Zu An hadn’t realized it yet when he first saw the Ghost King use the Glare of Eternal Slumber, but now that he saw Immortal Ruler Baopu’s eyes instantly subdue Ghost King, he gained a great deal of inspiration.

Before, he had never thought that even the eyes could be used to attack. The eyes were usually among the weakest parts of the human body. And yet today, a whole new world had opened up to him. His strongest skills were with the sword, so he instinctively wondered whether he could combine his sword skills with his eyes.

The manga and anime he had read contained all sorts of magical eye techniques. He had merely found them interesting back then, but now, in this world of cultivation, such a thing was actually possible. Even though he didn’t know exactly how to manifest that yet, after witnessing such a miraculous sight, he now had a direction. Later, he’d eventually be able to produce a path suitable for himself.

Zhao Han was even more moved, his entire body shaking in excitement. Before this, he had already been the strongest individual in the other world for many, many years. No matter their numbers, others had been truly helpless before him. After the death of the Fiend Emperor, he had felt even more convinced that there was no one left in the world who was worth fighting. At times, he had practically felt like a god. With just a single thought, he could make all creatures in the world yield to his presence; he had believed that every living being had to praise him and chant his name in worship.

That hadn’t changed even when he met the Ghost King. Even though the opponent was powerful, it wasn’t by too much. The main reason he had struggled a bit was because of the Ghost King’s soul absorbing skill and immunity to damage, which left him a bit annoyed. If they really fought seriously, he wouldn’t necessarily lose.

However, in an instant, he had just seen the Ghost King ruthlessly subdued by Immortal Ruler Baopu, and as a mere soul fragment at that! He suddenly felt that he was still a bit too arrogant, thinking, These seniors can just call me Little Zhao in the future.

Of course, that was just a moment of weakness and hesitation. Soon after, it was replaced by an even more powerful desire for strength. He thought, This is the path I should be heading toward!

He seemed to have vaguely grasped the direction of an immortal opportunity. At the very least, he knew how to advance through the earth immortal rank.

…

Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman exclaimed in shock, “The Ghost King is dead?”

They had experienced just how terrifying the Ghost King was for themselves. In that instant, they even began to doubt life itself.

Immortal Ruler Baopu shook his head and said, “The Ghost King is quite special in nature and is difficult to directly kill. I merely sealed him in the depths of the great tomb again.”

Zu An thought of something. Jing Teng had mentioned that in the past, Immortal Ruler Baopu had roamed the world to banish evil. There had been many powerful beings he couldn't destroy and could only seal inside the great tomb.

On their way here, both the Death Reaper and Earthflame Devil had been strong, but they were creatures the group could still barely defeat by working together. That had left them curious as to why Immortal Ruler Baopu couldn't kill the monsters.

Now, they understood that those creatures hadn’t been captured by the immortal ruler at all. The Death Reaper and Earthflame Devil were just monsters from the great tomb’s outer levels, and the truly formidable ones were locked away deeper within, just as the Ghost King had been.

Immortal Ruler Baopu looked at Jing Teng and said, “After experiencing what happened in the past, have you gained enlightenment?”

Jing Teng nodded. However, she had a hesitant expression as she continued, “There are still some things that are difficult for me to let go of, though.”

Immortal Ruler Baopu gave Zu An a glance and said, “Everything moves according to fate. Your time in the world of mortals has not come to an end; you will definitely be able to meet again in the future.”

Jing Teng was overjoyed, asking, “Really?”

Immortal Ruler Baopu smiled and replied, “When have I ever lied to you?”

Jing Teng smiled, remarking, “That’s true.”

Zu An frowned. Why did he feel as if this immortal ruler was just like Jing Teng, in the sense that both to talk in riddles? They seemed to be talking about something extremely important, and yet he couldn't understand what it was about.

Immortal Ruler Baopu turned to look at Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman, saying, “Thank you for bringing me information about Baogu. I have some small gifts here for the two of you.”

Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman were still rather calm, but Zhao Han began to breathe heavily, thinking, Could it be that he’s really going to give the immortal opportunity to those two women? I have to steal it from them no matter the cost!

Immortal Ruler Baopu brought out a talisman, and with a tap of his finger, a lotus flower made completely of ice blossomed in midair. It was sparkling and beautiful, and even though it looked incredibly cold, none of those present could sense the slightest hint of chill emanating from it.

“This is a Pure World Icelotus I obtained in the past. Unfortunately, my cultivation method was a poor fit for it, but it should be good for you as an ice element cultivator. This item should be of great use to you,” Immortal Ruler Baopu explained; afterward, the Ice lotus entered Chu Chuyan’s forehead.

