Chapter 26

In the ring space, Lin Feng's consciousness delved deep, condensing into a shadow that faced the remnant soul of the Taotie trapped in the light cage.

Lin Feng stared at the Taotie and asked, "If I didn't hear wrong, you said that the former Sacred Maiden of Tai Xu Sect was killed by someone, leaving behind a son who, as a bastard of a noble family, was oppressed by his father and legitimate mother, living a miserable life?"

The Taotie subconsciously nodded but quickly realized what was happening, shouting in dissatisfaction, "Why should I tell you?"

Lin Feng smiled brightly, and with a thought, the light cage formed by the Heavenly Cage Spell Seal instantly shrank, tightly pinning the Taotie. The light bars pressed against the Taotie, causing a mist to rise from its body, and the Taotie screamed in pain.

The Heavenly Cage Spell Seal was not just a means to trap enemies but also had a lethal effect, especially on spirits and souls, making it particularly sharp.

"Ouch, it hurts! It hurts!" The Taotie's features twisted in pain, its semi-transparent soul distorting into a small figure, cowering to avoid the compression of the light cage.

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback when he saw the Taotie transform into a little girl who looked no more than three or four years old, with two pigtails, a delicate and adorable appearance, and a snow-white, cute look.

This Taotie, when transformed into a human form, turned out to be a little girl, and in terms of cuteness, she could rival the super-cute little boy.

However, this little girl was indeed fierce. Despite her cute appearance, her demeanor was very domineering and tyrannical. Seeing Lin Feng staring at her in a daze, she snorted angrily, "What are you looking at? My age, when transformed into a human form, is like this. You're making a fuss over nothing!"

The Taotie was not known for its shape-shifting abilities, and when it transformed into a human form, it generally did not fake it. This Taotie turned out to be a female Taotie cub.

Lin Feng came to his senses and nodded, "No wonder you speak and act so immaturely. You're still a little kid."

The little Taotie immediately bristled, jumping and cursing, "Who are you calling a little kid?"

Lin Feng smiled at her, "If you really think you're an adult, then please be rational and mature. At least, understand your current situation."

He tapped the little Taotie, and his smile gradually faded, "For example, understand who is in charge here."

The little Taotie looked at the light cage that was still shrinking and pressing down on her, and the little girl reluctantly calmed down, but she still muttered, "If it weren't for that old man from the Fiery Sword Sect hitting me hard earlier, this Heavenly Cage Spell Seal wouldn't be able to trap me. I would have devoured it all in one bite..."

Lin Feng's face was filled with a warm smile like the sun in spring, "Your words mean that you're reminding me to take advantage of your current weakness and finish you off completely?"

The little Taotie's body trembled, and she quickly shook her head, forcing a smile on her face, "Of course not, of course not."

Lin Feng nodded, "But I think I should finish you off completely now."

He glanced at the little Taotie, counting on his fingers, "First, the young man whose power you completely devoured three years ago is now my disciple. You made him suffer so much. As his master, shouldn't I help my disciple take revenge?"

"Second, the person you hate so much, Yan Mingyue, although I'm not yet friends with her, our relationship is still quite good."

"Finally, and most importantly, if I let you live, once you recover your strength, it will definitely be detrimental to me."

The little Taotie's expression became increasingly grim, and her eyes were filled with obvious fear.

Lin Feng stared at her, "I have so many reasons to finish you off completely. Tell me, why should I let you go?"

The little Taotie swallowed hard, her big, black eyes wide open, looking at Lin Feng pitifully, "This... this senior, if there's anything I can do, please just tell me."

Lin Feng smiled, saying lightly, "That depends on your performance."

The little Taotie had no choice but to answer Lin Feng's questions honestly.

Tai Xu Sect valued quality over quantity in its disciples, and the number of disciples was small. Many of them would never leave the sect's mountain gate, dedicating their lives to cultivation and the pursuit of the Dao.

However, whenever Tai Xu Sect sent disciples into the world for cultivation, it would always cause a huge stir. The most outstanding leader among the indoor disciples would act as the representative of Tai Xu Sect in the world, traveling far and wide.

This disciple was usually referred to as a Daoist wanderer. If the person happened to be female, she was often called the Sacred Maiden of Tai Xu Sect.

