Creation of the Universe

Shen Zhan sensed something was wrong, so he hurriedly followed. He brought Chu Qiu and Zhao Tiange into the courtyard one after another.

At this time, in a corner of the yard, there was an old Taoist priest wearing a tattered Taoist robe, with his hair tied in a bun, and a few strands of hair hanging casually in front of his forehead. He looked down and out, and unkempt.

In front of the old Taoist priest, there was an iron pot with firewood burning underneath, but no one knew what was cooking in the pot.

All the fish, meat and fresh vegetables in the world will naturally emit their unique aroma after being cooked thoroughly. However, Shen Zhan could not smell any food-related smell, which was really strange.

Chu Qiu walked over to Meng Zhong and said, "You were so anxious just now, but now you're just standing there in a daze. What are you thinking about?"

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhong replied with a struggling expression, "Do you think I want to stand still?"

When the two looked at each other, Chu Qiu suddenly realized that it was not that Meng Zhong did not want to act, but that he could not move at all.

Looking at the unremarkable old Taoist priest again, Chu Qiu felt a chill down his spine. He couldn't be fooled by this man's appearance. He was very dangerous!

Shen Zhan gave Zhao Tiange a look, and the latter naturally understood his intention and slowly retreated to the outside of the bamboo fence of the courtyard.

"You're late. Do you want to know what's cooking in this pot?"

The old Taoist priest asked in a hoarse and distorted voice.

Shen Zhan frowned. The voice was obviously unnatural. He guessed that the old Taoist's throat had been severely damaged, which made the voice so rough and awkward.

"We are here specifically for the Ten Thousand Years Longevity Root. Name your price."

Shen Zhan went straight to the point and was unwilling to deal with the old Taoist priest too much.

"Hahaha......"

The old Taoist priest put a wooden spoon into the iron pot, scooped a spoonful of soup into his mouth and savored it carefully.

He smacked his lips and said, "The soup made from this thousand-year-old celery root is so different! It's so delicious it's jaw-dropping!"

"Tsk tsk..."

Could it be that what is cooked in this iron pot is really the eternal root?

Shen Zhan and others were stunned, but after thinking about it carefully, they felt that this was simply impossible. How could there be someone in the world who would squander resources and do such a ridiculous thing?

Didn't this old Taoist priest go to so much trouble to travel to Yingtian City just to sell the Thousand-Year Longevity Root for a good price?

Shen Zhan said loudly, "Don't joke around. If you're sincere about selling, I'm sincere about buying. The price is negotiable."

"I don't have anything to sell you. If you want to ask for some soup from me, I won't be stingy."

After saying that, the old Taoist priest buried his head and gulped down the soup. Until now, he still didn't understand what was cooking in his iron pot.

"You old fool, you don't accept my toast, but you'll have to drink the wine for punishment. Do you think you can trap me with such a trivial trick?"

Meng Zhong suddenly straightened his body and exerted all his strength. A rope like a spirit snake appeared faintly and was wrapped around him. This rope was completely made of spiritual power and could not be easily broken free.

Even though Meng Zhong's arms were bulging with veins and his face turned red from trying so hard, he still couldn't break free. As long as the rope was still on him, he couldn't move an inch.

At this moment, Shen Zhan suddenly remembered something. This method seemed familiar to him.

After thinking quickly in his mind, he came to a conclusion that surprised him very much. It turned out that the old Taoist priest in front of him was an old acquaintance.

"If we don't agree on the subject, then we'll be offended."

Shen Zhan drew out the Liuyun Sword and slashed directly at the old Taoist priest. His movements were very fast, but the latter's reaction was equally unexpected.

The old Taoist priest was holding a spoon in his hand. He seemed to be stumbling and barely avoiding the edge of the Liuyun Sword, but in fact he was doing it with ease. Not a drop of soup in the spoon spilled out.

"Oh, be careful, the soup is precious, don't waste a drop."

Shen Zhan didn't care about that and quickly stabbed out three more swords, but the old Taoist priest dodged them leisurely as well, although on the surface it seemed that he was still lucky.

But in Shen Zhan's opinion, this old Taoist priest can always make predictions before him. This ability cannot be explained simply by strength.

"If you continue to be so ungrateful, I will be angry."

The old Taoist drank up the soup in the spoon and threw it into the iron pot.

At this time, Shen Zhan put away the Liuyun Sword and said in a deep voice: "Zhu Xiuyuan, you are not dead."

The old Taoist stared at Shen Zhan for a long time before breaking the silence. "No one has called me by this name for a long time. Aren't you still alive?"

The two exchanged glances, and both had some special feelings about each other's appearance. It was not happiness, but some relief, but more of hostility.

In the past, the seven princes of the Tiande Dynasty were in great glory. Shen Zhan was ranked first at a young age, while another person was known as an unparalleled national talent and was closest to Shen Zhan in strength. He was Zhu Xiuyuan in front of him.

"I never thought that the person who survived in the end would be you."

This sentence shows that the relationship between Shen Zhan and Zhu Xiuyuan is not harmonious, and there is even a sense of contempt for him in it.

Zhu Xiuyuan seemed to have long been accustomed to Shen Zhan's attitude towards him, and was lost in his own memories...

"Three hundred years ago, the imperial court suddenly announced that General Shen Yi, the leader of the Seven Great Lords, had died suddenly. The entire nation was shocked. I was far away in my fiefdom, and I guessed the news the moment I got it. You didn't die suddenly, but rather because your achievements had overwhelmed the emperor, and you ultimately died from your own arrogance and pride.

At first I thought this was just the court's punishment for you, but unexpectedly, in just six months, four of the seven great princes suffered the same fate. A year later, two more military marquises died, and I was the one who held out the longest among you."

When he said this, Zhu Xiuyuan glanced at Shen Zhan with a bit of arrogance, emphasizing that he was smarter and wiser than Shen Zhan.

"So, you are indeed lucky enough."

"Humph, this isn't luck at all, it's preparation for a rainy day!"

Zhu Xiuyuan roared, "I gambled everything and escaped the pursuit, and have been surviving until now. I never thought that today, I would find out that you, a bastard, have been reborn as a human. Although your aura and appearance have changed, I recognize your eyes!

"These arrogant eyes, I wish I could find an opportunity to dig out each eyeball and swallow them whole!"

Although both of them had experienced the catastrophe three hundred years ago, and were now the only two of the seven great princes still alive, they should have a common enemy, but the hostility between them had not diminished in the slightest.

Shen Zhan said to Zhu Xiuyuan, "Give me the Ten Thousand Years Longevity Root, and these eyeballs will be yours."