After a dizzying three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin through the passage, Chen Jiuge finally landed safely.
"Ugh, I’m so dizzy! What kind of transportation mechanism is this? Even Immortals would get disoriented!" Chen Jiuge exclaimed, still feeling a bit dazed.
"Is this Immortal Rank Spirit Jade?" Chen Jiuge stared at the grand hall, constructed entirely from Immortal Rank Spirit Jade, his voice filled with shock. This was too extravagant! The sheer value of this hall alone made the years of cultivation and effort worthwhile.
"Wait a moment." Chen Jiuge spotted a figure in the center of the hall.
It was a statue, devoid of facial features. However, the words "Jade Daoist" were carved into the jade meditation cushion upon which it sat.
"This is the Jade Daoist?" Chen Jiuge asked in surprise. He circled the Jade Carving and discovered a line of characters inscribed on its back: "Since ancient times, all saints and sages are false; only my jade is pure and flawless."
"What does that mean?" Chen Jiuge was baffled. This Jade Daoist is quite the riddler.
After a relentless search, Chen Jiuge had turned the entire hall upside down, yet he found nothing.
"Are you serious? Not a single valuable item? Do I really have to resort to digging through the walls?" Chen Jiuge muttered in disappointment.
This grand hall was completely sealed, with no discernible doors. The walls, made of a single, seamless piece of Immortal Rank Spirit Jade, left Chen Jiuge clueless as to where to even begin.
"Master, if there’s no other way, let me try chopping through," Black Qilin’s small head peeked out from the sword hilt, its voice chiming in.
"That might just work," Chen Jiuge conceded.
As expected of an Immortal Sword, it was incredibly sharp. With just two swift slashes, two irregular, soccer-ball-sized chunks of Spirit Jade were chipped off the wall.
"Incredible! At this size, just a hundred pieces would cover the resources I’ve spent. If I demolished the entire hall, who knows how much I’d get?" Chen Jiuge exclaimed, looking at the two pits he’d dug. Beneath them, there was still more Immortal Jade.
As man and sword diligently worked at dismantling the wall, the Jade Carving stirred. The previously featureless face morphed, revealing the countenance of a handsome, middle-aged man, though his expression was currently one of profound sorrow.
"Stop moving! Can’t you see I’m busy?" Chen Jiuge impatiently flicked away the hand that had tapped his shoulder.
"Huh? There’s someone else here?" Startled, Chen Jiuge grabbed Black Qilin and executed a swift evasive roll. "Hey, the Jade Carving came to life?"
"Young friend, isn’t it a bit much, using the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Sword to dig through this old man’s Daoist sanctum?" the Jade Daoist said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"You’re the Jade Daoist? And isn’t Black Qilin the Calamity Immortal Sword?"
"I suppose I am the Jade Daoist. The Calamity Immortal Sword? That’s apt. After all, this isn’t the ancient era anymore; the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Sword probably doesn’t possess its ancient might now," the Jade Daoist replied.
Seeing that the Jade Daoist before him seemed quite amiable, Chen Jiuge curiously asked, "What do you mean, ’I suppose’?"
The Jade Daoist stroked his jade chin, a sprinkle of Jade Powder drifting down. "As long as you stop digging, we can have a chat."
Chen Jiuge glanced at the Immortal Jade in his hand, then at the piece still impaled on Black Qilin’s tip, and awkwardly offered, "How about you take these back?"
Hearing this, the Jade Daoist didn’t stand on ceremony. He simply opened his mouth and lightly inhaled. The entire piece of Immortal Jade instantly turned to powder and vanished.
"BURP! Indeed, it’s important to replenish nutrients in a timely manner," the Jade Daoist said contentedly.
Does this big shot have to be so stingy, actually taking it back? Chen Jiuge was speechless at this.
With a wave of the Jade Daoist’s hand, an exquisite set of jade tables and chairs materialized on the floor.
"Young friend, do you have any Spiritual Tea? Brew two cups for me," the Jade Daoist said without hesitation.
Chen Jiuge obediently complied.
Taking a sip of Spiritual Tea, a strange smile touched the Jade Daoist’s lips. "I drank it, but I can’t taste it. How sad and lamentable. Googlᴇ search n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"I am a clone left by the Jade Daoist before his fall. Actually, every part of this palace complex has an existence like mine. So, I’m not the real Jade Daoist, although we all possess most of his memories.
"Alright, ask anything you want."
Chen Jiuge looked at the Jade Daoist, whose expression had returned to normal, and felt somewhat uncomfortable. This guy hasn’t gone mad, has he?
"Senior, are there really no Treasures here?" Chen Jiuge asked the question foremost on his mind.
"Treasures? No. But there is a legacy. Do you want it?" the Jade Daoist said casually.
"Really?" Chen Jiuge’s eyes widened. Could an ancient Great Power’s legacy be so easy to obtain?
"Yes. If you want it, I’ll give it to you. I see you’re already a True Immortal, barely qualified to accept the legacy. But let me clarify first: accepting the legacy means you’ll have to cultivate the Jade Dao, and you won’t be able to cultivate other Daos."
"Forget it then," Chen Jiuge immediately refused. What a joke! I’m cultivating the two top-tier Daos of Power and Life. Why would I switch to the ordinary Jade Dao?
"I thought as much. My original self was also foolish, insisting that only True Immortals could enter. Who would bother changing to cultivate the Jade Dao?" the Jade Daoist grumbled.
"Er..." Chen Jiuge didn’t dare to respond to the complaint.
"Don’t be shy, little guy. I’m just a Jade Carving with no Cultivation to speak of. Say whatever you want. The fact that you’ve been acknowledged by the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Sword and haven’t had any accidents yet proves your Luck is excellent," the Jade Daoist said with a wink.
