Mistress's Former Jellyfish?

"Your Excellency, I've never heard of you taking on disciples before..."

The city lord waited behind the Archimedes Venerable, and seeing that he was somewhat silent, he took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Does accepting a disciple require announcing it to the whole world?" The Archimedes Venerable didn't turn around, his gaze still fixed on the vortex-like entrance to the secret realm. "He is a disciple I sent to the mortal realm for training. Keeping him on that high and mighty sacred mountain won't produce good students."

Qi Tai and Li Ming exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. This disciple's Arithmancy divination had already been proven, and judging from his high level of cultivation ability, even if his identity was fake, he was at least a junior highly regarded by the Archimedes Venerable.

"Your Excellency's words are absolutely true, they have enlightened me greatly. I have always been thinking of having my son stay on the sacred mountain and not come down, but in this vast human world, even the most magnificent sacred mountain is just a mountain," Qi Tai said with emotion.

After he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He saw the Archimedes Venerable turn his head, his eyes so cold that they were completely unfamiliar to him.

"Be careful what you say and do." The Archimedes Venerable uttered only these four cold words before turning his head away again.

Qi Tai breathed a sigh of relief, a bead of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Only then did he realize that, by simply following the Archimedes Venerable's lead, he had unknowingly uttered words of disrespect for the sacred mountain. And that one sentence alone was enough to bring ruin upon his family.

He glanced furtively at the flamboyant monk and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Was this unserious Flower Daoist deliberately guiding him to say those words?

"Have you ever been to this secret realm?" the Archimedes Venerable suddenly asked.

"It's been there..." Qi Tai replied.

"With your strength at the lower realm of the Feather Transformation stage, can the dangers in this secret realm pose a threat to you?"

"Qi barely escaped with his life."

"Even you barely escaped with your life, so how could you possibly find treasures?"

"This secret realm is quite strange; the stronger the person, the more severe the countermeasure. I sent two country bumpkins in, but they came out completely unharmed."

"So you deliberately withheld this rule, sending my disciple in to his death?" The Archimedes Venerable turned around, a chilling smile on his face.

"Of course not... It's just that even I can come out, so... then the Venerable One's disciple can too... After all, he is the Venerable One's disciple..." Qi Tai answered tremblingly, but deep in his eyes, there seemed to be little fear.

The Archimedes Venerable suddenly burst into loud laughter, leaving the city lord and the shopkeeper completely bewildered. After laughing for a long time, the Archimedes Venerable finally said:

"I have to admit... the person behind you is really willing to go to such lengths to launder this money... creating this secret realm in just two days, that's no small feat."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai and Li Ming were struck dumb, their faces turning ashen.

"Your Excellency, you are innocent! The secret realm is right here! We did not lie to you!"

His tearful appearance suggested that he had truly suffered a great injustice.

The Archimedes Venerable didn't even glance at the timid city lord. "If it were just for this small amount of tax revenue, there would be no need to go to such lengths. He's being so generous because this is not only a show of force but also a welcoming gift..."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tai's timid demeanor lessened somewhat. Seeing that the Archimedes Venerable had already laid bare the truth, he decided to stop pretending altogether.

In truth, he was never truly afraid of the Void Glimpse Realm expert in front of him, even though the other party could destroy him with one hand.

"The Master said that the Archimedes Venerable is a rare genius in this world, and the Master greatly respects you. The art of divination in the Northern Ao Continent flourished for a time two thousand years ago, but it gradually declined because it did not suit the style of the people of the Northern Ao Continent. Nowadays, few people walk this path in the Northern Ao Continent, but the Master boldly predicted that with the appearance of you, the Master, the level of divination in the Northern Ao Continent will one day catch up with that of the Southern Yang Continent."

"Stop." The Archimedes Venerable suddenly spoke up, interrupting Qi Tai's story. "What does your husband think of me...?"

Qi Tai was taken aback, thinking that he had flattered the Mathematical Master too much and that the Master was about to be modest. But the next sentence from the Archimedes Venerable Flower Daoist completely surprised him.

"That's quite fair. Did he really say that himself?"

"I certainly wouldn't dare make things up about my husband," Qi Tai replied with a forced smile.

"He's quite good at judging people, but unfortunately he's not a fortune teller; his predictions were wrong."

"Wrong? What's wrong with it?"

"If I live to be five hundred years old, then I won't just catch up with those old donkeys from the Southern Yang Continent, I'll surpass them."