Initially, this title was just a playful nickname, but due to Tai Xu Sect's supreme status as the first holy land and the outstanding abilities of its female Daoist wanderers, it gradually became a recognized honorific.

The previous Sacred Maiden of Tai Xu Sect was named Meng Bingyun, a genius of unparalleled talent, recognized as the most outstanding disciple to emerge from Tai Xu Sect in nearly a thousand years.

Meng Bingyun practiced the Dao of Supreme Indifference, which, along with the Void Yin-Yang Dao, was known as the "Tai" and "Xu" scriptures, the strongest Dao techniques recorded in Tai Xu Sect's Daoist canon, "The Essentials of the Great Dao of Tai Xu."

This Dao technique emphasized first experiencing emotions and then forgetting them, using human emotions to seek the Dao of heaven.

At the highest level of cultivation, one could transform great love from indifference, speak without words, and command all beings, remain still, and make the heavens bow.

The most taboo was to be entangled and hindered by emotions, to be bound and troubled by them.

But Meng Bingyun encountered a man who entangled her for life, the Grand Tutor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Duke Xuanji Zhu Hongwu.

Meng Bingyun experienced the trials of emotion due to Zhu Hongwu and ultimately could not resolve them, leading to the shattering of her Dao heart and the loss of her formidable cultivation, the worst possible outcome for practicing the Dao of Supreme Indifference.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was a more powerful nation than the Great Qin Dynasty. The emperors of each generation worked hard to improve the country, and the national strength steadily increased. By the time the throne passed to the current emperor, Liang Pan, the country's power had rapidly expanded.

Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu, both rulers and ministers, advocated suppressing the development of sects and holy lands with religious backgrounds in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Twenty years ago, they joined forces with the Nine Heavens Sword Alliance and other major powers to carry out a shocking event that changed the power structure of the entire Tianyuan world.

The destruction of Buddhism!

The Great Zhou Dynasty, along with many other forces, besieged the Great Thunder Sound Temple, one of the three major holy lands in the world, located within the Great Zhou territory.

That battle was extremely brutal, with countless strong experts and masters of the yuan shen level falling.

But in the end, Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu succeeded, and the Great Thunder Sound Temple was erased from the world. The three major holy lands of the world were reduced to just Tai Xu Sect and the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

Tai Xu Sect, as a Daoist holy land, was also in opposition to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Due to her relationship with Zhu Hongwu, Meng Bingyun was even expelled from the sect and almost purged.

If the story ended there, with Meng Bingyun and Zhu Hongwu living together, it might have been a touching tale of love. But for Meng Bingyun, marrying into the Duke Xuanji's household marked the beginning of a nightmare.

Due to her Dao technique, Meng Bingyun, when she entered the world for cultivation, delved deep into the secular world, becoming a courtesan who sold her art but not her body. When she married into the Duke Xuanji's household, which valued propriety and education, no matter how glorious her pre-marriage life was, she could only be a concubine.

Without Daoist cultivation and without a family status, the former Sacred Maiden of Tai Xu Sect was bullied to death by the main wife, who was just an ordinary person.

Lin Feng sighed deeply upon hearing this, "The depths of the noble households are like the sea. Even someone as powerful as Zhu Hongwu, when it comes to power and strength, is completely insignificant."

After a moment of reflection, Lin Feng remembered his main purpose, "What about Meng Bingyun's son?"

The little Taotie shook her head, "I only heard that Meng Bingyun and Zhu Hongwu had a son, whose name might be Zhu Yi? A strange name..."

"Like Meng Bingyun, his situation was not good, and it probably got worse after Meng Bingyun's death. But I don't know the specific details, and I don't know if he is alive or dead now."

Lin Feng frowned slightly, "It seems I need to go to the Great Zhou Dynasty as soon as possible."

After reinforcing the Heavenly Cage Spell Seal, Lin Feng's consciousness exited the ring. Although he was eager to set out for the Great Zhou to find Zhu Yi, he still had problems to solve, such as the fire phase essence energy that had invaded his body and which he had been suppressing with his own power.

"This lottery must be powerful this time." Lin Feng prayed silently, and his consciousness entered the lottery system.