Chapter 2748 - 2745: Trials and Tribulations (Part 2)

"Isn’t he the Senior Brother of the Nine Provinces Dao Sect? I heard Chao Yun mention it before." Ling Feng said in astonishment, wondering if this guy had some other identity.

Song Ruozhao nodded and said, "Indeed, but the only reason I became the Senior Brother of the Dao Sect back then was merely because of my early entry, not because I had any exceptional talent initially."

"Back then, I was just a weak young man. I was about ten years old, an orphan taken into the Dao Sect by my master, where I became an ordinary disciple under him."

"In those years, I knew very little about the Dao Sect, and because of my congenital asthma, I suffered bullying from fellow disciples and was unable to rise above it. Fortunately, my master took care of me."

"To spare me from bullying, he kept me secluded and did not allow other disciples to have much contact with me."

"This life continued for a long time until my master died from severe injuries during a mission to fend off an invasion from the Devil Clan. I became a completely helpless child in the Dao Sect, at the age of twenty-one."

"The new head of the Dao Sect was my master’s arch-enemy. He insisted on stripping me, who couldn’t even wield a Sword, of the Senior Brother title and intended to expel me to let his disciple succeed me."

"With no master to protect me, I left the Dao Sect where I had lived for eleven years on a rainy night."

"It was my first time alone in the outside world. Though I later traveled many times, those experiences were after I became a famed Dao Sect genius and never as thrilling and exciting as my first journey."

"Afterward, I carried the Longqin Sword my master gave me upon entering and roamed alone through mountains, rivers, and crowded cities, seeing beauty I had never seen in the first half of my life and encountering many dangers due to my lack of worldly experience."

"Later, during a mountain journey, I accidentally stepped into a deserted, dilapidated ancient tomb where I found a scripture called the ’Great Dao Longevity Scripture,’ lying silently before a skeleton."

"When I tried to take the cultivation technique, the skeleton suddenly awoke, grabbed my hand, said many things, and mocked my frail body and weak Sword skills. But then, the senior placed his hand on my head and said something I will never forget."

Song Ruozhao took a step forward, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

"He said,

’Weak body, poor Sword skills, yet your character is rather resilient, possessing an unyielding soul.’

"Later, I learned that the senior had placed his hand on my head and read all my memories of the past. Then he nodded and said,

’It is as well. Our lineage doesn’t demand much of the body. I will now pass on to you the ’Great Dao Longevity Scripture’ of the Chu Qin lineage. Back in the day, I was about your age when I earned the title of a Nine Provinces genius.’

’At that time, I was arrogant and overbearing, thinking myself invincible, only to be harmed by a traitor and reduced to a skeleton hidden in these mountains, ultimately failing to reach the Longevity Realm.’

Song Ruozhao continued, "The senior imparted to me the Qi of the Great Dao cultivated throughout his life and their lineage’s ultimate technique, the ’Great Dao Longevity Scripture,’ hoping I would astonish the world again in his place."

"I accepted the senior’s legacy and cultivated for an unknown amount of time in the ancient tomb until finally reaching the Minor Accomplishment Realm, now possessing the power to outshine all others."

"Upon exiting cultivation, I bowed three times to the long-deceased senior. Besides my master and the Dao Sect founder, I’ve never bowed to anyone else in my life, but I bowed three times to this nameless senior, grateful for my rebirth."

"Afterward, I continually slew demons in the Nine Provinces, earning a reputation as a Sword Hero."

"But what truly made me a Nine Provinces prodigy was a great war between humans and demons. I rose during the decline of the Human Race, slaying tens of thousands of Devil Clan in the Northern Territory with a single Sword and taking the head of a famous Devil Clan general, shaking the whole Nine Provinces."

"The world came to know a young man named Song Ruozhao who shone brilliantly in the human-demon war, saving tens of thousands of humans."

"I was thirty-three years old that year," Song Ruozhao’s voice trembled slightly,

"Following this rise, I was hailed as the hope of the Human Race, and the Dao Sect re-accepted me. In order to inherit my master’s legacy, I agreed to return to the Dao Sect."

"I never expected that this decision would bring me indelible pain and regret years later!"

Song Ruozhao turned to Ling Feng: "I don’t like talking about my past; I simply want to tell you I, too, have gone through hardships, and it was through the predecessor’s legacy that I reached this realm."

"However, my realm back then wasn’t true Longevity, at most just a longer lifespan. The ancestors or the most outstanding figures of the Dao Sect Buddha Court can also cultivate to a similar realm as mine and live very long."

"But they aren’t true Longevity Realms either. The true Longevity Realm means immortality, living for thousands or tens of thousands of years, truly transcending!" Song Ruozhao’s eyes filled with longing.

Song Ruozhao patted Ling Feng’s shoulder: "I’ve told you all of this just to say that the path of cultivation is endless. That Lu Wutong is likely so powerful he transcended time and space long ago, reaching the complete Longevity Realm."

"You’ve broken his seal, releasing the monster he sealed for a hundred thousand years. He likely holds a grudge against you and will come looking for trouble. You should prepare to deal with it."

Ling Feng nodded thoughtfully.

Song Ruozhao continued, "Considering you’re from a world without a cultivation system, your starting point was lower than those from our cultivation-system world, yet you’ve reached a realm similar to mine through your efforts and opportunities."

"So you, too, can become extremely powerful in the future, even reaching the Longevity Realm you’ve never imagined!"

Song Ruozhao’s inspiring words ignited a fighting spirit in Ling Feng, causing a sudden longing for the Longevity Realm. However, after thinking it over, he felt that if he were the only one to live that long, it would be quite lonely.

Suddenly, Ling Feng said, "Brother Song, do you want to look in a mirror? Do you want to see what your deepest fear is?"

Song Ruozhao shook his head: "I don’t need to look; I already kind of know..."

As the two continued talking, the plains suddenly trembled violently, the waterfall abruptly ceased and reversed its flow.

"Not good! Retreat quickly!"