The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 983 "Tao Lord"

The moment the "doll" appeared, the vampire youth Emlin was completely captivated by it, his eyes gleaming with an intimidating light.

He asked almost instinctively, "Whose work is this? It's simply a masterpiece!"

This was made by the "Yao Ji" who created the "Yan Shi". The prototype is Teresa from the Western "Witch's House". You can be said to have enjoyed the treatment of King Mu of Zhou.

Zhao Chen muttered a few words to himself, but smiled without saying anything, and simply had the puppet dodge Emlyn's outstretched hand.

Emlyn then came to his senses and looked at Zhao Chen with a serious expression, saying, "Sir... what do you want from me?"

His experience of being subtly controlled without being told what to do led him to overestimate Zhao Chen's abilities.

Furthermore, since the other party has already investigated his "hobbies," they have clearly come prepared. At this point, trying to be clever will be useless; it's better to be honest and direct.

Although Emlyn is a bit of a homebody, he has lived for over a hundred years and is still quite sensible in critical moments.

Zhao Chen smiled and said, "I heard you have the blood of the 'Einhorn' family descendants?"

Emlyn frowned upon hearing this, after all, no more than three people knew about this, and he wondered where the other person had heard it from... But he reacted quickly and immediately nodded:
"I have indeed received some... Are you going to exchange this doll for one of them?"

As he said this, his gaze unconsciously drifted back to the half-meter-tall "girl" in gothic attire.

Seeing this, Zhao Chen nodded slightly and asked in return, "So, what's your answer?"

“No problem. I’ve hidden that vial of blood in a safe house. Nobody knows about it except me. I’ll take you there now,” Emlyn said, patting his chest as he examined the details of the girl doll.

Without further ado, the two paid their bill and left the café, heading towards River Bend Avenue under Emlyn's guidance.

However, after walking for only a short while, the vampire youth Emlyn suddenly slowed down and said blankly, "I think I'm starting to miss the Harvest Church, I miss the feeling of reciting the scriptures, I miss the Holy Symbol of Life, I want to do cleaning and tidying, just for an hour, just one hour..."

Recalling the information he had just obtained from the "Dongyou Qingjian Jue", Zhao Chen smiled and reminded him, "That half-giant bishop has a powerful sealing artifact called the 'Nightmare Candle'. It has mental abilities and can plant a suggestion in you."

"This should have been written on the note I just sent you."

Emlyn forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I didn't feel anything at the time, I thought I had resisted because of my vampire constitution..."

He gritted his teeth, his expression twisted, and said, "I'm moving to the Sea of ​​the North, to Fursac. I don't believe I'd want to come back after leaving Backlund!"

No, the effect of this "suggestion" is deeply rooted in the mind. It's not entirely impossible to resist, but you're clearly a "homebody" who hasn't experienced much setback, so you definitely don't have that kind of willpower.

Zhao Chen shook his head secretly, then casually stopped a taxi, since judging from the vampire youth's condition, it would be difficult for him to continue walking.

After boarding the carriage, Emlyn looked listless for a while after giving the driver directions, before asking with a mixture of reluctance and anticipation, "Can I change the terms of the deal?"

"You want to use that vial of blood to exchange for my intervention to resolve the 'suggestion' in your mind?" Zhao Chen easily saw through the other party's thoughts.

Emlyn glanced at the doll Zhao Chen was holding, hesitated for a long time before nodding: "That's right..."

But before he could finish speaking, Zhao Chen interrupted him, saying, "No."

"You should have said no earlier! You made me agonize over it for so long... Do you know how much courage it took for me to finally decide to give up on that 'lady'?!" Emlyn thought to himself, his breathing becoming heavier, clearly quite annoyed.

Seeing this, Zhao Chen curled his lips, thinking that this vampire youth was quite similar to Ning Meng from before, and it would be quite interesting to tease him.

And so, the carriage soon arrived at a residential area near a street park.

Because most of the parks in the city center are exhaust vents from the subway, the air quality is terrible, with black ash always floating around. As a result, it is difficult to rent out houses in this area, but the prices are much higher than in the East District, resulting in very few residents. This is why the vampire youth chose it as a "safe house".

Emlyn led Zhao Chen into a room on the second floor of an apartment building, where he retrieved a stack of banknotes and several items from a hidden compartment in the wall, including a bottle of blood that looked repulsive.

