Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Chapter 1604: Luo Yunxiao - The Old Man

Unlike Zhang Fei, Luo Yunxiao sat leisurely in front of a small house as she absorbed the soul fragments in the ninth challenge. "This challenge isn’t difficult, but it’s not easy either. If my husband hadn’t realized it and tried to resist the pressure, he would have had a hard time passing this challenge. He would have to allow the pressure to suppress him and adapt to it, and everything would go smoothly after that."

"You are indeed smart, little girl. You realized the purpose of this challenge from the moment you entered this place."

Luo Yunxiao smiled at the old man. "Can you tell me whether my husband has entered the ninth challenge, Senior?"

"That kid is already in his ninth challenge, and he already realizes that he made a stupid mistake by trying to fight back against the pressure on his soul." Luo Yunxiao breathed a sigh of relief. "The purpose of the ninth challenge is to test the patience and increase the soul strength of the cultivators, and the pressure will become more intense if they fight back."

"The eighth challenge is a battle to test our physical strength, and the ninth challenge is a pressure to test our soul strength. If so, I believe that the final challenge is to test our mental strength, right?"

The old man nodded. "All living beings have three aspects: mental, soul, and physical strengths. They must improve all three to become better cultivators, but not all living beings possess the patience and meticulousness. Many of them are overconfident in their abilities, which leads to their failure."

"Can you tell me about the tenth challenge, Senior?"

"Haha," The old man laughed at Luo Yunxiao’s curious expression. "I shouldn’t have told you this, but I’ve been watching you ever since you entered this tower. You have incredible foresight to see through all those challenges, so I’m no longer surprised if the Heaven-Earth Reversal Physique chooses you as its master. The final challenge is our past, present, and future."

Luo Yunxiao furrowed her brows. "Our past should be based on all events in our past, and our present should be based on all events that have recently happened. No one has the ability to see into the future, so I think it’s all based on our dreams and hopes."

"Yes." The old man smiled and explained to her. "To become a better living being, we must be able to accept and overcome our past, and we must also be able to overcome everything that happens in the present. As you said, no one has the ability to see their future, and the challenges that will arise before them are based on their dreams and hopes. Everything that will appear before them is only an illusion of their dreams and hopes, and they will fail if they choose to embrace that false future."

"They would be truly stupid if they couldn’t see through that false future and chose to embrace it." Luo Yunxiao clenched her fist. "We can only realize our dreams and hopes for our future using our strength and hard work."

"Do you think your husband will succeed in passing the final challenge?"

Luo Yunxiao smiled confidently. "Senior, my husband has long since made peace with his past, so he won’t have any trouble seeing through the test. As for his present, he does have some fears about things like Yuan Xiajie, Qian Yan, and a few others, but I believe he will successfully pass the test. As for his future, he is fully aware that he can only make his future come true with his hard work, so he will not be lulled by that false future."

"Since you have so much confidence in your husband, I will see for myself how he will face his tenth challenge."

"Senior, I have one question for you, and I hope you’re willing to answer it."

"Please ask me, little girl."

"Can the gate on the third floor be opened?"

The old man thought for a moment before nodding. "As long as your husband manages to find the key to unlock the gate, it will open for the first time in millions of years."

"What about the seal on the tower in the Zhanlu Domain?"

"Haha! Don’t you already have the answer to your question, little girl?"

"I see." Luo Yunxiao nodded in understanding. "The key will not only open the gate but also open the formation that is blocking us from passing through."

"That’s right." The old man nodded. "I always wondered why the universe sealed the gate and left the key to open it in this tower, but I began to understand its purpose after I saw you and your husband. Your husband is the heir of the ten-tailed fox, and you inherited his Heaven-Earth Reversal Physique. If the two of you work together, I believe you will succeed in opening the gate and crossing to the Zhanlu Domain on the other side. However, the situation in that domain is really bad now, and—"

"Shadowy creatures."

"Yes." The old man was not surprised to hear Luo Yunxiao mention the shadowy creatures because he had already witnessed Zhang Fei face them during the eighth challenge. "Those creatures suddenly appeared out of thin air, and they controlled all the beasts and demons in the Zhanlu Domain, but I don’t understand their purpose in doing that. They attempted to enter the Tower of Eternity in that domain, but they have not succeeded to this day."

"I think those shadowy creatures’ goal is the destruction of this universe, and they can only do that by defeating my husband." The old man looked at Luo Yunxiao seriously. "My husband is the heir of the ten-tailed fox, and Hu Tianlang was born of Yin and Yang. If my husband evolves into the next ten-tailed fox, he will have the ability to stop them, so they are trying to prevent that from happening. I heard that they are targeting the old fox’s two souls hidden in the Ancient Realm, so I am sure of my guess."

"If your husband goes to the Zanlu Domain, those creatures will probably kill him straight away."

"I don’t think they want to kill my husband, Senior."

"Then?"

"Rather than killing my husband, they probably want to control him. If they control him, they can travel to every corner of this universe with ease, and they’ll control everything."

"That makes sense." The old man nodded. "The ten-tailed fox possesses extraordinary abilities, and it can easily control yin and yang, both of which are the foundations of this universe. If they control your husband, and he evolves into the next ten-tailed fox, they can use him to do anything."

Luo Yunxiao exhaled softly. "Even though going to the Ancient Realm is too risky for my current husband, he has no choice but to go there because he needs the old fox’s two souls to evolve into the next ten-tailed fox, and I will accompany him to retrieve those two souls."

"You and your husband are one because he is the heir of the ten-tailed fox, and you are the inheritor of his Heaven-Earth Reversal Physique. Therefore, you must accompany him to the Ancient Realm to help retrieve those two souls and assist him in facing the shadowy creatures."

"Yes," Luo Yunxiao sighed. "How long will it take me to complete this challenge, Senior?"

"You will complete this challenge after you absorb all the soul fragments here."

"Huh?" Luo Yunxiao sensed the area around him, discovering a large number of soul fragments there. "I don’t think I’ll be able to finish in a week, but it’s not a big deal since they’re useful for increasing my soul power."

"Hahaha! Be patient, little girl."

"Yes."

Thereafter, the old man disappeared from her sight, and Luo Yunxiao focused on absorbing all the soul fragments in that place.

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After adapting to his ninth challenge, Zhang Fei was finally able to move freely. He sat down in an empty space and looked around; a faint smile appeared on his face after discovering so many soul fragments. "Although there are many of them, they won’t be able to help me break through to the immortal soul level. However, they will strengthen my soul even more, so I must absorb them all to complete this challenge."

"Haha," Zhang Fei looked at the old man. "I thought it would take you longer to realize the purpose of this challenge, young man."

Zhang Fei sighed. "I was previously overconfident in my abilities and soul power, so I tried to fight back against the pressure. After trying for a while, I realized that I just needed to surrender and allow the pressure to suppress my soul, especially since it would strengthen it."

"You’re right." The old man nodded. "Not all challenges in this tower can be overcome by strength, and you must be willing to accept some of them. The soul fragments in this challenge are useful for strengthening your soul, so you must absorb all of them, and you will complete this challenge afterward."

"So, what is the tenth challenge that awaits me? The eighth challenge is a physical challenge, and the ninth challenge is a soul challenge."

The old man grinned. "You’ll know about that after you complete this challenge, but I think the tenth challenge won’t be a problem for you; at least that’s what your wife thinks."

"Luo Yunxiao is still in the ninth challenge, huh?" Zhang Fei muttered to himself. "She entered the challenge three days earlier than me, so I need more time than that to absorb all these soul fragments."

"For now, you just need to be patient and absorb everything."

"Alright."