Feng Yi was secretly delighted upon hearing this and intended to take the opportunity to say a few flattering words to lower the opponent's guard.

However, before he could open his mouth, he suddenly felt an indescribable tearing pain erupt from the depths of his Primordial Spirit, so excruciating that his consciousness collapsed immediately, plunging his thoughts into madness.

Buzz!

A breath later, Zhao Sheng slowly retracted his right hand. The spirit puppet's eyes across from him suddenly dimmed, and its massive puppet body instantly froze, then fell heavily from the sky like a giant stone.

The next moment, this leopard-head spirit puppet was whisked away by a streak of spirit light, disappearing without a trace.

Along with it, its master vanished as well.

...

Several months later, a shocking rumor swiftly spread throughout the millions of miles of the Mountain Continent, causing unrest and hidden turmoil within the Cultivation World of this continent due to this dubious news.

According to "credible" rumors, a colossal battle had erupted months ago at the peak of Qi Luo Mountain, the highest mountain in the continent.

The rumor claimed that the Luo Family True Monarch stationed there was suddenly engaged in fierce combat with a mysterious enemy.

After the battle, the mountain peak of Qi Luo was significantly reduced, and both the Luo Family True Monarch and the mysterious person vanished without a trace. To this day, no one knows who won or lost, or even who lived or died.

Despite the Luo family's efforts to seal the details of this battle, word inevitably leaked out.

As a result, the Cultivation Sects and the Cultivation Families across the continent quickly learned of the peculiar disappearance of the Luo Family True Monarch.

For a time, the atmosphere in the Cultivation World grew extremely tense, hinting at an unavoidable upheaval on the horizon.

Yet, due to the uncertainty of whether the Luo Family True Monarch had truly fallen, few large forces dared to act rashly against the Luo Family, known for "One Breath Suppressing Thousand Mountains," and were currently in a phase of constant probing.

Of course, the rise or fall of the Luo family had little to do with the Cloud Mist Zhao Family, as not many knew that the Luo Family True Monarch died at the hands of a spirit puppet.

Zhao Menghan happened to be one of the informed, and ever since learning of the spirit puppet's heaven-defying prowess, he could no longer suppress the impulse in his heart, repeatedly appealing to the Ancestor to quickly refine his Nascent Soul into the Spirit Core.

However, his repeated requests were bluntly rejected by Zhao Sheng, who merely said it wasn't the right time.

So, what would be the best time? Zhao Menghan didn't know, and in truth, Zhao Sheng wasn't sure either.

Though Primordial Spirit and Nascent Soul differed by only a word, the two were worlds apart and couldn't be compared.

Feng Yi's Primordial Spirit could withstand the transformation of the Spirit Core, but Zhao Menghan might not.

Without thorough research, Zhao Sheng didn't plan to proceed with the final step unless Zhao Menghan was about to sit down.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another year passed.

On this day, a melody of Immortal Music suddenly echoed above the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, as countless beams of Auspicious Light cascaded from the sky, only to disappear in the blink of an eye.

Deep within his cave mansion, Zhao Sheng abruptly awoke from meditation, instinctively feeling a chill in his heart, as if an alien presence had intruded.

His spirit trembled violently, and he quickly turned to look back, only to find that, unknowingly, a middle-aged man in a green Daoist robe was standing silently a dozen steps away.

This man was tall, with skin as smooth as jade, a red mole between his brows, and intricately embroidered cauldron patterns on the hem of his robe.

Yet, upon closer observation, his aura appeared as that of a mortal, though his face was obscured by a faint white glow, making it impossible to see his features. His eyes, however, gazed peacefully at Zhao Sheng's location.

Zhao Sheng's expression slightly changed, and a great sense of danger surged through him, feeling as if the man in the green robe could see right through him.

In an instant, Zhao Sheng recalled past encounters and thought that perhaps only Fengfengzi could compare to this man.

But the next moment, he rejected this thought, his intuition telling him that even the Tribulation Crossing Venerable Fengfengzi fell far short of this man's unfathomable depth.

"Could it be that the visitor..."

Zhao Sheng stiffened, and as he looked at the stranger a second time, a flash of spirit light abruptly streaked across the sea of his mind.

"Wait... a green robe, a red mole, those cauldron patterns..."

In a mere moment, Zhao Sheng inexplicably thought of that green-robed elder he once saw in the Great Saint Thought Realm.

