Matriarch Zhang swallowed with difficulty and said carefully, “Sword Immortal, you flatter us. We were only able to have this opportunity to develop because of your protection. All the credit is on you. We’re just indebted to you.”
The old lady said these words to Li Yuanqing as if she was afraid that Li Yuanqing would be angry with her.
Li Yuanqing smiled and waved his hand. He said to her, “Matriarch Zhang, there’s no need to be so polite. Everyone is the same. Although I’m here as a clone today, I still want to talk to everyone about the academy. This is very important to me and is also something that I value very much. I hope that everyone can help me.”
“Sword Immortal, what are you saying? Since you think so highly of us, we will definitely do our best.”
“That’s right. The Sword Immortal has already instructed us like this. It would be too unreasonable for us to continue arguing.”
“Why don’t we go back and prepare the syllabus now? We’ll definitely submit it to the Sword Immortal early tomorrow morning. We won’t delay it anymore.”
“Sword Immortal, where are you now? Why didn’t you appear in person? Instead, you sent a clone over. Are you in trouble again recently? Is there anything we can help with?”
After feeling the pressure from Li Yuanqing, they all became obedient. They were very polite when they spoke and gathered around Li Yuanqing respectfully. They wished they could lie on Li Yuanqing’s little foot and kiss him.
The atmosphere in the entire venue became much more harmonious. The patriarchs of the large families, who had been in their own camps just now, were all lively and intimate.
Hu Jiujiu had already disappeared, but no one cared where the City Lord had gone. All their attention was on this new kid.
In a remote room outside the academy, this was the library of their school. There were many books stored here, and most of them were from Li Yuanqing.
Not only did Li Yuanqing deal with many enemies, but he also left behind all the useful things in the hands of those enemies and turned them into his wealth. These things could be used now, and it was the right time.
The manager of the library was an old man. This old man’s back was hunched. It was obvious that he had experienced a lot.
It seemed like this old man could fall to the ground at any time. However, his hands were at least very firm and persistent. He checked the very delicate books.
There were two people sitting at a very inconspicuous small table in the middle of the bookshelf. Other than being very handsome, this man and woman had other identities.
“Master, I don’t think this is a very good idea. We’ve already encountered so much trouble at the beginning. I think there will only be more trouble if we continue.”
Hu Jiujiu complained to Li Yuanqing gloomily.
Li Yuanqing held a jade pendant in his hand. The eyeball flickered with a pale yellow light. The yellow light was twisting in a specific pattern. If those patterns were enlarged, they would become array formations. He was studying the array formation map that Little Man had recently drawn.
“What’s wrong? You can’t handle this little trouble?”
Hu Jiujiu was a cold and strong lady in front of outsiders, but in front of Li Yuanqing, she had completely put down her pride and became a very weak girl.
She pouted and looked at Li Yuanqing with her big watery eyes. “Master, if you ask me, you should leave this to others. I can’t do it. It’s already so troublesome to gather them together, but they still ask so many questions and give me difficult questions every day. In any case, I can’t take it anymore.”
Li Yunqing did not know whether to laugh or cry. “This is only the first step. You’re the City Lord of Ping City and their parents. Why are you saying that you can’t take it anymore?”
“What parents? I don’t want to be their parents!” Hu Jiujiu said gloomily. “If I could give birth to children like them, I might as well not have to raise descendants for the rest of my life.”
“Even so, this is your mission as the City Lord. You can’t shirk it.”
“Master!” Hu Jiujiu pulled Li Yuanqing’s arm and said coquettishly, “In my opinion, you can find anyone to do this kind of thing. There’s no need for it to be me, right?”
“No, it has to be you.”
“Master, why must you make things difficult for me? You saw what they’re like. I’m afraid I won’t be able to last long before they drive me crazy!”
Li Yuanqing slowly put down the jade pendant and picked up the other one.
“They’re very obedient people. I’ll help you teach them all a lesson so that they won’t anger you again.”
“Master, don’t lie to me. How can they be obedient? In my opinion, without you guarding this academy, it won’t last long.”
At this moment, the old man slowly walked around a corner with his back hunched. He carried a stack of heavy books in his arms and gently placed them on their table.
A kind smile appeared on the old man’s withered face as he nodded gently at Li Yuanqing.
