Chapter 553: A Small Shock (33 Today 1w)

"May our paths be different..."

Not until he had left Xian Fa Lin for a long time did Ren Yidao still feel somewhat dazed.

"You bunch of guys, you really are tsundere."

After a good while, Ren Yidao laughed in spite of himself: "Couldn't you have just wished me well properly? You had to wait until the very end to say it."

This time capsule from the ancient past had a destructive power that somewhat exceeded his imagination.

Melancholy? Sentimentality? Confusion?

All of these were present, but none were very deep.

Time is the most ruthless killer.

For him, the encounter with those people was still not long ago, but for those people, it had already been separated by who knows how many years.

The events had already occurred, and no matter what he did, it would not change what had happened in the past.

Hm?

Ren Yidao narrowed his eyes, a thought suddenly emerging in his mind.

"... No, perhaps not necessarily."

"Since they were able to remember me, that means it is truly possible to have an impact on the past."

"If the next version of me can return to an even earlier time, could I perhaps leave them some instructions?"

This idea was good, but he was currently facing two problems that needed to be solved.

First, how could the Traveler of Ten Thousand Generations return to the past? What exactly should he do?

There were not many clues at present; the previous two times were both related to Zhongzhou, and both were spontaneous, having nothing to do with his own will.

Second, even if he went back, he currently had no way to help those people.

Huhu, I don't even know my own path to Ascension yet, how can I guide them?

"For the first point, perhaps I will know the answer after I master the final volume of the Ten Thousand Generations Art."

"For the second point, I can only wait until I successfully step into the Ascension Realm to talk about it."

When all is said and done, it ultimately comes down to improving his own strength.

Only when his strength is sufficient will he have the ability to explore the unknown truth.

With strength, he can enter Zhongzhou to save his disciple.

Without strength, he can only pray to Heaven outside, hoping that Zhang Mang has his own good fortune.

Because of those people's words, Ren Yidao had a rare impulse to improve his own strength.

"One ancient promise has been kept; it is time to go keep another."

With this experience, Ren Yidao now had some guesses about the giant beast's incoherent words from back then.

The other party's strength was clearly stronger, very likely a Demon God; it saw that he was the so-called "Traveler of Ten Thousand Generations," and perhaps caught a glimpse of some heavenly secrets from him.

Ren Yidao could not be sure if it had avoided future calamities after glimpsing the heavenly secrets, but surely, a Demon God like it would definitely not be without resistance against calamity.

Even if it fell, it surely could have left something behind before that, right?

"I hope it won't let me down."

He still had great interest in a thank-you gift from a Demon God.

"... Ah?"

Ren Yidao looked at the bottomless pit before him, blinked his eyes rapidly, and looked around.

"I remember it being right here."

"Brother Demon God, where is your pool?"

"No, where are you?"

"You weren't in the zoo at all, where did you hide?"

Ren Yidao had returned to the place he was conscious of in his dream, but the scene before him left him somewhat bewildered.

He hadn't even recognized this as the place from his dream the first few times he passed by.

Not seeing the Demon God was not unexpected; Human Immortals and Demon Gods had all gone extinct, so there was no reason for it to be an exception.

But not seeing even a single drop of water was indeed something that exceeded his imagination.

What exactly happened back then?

Such a large pool, how could there not be a single drop of water left?

"Wait... no, it seems that ever since I arrived in Zhongzhou, I haven't seen a drop of water; the stream in Xian Fa Lin has also dried up."

He recalled carefully and discovered that the flowers, grass, and trees were very lush, but there were no animals, nor was there any trace of water.

"Lacking water in the Five Elements? Is the Butian Alliance doing something behind the scenes?"

"... No, Zhang Mang said that woman entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, and he heard the sound of water; there should have been water in there."

Dragon Transformation Pool.

"Hahaha! It is as expected! It is as expected!!!"

"There is true dragon blood here!"

A disheveled Ao Zhun laughed loudly, his voice echoing in the palace of the Dragon Transformation Pool.

Although he was covered in wounds, his appearance had already changed, looking much younger than before.

There was a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth, but it was not his own; it came from some poor explorer.

After successfully ambushing and killing many explorers, he finally replenished his own vitality and recovered from his injuries.

After that, he wasted no time following the call of his bloodline to the Dragon Transformation Pool, successfully entering the palace.

And as soon as he entered this place, he felt his bloodline surging crazily, constantly welling up.

"This feeling, this pressure, that's right! The blood of a True Dragon Demon God! And not just one!"

"The ancestor is calling to me!"

"It's right behind this wall!"

"No, it might not just be the blood of a True Dragon; there might also be the remains of a True Dragon."

That is the body of a Demon God!

Even if it were just bones, it wouldn't matter; if he could replace his entire skeleton, he would also be able to obtain a tremendous improvement.

"Those fellows in Demon Emperor City are a bunch of pedantic idiots. What is the greatest value of the Phoenix Demon God, if not to serve as a moving city?"

Ao Zhun was excited; as long as he replaced his body with that of a True Dragon, he would certainly be able to advance further.

"As long as I advance further, even if I don't become a Demon God, it doesn't matter if I'm only a half-step Demon God; I must make those people pay the price!"

Ao Zhun recalled the humiliation he suffered from that fake monk, the conspiracy of the Butian Alliance, and Hu Wanwan, who had destroyed his last hope!

"Hehehe, Hahaha!!!"

"Just you wait! All of you, just you wait!"

"As long as I obtain the inheritance, none of you will be able to run! None of you will... eh?"

While Ao Zhun was excited, he suddenly saw text appearing on the wall.

【"The Dragon Transformation Pool can allow you to be reborn, ascend the steps, and become a True Dragon."】

【"But not everyone is qualified to become a True Dragon!"】

【"Aptitude, bloodline, and wisdom—these three points are all indispensable."】

【"If you can see this text, your aptitude is beyond doubt! If you can feel the call, your bloodline is also sufficient."】

【"But only wisdom cannot be sensed from the outside; you need to pass a test."】

【"If you wish to become a True Dragon, you must possess wisdom that surpasses ordinary people!"】

Up to this point, Ao Zhun could still accept it, and he felt that what was written above was correct.

But the text that appeared next made his brows gradually furrow.

【"Future disciples, here are two simple questions to test whether you can become a true True Dragon!"】

【"Please prove that 'any map can have its countries with common boundaries colored with different colors using only four colors.'"】

(PS: The Four Color Theorem, one of the three great modern mathematical problems of the world, also known as the Four Color Conjecture or the Four Color Problem, is one of the three great mathematical conjectures of the world.)

【"Please prove that 'any integer greater than two can be written as the sum of three prime numbers.'"】

(PS: Goldbach's Conjecture, one of the three great mathematical conjectures of the world.)

【"If you cannot even solve such simple problems, then you do not have the qualifications to become a True Dragon! Leave at once!"】

This was the surprise Ren Yidao left for those who came after.

In this world, many things will deceive you, such as love, friendship, wealth, career... they may all abandon you or betray you.

But mathematics will not.

Because if you don't know this stuff, you really don't know it.

Ren Yidao does not do wicked things, so he did not leave any aggressive Array or traps.

It would be bad if he accidentally harmed innocent people later and caused them to truly lose their lives.

However, a little bit of mental torture is harmless.

Tremble! Cultivators!

Experience the mental torture that comes from mathematics!

A little bit of mathematical shock!

As for why only two of the three great mathematical conjectures were written, it was because he really didn't know how to describe the third one in a way that people in this world could understand...

So he simply didn't write it; these two alone were enough to torture them.

However, Ren Yidao still miscalculated slightly.

For those who have never come into contact with mathematics... he couldn't even read the questions.

"... Hmm?"

The reason Ao Zhun frowned was not because he felt these two questions were difficult.

On the contrary, he felt these questions were truly too simple.

"What is difficult about this?"

"Three equals one plus two, four equals two plus two; that's right, it's correct."

He drew a map directly on the ground, divided it into four parts, and labeled them with four colors respectively.

After thinking for a brief moment, he confidently raised his head and shouted at the wall:

"It's correct, it's correct, both of these are correct!"

He was full of confidence and did not doubt his answer at all.

However, the wall did not give any reaction.

Hmm?

Ao Zhun's brows knitted together, feeling that something had gone wrong.

"Wait, why is there no reaction? Did I think about it wrong?"

Ao Zhun thought about it carefully again, and it was only with this thought that he truly stepped into the trap Ren Yidao had prepared.

"Could it be that my thinking is incorrect? Or is the quantity I proved insufficient?"

"Then I'll think of a relatively large number!"

The old Dragon King did not know any formulas, but as an Asking Dao powerhouse, his thinking was sufficient to support him in breaking down a massive number.

"Nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine is just..."

Furthermore, just as Ao Zhun began to continuously launch attacks on the three great mathematical conjectures, outside the Dragon Transformation Pool, a blurred figure whose entire body could not be seen clearly appeared quietly.

"Those two pieces of trash actually let the prey escape."

"And this prey is even more of a piece of trash, actually stepping into the trap on its own."

"That is fine, it saves me a lot of effort."

He then waved his hand toward the Dragon Transformation Pool.

The next moment, the palace outside underwent a change, transforming from a magnificent building into a giant skeletal dragon head.

Ao Zhun was, at this moment, inside the dragon's mouth!

He said:

"I wish to sacrifice the blood of an Asking Dao demon dragon; I ask the Pool Master to unseal it."