Riding the Green Boat with the Third Elder

A gentle breeze ruffled the strands of hair on You Su's forehead, causing the boy's eyelashes to tremble slightly.

You Su slowly opened her eyes, her nose filled with that familiar, rich fragrance.

"Woke up?"

It was the Third Elder's voice.

You Su quickly helped himself up, and what came into view was a plump silhouette of emerald green sitting not far from him.

He touched the surface beneath him; it was a cool, tender leaf. He knew he was sitting on the Third Elder's private Green Boat.

"Third Elder," You Su greeted softly.

The Third Elder nodded in acknowledgment, her expression indifferent, clearly indicating that she was well aware of what You Su was about to face.

"Have you made your decision?" the beautiful woman asked casually.

You Su nodded seriously.

"You have absolutely no reason not to choose this path."

The Third Elder withdrew his gaze and looked at the surging sea of clouds in the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

"You Su thanks the Third Elder." You Su pursed his lips and thanked him respectfully.

The Third Elder didn't turn around, still watching the clouds drift by. "No need to thank me. If I hadn't sent you to Jade Ring Pool, perhaps they wouldn't have noticed you. Otherwise, your experience in Chuyun City alone wouldn't have been enough to attract their attention. If you were truly to become a sacrifice, wouldn't I become one of the murderers?"

"Even if that day ever comes, I still believe the Third Elder is definitely not the murderer."

The Third Elder turned back and looked at the blind boy in astonishment, then sighed softly, "Just because you don't think that way doesn't mean your master won't. I don't even dare to imagine what she might do if you really die like this. On this mountaintop, she is already the most lonely one. So for your master's sake, live on."

"You Su definitely will."

You Su inhaled the rich, refreshing fragrance and found it increasingly pleasant.

"However, becoming a Divine Child of the Evil Warding Department is no easy feat. Countless people here want their direct descendants or grandchildren to ascend to this position. The Innate Sword Body you fought last time was only a minor contender among the vying crowd. Even so, this position has been vacant for many years... Your sudden emergence has stolen their fortuitous opportunity, and the pressure you will face is beyond your imagination. From now on, you must be more cautious."

"You Su will heed your teachings. But why not choose them? I shouldn't be the most talented person in the Five Continents."

You Su secretly shook his head. The Third Elder seemed to have a lot of confidence in him. Even though the First Elder said that a pledge of loyalty was still needed, the Third Elder seemed to tacitly agree that he would succeed.

"No matter how high your talent is, it's useless. The sole purpose of cultivating divine Goddess is to slay evil. There are too many things to consider when facing evil spirits; talent is just the most insignificant one. And you, at such a young age, played a crucial role in these two incidents of evil spirits causing chaos. Such achievements are unparalleled among the younger generation across the Five Continents, except for your senior sister."

You Su nodded silently. Being a divine child indeed meant enjoying an inexhaustible supply of resources and having a greater chance of reaching the summit than others, but it also meant facing enormous dangers.

The scene fell silent for a moment, with only the gentle breeze released by the Third Elder through his protective barrier.

"Have you seen Venerable Chengtao?" the beautiful woman suddenly asked.

"Hmm." You Su hesitated for a moment before asking, "Venerable Chengtao is so righteous, and he was only trapped in the illusion because he was deceived by Venerable Shenxi. Why was he treated that way by the Evil Warding Department?"

The Third Elder shook his head slightly and said leisurely:

"He and Venerable Cuihe only have this one son."

The eldest son?!

You Su was stunned for a long time. Upon reflection, even if the eldest son had been bewitched by Cang Tu and become an accomplice of Venerable Shenxi Venerable Chengtao's only son, bound by blood. After learning that the eldest son had been poisoned by Ji Xueruo, even if Venerable Chengtao and Venerable Cuihe were known for their impartiality and righteousness, they shouldn't have acted so calmly. In fact, Venerable Cuihe had a very good relationship with Ji Xueruo...

"Jade Ring Pool... there's more to the story?!"

The Third Elder gently raised her jade-like hand, tucked a jade wine gourd from her waist, took a small sip, and said with a regretful tone:

Do you know how he describes his son?

You Su shook her head.

He said his son died for his people, for his duty, and that was a worthy death. He wouldn't grieve for his son's death; on the contrary, he would be proud of him.

"This..."

