Chapter 18

"Damn it, I didn't expect breaking through to the Seventh Level of Qi Cultivation would cost me so many merit points!" On a small hill, a handsome young man was staring at his storage ring with a pained expression. This person was none other than Lu Shaoyou, who had just survived the Netherworld. To get through that ordeal, Lu Shaoyou had no choice but to resort to this last resort, and his more than ten thousand merit points were now reduced to just 8,477. Fortunately, when Lu Shaoyou opened Ying Wen's storage bag, he found a large number of merit points, which, when added together, actually exceeded his original amount! A total of 13,732 merit points!

"At least this fool Ying Wen delivered the merit points to me," Lu Shaoyou said with a delighted expression as he tidied up. Looking at the vibrant scene in the small dimensional world, a sense of nostalgia arose in his heart: "The essence here is so pure. Although the concentration is about the same, it's clearly more comfortable here than in the outside world. I still have more than eight days before I'm teleported out. Since I've already gathered all the spirit medicines and my merit points have long exceeded a thousand, I might as well explore a bit. There's been a strong feeling lately, as if something I need is nearby. Even the mysterious stone tablet in my dantian, which usually remains unmoved, is trembling continuously. But it doesn't seem to be out of fear; rather, it's like... excitement! How strange. It seems this small dimensional world, hidden in the ancient ruins, has many secrets!"

Lu Shaoyou stepped on the wind, strolling leisurely among the towering ancient trees. At this point, Lu Shaoyou had a deeper understanding of the Eight Steps of Heaven, although he still hadn't taken the third step. However, he discovered by chance that the Eight Steps of Heaven could be transformed into a graceful and ethereal stepping technique, which was not only practical but also beautiful. Lu Shaoyou secretly admired the strength of the person who created this stepping technique, who must have been a powerful being no less than an ancient sage! It might even have been created by a celestial being! Lu Shaoyou sighed, but then focused on what he should do next. After flying for two hours, the towering ancient trees finally began to thin out. Although there were flowers, grass, vines, and trees, the area looked vibrant on the surface, but upon closer inspection, it was very abnormal. There were no animals around, no bird calls or animal roars, and no signs of insect activity. It was eerily silent! Lu Shaoyou's heart tightened; this place seemed extremely dangerous!

At this moment, the mysterious stone tablet in his dantian, which had been trembling slightly, was now trembling violently, though the intensity was still mild compared to before.

"Is it this direction...?" Lu Shaoyou narrowed his eyes, a sharp light flashing in them. "It seems I'm right." He calculated in his mind and considered how to respond. "The only thing I don't know is how Qingyin is doing... I'm afraid Ying Wen and Old Wei might harm her. Hmph..."

After a few days of interaction, although Lu Shaoyou still found the little demon girl somewhat frustrating and headache-inducing, he also felt a deep affection for her. Since his birth, his mother had died, leaving him alone. Although he didn't have much feeling for his adoptive mother in this life, he could see from her dying eyes that she was deeply attached to him. His father was unknown, with no clues, only a useless broken stone with the character 'Zheng' carved on it! Therefore, Lu Shaoyou placed little value on the family ties of this life, feeling no particular affection for parental love. However, this time, encountering Luo Qingyin, Lu Shaoyou felt a strong desire to protect her. The warmth of sibling affection had already taken root in his heart through their constant bickering.

"I hope these two will be sensible; otherwise, I'll make them suffer for eternity!" A cold light flashed in Lu Shaoyou's eyes, and the air around him seemed to freeze.

"It seems I'm getting closer..." Lu Shaoyou's eyes scanned the area, and he finally noticed something different. "What is this?" Lu Shaoyou's eyes shot out a sharp light as he scanned the forest, discovering a broken stone tablet!

"Stone tablet...? What is this? Could it be what the mysterious stone tablet in my dantian wants? Could the stone tablet in my dantian be a broken piece?" One question after another popped up in Lu Shaoyou's mind, but before he could ponder them deeply, he dismissed them all.

Because when he faced the broken stone tablet, the stone tablet in his dantian showed no reaction at all!

It seems it's not this, Lu Shaoyou muttered to himself, preparing to stand up. Suddenly, he squatted down again and carefully touched the stone tablet. Layer by layer, the sand and soil were slowly brushed away, revealing several ancient characters. What surprised Lu Shaoyou the most was that these characters were ancient Chinese! They seemed to be the ancient Qin bronze script. Although Lu Shaoyou was just an ordinary college student in his previous life, he majored in archaeology, and he never thought he would use this knowledge now!

"Evil... Emperor... Forbidden... Zone...! Descendants... Beware...! Left by... Tai Xuan... Daoist..." Lu Shaoyou read the characters one by one, his brows furrowing. Evil Emperor Forbidden Zone!? What is this place? Why is there such a thing? But what puzzled Lu Shaoyou even more was why the ancient Qin bronze script from Earth would appear here! According to the words left by Tai Xuan Daoist, he didn't seem to be the owner of the Evil Emperor Forbidden Zone, but he left this warning because it was too dangerous for later generations to see.

The Evil Emperor Forbidden Zone? It sounds very dangerous. But every time Lu Shaoyou faced this forbidden zone, he felt a strong urge to explore it, and the mysterious stone tablet in his dantian kept trembling, as if urgently urging him to go!

Lu Shaoyou gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and stepped into the forbidden zone. When his figure completely disappeared, the broken stone tablet suddenly trembled, and a faint yellow light emerged, transforming into a Taoist in a yellow robe. The Taoist had a withered face, and his yellow complexion made him look like a sick person. However, if you looked into his eyes, you would see that they were full of vitality and inner light, indicating a profound cultivation far beyond that of ordinary mortals!

His eyes, though ordinary, had a unique charm, as if the entire world was in chaos and the universe was collapsing! The mysterious symbols on his robe were noble, sacred, and solemn. The Taoist looked at the Evil Emperor Forbidden Zone, then lowered his head in deep thought, and finally sighed.

"Fate and destiny! Has the supreme destiny already begun...?" A bitter smile appeared on the Taoist's lips. "Is it happening so soon again...? Well, well, dust returns to dust, earth to earth, from where it came, it must return there." The Taoist waved his hand, and the broken stone tablet turned to ashes.

A gentle breeze blew, and even the ashes were gone. The Taoist in the yellow robe also dissipated into a shower of light, as if he had never been there.

The forest returned to silence.

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