Rebirth of a Quasi-Immortal Spirit

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and quite a few things happened. First, Ah Zhong completed his evolution and has awakened. Second, Lady Zhu successfully refined her former natal magic weapon again. Third, Lady Zhu successfully used her natal magic weapon to pass the tribulation for advancing to the Integration Stage. Moreover, due to the tempering of the tribulation, her natal magic weapon has changed from a mid-grade immortal artifact to a high-grade immortal artifact. With such an advanced magic weapon, it is only a matter of time before it becomes a divine artifact.

Of course, Gao Zhun's month wasn't entirely fruitless. Having spent so much time with Gao Ling, day and night, he had gained a better understanding of the little girl's habits. Unlike other babies who cried easily, Gao Ling wouldn't shed tears even when hungry or needing to relieve herself. Instead, she would try to let her caregivers know in her own way. After a few days, Gao Zhun knew exactly what to do with Gao Ling's slightest gestures. At the same time, Gao Zhun also discovered that Gao Ling had a particular fondness for the milk of demonic beasts. Moreover, whenever she drank that milk, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy would emanate from her body. This didn't mean that little Gao Ling had spontaneously begun cultivating; there were no fluctuations of spiritual energy in her meridians. This energy seemed to be a manifestation of Gao Ling digesting the milk.

Gao Zhun, who knew nothing about chaotic spirits, had no idea whether this was a normal phenomenon. However, seeing that Gao Ling was not affected by it, he let it be.

Reluctantly entrusting Gao Ling to Madam Zhu, Gao Zhun then took Ah Zhong to the Mingyu Pavilion, where the Gao family received various missions. The pavilion was crowded with people, but most of them were in the queues for those going out to train. Gao Zhun did not have any intention of going out at the moment, so she and Ah Zhong went to the secret realm mission area where there were few people in line to receive a family secret realm mission suitable for her cultivation level.

Although there weren't many people in line, it still took more than a dozen people before it was Gao Zhun's turn. As soon as he arrived in front of the Gao family member who worked there, the other party handed him a jade slip containing introductions to many of the Gao family's internal trial realms. After probing with his divine sense for a while, Gao Zhun chose a small trial realm. The trial required two people and lasted for ten days. After ten days, regardless of the outcome, they would be teleported out by the laws within. After receiving the task, they would receive something similar to a wristwatch. It was a small instrument that could score the trial participants based on their performance and completion rate in the realm. When submitting the task, the final score would be determined based on that score.

"This is it." As soon as he finished speaking, the information about the small trial realm was brought up on the jade slip. Gao Zhun turned to Ah Zhong beside him and asked, "What do you think?"

Ah Zhong, without glancing to the side, calmly replied, "I will obey your orders, Master."

Seeing that Ah Zhong had no objection, Gao Zhun directly approved the task to the Gao family member in charge of the secret realm trial. The Gao family member looked up and glanced at Gao Zhun, and sure enough, he was a stranger. No wonder he chose this secret realm. However, he was only responsible for registering and distributing some necessary items for the task. The rest was none of his business.

After Gao Zhun and Ah Zhong left, the people sitting at the next table seemed to notice something was amiss and came over with a gossipy expression, asking, "Judging from your expression, did someone else choose that mission again?"

Upon hearing this, the person in charge of the secret realm trial nodded and said, "Another fool who is greedy for the high score reward of this secret realm. He doesn't even think about how the score reward of this small two-person secret realm for Nascent Soul stage can compare with those large secret realms. It is obviously a task that is extremely difficult to obtain a completion rating for."

"Hehe, maybe this person can complete the task more efficiently and get a substantial reward."

The person was just saying it casually and didn't take it to heart. Little did they expect that their casual joke, which even had a hint of sarcasm, would actually become a reality.

It wasn't until Ah Zhong followed Gao Zhun to the location indicated on the mission scroll and carefully studied his copy that he finally understood its meaning. He asked, puzzled, "Master, don't you think this mission is strange?"