"The 'hunter's' blood is still so unappealing..." Emlyn commented as he handed the blood vial to Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen nodded, agreeing with his statement. He had this feeling when he was collecting blood from the descendants of the "Soren" family at home.

Emlyn, meanwhile, received his beloved "doll" and held it close to his chest, admiring it dearly.

However, just as Zhao Chen was about to take his leave, his expression suddenly changed. He then simultaneously summoned the two magical treasures, "Audrey's Gate" and "Xiande Qintian Calendar," to protect himself.

Because Emlyn, who was opposite him, was clearly in a bad state at this time. Not only had his hair turned silver, but his face had also become much "softer" and showed signs of femininity.

Moreover, although his aura remained unchanged, his overall demeanor had become much more "aloof and refined," a feeling Zhao Chen had only ever experienced with Ning Meng's mother, Consort Ning.

Is it something sealed in the basement of the Harvest Church that came out through Emlyn's body?
As Zhao Chen, on high alert, was making his own guesses, he heard "Emlin" chuckle and say:

"You are indeed cautious... If you had entered the Harvest Church and touched the basement, you would have actually obtained a supernatural cultivation method related to the 'Blood Moon,' called 'Taiyin Immortal Body.'"

"It is actually quite compatible with your 'Five Emperors Paying Homage to the True Ones' divine power, and it can also transform all the benefits you obtained from the 'Nine Netherworld Divine Body' into tangible results, making it possible to break through to the 'Dongxuan' realm in a short period of time."

"Aside from being able to transform into a woman, she doesn't have any major drawbacks."

"Moreover, after transforming into a woman, the power of your 'Bodhisattva of Joy' lineage will be greatly enhanced." So, I should regret missing this opportunity? Zhao Chen almost rolled his eyes, but tentatively asked, "You... are Daoist Taixiao?"

The silver-haired "Emlin" smiled and shook his head: "I am merely a divine body of the Dao Lord overseeing this 'Taixiao Secret Realm.' Everything here that exceeds Sequence 1 is an act played by me."

“I originally didn’t intend to interfere with your trial, but since someone wants to use my secret realm to make ‘arrangements,’ although my main body doesn’t want to pay attention, I can’t turn a blind eye… I should give you a few more options.”

Using the Dao Lord's secret realm to "arrange"... Zhao Chen pondered the meaning behind the other party's words and suddenly had a slight realization: "You mean, the 'Binding Calamity Suppressing Ring' divine power was 'arranged' for me by some powerful being through the Xuanbing and this other-dimensional world?"

Although he had long suspected that Su Xuanbing's "coincidental" arrival at his side after her injury was "arranged" by someone, he never expected the purpose to be this.

"Don't you think your decision to assign the prerequisite spell for 'Binding Ring of Calamity' to the last two empty spell slots was a bit hasty? You agreed almost as soon as the eldest daughter of the Su family suggested it."

"Fortunately, your subconscious was still alert enough not to immediately condense the Yang Gang spell 'Decree of Truth' and the Yin Sha spell 'Evil Prophecy' into your natal spells, otherwise..." the gentle-looking "Emlin" reminded you with a smile.

"Otherwise, we would fall into the trap of some powerful figure?" Zhao Chen interjected.

"That's not quite it... it's not even a potential threat. That person just wants to interfere with your future path to a limited extent." Emlyn, the Dao Lord in disguise, shook his head slightly and added, "In addition, that little girl named 'Hong Xiaoxi' is essentially compensation that person gave to the Su family after using Su Xuanbing."

Hong Xiaoxi is offering compensation... This is similar to using the Empress's compensation to avert the maritime disaster... It's truly a series of interconnected schemes!

Zhao Chen helplessly covered his forehead with his hand and asked again, "But didn't all the supernatural powers I gained in this other dimension come from you?"
"You played the Princess of Augustus in MI9, didn't you?"

The Dao Lord's avatar nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that was actually an opportunity given to the eldest daughter of the Su family, but it was taken advantage of by that person. After all, you didn't get the 'Binding Tribulation Suppressing Ring' directly from me, but learned about it from the eldest daughter of the Su family through 'dual cultivation'."

In other words, something was tampered with on Xuanbing... This tampering wasn't directly aimed at me, but rather because I possess the "Great Sun Star Chariot," which I can't directly control, so it used indirect methods to influence my choices.

Xuan Bing is not only the legitimate daughter of the Su family, but also an official... and the effect of the "Binding Calamity Suppressing Ring" is actually somewhat similar to the royal family's "Mysterious Capital Law"...