“City Lord, this is the information you wanted.”
The old man did not seem to have anything special to ask about the City Lord and the strange young man in front of him. Instead, he was not surprised by their relationship at all.
Hu Jiujiu hugged the information in front of her and flipped through it strangely.
“Master, why are you looking for the Golden Light Lake? I’ve never heard of this place before, but it’s not an important place. There aren’t many records about it.”
Li Yuanqing also nodded gently at the old man. The old man smiled very calmly, lowered his head, and retreated.
“There are many secrets hidden here. I want to know what is buried under the lake. Why has it been there for so many years?”
“Secret? Is there any secret in the entire Catacombs world that can hide from Master’s eyes?”
“There are still many things in this world that we don’t understand. We can’t say such exaggerated words.”
“That’s impossible. In my heart, Master is a god who knows everything.”
Li Yuanqing shook his head helplessly and patted Hu Jiujiu’s head with a smile.
“You’re getting better at sucking up.”
“What do you mean by sucking up? I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart, alright? Don’t you think so, Master?”
“Okay, cut the crap. Let’s find it and see if we can find anything. This is very important.”
Seeing that Li Yuanqing was so serious, Hu Jiujiu did not dare to laugh anymore. She stuck out her tongue and buried herself in the books to search.
The old man had just reached the corner when he walked over silently and stood beside Li Yuanqing.
Li Yuanqing looked up at the old man in confusion. Just now, he felt that this old man was a very calm person who would not be overly curious about the outside world. However, it seemed like that was not the case.
“Uncle, what can I do for you?”
“I wonder why Young Master is suddenly so interested in the Golden Light Lake?”
Li Yuanqing smiled and said, “It’s just that I suddenly encountered something recently that has something to do with this Golden Light Lake, so I want to know more about it. I wonder if you know anything?”
The old man smiled and said very humbly, “Actually, it’s just a story passed down by word of mouth. It’s not anything new.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Li Yuanqing invited the old man to his side and made way.
“Young Master, this isn’t appropriate. I’ll just stand.”
“Uncle, there’s no need to be so reserved. This is your place. You should be more casual.”
“Then I’ll accept it respectfully.”
He slowly moved his body and slowly sat down beside Li Yuanqing. He looked at Li Yuanqing amiably and smiled.
“Actually, it’s been countless years since then. It’s more like a myth. No one has seen this with their own eyes, but there has always been such a legend. Ordinary people don’t know, but people like me hear more than ordinary people.”
“Is it related to Golden Light Lake?”
“That’s right. There aren’t many legends about Golden Light Lake, but this story is one of the more legendary versions.”
“What is it about?”
“It’s about the Immortal World.” When the old man mentioned the Immortal World, there was suddenly a hint of reverence on his face. “Legend has it that the Golden Light Lake is a sacred artifact that fell from the Immortal World. It exists to punish us living beings of the lower realm.”
“Punishment? If there really is a place like the Immortal World, why would he punish us?”
The old man took a deep breath and replied, “Because the people of the lower realm have done too many evil things that the immortals of the Immortal World can’t stand it.”
“Evil?” Hu Jiujiu raised her head and looked at the old man strangely. “If they’re evil, that’s the demons’ business. For so many years, the demons have used humans as slaves. They’ve committed a monstrous crime. If we’re talking about punishment, it should be them.”
Hu Jiujiu seemed to have forgotten her identity as a demon.
The old man continued, “No, the demons are a punishment sent by the Immortal World. They were sent to punish the entire human race.”
“Uncle, what do you mean?”
The old man turned around and looked at Li Yuanqing seriously. “Although the records of the other legends might not be clear, there’s still one thing that’s more or less certain. That is, the time when the Golden Light Lake appeared is about the same time as the Black Dragon. They descended into this world at the same time.”
“There’s such a thing.”
“But all of this was very long ago. No one has mentioned it for a long, long time.”
Li Yuanqing more or less believed this legend because only he knew that Black Dragon was most likely not from this world. If Black Dragon came from another world and the Golden Light Lake also came from another world, then there was a high chance that the two of them came from the same place.
Then what did it mean when these two appeared in the Demon Realm at the same time?
Li Yuanqing silently pondered that he was looking for an answer. That answer might not be so easy to find.
