the Four Immortals, including Immortal Ying Tian, experienced a monumental battle before they became immortals, specifically when they were still in the Transcendence stage?"

"Their final battle before becoming immortals?" Lu Yang was invigorated upon hearing this. It sounded very dramatic, conjuring many thrilling images.

Yunzhi nodded slightly, recalling the contents of the ancient texts. "Legend has it that before the four ancient immortals achieved enlightenment, there was a great decisive battle."

"Immortal Ying Tian, Immortal Qilin, and Nine Heavens Immortal—these three proud prodigies teamed up against the Immortal of Time," Yunzhi explained. "According to those who witnessed the battle, Immortal Ying Tian sternly questioned the Immortal of Time, 'Who can become an immortal!' Facing Immortal Ying Tian's challenge, the Immortal of Time dared not answer, thus falling behind in terms of mental state."

"People speculate that among the four ancient immortals, the Immortal of Time's true form was the Jianmu tree. Having existed for an unknown number of ages with terrifyingly profound foundations, he was the most likely to become an immortal first. Immortal Ying Tian and the other two teamed up to prevent the Immortal of Time from being the first to ascend."

At first, Immortal Fairy frowned, not recalling any "final battle before becoming immortals." By the end, she suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean *that*! You've asked the right person, I know about this."

"Let me tell you," Immortal Fairy began, "before the Immortal of Time became an immortal, he was incredibly arrogant, looking down on everyone. We were both in the Tribulation Transcendence stage then, and he asked me, 'Among all the heroes in the world, who can become an immortal?'"

"I asked if Immortal Ying Tian could, and he said Immortal Ying Tian valued his identity too much, which would be a burden on the path to immortality."

"I asked if Immortal Qilin could, and he said Immortal Qilin was a crude martial artist who relied on his innate luck; his cultivation path was too smooth, making it difficult for him to pass the tests for immortality."

"I asked if Nine Heavens Immortal could, and he said Nine Heavens Immortal had mediocre talent; if not for his immortal body, he would have been defeated by other prodigies long ago, and such a person couldn't become an immortal."

"I asked if *I* could, and he said I was too sharp and aggressive, that although I walked the path of invincibility, excessive rigidity leads to breakage. He also said my meticulous thoughts didn't align with the natural Dao, making my mental state inferior, so I couldn't become an immortal either."

"I asked him who *could* become an immortal then, and he lamented that in this vast world, only he alone could become an immortal, destined for eternal solitude."

"At that time, I was so angry, I pinned him to the ground and gave him a good beating. Then he became honest and said I could become an immortal too."

"Later, I was still angry and felt one beating wasn't enough to satisfy me. But since I'd already beaten him once, it wouldn't look good to do it again, so I told Immortal Ying Tian, Immortal Qilin, and Nine Heavens Immortal about our conversation."

"Then the three of them teamed up and taught the Immortal of Time a lesson."

"The Immortal of Time feared no one in a one-on-one fight, but when it was three against one, he could only take a beating."

"When Immortal Ying Tian sternly questioned the Immortal of Time, 'Who can become an immortal?', the Immortal of Time knew he was in the wrong and dared not answer."

Yunzhi was speechless.

Lu Yang secretly glanced at Senior Sister's reaction and thought to himself, 'Now you know what kind of ancient stories I have to listen to every day, right?'