211: Chapter 211 Venerable Hantian

"It is a makeshift place to stay, a bit crude; I hope you will not laugh, Fellow Daoist." The Grey-robed Elder stepped into the Immortal Cave first, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat beside the stone table, and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

Jiang Changge sat down on the prayer mat opposite him. His gaze swept over the furnishings in the Immortal Cave, and he smiled, saying, "Although your Immortal Cave is simple, Fellow Daoist, it exudes a sense of leisure and comfort everywhere. It is actually more relaxing than those magnificent Immortal Realm palaces."

Hearing this, the Grey-robed Elder chuckled, his laughter carrying a certain clarity and composure that had been tempered by the passage of time.

He raised his withered hand and brushed it lightly over the stone table. Two coarse pottery teacups appeared out of thin air. The clear tea inside was emerald green and translucent, and the fragrance was subtle and elegant; just smelling it calmed one's mind.

"My Daoist title is Venerable Hantian." The Grey-robed Elder picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.

"At the end of the ancient era, I was fortunate enough to cross that threshold. I should have ascended to the Immortal Realm, but because I was attached to the fireworks of the Mortal World, I remained. Over these years, I have wandered, hiding amidst the marketplace, and I have found contentment in it. As for my secular name, I have long since stopped using it. You may simply call me Hantian, Fellow Daoist."

Jiang Changge picked up the teacup in front of him but did not rush to drink.

His gaze fell upon Venerable Hantian, and thoughts raced through his mind.

Having attained Immortal Ascension at the end of the ancient era, this old man staying in the Xuanhuang World and refusing to leave is surely not as simple as just being attached to the Mortal World.

Venerable Hantian put down his teacup, his turbid eyes landing on Jiang Changge, his gaze filled with a touch of curiosity and a hint of scrutiny.

He was silent for a moment before finally asking the question that had been lingering in his mind since they first met on the third floor of the Bafang Pavilion.

"Fellow Daoist, forgive my presumption." Venerable Hantian's tone remained gentle, but his words carried an extra measure of gravity.

"For a Cultivator in the Xuanhuang World who is Undergoing Tribulation, if they succeed in Undergoing Tribulation and achieve Immortal Ascension, whether they ascend to the Immortal Realm or remain in the Lower Realm, other Red Dust Immortals can usually perceive it to some extent. Although I have been hiding in the marketplace, since this era began, whenever a new Fellow Daoist has appeared within the Five Regions, I and the others have always felt some sort of resonance."

Speaking of this, the look of scrutiny in Venerable Hantian's eyes intensified: "However, regarding your existence, I am completely unaware."

"Not only am I unaware, but as far as I know, the others do not know either. If you were a Senior who had already achieved Immortal Ascension before me, I should have heard of you. Yet, neither I nor those other old fellows have ever heard of Kunlun, nor have we ever heard of your name, Fellow Daoist."

Jiang Changge's hand holding the teacup remained steady, and his expression remained calm, but he chuckled inwardly, 'I haven't even achieved Immortal Ascension yet; it would be a ghost story if you could perceive me.'

He hadn't even touched the edge of the Peak of Tribulation Transcendence, let alone the path to Immortal Ascension. It was perfectly normal for Venerable Hantian not to perceive his "Immortal Ascension aura," because that aura simply did not exist.

However, having said that, with the System, Immortal Ascension was merely a matter of time for him; it was bound to happen sooner or later.

He put down the teacup, leaned back slightly, and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Hantian, if I recall correctly, it was I who won the gambling on stones on the third floor of the Bafang Pavilion just now."

Venerable Hantian was slightly taken aback.

"According to the gambling agreement, I should be the one asking you questions. How is it that you have started asking me instead?" Jiang Changge's tone carried a hint of teasing, but there was no real intention to blame.

Venerable Hantian immediately reacted, a trace of awkwardness flashing across his face, which was marked by the passage of time.

