Hearing Mu Bingmei's words, Luo Chuan frowned slightly, thinking that his disciple Liu Mei should be in the Kunxu Star Domain where Mu Bingmei was, and stopped what he was doing.
Judging from the current situation, Liu Mei should be fine. Otherwise, her natal jade slip would have been shattered, and Luo Chuan would have been able to sense it easily at that time.
Luo Chuan, with one hand behind his back, looked at Mu Bingmei, the Holy Maiden of Kunxu Star Domain, and asked calmly, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Mu Bingmei pursed her lips and smiled slightly, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but the Immortal Emperor Qinglin's Abode is rich in resources. However, I once learned that there is a special treasure in the secret realm on the fifth level."
"This treasure can enable cultivators Sunie Realm to comprehend the Dao of Heaven, thereby breaking through their shackles and entering the realm of the First Decay of Heaven and Man."
"We are both cultivators at the Sunie Realm, so we should understand how difficult it is for the Sunie Realm cultivator to break through to the Heavenly Human Realm. If we can obtain that treasure, our chances of breaking through the shackles will increase significantly."
Mu Bingmei pursed her immature lips, looked at Luo Chuan in front of her, and continued, "As long as you help me obtain that treasure, I will return your disciple to you with both hands after the matter is accomplished."
"And as you know, your disciple and I are originally one body. She is merely an avatar of mine; if you hadn't helped her, she wouldn't have developed her own consciousness."
"She is currently in my Kunxu Sacred Domain. If you don't believe me, I swear on my inner demons that as long as you help me obtain that treasure, I, Mu Bingmei, will absolutely not harm Liu Mei."
Seeing Mu Bingmei's affirmative expression, Luo Chuan subconsciously frowned. For the Holy Maiden of the Kunxu Star Domain to receive such an unreserved revelation, this treasure was probably not as simple as it seemed.
He didn't have a good solution at the moment, because if he disagreed, Ou Mingmei might devour Liu Mei.
After all, Liu Mei was his chief disciple. If something happened to her, he would indeed feel guilty for failing the bond between master and disciple from back then.
"Very well, I agree. After this is accomplished, I need to see my disciple return to Vermilion Bird Planet or arrive in the Demon Spirit Land. If anything goes wrong with him, I won't hesitate to destroy the entire Kunxu Star Domain."
Lv Yundao's face turned ashen. He activated his Five Decays of Heaven and Man cultivation to the fullest extent, and layers of golden light appeared around his body, barely managing to withstand this invisible pressure.
He had lived for tens of thousands of years and seen countless geniuses, but he had never seen anyone like Luo Chuan, who, despite only being at the mid-stage of the Sunie Realm realm, could make this Heavenly Human Realm expert feel suffocated.
Mu Bingmei's smile faded slightly. She raised her hand to tidy her hair, which had been ruffled by the force of the air, and a complex emotion flashed in her beautiful eyes.
I'm glad I didn't completely break with the person in front of me, and I'm even more glad that Liu Mei, this pawn, actually became the only link between the two of us.
"Don't worry, Brother Luo."
Mu Bingmei swore an oath once more, her voice clear and resonant, echoing above the bamboo forest. "If I utter even the slightest falsehood on this journey to the fifth level of Immortal Emperor Qinglin's Abode, or if I fail to ensure Liu Mei's safe return to Vermilion Bird Planet after the mission is accomplished, may my Kunxu Star Domain's lineage be severed, and may Mu Bingmei be annihilated, body and soul, and forever condemned to the cycle of reincarnation!"
As the inner demon vow was made, a blood-red rune appeared in the void, flashed by, and disappeared into Mu Bingmei's brow.
This is the most stringent oath in the world of cultivation; once broken, the Heavenly Dao will punish you, and no one can escape it.
Luo Chuan then slowly withdrew his scattered energy, and the shattered void healed slowly like a tide, while the wind in the bamboo forest returned to calm.
Let's go.
Luo Chuan put one hand behind his back and glanced at the depths of the dense bamboo forest ahead, where there was an invisible barrier that was the entrance to the fifth level of the Immortal Emperor Qinglin's Abode.
Mu Bingmei nodded and gestured for him to follow. "Fellow Daoist, please follow me. The entrance to the fifth level is hidden within this Myriad Bamboo Formation. This array was laid down by the Immortal Emperor Qinglin using his own Bamboo Dao Principles. Ordinary cultivators who step into it will be assimilated by the Dao Principles and transformed into the green bamboo within the array, never to escape."
Having said that, Mu Bingmei took the first step, her slender jade fingers lightly tapping the air.
A pale green light flew from her fingertips and disappeared into the bamboo forest in front of her.
The once haphazardly growing bamboo suddenly rustled, its stalks slowly shifting to reveal a winding, meandering stone path.
Lv Yundao followed closely behind. As he passed Luo Chuan, he snorted coldly, but ultimately didn't dare to say another word.
Luo Chuan glanced at him, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. So what if there are the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?
Before him, who possessed the bloodline of Ancient God and was at the Nine-Colored Ultimate Realm, the so-called difference in realm was nothing more than a thin sheet of paper that could be easily pierced.
The three walked along the bluestone path, with towering green bamboos along the way, their joints covered with obscure and difficult-to-understand Daoist patterns.
Luo Chuan's gaze swept over the Dao patterns, and the system in his mind instantly provided an analysis.
[The Dao of Qing Lin Bamboo Rhyme, though incomplete, contains the essence of the Wood Element Dao, which can be absorbed and transformed into the essence of the Ancient God Element.]
Upon hearing the system's words, Luo Chuan's heart stirred, and he paused slightly. The Ancient God bloodline within him was currently at the early stage of the sixth star, just one step away from the middle stage of the sixth star.
Immortal Emperor Qinglin's Wood Element Dao can just make up for his weakness in the Wood Element Origin.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, have you discovered something?" Mu Bingmei noticed Luo Chuan's pause, turned around, and looked at him with a hint of curiosity in her beautiful eyes.
"They're just incomplete principles, not worth mentioning."
Luo Chuan spoke calmly.
However, Luo Chuan did not stop walking. He had already made up his mind that he would get the Dao patterns in the Myriad Bamboo Formation.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the end of the path.
There stands a bamboo wall a hundred feet high, and in the center of the wall is an archway made of nine purple bamboo poles.
Above the archway are four powerful and ancient characters: Ladder of Heavenly Dao.
"Is this the entrance to the fifth floor?" Luo Chuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly."
Mu Bingmei nodded, pointed to the archway, and said softly, "The fifth level of Immortal Emperor Qinglin's Abode is called the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm. To enter, one must first climb this Ladder of Heavenly Dao."
"The ladder is divided into nine levels, each corresponding to a different understanding of the Dao. Only by passing the trials can one step into the core of the secret realm."
Lv Yundao added, "I once tried to climb this ladder, but I was struck down by heavenly lightning on the third level. If it weren't for my profound cultivation, my foundation would probably have been shattered long ago."
"Fellow Daoist Luo Chuan, although you are exceptionally talented, you must not be careless."
Luo Chuan ignored Lv Yundao's reminder and stared at the Ladder of Heavenly Dao. The system in his mind popped up a prompt again.