Chapter 955: Three Hundred Years Later

The wind and snow howled!

Heaven and earth were a chaotic mess!

The sky was white, the ground was white.

It seemed this realm had become a world of wind and snow.

“Third brother, how much farther?”

In the valley, a giant clad in black robes flew on his sword, zipping past several cliffs within the valley.

On either side of the giant stood two others.

The man on the left, dressed in a blue Daoist robe and wearing a conical hat, said: “Almost there, boss… right ahead!”

“After we pass this valley and turn the corner, you’ll see a giant pine tree!”

“Right beside that pine tree is where it is!”

“Good!” The black-robed giant nodded: “I hope this time we don’t come back empty-handed!”

“Don’t worry, boss. This place used to be called Solitary Pine Mountain, a top-tier sect that reached the heavens. No one knows what happened—it was wiped out, and ever since, it’s been a ruin!”

“Even as a ruin, the Zhu Que clan still stationed guards here!”

“But for some reason, the Zhu Que guarding this place suddenly vanished!”

“Hehehe… we brothers can take advantage of the chaos. If we can find even one or two space rings or other items in this ruin, it’ll be a tremendous stroke of luck!”

Among the three, the boss had the highest cultivation base: Foundation Establishment Level 11.

The other two were also Foundation Establishment, but only at mid-stage.

Zzzz…

Three sword lights swiftly flew past valley after valley.

Their flight altitude grew ever higher.

Soon, they faintly saw the highest peak here.

The peak’s summit was covered in snow, yet amid the endless white, a colossal pine tree stood firm against the wind and snow.

A lone pine.

“We’re here, we’re here… boss, look!”

The three stared excitedly at the lone pine ahead.

Reaching the lone pine meant reaching the ruin.

“At the top of this peak is a volcanic crater!”

“Let’s go take a look!”

A few breaths later, the three landed on the edge of the massive crater.

Before them, wind and snow raged wildly; below lay a vast circular expanse of molten lava.

Heat and cold rushed at them simultaneously, giving the three a strange sensation.

“But… there’s lava everywhere. How do we search for treasures?”

The boss stared at the enormous crater, lost in thought.

At that moment, a golden light suddenly erupted from a hundred zhang above the molten lava, sweeping outward with a thunderous boom.

The golden light rippled like a wave, surging around them.

Within a hundred li, all wind and snow were swept clean.

The golden light continued to surge outward.

In the boundless heavens and earth, the golden light expanded into a bubble a hundred li wide, shielding all wind and snow from the outside.

“Holy shit… holy shit holy shit…”

“Look…!”

“There’s a treasure pearl!”

“We hit the jackpot…!”

“There really is a treasure!”

All three fixed their gazes on the void!

“Mine…” The boss, believing he’d stumbled upon a rare treasure, shot forward with a zzzz, reaching out to grasp the purple-red pearl in the void.

Boom…

The next instant, the pearl emitted another burst of golden energy.

Daoist laws, entwined with heavenly spiritual energy, slammed into the flying boss, blasting him back and hurling him hard onto his original spot.

The three looked again—only to find the purple pearl gone. In its place stood a young man clad in black Daoist robes.

He was none other than He Pingsheng, who had been cultivating here.

“Y-you… you…” The boss stammered, staring at He Pingsheng: “Who are you?”

He Pingsheng replied: “Who are you?”

As he spoke, his vast spiritual sense swept over the three.

Puff… puff puff…

All three spat blood.

He Pingsheng was startled, quickly retracting his spiritual sense, and realized their cultivation was merely Foundation Establishment.

Damn, I almost crushed them with my spiritual sense by accident.

I thought they were Body Integration or Void Refinement.

Turns out they’re just three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“Senior! Senior, spare our lives!”

“Senior, spare our lives!”

Though low in cultivation, they weren’t fools. Sensing He Pingsheng’s overwhelming spiritual sense, they knew he was a cultivator of supreme power. One turned pale, fell to his knees, and spat blood.

He Pingsheng said: “No harm done. Stand up and speak.”

He stepped forward and landed before them: “Why are you here?”

The boss, too injured to speak, was answered by the third: “Senior… we thought this place was a ruin, and came seeking treasure!”

“But we didn’t expect this to be your Dao hall!”

“Forgive us, forgive us!”

He Pingsheng nodded: “I understand.”

“You may leave.”

“There are no treasures here. You’ll never find any in your lifetime.”

Saying this, he pulled several low-grade magic treasures from his storage space and tossed them before the three: “Take them. Leave immediately!”

He Pingsheng would never use these items again.

But for these three humans, they could still serve some purpose.

“Thank you, Senior!”

“Thank you so much!”

The three bowed repeatedly, thanked him endlessly, and hurried away—even forgetting to ask his name.

After the three had departed, He Pingsheng waved his hand, and a fierce wind swept out, blowing all the snow from the crater clean.

“How are you?” He Pingsheng turned back, speaking as if to himself: “All these years… has the curse on your body been lifted?”

“Hmm, hahaha… three hundred years already!” A hoarse voice echoed from He Pingsheng’s body. Jin Ku laughed heartily: “Gone… the curse on this old man’s body is completely gone!”

“Thank you, boy!”

He Pingsheng said: “You’re welcome.”

But silence followed.

For once Jin Ku’s curse was fully purged, Heaven’s Dao would no longer track him.

In this state, Jin Ku could leave He Pingsheng’s body.

But!

It was difficult.

Though they had coexisted for a thousand years, neither trusted the other.

Jin Ku feared that if he left He Pingsheng’s body, He Pingsheng would immediately turn on him and kill him.

For once outside He Pingsheng’s mind sea, he could no longer threaten him with self-destruction.

On the other hand, He Pingsheng feared too.

He feared that if this old man left, he would spread word that He Pingsheng possessed the [Treasure Gathering Immortal Basin].

That would be trouble.

So the best solution was to kill him outright.

But could Jin Ku, a being who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, not guess He Pingsheng’s intentions?

Thus, he would never leave He Pingsheng’s mind sea.