238: Within the ancestral hall, the entrustment of the Medicine Ancestor

Standing at the peak of the Stairway of Fate, Li Ao's surrounding Qi and blood essence were contained. The Nirvana Hegemon Body, having just reached Perfection, no longer leaked any brilliance, yet it gave people a sense of returning to simplicity and being unfathomable, as if his mere presence was the manifestation of a Rule.

He pushed open the ancient stone door engraved with the words "Ancestral Shrine."

Instead of the grand hall he expected, behind the door was an endless starry sky.

Under his feet was a black floor, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the stars, and above his head was the slowly rotating Milky Way. Countless stars flickered, emitting cold and eternal radiance.

In the center of this starry sky, a soft and hazy emerald-green halo hovered. Within the halo, an extremely illusory elder's figure was faintly visible, seemingly condensed from countless ancient medicinal runes.

The aura of that figure shared the same Origin as the entire Medicine World, the Stairway of Fate beneath his feet, and the heart-questioning stone, but it was even more vast and ancient, seemingly the source of the entire Medicine Clan's Legacy. It was not a true Soul body, but more like a powerful Will imprinted in space and time.

The Will of the Medicine Ancestor!

"Countless years..." An ancient voice, acting directly upon the Soul and carrying the weight of endless time, emerged from the hazy halo. "I have finally waited for a successor who bears the 'Returning to the Void' and holds the 'ancient talisman'."

Li Ao could feel the gaze of this Will falling upon him, or more accurately, falling upon the fragment of the nirvana ancient talisman in his embrace and his Nirvana Hegemon Body, which had already reached Perfection.

"Junior Li Ao pays respects to the Medicine Ancestor." Li Ao cupped his hands, neither arrogant nor servile. Although he naturally held reverence for such an existence, his own Guixu Great Dao granted him an equal perspective.

"I already know the purpose of your visit," the Will of the Medicine Ancestor's voice was calm. "I can give you the Pill Formula for the ninth-grade bodhi great reversion pill required to revive that girl, as well as the whereabouts of the core medicinal ingredients needed for its refinement."

Before he finished speaking, a spot of emerald-green light separated from the halo, slowly flew toward Li Ao, and merged into his glabella. Instantly, the complete Pill Formula for the Bodhi Great Reversion Pill, the refining techniques, precautions, and information regarding the potential locations of several rare medicinal ingredients were all imprinted in his Sea of Consciousness.

The most crucial ingredient among them was the "yin-yang soul-returning herb," which could only be nurtured in a special environment filled with the Yin and Yang Qi of life and death!

Li Ao's heart settled; one of the main goals of his trip had been achieved.

"However, there is no free lunch in this world," the Will of the Medicine Ancestor continued. "I also have a matter I need to entrust to you."

"Senior, please speak."

"You must have sensed that beneath this place, a spatial node leading to the nirvana source core is suppressed," the Will of the Medicine Ancestor's voice became solemn. "This node was jointly set up by the Lord of Nirvana and my Medicine Clan ancestor in ancient times, both to guard the source core and prevent its power from running wild and annihilating all things, and also to... await the appearance of an 'inheritor' like you."

"Now, the power of the node has gradually become unstable with the passage of time. Moreover, a dark force filled with greed and destruction (the Hall of Souls/Hun Clan) is attempting to spy on, and even corrode, this place from the outside. Because my Will is suppressing the node, I cannot easily leave. Though the later generations of the Medicine Clan are skilled in the Dao of medicine, few can truly control the Annihilation Rule, making them unfit for this task."

The halo subtly fluctuated, revealing a trace of worry.

"The task I wish to entrust to you is to enter the Nirvana Illusionary Domain beyond the node, reinforce the core Seal, and investigate the source of that dark force. If possible, you must expel or destroy it."

"In return, besides the Pill Formula, you can use the purest Nirvana Origin leaking from this node to initially nourish and repair your 'ancient talisman' fragment, and obtain some missing information regarding the 'bridge of the other shore' and the 'Guiding Ancient Palace.' This is crucial for you to find the complete nirvana source core in the future."

Li Ao pondered for a moment. Reinforcing the Seal and investigating the movements of the Hall of Souls were already part of his plan. Furthermore, nourishing the nirvana ancient talisman and acquiring more information was a huge temptation for him. This transaction was fair and reasonable.

"I accept." Li Ao nodded in agreement. "How do I enter the Nirvana Illusionary Domain?"

"It is very simple," the Will of the Medicine Ancestor said. "Relax your body and mind and accept my guidance. I will use my remaining power to temporarily activate the node and send you inside. Remember, within the Illusionary Domain, time and space defy common sense; everything is derived from the Annihilation Rule. It is full of peril, but also contains great Opportunity. The power of Returning to the Void within you is the key to your survival and the completion of your mission there."

Li Ao no longer hesitated and relaxed his mental defenses as instructed.

The emerald-green halo suddenly brightened, and a beam of light, highly condensed and containing the Will of the Medicine Ancestor and vast spatial power, shot toward the black mirror surface below.

"Buzz—!"

The mirror-like black floor rippled like water, revealing an immense spatial vortex composed of countless gray runes. From the depths of the vortex came an aura of extreme annihilation that could freeze the Soul, as if it connected to the terminal point of the Universe.

"Go, successor. The future of the Medicine Clan may also rest upon you..." The Will of the Medicine Ancestor's voice carried a hint of exhaustion and hope.

Li Ao felt the suction coming from the spatial vortex, along with the excited trembling of the nirvana ancient talisman in his arms. He glanced back at the starry sky of the Ancestral Shrine, then stepped into the profound vortex without hesitation!

His figure vanished, and the vortex slowly calmed down.

Inside the Ancestral Shrine, silence returned to Stillness, with only the emerald-green halo faintly swaying, as if sighing softly.

"Returning to the Void... I hope your choice is correct. Even the Lord of Nirvana back then never fully controlled that Illusionary Domain... Can he bring back the answer we need?"

At this moment, Li Ao, having stepped into the vortex, felt the surrounding scenery become bizarre and kaleidoscopic. Images of countless shattered stars, withered worlds, and civilizations heading toward their end flashed rapidly before his eyes. He tightly gripped the fragment of the ancient talisman, which had begun automatically absorbing the surrounding Nirvana Origin and emitting faint light and heat, pushing his Nirvana Hegemon Body and the Returning to the Void Concept to their limits as he resolutely advanced toward the unknown Nirvana Illusionary Domain.