The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 134 Ancient Divine Artifact—Eternity! (3k)

After leaving Huishui County, the old woman headed straight for Luzhen.

On the way, the old woman couldn't help but ask:
"Master, why did you say earlier that the name 'Luzhen' was an obvious hint?"

In all the past she had seen, or at least remembered, she couldn't think of any connection between Deer Town and that thing.

The phoenix hairpin on her head shimmered slightly with gold.

That ethereal voice also appeared:

There are many theories about the origin of "eternity", but the most widespread one is that it is related to the human emperor Youchao.

The old woman murmured "Youchao Shi," as legends about this ancient sage emperor flashed through her mind.

In ancient times, people lived in caves and in the wild, often suffering from the harm of fierce birds and beasts. Youchao, while wandering in the Kunlun Mountains, suddenly saw a celestial palace suspended in the clouds, with vines as beams and jade leaves as tiles. Enlightened, he taught the people to build nests of wood. At that time, wooden rafters fell from the sky for three days, and five-colored divine birds carried mud to help them. Therefore, he was revered as the 'Nest King'!
The ethereal sound continued softly:

"It was the Human Emperor Youchao. It is said that his wife, Zhennu, died in the Fu River. The Human Emperor was so grief-stricken that the sky seemed to crack and torrential rain poured down for forty-nine days."

“Then a five-colored divine bird flew from the North Sea and said that there was a divine object called ‘Eternity’ in the world that could see through the past and present. If one obtained it, one might be able to rekindle the romance with the Goddess of the Zhen River.”

"From then on, the Human Emperor traveled all over the world and searched the universe to the ends of the earth, but even after the stars had turned, he found nothing. Finally, the Human Emperor cut off a piece of his own flesh as a sacrifice and offered it to the Heavenly Water to seek guidance. When the flesh of his left arm was almost gone, he finally saw a white deer carrying a mirror coming from the shore of the Heavenly Water."

At this point, the voice paused slightly, then continued:

"And that mirror is none other than 'Eternity'!"

“Since ‘eternity’ was brought by a white deer, wouldn’t the name Deer Town be just right for this?”

The old woman nodded slightly, but her worry was still evident.
"However, I fear this journey will be in vain once again. The divine object 'Eternity' is clearly a precious mirror, but what we have sought is merely a well."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but say again:
"Moreover, I remember that 'Eternity' is said to have once belonged to the god Xi, who accidentally dropped it into the mortal realm while burning wood to search for it."

Before she could finish speaking, the voice rang out:
"Then it fell into the waters of the sky."

The old woman was speechless for a moment, and then whispered, "But I have also heard that he once fell into the Eastern Peak, and even Fulan."

The voice interrupted her again, carrying a hint of helpless laughter, yet also a touch of admonition:

“Foolish child, you have always overthought things, and you are still the same now. Your mind is moved, and your body is moved, yet you still hesitate to move forward.”

“In the past, I thought this way would be safer, but it was precisely this ‘safety’ that caused you to fall short when you were about to face a great calamity. You had no choice but to entrust your past memories to me and then disintegrate yourself.”

"You must never do this again!"

Upon hearing this, the old woman immediately lowered her head and fell silent, daring not to say another word.

Before long, the outline of Deer Town came into view.

Without needing to ask for directions, they already knew the location of the well from the county magistrate, so they went straight to their destination without stopping.

However, to the old woman's bewilderment, a large number of people were now rushing towards the well.

—Isn't it said that all mortals here regard it as an evil well and avoid it at all costs?

Because she was focused on the passersby, she didn't notice anything amiss.

On the phoenix hairpin atop her head sat a small yet extremely dignified illusory figure.

'One, two, thirteen? Has anyone arrived yet?'

Finally, the old woman arrived at the ancient well.

The well was already surrounded by people, who were craning their necks and curiously looking at the well opening that had been restored to its original state.

"It really turned back!"

"The Taoist priest is truly amazing."

"Now I can drink water without worry."

Upon hearing this, the old woman was immediately startled and quickly walked to the well, only to find that there was indeed nothing strange inside.

She immediately turned to the townspeople nearby and asked:

"What happened to this well? Why is there nothing strange about it?"

The townspeople asked in bewilderment:

"Auntie, don't you know?"

"A living deity recently came and suppressed the evil spirits in this well!"

A living god? He was only recently suppressed.

What's pressing down here? He probably snatched it away first!
Do you know where each person has gone?

The townspeople all shook their heads and said:

"The Taoist priest is elusive, appearing and disappearing like a dragon; how would we know?"

Before the old woman's expression could change, she suddenly heard a voice behind her say:

"Could you be a fellow Daoist from Hanqiu Palace?"

She turned around suddenly and saw a middle-aged man looking her up and down.

Seeing her gaze fall upon him, the man immediately smiled and cupped his hands in greeting:
"I am from the Beiwei Sect, and my name is Zeng Daniu. I'd like to greet you, fellow Daoist."

The old woman scrutinized the man, and finally, slowly walked up to him and asked:

"Zeng Daniu? That's not your real name, is it?"

The man lowered his head and smiled:

“My name is indeed Zeng Daniu, but what the fairy is asking about is probably my former name. In the past, my name was Wei Qingluan.”

Upon hearing this, even the illusory figure sitting atop the phoenix hairpin couldn't help but glance at the other party.

