[You and Liu Jinchan arrived at the Tomb of the Living Dead.]
[The sight before you greatly shocked you both.]
[Lu Yu was dragging a white-robed monk by the hand. The monk was like a dead dog, barely clinging to life.]
[Seeing you, Lu Yu was overjoyed and hurriedly gave you a hug.]
["Brother, just now, I thought I would never see you again."]
[Liu Jinchan crouched down and carefully examined the white-robed monk on the ground. His expression changed sharply as he recognized him as Chan Master Withered Wood of the Great Snow Mountain, the famed Grandmaster of North Wind.]
[More than three thousand disciples of the Great Snow Mountain looked to him as their leader. He was the master of an entire sect.]
[Now, every bone in his body had been shattered, and only a single breath kept him alive. He was likely beyond saving.]
[You were puzzled and asked Lu Yu what had happened. Lu Yu then recounted everything, from Liu Jinchan to Chan Master Withered Wood.]
[After hearing him out, you and Liu Jinchan exchanged a glance.]
[My younger brother is invincible beneath heaven.]
[Liu Jinchan sighed. "My disciple is invincible beneath heaven."]
[Yet you immediately realized how matters had changed. Since Huang Dao had come to slay the dragon, Lu Yu's departure might have left Emperor Qing in grave danger.]
[If Emperor Qing died, Great Qing, which had only recently known peace, would likely once more be thrown into chaos across the realm.]
[With Lu Yu by your side now, you had nothing to fear. It seemed you would have to make a trip to the summit of Mount Zhongnan.]
[At that moment, the barely living white-robed monk lay prone on the ground and called out weakly, "Three benefactors, please wait."]
[The three of you had originally had no desire to linger.]
[Prompt: Detected an obtainable item.]
[Faced with this scene, you weighed matters in your heart. Thus, you decided...]
1. Listen to the old monk finish. 2. Leave. 3. Participate personally (1/3)
Yu Ke's eyes lit up as he stared at the three options.
An obtainable item!
Wasn't this equipment dropping?
Ever since his innate reincarnation, he had only obtained a letter from Lu Yu's childhood. At last, he had gained something again.
He rubbed his hands together, filled with anticipation.
He prayed that it would be an extraordinary item.
A golden legend!
Forget it, forget it.
He only hoped it would not be an empty drop.
Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Ke selected 1. Listen to the old monk finish.
With your decision made—
[You called Liu Jinchan and Lu Yu back. Lu Yu did not care; what did the emperor's life or death have to do with him?]
[Liu Jinchan appeared quite anxious, but seeing that both you and Lu Yu had stopped, he could only wait helplessly.]
[Withered Wood struggled to raise his head. A faint light flickered in his eyes as he looked toward the three of you.]
["Though I have suffered this calamity today, I bear no resentment in my heart. I know my time has come. There is only one matter for which I beg your aid."]
[Endless vicissitudes seeped through his voice. His face, which should have been young, now showed the marks of age. His hair was white, revealing that his martial arts had been completely lost and his true age exposed. He had become an old monk.]
[You turned your gaze to the old monk on the ground. Struggling, he pulled a secret manual sewn from thick sheepskin from his robes.]
[The old monk said earnestly, "When a man is about to die, his words are kind. This old monk sincerely begs you, benefactor, to return this secret manual to the Great Snow Mountain. If you wish, you may naturally cultivate the techniques within."]
[The white-robed monk's face was full of bitterness. He sighed, "This old monk has failed the patriarchs of every generation. I do not wish for the Great Snow Mountain's inheritance to end in my generation."]
[You casually opened the manual. Inside were methods for men and women to cultivate together, illustrated with both text and pictures, lush and sensual beyond measure.]
[However, the written portions were in Sanskrit, which you could not directly understand. Judging from the old monk's solemn expression, it truly ought to be the Great Snow Mountain's supreme inheritance.]
[You looked at the monk and asked in return, "What if I choose not to return it to the Great Snow Mountain?"]
[The white-robed monk shook his head helplessly and sighed. "This old monk can do nothing about that."]
["However, this cultivation method is written in the language of the Great Snow Mountain. Only my disciples can decipher its mysteries."]
[Lu Yu sneered and mocked, "You really know how to scheme."]
[You flipped through the secret manual from beginning to end!]
[Prompt: Secret manual acquired. It may only be claimed after the simulation ends.]
Yu Ke stared at the prompt on the light screen above the cauldron.
He froze slightly, seemingly not expecting that acquiring the manual came with a "cooldown."
