360: deception

After Shen Bei entered the final layer, he saw the mummified corpse and initially thought it was similar to the one in the Changtu Permanent Dungeon.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

But then…

A Divine Soul actually emerged from this corpse!

That's right, it was a Divine Soul!

This sent a shiver down Shen Bei's spine; it was the first time he had encountered something like this.

From this, it was evident that the Stranger in the Dungeon were far more powerful than humans had estimated.

At the same time, after he reacted, Shen Bei's heart suddenly understood: this was a true top-tier expert, one who hid all his extraordinary qualities within the ordinary.

This was the gap.

Originally, Shen Bei wanted to escape and leave.

After all, this was someone else's territory, and intruding uninvited was already a great disrespect.

Who knew what the temper of this Divine Soul was like? With a flick of a finger, he might be reduced to ashes.

There was no need to question it; just look at the monsters guarding outside.

Those eighth and ninth-tier monsters were utterly unremarkable here.

If placed outside, which one wouldn't be the existence of a regional overlord?

Can't afford to provoke, can't afford to provoke.

The best strategy was to make a quick getaway; he had already obtained the Martial Dao Pinnacle information he sought, and he could simply ignore everything else.

However, just as Shen Bei was about to leave, the Divine Soul in front of him suddenly spoke, asking him to stay.

Shen Bei was a bit bewildered and immediately responded with a friendly smile: "I wonder what Senior means. I haven't taken a single thing from this place."

The Divine Soul looked Shen Bei up and down and smiled faintly.

Then he reached out a hand.

And saw.

Shen Bei's Storage Ring was forcibly opened, and a skull engraved with runes floated out!

Shen Bei gasped.

He was completely dumbfounded.

What kind of strength did this guy possess to forcibly open a Storage Ring that had already been bound to its owner from a distance?

That's too overbearing, isn't it?

A hint of tenderness flashed in the Divine Soul's eyes as he gently caressed the skull, mumbling, "Baoyu, you have suffered."

As these words came out.

Shen Bei's eyes widened slightly: "You are the Little Brat, ah no, Baoyu's father, Wu Bi'an?"

The Divine Soul caressed Baoyu's skull, and after a long moment, he waved his hand, and the skull vanished.

"That's right, it's me." Wu Bi'an smiled with three parts kindness and seven parts casualness:

"The incident happened suddenly back then; I was betrayed by a friend, and Baoyu was implicated. Although I knew Baoyu's Physical Body was within the barrier, I dared not make a move, alas." Wu Bi'an sighed deeply, remaining silent for a long time.

"The fact that you were able to obtain the key to the great door from another Clone of mine indicates that we also share a fate."

Shen Bei was stunned.

He suddenly realized, no wonder Wu Bi'an's face looked familiar; it was the same person!

Da Shouzi, he's truly a Da Shouzi!

He can even have Clones!

After a while, Wu Bi'an turned around: "Regardless, thank you for bringing my son Baoyu back. Tell me whatever you wish for; although I am dead, with only lingering thoughts and a remnant body, most things should not be a problem."

"Senior, there's no need to be polite. I have already obtained what I wanted. I promised Baoyu to bring him back; ultimately, it's just for my own peace of mind."

Shen Bei pondered for a moment, then shook his head, wanting nothing.

He didn't want to create any new complications and just wanted to leave quickly; Zhuang Bifan was still struggling outside.

If he accepted his favors, but then became entangled in some Karma, it would be hard to say whether it would be good or bad.

Anyway, the mission objective of this operation had been completed; everything else was minor, it didn't matter.

Moreover, standing before this person, it felt as if nothing could be hidden, and he couldn't even bring himself to think about touching the mummified corpse's remains. Shen Bei knew full well how terrifying this was, so he simply decided not to ask for anything, which made him feel more at ease and less pressured.

However, Wu Bi'an frowned and said, "I don't like owing others anything. Since you don't want anything, you must prefer quality over quantity."

Shen Bei's eyebrow twitched: "Senior, I have no intention of extorting you; I really don't want anything."

Wu Bi'an's last sentence, to Shen Bei, sounded as if he was scolding him for being insatiably greedy, only wanting good things.