"It is quite strange, which is why I wanted to go and take a look." Gao Zhun did not shy away from his original intention for choosing this mission, and said frankly: "Anyway, first of all, this is a secret realm with a certain story as its background framework, which gives people the feeling that the plot is very deep. Moreover, the time is short, only ten days. Secondly, the points reward is high. If I am lucky enough to clear it, that would be the best. If I can't clear it, it's just a waste of ten days, which I can afford to spend."

"..." Ah Zhong secretly glanced at Gao Zhun and felt that with her smug look, she was not prepared to have gained nothing in ten days. Well, he had already agreed, so he might as well accompany Gao Zhun.

Thinking this through, Gao Zhun and Ah Zhong each checked the mission items in their storage rings and then examined the wristwatch-like devices on their wrists to make sure they were functioning properly before setting off to the center of the teleportation array, waiting for it to transport them to the secret realm.

As soon as they stepped out of the secret realm, Gao Zhun and A Zhong's expressions changed. They hurriedly checked their storage rings and found that they couldn't open them. What a rip-off! They were given a bunch of quest items, but in the end, they were teleported to a secret realm where they couldn't use spiritual power. So what's the use of those things if they can't be used?

Gao Zhun turned his head away from Ah Zhong's resentful gaze and said, "I don't know the situation here either. The contents of our mission scrolls are exactly the same, and there is no mention in them that this secret realm will seal the cultivation of those who enter. However, since the secret realm is set up like this, it should be the kind that has nothing to do with fighting monsters and clearing levels. It follows the storyline. As long as we pay attention, it doesn't matter if we lose our cultivation. We can still complete the mission."

When Gao Zhun said that, Ah Zhong also felt that it made sense. It was rare that the two of them were not frustrated by not being able to use their power as cultivators. After all, one of them was reborn from Earth, and the other had his cultivation sealed and spent thirty years in prison. Not being able to cultivate was not so difficult for them to accept, and they adapted to the current situation in no time.

"However, I always feel that the air here is a bit polluted. I wonder if it's because there's no spiritual energy here at all," Ah Zhong said as he looked around.

Gao Zhun and A Zhong were teleported to a desolate mountain by the teleportation array. Upon seeing the jagged rocks and the only tenacious weeds and shrubs growing there, Gao Zhun inwardly cursed, instinctively feeling a clash with the teleportation array. Both times, she had been immediately transported to a godforsaken wilderness, and this time it was even worse, directly to a barren mountain range entirely composed of stone. She could only console herself that being teleported to such a barren place was for the best; at least she wouldn't have to face any monsters. After all, although her movement techniques were still intact, she and A Zhong were now like martial arts practitioners in the mortal realm—a mere Qi Refining stage monster could probably take them both down and devour them. After this period of musing, Gao Zhun finally felt much of her frustration dissipate, and she and A Zhong split up to see if there were any villages or settlements nearby. After all, to complete a secret realm with such a story background, they needed to encounter people to trigger the quest.

However, Gao Zhun had a strange feeling. She felt a strange sense of familiarity with this place, but that shouldn't be the case. She had never been anywhere in her life except for the Gao family home and Yongcheng. So, could it be from her past life...?

Thinking of this, Gao Zhun's heart skipped a beat. He thought it was impossible. The mission scroll explained that this secret realm was created by the ancestors of the Gao family. The Gao family belonged to the Immortal Spirit Continent and belonged to the Immortal Civilization. How could they create a secret realm of mechanical civilization similar to Earth? She must be overthinking it.

Just as Gao Zhun was silently trying to calm himself down, Ah Zhong's voice suddenly came: "Master, we've made a discovery."

Suppressing her unrealistic thoughts, Gao Zhun followed the sound to Ah Zhong's side. Sure enough, she saw two people dragging someone into a corner with a sack tied to their body. Gao Zhun recognized the two men's clothes and faces even if they were reduced to ashes; they were the two kidnappers who had abducted her back on Earth. As for the person in the sack, Gao Zhun's gaze fell on the feet sticking out of the sack's opening, and the shoes they were wearing were the same ones she had worn back then.

Suddenly, Gao Zhun's breathing became heavy. What was this? