Chapter 322: A Small Gathering

The night deepened.

"All right, all right, I'm going to sleep now. See you tomorrow, farewell."

Yu Lin, after much effort, saw off Su Qu and the others—who were full of curiosity and had come to probe the shocking daytime incident—out of the guest room, closed the door, and let out a long sigh.

Dealing with these guys is quite tiring.

He rubbed his brow and fell straight onto the bed; his mind emptied, and soon a heavy drowsiness swept over him.

He cast the daytime clamor aside, slipped into a deep sleep, and his breathing steadied.

However, just as Yu Lin was sleeping soundly,

Deep within the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion, a brightly lit secret hall held an atmosphere as heavy as unspreading ink.

Contemporary Zhang Tianshi and Ling Dongxuan and others gathered together.

They sat around a simple agarwood table, their gazes all fixed on a deity statue placed at the center of the tabletop.

The statue was neither metal nor jade, exuding a warm antiquity, its carving simple yet vivid.

What was most startling was that the statue's face bore a five‑ or six‑tenths resemblance to Yu Lin, who in the daytime had caused the saints' manifestos to be voluntarily submitted.

"Everyone," Zhang Tianshi rose slowly, his expression solemn as he carefully lifted the statue, and explained to those present:

"This statue was left by the Qi Pingding Patriarch of Louguan Tai a thousand years ago."

"As for which immortal this statue represents… due to the passage of time and broken transmission, it is now impossible to ascertain."

"The only clue we have is—" he said, slowly turning the statue's base toward the crowd.

All eyes instantly focused on the polished base, where, in ancient script, three small characters were boldly engraved—

【Carver of the statue—Yuan Tiangang!】

A few faint inhalations sounded within the hall.

Yuan Tiangang's name was known to everyone present, and his mysterious connection to the Tui Bei Tu was widely spoken of.

Since he himself carved the statue, the weight of what it represents can be imagined.

Zhang Tianshi gently placed the statue back, and continued: "A few years ago I happened upon this statue, felt something, and was prompted to trace its origins, following this thread…"

He turned, walked toward a towering massive bookshelf on one side of the hall, tapped a few times on an inconspicuous carved pattern, and a faint mechanical click sounded as a hidden compartment silently slid open.

Inside the compartment was a metal safe that glimmered with a faint rune sheen.

Zhang Tianshi skillfully dispelled several layers of seals, opened the safe, and solemnly retrieved a long, strip‑shaped object tightly wrapped in layers of yellowed Talisman Paper.

He carefully peeled away the Talisman Papers that contained sealing power, and finally revealed a book with yellowed pages, frayed edges, exuding a strong scent of age.

He cradled the ancient volume, returned to the table, gently placed it on the surface, and softly opened it to a page.

Everyone's gaze gathered again.

On the yellowed page, a simple brushstroke depicted a portrait.

The portrait's outline and demeanor resembled the statue on the table and even Yu Lin of the daytime, but the facial features were blurred by age or other reasons, making them hard to discern.

Next to it, more text read:

【Illustrator—Zhang Jiao!】

Seeing this, no one was foolish; combined with the daytime events, it seemed to hint that Yu Lin's background might be extraordinary.

Another elder, who appeared the oldest, spoke: "Speaking of Yu Zhenren.........."

"I actually recall something."

The others looked at him, especially Ling Dongxuan sitting beside him, and asked curiously: "Oh?"

"Bai Lao, could you elaborate?"

Bai Lao is another of the Seven Great Void of Da Xia, who attained Dao two hundred years ago; his peers, in pursuit of higher realms or due to lifespan, all ascended to the Heavenly Court, truly veteran elders.

He said, "Do you all know of the Yu Clan that has been passed down since antiquity?"

"From ancient times to the present, inside and out, every Yu Clan member who has appeared has become a great achiever!"

"I suspect… Yu Zhenren either hails from this family, or, in other words, inherited its bloodline."

"Miracle is indeed powerful, but achieving such feats in just a few years… hmm."

He did not continue, yet the profound implication in his words was evident to the others.

However, someone voiced a differing opinion.

A middle‑aged man said, "I think perhaps, from antiquity to now, it has always been a single person?"

"Have you all forgotten the First Sequence No. 04 Heavenly Authority—Longevity?"

"I recall that this Longevity, every hundred years, forgets its previous memories, reverting from an ordinary old age to childhood, then from childhood back to old age, gradually restoring memory."

"What was it called before, the past‑life wisdom?"

"Perhaps Yu Zhenren has survived since antiquity, and because he bears the Miracle Authority, other Longevity beings die for various reasons as they age from youth to old age."

"Yu Zhenren, however, can use Miracle to evade one death trial after another!"

"What do you all think?"

His conjecture, once voiced, was logical and well‑founded, and many instantly nodded in agreement.

Yet some persisted in Bai Lao's ancient lineage hypothesis.

Later, someone suggested that Yu Lin is the reincarnation of a certain immortal, perhaps a disciple of the Supreme Manifested Saint, which would explain his receiving the Supreme Manifested Saint and the daytime oddities.

Each speculation emerged, oddly piecing together some clues.

If Yu Lin is here, one must exclaim: Truly, many heads are stronger—three cobblers can outwit a Zhuge Liang!

"Enough."

Zhang Tianshi spoke, cutting off the speculation, and after putting away the book left by Zhang Jiao, said gravely:

"Regardless, at least from the current perspective."

"Yu Zhenren harbors great love and does great good; whatever you say, it is all positive."

Being on good terms is fine; if something really comes up, it's not too late to take action.

Just then, someone's muttering could be heard:

Take action? Judging by the current guesses, even if we all gang up, we can't do anything to him...

Zhang Tianshi: "........."

Meeting dismissed.