Chapter 454: 453. Chapter 448: Hiding for a Thousand Years

453. Chapter 448: Hiding for a Thousand Years

Ding Huan immediately scattered dozens of array flags, and a concealed space appeared before him.

This was a Level Six Immortal Array array disc, which masked a portion of space—and within that space, there was indeed a person.

She was a female cultivator.

When Ding Huan looked at her, the woman looked back at Ding Huan.

Their eyes met; hers held fear and unease—clearly, she had never expected anyone could find this place, or discover her hiding spot.

Ding Huan apologized: "Sorry, I planned to seclude myself here for a while, didn't know this place was occupied—I'll leave right away."

"You won't kill me?" the woman stared at Ding Huan in disbelief.

Around her lay at least ten thousand high-grade Immortal Crystals; Ding Huan had seen them too—how could he possibly not act?

Ding Huan was stunned. What did she mean?

"Why would I kill you? I'm not a murderous psychopath," Ding Huan said, exasperated.

After saying this, Ding Huan suddenly froze, staring at the woman before him—his mind had already begun to suspect something.

Her physical body was clearly rebuilt—he, who practiced the Great Cosmic Art, could see it at a glance.

Moreover, she was desperately trying to restore her strength. Though ten thousand Immortal Crystals surrounded her, Ding Huan guessed these were likely her entire fortune.

Because she dared not set up a Spirit Gathering Immortal Array, and practiced with extreme caution.

This caused her cultivation to stagnate for a long time; she hoped to boost her power by piling up Immortal Crystals—if she had more, she would have piled them all in.

But cultivation is the pursuit of the Dao; this caution and constant terror would likely leave her with little progress even after another thousand years.

"You like this place—I'll give it to you. I'm leaving right now…" Even though Ding Huan said he wouldn't kill her, the fear in her eyes didn't lessen at all.

Ding Huan smiled slightly: "Sister, if I'm not mistaken, you're Rong Rong Xiyu, aren't you?"

Rong Rong Xiyu, the Dao companion of Shi Li, the sect leader of the Thirty-Three Dao Sect, the Immortal Jade Body.

Outside rumors claimed Shi Li, leader of the Thirty-Three Dao Sect, was betrayed and murdered by his disciple Fu Fu Yuxing, who then raped and killed Rong Rong Xiyu.

In truth, Ding Huan knew Shi Li had possessed Fu Fu Yuxing's body, then raped his own Dao companion Rong Rong Xiyu, and finally killed her and the entire Thirty-Three Dao Sect.

Hearing Ding Huan speak her name, Rong Rong Xiyu's face turned instantly as white as paper.

She knew she was finished—knowing she was Rong Rong Xiyu meant he wouldn't spare her, for she was the Immortal Jade Body.

Since childhood, she had known: once her Immortal Jade Body was exposed, her fate would be to become someone else's cultivation vessel.

Seeing Rong Rong Xiyu's utter terror, Ding Huan said:

"Don't worry—I have no interest in you. But I must warn you: Shi Li isn't dead. When he recovers, I suspect he'll return to the Thirty-Three Dao Sect at once."

Ding Huan's warning meant: if Rong Rong Xiyu thought this place was safe, she was wrong.

It would be safe for a short time—but over the long term, who could say?

He wouldn't cultivate here long either; if possible, he wanted to ascend to Great Yi Immortal.

If not, ascending to Xuan Immortal would still be good enough.

"What…?" Hearing this, Rong Rong Xiyu began trembling all over.

Shi Li carried the Celestial Scale—how could the powerful ones possibly let him go?

Ding Huan could only shake his head and turn to leave.

Since Rong Rong Xiyu was here, he'd find another place to cultivate. He'd chosen this spot only because he'd passed through once.

The Gu Gu Xian Realm was boundless; places to cultivate were countless.

"Brother…" Rong Rong Xiyu called out to stop Ding Huan.