There was no rush anyway. It was only one night in reality.
The simulation continued.
[You handed the secret manual to your master, Liu Jinchan, for inspection. He studied it carefully for a moment, but he too could not recognize the Sanskrit within.]
[He merely swept his eyes hurriedly over several of those sensual illustrations before quickly closing the manual and muttering, "What a sin."]
[Seeing this, Lu Yu could not resist teasing him. "Master, at your age, what have you not seen?"]
[Liu Jinchan said angrily, "Your master is still a virgin. For many years, all I have wished for in my heart was to serve several patriarchs. Do not spout nonsense!"]
[You smiled as well. The three of you all seemed rather advanced in years, yet none of you had started a family.]
[At this moment, Withered Wood's gaze shifted to Lu Yu. Complex emotions intertwined in his eyes as he slowly spoke.]
["Actually, there is one more thing I must say. This old monk is about to depart this world."]
["After death, perhaps I will not even see the Buddha. Though I cultivated Buddhism, I never truly believed in Buddha. Let this count as a good deed I have done before death."]
[Withered Wood turned to look at you, his gaze profound. "Your younger brother is no ordinary person. At such an age, he has already knocked open the gates of the Innate Realm and comprehended his Martial Dao True Intent. This is most likely connected to that prophecy from thirty years ago."]
["A prophecy?"]
[You were slightly stunned. You only knew that after Heaven's Collapse, spiritual energy vanished, and the world entered the war-torn Spring and Autumn and Warring States era, until the present Spiritual Energy Revival.]
[Withered Wood spoke each word distinctly.]
["The boundary of heaven and man approaches; spiritual qi returns."]
["Dao and demonic paths contend; Martial Shattering of the Void."]
["Since the Daoist path has an unparalleled genius like Lu Yu, heaven and earth endlessly give birth and flourish, and all things naturally have their yin and yang sides. The demonic path will naturally have a corresponding existence as well, though I do not know upon whom it will fall."]
["What a pity that this old monk will not have the fortune to see it."]
["This old monk commanded countless women throughout his life, yet in the end, he does not even have a single descendant. How lamentable."]
[Having spoken, Withered Wood used up his final breath and quietly passed away.]
[It was your first time hearing this prophecy. Yet the moment the final four words, "Martial Shattering of the Void," emerged, your heart burned hot, as though your life's pursuit was contained within those four words.]
[You gained some understanding of "the boundary of heaven and man approaches; spiritual qi returns," knowing it referred to the opportunity for Spiritual Energy Revival. "Dao and demonic paths contend; Martial Shattering of the Void," meanwhile, foretold enormous changes in the martial world.]
[Liu Jinchan sighed softly as well. Naturally, he understood the far-reaching impact of that prophecy from thirty years ago.]
[At that moment.]
[A blaze ignited atop Mount Zhongnan, illuminating the night sky.]
[You looked up.]
[Within the firelight, figures could be seen shouting anxiously, but they were too far away for the words to be heard clearly.]
[Lu Yu cocked his ear to listen from the side. Spiritual qi gathered around his ear, giving off a faint glow. After a while, he said helplessly.]
["Those eunuchs are shouting that the old emperor has died."]
[Liu Jinchan's expression changed upon hearing this. He knew that after Lu Yu broke through to the Innate Realm, he possessed certain unusual abilities.]
[The emperor had died at Zhongnan!]
[This news meant that the imperial court would fall into turmoil. Great Qing had abolished its crown prince, and the Eastern Palace had yet to be established.]
[Liu Jinchan could not help sighing. "Great Qing is about to descend into chaos!"]
[Prompt: Obtainable Mediating Mother Qi detected nearby. Automatically acquired.]
Words appeared on the light screen.
Seeing this, Yu Ke's spirits immediately soared.
He knew that Mediating Mother Qi had miraculous effects in repairing meridians. The last Mediating Mother Qi had already helped him repair his acupoints.
Now that he had obtained it again, there was hope that he could use the Mediating Mother Qi to repair his meridians this time.
Then he could cultivate again.
Yu Ke was somewhat shocked. Last time, he had led an army north and crushed North Wind's eight hundred thousand troops.
Only by changing the balance of the realm had he obtained a wisp of Mediating Mother Qi.
Yet today, it had come for no reason at all!
Damn!
Tonight, he had really pulled a golden legend.
But where had it come from?
He thought of how the prompt had appeared just after the emperor's death.
Could it be connected to Emperor Qing's death?
Before you continue