The Third Elder shook his wine gourd and began his narration again:

"Venerable Chengtao is exceptionally talented and highly regarded by the First Elder. If he had stayed on Mount Shen, even if he wasn't the Divine Child, he would certainly be the youngest head of the Evil Warding Department. Unfortunately, he values his Lineage more than the title of Divine Child. He gave up the opportunity to stay on Mount Shen and chose to return to become the head of the Jade Ring Pool. Even among Void Glimpse Venerable, there is an insurmountable gap between them. Do you really think Venerable Shenxi can threaten such a prodigy?"

"You mean, Venerable Chengtao deliberately fell into the trap?"

"There was no scheme at all. He deceived you. Raising the Tibetan Earth was a decision made jointly by the three family heads. He had long known that the source of the Jade Ring Pool's mystique came from the Tibetan Earth's constantly draining divine power. Or rather, all the family heads of the Jade Ring Pool had known this. They simply chose to remain silent because the Tibetan Earth's divine power had not yet been exhausted in their time. They appeared prosperous on the surface, but secretly lived like parasites. By the time of Venerable Chengtao, the Tibetan Earth had reached its end, and the Jade Ring Pool could no longer sustain itself. But he cared too much about his clan and would never tolerate the decline of his Lineage. Therefore, he wanted to completely corrupt the Tibetan Earth so that it could survive and continue to nourish the Jade Ring Pool."

You Su's mind was in complete turmoil. He could sense that Venerable Chengtao's gentle and refined demeanor was genuine. Yet, this very person was the culprit who had been raising evil spirits.

"However, he still retained his conscience, only using the power of the three patriarchs to nourish Zangtu, without sacrificing anyone. But what he didn't expect was that Zangtu's corruption was actually a conspiracy by the Lord of Dreams and the Lord of the Five Elements a thousand years ago. Once Zangtu's corruption was complete, Jade Ring Pool would become the mother nest of evil spirits in the inland. He and Venerable Cuihe wanted to repent, but they were trapped by Venerable Shenxi had long harbored malicious intentions, in collusion with Zangtu. Those outside Jade Ring Pool who knew the truth believed that this was still the order of the patriarch, and their actions became increasingly ruthless and inhumane, until you broke Zangtu's illusion, and the situation was reversed."

You Su was speechless, stunned by the twists and turns behind this incident.

More importantly, You Su developed a certain empathy with Venerable Chengtao.

I still remember when he mistakenly believed that his junior sister Mistress were possessed by evil spirits, You Su was even willing to compromise with the evil spirits within them in order to keep them alive. Therefore, he and Venerable Chengtao are, in a sense, the same kind of people, both of whom would do anything for those they cherish.

"But in terms of the outcome... Venerable Chengtao not only didn't harm anyone, but he also successfully repented. Even if he can no longer be the head of the family, he shouldn't be a prisoner. Moreover, after this battle, Venerable Chengtao will surely be even more determined to eradicate Evil Dao. Isn't there even the slightest chance for him to correct his mistakes?"

You Su recalled the distraught and imprisoned state of Venerable Chengtao, and it was as if he saw his own future reflected in it.

"What do you think the First Elder's purpose was in taking you there for that talk?"

The Third Elder frowned and said solemnly:

"He wants you to take Venerable Chengtao as a warning! Even Venerable Chengtao himself believes he is largely to blame; he paid a heavy price to save Venerable Cuihe's life! So whatever the purpose, trying to use the power of evil spirits is wrong! If everyone could be forgiven for doing this, this continent would have been overrun by evil spirits long ago!"

You Su immediately fell silent, his mind a jumble of conflicting emotions.

From a moral standpoint, the Third Elder's words are absolutely right; but from a selfish perspective, if there really were a day when only evil spirits could save the people he cherished, You Su would probably still choose this path of no return.

"But... I've seen the Evil Warding Department also use evil spirits quite a bit, like using Meat Rong Ghost to possess withered bones, and using evil spirits to trap Venerable Chengtao... Can they really do that?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Elder was both annoyed and helpless at You Su's rebuttal. She puffed out her ample chest, which could hardly be fully encircled by two hands, like a stern teacher:

"People only fear what they cannot control, and they also have a strange fascination with the uncontrollable. What we really need to restrain is this fascination, understand?"

You Su remained silent, feeling that the Third Elder's explanation was somewhat weak.

The Third Elder pursed his lips and added:

"Do you think everyone in the Evil Warding Department can use these low-level evil spirits as tools? Only the First Elder, one of the three chiefs, can do so. The First Elder seems gentle, but in reality, he hates evil as if it were his enemy. He's even willing to do extreme things to eradicate evil spirits, and he can't tolerate the slightest dissent from those who believe in evil spirits. The First Elder was also involved in the tragic end of Venerable Chengtao. In his eyes, anything can be a tool to help him vanquish evil, including evil spirits. But they are merely tools; countless evil spirits have died at his hands. He is kind to people and has achieved countless merits, but this is the only thing that makes him a target of criticism from the other members of the Evil Warding Department. No matter how weak an evil spirit is, it should not be easily touched, understand?"

