Chapter 1684: Believer

Lu Zhou could tell that Ouyang Ziyun knew him. To be precise, Ouyang Ziyun knew the Unholy One. He thought he could perhaps learn more about the Unholy One from Ouyang Ziyun. Hence, he revealed a rare faint smile on his face as he said, “If there’s a chance, I’d like to chat with you all night about the Great Dao and cultivation.”

“…”

Ouyang Ziyun coughed as he shook his head and waved his hands. “Forget about me. I’m already old, and I’ve reached my limit in regard to cultivation. It’s impossible for me to progress any further with the Dao in this lifetime.”

Lan Xihe interjected, “If Pavilion Master Lu is willing, I’d like to chat with you.”

Lu Zhou said, “Forget it. I still have something to do. I’ll take my leave first.”

“…”

After the trio landed, Lan Xihe looked slightly disappointed. She had lost and had hoped to exchange pointers and gain some insights. She did not expect to be refused. After all, there were many people waiting in line to chat with her, but they were not given the chance at all.

Lu Zhou was about to leave when Lan Xihe’s personal attendant rushed over. She bowed and said, “Hall Master, Mr. Luo Xiu is here.”

“Why is he here?” Ouyang Ziyun was a little surprised.

The female attendant replied, “You’ll have to ask him.”

Ouyang Ziyun said, “Tell him the Heaven Suppressing Pestle is the most important treasure of Xihe Hall, and it’s impossible for us to give it to him.”

Lu Zhou’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He asked, “Someone wants to snatch the Heaven Suppressing Pestle in Xihe Hall?”

Not only did Lu Zhou possess the Heaven Suppressing Pestle from the Great Abyss Land, but he also knew Qi Sheng was collecting the Heaven Suppressing Pestles. It was impossible for his interest to not be piqued. Although Qi Sheng was not Si Wuya, he was certain Jiang Aijian was not an enemy. Hence, Jiang Aijian’s plan had to be beneficial to the Evil Sky Pavilion. It could also be seen from the way Jiang Aijian had protected the disciples of the Evil Sky Pavilion from the time they entered the Great Void until now. The disciples had been safe over the past 100 years. With all this, how could he allow another person to take away the Heaven Suppressing Pestle from Xihe Hall?

Ouyang Ziyun replied, “It’s not that he wants to snatch it, he just wants to borrow it.”

“Why do they want to borrow the Heaven Suppressing Pestle?” Lu Zhou asked.”

“He said it’s to help with cultivation. I don’t know about the specifics,” Ouyang Ziyun replied.

Lu Zhou said, “I’m a little interested in this matter.”

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ziyun’s eyes lit up immediately. “Pavilion Master Lu, if you’re interested, why don’t you hide with me in the hall?”

“Alright.”

Ouyang Ziyun made an inviting gesture and led Lu Zhou to the main hall.

Meanwhile, Lan Xihe looked at the duo’s backs suspiciously. ‘Why is Pavilion Master Lu so nice to Mr. Ouyang? Don’t tell me…’

Lan Xihe quickly shook her head and dismissed her thoughts.

At this time, a burst of hearty laughter rang in the air. Then, a voice said, “Congratulations, Holy Maiden Xihe, on becoming the Hall Master of Xihe Hall!”

Lan Xihe looked over and saw Luo Xiu who was dressed in a gray robe. He was accompanied by three to four subordinates who were carrying something.

Lan Xihe said expressionlessly, “Please.”

…

In the main hall of Xihe Hall.

Lan Xihe sat on the highest chair. At this time, her aura had changed greatly. She asked bluntly, “Luo Xiu, you didn’t come just to congratulate me, did you?”

Luo Xiu smiled and said, “I came here to congratulate you and also to send some gifts.”

Luo Xiu waved his hand, and his four subordinates stepped forward and set down the boxes in their hands. Then, he said, “This is just a token of my appreciation. The other reason for my visit is the Heaven Suppressing Pestle.”