He raised his hand to pat his forehead, shook his head, and smiled, "It is I who have been rude; please do not take offense, Fellow Daoist. Whatever you wish to ask, I will tell you everything I know without reservation."

Jiang Changge did not ask his question immediately. His gaze fell upon the sleeve where Venerable Hantian had stored the Origin of the Immortal Dao, and his fingertips tapped gently against the stone tabletop, the rhythm unhurried.

"Fellow Daoist Hantian." Jiang Changge spoke, his tone as casual as if they were just chatting, "Before I ask my question, why don't we discuss the item inside that stone? What price do you intend to pay to buy it?"

The smile on Venerable Hantian's face stiffened slightly, then turned into a look of helplessness.

Back on the third floor of the Bafang Pavilion, he had indeed intended to strike first, taking advantage of the fact that everyone else had not yet reacted, to secure that Origin of the Immortal Dao in his pocket and then use "admitting defeat" to Seal the other party's mouth.

He had considered this move to be smooth and fluid, but he hadn't expected that the young man in white opposite him would be more composed than he was. He hadn't erupted then, but at this moment, he had precisely seized upon this topic.

"Your Wisdom Eye is like a torch, Fellow Daoist." Venerable Hantian sighed and took out the fist-sized, irregularly shaped, grey-black object from his sleeve, placing it on the stone table.

Freed from the suppression of the Restriction, the true appearance of that ball of Origin of the Immortal Dao was finally fully revealed.

Under the illumination of the moonstone, the grey-black shell gleamed with a dull luster. The fine, dense patterns on its surface were not carved; they were traces left by the natural erosion of the Origin power over the long passage of time, like the growth rings of an old tree, recording the passage of time circle by circle.

An ancient and pure Immortal Qi fluctuation radiated from within the object, causing the Spiritual Qi in the entire Immortal Cave to become a bit more viscous.

"This is the remnant Origin of the Immortal Dao left behind after a Red Dust Immortal fell during the ancient era. Although I enjoy the freedom and ease of the Mortal World, I am still constrained by the Heavenly Dao of this world, and I have an internal hidden injury from a past battle."

"Over these years, my Immortal Qi has only flowed out and not in. My internal Immortal Foundation is already showing signs of decay. This Origin of the Immortal Dao is enough to sustain me for another tens of thousands of years."

Venerable Hantian raised his head, looking at Jiang Changge with a calm gaze, his tone sincere: "I do not have many possessions, but I believe I still have some items kept at the bottom of my chest that I can offer for you to choose one from, to exchange for it."

As his voice fell, Venerable Hantian raised his hand and brushed it through the Void Realm. Five beams of spiritual light flew out from his sleeve, hovering in sequence above the stone table.

Each beam of spiritual light contained a treasure, each emitting a different aura, yet without exception, they all made the air in the entire Immortal Cave feel a bit more heavy and condensed.

The first item was a long sword that was entirely azure blue. The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, and a Dragon shadow faintly swam along the edge of the blade. The coldness it emitted caused a layer of thin frost to form on the surface of the teacups on the stone table.

The second item was a fist-sized, crimson-gold Medicinal Pill, its surface covered in dense, fine patterns.

Each pattern was slowly flowing, as if it were a living thing. Just a slight whiff of the Medicinal Pill's fragrance made the wildflowers on the cave walls perk up.

The third item was a palm-sized, profound black token. An ancient character "Control" was carved on its surface, exuding a heavy and majestic aura, seemingly related to some long-lost ancient beast-taming secret technique.

The fourth item was a yellowed, ancient animal skin scroll. The edges of the scroll were tattered, and faint bloodstains had seeped into the skin, revealing an aura of slaughter; it was clearly an original copy of some ancient offensive secret technique.

The fifth item was a pitch-black Pill Furnace. The body of the furnace was covered with star charts, and the star charts were slowly rotating, as if the entire starry sky had been sealed within the Pill Furnace.