Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 295 - 262 Heavenly Venerate Descends to the Mortal World!

Chapter 295: Chapter 262 Heavenly Venerate Descends to the Mortal World!

A shining point of light flew through the clouds and fell into Wu Xiaode’s hand.

—It was still that wristwatch.

On the Book of the Dead, a line of ice crystal characters suddenly appeared:

"You have obtained this wristwatch again."

"It has been reactivated by the Queen Mother of the West, revealing its true attribute:",

"In times of danger and disaster for the Queen Mother of the West, you will be able to immediately activate this wristwatch and return from the future to the present era to protect her safety."

"When the pointer points to ’Safe,’ you can activate the power of this wristwatch and return immediately to the future."

Wu Xiaode looked down and saw only one pointer remaining on the wristwatch.

The entire dial was divided into the Tai Chi of Yin and Yang, each side bearing one character:

"Safe/Danger."

The pointer was currently pointing at "Safe."

This indicated that the Queen Mother of the West was temporarily safe.

Without thinking, Wu Xiaode wore the wristwatch on his left wrist.

—Since he had accepted the task, he might as well do it well!

Moreover, he wanted to know the ultimate outcome of this Epoch.

This was related to how the future would be shaped.

—And what path the parallel world number 1666 would eventually take.

As he was quietly thinking, he suddenly saw a golden-armored puppet holding a jade box walking toward him and speaking:

"This contains detailed information about the Great Venerable’s reincarnation."

"Please open it immediately and then go search for the Heavenly Venerate."

"Alright."

Wu Xiaode gladly accepted the jade box.

As he held it, the jade box immediately emitted thousands of rays of light, and numerous prohibitions were peeled away.

Just as Wu Xiaode was about to open the jade box, a thought struck him, and he looked around.

He saw countless puppets in the hall looking at him.

A dense flock of gazes were all fixated on the jade box, seemingly very eager to see its contents.

Something wasn’t right.

—There were still eighteen years until Shen Xiyao came of age.

He had once visited her adulthood day, saved her three times, and witnessed the scene of the puppet rebellion.

—On the day she came of age, the puppets finally started their full rebellion.

That is to say, during these eighteen years, the puppets were still maintaining the order of Heaven.

But...

Could he really open the jade box in front of these puppets?

"Why didn’t you open it?" Wu Xiaode asked with a smile.

"The Heavenly Venerate set up numerous prohibitions; only the true person from the future can open the jade box, we are not qualified," the puppet responded.

—So only I can open it, huh.

"Don’t hesitate," the puppet continued, "Once the jade box is opened, all the information will no longer be hidden from us, and we will join you in protecting the Heavenly Venerate!"

Wu Xiaode smiled faintly.

This was indeed troublesome.

If they knew that the Queen Mother of the West was the future Shen Xiyao—

Would they let her go?

Impossible!

But with these puppets looking fiercely, what would be his fate if he did not open it?

If he opened it, how could he evade them?

Wu Xiaode’s mind raced, and suddenly, he touched the jade box with the Holy Treasure Ring on his finger and stashed it away, then immediately grasped the Desert Sword.

"Sorry—you know, I am a mortal, and mortals have urgent needs. I guess the Heaven Palace should also have a restroom, please let me go to the restroom first, then we can open this box," he explained to the crowd of puppets.

Dead silence.

The puppets gazed at Wu Xiaode with a spine-chilling look.

Wu Xiaode was unconcerned.

"The Heaven Palace has no restrooms," one of the puppets said.

"Then I’m terribly sorry... let me go to the restroom, and then we can look at what’s inside,"

Wu Xiaode sighed and immediately activated the power of the wristwatch.

In a flash.

With a "whoosh," he disappeared from the gaze of the numerous puppets.

The future.

In the deepest part of the Demon God’s underground palace.

Within a secret passage, the figure of Wu Xiaode quietly appeared.

"Damn, those puppets are really creepy..."

He murmured anxiously.

—This is the era of the future.

If you are really capable, come to this era and join me to view the information about the reincarnation of the Queen Mother of the West.

Wu Xiaode waited for a few moments.

No puppet appeared.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly remembered that this secret passage had infinite power and was actually not safe!

Wu Xiaode was about to leave when he noticed that the runes on the surrounding walls began to flow slowly.

Different from the fear he had felt before—

This time, the dense runes seemed to release some kind of invisible power, forming a circle of light around Wu Xiaode.

Three lines of ice crystal characters appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"You have sealed the prisoner’s avatar here."

"You have been recognized by the prison as a valuable co-defender and protector."

"From now on, the prison will not attack you actively but will even provide you with some protection and convenience."

Wu Xiaode was taken aback.

So it seems...

This terrifying place has now become the safest place for him.

What was he waiting for?

He glanced at the wristwatch named "A Hand That Covers the Sky"—

Now that he knew who the owner of the wristwatch was, he no longer thought the name was overly arrogant.

He noticed that the only pointer on the dial was beginning to tremble slightly.

It seemed it could jump from "Safe" to "Danger" at any moment.

—She had just been born; what danger could there be?

There was no time to think.

Wu Xiaode took out the jade box from the Holy Treasure Ring and gently opened it.

Inside was a jade token inscribed with a line of script:

"Daoist Temple on Wutong Mountain, Jiangdong County, Dongsheng Country, temple master seal."

As Wu Xiaode studied it, the wristwatch vibrated suddenly, the pointer jumping from "Safe" to "Danger."

A line of ice crystal characters emerged in the Void:

"With this jade token, you can specify the teleportation location as: Daoist Temple on Wutong Mountain, Jiangdong County, Dongsheng Country."

Following that.

The jade token and the wristwatch vibrated together, emitting a faint humming sound.

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment and understood.

—This was urging him to protect her.