Could it be that the Great Xia Emperor or a certain Ming family member who has achieved "Ascension to Profound Realm" by utilizing Su Xuanbing's great power?

No... this might also be a flaw deliberately revealed by that person to make me think in the direction of the Ming family.

As his thoughts raced, Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes, deeply feeling that the "arrangements" made by some powerful figures were truly as elusive as a gazelle's horns, devoid of any human touch.

But all this trouble, just to have limited influence over my future? What does my future even mean...?

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Chen took advantage of the Dao Lord's divine body to quickly ask about some of his previous doubts: "Is the secret I obtained in the 'Blood Moon' true?"

“It’s true, and it’s not true… Xuan Tian’s ‘blood moon’ is indeed related to this other-dimensional world, but it’s not simply that the ‘blood moon’ here entered Xuan Tian.” The silver-haired “Emlin” slowly spoke.

"What do you mean? Please enlighten me, Daoist Master," Zhao Chen asked, frowning.

"I can only tell you that the birth of the Five Primordial Elements is indeed related to the 'Blood Moon,' but the 'Blood Moon' that Xuan Tian has now is just a fragment." Dao Jun only explained this one sentence and then stopped talking. Instead, he said, "I have already passed on to you the 'Binding Calamity Suppressing Ring' divine power cultivation method without any additives. In addition, I can tell you about several other opportunities to obtain divine powers in this world. Consider it compensation to you."

"Leaving aside the 'Taiyin Immortal Body,' if you can kill that 'Apostle of Desire' named Patrick Jason Belial, you can obtain a blasphemous card belonging to the 'Demon,' which contains the cultivation method of a supernatural power called the 'Demon Heart Curse' and related evil energy."

"If you complete the task of the evil spirit of Williams Street and obtain the 'Red Priest' blasphemous token from its hand, you will obtain the cultivation method and related materials for the 'World-Destroying Demon Fire' divine power."

"If you find and take a hidden blasphemous card at the Roselle Memorial Exhibition held at the Tomorrow Kingdom Museum, and escape from the clutches of the Mechanical Heart and the Mysterious Queen, you will obtain the cultivation method and related materials for the 'Reverse Prediction' supernatural power."

"If you could find the 'Mercury Serpent' hidden in the city... never mind, you won't find it anyway."

After the Dao Lord's avatar recounted all this information in detail, as if knowing what Zhao Chen still wanted to ask, he concluded by saying, "As for the 'gate' characteristic on your body, it was not recently acquired. It is precisely because of this characteristic that you were able to form a connection with this trial world and successfully enter here."

"My true self should be able to discern my origins, but I truly do not know."

As soon as he finished speaking, Emlin's "lofty aura" returned to normal, and his hair turned back to black, but his softer features remained.

Daojun has left.

While feeling somewhat regretful, Zhao Chen also breathed a sigh of relief.

He ignored Emlyn, who was "sleeping" on the floor with the doll in his arms, and quickly left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

As for the "supernatural powers" mentioned by Daojun, Zhao Chen decided to let things take their course. After all, although he was influenced to quickly determine the ownership of the last two spell slots, he had to admit that the "Binding Calamity Suppressing Ring" was indeed quite suitable for him.

As for second-grade supernatural abilities such as "Demon Heart Curse", "Reverse Prediction of the Future", and "World-Destroying Demonic Fire", once one is ordained, one can simulate them using "Myriad Phenomena", so it is not necessary.

On the contrary, while aura-like divine abilities such as "Binding Calamity and Suppressing Law Ring" can be simulated, they are better condensed into one's innate divine abilities because they require coordination with the physical body.

Moreover, with an aura-type innate divine power, it will be easier to step into the "Dharma Domain" after reaching the second stage of "Dongxuan" in the future, which is an effect that simulation cannot achieve.

The other second-grade divine power he chose, "Heavenly Demon Formless," is based on a similar principle. Although the Blood Demon, Bone Demon, and Yin Demon divine powers can be simulated by "Myriad Manifestations of the Universe," seemingly having overlapping functions, the unique divine power of "Demon Cloud" can only be unleashed by "Heavenly Demon Formless."

Moreover, the "Heavenly Demon" lineage is more likely to give birth to "Primordial Spirits," an advantage that simulation cannot possess.

Of course, Zhao Chen didn't have such far-sighted vision when he chose it; he simply wanted to bring the "Demon Cloud" into his "destiny."

(End of this chapter)