When the old man saw Li Yuanqing’s expression, he thought that Li Yuanqing did not believe him. He smiled and said self-deprecatingly, “Young Master, take it that I’m joking. Actually, that kind of thing has already happened so long ago. It’s already difficult to tell if it’s true or false. Perhaps letting these things go is a good choice.”
After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave when Li Yuanqing suddenly pulled him back.
“Uncle, what else do you know? What exactly happened at the Golden Light Lake? Why did the area beside the Golden Light Lake become so abandoned?”
Hu Jiujiu looked at Li Yuanqing in disbelief. “Master, don’t tell me you really believe this story. What kind of place is the Golden Light Lake? How did it charm you to this extent?”
The old man was also very shocked. He looked at Li Yuanqing as if Li Yuanqing was the first person in so many years to believe his words.
“Young Master, I was just saying. I don’t have any proof.”
Li Yuanqing shook his head solemnly and looked into the old man’s eyes. “You’re not just saying that. I saw it with my own eyes. Uncle, please tell me what else you know. This is very important to me.”
“Then are you willing to believe this, Young Master?”
The old man sat down again, his withered palm tightly gripping Li Yuanqing’s hand.
“It’s said that there’s a path under the Golden Light Lake that leads to the Immortal World. As long as you open that door from there and walk through it, you can reach the Immortal World!”
When the old man mentioned this matter, his entire body became abnormally serious. His expression also tensed up as he stared fixedly at Li Yuanqing.
Li Yuanqing looked at him and asked, “But can that door really accommodate a person?”
“No! We need a token!”
The old man looked at Li Yuanqing in shock as if he had finally met a confidant. His eyes revealed his desire to talk to Li Yuanqing.
“If you rashly barge into the Upper Realm without a token, you will be punished by the Upper Realm and your soul will be destroyed.”
Li Yuanqing nodded silently and muttered softly, “As expected.”
The old man seemed to have suddenly realized something and looked at Li Yuanqing in shock.
“Young Master, you… you’ve seen the Immortal Ascension Door?”
Li Yuanqing did not answer him. He only frowned and closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.
The old man suddenly covered his mouth and slowly retreated.
“If Divinity appears, there will be a calamity!”
Matriarch Zhang swallowed with difficulty and said carefully, “Sword Immortal, you flatter us. We were only able to have this opportunity to develop because of your protection. All the credit is on you. We’re just indebted to you.”
The old lady said these words to Li Yuanqing as if she was afraid that Li Yuanqing would be angry with her.
Li Yuanqing smiled and waved his hand. He said to her, “Matriarch Zhang, there’s no need to be so polite. Everyone is the same. Although I’m here as a clone today, I still want to talk to everyone about the academy. This is very important to me and is also something that I value very much. I hope that everyone can help me.”
“Sword Immortal, what are you saying? Since you think so highly of us, we will definitely do our best.”
“That’s right. The Sword Immortal has already instructed us like this. It would be too unreasonable for us to continue arguing.”
“Why don’t we go back and prepare the syllabus now? We’ll definitely submit it to the Sword Immortal early tomorrow morning. We won’t delay it anymore.”
“Sword Immortal, where are you now? Why didn’t you appear in person? Instead, you sent a clone over. Are you in trouble again recently? Is there anything we can help with?”
After feeling the pressure from Li Yuanqing, they all became obedient. They were very polite when they spoke and gathered around Li Yuanqing respectfully. They wished they could lie on Li Yuanqing’s little foot and kiss him.
The atmosphere in the entire venue became much more harmonious. The patriarchs of the large families, who had been in their own camps just now, were all lively and intimate.
Hu Jiujiu had already disappeared, but no one cared where the City Lord had gone. All their attention was on this new kid.
In a remote room outside the academy, this was the library of their school. There were many books stored here, and most of them were from Li Yuanqing.
Not only did Li Yuanqing deal with many enemies, but he also left behind all the useful things in the hands of those enemies and turned them into his wealth. These things could be used now, and it was the right time.
The manager of the library was an old man. This old man’s back was hunched. It was obvious that he had experienced a lot.
It seemed like this old man could fall to the ground at any time. However, his hands were at least very firm and persistent. He checked the very delicate books.
There were two people sitting at a very inconspicuous small table in the middle of the bookshelf. Other than being very handsome, this man and woman had other identities.