"Let’s go,"

he said to the wristwatch.

The next instant.

His figure vanished from this secret passage and once again traveled back to a past era.

...

Dongsheng Country, Jiangdong County, Wutong Mountain.

There was a Taoist temple on the mountain.

In the dark of night, the temple was pitch black, devoid of any light, resembling a haunted house.

The place had been in disrepair for many years, almost devoid of human presence.

Wu Xiaode stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock—boom!

The door fell straight down, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Wuxiaode froze in place.

This was embarrassing.

Was there really no one here?

He took a deep breath and shouted, "Hey, is anyone there?"

A lamp lit up in the depths of the Taoist temple.

An elderly man with white hair wearing a Taoist robe came hobbling over.

His face covered in wrinkles, he slowly approached Wu Xiaode and bowed, asking,

"Who might you be, sir?"

"Taoist priest, you can call me Little Wu."

"The mountain temple has long been dilapidated, no longer receiving incense or having a lineage to pass down. What brings you here, sir?"

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment, then took out the token and displayed it before the old Taoist.

A spark of keenness flashed in the Taoist’s eyes as he bowed again and said, "Please follow me."

He turned and walked away.

Wu Xiaode immediately followed.

The two, one in front of the other, passed through the halls and headed straight to the rear courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was a peach tree, and aside from the tree, the ground was covered with overgrown weeds, reaching halfway up a man’s height, with noises occasionally emanating from deep within the weeds.

If Wu Xiaode had to guess, he would probably have guessed that those noises were from snakes or such creatures.

The old Taoist walked up to the peach tree, turned around, and said to Wu Xiaode,

"Please do not move."

"Huh?" Wu Xiaode became alert.

What do you mean by do not move?

What are you doing?

Then, the old Taoist hung the lamp on the peach tree and took out a cellphone from his pocket, switched to night mode, and aimed it at Wu Xiaode.

Wu Xiaode hesitated and said, "What are you doing—"

"Taking a photo—identity registration photo. Nowadays, facial recognition is prevalent; big data can easily spot a person without facial data, and that immediately alerts the police."

The old Taoist aimed at him and pressed the shutter button.

Wu Xiaode spread his hands and said, "But if I take this photo—"

"This desolate mountain has always been without electricity, nor do I accept disciples or incense. It’s all for today."

"How so?"

"Everyone around the mountain knows the condition of the temple up here. The neighborhood committee and the religious affairs office have come up several times asking about the number of people here, even wanting to register facial information, and I’ve all duped them by feigning ignorance."

"So now—"

"Since you’re already here, it’s just the right time to register, allowing you to acquire a normal person’s legal identity."

The old Taoist took a few photos, allowing Wu Xiaode to see them.

Wu Xiaode picked one that he thought was quite handsome and pointed it out to the old Taoist.

The old Taoist then uploaded it.

Immediately after, he retrieved a set of Taoist robes from the tree and handed them to Wu Xiaode, saying,

"Don’t mind it; it’s been washed and sunned for a whole day. It’s perfectly fine to wear."

"I don’t really mind."

Wu Xiaode changed into the robes and then glanced at his watch.

His watch kept vibrating incessantly.

The pointer still pointed at the "danger," and "danger" continuously magnified, even beginning to morph into red.

"How am I supposed to find her?" Wu Xiaode asked.

The old Taoist leaned against the peach tree, sat down cross-legged, and formed a hand-seal, saying,

"When the abnormality occurs, you will naturally know."

His entire skin and muscles started to wither.

"What’s happening to you?"

Wu Xiaode hurried forward, ready to fetch something from the Holy Treasure Ring to heal him.

—The other party’s life force was rapidly declining.

"No need to panic or save me. I have completed the task Heavenly Venerate entrusted to me, and it is now time for me to enter eternal silence, to avoid leaking any information," the old Taoist said.

"Why go to such lengths?" Wu Xiaode asked, puzzled.

"Queen Mother is the Lord of Ten Thousand Immortals, master of heaven and earth, mover of mountains and oceans, supporter of saints, founder of Heaven Palace. As long as she is safe, even through those hundred thousand hardships, all beings still have hope,"

"Compared to this, what is the life of a trivial Daoist like me?"

After speaking, the old Taoist closed his eyes and no longer moved.

His breathing stopped.

Wu Xiaode quietly stood there, looking at this Taoist he had never met before, and suddenly sighed,

"If the Epoch were ever redefined, you would surely be the first person on the Investiture of the Gods."

He respectfully performed a ceremonial bow, then sat down next to the old Taoist, quietly waiting.

The other party had said that when the anomaly occurred, he would naturally know.

Yet he had no idea what the anomaly might be.

Suddenly.

A faint woody fragrance wafted through the night air.

This was...

Floral scent.

Wu Xiaode felt a sensation and looked up.

He saw the peach tree behind him blooming with a full tree of peach blossoms, the fragrance coming from the tree.

These peach blossoms seemed to be no ordinary blossoms, as they all emitted a multicolored divine light toward the sky.

Wu Xiaode suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "No, too ostentatious!"

Before the words fell,

In an instant, all the peach blossoms withered away.

Something fell from the peach tree.

Wu Xiaode caught it and saw it was a bright red peach.

Two lines of ice crystal small text rapidly appeared:

"You have obtained a hundred-year pan peach."

"Consumption will break through your current realm."

"In addition, the Merit for protecting Heavenly Venerate today has been issued in advance."

"Current Merit: 1."

Wu Xiaode was at a loss for words.

I haven’t even seen her face, and she’s sent me a pan peach and even gifted Merit?

Very generous of the boss.

But where is the reincarnated Queen Mother of the West? Why haven’t I seen her yet?

Suddenly.

A hurried voice came from far away at the entrance of the Taoist temple:

"Is anyone here?"