Chapter 27: I Have Always Lived in Their Shadow

“When can we finally get out of here!”

A long sigh, expressing all the bitterness.

Obtaining an Imperial Weapon should clearly be a joyous occasion, so why had it turned into this?

The two had not been staying here for long, but the critical issue was the lack of any hope for escape.

Ye Fan looked at Qin Sheng, who was still practicing earnestly with a massive momentum, as if he could swallow the heavens and the earth.

Having been with Qin Sheng all this time, Ye Fan couldn't help but wonder what kind of ancient scripture Qin Sheng was practicing; it was simply too terrifying.

Sometimes, when facing Qin Sheng, Ye Fan's divine sense would palpitate and his heart would run cold, as if he were accompanied by a predatory beast ready to devour humans.

That strange sensation seemed to be warning Ye Fan of something.

In fact, by today, Ye Fan already had a premonition in his heart.

Qin Sheng had likely embarked upon a terrifying path that was different from everyone else.

At a certain moment, a grand chanting sound emanated from within Qin Sheng's body, and even Ye Fan could hear those faint, ethereal Dao sounds.

It was as if ancient ancestors were performing sacrifices to deities, or as if the eternal Heavenly Dao was warning the world.

Ye Fan clicked his tongue in amazement. Had he made another breakthrough?

A moment later, Qin Sheng opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils like abysses that could swallow one's soul.

"You've broken through again?" Ye Fan couldn't help but ask.

"It's not exactly a breakthrough."

Qin Sheng shook his head. "When we arrived here, I had just entered the fifth heaven of the Dao Palace. Now, I have reached perfection."

"With a little preparation, I can attempt to cross the barrier and ascend to the Four Poles Secret Realm."

Ye Fan felt depressed. "I'm still in the Sea of Wheel Secret Realm."

"Your time to soar to the heavens will come soon," Qin Sheng smiled.

"I am a mortal body and require fewer resources; you are different."

"Furthermore, once you reach the Four Poles Secret Realm, you will need to comprehend heaven and earth and come into contact with Laws to continue advancing. Pure Source Stones will no longer be useful."

"By then, it won't be a problem for you to overtake those who came before. As I said, the future is yours!"

"I always feel like you're fooling me." Ye Fan began to doubt whether the future truly belonged to him.

"This 'future' you speak of—when exactly is it coming?"

"It will come when it is meant to come."

Feeling somewhat frustrated, Ye Fan asked

"Do you want to try breaking through here? If you can enter the Four Poles Secret Realm and then activate the Heaven-Swallowing Immortal Cover, perhaps you could break out of here."

"The environment here cannot support my breakthrough," Qin Sheng shook his head.

His attempt to reach the Four Poles certainly wouldn't be as exaggerated as a Sacred Body's, requiring tens of millions of pounds of Source.

But at that moment, he indeed needed to absorb a large amount of heaven and earth essence in a short period to undergo his transformation.

The conditions here were insufficient.

"Sigh." Ye Fan sighed.

But before long, they heard another movement.

"It sounds like there's someone else?" Ye Fan was startled.

They had explored this entire space thoroughly and found nothing; how could such a change occur?

Qin Sheng listened intently. Sure enough, there were footsteps and indistinct whispers, sounding like demons or ghosts.

"Be careful."

They grew alert, watching the direction of the noise. Soon, a figure emerged from the gray mist.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerable, this Taoist master has finally made it in!"

Qin Sheng and Ye Fan exchanged a glance, and a burst of pleasant surprise erupted.

"Taoist Priest!" Ye Fan called out.

"Hahahaha!"

Qin Sheng laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist, we meet again! Fate, it truly is fate!"

"What the hell? Why am I hearing that black-hearted bastard's voice? Is there some kind of illusion here?"

The chubby Taoist stepped out of the gray mist. Seeing Qin Sheng and Ye Fan watching him eagerly, he froze completely.

Dammit, is it really an illusion? When did...

