20demayo Chapter 26, The Reclusive Cultivator in the Mountains [Please Read On!]
Chapter 26, The Reclusive Cultivator in the Mountains [Please Read On!]
Yan Ruyu raised her hand to signal the people behind her to stop, took half a step forward alone, and said softly, "I am Yan Ruyu, a rogue cultivator. I came here because I saw some amazing phenomena while passing through this place."
"I apologize for disturbing your peaceful cultivation, fellow Daoist."
However, the words "Yan Ruyu" startled Su Ye slightly when they reached his ears.
Yan Ruyu?
Yan Ruyu, the first and last Great Emperor after the Desolate Ancient Era, and a descendant of the Azure Emperor.
Su Ye remained outwardly calm, but his heart was in turmoil.
In the original timeline of Shrouding the Heavens, Yan Ruyu was a demon princess who wielded the imperial weapon Chaos Green Lotus and inherited the legacy of the Azure Emperor.
Although she is in an extremely difficult situation now, she is definitely an important person.
She has now appeared on the border of the Yan Kingdom...
Could it be that... the timeline of the emergence of the Azure Emperor's Tomb is even earlier than in the original timeline?
Or did she come here in advance to scout out the location?
Su Ye suppressed his thoughts, cupped his hands in return, and said, "I am Su Ye, a wandering cultivator from the mountains. I failed to conceal my aura when I broke through to a higher realm, and I apologize for disturbing you all."
He also gave himself the title of "a rogue cultivator".
That's not entirely a lie.
He was an unaffiliated cultivator in the Beidou sect.
Yan Ruyu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.
Su Ye.
The name was unfamiliar; it didn't seem to belong to a disciple of any holy land, nor to someone from an ancient aristocratic family.
But the aura that made her lotus body resonate was definitely not a coincidence.
The other party either possesses treasures related to the demon race or has a special physique that resonates with the blood of the emperor.
She decided to test the waters directly.
"The resonance between heaven and earth that Fellow Daoist Su triggered when he broke through to the next realm was extraordinary. His Daoist charm was pure and he was definitely not an ordinary physique."
Yan Ruyu changed the subject, her tone now carrying a hint of goodwill as if she wanted to win him over, and said, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Su... has a special physique?"
Su Ye remained silent for a moment.
He didn't deny it immediately, nor did he panic; instead, he quickly weighed the options in his mind.
The fact that one has a congenital Dao embryo cannot be hidden sooner or later. The unusual phenomena caused by this physique when breaking through realms are too special, and any cultivator with a little knowledge can see the clues.
Rather than hiding it and arousing suspicion, it's better to admit it openly.
Moreover, judging from Yan Ruyu's demeanor, she doesn't seem to be here to cause trouble; on the contrary, she seems to want to win him over.
In the original timeline, Yan Ruyu's talent already belonged to the top tier of the "Covering the Sky" series, and her combat strength among those of the same level was extremely strong.
Later on, she was able to cultivate to an alternative path of enlightenment, making her one of the few female cultivators who could keep up with Ye Fan's growth pace.
The Chaos Green Lotus, an ultimate imperial weapon left behind by the Azure Emperor, is one of the strongest imperial weapons in Shrouding the Heavens.
Furthermore, Yan Ruyu possesses considerable luck...
Now, as a descendant of the Azure Emperor, she is at the lowest point in her life. If...
Having thought this through, Su Ye smiled inwardly, but said calmly, "Innate Dao Embryo."
Upon hearing this, Yan Ruyu was immediately startled, and the two old women behind her exchanged a shocked look.
The concept of a "pre-natal Dao fetus" is not entirely unrecorded in the Big Dipper.
That is a unique body that is naturally in harmony with the Great Dao, its cultivation speed far surpasses that of its peers, and its comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth is beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.
Looking across ancient clans and sacred lands, if a person with an innate Dao embryo were to emerge, the entire clan would likely devote all its resources to venerating such a precious treasure.
Moreover, the current Purple Mansion Saintess is rumored to be a congenital Dao embryo!
In the past, it was rare for even one innate Dao embryo to appear, but in this era, two innate Dao embryos have appeared.
It was a man and a woman...
Qin Yao's expression was even more complicated.
She had initially thought that His Highness's personal investigation was somewhat of an overreaction, but now it seemed that His Highness had a very discerning eye.
Upon hearing the words "innate Dao embryo," Yan Ruyu finally confirmed a certain judgment in her mind.
