Chapter 171: Leaving the Secret Realm, Peng Zu Blocks the Path; Exchanging Fragments of the Building Wood

"Fellow Daoist, please stay your step!"

To be frank, ever since setting sail from Beiju Luzhou and traversing the vast ocean to enter the East Sea, these five words were the last thing Fang Longye wanted to hear.

There is no helping it; a person's name is like a tree's shadow.

That figure who shone so brilliantly during the Conferring of the Gods Tribulation has been suppressed at the East Sea eye, serving as the General of Water Division!

And yet, here we are.

Throughout the journey, no one had called out like this, but upon arriving at Penglai, in such a transcendent immortal realm, he had to hear this infamous catchphrase.

Thinking of that person's fierce reputation, Fang Longye's heart trembled, his entire body involuntarily stiffened, and he felt a chill run through him.

The instinctive thought that popped into his mind was to immediately take the two women, Qingli, and flee.

However, sensing the profound Aura behind him and knowing he could not outrun the other party on Penglai Xiandao, he abandoned the thought and reluctantly turned around.

Whoosh—

Fang Longye relaxed, simply because he recognized the person who had come into view.

"I wonder what business Senior Peng Zu has in calling this junior to a halt?" Suppressing the urge to curse, Fang Longye bowed respectfully and asked.

Even if this was not that General of Water Division whom people kept at a distance, this Peng Zu was still an existence in the Taiyi Realm; maintaining a sense of respect was never wrong.

While bowing respectfully on the surface, his mind was racing with a thousand thoughts.

"Why did this person stop me? Could it be for the broken Tengkong Sword I just pocketed?"

He remembered that this Peng Zu was the great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu.

As Fang Longye's thoughts were in disarray, the white-haired, youthful-faced old man in plain clothes before him saw the strange look on his face, recalled the situation, and immediately understood.

Divine light shone in his eyes as he sized Fang Longye up, then chuckled softly: "Heh~ so that half of Ancestor Zhuanxu's Tengkong Sword has fallen into your hands."

Once these words were spoken, Fang Longye became uneasy.

Seeing this, Peng Zu waved his hand and said: "Rest assured, I am not here to demand the broken Tengkong blade from you. That you were able to obtain it is your own affinity. I stopped you, Fellow Daoist, because I have another trade to request."

Hearing this, Fang Longye calmed his mind, realizing he had been a bit too jumpy.

He immediately pointed a finger, Yin and Yang intersecting and the Five Elements deriving, creating a small Treasure Pavilion beside the nearby stream.

It was set by the water, with bright windows and delicate beauty.

The surrounding pine colors were misty, drifting inside and casting a cold green hue, blending with the smoke that emerged when the pavilion was formed.

It was done silently and effortlessly, without the slightest trace of worldly fire.

Even the three or five immortal cranes were not startled in the slightest, remaining happily by the window, preening their feathers.

"Senior, please!"

Fang Longye gestured.

The two took their seats, and Fang Longye took the tea brewed by Qingli and poured a cup for Peng Zu, only then exploring his curiosity: "I wonder what I can do for you, Senior?"

Peng Zu took the tea, sipped it, and said: "Since you listened to my lecture earlier, Fellow Daoist, you should understand the shortcomings of the path I cultivate."

"I am hoping to request from you that Dharma of the Companion Spiritual Root from the Phoenix Clan."

Fang Longye was stunned upon hearing this, puzzled: "No—Senior Peng Zu, with your background, surely you are not lacking this secret Dharma!"

Who was the person before him?

This was Peng Zu! The great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu. Going back two more generations, the ancestor was the Xuanyuan Huangdi.

And he was lacking this secret Dharma?

"Well, Fellow Daoist, you overestimate me." Seeming to understand what Fang Longye was thinking, Peng Zu smiled bitterly: "Don't look at how people always add 'great-grandson of Zhuanxu' whenever they mention me. In truth, it is just a nice-sounding title."

"In the secular world, there is the concept of the 'five degrees of mourning.' Once outside those five degrees, the relationship becomes distant. I can only be considered a descendant with a blood connection to Ancestor Zhuanxu."

Fang Longye nodded on the surface to show agreement, but in reality, he did not care.

He knew clearly that the man was just not telling the truth.

This was not the true mortal world.

Peng Zu was, at the very least, an existence in the Taiyi Realm, and even a sage whose name was recorded in the history of the Human Race. How could he really be as miserable as he described? Even based on bloodline proximity alone, Peng Zu was authentic direct lineage of the Human Emperor. He was not like the 'Imperial Uncle Liu' from his past life's history, who could only claim to be a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, with a blood connection to Liu Bang so thin it was like a mosquito bite.

