Memories Amid the Haze

Zhang Xuezhou hadn't used the Taiqing Supreme Purity True Technique on himself for many years.

He felt that this time he had made up for all the things he hadn't done in years.

His enormous size was certainly not a good thing for medical treatment. He had to use the Supreme Purity True Technique repeatedly to repair and restore his body to about 70-80%.

"It's amazing that this body can withstand it!"

As a battlefield medical technique, the Supreme Purity True Technique doesn't care about any aftereffects. Compared to death during battle, the short-lived consequences of draining life force are nothing. This is even a privilege reserved for high-ranking officers.

Zhang Xuezhou used the Supreme Purity True Technique multiple times, but each time the injuries were not fully healed. He had almost fully utilized the Supreme Purity True Technique's effects, and even he himself was somewhat alarmed by this draining effect.

However, his body did not show any signs of exhaustion. In fact, as his injuries healed and many charred shells fell off, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his senses returned to normal and his limbs became more agile.

"If I could have moved then, I could have strangled you while I was faking my death, and I could have avoided the beating I got later!"

Zhang Xuezhou muttered a complaint at Ying Fusu, who was burning and emitting smoke.

He touched the spot on his throat where the arrow grass had struck him, then pressed down hard and spat out a mouthful of black poisonous foam.

Zhang Xuezhou's fighting skills were terrible, but his ability to survive was extremely strong, and he had a very good ability to resist most attacks.

If his opponent can't kill him, he can survive and escape.

"Your Excellency, how are you feeling?"

Zhang Xuezhou stretched his arms and legs, feeling that his tall and strong body was difficult to straighten out for a moment.

He glanced at the solidity of the underground palace, then thought of the great demons like Lu Baibai waiting outside, and could only call out in the direction of the Venerable One's head.

"I'll burn you to death..."

The air in this underground palace is limited and cannot support an endless fire, but the flames of His Majesty are indeed peculiar. They can burn even in spaces that are different from reality, completely deviating from normal physical combustion conditions.

The low murmurs continued, and Zhang Xuezhou saw the Venerable One's head shaking wildly, blood gushing from his forehead, which in turn fueled the fire.

The waxy blood flowed continuously, acting as a wick for the people and demons immersed in it, rather than spreading into a sea of fire.

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and touched the waxy blood on the ground, then jumped up.

"Your Majesty, are you still alive?"

He moved closer and raised his voice.

The Venerable One, whose head was bleeding, seemed to regain some clarity after hearing the sound and stopped shaking his head around.

"Alive... alive? Then... what about Ying Zheng?" His Majesty asked, panting with his eyes closed.

"He asked me whether my neck was harder or the bricks on the Great Wall were harder. I said my neck was harder, and then he disappeared," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Um?"

His Excellency gave a low hum.

He opened his listless eyes a crack and glanced at Zhang Xuezhou before quietly lying down again.

"Where is Ying... Ying Fusu?"

"It's burning up and smoking; I doubt he's alive!"

After being asked again, the Venerable One finally breathed a sigh of relief and began rubbing his head on the ground.

"Do you need me to stop the bleeding?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"My lord... alas, my injury is very troublesome. Your cultivation is insufficient, I'm afraid... don't stop, whatever you do, don't stop!"

Zhang Xuezhou tried out the Supreme Purity True Technique, and the Venerable One, who had been rubbing his head on the ground, raised it slightly.

"I was shot through the vital point by Ying Fusu, but I never expected that my injury would be able to heal!"

Seeing the purple light in Zhang Xuezhou's hand, the Venerable One's listless and confused eyes brightened a little.

Compared to his rudimentary methods, Zhang Xuezhou's Technique Method were undoubtedly much more powerful.

"You actually possess the Divine Ability power of healing!"

If one were to seek a reason, the Venerable One could only think of the Taiqing Supreme Purity True Technique, a Divine Ability power. Only such Divine Ability could transcend the ladder of cultivation realms and thus have an effect on his injuries.

Rarely using his true form to travel, the Venerable One never expected to encounter such a deadly calamity.

But he never expected that he could be pulled back from the brink of death.

"In the end... in the end, we still won!"

Feeling the bleeding gradually stop at the vital point on his head, the Venerable One exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration.

He didn't claim that his strength was comparable to that of the Emperor Qin, but His Majesty never considered that he would die at the hands of a second-tier expert like Ying Fusu.

Victory is victory, defeat is defeat, and there is a difference between mutual destruction and mutual destruction.

But as long as he heals his injuries and survives, he can indeed be considered to have won, even if he defeats a weaker cultivator.

