174: Could it be...they?

Facing Shen Yueyao's "this is too ridiculous" look of doubt and Lu Yi's half-smile that seemed to see through everything...

Chu Qianqian's gaze flickered unnaturally for a moment.

She knew full well that being honored as the highest-status "Old Ancestor" by a powerful Lower Realm Family just because she obtained a dubious Legacy was a rather far-fetched reason.

It sounded like one of those Jianghu swindlers who specialized in freeloading.

But she had her own difficulties that she couldn't speak of!

She couldn't exactly tell them that an "old granny" who had lived for countless millennia was actually residing in her Sea of Consciousness, could she?

"Cough..."

Chu Qianqian forced herself to straighten her back and said with a wandering gaze:

"The reasons behind this... are very complex; you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Anyway... I am now the Old Ancestor of this Chu Family, that much is beyond doubt."

Though she put up a tough front, Chu Qianqian sighed helplessly in her heart.

Her thoughts couldn't help but drift back to several months ago.

Back then at the Yaochi Holy Land.

Ancestor Chu Yaohua, who had been slumbering in her Sea of Consciousness, suddenly woke up without warning.

Ancestor Chu Yaohua told her that within the Cangkong Realm, there was an important Opportunity she had carefully arranged before her fall.

If she could obtain it, it would be enough to make Chu Qianqian's cultivation take a qualitative leap, even giving her a chance to catch up to those legendary Ancient Freaks.

To become stronger—and of course, partly because she didn't want to lose to that bastard Lu Yi.

Chu Qianqian gritted her teeth and followed her guidance.

At a great cost, she activated a highly secretive ancient one-way teleportation array, finally descending to this Lower Realm of Beicang Prefecture where the Spiritual Qi was sparse and the environment harsh.

However, while the ideal was grand, reality was always full of accidents that made one want to curse.

Because the time of her fall was too long ago, and coupled with Ancestor Chu Yaohua's severe memory loss.

Once they actually landed in the Cangkong Realm.

Ancestor Chu Yaohua actually told her with great embarrassment—she had forgotten the specific coordinates of that Opportunity!

She only remembered a rough, vague direction, deep in the snowfields "near" this Cangyuan City.

This almost caused Chu Qianqian to break down on the spot.

This had once placed her in an awkward predicament.

To avoid sleeping on the streets and to make it easier to gather information.

She could only settle down in Cangyuan City for the time being, gathering intelligence while buying various Spirit Medicines to restore the Divine Soul for the Old Ancestor, praying she would slowly remember.

A turning point appeared half a month ago during an investigation outing.

By chance, Ancestor Chu Yaohua sensed an extremely familiar and intimate Bloodline aura within Cangyuan City.

After some secret investigation.

Ancestor Chu Yaohua was shocked to discover that the Chu Family of Cangyuan City was actually the descendants of her sister, who had mediocre Aptitude back then!

With this "relative" connection.

Under Ancestor Chu Yaohua's secret guidance, Chu Qianqian displayed several core techniques of the Chu Family that had long been lost in the Forbidden Ground and activated an ancient heirloom token of the Chu Family.

After this series of moves, she had completely fooled the current head of the Chu Family... oh no, she had awed him.

Thus, she naturally became the highly respected "Old Ancestor" with a terrifyingly high seniority.

And by leveraging the Chu Family's local influence, she began searching a wide area for any clues regarding that Opportunity.

Pulling back her scattered thoughts, Chu Qianqian composed herself and decided not to dwell on this awkward identity issue any longer.

The best defense is a good offense; she decided to take the initiative.

"Don't just talk about me."

Chu Qianqian crossed her arms and looked back and forth between Lu Yi and Shen Yueyao suspiciously, a hint of interrogation in her tone:

"What about you two? Instead of staying in the Primordial Holy Land as the Saint and Saintess, what are you doing in this godforsaken Cangkong Realm where the Spiritual Qi is so thin?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked at Lu Yi:

"And just now... you were sneakily following my junior? You... couldn't possibly be interested in her, could you?"

Lu Yi was about to casually make up a lie, but Shen Yueyao beside him felt that they were all acquaintances.

Moreover, Chu Qianqian's status was unusual, and as the local "Old Ancestor," they might even be able to form an alliance, so there was no need to hide anything.

So, she spoke up first:

"Qianqian, to be honest."

Shen Yueyao said candidly:

"We also came here looking for an Opportunity."

She then gave a brief account of how she was forced into a marriage, asked Lu Yi for help, then met Gu Changsheng, who gave them a map and guided them here to find a Secret Realm.

Of course, she didn't reveal the specific details of the Opportunity, mainly because she didn't know them herself.

She only said it was to find a special Secret Realm that could improve their cultivation.

After listening to Shen Yueyao's narration.

Chu Qianqian's beautiful brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown.

She had originally thought Lu Yi and the other were just passing through or were here for some private matter.

She didn't expect... they were actually after that same Opportunity!

"This isn't right..."

A strong sense of unease rose in Chu Qianqian's heart.

Coupled with the reports from the Chu Family head over the past few days saying that many mysterious and powerful outsiders had suddenly appeared in Cangyuan City.

Chu Qianqian gradually realized the gravity of the situation.

She immediately sent an urgent call into her Sea of Consciousness to the Old Ancestor who was still sleeping and recuperating:

"Senior! Wake up! Stop sleeping! Something's wrong! Besides us, how could so many people know there's an Opportunity here? Lu Yi even has a detailed map!"

Chu Qianqian's tone was anxious:

"Wasn't this Secret Treasury you left behind supposed to be top-secret? Or... did you go senile back then?!"

Deep within the Sea of Consciousness.

The remnant soul that originally emitted a soft white light was startled awake by Chu Qianqian's rapid-fire questioning.

Ancestor Chu Yaohua's remnant soul fluctuated slowly.

After hearing Chu Qianqian's words, she fell into a long, deathly silence.

"Gu Family... map..."

Ancestor Chu Yaohua struggled to dig through her shattered memories, trying to piece together the truth of the past.

That Opportunity was not an ordinary Legacy Immortal Cave, but a sealed land she had specifically established to suppress a certain ominous object!

Reasonably speaking, besides herself, it was impossible for a second person in this world to know the specific coordinates of the entrance, let alone draw a map!

Unless... unless... the people who killed her back then.

Or the true owner of that suppressed object... has found their way here!

After a long time, Ancestor Chu Yaohua's voice, carrying a hint of deep doubt and wariness, echoed in Chu Qianqian's mind:

"It's impossible... Could it be..."

Ancestor Chu Yaohua's voice trembled slightly, as if she had thought of something:

"Could it... be them?"