Similarly, a red mole was between his brows, similarly draped in a green robe, seemingly mortal, and even the cauldron patterns on this person bore some resemblance to the patterns on the Three-legged Six-eared Ancient Cauldron.

"Immortal Venerable above, please accept this small cultivator's homage!" Zhao Sheng's mind raced as he instantly bowed down.

"Hehe, such sharp spiritual sense, no wonder the Residual Immortal Artifact favors you. No need for further courtesy, rise." The man in the green robe waved his hand lightly and spoke calmly.

Only then did Zhao Sheng stand up, bowing slightly, waiting for his subsequent fate to be decided.

In front of a True Immortal, he knew he couldn't escape, so he might as well face it directly—a worst-case scenario, after all, would only mean death.

Taoyue Immortal Venerable's eyes glittered peculiarly as he sized up Zhao Sheng for several moments without speaking.

Since the opposite party didn't speak, Zhao Sheng didn't dare make a sound either.

Taoyue Immortal Venerable's gaze fell upon Zhao Sheng, and two beams of white light suddenly erupted from his eyes, shooting forward without warning like sharp arrows piercing Zhao Sheng's eyes.

Zhao Sheng's face changed drastically, and before he could react, the irresistible Divine Light had already pierced into his Purple Mansion Soul Sea, slashing fiercely towards his Primordial Spirit.

If struck by this Divine Light, he would certainly have no chance of survival.

Zhao Sheng was overwhelmed with horror and instinctively triggered his Time-Space Great Teleportation Divine Power, but this power met no response, as if some Taoist Law had sealed the surrounding space-time entirely.

At the brink of life and death, a silver hoop suddenly shot up from the depths of the Soul Sea, instantly shattering the incoming Divine Light, then hovering above his Primordial Spirit, emitting a faint Five-colored Thunder Light, buzzing ceaselessly.

Zhao Sheng felt an intense pain in his head, uttering a muffled groan as he staggered back several steps before barely regaining his footing. It took him a while to recover from the intense pain.

"Excellent, excellent! Having the Immortal Artifact actively protect its master shows it has recognized you! Thunder Walking Immortal Artifact? It seems... it is the Five Thunder Ring! I almost couldn't think of it, having not seen it in so many millennia. After Mr. Lei's annihilation, I lost another immortal friend who shared my interests." Taoyue Immortal Venerable's eyes slowly retracted the white light, speaking with a tone of reminiscence.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng felt a tinge of luck but naturally did not show it in the presence of Taoyue Immortal Venerable.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sheng's expression also shifted slightly, realizing that this person actually knew the previous owner of the Five Elements Thunder Ring and appeared to have been quite the companions.

Given this, there might just be a turn of fortune here!

"Don't overthink it; I merely tested you, not intending to take your life—otherwise, you would have died countless times by now." Taoyue Immortal Venerable seemingly saw through Zhao Sheng's thoughts and spoke.

Zhao Sheng, upon hearing this, suppressed his anger slightly, taking a deep breath and saluting Taoyue Immortal Venerable:

Zhao Sheng was overwhelmed with horror and instinctively triggered his Time-Space Great Teleportation Divine Power, but this power met no response, as if some Taoist Law had sealed the surrounding space-time entirely.

At the brink of life and death, a silver hoop suddenly shot up from the depths of the Soul Sea, instantly shattering the incoming Divine Light, then hovering above his Primordial Spirit, emitting a faint Five-colored Thunder Light, buzzing ceaselessly.

Zhao Sheng felt an intense pain in his head, uttering a muffled groan as he staggered back several steps before barely regaining his footing. It took him a while to recover from the intense pain.

"Excellent, excellent! Having the Immortal Artifact actively protect its master shows it has recognized you! Thunder Walking Immortal Artifact? It seems... it is the Five Thunder Ring! I almost couldn't think of it, having not seen it in so many millennia. After Mr. Lei's annihilation, I lost another immortal friend who shared my interests." Taoyue Immortal Venerable's eyes slowly retracted the white light, speaking with a tone of reminiscence.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng felt a tinge of luck but naturally did not show it in the presence of Taoyue Immortal Venerable.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sheng's expression also shifted slightly, realizing that this person actually knew the previous owner of the Five Elements Thunder Ring and appeared to have been quite the companions.

Given this, there might just be a turn of fortune here!

"Don't overthink it; I merely tested you, not intending to take your life—otherwise, you would have died countless times by now." Taoyue Immortal Venerable seemingly saw through Zhao Sheng's thoughts and spoke.

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