“Thank you, immortal ruler!” Chu Chuyan replied. She could sense that the lotus was a seed of origin, and the power of ice contained within was incredibly profound. Even if she didn’t do a single thing, it could still make her cultivation advance by leaps and bounds. If she could truly comprehend the natural laws stored inside of it, she wondered just what kind of terrifying power she would obtain.

“Hm? The Pure World Icelotus?” Mi Li suddenly remarked in Zu An’s mind.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?” Zu An asked, startled. He had experienced Old Mi’s attempted possession, and had even seen Zhao Han’s soul fragment sealed inside the Crown Prince. There were just too many possession techniques, so he was worried that something could happen to Chuyan.

“Don’t worry. It’s not a problem. That’s an item that contains the most fundamental laws of the universe, and doesn’t have its own consciousness. It doesn’t harm its host at all,” Mi Li explained.

Zu An sighed in relief before saying, “Master empress seems to know a lot about this Pure World Icelotus. Can you tell me a bit about it?”

“I don’t,” Mi Li replied directly.

“Then what are you acting all surprised for, if you don’t know anything?” Zu An replied in annoyance.

Mi Li harrumphed. “It’s just that I felt this was something Immortal Ruler Baopu shouldn’t have been able to bring out. If it’s just a bit of its intent and not the real Pure World Icelotus, though, that’s more understandable.”

Zu An was speechless.

Didn’t you just say you didn’t know about the Pure World Icelotus? Also, what is with your tone? It’s almost as if you’re looking down on Immortal Ruler Baopu.

Back then, you couldn't even win against the first emperor Ying Zheng when you were at your strongest, and Ying Zheng was even driven mad over immortal ascension. If he met Immortal Ruler Baopu, wouldn’t he already be on his knees and calling him papa?

…

Immortal Ruler Baopu nodded slightly when he heard Chu Chuyan’s expression of gratitude. Then, he looked at Pei Mianman and said, “You cultivate the fire element, and the black flame you have is quite magical. However, it seems you are still a bit unskilled with it. I have something that just happens to share affinity with you.”

Afterward, he took out a talisman, and with a light tap, a bright red spider lily appeared in the air. It was clearly extremely pretty, but there was a dense, suffocating aura of death emanating from it. However, there was a black butterfly on the flower that was moving its wings slightly, which gave it a slight hint of life.

Zu An stared at the butterfly. It was clearly extremely pretty, but it was entirely black, so he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive, thinking it was a bit ominous. It was only faintly discernible on the flower, as if it both existed and didn’t exist. There seemed to be countless mysterious principles stored within.

The black flame in Pei Mianman’s body seemed to sense something calling out to it, and her entire body surged with flames. She reached out, and right as her jade-like finger gently touched the flower, the black butterfly sensed something and stopped on it. The butterfly moved its wings slightly and the petals swayed gently; afterward, both turned into a streak of light that entered Pei Mianman’s finger.

Zu An just happened to be standing behind her. He noticed that as her beautiful hair danced around, the back of her neck was exposed a bit. A coin-sized design appeared in that spot. It was none other than a black butterfly, gorgeous and deadly.

Zu An was stunned. Hm? Why is there only a butterfly design? Where did the red spider lily pattern go?

At Pei Mianman’s cultivation realm, she could naturally ‘see’ the changes that were happening to her body. She couldn't help but cry out in alarm, “Why did it leave behind a mark on my body?”

More importantly, the location of that flower is too embarrassing…

Chu Chuyan got an ice lotus that just entered her sea of consciousness without leaving behind any markings, so pure and flawless. Why did this happen to me?

Her face became red from embarrassment when she thought of that.

Immortal Ruler Baopu was stunned. He didn’t know why Pei Mianman would have such a huge reaction and could only say, “This might be the intent behind the Paramita Butterfly. It is also something I stumbled upon by chance in the past, but had no use for. Receiving its acknowledgement is something you can feel happy about. This object will naturally merge with your body and form some traces that abide by the most fundamental dao of the world. As for the marking left behind, you do not need to worry about it too much. It will normally hide within you, and will only appear when your blood and ki are stirred.” Sure enough, the butterfly diagram by Pei Mianman’s neck already gradually disappeared as he spoke.

Pei Mianman sighed in relief. However, she quickly realized that in the future, if she and Zu An became passionate, wouldn’t that make it appear again?

I wonder if he’ll like it or not…

Immortal Ruler Baopu suddenly began to recite slowly, “Born on this shore, grown on the other. Stood guard for a lifetime, yet your hand I could not hold. Flowers and leaves remain unseen, our longings deeply embedded in the River of Forgetfulness. I hope that the black butterfly’s guidance can alter this predestined tragedy.”

Zu An’s group was completely mystified. What was he talking about?

Mi Li was stirred by something. She thought, So that was it. This person has divination skills and likely pried into some twist of fate. No wonder he was able to obtain items of this level.