The Archimedes Venerable, with his hands behind his back, said smugly.

Qi Tai twitched the corner of his mouth, momentarily speechless at the shamelessness and arrogance of the Archimedes Venerable.

"The Archimedes Venerable is a genius, as evidenced by his attainment of a position in the Immortal Ancestor Temple during his Feather Transformation Realm." Qi Tai then changed the subject, "The value of this item exceeds five years' worth of taxes from Shuo City. If Your Excellency submits this item, you will surely be credited with a great achievement. This is a gift specially prepared by my master for Your Excellency. I hope... Your Excellency will accept it with pleasure."

"What if I don't agree?" Archimedes Venerable raised an eyebrow, his tone flippant. "My disciple will die a horrible death inside, and then I'll cause the secret realm to collapse while trying to save him. All the illogical products, including Snow Village Tea, can then be explained by this untraceable secret realm. You can even turn the tables and say that I ruined the key to the rise of your Shuo City?"

Qi Tai pondered to himself, this Archimedes Venerable truly lived up to his reputation; his insight was indeed profound. But what puzzled him was why, having guessed his teacher's intentions, this Archimedes Venerable would still send his disciple to risk his life?

Suddenly, he realized the answer:

"It seems we were wrong... This disciple of yours is not important to you. Therefore, the so-called show of force is invalid."

The Archimedes Venerable calmly shook his head. "No, I like him very much."

Qi Tai was slightly surprised, then, as if he had thought of something, his expression changed and he said, "Could it be that the Venerable One is so shrewd that he has already foreseen that your disciple would return safely?"

The Archimedes Venerable shook his head again and sighed softly.

"There are many things in this world that you can know without calculation..."

Snow Village Secret Realm

You Su strolled through this bizarre and wondrous secret realm, the dense grass gave him the illusion of walking on clouds with every step. He had never seen such lush vegetation before in the Northern Ao Continent.

"What a pity..."

You Su muttered to himself, seemingly sighing about something.

His gaze was suddenly drawn to a strange flower. Its petals were crystal clear, as if formed from morning dew, and it emitted a faint fragrance, making it particularly eye-catching in this sea of Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs.

You Su involuntarily reached out and lightly touched the tender flower stem with her fingertips, never expecting that this seemingly gentle flower would hide an unknown danger.

The instant his fingers touched the flower stem, countless tiny thorns suddenly sprouted from the originally smooth and unmarked stem, like a thicket of thorns, gleaming with a cold, sharp light.

You Su did not back down. Instead, with extraordinary composure, he allowed the sharp thorns to pierce his skin. His expression remained calm as still water, as if the pain that pierced his flesh was nothing more than a trivial test for him.

Just as this strange scene was unfolding, a huge ice cone silently broke off from the rock wall above, and with an indestructible force, it hurtled straight toward You Su.

The icicle was as big as an adult, crystal clear, and emanated a chilling aura, as if it could freeze all living things in the world.

Faced with this sudden life-or-death crisis, You Su appeared remarkably numb. He neither dodged nor showed the slightest panic; he simply squatted there quietly, as if completely unaware of the impending danger.

The icicle plummeted at an astonishing speed, finally crashing to the ground with a deafening roar, instantly scattering countless ice shards like the most dazzling fireworks in winter, breathtakingly beautiful.

You Su stood firm amidst the dazzling rain of ice shards, his robes fluttering, yet not a single ice crystal touched him, as if he himself were detached from all worldly troubles.

"Just as I expected..."

You Su muttered to himself, a glint of wisdom flashing in his eyes. He slowly opened his deep Black Eyes, the pale red and pale green lights intertwining and shimmering, exuding an invisible sense of oppression.

He gently stroked his fingers, which had been "pricked" by the thorns. His fingertips were smooth as ever, without even a trace of a mark. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The reason You Su chose to enter the secret realm was certainly not out of kindness to help the Archimedes Venerable, but because there was profit to be made.

Even before entering the cave, You Su, whose Black Eyes hadn't yet been activated, could clearly see the vortex-like entrance to the secret realm. Clearly, this so-called secret realm must be inextricably linked to evil spirits.

You Su had only seen a similar vortex on one evil spirit before, and that was the Dream-Eating Ghost gave him his "enlightenment" as an evil spirit!

He once entered the vortex on the Dream-Eating Ghost's body with Tai Sui, who was disguised as his junior sister. Inside, it turned out to be a separate space.

