Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 376 Secret
"I……"

Sun Ping hesitated for a moment, deliberately maintaining the misunderstanding, and only replied, "I stumbled into this place while chasing an evil cultivator. That evil cultivator is very skilled, so you must be careful."

"Evil, heretical cultivator!"

Alana's expression changed drastically.

When the Blue Night Realm was first sealed away, a great upheaval occurred.

At that time, a disagreement arose among the most powerful cultivators in the entire Blue Night Realm. Some cultivators believed that they could not sit idly by and wait for death, and that the seal should be broken. Others, however, vehemently disagreed with breaking the seal, saying that the Upper Realm had already fallen into a purgatory, and that the seal was actually protecting everyone.

In short, the initial dispute gradually escalated into a war. It continued until almost all the Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators in the Blue Night Realm had died. Only one highly respected Nascent Soul cultivator stood up and swore an oath to heaven and earth, guaranteeing that the seal was set up by the immortals and gods of the upper realm to isolate the upper realm, which had become a purgatory, for protection. Only then did he barely win over the hearts of the people, and the turmoil came to an end.

That Nascent Soul stage cultivator was revered as the Ancestor and was currently the cultivator with the highest cultivation level in the Blue Night Realm.

After that, the Blue Night Realm never produced any cultivators at or above the Core Formation stage again.

Unfortunately, even with that Nascent Soul Ancestor in charge, many people were unwilling to remain trapped here due to the pressure brought by the increasingly thin spiritual energy concentration.

The group's idea was that even if the Upper Realm really became a purgatory for some reason, at least the spiritual energy would be abundant enough for cultivation. They could then hold the Blue Night Realm and try to obtain some resources from the Upper Realm for cultivation, which wouldn't be a big deal.

There were quite a few cultivators who had this idea, but because of the presence of that Nascent Soul Ancestor, they dared not act recklessly. Instead, they formed groups in the form of cultivator sects and discussed important plans in private.

However, secrets cannot be kept forever. So many people plotting together could not be hidden from the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Blue Night Realm.

Therefore, over the years, there have been constant frictions between the two sides, and the group of cultivators who are dedicated to breaking the seal often use some unorthodox methods because they are eager to achieve quick results, and their cultivation path goes further and further astray.

Even worse, they've even raised the legendary "ghost banner"—something that requires killing at least hundreds or thousands of people to raise, which is truly insane.

As a result, these cultivators gradually became known as "evil cultivators," and their reputation in the Blue Night Realm was so great that it could stop children from crying at night.

Worst of all, in recent years, as the spiritual energy of the Blue Night Realm has become increasingly scarce and the Nascent Soul Ancestors have gradually weakened, those evil cultivation sects have become increasingly ruthless and unscrupulous, causing many people to be extremely fearful. Even a cultivator like Alana turns pale at the mere mention of them, which speaks volumes.

Alana swallowed hard and asked, "What level of cultivation does that evil cultivator possess? Is he... is he more powerful than you, Master Sun?"

"I don't know his cultivation level, but..."

Sun Ping frowned, thinking that the dark figure clearly knew about the seal at the bottom of the lake and what the black holes inside the seal were, and was able to accurately enter and arrive at this place. But given his ability to understand these immortal knowledges that even he himself did not fully understand, his cultivation level was probably no lower than his own.

even……

The dark figure was clearly a soul similar to a ghost cultivator. If it was not a ghost cultivator, it must be a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage who could separate its soul from its physical body and act freely outside for a long time.

Sun Ping's face turned pale, and he said solemnly, "However, that evil cultivator escaped in using his soul, so I'm afraid his cultivation level is no lower than mine."

"Ah! Even more powerful than a Foundation Establishment cultivator!?"

Alana's face immediately showed panic: "Then, what should we do!"

Sun Ping immediately comforted him, "There's no need to worry too much. I have the spirit sword given to me by my master. Although his cultivation is no less than mine, he may not be my match in a real fight."

He's not exaggerating.

Although it was unclear what level of cultivation the dark figure possessed, the fact that he acted furtively, dared not confront him directly, and kept dodging after the attacker made his move suggested that he was quite wary of him.

Upon careful consideration, he realized that he was not afraid of the other party.

As they were talking, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside: "Ling Quan, the city lord of Tianning City, greets the True Immortal."

Real person?

How could this city lord be so sure that he must be a cultivator above the Foundation Establishment stage?
In an instant, Sun Ping became alert.