Luo Xiu was also very direct.

Lan Xihe said, “I’ve already told you that the Heaven Suppressing Pestle is Xihe Hall’s most precious treasure. It’s impossible for you to borrow it.”

“It’s not impossible,” Luo Xiu said, “Let me finish talking first…”

“Go ahead.”

“The Heaven Suppressing Pestle is indeed a precious treasure. Hence, in exchange for lending it to me, I prepared two items. I only want to borrow it, and I’ll return them after five days. However, you can keep these two things,” Luo Xiu said.

Under normal circumstances, Lan Xihe would have directly refused Luo Xiu. However, she remembered that Ouyang Ziyun and Luo Xiu were secretly listening so she asked indifferently, “What are they?”

Luo Xiu snapped his fingers, and a subordinate stepped forward again and respectfully presented a piece of round and colorful jade.

Luo Xiu said, “This thing is called the Ancestral Jade. It belonged to divine emperors of the past and holds 300,000 years of life. Apart from that, it can also help circulate Primal Qi. You can also use it to absorb vitality energy. With it, you can form a light disk.”

“…”

Lan Xihe was shocked. She rose to her feet and flashed in front of Luo Xiu before she carefully studied the Ancestral Jade. She did not expect him to bring out such a valuable treasure that can form a light disk. In the short term, it was much more useful than the Heaven Suppressing Pestle. Finally, she asked, “Where did you get this thing? The ten halls have been searching everywhere for it. How did it end up in your hands?”

Luo Xiu maintained the smile on his face as he replied, “You don’t have to worry about that. Although we’re not from the ten halls, we have many tricks up our sleeves. We even have things that the Sacred Temple doesn’t have, and we can find things the Sacred Temple can’t. Please forgive me, but I can’t divulge too much.”

Lan Xihe asked, “Why do you want the Heaven Suppressing Pestle?”

“Holy Maiden, you know better than I do that the Heaven Suppressing Pestles can mend the Pillars of Destruction. At the same time, it can also absorb the power of the earth. The cult master has been in seclusion for many years and hopes to use the Heaven Suppressing Pestle to cultivate. That’s all. If there’s even the slightest bit of falsehood in my words, I’m willing to be struck by lightning,” Luo Xiu said solemnly.

“There’s no need for that. It’s not enough for me to believe you even if you swear,” Lan Xihe said.

Luo Xiu smiled again and said, “Of course. It’s only natural that you’re afraid I’ll destroy the Heaven Suppressing Pestle after borrowing it. However, is that really possible? After all, even if we have the Heaven Suppressing Pestle, we won’t be able to destroy it simply just because we want to. We have to have the strength to do so. That aside, what good will it do me if I destroy the Heaven Suppressing Pestle?” Luo Xiu spread his arms and continued to say, “It doesn’t do me any good at all to do such a thing. On the contrary, we’ll suffer if the Great Void collapses. Naturally, we hope that the Great Void will be able to stay up here forever.”

Lan Xihe remained silent.

Luo Xiu continued to say, “Apart from this jade, there’s also the second gift. I guarantee the Holy Maiden will be moved.”

Luo Xiu clapped his hands, and his subordinate brought a scroll out. The scroll was only half a foot long and it was bound by a thin robe. It looked very delicate like a rolled-up couplet. He took the scroll and untied the string, revealing a very beautiful painting. At the upper right corner was a sentence that read: The bright moon shines over the sea; from far away we share this moment together.

Lan Xihe could tell with just a glance that the painting was extraordinary. When she took a closer look, she felt a strand of consciousness being pulled into the painting, causing her to feel as though she was in a trance. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. Soon after, she shook her head and mobilize her Primal Qi to clear her thoughts and drive away the strange feeling.

“The bright moon shines over the sea; from far away we share this moment together,” Lan Xihe read the words. The words were not big, and they were very exquisite. Each stroke looked like dancing dragons and phoenixes. In her eyes, it was as though the words had turned into ten people who were practicing a cultivation technique each. Each of them had its own merits and held a profound meaning. Each of them exuded a faint mysterious power.