This Peng Zu before him was not simple.

The Yellow Emperor had twenty-five sons; his primary consort Leizu bore two, one named Xuanxiao and one named Changyi.

Changyi was the Yellow Emperor's legitimate second son, who descended to live by the Ruo River and became a feudal lord. He married Changpu of the Shu Mountain clan and gave birth to Zhuanxu in the wilds of the Ruo River.

Five generations after Zhuanxu, there was a descendant famous for his longevity.

And this descendant was Peng Zu.

Truly speaking, he was of the direct, authentic bloodline of the Xuanyuan Huangdi.

You tell me that with your status, you cannot collect the secret Dharma of the Phoenix Clan for refining a Post-Heaven Spiritual Root? And you need to obtain it from me? Seeing Fang Longye's perfunctory expression, Peng Zu knew this little fellow Daoist was full of doubts about his words.

He smiled bitterly in his heart; he also felt he was spouting nonsense. But what else could he do? Should he tell the truth, that your Yinglong Niangniang and my Leizu Niangniang had long been fighting fiercely in the inner palace of Ancestor Xuanyuan? And that they, the younger generations, were all caught in the crossfire.

As an outstanding descendant of the Leizu Niangniang lineage, he was being blocked and intercepted by the higher-ups of the Yinglong Niangniang lineage on the threshold of proving the Daluo path.

They called it adding trials to his path of enlightenment.

In other places, he truly had no way to obtain the secret Dharma to make a Post-Heaven Spiritual Root Reverse Innate.

Such words, once spoken aloud—

The two great-grandmothers would definitely each give him a slap, making him wake up after a thousand cycles of reincarnation.

Shaking his head, he stopped talking about this aspect and said directly: "Fellow Daoist, look at this treasure in my hand; is it to your satisfaction?"

As he spoke, Peng Zu flipped his palm, holding up an exquisite jade box, and pushed it toward Fang Longye through the air.

Fang Longye took it and probed with his divine sense, immediately exclaiming: "A fragment of the Building Wood?"

Then he breathed a sigh of relief; it was only a fragment of a second-generation Building Wood.

However, he was still beaming with joy.

This was the Building Wood, after all!

Even if it is not the Innate Spiritual Root of Qinglong Old Ancestor, just a second-generation Building Wood is precious enough.

I saw a piece of green wood the size of three palms, suffused with rich Creation Vitality, its interior filled with dense, interlaced spatial rule textures, twisting and spiraling like tree rings.

The small green wooden block was surrounded by a mysterious and unfathomable halo, layer upon layer.

Its entire body continuously radiated the power of space, resonating with the spatial nodes in the four directions.

He was overcome with joy.

Seeing his joyful expression, Peng Zu breathed a sigh of relief. The deal was now secure.

However, just in case, he added a few more words of introduction regarding the origin of this Building Wood fragment: "Do not look down on this Building Wood fragment just because it is a second-generation Building Wood and not an Innate one. In fact, its background is quite significant."

"In the past, in order to rule heaven and earth with the dignity of the Human Emperor, the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi specifically requested a second-generation Building Wood from Qinglong Spirit Venerable to serve as a bridge between the celestial and human realms."

"Later, when Ancestor Zhuanxu contended for the throne with the leader of the Gonggong tribe at Mount Buzhou, the Gonggong tribe was defeated, and their leader, in a fit of rage, followed the example of his predecessors and led Ancestor Zhuanxu to destroy this acquired Building Wood."

"The half of the Tengkong Sword you obtained, as well as this Building Wood fragment, both originated from this."

"In short, although the main body of this Building Wood fragment, that second-generation Building Wood, is not an Innate one, it had long since undergone immense transformation after being tempered by endless fortune during the long process of supporting the heavens and standing upon the earth."

"I dare not say it surpasses its predecessor, but it is definitely no worse than some Innate Spiritual Roots. You can slowly savor its profound mysteries in the future."

"Do you think this Building Wood fragment is worth trading for that secret Dharma of yours?"

After his explanation, Peng Zu fell silent, looking calm and composed as he waited for Fang Longye's response.

His eyes lowered, looking only at a bit of tea leaf in the plain white teacup before him; it was dark green and lush, its tender color striking, the two colors of green and white forming a rhyme, interlaced and interesting.

The tea color was faint, like the hazy sky after rain.

The tea fragrance did not dissipate, like the cold, refreshing scent of a lotus flower.

Without hesitation, Fang Longye directly tucked the Building Wood fragment into his pocket.

He said straightforwardly: "Senior, no need to say more. It is just a secret Dharma! Since Senior has taken a fancy to it, I will naturally offer it with both hands."

(End of this chapter)