This was indeed a humiliating fight, and it made him lose face. However, when facing special types of cultivators such as emperors and crown princes, their cultivation level did not play a decisive role.

Ying Fusu was in a state that was almost unprecedented in his life, making the Venerable One a truly immobile sitting duck.

If Ying Fusu had possessed even one of those Heaven-Shaking Arrow, he would have been killed quite swiftly.

While undergoing treatment from Zhang Xuezhou's Supreme Purity True Technique, the Venerable looked at the silent Qingzhou Cauldron, its enormous dragon head filled with resentment.

Having handled the Qingzhou Ding and witnessed Ying Fusu emerge from beneath it, His Majesty was well aware that this was not the tomb of Emperor Qin Ying Zheng.

The burning of his blood and oils continued, allowing the Venerable One to see clearly the surroundings of the underground palace, including hidden compartments, damaged mechanisms, withered bones, tomb guardian beasts, and array objects.

But there was no indication of a large tomb containing a coffin.

He spent years finding this place, and then a long time getting inside, only to find nothing.

The Qingzhou Cauldron nearly killed him; it had almost beaten him to death before, and then nearly made him explode from the force of the cauldron.

The former involves extracting cultivation power, causing a decline in cultivation power, while the latter involves forcibly instilling it. However, for a Venerable One who has not made any progress in a thousand years, the instillation of any power will not be of any use, but will instead disrupt his strength.

Even though he won the battle, His Majesty wasn't happy.

Of course, winning is always better than losing.

He tried to comfort his aged and wounded heart.

"We escaped a calamity this time, but you must remember this painful lesson: never, ever clash with an emperor of a prosperous dynasty!"

Even as he struggled to calm himself, the Venerable One continued to tirelessly teach the younger generation he valued.

"Emperors possess a protective force called destiny. Unless they actively seek death, any rash action against them will bring potential disaster and make it easy for them to find you when you are weak and strike you down." The Venerable One exhaled and whispered, "You and I were both brought to our weakest moments by this Ying Fusu, which is why we ended up in such a miserable state. If the Qin Empire hadn't already Western Mountain, we probably would have perished here."

"Can't we fight the emperor?" Zhang Xuezhou asked casually.

"We can only retaliate if they come to us," the Venerable One said. "But the balance is too difficult to grasp. You should try your best not to provoke them in the future, lest you suffer unexpected disaster!"

"I never cause trouble, and I never provoke emperors!"

Zhang Xuezhou replied sullenly, but then a thought crossed his mind.

"Your Excellency, is it possible for us to obtain some of your fortune's power for protection?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Luck is a double-edged sword," the Venerable One said in a low voice. "It's rare for anyone to have ever-prosperous luck; some will be devoured by it and rarely meet a good end!"

"Such a high risk?"

Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

But Zhang Xuezhou wasn't too shocked. After all, someone like him, whose future was uncertain, would have had no chance of a good end if he didn't take shortcuts.

"When you say it's difficult, do you mean it's hard to do, but has anyone actually accomplished it?" Zhang Xuezhou asked casually.

"Throughout history, very few have succeeded; even figures like Donghuang Taiyi, Dijun, and Haotian ultimately failed. But there are indeed people who have succeeded because of it!"

His Excellency looked up and glanced at Zhang Xuezhou.

The concept of luck that Zhang Xuezhou mentioned had nothing to do with their cultivation levels, but the Venerable One still showed great interest when discussing these matters, and even displayed a sense of honor on his face.

"This requires transcending the Three Realms, entering the Great Wilderness of the Outer Heavens, to avoid the backlash of the evil consequences of the Three Realms' fortunes," the Venerable said with a touch of pride. "Among the Three Realms, only my master has achieved this!"

"You have an owner?"

"My master is called Hongjun. Never heard of him, right? That's right. He concealed the secrets of heaven and left the Three Realms. All traces of him have faded and been forgotten. Only a few cultivators remember him. His strength was unparalleled in an era. Even the Three Pure Ones Heavenly Venerables could only call him a student in front of him. Back then, my master used me to light lamps, just like you used the Golden Crow's feathers to light your lamps..."

For the lord of a Sacred Land to have a master is a disgraceful and even humiliating thing, but His Excellency felt no shame.

Zhang Xuezhou was constantly using the Supreme Purity True Technique to heal his injuries. He shook his head, which was now somewhat muddled, and felt many forgotten memories from the past flooding back into his mind.

Looking at the flames of the oil in the underground palace, he felt as if he had returned to the days when he was liposuctioned and lit lamps, and he had countless memories that he had to express.