…

As soon as Lan Xihe read the sentence, Lu Zhou, who was standing at the back, frowned.

Seeing the strange expression on Lu Zhou’s face, Ouyang Ziyun asked through voice transmission, “Pavilion Master Lu, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s just keep listening,” Lu Zhou said.

“If Pavilion Master Lu is bored, we can chat. Earlier, I was really flattered when you said you wanted to chat with me all night. In fact, I also have a question to ask Pavilion Master Lu…”

Lu Zhou glanced at Ouyang Ziyun from the corners of his eyes and said, “Shut up.”

“???”

Ouyang Ziyun felt extremely hurt. ‘As expected, I can’t trust this old fellow. He was so friendly earlier, but now, he has revealed his true colors!’

…

Lan Xihe was completely focused on the painting. The power seemed to draw her in and made her immerse herself in the painting.

Swoosh!

All of a sudden, Luo Xiu rolled the painting up and tied it with the string before he put it away. Then, he said with a smile, “This is an item left behind by the Unholy One. It contains the supreme laws from the Great Dao. It’s said that it was a key item in helping him to become a divine emperor.”

Lan Xihe was further surprised. “It’s left behind by the Unholy One?”

“Holy Maiden, you must have heard of the legend of the Unholy One. Since it’s a taboo in the Great Void, I won’t say much,” Luo Xiu said.

Lan Xihe was very curious. She had never been so curious before. She asked, “I won’t ask about the jade, but I want to know how you obtained the Unholy One’s painting?”

After the Unholy One fell, Grand Mystic Moutain had been sealed and declared a forbidden area. No one was allowed to step foot into that place.

Luo Xiu said, “As I’ve said earlier, we have things the temple has, and we can find things the temple can’t. Please forgive me for not divulging too much. If you have another question, feel free to ask.”

Clearly, Luo Xiu was not going to say more regarding this matter.

Lan Xihe asked, “Such a valuable item, but you’re willing to exchange it for five days with the Heaven Suppressing Pestle. Is it worth it?”

Lan Xihe felt that the two items Luo Xiu presented had far exceeded the worth of the Heaven Suppressing Pestle. They were far beyond her expectations. Nonetheless, she knew there was no such thing as free lunch in the world. How could the other party make a loss-making deal?

Luo Xiu replied with a solemn expression, “You don’t have to worry about that. As long as you’re willing, you can have those items. All you need to do is lend me the Heaven Suppressing Pestles for five days. This is the Great Void, and you’re a supreme being. I’m not so stupid as to try and deceive you.”

Lan Xihe remained silent. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she looked at Lu Xiu with a hint of doubt. To be honest, she was indeed moved by the two treasures. At this moment, the Heaven Suppressing Pestle was useless to her. Even if the other party did not return it, she would not suffer a loss.

The power of the earth was not something one could absorb. The Sacred Temple had studied the power of the earth and determined that it was only suitable to mend the Pillars of Destruction. In other words, humans could not absorb the power of the earth. To put it bluntly, they were only beneficial to the Pillars of Destruction and had no other uses.

After mulling it over for a long time, Lan Xihe was still very hesitant.

At this time, Luo Xiu asked, “Holy Maiden, have you made up your mind?”

Lan Xihe thought about it for a moment before she said, “I can not ask about the origins of the two treasures, but there’s a question you must answer. Otherwise, there’ll be no deal.”

“Please speak,” Luo Xiu said.

“Who are you?” Lan Xihe asked.

Luo Xiu seemed to have expected this question. He replied with a smile, “I’m a believer, a devout believer. I believe that in this world mankind can conquer the heavens, and that mankind is the master. We’re at the top of all living things, and we’re the most intelligent. I believe there are no gods because the gods are humans. You’ll become a god once you break the shackles and pass down your teachings to the future generations.”