After Transmigrating Into The Body Of The Chief Disciple, The Villain Was Reborn. - Chapter 10

Lu Shi’an looked back only to discover that the others had not appeared. There were only Yuzhao and himself. He surmised that this was likely another formation. Fortunately, he had been holding Yuzhao’s hand the entire time, so they had not been separated.

“Yuzhao, be careful. There is a formation here; you must stay close to me,” Lu Shi’an said solemnly.

“Yes, Senior Brother,” Ning Yuzhao replied, feeling fortunate. Had he not been holding his senior brother’s hand, he feared they would have been separated by now.

The palace was filled with a mysterious aura, and the walls shimmered with a faint light. In the center of the hall stood a stone table piled high with skeletons. Lu Shi’an and Ning Yuzhao explored cautiously until a black shadow flickered by, putting them on high alert.

“Who is there?” Lu Shi’an called out in a low voice.

A white-haired old man appeared in the void. Seeing Lu Shi’an and Ning Yuzhao staring at him vigilantly, the old man laughed, “No need to be nervous. I am Daoist Guiyuan. This is where I fell, and now that I am only a remnant soul, you need not worry that I will cause you any harm.” He sighed, “I did not expect to wait nearly a thousand years without finding a successor. Just as I was about to give up, I finally waited for you.”

Daoist Guiyuan? Ning Yuzhao did not know the name, but Lu Shi’an did. Daoist Guiyuan was a legendary genius who cultivated both talismans and formations. Most of the ancient talisman and formation texts passed down today were written by him. Rumor had it that he had already ascended to the Immortal Realm. How could he claim to have fallen?

Noticing Lu Shi’an’s confusion, the Daoist took the initiative to explain, “While I made great achievements in talismans and formations back then and believed I would ascend to the Immortal Realm, I could not break through the Mahayana stage before my life reached its end. I gave up on ascension and sought a quiet place to spend my remaining days. But I was not reconciled! I was the pioneer of talismans and formations; to fall silently like this? I could not accept it. Thus, I set up a formation here, hoping someone would carry on my legacy.” His words were filled with regret.

“However, I only allowed one person to enter. Why did that little fellow follow you inside?” He looked toward Ning Yuzhao.

Lu Shi’an hurriedly explained, “Greetings, Daoist Guiyuan. I am Lu Shi’an, and this is my junior brother. He entered with me.” The Daoist nodded.

“In that case, it is fate,” the Daoist said with a smile. “I set up this array to wait for a fated person. Since you have arrived here, it means you possess the necessary talent and destiny.”

Upon hearing that he, too, was eligible to accept the inheritance, Ning Yuzhao hurriedly declined, “Thank you, Daoist, but I am an alchemist, and my senior brother cultivates talismans and formations. You may transmit it to him alone.”

“You little fellow are not greedy. If it were anyone else, they would be desperately hoping for all the inheritances to belong to themselves, regardless of whether they could cultivate them,” the Daoist said, quite satisfied with Ning Yuzhao’s refusal.

“Since you do not intend to accept the inheritance, I will give you another treasure.”

Daoist Guiyuan pointed at Lu Shi’an. “You, go and split that stone table open.”

He did not ask Ning Yuzhao to do it because Ning Yuzhao’s cultivation was too low. The stone table was not made of ordinary rock but of refined ore. Had Lu Shi’an not possessed a Lightning Spiritual Root, it would have been difficult to split it even with his cultivation level.

Lu Shi’an walked over and struck the table with the power of lightning in his palm. The stone table shattered, leaving behind only a small black rod. They looked at the Daoist in confusion, wondering if he was teasing them. Seeing their doubt, the Daoist did not explain; he simply told Ning Yuzhao to drip a drop of his blood onto the small wooden rod.

Ning Yuzhao looked at Lu Shi’an, who signaled him to proceed. As soon as the blood touched the rod, a brilliant light burst forth, and the small black rod instantly transformed into an exquisite, antique ring. Lu Shi’an and Ning Yuzhao exchanged a look of pleasant surprise.

Seeing this, Daoist Guiyuan looked even prouder, showing off to the two, “I set this up specifically to prevent those with ill intentions from finding it. Unless I am willing, no one can discover where my storage ring is.”

“This ring can change its appearance at will, and inside are all the talismans, formation disks, and rare treasures I produced in my lifetime. It all belongs to you two now. I will not distribute it for you; you can slowly divide it after you get out.”

The Daoist did not fear they would fight over the spoils; the younger one did not even want the inheritance, and the older one was determined to protect the younger. Now, the most urgent task was for Lu Shi’an to receive the inheritance, as he felt his soul growing weaker by the moment.

“Enough. Now that you have the storage ring, begin receiving the inheritance.” He looked at Lu Shi’an.

“To receive the inheritance, you must undergo a test.” His tone shifted, mirroring the tension and anticipation felt by Lu Shi’an and Ning Yuzhao. “However, my test will not be easy. You must be prepared.”

A test? Ning Yuzhao could not help but feel nervous, but he trusted that his senior brother could pass it. He had full faith in Lu Shi’an’s abilities.

“The first test is to crack the talisman formation before you,” the Daoist said, pointing to a complex formation ahead.

Lu Shi’an and Ning Yuzhao focused their eyes. The formation shimmered with strange light, its characters interlaced and ever-changing, like a swarm of dancing butterflies, clearly embodying profound formation principles.

Lu Shi’an took a deep breath, his gaze becoming sharp and focused as he studied the formation. After half an hour, he finally found the method to crack it. He made quick gestures in the air and paused at a specific point. “Break!”

The formation instantly disintegrated, turning into starlight and vanishing.

“Not bad. You truly are the person I chose. This talent is comparable to mine back then. I do not fear my legacy will decline with it in your hands.”

As he spoke, the Daoist reached out, his palm facing Lu Shi’an, and colorful rays of light flooded into Lu Shi’an’s head.

Lu Shi’an felt countless pieces of information rushing into his mind, scrambling for space. His head throbbed as if it were about to explode, and sweat beaded on his face. Seeing Lu Shi’an in pain, Ning Yuzhao was frantic but did not dare to interrupt, fearing it would affect the inheritance.

After a long time, the transmission finally ended, and Lu Shi’an, unable to hold on any longer, fainted to the ground.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother, wake up!” Seeing his senior brother collapse, Ning Yuzhao ran over in a panic, crying as he thought his senior brother had been injured.

Daoist Guiyuan watched Ning Yuzhao’s anxious state and could only comment from the side:

“No need to rush. He has simply received too much information at once, and his consciousness cannot keep up. Feed him a Spirit-Nurturing Pill, and he will wake up soon.”

Ning Yuzhao hurriedly retrieved a Spirit-Nurturing Pill from the storage ring and fed it to Lu Shi’an. Naturally, Ning Yuzhao had not prepared any Spirit-Nurturing Pills beforehand; it was taken directly from Daoist Guiyuan’s storage ring, which conveniently contained such medication.