txolops Chapter 297 Past Life and Present Life
Chapter 297 Past Life and Present Life
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He was too lazy to argue with this scoundrel, so he simply withdrew his gaze, closed it again, and continued his breathing exercises, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Hey!" Seeing that Wan Tianming ignored him, the bearded man felt even more bored. He looked around and saw that there was no one else besides himself and Wan Tianming. The giant blue gate leading to the core area of the inner hall also showed no signs of opening, obviously waiting for other people to pass through.
"Why are the others dawdling like this? Could they be stuck in that ghostly illusion and can't get out?" the bearded man muttered. He was a restless fellow, and making him sit and wait like Wan Tianming was worse than killing him.
His eyes darted around, his gaze landing on Wan Tianming again. A thought flashed through his mind, and a malicious smile instantly appeared on his face. He spoke again, his voice booming through the air:
"Hey! Wan Tianming! It's boring just waiting around anyway, and there's nobody around, so how about... we make a bet? Add some stakes, and it'll liven things up!"
Upon hearing this, Wan Tianming opened his eyes again, a barely perceptible hint of interest flashing in them.
At their level, ordinary treasures and resources are no longer enough to truly impress each other; the "bets" that can pique their interest are often extraordinary. Moreover, he was also very interested to see what this bearded man was up to.
"A bet?" Wan Tianming's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Wild Beard, what do you want to bet?"
Seeing that Wan Tianming seemed interested, the bearded man perked up, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and extended a thick, carrot-like finger, pointing to the exit light screen of the wondrous illusion in the distance, and said in a deep voice:
"Let's bet on whether the next guy to come out of there will be those two old geezers, Tian Wuzi and Mu Tengzi, from your righteous path, or Ji Yin Lao Gui and Qing Yi Lao Er from our side! How about it? Simple and straightforward!"
Wan Tianming's gaze also fell upon the exit light screen, his mind racing with calculations. This gamble, seemingly simple, actually contained a subtle comparison of the mental cultivation and ability to cope with illusions among the cultivators of their respective factions. While it didn't fully represent strength, the ability to escape from an illusion more quickly at least indicated a slight advantage in terms of unwavering willpower and a stable Dao heart.
"It's not impossible." Wan Tianming nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the bearded man with a scrutinizing look. "I just don't know what you want to bet on. If it's just some ordinary spirit stones or materials, it would be too boring."
"Hahaha! Well said!" The bearded man slapped his thigh and laughed heartily. "With our status and cultivation levels, we wouldn't even look at those ordinary things! Any treasures that catch our eye, I doubt you, an old Taoist, would be willing to use as a wager, and neither would I!"
He stroked his thick, red beard, his eyes darting around, clearly pondering what bet would be substantial and exciting enough. A few breaths later, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he'd come up with a "brilliant" idea. His smile widened, tinged with a hint of mockery, and he said:
"How about this! Let's bet on something different! If you lose, you don't have to offer any special treasures, you just need to... respectfully and sincerely call me 'Grandpa'! How about that? Hehehe..."
After saying that, the bearded man seemed to already see Wan Tianming's ashen face as he reluctantly called him grandpa. He couldn't help but burst into triumphant laughter, which echoed across the platform and rippled through the air.
"..."
Wan Tianming's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, and a vein seemed to throb faintly on his forehead. He should have known better; this barbarian couldn't possibly come up with any decent bets! Sure enough, he still had that same shameless, reckless attitude!
He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to slap him, and instead revealed a knowing, enigmatic smile as he looked at the bearded man and slowly said:
"Wild Beard, your bet... is quite interesting. But are you sure you want to bet this? Even if I really lose, and I call you by that name as you promised... do you dare to accept it without hesitation?"
"What wouldn't I dare to do..." The bearded man instinctively raised his neck to retort, but the words caught in his throat! The smug smile on his face froze instantly, and then, as if remembering some extremely terrible consequences, his expression changed drastically!
"Uh... how could I forget about that crazy woman?" The bearded man mumbled a few unclear words, his eyes darting around, his aura instantly weakening, no longer as arrogant as before.
He abruptly waved his hand, as if to dispel some ominous thought, and said in a muffled voice, "Forget it! I was just joking! You old Taoist, you're so boring!"
Seeing this, Wan Tianming sneered inwardly and stopped pressing the attack. He closed his eyes again, as if nothing had happened.
Silence returned to the platform, broken only by the slightly heavy breathing of the bearded man.
"Buzz—!"
Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, the light screen at the exit of the wondrous illusion ahead suddenly began to fluctuate violently and hum again without warning! A distinct spatial teleportation force was gathering!
Manhuzi and Wan Tianming opened their eyes almost simultaneously, their gazes sharp as lightning, both shooting towards the increasingly bright exit! Although the bet hadn't been won, a competitive thought still involuntarily arose in their hearts—would their own people appear next?
The light reached its peak, then quickly faded away.
