12: Chapter 12 The Immortal Venerable Returns to Simplicity and Truth, I've Achieved Enlightenment!

"Is something the matter?"

Senior is asking me, is something the matter?

Ye Qingyao's consciousness went blank.

Only those words remained in her mind, echoing repeatedly, each echo like a heavy hammer striking her Divine Soul.

What could I possibly want?

What would I dare to want?

I have just undergone Rebirth and haven't even stepped across the threshold of cultivation. Standing before such a being, what am I? An ant. Not even an ant.

He carries a Chaos Universe with him and uses Great Dao Nectar as mouthwash.

And me?

What right do I have to speak with him?

Do I want to be crushed into fly ash by a single finger, or blown to the end of an era by a single breath?

A bone-chilling cold exploded from the depths of her Soul. Endless fear and regret turned into an icy sea, swallowing her whole.

She remembered her bold words before ascending the mountain.

"Expose the fraud's tricks."

"Let him know what true power really is."

How laughable.

How ignorant.

She was a frog huddled in a deep well, thinking that the circular patch of sky above was the whole world. Little did she know that outside the well was the boundless firmament, beyond the sky was the sea of stars, and beyond the Universe were more Universes.

Her own pitiful Emperor Realm insights were a joke in front of this unfathomable Senior.

A complete and utter joke!

Ye Qingyao's thoughts raced frantically in the Chaos. She scoured all the memories accumulated over tens of thousands of years in her previous life, searching through every ancient text and secret record she had ever read. She tried to find an identity that could match this terrifying existence before her.

An ancient powerhouse? A forbidden existence?

She thought of every name that could make the galaxy tremble, but not one could overlap with this excessively young face.

He was too young.

And too ordinary.

So ordinary... just like a true Mortal.

Wait.

A Mortal?

A thought tore through her chaotic Divine Soul.

Ye Qingyao's gaze focused once more on Su Changge, on his body that had "no spiritual energy fluctuations," and on those eyes so calm they could reflect the birth and death of the heavens.

A term that existed only at the source of the oldest myths struck heavily against her heart.

—Return to Simplicity!

Yes!

It must be so!

Mythological records state that when a Cultivator's Realm surpasses the cognitive limits of this world, surpassing the so-called "Great Emperor," they can perfectly fuse all their Dao and laws into one, concealing them entirely.

Leaking no aura, they walk through the world no different from a Mortal!

So that's how it is.

The so-called "complete lack of spiritual energy" was not a disguise at all. It was a supreme Realm that she couldn't even look up to or comprehend!

Only a "True Immortal" who has surpassed the Great Emperor could achieve such a seamless "Return to Simplicity" that even she, a Reborn Empress, could not see any flaws!

Having understood this, Ye Qingyao felt a chill surge from her tailbone to the top of her head, freezing her entire body.

She felt a bone-deep lingering fear for her previous arrogance and stupidity.

Just now, she had actually intended to strike against a True Immortal?

Fortunately...

Fortunately, Senior's heart is as vast as the Universe, and he did not lower himself to deal with an ant.

He merely took a sip of water and revealed his true Dao Rhyme, easily crushing all her pride and understanding.

This was a warning.

And even more so, it was mercy!

In Ye Qingyao's heart, the last of her pride as the Empress Yaoguang completely disintegrated at this moment, turning into dust.

In its place was an awe originating from the deepest depths of her Soul.

And... ecstasy!

An Opportunity!

This was a heaven-sent Opportunity!

Having returned through Rebirth, she was worried about the long road ahead and the hopelessness of revenge. Who could have thought that in this inconspicuous little Sect, she would encounter a hidden Immortal Venerable playing in the Mortal World!

This was heaven's favor upon her!

If she could obtain even half a sentence of guidance from this Immortal Venerable... no, even if she could just stay by his side and feel the Dao Rhyme he unintentionally emitted day and night, it would be enough for her to return to her Peak in the shortest time possible, even surpassing her previous life!

This chance must be seized!

No matter the cost!

Within just a few breaths, the look in Ye Qingyao's eyes underwent a dramatic transformation from terror to awe, and then to fanaticism.

And the culprit behind all this, Su Changge, was looking at her with a bewildered expression.

"What's wrong with this girl? She won't answer me, just stands there changing expressions. One moment she looks like she's seen a ghost, the next like she's about to worship a god. She couldn't have actually been scared witless by my special effects, could she?"

Su Changge felt a bit uneasy.

He just wanted to act cool and intimidate this girl who seemed so arrogant, but he didn't mean to turn her into an idiot.

Just as he was debating whether to try pinching her philtrum to wake her up, the System's notification sounded cheerfully.

[Ding! Detected target (Reborn Empress) generating complex emotions such as extreme shock, awe, and worship...]

[emotion points +9999!]

[emotion points +9999!]

[...]

The string of +9999s made Su Changge's eyes bulge.

Holy crap!

As expected of an Empress, one person is worth more than half a Sect! These emotion points are insane!

Seeing the data skyrocketing in the background, the bit of unease in Su Changge's heart vanished instantly.

It seemed his performance was very successful; the other party was completely intimidated.

In that case, he had to keep up the Master persona.

He looked at Ye Qingyao, who was still dazed in place, and felt that letting her just stand there made him, the "host," seem very impolite.

So, Su Changge cleared his throat, maintained his calm and composed expression, and said to Ye Qingyao in a tone that seemed casual but was actually filled with a sense of "bestowal":

"Since you are here, sit down and have a cup of water."

This was just a polite remark.

A most ordinary polite remark.

However, in Ye Qingyao's ears, these words were no less than a decree handed down by an Immortal Venerable of the Nine Heavens.

It was a monumental reward!

Her body froze in place, her mind going blank.

Sit down?

Drink water?

Senior... Senior actually allowed me to sit down?

And even bestowed water upon me?

That is Great Dao Nectar!

In her previous life, she paid the price of three Emperor Weapons for a single drop!

And now, Senior was actually going to bestow a whole cup upon her?

No.

That's not right.

Ye Qingyao forced herself to calm down. After all, she was an Empress in her previous life, and she soon realized where the issue lay.

Since this Senior had already reached the Realm of Return to Simplicity, every word and action of his would never be as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"Sit down and have a cup of water."

There must be a deep meaning behind these words!

Countless possibilities flashed through Ye Qingyao's mind.

A test?

A probe?

Or... teaching the Dao?

That's it!

It must be teaching the Dao!

Senior is using the most simple way to tell me the true essence of cultivation!

"Sit down" is to tell me to let go of the obsessions and arrogance in my heart, and face the Great Dao with the humblest attitude.

"Drink water" is to make me understand that the Great Dao is simple, and true power lies not in flashy Divine Abilities, but in the understanding of the Origin!