Zhang Lifen who was Following behind felt weird and curious.
Inside the cave, Li Shenrong stretched lazily before sitting down. Seeing this, Zhang Lifen also squatted nearby.
For a while, neither spoke. Then Li Shenrong broke the silence.
"You aren't from this world, are you?"
When she heard this her mind raced, feeling inexplicably nervous. Up until now, no one has ever seen through her true identity, even a demi god like Bao Zhentian didn't notice anything unusual. But, a young man in heaven congregation realm saw through her, how could she not be nervous. It was one of her biggest secret.
On the outside, she maintained a calm voice.
"Hmm? What do you mean, senior? Forgive my ignorance."
Li Shenrong chuckled lightly. "You don't need to pretend with me. I won't harm you, I only have a few questions."
Zhang Lifen wanted to pretend and lie but Li Shenrong's gaze suddenly turned sharp and voice cold. "My patience has limits."
These words made her gulp down the lies she prepared to say. After a pause, she exhaled softly.
"…Senior, you are right. I am not from this world." She sighed again. "By the standards of this realm, I come from a lower world."
Li Shenrong stroked his chin thoughtfully. "How did you get here?"
"I… I'm not sure. A calamity struck my world. I fell into a spatial crack, and when I woke up, I was here." Her gaze lowered. "That was two hundred years ago."
"The calamity you spoke of, what kind of calamity was it?" Li Shenrong asked curiously, he seemed very serious and intrigued.
"It was a type of monster calamity. At first we were living a peaceful life, but one day our world started being invaded by powerful monsters. We were helpless in the face of those monsters. Our race almost got wiped out." She paused and glanced at Li Shenrong, when she saw him listening to her attentively, she continued, "But then heroes emerged among us, those who awakened strange powers. They could fly through the skies, cleave mountains… much like your cultivators. I was one of them."
Li Shenrong didn't speak for a long time as if thinking about something. She waited in silence as well.
Finally, he smiled faintly. "Alright. You may go."
Relief washed over her. "Thank you, senior." She rose to leave.
"What is your real name?" he asked just as she reached the entrance.
"This junior's name is… Adity."
…
Adity, in other words Zhang Lifen walked out of the cave. She bowed toward Bao Zentian once and sat down meditating.
Not long after, Li Shenrong emerged as well. Bao Zhentian's eyes flickered with curiosity, but since Li Shenrong remained silent, he wisely chose not to ask.
"Brother Li, i thought you wanted go deeper inside the ruin. Why did you change your mind suddenly?" Bao Zhentian asked.
"That was the case indeed but something strange is happening. If left unchecked, it could bring a fatal disaster to the world." Li Shenrong spoke, his tone was casual and light.
Bao Zhentian froze. For Li Shenrong, someone who remained unshaken even before terrifying beings, to call something world ending meant it truly was.
"Could this disaster be related to the curse you spoke of?" He asked.
Luo Shenghua and Adity immediately leaned in, ears pricking up.
Li Shenrong shook his head. "It's related… and yet not."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Luo Shenghua interjected impatiently.
Li Shenrong chuckled. "You'll understand in time."
"Humph…" she snorted, clearly dissatisfied.
Li Shenrong asked, "How much have you gained from that saber? Did you practice the mantra I gave you?"
Luo Shenghua's expression brightened. "Brother Li, that saber is incredible! And the mantra, it helped me tremendously. But… what's the origin of that saber? And where did you find such a mantra?"
Her question aroused Bao Zhentian's curiosity as well.
"Do you remember the statue holding the saber?" Li Shenrong asked.
"Yes… what about it?"
"He was the owner of that saber."
Bao Zhentian and Luo Shenghua exchanged a look, recalling Li Shenrong's earlier words: That saber once belonged to a Supreme Emperor.
"Could it be…..the statue was the Emperor himself?"
"It wasn't just the emperor's statue." Li Shenrong shook his head slightly. "What you saw was the corpse of a Supreme Emperor. At first i didn't want to tell you, lest it affects your heart and mind." Li Shenrong said, his voice was deep and gaze distant.
Luo Shenghua felt a chill ran down her spine as she shuddered.
"How is that possible!" Bao Zhentian almost screamed in disbelief, "Emperors are supreme, standing tall above the heaven, high and mighty. How powerful is an Emperor! They are unparalleled, unmatched throughout the ages and could live for eternity! How can an emperor die? Even if… even if it really was his corpse, why was there no emperor's aura? No intent? It looked like… like a simple statue!" He found it hard to believe.
Li Shenrong's eyes narrowed. "How much do you know about the calamity that shattered this world into nine pieces?"
"…I… don't know." Bao Zhentian's voice faltered. His understanding of the world was beginning to crumble.
At this moment, Luo Shenghua spoke, "that calamity had happened too long ago. No one knows what kind of calamity was it and what caused it… but it is widely known that the eastern territory was at the heart of that calamity."
"That's right," Bao Zhentian nodded. "And this ruin… it's said to be a remnant from that era."
Li Shenrong stopped, his gaze was serious and deep, "just remember, it is because of the sacrifice of the past sages and emperors that now everyone is living a peaceful life."
"So back then… something happened that killed an Emperor!" Luo Shenghua and Bao Zhentian gasped, their mind fell into a trance.
"Senior Li, i heard strange dao portals appeared all over the ancient ruin. What do you think of it?" Adity suddenly asked. She didn't care much about emperors and the past, because she was from another world.
Li Shenrong raised an eyebrow, "Tell me more about it?"
"It's said these dao portals lead to trial grounds. Those who pass the trials emerge with powerful treasures…" She proceeded to explain what she had heard.
"Trial grounds? Treasures for the worthy?" Li Shenrong chuckled softly, then shook his head.
"Senior… is something wrong?" She asked.
He smiled faintly, but his gaze was unreadable. "Ever heard the saying Using sweets as bait to catch flies?"
Adity blinked, falling silent. She lowered her eyes, deep in thought.