"You Su understands."

You Su replied softly, secretly shocked. Recalling the blood-stained torture instruments in the prison cell, she realized that the kind and gentle old man also possessed such a ruthless side.

"But why would the First Elder do this despite all the criticism?"

You Su felt that her question was pointless; given the other person's status and strength, they had every reason to think outside the box.

"The First Elder's title is Venerable Tian Shu. In the Technique Method, he can be considered the strongest in the world. His mind control techniques can even manipulate low-level evil spirits. Similarly, he is one of the most profound researchers of evil spirits. Considering his experiences, he is arguably the least likely person in the world to believe in evil spirits. In his hands, evil spirits are merely tools, which is why the other two elders allow him to do so. Don't try to emulate him, because you can't."

You Su nodded slightly, and couldn't help but think of herself.

Because he possesses the True Lord's Power, he is actually a combination of various evil forces, including the unknown effects of Tibetan magic. In this sense, he is not incapable of learning from the First Elder; in fact, he could be said to be even more capable of controlling evil forces than the First Elder.

If making evil spirits controllable is acceptable, then his previous hesitation vanished.

You Su's contact with evil forces is not as uncontrollable as others. This path of the divine child to exorcise evil will highly overlap with the path of his true God to punish sinners.

While receiving training from the Evil Warding Department to continuously slay evil, he also uses this opportunity to reclaim the power of God. He is currently forced onto this path, but one day he will no longer be manipulated by anyone. Whether slaying evil or doing anything else, it will all be based on his own will.

However, the prerequisite is that one must not reveal oneself before figuring out the attitude of the Evil Warding Department towards Allah.

"You Su, you will inevitably have to deal with evil spirits in the future. Remember what I said, do you hear me?" The Third Elder's face hardened when he saw You Su's silence. His usually charming face was unusually solemn. "Although I don't like you, I don't want to see the day when I am your enemy."

You Su paused, feeling somewhat moved, then bowed and clasped his hands in greeting:

"I will never be enemies with the Third Elder."

Upon hearing this, the Third Elder felt that his oath was somewhat irrelevant, but seeing You Su's solemn demeanor, he didn't pay too much attention to it.

The beautiful woman's feelings for You Su were complex. She loathed men, but she had to admit that she owed You Su a debt. This eighteen-year-old boy had risked his life at Jade Ring Pool, and now faced such a heavy burden. All of this was inextricably linked to her request for You Su to go to Jade Ring Pool to obtain Lotus Root Heart.

Thinking of this, the beautiful woman sighed softly, her voice softening as she said:

"I don't know exactly what the First Elder said to you, but you don't need to be too afraid or panicked. Just live your life normally, like your senior sister. Your senior sister's achievements to this day actually have little to do with their support. Just do your best, and everything will fall into place naturally."

You Su suddenly realized and admired his senior sister even more. After learning that his senior sister was an official Goddess, he thought that a senior sister of her age who had reached the Feather Transformation Realm would need the support of the Evil Warding Department, but he did not expect that she really relied entirely on herself.

"You Su Neng's eleventh senior sister is enough."

"Ha!" The Third Elder responded to You Su's modesty with a sneer, "The road ahead is still long."

"The road is long and arduous, but if you keep going, you will reach your destination," You Su said solemnly.

"You've said a lot of nice things, go back and relax."

The Third Elder took another sip of wine with disdain, and the Green Boat landed, stopping at the foot of Lotus Peak.

You Su smelled the familiar air and knew she had arrived home.

He stood up and respectfully thanked the Third Elder. As if remembering something, he took out the Emperor House Tree from his Universe Bag.

"Third Elder, this Emperor House Tree is returned to you. It wasn't used in this batch of Lotus Root Heart."

The Third Elder gazed at the exquisite tree branch within the amber, pursed his lips, and looked on with a deep sense of longing.

She once regarded this tree seed as her second Destiny Item, but unfortunately she did not have the ability to cultivate it, even though she was already the Void Glimpse Venerable had been famous for many years.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Keep it. It would make a good amulet. Anyway, it can't be grown, so it's useless to me."

You Su paused for a moment, then nodded.

He secretly thought to himself that one day he would plant the Emperor House Tree for the Third Elder.