In fact, Shen Bei hadn't wanted anything at all.

"Never mind." Wu Bi'an, not knowing what he was imagining, waved his hand, and an ancient Cultivation Technique floated into Shen Bei's arms: "The 'Word Secret' Cultivation Technique, I'll bestow it upon you."

Shen Bei's expression shifted; he didn't open it on the spot but thanked him directly and immediately put it into his Storage Ring.

"Alright, there's no time to say more; I should be going too." Wu Bi'an paused slightly, as if remembering something: "Oh, right, I happen to have a small matter I'd like to ask for your help with."

See.

Is this the trap coming?

Shen Bei rolled his eyes internally.

I said I didn't want anything, but you insisted on giving it to me.

Now look.

This is the request.

For Shen Bei, such a profound and unfathomable Da Shouzi's "small favor"

That would be a huge problem that he couldn't face directly!

Shen Bei, with a forced smile, said, "Senior, please speak. As long as this Junior can do it, I will not dare to refuse."

He was just humoring him.

Once I leave here, who knows who we are?

"Thousands of years ago, when I fought the traitor Burial Sea and passed by a place ten thousand li north of here, he once unleashed a blade strike that created a crack. Below it lies an unknown otherworld, and that scoundrel might have been severely injured and on the verge of death."

"If you ever have the chance to go to this place…"

Wu Bi'an took out a foot-long piece of yellow paper and handed it to Shen Bei:

"If that scoundrel Burial Sea is dead, and you later have the opportunity to see his tomb, please place this item on his tombstone. Of course, it would be best if you could place it on his skeleton, just to vent some anger."

Shen Bei took the yellow paper, and the corner of his mouth twitched instantly.

On the yellow paper were four vigorous and powerful characters: "Treacherous Villain."

The hatred within permeated the paper, washing over him. Just by looking at it, Shen Bei felt a stinging in his Divine Soul and an extreme soreness in his eyes.

Shen Bei was a bit helpless; Wu Bi'an truly hated Burial Sea to his bones. Even after being dead for so long, with only a few lingering thoughts, he still harbored the hatred from back then.

And he even had to rely on this method to vent his anger.

However, Shen Bei seemed to have heard of this place ten thousand li away from Immortal Storyteller.

If he remembered correctly, there was a bottomless crack there, stretching for a thousand li, tens of li wide, where Cold Wind howled day and night, countless ghosts wailed, and countless poisonous creatures, along with mysterious hidden powers, made it impassable for birds and divine rainbows, long since a dangerous place everyone avoided.

It was named One-Blade Gorge.

The legend of One-Blade Gorge was widespread, the most common being its origin. It was said that thousands of years ago, two powerful experts fought, and when the battlefield passed over this area, one expert's Dao Qi fell, carving out One-Blade Gorge.

Later, more and more legends spread. Some saw a gloomy river drifting, with countless ghosts wailing and rolling within it. Others saw a tide-like swarm of poisonous creatures migrating their nests. Of course, the most widely circulated stories were about which powerful expert entered it and never came out, or which powerful expert, confident in his strength, tried to fly across One-Blade Gorge but fell into it.

Immortal Storyteller's accounts of such news were countless.

Shen Bei's expression changed; this place... was not somewhere he could set foot.

"Alright, Senior, if I have the chance, I will certainly do as you ask." Shen Bei's reply was somewhat weak.

"What, no confidence?" Wu Bi'an asked.

Shen Bei pointed to himself: "I have confidence, it's just a bit troublesome. I'm a human. It's really... you understand."

Shen Bei felt that Wu Bi'an was really easy to fool. You say go, and I go?

My legs aren't on your body.

Wu Bi'an smiled: "In ancient times, we were all the same race."

"Hmm?" Shen Bei was stunned and quickly asked, "Senior, what do you mean by that?"

"There's no time left, and the barrier is about to collapse. You can slowly explore after you get out."

"I'll send you out." Wu Bi'an waved his hand, and Shen Bei's vision blurred, instantly returning him to the entrance of the pagoda.

Shen Bei: ...