The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Zhenhuan couldn't help but ask Ao Shuang, "Brother, have you ever heard of Taoist immortals descending to the mortal realm?"

Ao Shuang glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said with a slightly teasing tone, "Of course I've heard of it. What's wrong? This is something every novice Taoist should know. Why are you suddenly interested in this?"

"I'm curious, brother, please tell me. The Taoist priest who led me into the Dao only mentioned it briefly," Wang Zhen said somewhat embarrassedly, while Ao Shuang's gaze seemed to see right through him.

"Alright, since you asked, I'll tell you. Let me ask you first, do you know that immortals descending to the mortal realm don't show any outward signs?" Ao Shuang looked around, then turned and walked out of the palace, sitting down on the steps at the entrance.

"That's natural. I've heard that immortals who descend to the mortal realm, though they may not show any outward signs, retain a trace of spiritual light. This trace of spiritual light will, in the darkness, guide them back to the Dao." Wang Zhenhuan glanced at the bamboo slip, pondered for a moment, and then sat down next to Ao Shuang.

"May I ask you, elder brother, I've always had a question in my mind. Since you've already attained immortality, why did you descend to the mortal realm?" Wang Zhenzhen asked, taking the opportunity to voice his doubts.

"The descent of immortals to the mortal realm can be either voluntary or involuntary, and there are generally two reasons. One is that they have committed a mistake in heaven, or they are descending to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation. This is a voluntary descent. The other is that they are burdened with a heavy responsibility and are descending to the mortal realm to accomplish something, or they are dissatisfied with their current divine position and want to regain a higher position."

"This is what it means to voluntarily descend to the mortal realm." Ao Shuang said, turning to look at him before continuing.

"If a Taoist immortal is reincarnated and descends to the mortal realm, he will retain a trace of his spiritual light. One in a hundred earth immortals will retain it, one in a thousand divine immortals will retain it, and even fewer heavenly immortals, only one in ten thousand will retain it."

The higher the rank of the immortal in one's past life, the less spiritual light is retained. Consequently, memories of past lives become increasingly blurred.

"I see. So, according to you, brother, becoming an immortal isn't a one-time solution, is it?" Wang Zhenhuan secretly compared his own situation with his own, pondering what his identity was in his previous life.

"Indeed, that is why immortals who attain enlightenment undergo heavenly tribulations every so often. If they succeed in overcoming the tribulation, they can remain in the heavenly realm; if they fail, they must enter the cycle of reincarnation and start over," Ao Shuang explained.

Wang Zhenhuan nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that his situation was a voluntary descent to the mortal realm. He wondered, however, what was the purpose of his descent? Could it be related to the Taiqing Sect?

Seeing that Wang Zhenhuan remained silent for a long time, Ao Shuang patted his shoulder and said, "Little brother, it's not that I don't want that elixir. But judging from the current situation, the owner of this cave obviously knows you."

The contents of this cave were also left for you. Have you ever wondered why, if he could predict you would come to retrieve these things, he would specifically leave you this bottle of pills?

Upon hearing Ao Shuang's words, Wang Zhenhuan looked up at him and muttered to himself, "Brother, do you mean I will face a certain death in the future? Are these gold and silver pills prepared for me in advance?"

"That's exactly what I mean! Now that you've entered the path, you should understand. There are no coincidences in this world; so-called coincidences are nothing more than the inevitable result of destiny."

In other words, no matter what happens, you will definitely need this bottle of pills. This is your life-saving item, little brother. Although I am tempted, I cannot disregard your safety.

"Let's go see what the owner of this cave left for you in the bamboo slips." After saying this, Ao Shuang stood up gracefully and returned to the hall. Wang Zhenhuan watched his retreating figure, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

Although Ao Shuang is an outcast, she is knowledgeable, kind-hearted, and humble in her dealings with others. As the saying goes, a gentleman values ​​others and belittles himself, putting others before himself.

This means that a virtuous person acts with humility and respect, always considering others before themselves. You'll never feel tired of being around such a person.

On the contrary, he will consider your needs in every way. Just as the true scriptures say, "The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving." At this moment, Wang Huanzhen truly felt the urge to become sworn brothers with Ao Shuang.

He called out loudly to Ao Shuang's retreating figure, "Brother, this matter is settled. If you don't mind, let's go out and find a secluded place to complete the sworn brotherhood ceremony, shall we?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Shuang turned to look at him, smiled, and said, "Have you thought this through? I'm an anomaly; humans and demons are different. If the world finds out that you've become sworn brothers with an anomaly, you'll be laughed at."

"What do I care about the cold looks of the world? The Great Dao is boundless and follows the natural way. Now that I have entered the Dao, how can my actions be constrained by worldly etiquette? I want to acknowledge you as my elder brother, isn't that enough?" Wang Huanzhen replied forcefully.

"Haha, that's more than enough! In that case, I, Ao Shuang, will acknowledge you as my brother!" Ao Shuang laughed heartily, stepped forward, took Wang Huanzhen's hand, and pointed to the bamboo slips.

"Quickly look at what the master of this cave left you. There was no paper before the Eastern Han Dynasty, so these bamboo slips must be ancient artifacts! Being kept alongside the Golden Elixir, they certainly aren't ordinary things!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenhuan carefully picked up the bamboo slip. He had previously heard from Daoist Xuanyangzi that when the Daoist obtained the true scripture, it was recorded on bamboo slips.

After obtaining the scriptures, due to the passage of time, they quickly crumbled into dust and disappeared. Therefore, Wang Huanzhen was extremely careful at this time, fearing that he might damage the bamboo slips.

To his surprise, the bamboo slip was remarkably well-preserved. He could even feel the texture of the bamboo when he touched it. Puzzled, he picked up the bamboo slip and asked a question.

"Brother, these bamboo slips don't seem like they've been stored for very long. Although there's some dust on them, they haven't decayed."

"That's natural. These bamboo slips must have been enchanted by immortals to imprison the wood-elemental spiritual energy within them. It's no wonder they can be preserved for so long. Quickly, take a look at what's recorded inside," Ao Shuang explained.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhenhuan suddenly understood. So that's how it is! These bamboo slips were left by immortals, so it's normal that they contain magical techniques. The true scripture, however, was written by Laozi's disciple and stored in a tomb; naturally, it cannot be compared to the latter.

He carefully opened the bamboo slip, and immediately saw eight clear characters: Zhou Tian Secret Essentials, Five Thunder Orthodox Method! These eight characters were written with vigorous strokes, awe-inspiring and powerful, clearly not an ordinary item!

Wang Zhenhuan was puzzled and about to ask when he heard Ao Shuang beside him exclaim in a trembling voice:

"It's actually the Secret Essentials of Zhou Tian! The original text of the Five Thunder Orthodox Method?!?!"