Wei Qingluan was personally taught by the founder of the Beiwei Sect and was also the foremost of the four great masters of the Northern Regions.

After being exceptionally accepted into the sect by the sect's founder, he secluded himself in the Privy Council of the Beiwei Sect for thirteen years without ever appearing in the world. Just when the sect's disciples had almost forgotten his existence, he suddenly emerged from seclusion, reappearing in the world with a self-created technique called "The Secret Art of Earth Vein Spiritual Pivot".

It cannot compare to the Confucian concept of geomancy.

But he was adept at making money through various means, including traveling to different places and managing his business.

Such supernatural abilities are not unique. Even though they are full of ingenious ideas, they cannot be considered the pinnacle compared to the painstaking creations of many predecessors.

After all, it was a glorious era, a final swan song before a great calamity.

The problem is, this was made by a young man who has only been practicing for thirteen years!

This is not even a definitive conclusion!

Therefore, everyone was immediately struck by the realization that this child was destined for greatness!
It's safe to say that he was one of the most prominent figures among the younger generation of that era.

Therefore, even after scrutinizing her repeatedly, the old woman couldn't help but press her for an answer in a stern voice:

"Are you really Wei Qingluan?!"

"If the fairy is referring to that one from the Beiwei Sect," the man replied calmly, "that is indeed me."

The word "fairy" and the nonchalant tone instantly stung the old woman, who couldn't help but sneer:

"If you're so prominent, why not just reveal your identity directly instead of using 'Zeng Daniu' as a pretext?"

Zeng Daniu—or rather, Wei Qingluan—clasped his hands in greeting, his smile undiminished:
"I will never forget what my parents gave me."

These words struck the old woman like a heavy blow, and her Daoist mind almost lost its balance.

She still considered herself the Fairy Tongyun of Hanqiu Palace from years past, not the old, faded countrywoman before her. But the shame and inferiority brought about by this decaying body had long since become a leech, making her mind bothered and mindful at all times.

The other party's nonchalant statement, "What my parents gave me, I dare not forget," can be said to pierce the heart of the Dao!

Just before he was about to break down, a clear, cold voice fell directly:

"My disciple, don't overthink it. You have a long road ahead of you!"

This pulled the old woman back from the brink of a breakdown in her Daoist resolve.

This unexpected turn of events initially startled Zeng Daniu, but he quickly gave a helpless, bitter smile.

How did we almost become enemies?
After shaking his head, he cupped his hands in the direction from which the sound came and said:
"Zeng Dani greets Palace Master Hanqiu!"

Since Hanqiu Palace has no Taoist roots, there are no restrictions on the name of the palace.

But that doesn't mean Hanqiu Palace is some kind of cat or dog.

"How is the old sect master?"

"The patriarch is very good."

After saying that, Zeng Daniu's gaze locked onto the phoenix hairpin.

After hesitating for a moment, he said:
"The Palace Master's current situation seems..."

He couldn't see the tiny phantom sitting atop the phoenix hairpin, but he could roughly guess that the renowned Palace Master of Hanqiu Palace must be seated atop that small phoenix hairpin.

The small figure sitting atop the phoenix hairpin chuckled:

"I'm not so bad as to cause you, a junior, any worry."

Zeng Daniu hurriedly clasped his hands in apology:

"This junior has been rude!"

"It's alright, but you've also come here in pursuit of eternal life?"

Zeng Daniu quickly waved his hand and said:

"No, no. In fact, if the Palace Master hadn't spoken, I wouldn't have been sure that this place was related to Wan Shi. I just heard that something strange had happened here and wanted to come and see what was causing it."

"Admittedly, I had considered obtaining it if I could, but now that you say it lasts for eternity, I have absolutely no such thought!"

The illusory figure continued to laugh:

"There's no need to be so tense. I have no grudge against your Beiwei Sect, and Wanshi doesn't belong to my Hanqiu Palace. Between us, we are just treasure seekers."

Zeng Daniu was about to explain when he heard the old woman say indignantly:

"Master, it's too late to say all this now. According to those mortals, regardless of whether it's the Eternal Life or not, it's probably already been taken by that guy who came first!"

Unexpectedly, Zeng Daniu categorically denied this, saying:
"No, absolutely not. Although I can't understand why this formation is so powerful, I can assure you that the treasure that was suppressed is still here!"

He pointed to the surrounding mountains and rivers and said:
"Because the landscape and terrain haven't changed! Anything that can manifest itself under such circumstances must be a great treasure. And if a great treasure moves, it will inevitably affect the earth's veins! Since the earth's veins haven't changed, it means that this treasure was really just suppressed by someone."

At this point, his face became extremely melancholy as he said:

"But I can't understand at all what kind of formation that person set up."

When it comes to magical combat, he may not be as good as Pang Yu.

However, geomancy and the art of formations are his forte.

He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could see through all the formations in the world, but he never imagined that one day he wouldn't even be able to understand what kind of formations people had set up.

No, it's not even fair to say he couldn't understand what kind of formation it was; rather, he simply couldn't tell it was a formation at all!

It's like a mathematician not realizing that what the other person wrote was a formula.

But since the well was indeed suppressed, it means that this was indeed a formation.

If he can't understand it, then he's not capable enough.

Thinking of this, Zeng Daniu couldn't help but laugh at himself:
"I used to boast that I had mastered the art of geomancy and formations, but now I've been hit hard and realized that I'm nothing special!"

(End of this chapter)