However, he did not reveal it, but instead lifted his leg and walked towards the wide-open door.

Two people stood at the door. One was older, with completely white hair. The other was younger, with black hair, but he had grown a beard and looked middle-aged.

The white-haired, white-bearded old man clasped his hands in front of his chest, bowed, and greeted Sun Ping with great respect: "This old man is Azamu, greetings to the venerable one."

"grandfather!"

Alana ran out behind Sun Ping, her face filled with worry. Upon seeing City Lord Ling Quan and Azamu, she eagerly exclaimed, "Grandpa! Master Sun said—"

Azamu glared at Alana and interrupted her, saying, "Alana! Shut up! These are immortals talking, what are you doing, a mere Qi Refining stage girl, getting involved!"

Alana was taken aback, then shut her mouth with a hint of grievance, glancing reluctantly at Sun Ping. Only after Azamu glared at her fiercely did she slowly move behind Azamu.

Sun Ping was somewhat shocked by the strict hierarchy in the Blue Night Realm, but he still politely returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his gaze sweeping over the two men with composure: "Greetings, Lord Lingquan City, greetings, Elder Azamu. I am Sun Ping. I have mistakenly entered your esteemed place and have caused you any disturbance. Please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Ling Quan imitated Sun Ping by bowing and saying, "Master Sun, you flatter us. It is an honor for us that you have graced Tianning City with your presence. We have already failed to greet you properly, let alone disturb you, hahaha!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and added with a smile, "The other day, there was an earthquake and a celestial phenomenon, and spiritual energy was reviving. We speculated that a celestial being from the upper realm might have descended. We never expected that it would actually be so, and by such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator at that. It is truly astonishing!"

Azamu also explained, "Hehehe, I have some medical knowledge. When you were exhausted, I was trying to find out what was wrong with you. I accidentally discovered that you were a Foundation Establishment cultivator. I did not mean to spy on you. Please forgive me!"

Their words explained why they addressed Sun Ping as "True Man," and also implied that they had already known Sun Ping's cultivation level through Azamu's investigation. Their tone was quite humble, even bordering on obsequious.

Sun Ping suddenly realized what was going on.

The two of them, like Alana, probably mistakenly believed that they came from the "upper realm" they spoke of, and thus thought that the so-called "upper realm" that had become a purgatory might have returned to normal for some unknown reason.

If that's the case, then the seal can be broken, the spiritual energy of the Blue Night Realm can return to normal, and the main conflict between the righteous and evil cultivators in the Blue Night Realm will no longer exist.

pity……

"You flatter me, but unfortunately I am not from the 'upper realm' you speak of. I was following a heretic and stumbled upon this place."

Sun Ping calmly said, "That evil cultivator's cultivation is strange; he acts in a soul form, and his purpose is unknown. He may be detrimental to your city. I hope the city lord will take extra precautions." "A soul-form evil cultivator?"

Ling Quan and Azamu exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming more serious.

Azamu stroked his white beard and said in a deep voice, "To be honest, the Blue Night Realm we are in is actually just a passage between realms. Tens of thousands of years ago, a deity from the upper realm saved some mortals and, in order to protect them, moved them here, built cities, established sects, and taught the Dao of Immortality."

"After that immortal god fell, this history became a secret, passed down only to the lords of the three major cities and the three guardians in successive generations."

"Thousands of years ago, there was turmoil in the Upper Realm, and the Chaos Beasts invaded. As far as I know, the immortal sects and forces in the Upper Realm were reduced to less than one-tenth at that time, which is why that barrier was created... Given Alana's personality, she must have already mentioned it to the True Person."

Sun Ping frowned, hesitated, and nodded, feeling a sense of foreboding.

Since the old man was telling me such secretive things, he must have some ulterior motive.

However, he then thought of the Xuansong Hanfeng sword and felt somewhat relieved.

Alana, however, felt a little uncomfortable.

She couldn't possibly listen to such secrets any longer!
So she quickly took a few steps back, trying to find a chance to leave.

"Alana, as the next guardian, you don't need to avoid suspicion."

As if sensing Alana's unease, Azamu casually said something to her before turning back to Sun Ping and explaining, "In short, as far as I know, since this boundary passage was opened, there should only be one teleportation gate leading to the upper realm. Why did that True Person say that he is not from the upper realm?"

"If it weren't for the upper realm, then..."

"Where is it this time?"