“Master, I don’t think this is a very good idea. We’ve already encountered so much trouble at the beginning. I think there will only be more trouble if we continue.”
Hu Jiujiu complained to Li Yuanqing gloomily.
Li Yuanqing held a jade pendant in his hand. The eyeball flickered with a pale yellow light. The yellow light was twisting in a specific pattern. If those patterns were enlarged, they would become array formations. He was studying the array formation map that Little Man had recently drawn.
“What’s wrong? You can’t handle this little trouble?”
Hu Jiujiu was a cold and strong lady in front of outsiders, but in front of Li Yuanqing, she had completely put down her pride and became a very weak girl.
She pouted and looked at Li Yuanqing with her big watery eyes. “Master, if you ask me, you should leave this to others. I can’t do it. It’s already so troublesome to gather them together, but they still ask so many questions and give me difficult questions every day. In any case, I can’t take it anymore.”
Li Yunqing did not know whether to laugh or cry. “This is only the first step. You’re the City Lord of Ping City and their parents. Why are you saying that you can’t take it anymore?”
“What parents? I don’t want to be their parents!” Hu Jiujiu said gloomily. “If I could give birth to children like them, I might as well not have to raise descendants for the rest of my life.”
“Even so, this is your mission as the City Lord. You can’t shirk it.”
“Master!” Hu Jiujiu pulled Li Yuanqing’s arm and said coquettishly, “In my opinion, you can find anyone to do this kind of thing. There’s no need for it to be me, right?”
“No, it has to be you.”
“Master, why must you make things difficult for me? You saw what they’re like. I’m afraid I won’t be able to last long before they drive me crazy!”
Li Yuanqing slowly put down the jade pendant and picked up the other one.
“They’re very obedient people. I’ll help you teach them all a lesson so that they won’t anger you again.”
“Master, don’t lie to me. How can they be obedient? In my opinion, without you guarding this academy, it won’t last long.”
At this moment, the old man slowly walked around a corner with his back hunched. He carried a stack of heavy books in his arms and gently placed them on their table.
A kind smile appeared on the old man’s withered face as he nodded gently at Li Yuanqing.
“City Lord, this is the information you wanted.”
The old man did not seem to have anything special to ask about the City Lord and the strange young man in front of him. Instead, he was not surprised by their relationship at all.
Hu Jiujiu hugged the information in front of her and flipped through it strangely.
“Master, why are you looking for the Golden Light Lake? I’ve never heard of this place before, but it’s not an important place. There aren’t many records about it.”
Li Yuanqing also nodded gently at the old man. The old man smiled very calmly, lowered his head, and retreated.
“There are many secrets hidden here. I want to know what is buried under the lake. Why has it been there for so many years?”
“Secret? Is there any secret in the entire Catacombs world that can hide from Master’s eyes?”
“There are still many things in this world that we don’t understand. We can’t say such exaggerated words.”
“That’s impossible. In my heart, Master is a god who knows everything.”
Li Yuanqing shook his head helplessly and patted Hu Jiujiu’s head with a smile.
“You’re getting better at sucking up.”
“What do you mean by sucking up? I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart, alright? Don’t you think so, Master?”
“Okay, cut the crap. Let’s find it and see if we can find anything. This is very important.”
Seeing that Li Yuanqing was so serious, Hu Jiujiu did not dare to laugh anymore. She stuck out her tongue and buried herself in the books to search.
The old man had just reached the corner when he walked over silently and stood beside Li Yuanqing.
Li Yuanqing looked up at the old man in confusion. Just now, he felt that this old man was a very calm person who would not be overly curious about the outside world. However, it seemed like that was not the case.
“Uncle, what can I do for you?”
“I wonder why Young Master is suddenly so interested in the Golden Light Lake?”
Li Yuanqing smiled and said, “It’s just that I suddenly encountered something recently that has something to do with this Golden Light Lake, so I want to know more about it. I wonder if you know anything?”
The old man smiled and said very humbly, “Actually, it’s just a story passed down by word of mouth. It’s not anything new.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Li Yuanqing invited the old man to his side and made way.
“Young Master, this isn’t appropriate. I’ll just stand.”
“Uncle, there’s no need to be so reserved. This is your place. You should be more casual.”
“Then I’ll accept it respectfully.”