Ding Huan turned back to Rong Rong Xiyu: "You want to ask about Shi Li?"

Rong Rong Xiyu nodded, then shook her head: "How did you know the person I fear is Shi Li—not Fu Fu Yuxing?"

Ding Huan didn't hide it: "I came from the Myriad Void Marsh…"

Rong Rong Xiyu stared at Ding Huan, eyes wide: "From the Myriad Void Marsh to here?"

Entering the Myriad Void Marsh meant nine deaths and one chance; crossing it to reach the Gu Gu Immortal Realm required traversing the Gray Sea, where ten deaths and no survival were certain.

The Gray Sea—legend said anyone who entered died. Who could possibly break through?

Ding Huan waved his hand: "Don't overthink it—I used a Void-Breaking Talisman to get here."

He had crossed the Gray Sea using the Great Calculation Art—something he would never tell anyone.

Hearing it was a Void-Breaking Talisman, Rong Rong Xiyu finally calmed down.

"In the Myriad Void Marsh, I obtained something belonging to Fu Fu Yuxing. Last time I came to the Thirty-Three Dao Sect, I sensed Shi Li's Dao resonance—and realized the one in the Myriad Void Marsh wasn't Fu Fu Yuxing, but Shi Li…"

"To be precise, the body was Fu Fu Yuxing's, but the soul was Shi Li's."

"You really know," Rong Rong Xiyu's lips trembled. "He's a beast—a complete, utter beast."

Ding Huan had no interest in gossip—he was already leaving—but Rong Rong Xiyu kept talking:

"He's impotent. He tortured me countless times, yet wanted me to use my Immortal Jade Body to cultivate with him, so he could become a Dao Jade Bone. Hah…"

Rong Rong Xiyu's eyes were full of mockery:

"He had no ability of his own, so he took Fu Fu Yuxing as a disciple, earned a false reputation for virtue in the Gu Gu Xian Realm—all because he coveted Fu Fu Yuxing's supreme potential.

But Fu Fu Yuxing wasn't any better—he also wanted to seize my Immortal Jade Body, and kept plotting to kill Shi Li…"

"Eventually, they couldn't wait any longer—they struck simultaneously. But Shi Li had tampered with Fu Fu Yuxing's cultivation technique. In the end, he was possessed by Shi Li…"

Perhaps for over a thousand years, she'd never spoken of this sorrow and repression—today, as she poured it out, she felt instantly lighter.

No matter who Ding Huan was, or what he wanted from her, she accepted it.

Ding Huan listened, then sighed: "I truly never expected Shi Li would spare you."

Rong Rong Xiyu shook her head silently: "Though I despise Shi Li, though I look down on him, I became his Dao companion—I would never cultivate with Fu Fu Yuxing.

Even if he possessed Fu Fu Yuxing's body, I couldn't bear it—that body disgusted me. Shi Li killed me in rage. Had the Supreme Elder not arrived and distracted him, I would have died long ago."

When the Supreme Elder came over, I seized a slim chance and escaped with my Primordial Spirit.

"I hid for several years, and after confirming that Shi Li was being hunted and had fled into the Grey Sea, only then did I use a Twin-Leaf Celestial Cattail to rebuild a physical body."

After hearing this, Ding Huan also secretly admired Rong Rong Xiyu — reduced to only a Primordial Spirit, she could still get her hands on a Twin-Leaf Celestial Cattail.

A Twin-Leaf Celestial Cattail that restores a physical body is an even higher-grade existence than a Celestial Silk Flower.

"That Twin-Leaf Celestial Cattail was left to me by my father. I never expected it would save my life." The moment Rong Rong Xiyu mentioned her father, an endless tide of regret welled up in her heart.

Her father had always opposed her marriage to Shi Li. Her father believed Shi Li's words and deeds did not match, that he was a hypocrite who pretended to be a gentleman.

Yet back then she had simply lost her head, refusing to believe her father's words. In the end, the result proved her father's judgment was far sharper than hers.