Unexpectedly, just as Sun Ping was about to answer, Ling Quan, the city lord of Tianning City, suddenly said, "No, Azamu, actually... there is another world!"

Azamu looked over in shock: "City Lord!?"

"Azamu, you may not know this, but thousands of years ago, besides a deity from the upper realm, there was also a deity from another world who sealed that portal to the upper realm. According to that deity, the world he came from seemed to be called..."

As Ling Quan spoke, he fell into reminiscence. After a while, as if remembering something, he added, "It's called 'White Stone Realm'..."

Upon hearing the name, Sun Ping paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Indeed, I am also from the 'White Stone Realm'."

He was 99% certain that this "White Stone Realm" probably referred to the world he had come from.

However, thousands of years ago...

Has the sect leader actually lived for thousands of years?

Sun Ping was somewhat surprised—he had thought the sect leader was only a few hundred years old!
"Well, that's not surprising."

Ling Quan stroked his beard and said, "Interdimensional passages usually connect at least two worlds. Everyone knows about the 'Upper Realm,' but few know about the 'White Stone Realm.' This is because the spiritual energy in the White Stone Realm is somewhat inferior to that in our Blue Night Realm. Even if we open a passage to the 'White Stone Realm,' it will be of no use. On the contrary, due to the contamination of chaotic energy, the gap between the White Stone Realm and the Upper Realm will become wider and wider."

"At that time, the Blue Night Realm will be thrown into turmoil. Even worse, the seal between the Blue Night Realm and the Upper Realm will be broken, and all the efforts of the gods will be in vain."

Azamu became increasingly shocked as he listened: "This old man... never knew there was such a secret!"

Sun Ping was also extremely surprised.

He truly hadn't expected that the barrier at the bottom of the lake was so important!

From Ling Quan's words, we can learn that it must have been the sect leader who stepped in to help the Blue Night Realm. After returning to the White Stone Realm, the sect leader sealed the "teleportation gate" between the Blue Night Realm and the White Stone Realm. He even created an ice lake and set up a barrier, fearing that his disciples might accidentally enter it. Unexpectedly, he destroyed it with a single sword strike...

Thinking of this, Sun Ping was filled with remorse and wished he could strangle his clumsy self who was so eager to kill the shadowy figure.

At this moment, Ling Quan finally looked directly at Sun Ping, his eyes filled with inquiry, and asked, "If you are indeed from the White Stone Realm, I wonder... why you came here, and what is your connection with the earthquake a few days ago and the sudden burst of spiritual energy a few months ago?"

"The earthquake a few days ago!?"

This wasn't the first time Sun Ping had heard this claim.

When he heard it from Alana earlier, he subconsciously felt that the earthquake in the Blue Night Realm might be an anomaly caused by the sect leader's recent creation of the White Stone Ice Sea.

But listening again now, he keenly sensed that something was amiss.

The sect leader set up the White Stone Ice Sea about ten days ago.

He has been taking on the task of guarding the White Stone Ice Sea Seal all this time, so there's no way he could have made a mistake.

However, both the city lord of Tianning City and Alana were referring to events from a few days ago, which clearly doesn't match up in terms of time!

The outbreak of spiritual energy in the Blue Night Realm is likely only related to the seal of the White Stone Ice Sea, because when he accepted the commission, he was clearly told that the seal was newly set up and did not exist before, which is why it was necessary to send people to guard it.

Since the black hole is a portal to the Blue Night Realm, then spiritual energy might flow in through that portal, which would explain everything.

Except... the timing doesn't match!

Sun Ping thought of many things, but it all happened in an instant.

As soon as he finished his analysis, some guesses popped into his mind, so he hurriedly asked, "May I ask, Lord City Lord, how many hours are there in a day in the Blue Night Realm?"

“The twelve-hour system should be no different from the White Stone Realm and the Upper Realm,” Ling Quan replied. “Because most boundary passages are cracks created by the collision of two worlds with similar rules, they will not be much different from these two worlds.”

"Twelve hours..."

Sun Ping initially thought that the disharmony might be due to the longer duration of a day in the Blue Night Realm, but after hearing Ling Quan's reply, he fell into deep thought.

Since the hours of the day are the same, does that mean that neither the earthquake in the Blue Night Realm nor its spiritual energy eruption is related to the "White Stone Realm"? Nor is it related to the White Stone Immortal Sect or its sect leader?

(End of this chapter)