"Oh? Are you talking about my mother?"
Nan Qing picked up her teacup, lowered her eyes to blow on the steam, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly as she spoke indifferently.
"No," Ling Yuling shook her head.
She didn't know why, but looking at Nan Qing before her, she couldn't help but think of that figure.
Was it because the way the two of them spoke was somewhat similar? Both casual, nonchalant, as if nothing mattered.
Thinking of this, Ling Yuling felt she was being foolish. How could she possibly connect the two?
However, as she carefully examined Nan Qing's flawless face, perhaps because of her earlier thoughts, she noticed that their eyebrows and eyes did bear some resemblance.
"Has your mother ever mentioned your father to you?" Ling Yuling asked, almost as if compelled by some force.
Hearing this, Nan Qing subconsciously put down her teacup and shook her head. "No, she never mentioned him."
Ling Yuling nodded and did not continue the topic.
She carefully stored the ancient manuscript and prepared to take her leave.
However, before leaving, she thought for a moment and said to Nan Qing, "If we fail this time, it will prove that your earlier suspicions might be correct. If the hidden force in the shadows has always wanted to exterminate the descendants of those allies, then the peace here will soon be shattered..."
"You should prepare yourself."
Nan Qing nodded slightly, her expression calm and unruffled, as if such matters were of no concern to her.
After Ling Yuling left, Nan Qing picked up the teacup again, gently rubbing and playing with it. Her clear, pure eyes showed a hint of contemplation.
"Is there really some similarity?"
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Her originally exquisite, flawless features now exuded a breathtaking beauty.
Nan Qing's expression quickly returned to normal as she stood up. Her green robes fluttered in the mountain wind, her black hair swaying as if shrouded in mist, ready to ride the wind and disappear.
Her gaze fell to the vast wilderness below Holy Ancestor Mountain, where a young, extraordinary man was engaged in a fierce battle with several ferocious, ancient beasts.
The ancient trees around them were destroyed, the mountains reduced to powder, and the ground was littered with craters stretching for thousands of miles.
Within the territory of Holy Ancestor Mountain, everyone's cultivation was suppressed. Even Dao Realm existences might not surpass ordinary Immortal Dao cultivators from the outside world.
The fact that this young man could fight several terrifying ancient beasts without being at a disadvantage showed that his strength was undoubtedly remarkable.
"He possesses the innate divine strength to rival a true dragon. It's a pity that after all this time, he still hasn't awakened his true Pan Clan bloodline..."
Nan Qing's expression was cold, her gaze calm as she watched the young man, as if murmuring to herself.
As the sun set and the moon rose, she stood at the mountain peak, watching the young man battle the ancient beasts, honing his skills, disregarding his injuries, fearless in the face of death.
In this terrifying battle, the young man seemed to go mad, unleashing punches and kicks with abandon, without any specific technique or form, fighting with wild abandon.
Yet, he was like an undefeated war god, his fighting spirit soaring to the heavens, growing stronger with each battle.
His body exuded a surging aura, divine power bursting from every pore like radiant light, allowing him, despite his low cultivation, to fight ancient beasts that were at least at the Quasi-Immortal Emperor level, even injuring them.
By the end, a massive, towering figure seemed to materialize behind the young man, supporting heaven and earth, holding a terrifying axe. Above its head floated a hazy, ancient pool.
This towering figure merely swung its axe forward, but it seemed as if it could split eternity, distorting time and space, annihilating all chaos.
The axe's light was too dazzling and terrifying, capable of destroying all matter and existence.
"Kill!"
The young man roared, and in that moment, he seemed to merge with the towering figure behind him. His empty hands seemed to grasp an axe, which he swung forward with tremendous force.
Splat!
Thick blood splattered, even more striking in the cold night.
The several terrifying ancient beasts didn't even have time to scream before they were split in half. Their toughest skulls cracked open, the wounds smooth as mirrors, their souls instantly annihilated.
"The Creation Pool..."
On the mountain peak, Nan Qing, who had been watching all of this, trembled slightly, her eyes fixed on the young man.
Her breathing became slightly rapid, and a bright light seemed to flicker in her eyes.
To be precise, it wasn't the young man she was focused on.
It was the ancient pool floating above the towering figure behind him.
For a moment, Nan Qing's emotions seemed to betray a hint of excitement, but she quickly took a deep breath and regained her composure.
"Xiao Die, bring Zhu Xuan back to the Ancestral Sage Pavilion and inform Elder Zhu that Zhu Xuan exhausted himself battling the beasts and just needs some rest," she said calmly.
"Yes, my lady."
The void rippled, and a young woman with her hair tied in a bun appeared, bowing respectfully.
She transformed into a divine light and flew toward the wilderness.
After battling the ancient beasts, the young man had collapsed from exhaustion and fallen unconscious in the wilderness.
"After waiting so long, I've finally found a clue to the Creation Pool. The last bloodline of the Pan Clan has indeed manifested in him."
"Without him, it seems we will never find the Creation Pool."
"The ancestors of the Pan Clan went to great lengths to ensure the Creation Pool did not fall into the wrong hands."
Nan Qing withdrew her gaze from the wilderness. With light steps, she vanished from the mountain peak like a wisp of smoke that had never been there.
Among the Supreme Treasures of the First Civilization, only the Mirror of Reincarnation, the Gate of Eternal Life, and the Coffin of World Burial have been located.
Now, there is finally a clue to the Creation Pool.
