369: Chapter 369 Regrets from a Past Life

The three of them continued their journey.

Traveling northwest from the wasteland, the terrain gradually shifted from flat open fields to rolling hills, and then into rugged, rocky terrain.

Zhao Tian walked at the very front to lead the way, occasionally glancing back at Su Changge's expression.

The Junior Martial Uncle hadn't spoken much along the way, which made him feel a bit uneasy.

Ye Qingyao walked beside Su Changge, also remaining silent.

She knew her Revered Master was considering her request, so she didn't rush him or mention it again.

After walking for most of the day, the three of them stopped in a valley to rest.

Zhao Tian tactfully ran to a nearby stream to fetch water, leaving the space for Su Changge and Ye Qingyao.

Su Changge sat on a rock, watching the gurgling stream in the valley, and suddenly spoke.

"Ye Qingyao."

"Disciple is here."

"That Foundation you left in the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent in your previous life—what exactly is it?"

Ye Qingyao sat on the rock beside him and thought about her wording.

"It is a Dragon Suppression Array that I personally laid down in my previous life."

"Before I attained the Dao as a Great Emperor in my previous life, I Cultivated for hundreds of years on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, using the power of the Dragon Vein to temper my Foundation."

"When I left, I laid this Formation at the core of the Dragon Vein. Firstly, to seal the Dragon Vein and prevent the Spiritual Qi from leaking and attracting unwanted attention, and secondly, to leave a wisp of a Great Emperor's Will as a backup plan."

Hearing this, Su Changge interjected.

"What was the backup plan for?"

Ye Qingyao fell silent for a moment.

"I was suspicious in my previous life."

Her tone carried a hint of self-deprecation.

"That wisp of Great Emperor's Will was a path of retreat I left for myself. In case I failed to attain the Dao, I could rely on that wisp of will to rebuild my cultivation."

"Later, when I successfully attained the Dao, that wisp of will was never used and remained within the Formation."

"I originally intended to find time to return and reclaim or destroy it, but then the situation changed too quickly. I fell and went through Rebirth, so the matter was shelved."

Su Changge nodded.

"So what you're worried about is that the Dragon Vein's anomaly will cause the Dragon Suppression Array to be broken by external forces, exposing the Great Emperor's Will inside."

"Yes."

Ye Qingyao's voice grew quieter.

"A wisp of Great Emperor's Will is an unimaginable treasure for a Cultivator in the Tribulation Transcendence Stage."

"If someone like Tu Lie or Liu Can obtained it, they might use it to Breakthrough to the Mahayana Stage or even higher Realms."

"By then, not just the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, but the entire Xuanhuang Domain would be affected."

Su Changge glanced at her.

"There's one more issue you haven't mentioned."

Ye Qingyao was stunned for a moment.

"If your Great Emperor's Will from your previous life is absorbed by someone else, will it affect you?"

Ye Qingyao's eyelashes fluttered.

She didn't speak.

But the silence itself was the answer.

Su Changge understood.

[It would have an impact.]

[If her Great Emperor's Will from her previous life is snatched, it's equivalent to a part of her previous Dao being stolen.]

[For her, it's not just a matter of resource loss, but also a blow to her Dao Heart.]

[She is currently a Rebirth practitioner whose cultivation has dropped from Great Emperor to the Mahayana Stage to Cultivate again; her Dao Heart already has cracks.]

[If the things she left behind in her previous life are taken by others, this crack will widen.]

[In severe cases, it might affect her ability to attain the Dao again in the future.]

Su Changge didn't press further.

"With your current Mahayana Stage cultivation, can you break the Dragon Suppression Array you laid in your previous life?"

Ye Qingyao gave a bitter smile.

"I can, but it will take time."

"I was at the Emperor Realm when I laid the Formation; its specifications far exceed what can be easily dismantled at the Mahayana Stage."

"Forcibly breaking the Formation would take at least three months."

"During those three months, the commotion of me fully operating the Formation would inevitably alert the four major powers on the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent."