A tall, upright figure, dressed in a snow-white Taoist robe, with a youthful and handsome face, appeared clearly in the center of the teleportation array. This person's breathing was steady, and his eyes were clear and deep. Apart from a slight, barely perceptible pallor on his face, there was little sign of fatigue or dishevelment from the ordeal he had endured in the illusionary realm.
It was Luo Ming!
"Um?"
"You little brat!"
Two questions, filled with deep surprise, came out almost simultaneously from the mouths of Manhuzi and Wan Tianming! Manhuzi, in particular, stared wide-eyed with disbelief, his shocked expression as if he had witnessed something that could never have happened.
"How... how did you get out so quickly?!" The bearded man couldn't help but take a step forward, his voice filled with disbelief and astonishment.
He knew all too well how powerful that "Extreme Illusion" was; it would increase in difficulty according to each person's strength. Even with his Nascent Soul stage cultivation and strong will, it took him a great deal of effort to barely break free.
Luo Ming is only at the mid-stage of Core Formation. Even if he has some special methods, he shouldn't be this fast! He's not much slower than these mid-stage Nascent Soul elders? In fact... judging from his calm and composed demeanor, the process seems to have gone quite smoothly?
Wan Tianming's eyes also gleamed as he re-examined Luo Ming.
This young man's ability to follow closely behind them through the illusion, and to be in such good condition, is no fluke! His willpower, the strength of his soul, and his ability to deal with illusions probably far surpass those of ordinary Core Formation cultivators, and may even be comparable to some early Nascent Soul cultivators!
Luo Ming seemed oblivious to the surprised gazes of the two Nascent Soul elders. He first bowed to the bearded man and said, "Master." Then he slightly cupped his hands to Wan Tianming and said, "Senior Wan." His manners were impeccable, neither humble nor arrogant.
When the bearded man saw that Luo Ming had arrived here so quickly through the "Exquisite Illusion," the displeasure he felt for being beaten to it by Wan Tianming dissipated considerably, replaced by a sense of pride and smugness.
He stroked his crimson beard, a satisfied smile spreading across his face, and looked at Luo Ming with "compassion," saying in a loud voice:
"Good! As expected of someone I, the Bearded Man, value! You kid, you really didn't let me down! Hahaha!" After saying that, he deliberately cast a provocative and boastful glance at Wan Tianming not far away, as if to say: Look, my apprentice! Impressive, right?
His manner suggested that Luo Ming's excellent performance was entirely due to his skillful teaching and discerning eye.
Wan Tianming remained calm. He neither responded to the bearded man's words nor commented on Luo Ming's performance. He simply withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes again, and continued his meditation, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.
Luo Ming remained calm, and in response to the bearded man's "praise," he simply bowed respectfully and said, "Master, you flatter me. I just happened to have cultivated a divine ability to deal with illusions, which is why I was able to pass through that wonderful illusion so quickly."
However, his inner world was far from as calm as it appeared.
"They came out too quickly... Now, they're probably really going to attract the attention of those two old guys." Luo Ming thought to himself, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
There was no concept of time in that dark hall. He had no idea how long he had been immersed inside. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have come out so quickly; he would have at least stayed inside for a while.
Luo Ming sat cross-legged in an open space nearby, no longer focusing on how quickly he had left the wondrous illusion, but instead carefully recalling the brief yet shocking scene in the Black Hall.
"That kind of composure, that conversation involving the 'Source Cauldron' and the 'Heavenly Bottle,' could not have been conjured out of thin air by a mental demon test of the 'Extreme Illusionary Realm.' It was more like a trigger, activating something sealed deep within my memory!"
"That man in the green robe... called me 'Brother Luo'?" This form of address stirred up Luo Ming's emotions.
"We... knew each other in a past life? Were we old friends? Or... something else? But I have absolutely no memory of that person or that scene! Could it be that I lost some crucial memories when I transmigrated? Or... those weren't 'my' memories?"
He couldn't help but think of his identity as a "transmigrator" and the mysterious "Spirit Gathering Cauldron" that had brought him to this world. He had always thought of himself as a lucky ordinary soul who had been brought to this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation by a mysterious treasure.
But the scene in the "Hall of Inquiry" was like a thunderbolt, splitting the fog of his understanding and making him realize that things might be far more complicated and confusing than he had imagined!
"Source Cauldron... Spirit Gathering Cauldron..." Luo Ming was almost certain that the "Source Cauldron" mentioned by the man in the green robe was 99% the Spirit Gathering Cauldron in his hand!
"What exactly... have I gotten myself into?" Luo Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He had only wanted to cultivate peacefully in this realm, seek immortality, and at most, try to seize some opportunities.
But now it seems that his very existence is involved in some enormous cause and effect and hidden scheme that is beyond his current understanding.
Just as Luo Ming's heart was surging and his thoughts were in turmoil, the teleportation array not far away once again emitted familiar spatial fluctuations and buzzing sounds.
As the white light dissipated, a figure dressed in a yellow Taoist robe, with a serene face and otherworldly demeanor, appeared—it was none other than Qingyi Jushi.