Creation of the Universe

"I am Xuanzong Xu Qingzhao, and I am here to greet Master Shen."

An old Taoist priest in white clothes with kind eyes and benevolent brows appeared in front of the courtyard. When he saw Shen Zhan, he bowed slightly, then turned sideways and motioned Shen Zhan to go into the pavilion and take a seat.

Shen Zhan, holding a white fox in his arms, said in a deep voice, "Master, since you guessed I would come to visit, you must know something about my situation. My friend is dying, so I'll just be frank. Please forgive me if I'm being unreasonable."

Xu Qingzhao took a look and asked Shen Zhan with a smile, "Master Shen, is your friend a demon?"

"Yes, I met her in the Bloody Wilderness. It was destined that we would die. I couldn't bear to see her die without saving her."

"Then do you know that saving her life would come at a great cost? The Shangxuan Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect, a leader among the heroes. Why would they sully their own family to save a demon fox?"

Shen Zhan replied, "Whether he's a demon or not doesn't matter to me. I have friends who are also demons. They are loyal to me and share my joys and sorrows. I will never hold a grudge against him just because he's a demon."

After hearing what Shen Zhan said, Xu Qingzhao nodded, then raised her hand to signal the Taoist boy standing in front of the moon cave gate. The latter took the order and left in a hurry.

"Mr. Shen, your friend will definitely not die on Zhenwu Mountain today. I can guarantee this to you."

Xu Qingzhao gently turned the whisk in her hand, and a pure spiritual power surrounded Su Yu's body. Even Shen Zhan suddenly felt a burst of warmth.

A person's spiritual power often reflects his or her true inner state of mind, and Xu Qingzhao's spiritual power is gentle and pure, like a warm spring breeze, making people feel extremely calm.

This showed that he had already practiced the art of unity between man and nature to a very high level, and Shen Zhan was not particularly surprised. As the current leader of Shangxuan Sect, it was natural for him to have such a level of cultivation.

After a while, the Taoist boy held a palm-sized wooden box in both hands and handed it to Xu Qingzhao.

Xu Qingzhao said, "The Xuanqing Pill is here, you can use it anytime."

Xu Qingzhao actually gave such a precious Xuanqing Pill as soon as she said so. Her easy-going nature actually made Shen Zhan a little worried.

He asked, "What do you want me to give you in exchange?"

"Mr. Shen has misunderstood. This is not my intention."

Xu Qingzhao spoke in a relaxed and sincere manner, so Shen Zhan could not see any signs of lying in him. Moreover, if he was determined not to take out the Xuanqing Pill, why not just refuse it outright? Why bother with all this unnecessary effort?

After seeing Shen Zhan's suspicious expression, Xu Qingzhao said, "Xuanqing Pills are considered sacred objects in the eyes of the world. My ancestor of the Xuan Sect once refined five pills, and successive leaders have refined three more intermittently. Today, I still have two left. Logically, I would not give them away easily.

But rather than saying that our Shangxuan Sect is generous, it's better to say that we are repaying a favor. Compared with what your mother once did for Shangxuan Sect, a mere Xuanqing Pill is nothing to mention."

Shen Zhan was finally shocked by Xu Qingzhao's words.

The Prime Minister suggested in the letter that if one wanted to find out about the original body's biological mother, one had to go to Zhenwu Mountain. On the way, he also wondered whether it might be related to Shang Xuanzong.

Unexpectedly, the original body's biological mother actually did a favor to Shang Xuanzong, so that the leader treated him so politely and considerately. So, thinking about it, how great a favor must it be for Shang Xuanzong to be grateful to her until now?

Countless thoughts emerged in Shen Zhan's mind, and for a moment he didn't know where to start.

Xu Qingzhao said, "I know you have a lot to ask, but it's a long story. Why don't you give the Xuanqing Pill to your friend first, and then we can sit down and talk in detail."

Shen Zhan didn't hesitate any longer, took the Xuanqing Pill and stuffed it into Su Yu's mouth.

This Xuanqing Pill is a masterpiece that embodies countless efforts of Taoists. At this moment, it is repairing Su Yu's broken inner pill with its subtle power.

Shen Zhan carried Su Yu to a stone bench nearby and let her slowly absorb the power of the Xuanqing Pill and recover on her own.

Then, he couldn't wait for Xu Qingzhao to tell him the truth. What was the identity of his original body's biological mother? How could she have the ability to make the arrogant Shang Xuanzong owe him such a huge favor?

Xu Qingzhao pondered for a moment and then said, "Mr. Shen, your mother's surname is Bai. I was not in a position to ask her exact name at the time, so I don't know it.

That was twenty-five years ago, when the Shangxuan Sect was experiencing a century-long catastrophe. At that time, a certain demon sect mobilized all its forces to attack the mountain gate, intending to completely wipe out the Shangxuan Sect from this world.

Although we fought desperately, we fell into the enemy's trap and more than half of our men were killed or wounded. If there had been no turning point, rivers of blood would have flowed and our entire family would have been slaughtered."

Recalling that bloody storm, Xu Qingzhao's lips trembled slightly and her eyes were filled with tears, as if she was mourning her fellow sect members who died in that catastrophe.

After calming down for a while, Xu Qingzhao continued, "The sect's life was hanging by a thread, and the only ones left with the strength to resist were me and a few fellow disciples. We were all determined to live and die with the Shangxuan Sect. It was at that critical moment that your mother suddenly appeared between the two formations.

At that time, our Shangxuan Sect had no interaction with her, but she broke into the Demon Sect's formation alone, forced the other party to retreat with just a few words, and the Shangxuan Sect was able to survive.

Afterwards, your mother never mentioned how she had driven the Demon Sect back. The only thing she asked of us was that if her child ever came to Zhenwu Mountain, we must give them our full support."

After Xu Qingzhao finished speaking, she summoned a piece of white fluff from her palm and handed it to Shen Zhan.

"This is?"

"This is the only proof your mother left of having been to Zhenwu Mountain. I later verified that it was the down feathers of some spiritual beast. However, I have never seen your mother since then, nor have I encountered a spiritual beast with such down feathers."

Shen Zhan accepted the feather and thanked him, but he felt extremely heavy in his heart.

He came to Zhenwu Mountain to search for the truth, but he didn't expect that while revealing some of the answers, many questions would follow one after another.

"Master, can I stay here temporarily? Firstly, my friend needs to rest, and secondly, I also want to walk around and hope to find some more clues related to my mother."

Xu Qingzhao nodded. "Of course, you can stay as long as you like. In the future, you can come and go freely in Shangxuan Sect without being restricted by any sect rules. If you need any help, just come to me."

After saying that, Xu Qingzhao left first and instructed the sect disciples to vacate this courtyard specifically for Shen Zhan to live in. She also emphasized that it must be cleaned, which shows how much importance she attaches to it.