She is a demon, and her true form is a blue lotus. In a sense, she can be called the Blue Lotus Body.
Her Azure Lotus Body is most sensitive to the aura of the Great Dao.
The innate Dao fetus is precisely the kind of constitution that is "naturally close to the Dao," so it is not surprising that the two resonate with each other.
Even the faint hum of the sparse imperial blood within her body now had a reasonable explanation.
The Great Emperor was originally a being fused with the Heavenly Heart Mark, so it is perfectly normal for the Emperor's blood to have a slight resonance with those who are close to the Dao.
only……
How could someone with a naturally formed Dao embryo end up cultivating alone in a mountain valley on the border of the Yan Kingdom?
"The innate Dao embryo..."
Yan Ruyu nodded gently, then smiled slightly and said, "With Fellow Daoist Su's physique, if he were to join my..."
She suddenly stopped.
The rest of the words remained unsaid.
The valley fell silent for a moment.
Su Ye looked at her, waiting for her to finish speaking.
Yan Ruyu simply shook her head slightly, adopting a calm expression.
She then deftly changed the subject, saying, "Fellow Daoist Su has just broken through to the next realm, so we will not disturb you any longer."
"However, the Yan Kingdom has been quite turbulent lately. If you are looking for a safe place to settle down, you may wish to come and find me."
After she finished speaking, she gently raised her hand.
Qin Yao, who was standing to the side, understood and took out a jade talisman engraved with lotus patterns from her bosom, and flicked it into the air towards Su Ye.
Su Ye reached out and caught it; it was warm to the touch, and a faint fragrance wafted into her nose.
The front of the jade talisman features a budding blue lotus, while the back is engraved with the character "Yan".
"I will sense it when I activate this talisman with divine power."
After Yan Ruyu finished speaking, she took one last serious look at Su Ye's face, then turned and left.
The seven people took to the air and disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Su Ye looked down at the jade talisman lying in his palm.
He had silently completed the second half of Yan Ruyu's unfinished sentence in his mind.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could come under my skirt?
He chuckled softly.
A descendant of the dignified Azure Emperor tried to win over a rogue cultivator, but swallowed his words halfway through, whether out of embarrassment or because he felt the time was not right.
This demon princess's life was probably even more miserable than described in the original story.
During that brief standoff, Su Ye had already seen through many details.
Although the two old women behind Yan Ruyu were highly skilled, both at the Four Extremes Secret Realm, their declining health and vitality were hard to conceal.
That's a sign that your lifespan is coming to an end.
The other four maids were only at the first or second level of the Dao Palace realm, which might be enough to impress someone in a small place like the Yan Kingdom.
But once they get involved in a real conflict, their strength is barely enough to protect themselves.
As for Yan Ruyu herself...
With a cultivation level of the second level of the fourth realm, he was already at the top among his peers.
However, the faint fluctuation of imperial blood within her body was so thin that even Su Ye sighed.
The bloodline of the Azure Emperor has declined to this extent.
More importantly, there was a sense of urgency about her that she tried to suppress but could still feel.
That wasn't the state of ordinary cultivators when they traveled; it was more like a race against time, a desperate gamble to accumulate resources before a crisis struck.
"The Tomb of the Green Emperor..."
Su Ye stood up and looked towards the northeast.
That's the location of the heartland of the Yan Kingdom, and also the approximate area where the tomb of Emperor Qing was born in the original story.
It was no coincidence that Yan Ruyu appeared on the border of Yan State at this time.
She was scouting ahead of time, preparing for the upcoming battle that would shake up the BeiDou system.
Unfortunately, she has very few cards to play now.
So rare that even recruiting a rogue cultivator who has just broken through to the Dao Palace realm requires his personal intervention.
Su Ye was not swayed in the slightest by Yan Ruyu's offer of recruitment.
On the contrary, Yan Ruyu's predicament showed him another possibility.
"Trying to recruit me as your subordinate?"
Su Ye shook his head slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
Su Ye has lived two lives. In his previous life, he spent more than ten years cultivating in a Taoist temple on Mount Tai, and had long been accustomed to being alone.
In this life, I traverse countless realms, possessing a World Tree sapling and an innate Dao embryo physique, destined to ascend to the pinnacle of all worlds in the future.
How could he possibly stoop so low as to be subservient to others?
Even if she is a descendant of the Azure Emperor, the pomegranate skirt of the demon princess is not acceptable!