"Right, do you have any other tasty things to eat? Even though they lack flavor, I just want to try them."
Chen Jiuge had originally wanted to retrieve some Spiritual Beasts from his Personal Cave Heaven to roast, but unexpectedly, he couldn’t connect to it. Thankfully, his Storage Ring still held plenty of Spirit Fruits and Spiritual Wine.
Watching the Jade Carving feast, Chen Jiuge felt that spending so many resources to come here was utterly worthless.
Perhaps sensing Chen Jiuge’s dejection, the Jade Daoist comforted him, "Don’t worry. Even though you haven’t gained much, at least you didn’t encounter any danger, right? Oh! I just remembered, I do seem to have something here."
The Jade Daoist slapped his head, sending a heap of Jade Powder falling, then pulled out a Jade Stick, over two meters long, from the cushion where he had been sitting.
"Kid, this is a weapon my original self left for me. But over the years, you’re the only one who’s come in here, so I figured I’d give it to you. Anyway, I’m not fond of fighting." The Jade Daoist disdainfully tossed the Jade Stick to Chen Jiuge.
"This is probably, barely, a Heaven and Earth Holy Weapon. It was forged by my original self using a pseudo-Holy Weapon as the base and inscribed with the Jade Dao. Its power is no less than that of an ordinary Holy Weapon; it just doesn’t have any special abilities. Make do with it."
"Thank you, Senior." Chen Jiuge finally sighed in relief. "A Treasure comparable to a Heaven and Earth Holy Weapon should make up for my expenses!"
"Are you leaving now? If you’re not in a hurry, we could chat. You could tell me about the changes in the outside world," the Jade Daoist said with some curiosity.
Since he was here and there was no danger, chatting with the Jade Carving before him didn’t seem like a bad idea.
As the conversation dragged on, Chen Jiuge had to brew another pot of Spiritual Tea; his mouth was terribly dry from answering the endless questions of the Jade Daoist, who was like a child with a never-ending stream of ’whys’.
After a long while, the Jade Daoist showed a melancholic expression. "I didn’t expect the outside world to be so fascinating. It’s a pity I probably can’t experience it myself."
"Senior, can’t you go out?" Chen Jiuge asked curiously.
"Right! It seems I *can* go out," the Jade Daoist said, giving Chen Jiuge a scrutinizing look.
That gaze made Chen Jiuge somewhat uneasy. "Senior?"
"Kid, you’ve hit the jackpot! I’ll give you a chance: take me out with you. As long as you provide food, drink, and fun, you can get guidance from a half-step Dao Yi Great Power. Dao Yi is a Realm above the Daluo Golden Immortal—also known as the Eternal Saint of Heaven and Earth."
"That’s right. My original self had astonishing talent. If not for choosing the Jade Dao, if not for being too selflessly benevolent, he might have become a Dao Yi by now, an eternal part of the Dao," the Jade Daoist said, somewhat regretfully.
The Jade Daoist’s memories weren’t complete. There were many gaps in his recollection of his original self, and much about the ancient times couldn’t be articulated, though sometimes, bits and pieces would surface.
Chen Jiuge didn’t know how long he had been keeping the lonely old Jade Carving company—he had talked about everything, even getting spanked as a child—and when he truly ran out of topics, he finally asked how to leave.
"Wait for me, kid! We’ll go together."
Chen Jiuge then noticed that the Jade Carving had cracked!
Out crawled a tiny little jade person, a miniature Jade Daoist, who, pleased with his new body, said, "Not bad, very agile, and the senses have improved a lot. Now I can eat some good stuff! Kid, let’s set off."
"???" Chen Jiuge looked at the little jade person, confused. When had I agreed to take him along?
The miniature Jade Daoist also realized something was amiss and said in alarm, "You’re not going to abandon me after I’ve been useful, are you? I gave you a Treasure, and I’m all ready to go! You’re going to leave me behind now?
"Can’t you have a little pity for a lonely old man?"
In the end, Chen Jiuge picked up the little jade person and said, "Then you must swear not to have any ill intentions towards me or do anything to my detriment."
After the Jade Daoist swore an oath, Chen Jiuge decided to take him along.
"By the way, Senior, if you’re coming with me, do you still need this Spirit Jade?" Chen Jiuge suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Kid, what are you scheming? This is my food supply, how I replenish energy!" the Jade Daoist said, spreading his arms to block the eager Chen Jiuge and Black Qilin.
"Ah, that’s too bad," Chen Jiuge sighed.
"Can’t you stop eyeing an old man’s rations? Once we’re out, I’ll give you the methods my original self used to cultivate the Jade Clan. That should be enough for you to make a fortune," the Jade Daoist said helplessly.
"Also, call me Yu Heng. ’Senior’ just feels too awkward."
"Well then, Yu Heng, open the passage."
"Kid, you really don’t stand on ceremony. By the way, what’s your name?" Yu Heng found that the youngsters of this era truly lacked reverence.
"Chen Jiuge, is it? I’ll remember that. Well then, we should be going."
As Yu Heng spoke, the great hall, originally made of Immortal Rank Spirit Jade, slowly shrank until it completely disappeared into his body.
Outside the great hall was a sea of Chaos. Yu Heng looked at Chen Jiuge, who was still gaping at the Chaos, and cursed, "Haven’t you seen this before? Get in here, quick! The Chaos Giant Beasts are coming!"
A Chaos Giant Beast, its size spanning countless thousands of li, opened its huge maw and bit down on the spot where Chen Jiuge stood.
"That was close! Too close! I was almost a goner!" Chen Jiuge said, his face pale with lingering fear.
"Kid Jiuge, didn’t your elders tell you not to linger randomly in the Chaos? This old man’s brief existence nearly ended right there!" Yu Heng grumbled, putting on the airs of a wise senior.