He slowly moved his body and slowly sat down beside Li Yuanqing. He looked at Li Yuanqing amiably and smiled.
“Actually, it’s been countless years since then. It’s more like a myth. No one has seen this with their own eyes, but there has always been such a legend. Ordinary people don’t know, but people like me hear more than ordinary people.”
“Is it related to Golden Light Lake?”
“That’s right. There aren’t many legends about Golden Light Lake, but this story is one of the more legendary versions.”
“What is it about?”
“It’s about the Immortal World.” When the old man mentioned the Immortal World, there was suddenly a hint of reverence on his face. “Legend has it that the Golden Light Lake is a sacred artifact that fell from the Immortal World. It exists to punish us living beings of the lower realm.”
“Punishment? If there really is a place like the Immortal World, why would he punish us?”
The old man took a deep breath and replied, “Because the people of the lower realm have done too many evil things that the immortals of the Immortal World can’t stand it.”
“Evil?” Hu Jiujiu raised her head and looked at the old man strangely. “If they’re evil, that’s the demons’ business. For so many years, the demons have used humans as slaves. They’ve committed a monstrous crime. If we’re talking about punishment, it should be them.”
Hu Jiujiu seemed to have forgotten her identity as a demon.
The old man continued, “No, the demons are a punishment sent by the Immortal World. They were sent to punish the entire human race.”
“Uncle, what do you mean?”
The old man turned around and looked at Li Yuanqing seriously. “Although the records of the other legends might not be clear, there’s still one thing that’s more or less certain. That is, the time when the Golden Light Lake appeared is about the same time as the Black Dragon. They descended into this world at the same time.”
“There’s such a thing.”
“But all of this was very long ago. No one has mentioned it for a long, long time.”
Li Yuanqing more or less believed this legend because only he knew that Black Dragon was most likely not from this world. If Black Dragon came from another world and the Golden Light Lake also came from another world, then there was a high chance that the two of them came from the same place.
Then what did it mean when these two appeared in the Demon Realm at the same time?
Li Yuanqing silently pondered that he was looking for an answer. That answer might not be so easy to find.
When the old man saw Li Yuanqing’s expression, he thought that Li Yuanqing did not believe him. He smiled and said self-deprecatingly, “Young Master, take it that I’m joking. Actually, that kind of thing has already happened so long ago. It’s already difficult to tell if it’s true or false. Perhaps letting these things go is a good choice.”
After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave when Li Yuanqing suddenly pulled him back.
“Uncle, what else do you know? What exactly happened at the Golden Light Lake? Why did the area beside the Golden Light Lake become so abandoned?”
Hu Jiujiu looked at Li Yuanqing in disbelief. “Master, don’t tell me you really believe this story. What kind of place is the Golden Light Lake? How did it charm you to this extent?”
The old man was also very shocked. He looked at Li Yuanqing as if Li Yuanqing was the first person in so many years to believe his words.
“Young Master, I was just saying. I don’t have any proof.”
Li Yuanqing shook his head solemnly and looked into the old man’s eyes. “You’re not just saying that. I saw it with my own eyes. Uncle, please tell me what else you know. This is very important to me.”
“Then are you willing to believe this, Young Master?”
The old man sat down again, his withered palm tightly gripping Li Yuanqing’s hand.
“It’s said that there’s a path under the Golden Light Lake that leads to the Immortal World. As long as you open that door from there and walk through it, you can reach the Immortal World!”
When the old man mentioned this matter, his entire body became abnormally serious. His expression also tensed up as he stared fixedly at Li Yuanqing.
Li Yuanqing looked at him and asked, “But can that door really accommodate a person?”
“No! We need a token!”
The old man looked at Li Yuanqing in shock as if he had finally met a confidant. His eyes revealed his desire to talk to Li Yuanqing.
“If you rashly barge into the Upper Realm without a token, you will be punished by the Upper Realm and your soul will be destroyed.”
Li Yuanqing nodded silently and muttered softly, “As expected.”
The old man seemed to have suddenly realized something and looked at Li Yuanqing in shock.
“Young Master, you… you’ve seen the Immortal Ascension Door?”
Li Yuanqing did not answer him. He only frowned and closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.
The old man suddenly covered his mouth and slowly retreated.
“If Divinity appears, there will be a calamity!”
