Chapter 877: The Ancient Town of Green Immortals

Chapter 877: Qingxian Ancient Town

Night arrived quietly.

Ye Chen took a step and landed on the Zhongtong Great Land.

He wore a black robe and rode his fei jian, keeping a low profile. This was the Zhongtong Great Land, the territory under the absolute control of the Shi Xue Dian. If his whereabouts were exposed, it would be difficult for both him and his dao shen to handle the consequences.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in an instant.

As the morning light illuminated the earth, Ye Chen descended from the air and stopped in front of an ancient town.

Qingxian Ancient Town!

He looked at the stone stele standing at the entrance of the town, where these four characters were carved. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside.

The town wasn't large, rustic and natural, nestled deep in the mountains and forests, serene and tranquil, like a recluse detached from worldly affairs.

Everything here seemed peaceful. The streets were paved with mountain stones, ancient trees lined both sides with vines hanging down, winding paths led through the countryside, and bamboo houses were scattered in an orderly fashion. Faintly, the sound of a gurgling stream could be heard.

As he walked deeper, Ye Chen continuously scanned his surroundings, his brows furrowing slightly several times.

There were few pedestrians on the streets, mostly farmers carrying hoes or hunters with long spears. Strangely, they were all ordinary mortals.

Going further in, Ye Chen felt his mind grow calm, the dust from his journey settling under the town's tranquility.

At some point, he stopped under an old tree.

This old tree was thick and towering, but irregularly shaped, at least several thousand years old. Its vines twisted like coiling dragons, with a few hanging down from above.

Turning his gaze from the old tree, Ye Chen looked at the figure beneath it. An elderly man in coarse linen clothes sat there, his face aged, his hair white, well into his twilight years, exuding an air of weathered experience.

However, he was blind, his murky eyes showing no flicker of light.

In his hands, the elderly man held a small piece of wood, slowly carving a wooden figure. He worked methodically, without haste or rush, each stroke deliberate, never pausing. As wood shavings fell, the piece gradually took the shape of a person.

"Elder, may I ask about someone?" Ye Chen spoke humbly. "Is there an elder named Zhou Yi here?"

"I am he." The elderly man smiled warmly.

"You are?" Ye Chen was stunned and couldn't help but size up the elderly man. He had no spiritual root; he was undoubtedly a mortal.

"Di Fan predecessor sent me to find a person, and it's actually a mortal," Ye Chen murmured to himself.

"Not a single cultivator in sight." Ye Chen released his divine sense, covering the entire Qingxian Ancient Town, but detected no cultivators. He couldn't imagine how a town without any cultivators could make the Shi Xue Dian wary.

"Young one, come, sit." As Ye Chen murmured, the elderly man casually patted the spot beside him, gesturing for Ye Chen to sit under the old tree.

Ye Chen said nothing and found a vine to sit on, still watching the elderly man. He truly couldn't fathom how a mortal could help him.

"Full of vitality—youth is wonderful!" The elderly man spoke, his words gentle and kind. "When I was your age, I wandered the four seas, always dreaming of returning home in glory. In the end, I just ended up with white hair and regrets."

"Predecessor, you... are you really Zhou Yi?" Ye Chen asked tentatively, still not quite believing it.

"A name is just a label." The elderly man smiled lightly. "If you like, you can call me Li Yi."

"I mean no offense, junior." Ye Chen quickly added, explaining his purpose. "I'm looking for my wife. Di Fan predecessor said you might be able to help me."

As he spoke, Ye Chen took out the jade token that Di Fan had given him.

"I'm just a mortal, and he still thinks highly of me." The elderly man continued carving the wooden figure without looking up.

"But I can tell, predecessor, you're no ordinary mortal." Ye Chen took a deep breath. The fact that Di Fan had given him the jade token and that the Shi Xue Dian was wary of this place made it obvious that the elderly man was no simple figure.

"True, I'm not an ordinary mortal—I'm a fortune-teller." The elderly man chuckled, as if self-mockingly.

"I really miss my wife. Please help me." Ye Chen spoke with great hope, his tone carrying a hint of plea. As powerful as he was, the Heavenly Court Holy Master, he now set aside his pride before this mortal.

"I know who you're looking for." The elderly man smiled warmly but gently shook his head. "But I can't help you."

At these words, Ye Chen's tense body instantly relaxed. He didn't beg the elderly man to reveal Chu Xuan's location; he just needed a direction.

Yet, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. After all his hardships to reach this place, he ended up with nothing.

Under the old tree, silence fell, much like the town itself, broken only by the soft scraping of the elderly man's knife on the wood.

After a while, Ye Chen finally stood up and bowed to the elderly man. "Predecessor, I've imposed on you."

As autumn winds scattered leaves, his figure looked somewhat desolate, his steps hesitant, unsure of where to go.

"I only know that you carry something she fears, and she's hiding from you." From behind, the elderly man's voice drifted, faint and ethereal.

"Something she fears?" Ye Chen, who had been despondent just a moment ago, suddenly turned around, his breath quickening as he stared intently at the elderly man. "Predecessor, do you know what it is?"

"I don't know." The elderly man shook his head helplessly.

"Thank you for clarifying, predecessor." Ye Chen bowed again and turned to leave.

This time, his steps were much steadier. His figure was still somewhat desolate, but not as forlorn.

At least, he had figured out one thing: it wasn't that he couldn't find Chu Xuan—it was that she was avoiding him.

He walked away, but the elderly man under the old tree lifted his head. Though blind, his murky eyes seemed to gaze in the direction Ye Chen had gone.

In his hand, he held the freshly carved wooden figure, remaining silent for a long time.

The figure was of a woman, carved with exquisite detail, every line carefully crafted. It seemed alive, and if one looked closely, they could almost see her expressions and smiles, stirring the heart.

If Ye Chen had been there, he would have been shocked, for the wooden figure was none other than Chu Xuan, the one he sought.

The elderly man's figure under the old tree was magnified infinitely in the Huan Tian Shui Mu in the grand hall of Tianxuan Gate. Standing before the water curtain, Fu Ya narrowed his eyes into slits, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Holy Master, this Zhou Yi..." Fu Ya turned his head to look at Dong Huang Tai Xin beside him.

"A Wu Xiu Tian Shi," Dong Huang Tai Xin said softly.

"A Wu Xiu Tian Shi?"

"This is an anomaly in the cultivation world," Dong Huang Tai Xin explained slowly. "They divine mysteries unmatched in the world, cultivating divination techniques that hover between cultivators and mortals. They have zero combat ability but can foresee heaven and earth. However, heaven's secrets must not be revealed, and those of this lineage never meet a good end."

"Then, the thing he mentioned that Chu Xuan fears is..." Fu Ya looked at Dong Huang Tai Xin inquiringly.

"Zhou Yi only got half of it right. The Zhu Xian Jian is avoiding the Xian Lun Yan, but is the Xian Lun Yan not also avoiding the Zhu Xian Jian?"