"At that time, I would have to fend off the siege of four people Undergoing Tribulation while breaking the Formation. It's not impossible, but the risk is extreme."

Su Changge understood.

She needed someone to help her keep those four powers in check.

And the only person around her who could take on that role was him.

A piece of trash at the Qi Refining First Layer.

[She thinks I can keep four people in the Tribulation Transcendence Stage in check.]

[Because in her eyes, I'm a hidden Dao Ancestor stronger than a Great Emperor.]

[But in reality, I can't even beat someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage.]

Su Changge lowered his head, looking at his palms.

These hands were clean and slender, looking more like hands meant for playing the piano than hands that could suppress Tribulation Transcendence Stage experts.

"Revered Master?"

Ye Qingyao noticed his silence, and a hint of unease entered her voice.

"I know this request is presumptuous. If Revered Master feels it is inappropriate, I can find another way."

Su Changge looked up.

He looked at Ye Qingyao's face.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her profile, dyeing her fair skin with a light layer of gold. Her long lashes cast curved shadows under her eyes, and a strand of hair by her temple was stirred by the mountain wind, brushing against her softly lined jaw.

In her eyes, there was expectation, unease, and a hint of fragility that she was trying her best to hide.

A former female Emperor, this was one of the few moments of fragility she had shown since her Rebirth.

Su Changge looked away.

[Damn, this expression of hers is really hard to refuse.]

"I'll consider it further."

Ye Qingyao nodded and said nothing more.

When Zhao Tian returned with the water, he felt the atmosphere between the two was a bit subtle, but he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

The three continued their journey.

After sunset, they spent the night in an abandoned courier station.

Su Changge didn't sleep well; his mind kept revolving around the matters of the Xuanhuang Domain.

Early the next morning, they continued on their way.

By noon, Su Changge suddenly stopped.

Ye Qingyao and Zhao Tian both stopped and looked at him.

Su Changge turned around, facing Ye Qingyao directly.

"Is that Foundation very important to you?"

Ye Qingyao's lips moved slightly.

"It's very important."

The three words were spoken softly, yet they carried great weight.

Su Changge stared into her eyes for three breaths.

Then he nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

Ye Qingyao's eyes reddened for a moment, but she immediately lowered her head in a salute, suppressing her emotions.

"Thank you, Revered Master."

Zhao Tian's mouth fell open in the back.

"Wait a minute, Junior Martial Uncle, are we really going to the Xuanhuang Domain?"

Su Changge ignored him.

Zhao Tian rubbed his hands together.

"No, I don't have a problem with it. I'll go wherever you go, Junior Martial Uncle, but I've heard the Xuanhuang Domain is quite a chaotic place."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Su Changge dropped those words and continued walking forward.

Zhao Tian looked at Ye Qingyao, but she didn't look at him either, following behind Su Changge.

Zhao Tian sighed and jogged to catch up.

"Junior Martial Uncle, wait for me! You long-legged people just walk too fast."

The trio's direction changed from northwest to southwest.

To travel from the Chixiao Dao Domain to the Xuanhuang Domain, they needed to cross the peripheral wasteland of the Qingming Domain, then turn south to cross an area known as the Chaos Strait.

It was a long journey.

But in Su Changge's heart, even more distant than the journey was a question he still couldn't answer.

Once they reached the Dragon Vein Ancient Continent, how was he supposed to deal with those four Tribulation Transcendence Stage experts?

Could special effects fool them?

Could the experience from the Ten Thousand Immortals Assembly be reused?

Those four people weren't like the demonic dragon from the Chixiao Dao Domain; they hadn't seen his methods and hadn't been intimidated by any prior pressure.

He needed to establish deterrence from scratch.

As Su Changge thought about it, he suddenly touched his face.

[At least this face of mine is handsome enough.]

[A handsome face plus special effects, at least I won't lose in terms of Aura.]

[As for the substance...]

[I'll take it one step at a time.]