Ding Huan glanced at the immortal crystals beside Rong Rong Xiyu. He wanted to tell her that cultivating like this was pointless, that only by going to the Chaos Zone could she recover.

But the moment he recalled that Rong Rong Xiyu was only at the True Immortal realm, he decisively shut his mouth. Going to the Chaos Zone at that realm would be no different from going to her death.

Perhaps noticing the look in Ding Huan's eyes, Rong Rong Xiyu quickly said, "All the immortal crystals I have here, you may take them."

Ding Huan shook his head: "I truly don't care about your few immortal crystals. I just want to tell you that without a Gathering Spirit Immortal Array, cultivating here — even if you cultivate for tens of thousands more years — you won't be able to recover your strength.

Even with a Jade Immortal Dao Body, it won't work."

Rong Rong Xiyu was stunned for a moment. Her gaze dimmed, and she said nothing.

Ding Huan understood — she didn't dare set up a Gathering Spirit Immortal Array, so she could only hide here and slowly endure.

"Take care of yourself. I'm leaving." Ding Huan couldn't help this woman either, so he could only bid her farewell once more.

"This fellow disciple, you are a very unusual cultivator. I want to tell you something. There is an upper-grade immortal spirit vein here — that is also one of the reasons I've stayed here all along…"

Rong Rong Xiyu suddenly spoke.

She had thought it through: since Shi Li wasn't dead, he would sooner or later come back.

She couldn't undo the seal on this immortal spirit vein for now. If she forced it open by attacking, it would surely draw other cultivators.

Rather than letting Shi Li have this upper-grade immortal spirit vein, it was better to give it to this cultivator who looked pleasing to her eye and who had brought her the news that Shi Li wasn't dead.

"There's an upper-grade immortal spirit vein here?" Ding Huan immediately stopped.

He had a lower-grade immortal spirit vein on him, plus several tens of millions of upper-grade immortal crystals. Compared to an upper-grade immortal spirit vein, these things fell far short.

"Yes, there really is an upper-grade immortal spirit vein here. It's just been sealed, and I can't break the seal. You can take it." Rong Rong Xiyu said with certainty.

Ding Huan looked around the bamboo hut, then said: "My name is Ding Huan, Senior Sister Rong. Since there's an upper-grade immortal spirit vein here, how about the two of us cultivate here together?"

Ding Huan felt perfectly justified saying this.

He cultivated the Grand Cosmos Art. As long as one cultivated alongside him, the Heaven and Earth Dao Laws of the surrounding space would become extremely clear.

Not only that, he was also qualified to set up a Gathering Spirit Immortal Array.

So borrowing this upper-grade immortal spirit vein, Ding Huan didn't feel he owed Rong Rong Xiyu anything.

Rong Rong Xiyu didn't know that Ding Huan saying he'd cultivate together with her was, in fact, equivalent to helping her crazily boost her cultivation.

With her current strength, how would she dare show the slightest resistance? She quickly said: "I'm willing. As long as we're careful, no one will find this place.

When you take the immortal spirit vein, you must be very careful — you can't let the immortal spirit essence spread out."

"Alright, let me set up the arrays first."

Ding Huan immediately began laying down all sorts of protective arrays and concealment immortal arrays. After arranging the array flags once, he layered another with void array patterns.

Even the bamboo hut was repaired by Ding Huan, turned into two cultivation chambers.

Especially the grand array for binding the immortal spirit energy — Ding Huan laid it out with extra care.

Later, after he broke the seal on the upper-grade immortal spirit vein, he had to bind the immortal spirit energy here to keep it from leaking out.

Seeing Ding Huan spend several days laying down all kinds of protective arrays, Rong Rong Xiyu was reassured.

It seemed Ding Huan was also a careful person.

The concealment immortal array activated, and the bamboo hut was completely hidden by the immortal array.

(Fellow Daoist, good night. Please support with your monthly votes!)