Chapter 307 - 262: The Past

Ding Zihu’s eyes widened at the sight.

"What on earth is inside this Pill Furnace?"

Han Yuan’s expression also grew grim. "Perhaps this is what the Profound Celestial Alliance has been researching all along!"

Ding Zihu nodded. "Very likely."

The Orange Cat was also hissing incessantly, as if it found this Alchemy Furnace exceptionally repulsive.

"Let’s get a closer look."

Han Yuan said softly.

The group carefully maneuvered through the gray-white stone pillars, slowly approaching the gloomy Pill Furnace.

It was only then that Ding Zihu could clearly see the runes on the surface of the gray-white stone pillars.

"These are runes used to suppress the power of an Evil Demon..."

"It seems the people from the Profound Celestial Alliance back then didn’t intend to kill what’s inside this Alchemy Furnace. They only wanted to seal and suppress it."

Ding Zihu speculated.

"If that’s the case... perhaps something happened later that caused the thing inside this Alchemy Furnace to become uncontrollable."

Han Yuan guessed.

"Most likely."

Ding Zihu nodded.

The group raised their guard once more and advanced cautiously.

This time, however, they encountered no attacks.

Only when they drew near the Pill Furnace did they truly appreciate its immense size.

Its surface was covered in dense, gilded runes, though they had grown dim with the passage of time.

One could only imagine the countless resources that must have been spent to forge this Pill Furnace back in its day.

"Look over there!" Liao Feng suddenly pointed to a dark corner beside the Pill Furnace.

Only then did Han Yuan realize his attention had been so focused on the gloomy Pill Furnace that he had overlooked something.

He turned his head to look.

There, he saw a figure in a Daoist Robe sitting cross-legged before the Pill Furnace.

However, the spot was so dark that he couldn’t make out the person’s features.

Drawing on his recent experiences, Han Yuan approached the figure with extreme caution.

They had encountered far too many strange things on their journey here.

But at that moment, the figure turned its head, revealing an extremely weak and sickly old face. Its eyes were filled with blood vessels, a truly terrifying sight.

"Who... are you?"

the old Daoist asked.

Han Yuan and Ding Zihu were startled to hear him speak.

They had, after all, assumed this figure was just another corpse.

But from the looks of it, this person was alive!

’But this is a ruin that has survived since the Chaotic Ancient Era. How could there possibly be a living person here?’

"How did you little ones get in here?"

The withered Daoist seemed equally surprised, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to intrude.

"From the outside, of course."

Han Yuan stated the obvious.

"The outside... Without some special means, how could you possibly have passed through that Illusion Array?"

the withered old Daoist said faintly.

"You need not concern yourself with that, Senior."

"We, on the other hand, would like to know who you are."

Han Yuan countered, probing for information himself.

"Who am I..."

The withered old Daoist paused.

He seemed to have been here for so long that he had forgotten everything.

He recalled for a moment before saying, "I... I no longer remember my name."

"But I still remember my Daoist title... It should be Chunyangzi."

"What?!"

Han Yuan, Ding Zihu, and Liao Feng cried out in unison.

Ding Zihu and Liao Feng even turned to look pointedly at Han Yuan.

They both knew that the very reason Han Yuan had entered the Taicang Mountain Range was to find a Daoist named Chunyangzi.

’Could it be this person right in front of us?’

Han Yuan’s eyes narrowed as he asked softly, "Senior, do you have any old acquaintances in Cangshui County of Jianghe Province?"

"Cangshui County of Jianghe Province... that name sounds somewhat familiar."

"Let me think."

"This old brain hasn’t worked in so long... it feels like it’s gone rusty."

Chunyangzi thought for a moment, then said, "I did have one old acquaintance... Master Xuanye... that fellow lived there."

Hearing Chunyangzi’s words, Han Yuan knew he had found the right man.

’This person... he really must be Chunyangzi.’

"Senior, it was Master Xuanye who sent me to find you,"

Han Yuan said in a solemn voice.

"Master Xuanye..."

"Is he well?"

Chunyangzi couldn’t help but ask.

"Master Xuanye passed away over a hundred years ago."

Han Yuan said softly.

"So he’s been dead that long... Speaking of which, it’s also been about a hundred years since I came in here."

Chunyangzi seemed to be lost in his memories.

"Senior, why are you here?"

Han Yuan asked.

Chunyangzi seemed to let his guard down around Han Yuan. His cloudy, bloodshot old eyes flickered with reminiscence as he said, "Over a hundred years ago, I began to research the existence of the Evil Demon Seed."

"By chance, I found an ancient text that recorded a certain matter."

"During the Chaotic Ancient Era, there was an organization called the Profound Celestial Alliance. It seemed they were researching the same thing I was."

"Moreover, the ancient text also recorded that the Profound Celestial Alliance once had a stronghold in Taicang Mountain, so I came searching for it..."

"I searched the Taicang Mountain Range for a long time before finally confirming that the Profound Celestial Alliance stronghold was located within Hive Mountain... I remember being trapped by the Illusion Array for a long time shortly after entering Hive Mountain... I spent a great deal of time studying it and eventually found a way to break the array, which is how I was able to get in here."

"In the end, I could only stand a lonely vigil here for a hundred years..."

Hearing this, Ding Zihu was filled with admiration.

’Without the map to guide me, I’m afraid I never would have made it in here at all.’

But Chunyangzi, relying purely on his own understanding of Arrays, had broken the Illusion Array himself.

Such mastery in the art of Arrays made him feel thoroughly inadequate.

Han Yuan, however, frowned when he heard this and asked, "Senior, why did you have to keep a lonely vigil here for a hundred years?"