Perhaps it was because he had stayed in the valley for too long, or perhaps it was because his injuries had healed and he had returned to the Grandmaster level, Elder Ou couldn't help but think.
'Was this a possibility? That the Taoist cultivator who created the Immortal Pool had foreseen the catastrophe of the Underworld in the future?'
After all, merely out of interest, creating a "Mortal Jade Pool"—was there really such an immensely powerful being with nothing better to do?
But even if he couldn't be certain of this, at the very least, Elder Ou was sure of one thing.
The Taoist cultivator who created the "Mortal Jade Pool" was beyond his comparison and beyond his ability to fathom and study.
Elder Ou glanced over the Immortal Pools—each one radiant with vibrant colors and filled with mystery—and couldn't help but say, "I wonder how far I must cultivate to match this Taoist cultivator."
Immediately after, Elder Ou dismissed his thoughts.
"Bring me a phone, I need to report to the headquarters. Now that the valley's Immortal Pools—no, they should be called the 'Mortal Jade Pool'—have been revealed, the allocation of spots can be expanded."
———
Meanwhile, in Dali City, Daxia.
Qin Ye put away the ringing bell and muttered, "No way, did I just unlock the second layer of the Immortal Pool, the 'Mortal Jade Pool'?"
His expression turned strange. "It's been so many years, nearly a thousand years, and not a single person has discovered the second layer of the 'Mortal Jade Pool'?"
"Was the Immortal Pool I created really that hard to crack?" By the end of his sentence, Qin Ye looked pained.
Originally, he had thought that once the valley was uncovered and the second layer of the 'Mortal Jade Pool' was unlocked, he could lend a hand in opening the third layer—the 'Peach Banquet'. But now, the second layer hadn't even been discovered until now.
"If I had known, I would have made the method easier to crack, maybe just by saying 'Open Sesame'..."
Qin Ye grimaced. "The third layer is harder than the second. At this rate, when will someone be able to unlock the third layer?"
"Are humans going to reach outer space, advance their aerospace industry into the South Heaven Gate Project, and still not be able to uncover the third layer of the Immortal Pool?"
"Maybe... I should really just make it 'Open Sesame'?"
"Forget it. I'll just set a timer."
Qin Ye took out his bell bracelet again and used it to remotely control the eight stone pillars in the valley.
He set the pillars so that from this moment forward, after being touched more than 100 times, they would reveal the true appearance of the Immortal Pool—the third layer, 'Peach Banquet'.
"This way, someone should be able to discover it eventually." Qin Ye grumbled. Before long, Qin Ye finished the setup, put away the bell bracelet, and checked the time on his phone.
Seeing that it was still early, he immediately hailed a Didi ride, headed to the mall to buy some clothes, got a haircut, and only then made his way to the airport.
———
At the same time.
In the capital airport of Daxia.
At the international arrival gate, a man stepped out. His hair was dyed yellow, he was dressed fashionably, and he carried a guitar case on his back. At first glance, one might mistake him for a rebellious youth.
"You are looking for Guan Xinghe?" The blond-haired man walked up to another man who was holding a sign with the name [Guan Xinghe] written on it.
The man nodded upon seeing him, a trace of surprise in his eyes. "You are Mr. Guan Xinghe?"
"I am." Guan Xinghe admitted directly, completely unfazed by the man's reaction. He pointed at his own hair and said, "Just look at my hair, and you'll know—half-human, half-demon, half-ghost, naturally born with yellow hair."
"I thought it was dyed."
"No, I was born with the Holy Physique of Yellow Hair." Guan Xinghe chuckled, jokingly.
Then, without wasting time, he said, "Let's go, don't waste time. Take me to the nearest Earth God Temple."
The man holding the sign immediately nodded, not daring to delay, and led him to the parking lot while sending a message to Bureau 749's headquarters.
[Successfully received Grandmaster Guan Xinghe.]
———
Time flew by.
By the time Qin Ye's plane arrived in the capital, it was already nighttime. At this moment, it was exactly 8 PM.
After checking into his hotel, Qin Ye left. Soon, a Didi car arrived. Qin Ye checked the license plate and got in.
The driver greeted him politely. "Hello, is your number ending in 9701?"
"Yes."
The driver was quite talkative. Noticing Qin Ye's response, he first glanced at the five-star hotel Qin Ye had come from, then started the car and chatted casually.
"Young man, are you here in the capital for sightseeing? You're from the south, right?"
"Driver, you can tell?" Qin Ye responded with a smile. "Yeah, just visiting and seeing if I can catch up with some old friends."
"Hah, of course I can tell. I've been driving taxis for decades, I've seen all kinds of people."
The driver spoke with a strong local accent and continued chatting. "Usually, when folks from the south come—especially those from Fujian and Guangdong—not all of them go straight to the Forbidden City or the Great Wall. Quite a few head straight to temples, like the God of Wealth Temple, to pray."
As he said this, he glanced at the GPS destination. "But someone coming to the capital and choosing to visit an Earth God Temple first—that's rare. This is the first time I've seen it."
"Oh?" Qin Ye smiled. "But the Earth God and Earth Goddess are still deities, right? There's no harm in praying to them."
"Haha, I wouldn't have guessed you were so traditional for your age."
The driver laughed, then added, "But honestly, if you're into this kind of thing, I think you should pick a different temple. The one you're going to—lately, not many people pray there."
"Oh? Why is that?" Qin Ye turned to look. "Is there some gossip about it?"
"Not really gossip, but just recently, at this Earth God Temple, when someone was praying, the statues of the Earth God and Earth Goddess suddenly cracked. If you believe in this stuff, you know—that's seriously inauspicious."
"They cracked? You mean their heads? Was there a crack on their foreheads?" Qin Ye raised an eyebrow.
This time, the driver was the one to raise an eyebrow. "Whoa, young man, how did you know? Yeah, the statues of the Earth God and Earth Goddess cracked right at the forehead."
Qin Ye casually said, "I believe in this kind of thing. When you mentioned inauspiciousness, that was my first guess."
"Oh wow, so you really know about this stuff? I thought you were just like other young people—only believing in tradition when it comes to making money. But no, you actually understand this? No, wait..."
The driver suddenly realized something and was surprised. "So you're saying... this Earth God Temple really is inauspicious? The statues cracking at the forehead is bad luck?"
He didn't really believe in these things, so he wasn't familiar with traditional interpretations. But hearing this young man immediately pinpoint the issue made him realize—maybe the old traditions were true. Maybe it wasn't just a baseless rumor.
"There is such a belief—if an Earth God statue cracks, it's bad luck. Especially if the crack is on the forehead. Actually, for any deity statue, if the forehead cracks, it's extremely inauspicious." Qin Ye spoke calmly.
But in his heart, he added silently, 'I just hope this isn't the true physical embodiment of the Earth God and Goddess.'
He didn't elaborate further. The reason he specifically asked about a crack on the forehead, aside from the traditional inauspicious interpretation, was because of another, more ominous saying—When the forehead of a deity statue cracks, the god perishes.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/ZenonTL
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.