The next day, in the Ancestral Sage Pavilion, Zhu Xuan woke up with a headache, rubbing his temples. The bright sunlight streaming through the window made him squint.
At this moment, he felt as if every bone in his body had been shattered, and every pore was torn with pain.
"What happened last night? I only remember battling those beasts, fighting with all my might. It's been a long time since I fought so freely. Then my head started hurting, and I can't remember anything else."
"How did I end up in the Ancestral Sage Pavilion? Did Grandpa bring me back?"
Zhu Xuan rubbed his forehead, murmuring to himself.
He couldn't recall what had happened last night.
He only remembered being in the wilderness below Holy Ancestor Mountain, battling several ancient beasts, honing his combat skills.
What was the outcome of that battle?
Why was he back in the Ancestral Sage Pavilion?
"Wait, I think I remember a blurry figure. He was guiding my combat techniques, teaching me the Sky-Splitting Method. He also said something to me, but who was he?"
"Ugh..."
Zhu Xuan tried to recall the events of last night, but the more he thought, the more his head throbbed, as if it were about to explode. He couldn't help but gasp in pain, his face pale.
"You exhausted yourself last night. Don't move around too much now. Just rest."
"I told you not to cause trouble, but last night, it was Miss Xiao Die from Holy Ancestor Mountain who personally brought you back. Lady Qing even specifically instructed me to prepare some medicinal herbs and immortal materials to help you recover..."
A strong medicinal aroma suddenly filled the air as an elderly man, not very old, entered the room carrying a bowl of medicine, speaking with a hint of reproach.
"Grandpa..."
Seeing Elder Zhu enter, Zhu Xuan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. But when he noticed the latter part of Elder Zhu's words, his face lit up with surprise and joy.
"What? Grandpa, you said Miss Xiao Die personally brought me back?" Ignoring his injuries, he quickly got out of bed and grabbed Elder Zhu's arm.
"Well, it was Lady Qing who instructed Miss Xiao Die to bring you back. You keep running off to the wilderness below Holy Ancestor Mountain. How could they not notice you?" Elder Zhu said, rolling his eyes.
Zhu Xuan chuckled, not caring that the medicine was still hot, and gulped it down in a few large mouthfuls.
Elder Zhu shook his head, somewhat helpless. "Lady Qing has never said she would take you as her disciple. She just casually gave you some martial techniques and divine abilities to practice. Yet you keep calling her 'Master.' I'm embarrassed for you."
Zhu Xuan didn't mind, smiling as he said, "No matter what, Master still cares about me. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent Miss Xiao Die to bring me back. I've been training in the wilderness below Holy Ancestor Mountain to give Master a chance to guide me when she has time."
Elder Zhu glared at him. "You brat, don't talk nonsense or let your imagination run wild. Lady Qing's status isn't something you can casually claim."
Zhu Xuan said somewhat discontentedly, "I'm not imagining anything. I just feel respect for Lady Qing, who saved my life."
Hearing this, Elder Zhu seemed to recall something and sighed.
If it hadn't been for Lady Qing stepping in to cure Zhu Xuan's illness and allowing him to control his innate divine strength, Zhu Xuan might not have lived to this day.
It was only natural that he felt respect for Lady Qing.
However, Zhu Xuan often referred to himself as Lady Qing's disciple, which made Elder Zhu, his adoptive grandfather, feel awkward.
Despite her youthful appearance, Lady Qing was the daughter of the Holy Ancestor, with a seniority and age that were terrifyingly high.
All the inhabitants of the floating continent had grown up under her watch.
"When you were just a baby, someone was chasing you. You were wrapped in a blood-stained blanket, drifting outside the floating continent. It was Lady Qing who first found you and asked me to take you in..."
"In that sense, Lady Qing has saved your life twice," Elder Zhu said, shaking his head.
Hearing this story again after so many years, Zhu Xuan's expression became complicated.
"I know about these things. I will definitely find a way to uncover my origins and avenge my parents and clan."
A hint of hatred flashed in his eyes.
Although these events had happened long ago, from time to time, fragmented memories would surface in his mind.
On a dark, moonlit night, blood stained the earth, and a cold wind blew, carrying screams and the scent of blood.
A cold, slender figure stood on a mountain peak under a blood-red moon, calmly watching everything unfold.
Many figures shrouded in black mist, like reapers of life, descended from the void, wielding various weapons, mercilessly slaughtering all living beings.
No matter how his clan resisted, they were powerless against these death-like figures.
Everyone could only await their deaths.
The mountain wind blew, and a great fire rose, quickly spreading, engulfing villages, fields, towers, palaces, and divine mountains.
The wind lifted the figure's hair, and the firelight illuminated its blurred face. Its cold eyes seemed to look down on the struggles of insects beneath its feet.
This scene often appeared in Zhu Xuan's mind.
He knew that this was the true culprit behind the massacre of his entire clan, though he didn't know who it was.
But he was determined to one day find this person and avenge his family.
This was also why Zhu Xuan had always worked so hard to hone his combat skills.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye for cultivators.
In the territory of the Imperial Immortal Palace, ancient warships draped in Chaos Qi broke through the cosmos, arriving from various worlds.
In addition, during these days, streams of light, immortal birds, and flying beasts could be seen traversing the starry skies, carrying terrifying figures.
The re-emergence of the founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace and her proclamation to the world were naturally major events that shook the entire Prime-Origin Civilization.
Every faction and nation in the Prime-Origin Civilization that could be named immediately sent significant figures to attend, not daring to slight the Imperial Immortal Palace.