Chapter 261: Chapter 138: Lifting the Restraint, Deceit Transformation Pearl

Nanyangzi paused, a flicker of sorrow on his face. "If I’m not mistaken, my junior brother is well and truly dead. The contingency I left behind was used after all. But his death... it’s a release, in a way."

As Nanyangzi finished speaking, the sadness on his face gradually faded.

He looked in Shen Bai’s direction and continued.

"I didn’t leave this projection for any other reason than to tell you, young friend, about some of the things I divined at great cost."

Although he knew the figure before him was just a projection from the past, Shen Bai still asked instinctively.

"What did you divine?"

Shen Bai had always held the Daoist master before him in high regard.

After all, anyone who could face death so gallantly was worthy of his respect.

He was also very curious. The Divination arts of the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple were said to be the best in all of Fenglin State, and he was eager to know what had been foreseen.

Master Nanyangzi blinked, and his ethereal air suddenly became lively. "You must be curious about what I divined. To be honest, what I saw was rather abstruse. I foresaw a person who could break the seal on the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple."

"When I first set up this seal, it was actually specifically for you. After all, if I’d truly wanted to deal with my junior brother, I could have just told that Spiritual Surge fellow and had him go over at a specific time."

"But precisely because you appeared, I saved it specially for you."

"Of course, this doesn’t mean I was just dragging things out. It really did take this long to resolve the issue with my junior brother. And as it happened, I used him to wear away the resentful Qi of the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple. Killing two birds with one stone, you see."

Speaking of which, Nanyangzi flicked the Floating Dust in his hand, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Everyone knows I am the Temple Master of the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple, an enlightened master. But really, I think I’m just an ordinary person. I have my moments of pride and my moments of sorrow. Only in this projection can I speak so freely."

At this moment, Nanyangzi’s aura was less that of an enlightened master and more like a smug old man who had played a terribly clever prank on a junior. He seemed more like a real, flesh-and-blood person.

With that said, Nanyangzi got back to the point.

"I don’t know your name, friend. I nearly died trying to divine it. I only know that behind you, young friend, there is a thick fog. And within that fog lies an immense terror. Even a single glance at it filled my heart with a fear I couldn’t suppress."

"This world is changing. Whether the change is for the better or for the worse, no one knows."

"But my Divination tells me that you, young friend, are the only one who can lead the world toward a better future."

The one who can lead the world toward a better future?

Shen Bai stroked his chin and thought, ’That sounds a bit too mysterious.’

"To be honest, I don’t really believe in Divination," Shen Bai said subconsciously.

Nanyangzi was only a residual image left here to await Shen Bai’s arrival, so he didn’t answer. He simply continued to walk around within this Space, lost in his own world.

He seemed to have let down all his defenses, transforming from a great master of the Daoist School into an ordinary old man. From time to time, he even used his Floating Dust to brush his shoes, as if dusting them off.

"Oh, right. I left you a big gift. It’s in the southwest corner of this grotto, in the very back."

"I couldn’t divine anything else, but I did foresee that you travel with a Deceitful Beast. That thing I left is of great use to a Deceitful Beast. Consider it a little surprise from me."

"Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple. The temple will remember it forever."

As he said this, the surrounding mist began to thin, and the projection of Nanyangzi before him started to fade away.

A moment later, everything returned to normal, and Shen Bai found himself back in the grotto.

Shen Bai came back to his senses. He looked at the spot where Nanyangzi had disappeared, pondered for a moment, then headed toward the southwest corner of the grotto.

Nanyangzi had just said he left something good in the southwest corner, something related to a Deceitful Beast.

If Nanyangzi could divine that he had a Deceitful Beast, perhaps the item he left was indeed urgently needed.

At this thought, Shen Bai’s pace quickened.

The grotto was indeed large, but with Shen Bai’s Speed, he covered the distance in the blink of an eye.

When Shen Bai reached the southwest corner, he finally noticed something unusual.

A crack, which hadn’t been there before, had appeared on the wall—perhaps because of the Daoist Scripture.

The crack was as fine as a strand of hair; he wouldn’t have noticed it at all if he hadn’t gotten close.

Shen Bai thought for a moment, then raised the Cold Moon in his hand and stabbed the crack with its tip.

The moment Cold Moon touched the fissure, it immediately began to expand, spreading out like a dense spiderweb across the surrounding area.

The wall in the corner CRASHED inward, revealing an empty space behind it.

Inside was a small hollow. Within that hollow sat a fist-sized Treasure Pearl.

The Treasure Pearl emitted a soft white glow. A gentle, jade-like warmth radiated from it, making anyone who drew near feel as if their whole body was warmed by a fire.

"What’s this thing for?"

Shen Bai picked up the jade-like Treasure Pearl and examined it for a moment, but he couldn’t see anything unusual about it.

’Whatever. I’ll get out of here first,’ Shen Bai thought.

With the matter resolved, Shen Bai had no reason to linger. He then left the grotto.