The Eternal Calamity of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 274 No need for formalities, my surname is Cao, and my given name is Yusheng.

On the other side, Chu Xiaoyao opened his eyes, having just woken up from his coma, his expression blank.

"Where am I?"

He found himself lying in some desolate wilderness. Looking around, the sky was dark and the cold was biting, with only a campfire in front of him providing some light and warmth.

This scene seems familiar.

"What's going on? Wasn't I in Lingbao Tianzun's sea of ​​consciousness? Where are those resurrected corpses?"

Chu Xiaoyao was stunned, almost doubting his own eyes.

He clearly remembered that just a second ago he was fleeing from a psychic ancient corpse, but somehow he suddenly found himself here, as if his memory had been lost.

You must understand, he is a saint. In the grand scheme of things, he may not be anything special, but at this age, he is undoubtedly a peerless genius. He would be highly regarded in any sect he goes to.

Now, I'm completely confused and don't even know what I've been through.

"What the hell!"

Chu Xiaoyao subconsciously wanted to explore his sea of ​​consciousness to find the reason, but suddenly felt a piercing pain that went straight to his soul.

"hiss……"

He was covered in sweat, his body was convulsing, and he was in extreme pain.

Only then did he realize that his Sendai Secret Realm was shrouded in a layer of mist, which forcibly sealed most of his primordial spirit power.

Not only that, the other four secret realms were also as if they had been sealed, their strength greatly diminished, and they were directly regressed by decades, back to when they first started cultivating.

Suddenly, another voice came from the shadows, filled with intense dissatisfaction.

"Hey kid, what are you howling about in the middle of the night? The fire-concealing formation can only cover up the traces of the campfire, not block out the sound. If it attracts ferocious beasts, don't blame me for leaving first."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Chu Xiaoyao was startled, as if he had realized something.

"master?"

Then, he suddenly stood up and looked towards the other side of the campfire.

In the shadows, a poorly dressed old man was fiddling with something, and by the dim firelight, a smug smile could be vaguely seen on his face.

Chu Xiaoyao was stunned to see that the person was indeed his master, Zhao Yuanxing, the person he was most grateful to and respected in his life.

"Master, didn't you go back to Tongtian Ancient Star to live in seclusion alone?" Chu Xiaoyao asked hurriedly.

Before setting off for the Heavenly Venerable Sea of ​​Wheels to seek fortune, he was confident that his Saint-level cultivation was enough to protect himself, so he did not heed Zhao Yunxing's advice, which led to the series of events that followed.

"Are you still half asleep, kid?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist Zhao Yuanxing stopped what he was doing, his withered fingers pinching half of the broken jade slip, and his cloudy eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "I am still in the prime of my life, and it is too early for me to retire to the countryside. In this lifetime, I must break through to the Immortal Platform Secret Realm and become a great cultivator that everyone admires."

"what?"

Chu Xiaoyao stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

He suddenly remembered that this seemed to be a scene from shortly after he became an apprentice, when the two of them were being chased and had no choice but to hide in the wilderness.

As for why he was being hunted down, it had a lot to do with Zhao Yuanxing's profession. He was a shrewd businessman who frequented various blessed lands, specializing in all sorts of swindling and deception. Although he wasn't the kind of notorious, universally hated "archaeologist," his reputation wasn't much better. If he encountered some hot-tempered people who weren't willing to suffer losses, he would have no choice but to change his appearance and identity to continue.

“My good disciple, now that you’re awake, come and help me out. Do a simple job of processing this jar of donkey urine, and then add it to my treasured Spirit Crane Blood. This is an ingredient for refining medicine that the outer elder of the Flying Cang Sect has ordered. That old monster usually acts arrogantly and oppresses the disciples in the sect. I’ll have to disgust him a little.”

As he spoke, Zhao Yuanxing handed over a ceramic jar. Although it was sealed, Chu Xiaoyao could still smell the fishy stench emanating from it.

He instinctively took it in his hand, but instead of immediately rejecting it, he began to wonder if everything he was seeing was real.
[Going back in time is unheard of; it has never been heard of throughout history. Even the Celestial Venerable Lingbao could not have accomplished this.]

But why can't I see any flaws? Even the master in front of me is so lifelike, exactly the same person I remember.

At this moment, Chu Xiaoyao stared blankly at the pottery jar in his hand, lost in thought.

"What are you daydreaming about, kid? Do you want to drink that jar of donkey urine?" Zhao Yuanxing's voice suddenly rang in his ears, directly interrupting his thoughts.

"no no……"

Chu Xiaoyao woke up with a start and, based on his memory, made up an excuse on the spot, saying, "Master, I was thinking, last time we sold fake medicine to the Holy Maiden of the Fire Cloud Sect, she chased us for seven hundred miles. If we're discovered by the outer elders of the Flying Cang Sect this time..."

"fool!"

Zhao Yuanxing slapped his disciple on the back of the head, his white beard bristling with anger. "The Starry Sky Trial Road is about to open. Many geniuses from Tongtian Ancient Star will soon pass through Changfeng Ancient City on Xiaoyao Star and embark on their journey. As an elder of a small sect, he has to be careful to entertain them. How can he have time to inspect the goods? By the time he finds out, we will have already taken our treasures and run away to another place!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rainbow streaked across the sky, tearing through the night and clearly heading straight for them.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yuanxing's expression instantly changed. He swiftly tore his clothes, casually smeared two blobs of something resembling mud on his face, and simultaneously activated a secret technique to conceal his cultivation level.

“Good disciple, I see that the other person’s cultivation is not high. Pay attention to my eyes and act accordingly. If those suckers come, shout: ‘Immortal Master, please save us!’ We are just passing rogue cultivators who have been lucky enough to obtain a fortune from an ancient cave. We should offer it to you immortal masters.”

"If they are guests, you should pretend to be stupid and watch me negotiate with them to try and get a good price."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yuanxing shakily raised half of an ancient stele that shimmered with rosy light. The stele was crookedly inscribed with the words "Lingbao Duren Jing" (Scripture of Salvation of the Spiritual Treasure) – which was actually just something he had scribbled on the obsidian with a fire poker earlier.

Soon after, the passing Huoyun Sect disciples fell into the trap. As they left behind several hundred catties of Yuan and departed in high spirits, the old Taoist priest had seventeen identical "ancient tablets" hidden in his sleeve, which were slightly warm.

"Haha, even a mosquito's leg is meat. Cultivation resources are accumulated little by little like this. Thank you, Heavenly Venerable. Things related to Him are selling so well."

Zhao Yuanxing accepted the spiritual source with a beaming smile, beaming with joy.

Seeing his appearance, Chu Xiaoyao's forehead creased with annoyance. How come he had never noticed before that his master was so cunning and unscrupulous?
However, at that moment, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared, startling the two of them.

The man was obese and bloated, with a joyful smile on his face, which revealed a series of wrinkles.

"Boundless... cough cough, eternal damn Heavenly Venerable above, this humble Daoist has arrived, greetings to Fellow Daoist Zhao!"

"Who are you? Are you here to do business too?" Zhao Yuanxing asked warily.

"Of course, I've been observing you for a long time and I deeply admire your skills. How about we cooperate and make a big score?" the newcomer said with a grin.

"Fellow Daoist, what is your surname?"

Chu Xiaoyao suddenly interrupted, his expression serious. He was certain that he had never seen this person before.

"No need for formalities, my surname is Cao, my given name is Yusheng, you can just call me Master Cao."

(End of this chapter)