While Yan Que Zi and his cohort of elders were stunned by Hou Shu's revelation, they quickly noticed his abnormality. Thus, Yan Shen Jun coughed as he directed most of his aura to get Hou Shu out of his stupor.

The moment Hou Shu was brought back to reality, Yan Shen Jun opened his mouth before Hou Shu could utter anything.

"Fellow Daoist Hou seems to be most fatigued from investigating this case. Now that we have gotten the report, why doesn't fellow Daoist stay in our grottoes? Cultivating here can be considered to be a really good opportunity for anyone."

To which Hou Shu absentmindedly nodded along. Clearly, thoughts have clouded his Sea of Consciousness.

As Hou Shu was led away by Yan Family servants, Yan Que Zi and the rest had grim expressions, a somber aura filling every inch of the hall.

"Ancient Wood element... Looks like we have no choice but to contact the New Leaves Sect." Muttered Yan Que Zi as he rhythmically tapped the handrest of his throne.

*******

In a quaint and secluded grotto, Hou Shu was seated in front of an eight immortal table, with a cup and Ayu Kalpa Wine bottle in front of him.

From where he was seated, he could peer out to see the magnificent scenery of lush valleys filled with trees of all shapes and sizes bearing colorful spiritual fruits, the molten lava river going through the middle and spiritual foxes and birds of fire element wandering about.

This was something that was perfectly tailored to Hou Shu's preference, Yan Family is one of the seven hegemons after all, only a group of their caliber could arrange something like this.

But Hou Shu was neither enthralled by the beauty of the scenery nor the Ayu Kalpa Wine. Instead, he was just swirling his cup of wine.

Suddenly he looked towards his left, where there was a figure made of flames that only he could see, which was facing the direction of the south ever since it emerged from his Sea of Consciousness.

It hasn't spoken once since then, but Hou Shu didn't find that puzzling, speaking last time had already put a great burden on it, and speaking once more would bring severe harm to it, especially in the Spiritual Qi deprived condition of current times.

"But... This matter... I am not strong enough... I didn't plan to face something like this at this time..." Spoke Hou Shu as his forehead creased and his lips pressed into a frown, losing all the gentlemanly countenance he normally exuded.

He once again moved his attention to the swirling cup of wine, his mind conjuring the image of Bai Ling, the image of the time he first met her.

It was a temple, a mortal temple in an ordinary mountain, a kind no one would bat an eye for.

But in that temple, there was a mortal, a mortal pursuing immortality.

"Hahahahaha! My disciples, your contribution to my immortal path won't be forgotten! When I become immortal, all of you will be revived and become my thunder officials!" An old priest was laughing crazily.

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Though his deranged laugh was screeching, it was drowned by screams, screaming of children.

In front of the priest was massive a bronze furnace covering half of the room, and inside it, there were countless children, burning and screaming in anguish, externalizing their torturous pain the only way they could.

But as if fate didn't this priest to become immortal, a small jade pendant fell from the sky and entered the furnace, making it erupt into flames.

"How could this be!? Elixir of Immortality was so close to forming!" The old priest shrilly shouted, myriads of emotions could be felt in his voice, though anger and disbelief were the chief of them.

This old priest's deranged laughter was put to a halt, leaving only the screams of the burning children echoing.

Yet, this did not last, as soon the old priest started to let out his peals of crazed laughter once again, running towards the destroyed bronze furnace.

"Even if the heavens don't want this priest to become immortal, then I shall defy the heavens! I, began cultivating at the age of five and I am now eighty, I shall become an immortal, I must succeed!"

The old priest jumped into the burning ruins of the furnace, and started to tear both dead and alive children's burning flesh, and started to swallow them!

Tears started to fall from the old priest's beady eyes, "Hahahaha! I have become immortal! I have finally become immortal! Disciples, your Master has become immortal... We shall... shall leave for the heavens... It is awaiting us... We are immortals..."

In tears of joy and bathed in flames, the old priest's eyes lost color as he fell back into the pile of dead children.

At this moment, rain started to fall, as if mourning for the innocent lives of children... Maybe even the unending pursuit of immortality...

But from this place of death, a life crawled out.

Its flesh blackened all over, yellow pus leaking out from every crevice of its body, which itself was disintegrating as it crawled. One could not tell whether it was male or female, whether it was young or old, whether it was even a human.

Despite the horrible condition, it clung to its life, trying desperately to survive. Its will was no less than the old priest's will to pursue immortality.

Perhaps it was this will that a sigh echoed, "Heaven and Earth are heartless, they made the Immortal Dao die. Men are heartless, they made the Human Dao die."

The jade pendant emerged from the furnace ruins, burning in azure and crimson flames, and gently descended onto the mass of flesh and bones, making it burn once more. But the flames did not damage it, instead, they started to heal it, revealing a pubescent girl.

The moment the flames subsided and went back to the jade, a figure appeared and picked the girl in his arms.

"You survived through hell on earth and even after your destined end approached, you held on. From now on, you shall be my disciple."

This moment of reminiscing made a gentle smile appear on Hou Shu's lips.

He focused his attention once more on the swirling wine and drank it in one gulp, "This moment right now is just like the burning of the Ayu Kalpa Wine, but just like this wine, the mellowness will return and I will rescue Bai Ling no matter what. Because..." He looked at the burning figure and said with a resolute tone, "A master is a teacher for a day, parent for a life, isn't it right, Master?"

The instance those words were uttered, the figure let out a smile and broke into two balls of light resembling crimson moons and entered Hou Shu's grasp.

He stood up and started to walk out of the grotto in slow and steady steps, the crimson moons in his hands started to glow and elongate in shape, taking what seemed to be the shape of sword swords.

"I may not have been able to help you Master, but that doesn't mean I can't even rescue my own disciple!"