"What are you doing here?!"

"Hahaha!"

Qin Sheng laughed brilliantly. He walked up to Duan De's side and slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Fellow Daoist, since our last parting, I have missed you every single moment. To meet here now, heaven must have heard my heart's desire and arranged for our reunion."

"It's a pity you are a man of the cloth; otherwise, I would truly want to sacrifice a chicken, burn yellow paper, and become sworn brothers with you!"

"Me too!"

Ye Fan patted Duan De's other shoulder, his face stretched into a stiff smile.

"Taoist Priest, you are right. Our connection is truly predestined by heaven."

Looking at their faces, Duan De felt a sense of misery as if he had swallowed dozens of tons of flies.

"Infinite... fucking Heavenly Venerable!"

He had really run into these two pieces of bad luck again. No, why?

Duan De could not accept this.

Qin Sheng and Ye Fan... that would have been too easy to accept!

"Come, sit, Fellow Daoist. Don't be polite. Yezi and I are both your fans. Just treat this place like your home."

"Taoist Priest, how did you get in here?" Ye Fan asked with an enthusiastic attitude.

Duan De looked at the two, his teeth itching with irritation, yet he was also very curious about them.

"This Taoist master walked in, of course! What is going on with you two? How did you end up here?"

"Sigh, it's a long story. I'll keep it brief for you, Fellow Daoist."

Qin Sheng sighed. "The two of us came to explore this sacred site's ruins and accidentally stumbled in here."

Duan De: "..."

That was far too brief.

Ye Fan smiled and added some details about their experience entering. Upon hearing this, Duan De practically jumped up.

"What? You accidentally opened a stone door, rolled around in some water, and ended up here? You didn't encounter any danger at all?"

"Mhm, that's exactly how it was." Qin Sheng countered

"From what you're saying, Fellow Daoist, your way of entering was different?"

Duan De roared toward the sky in immense grief and indignation.

"I fucking traversed the Nine Dragons Sun-Devouring Grave, the Zhou Jue Yin Lands, and other lethal terrains! I was hunted by Yin soldiers and ghost troops, and my ass was bitten by a thousand-year-old zombie..."

"I fell into more than one Dao-pattern killing array and almost left my few hundred pounds of weight outside before I finally managed to get in!"

"Is it really that hard? I don't believe it."

Ye Fan was skeptical. "Taoist Priest, you aren't exaggerating, are you?"

He knew the fat man was capable, but was he *that* capable?

Ye Fan didn't believe it; did he think he was an Emperor?

Duan De wanted to vomit blood, his body trembling with rage.

"Believe it or not, you little brat!"

Duan De wailed like a ghost. "I'm not convinced! I'm truly not convinced! Why was it so easy for you to get in?"

"God damn it, is this place actually your family home or something!"

Duan De's current mood was incredibly complex.

He had gone through countless hardships and used every trick in the book to enter this treasure land. Before entering, he thought he would be the first to enjoy it.

But in the end, he discovered that this place had long been explored by others, and they had entered without exerting even a shred of effort!

After venting his madness for a while, Duan De finally calmed down slightly and asked urgently

"You've been in here for several months already. What treasures have you obtained?"

"What one sees, others share!"

The fat man's true nature remained unchanged; he was single-mindedly focused on treasures.

Qin Sheng shook his head. "It's empty here. There are no treasures to speak of."

It was obvious that the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Cover was something Duan De had obtained during his adventure.

But as for now...

Duan De jumped up in anger. "Nonsense!"

"How can a legendary Great Emperor's training ground not have treasures!"

Qin Sheng and Ye Fan looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

"A Great Emperor's training ground?"

"We don't know! We haven't seen anything!"

Hearing this, Duan De felt as if his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were all aching.

The treasures must be on these two black-hearted bastards!

Dammit, why are these two boys everywhere?

Duan De felt as if he had been living in their shadow his entire life.

(End of Chapter)