Chapter 569: Unavoidable Encounter

Unfortunately, he couldn’t recall any mention of marble-like treasures so he put the matter at the back of his mind.

After exiting the hot spring, the two spent another one hundred space years purifying their qi and one year preparing provisions for the dark stairway.

Of the ten stairways, the dark stairway was the most deserted and didn’t have a single person.

After arriving, the two stepped on the first step and instantaneously, a dark mist engulfed them.

Soon after, the felt a gnawing pain all over their body and couldn’t help but frown.

"It’s corrosive." Shen Xu said and Zhen Yuan nodded.

Without delay, the two sat cross-legged and began running the dark refining technique.

However, despite the technique, the dark mist still invaded their bodies, quickly eroding their flesh, organs, blood vessels, meridians, and even their blood.

Fortunately, the two had just exited the light stairway, and their bodies’ self-repair ability was extremely high.

Although the dark mist corroded then quickly and caused them a lot of pain, they self-healed just as fast which protected their life.

Most importantly, the constant erosion and recovery remolded their body, giving them to tougher and more superior physique.

The two spent fifteen thousand years on the dark stairway.

During that time, Zhen Yuan received ten dark dao fruits and a dark moon core.

A dark moon core was the remnant of a fallen moon.

With it, Zhen Yuan could not only comprehend more dark laws but also light laws.

As for Shen Xu, he got many dark and light treasures and at the top, he received a dark element cloud and the dark element fire.

"I didn’t expect the dark element fire to be on the dark stairway." The double said while looking at the fire that was resting on the fusang tree.

"It’s your luck." Zhen Yuan said and smiled.

The dark element fire was level fifteen and after contracting it, the double’s cultivation would improve by leaps and bounds.

"It doesn’t want to stay on the stairway?" Zhen Yuan asked and Shen Xu shook his head.

"It’s been trapped there for countless years, and the stairway can no longer improve its cultivation." He said

"How did it get there?" Zhen Yuan asked and Shen Xu sighed before speaking.

"The usual." He said and quickly continued.

"It was minding its own business in the God realm when it was suddenly captured and trapped on the stairway." He said and Zhen Yuan forcibly suppressed his amusement.

"Your father has worked hard." He said and the double nodded before speaking.

"I originally thought we would be in the Wuyu unknown area for fifty thousand or so years. However, we have already been here for almost thirty five thousand years but have only covered three stairways." He said.

"Other stairways are easy to climb but the dark and light stairways are a real struggle. We should be able to climb each of the remaining stairways in less then five thousand years." Zhen Yuan said and he was right.

In the next twenty thousand years, the two easily climbed the wind, ice, earth, wood, metal, and water stairways.

As a result, their physical bodies exceeded the quality of divine beasts, and were only a little short of primordial beasts.

On this day, the two arrived at the bottom of the fire stairway and were preparing to climb when they saw a group of people.

[We couldn’t avoid them after all.] Shen Xu said and sighed in resignation.

[Mmh.] Zhen Yuan nodded.

"Fellow daoist Shen, we meet again." Xiao Weimin called as his group walked towards Shen Xu and Zhen Yuan.

"Fellow daoist Xiao." Shen Xu greeted and subtly looked at the group.

At a glance, he recognised Zhu Huang, Lin Mengmeng, Bai Guo, Zhao Chenhua, Ouyang Ling, Ouyang Feng, and Song Wandong.

[Xiao Weimin has not yet broken through to the great immortal realm.] Zhen Yuan transmitted and the double nodded.

From his previous subtle glance, he noticed that Xiao Weimin’s cultivation was half-a-step into the great immortal realm, while Zhu Huang’s was the peak-stage of the heaven immortal realm.

As for the others, they were at varying stages of the heaven immortal realm.

’Not bad.’ He thought.

"Have the two old friends been well?" Zhu Huang suddenly asked.

"My partner and I have been well." Shen Xu answered and tilted his head.

"How about the fellow daoists?" He asked.

"We have also been well." Zhu Huang answered and was preparing to say more but Bai Guo suddenly stepped forward.

"Can we talk?" He asked, looking at Shen Xu.

Bai Guo first discovered his and Shen Xu’s relationship when they were in the Tianqi continent.

Unfortunately, Jingyu erased those memories so Bai Guo forgot their relationship and conversation.

Later, they met again at the Golden Rock Island in the Tianxuan continent, and Bai Guo once again discovered their relationship.

However, many things happened and Bai Guo never had a chance to speak to Shen Xu.

Seeing the person now, Bai Guo was naturally eager to confirm their relationship, and maybe discover why they had different fathers.

[This matter cannot be avoided.] Shen Xu transmitted and Zhen Yuan nodded.

[What do you want to do?] He asked and the double hesitated before speaking.

[Ayuan, I have thought about it, and I want to meet Bai Xue.] He said.

First, Bai Xue was his biological mother and although he never longed for her, he had noticed an almost nonexistent obsession in his body.

This obsession had to do with his life experience and Shen Xu wanted to eliminate it before it became a problem.

Otherwise, the obsession would manifest at an unexpected time and cause trouble for him.

[I understand.] Zhen Yuan said.

Hearing his partner’s support, Shen Xu turned to Bai Guo.

"Okay. Let’s talk." He said.

Soon after, Bai Guo, Xiao Weimin, Shen Xu, and Zhen Yuan entered Xiao Weimin’s portable cave, while the rest guarded outside.

Xiao Weimin’s cave was an immortal Palace and looking around, Shen Xu recalled its description in the original novel.

’It’s now an immortal weapon, but its origin is the god realm.’ He thought and a trace of meaning flashed in his eyes.