Being able to independently create a space is an absolutely extraordinary ability. Even throughout the five thousand years of cultivation history across the five continents, there are very few who have mastered this rare spatial attribute, and those who have mastered it are all peerless powerhouses who have suppressed their entire era.

If this evil spirit can be slain, then You Su, as the True Lord, is very likely to obtain... no, to regain a portion of similar abilities. This will definitely be a great help to You Su in future battles, You Su certainly won't miss such fortuitous opportunity. Moreover, there is also the Archimedes Venerable here. If he can see through the fact that this secret realm is caused by an evil spirit, it will not only help him, but he will also receive his protection, which can be considered killing two birds with one stone.

"What a pity..."

You Su muttered again, "It's a pity this isn't an independent space, but rather a phantom you created. However... this ability is not bad."

It turned out that although those spikes seemed incredibly sharp, they were actually just illusions and could not cause him any real harm; and the ice spikes that fell from the sky were nothing more than illusions used by evil spirits to test his will.

Using his Black Eyes, he began to carefully search for the true form of the evil spirit within this secret realm.

After the illusion was dispelled, the true nature of the secret realm was revealed: a hollow in a naturally formed ice valley.

The ground was slippery, not because it was ice, but because it was covered with moss. Every step had to be taken carefully to avoid slipping.

Suddenly, You Su's gaze froze in mid-air, where a dark object floated, shaped like a giant jellyfish, slowly wriggling and emitting a nauseating stench.

Without hesitation, he flashed into a blur, rushing towards the black jellyfish at an astonishing speed, his Ink Pine Sword already drawn from its sheath.

The black jellyfish seemed to sense You Su's approach; it wriggled away, accompanied by a sound like ocean waves.

Once the mysteries of dreams are deciphered, the evil spirits within them cease to pose a terrifying threat. Faced with You Su's pursuit, the black jellyfish can only evade by relying on its agile movements.

But the ice cave was airtight, like a prison specially made for this black jellyfish, leaving it nowhere to escape.

The Ink Pine Sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry. You Su pushed off the ice wall with all her might, and the powerful Sword Qi pointed directly at the jellyfish.

But at that very moment, another unexpected event occurred!

The black jellyfish, which usually evaded, stopped dodging and instead opened all its dark tentacles at once, like a giant mouth to meet You Su's unstoppable sword!

You Su immediately realized he had been tricked; this black jellyfish not only knew illusions, but also had schemes!

Unfortunately, it was too late. One of the black jellyfish's tentacles tightly wrapped around Ink Pine Sword, then quickly coiled around his wrist along the blade. The tentacle seemed to possess infinite power, pulling him into the jellyfish's pitch-black body with a sudden jellyfish thrust.

In an instant, You Su was enveloped in a viscous, icy liquid, making it extremely difficult to breathe. All around was pitch black, so dark he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. He felt as if he had been dragged into an endless abyss, a strange sense of familiarity and unease simultaneously welling up within him.

However, You Su did not panic. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his inner turmoil. He knew that in the face of these filthy things, any fear or hesitation could become a fatal weakness.

Falling, and then an endless fall.

The beautiful memories of the past gradually surfaced like a revolving lantern: the playful banter with my junior sister, the respectful relationship with my senior sister, the sharp exchanges with Xue Ruo, and the mutual devotion with my Mistress's wife...

All of this seemed to be a reminder of the happiness You Su had experienced in his past life, making him regret his decision to try and control his own destiny.

Unfortunately, this seductive trick couldn't sway You Su in the slightest.

Just as You Su steadied himself and prepared to find the weakness of this strange jellyfish, a screen of light caught his attention.

The scene depicted on the screen was not from his memory.

She was an exquisitely beautiful Fairy in a flowing white dress, lying in the same environment as him, her face filled with a sorrowful, desolate expression, as if her heart had died.

But like You Su, she was also drawn to a light screen that appeared by chance. In that light screen, there was actually herself standing in front of her Mistress's empty room, desperately calling out to her Mistress.

Then, as if reborn, the Mistress shattered the darkness with a breathtakingly beautiful sword strike.

"Mistress... has she been here before...?"

You Su's lips curled up, and he suddenly felt a sense of shared fate with his Mistress.

The black jellyfish exploded like fireworks, splattering black blood onto the translucent ice wall, creating a bizarre and beautiful effect.

The dead black jellyfish may or may not remember that it too had recently experienced a similar death.