Chapter 00071: The Venerable One
# The Venerable One?
Chapter 71
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 71: The Venerable One?
Hearing the accusatory tone in his voice, Sun Fuping quickly replied, "The offerings here have escaped, so we can only use the backup formation outside to summon the Venerable One. What happened out there? Are you feeling unwell?"
His first choice for the sacrifice had been He Lingchuan and Mao Tao, but those two had slipped away at the first opportunity.
He had no choice but to resort to his backup plan, using He Chunhua and the others as offerings, and then employing a method to summon the deity he had called forth into this place.
An extra step, but it was unavoidable.
Nian Songyu's face was stern as he said, "There was a mishap outside, which weakened my power. This black flood dragon keeps reviving, so it can't be its true form. I need you to find the source of its existence!" With that, he raised his hand and drew two circles in the air above Sun Fuping's head, as if sprinkling water.
Tiny specks of light, like flying petals or drifting snowflakes, fell from between his fingers, scattering all over Sun Fuping's body.
To others, it looked as though he had sprinkled some glittering powder on Sun Fuping.
But only Sun Fuping himself knew that this act was like a gentle spring rain.
Not only did it refresh his mind and heart, but it also healed most of his injuries.
Earlier, He Lingchuan had used siege weapons to bombard him relentlessly, something no ordinary person could withstand.
Sun Fuping had used all his life-saving techniques, and with Nian Songyu's desperate protection, he had barely managed to survive.
But his injuries were severe, with internal wounds far worse than the external ones.
The fact that he was still standing was nothing short of a miracle.
However, with more than a dozen thieves still standing upstairs, he had no choice but to put on a brave face.
Yet the Venerable One had effortlessly healed his wounds.
Such power was beyond human capability, and Sun Fuping couldn't help but feel even more reverence.
"Please guide me, Venerable One!"
What Sun Fuping didn't know was that the Venerable One before him was actually quite displeased.
The process of divine descent was extremely dangerous, especially before entering a suitable vessel.
The will of the heavenly deity was vulnerable to injury during this time.
Sun Fuping's failure to provide protection during this process was a grave mistake.
However, the number of successful divine descents could be counted on one hand, and this secret was not something outsiders could know.
Even if Sun Fuping had scoured every ancient text, he would never have learned of it.
Fortunately, the Venerable One still needed him to resolve his own troubles, so he spared a bit of divine power to heal Sun Fuping's injuries.
"If it's the source of the black flood dragon's existence, then it must be something that remains unchanged from beginning to end, something that even this great fire cannot destroy. And it's not the Great Square Pot. Since you've managed to find your way here, you must have some idea."
The Venerable One gave a hint, and now it was up to Sun Fuping to figure out the rest.
Sun Fuping nodded and quickly added, "Venerable One, what about my position as the State Preceptor?"
Nian Songyu gave a dark smile.
"If you can get out of here, you'll get what you want."
With a weight lifted from his heart, Sun Fuping rushed into the ruins before the Great Wind Army could launch another attack.
...
The Venerable One had only given a small hint, but after pondering it for a moment, Sun Fuping was struck with realization.
"Find the source of the black flood dragon's existence."
In simpler terms, it meant finding the opponent's lifeline.
However, the key point of this statement wasn't just the information that "the black flood dragon's true body isn't on the battlefield."
Sun Fuping had the insight and experience to realize that the reason the black flood dragon was immortal was because it had hidden its vital point beforehand, using the power of the Great Square Pot to repeatedly heal its injuries.
For a monster like this, how could it die if its vital point wasn't struck?
But the Venerable One's words carried a deeper meaning, and the more Sun Fuping thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Sun Fuping had always believed that the black flood dragon was a spirit born from the Great Square Pot.
If that were the case, why would the Venerable One ask him to find the "source of its existence"? Wouldn't the Great Square Pot itself be the source of the black flood dragon's existence?
But the Venerable One had specifically denied this.
So, what exactly was that black flood dragon?
Sun Fuping ran for a while, even stopping in the ruins for a moment, before a flash of insight struck him.
Could it be?
He changed direction and headed north.
The ruins before him were the true appearance of Panlong Ancient City after the allied forces had retreated.
The earlier peace, prosperity, and tranquility had been nothing but an illusion.
But between the two, there must be something that remained unchanged.
Soon, Sun Fuping passed by the grand residence of the Zhong family.
This was the place Zhong Shengguang had later bought from the Chen family and renovated, even changing the plaque.
But Sun Fuping didn't linger.
This wasn't the place he was looking for.
He passed through the government offices, crossed a large, dried-up ravine, and finally found another set of ruins—
The official residences.
At least, they had been the official residences of Panlong City before they were destroyed.
Compared to the peaceful times, these residences had undergone significant changes.
But Sun Fuping quickly found his target.
It was a simple house with two rooms and a small courtyard.
In the courtyard was a small grave mound.
Sun Fuping ignored the grave and instead turned to the two ruined rooms, rummaging through them.
A large bed, a dressing table, a small bed...
He even opened the hidden drawer of the dressing table, only to find that its contents had long since turned to blackened, charred lumps.
None of these should be the source of the black flood dragon's existence.
But the place was small, and there weren't many items.
Could his deduction be wrong?
Sweat dripped from Sun Fuping's forehead.
Time was life.
The Venerable One was out there fighting the monster of the Great Square Pot with all his might.
If Sun Fuping couldn't find the key to turning the tide soon, not only would his grand ambitions be dashed, but his very life might be in jeopardy.
Sun Fuping circled the house three times.
Perhaps blinded by anxiety, it wasn't until after the third lap that he suddenly turned and rushed back to the main room.
The bed here had been burned down to a charred frame, and only half of the wall remained, blackened by smoke.
But on this half-wall, there was a patch of gray.
The original color of the wall.
It looked as though something had been hanging here, blocking the fire and preventing the wall behind it from being blackened by the smoke.
This shape...
Sun Fuping muttered to himself, "A sword. I remember a sword hanging here."
Yes, this had been Zhong Shengguang's residence before he became the commander.
Sun Fuping had been here before and had even found the graves of the Baling exploration team members.
While waiting for Nian Songyu, Sun Fuping had also thoroughly explored this house and had some memory of its furnishings.
In fact, the furniture in this official residence was so simple that it was hard not to remember it.
The wall was still there, the bed was still there, but the sword that had hung on the wall was gone.
The post-disaster wall showed that this sword had been there from beginning to end, fitting the Venerable One's description of "something the fire couldn't destroy."
So his deduction wasn't wrong—someone had taken it.
Sun Fuping stood up, gritting his teeth as he spat out a name, wishing he could tear the words to shreds: "He Lingchuan, you little brat!"
The usually composed and dignified State Preceptor Sun finally couldn't hold back his curses.
When the four of them had first arrived here, they had discussed their plans before splitting up.
Before that, the only ones who had had the chance to thoroughly inspect the house were him and He Lingchuan.
Author's note: The frequency has jumped.
Double update completed today.
(End of Chapter)