Chapter 925: The True Form of Jin Ku Lao Zu

“He Dao You , are you going or not?” The Empress of Tianweidicheng looked at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng did not answer her question, but asked in return: “What do you think, Tianwei Dao You ?”

Tianwei said: “We’ve come all this way, and now we know where the Ten Primordial Toxins are located. So I think we might as well go!”

“If it truly becomes dangerous, we can still retreat in time!”

He Pingsheng said nothing, but stared at Tianwei for several breaths.

“Why are you staring at me?” Tianwei asked.

He Pingsheng said: “This is an independent spiritual realm!”

“Though it is a small spiritual realm, once the exit closes, it becomes a self-contained world!”

“The cultivators in this realm can ascend to immortality!”

“But there is one point I must warn you about!”

The Empress of Tianweidicheng said: “I am all ears.”

He Pingsheng continued: “Our true bodies are here, while our projections are in another spiritual realm. If we perish here, the pull of the Six Paths of Reincarnation on our souls will be stronger than the pull of our projections!”

“In other words, if we die here, our souls go straight to the Underworld—and we are truly dead!”

“If we go over there and wait until danger strikes to retreat, it may already be too late!”

The Empress of Tianweidicheng’s face paled slightly. “Is that so? I hadn’t considered this!”

“Then… your meaning is… we shouldn’t go?”

“We won’t go!” He Pingsheng shook his head, abandoning the idea outright: “Clearly, this is a trap!”

If the Butterfly-Transformed Immortal had not lied, then the Ten Primordial Toxins are all within the Sacred Ground, and they are owned objects, controlled by someone.

Then… who is the master of the Ten Primordial Toxins?

The residual soul of Jin Ku Lao Zu?

His disciple?

Or someone else?

But whoever controls the Ten Primordial Toxins must possess terrifying power.

Otherwise, how did so many Mahayana Emperor-level cultivators die over the years entering the Jin Ku Immortal Ruins?

With a projection, He Pingsheng could afford to be reckless.

But now, without a projection, he cannot.

Previously, He Pingsheng had entered seeking the Ten Primordial Toxins because he believed they were scattered throughout this world.

He thought the fallen Emperors had been ambushed by the toxins and thus perished.

After all, the toxins differed from the other four Primordial Substances.

But now, after hearing the Butterfly-Transformed Immortal’s words, He Pingsheng’s thoughts changed.

No!

None of it!

So why go to the Sacred Ground chasing after the toxins now?

Am I mad?

I don’t want them anymore!

“Tianwei Dao You !” He Pingsheng bowed to the Empress of Tianweidicheng: “For the time being, I will find a place to close myself off in seclusion until this realm reopens a hundred years from now!”

“I have nothing to do with any of the struggles here!”

“If Tianwei Dao You still has designs on the Primordial Toxins, then let us part ways here!”

He Pingsheng had even lost the desire to seek the source of the toxins.

“This…” The Empress of Tianweidicheng thought for a moment, then bowed: “He Dao You , if that’s the case, I still wish to explore further. Then… let us part ways!”

“See you in a hundred years!”

“Good!” He Pingsheng acted swiftly, instantly transforming into a streak of light and flying away.

He did not head toward the Sacred Ground, but instead went in the opposite direction.

After flying for a stick of incense, he tore open the void with a sharp sound, chose a deep mountain valley at random, drew forth his flying sword, and carved out a massive cave dwelling, then stepped inside.

Hummm… hummm… hummm…

Upon entering, his first act was to throw out the [Heavenly Binding Earth Shackles Eight Gates Mirror].

Once activated, it formed a seventh-rank array: the [Mysterious Spirit Array].

This Mysterious Spirit Array combined a seventh-rank early-warning array and a seventh-rank spirit-suppressing array.

It could defend against the spiritual sense probes of Mahayana Emperor-level cultivators!

After completing this, He Pingsheng did not set up any other arrays—he simply began his seclusion within the cave.

His first task was still to meditate on the Law of Time.

Yet, barely half a stick of incense into his meditation, he suddenly opened his eyes and retreated at top speed.

In that instant, his speed reached its absolute limit!

Boom…

The next moment, a green serpent erupted from the ground where he had been seated.

“Puff…” The serpent turned its head and spat violently at He Pingsheng.

Green mist surged toward him.

He Pingsheng immediately sealed his six senses!

Puff… puff… puff… puff…

Then more green serpents erupted from the ground, attacking him.

Yet these attacks were all half-hearted, never truly lethal.

He Pingsheng parried the so-called serpents while saying: “No need to hide and test me—come out and speak!”

These serpents were illusions!

They were not serpents at all!

They were streams of poison.

“Hehehe…” No sooner had He Pingsheng spoken than a chilling laugh echoed from all directions.

Then dozens of serpents merged into one, forming an old man with a green body who landed in He Pingsheng’s temporary cultivation chamber.

“Good lad, quick reflexes!”

“At just Body Integration, you’ve reached this level—truly extraordinary!”

The old man waved his hand, drawing all the poison around him into his mouth and swallowing it.

Then he sat down again.

His green body slowly, languidly turned white.

Like a wisp of white smoke!

“Huh…” He Pingsheng exhaled deeply, sweeping his spiritual sense over the old man—but found nothing.

Facing the old man, He Pingsheng felt the same dread he had when confronting the Xu Immortal Ancestor of the Phoenix Clan.

His heart pounded!

He Pingsheng thought of one possibility.

“Elder… are you…?”

He Pingsheng stared intently at the old man, while a strand of his spiritual sense had already slipped into his treasure space, readying the Three-Seven Talisman.

If an opportunity arose, he had no qualms about striking first.

Even if he got a three and the other got a seven.

But he’d still be safe.

“No need to scan!”

“Your spiritual sense is far stronger than your peers—even rivaling the peak of Mahayana Emperor-level cultivators—but compared to me, it’s still a firefly’s glow!”

“I’ll tell you anyway!”

“If we speak purely in terms of cultivation level!”

“My cultivation is one step above that of an Xu Immortal!”

He Pingsheng’s mind trembled: Damn!

One step above an Xu Immortal?

Then does that mean… this fellow is Jin Ku Lao Zu, the one Jin Buhuan spoke of?

“You…?”

“You are the Jin Ku Clan’s Jin Ku Lao Zu?”

“The creator of the Jin Ku Immortal Ruins?”

He Pingsheng’s shock nearly seized his throat.

“Correct!” Jin Ku Lao Zu replied calmly, then smiled: “Don’t be afraid… I’m just an old, long-lived thing.”

“What?”

“You seem afraid of me?”

As Jin Ku Lao Zu spoke, his color shifted again—from white to crimson.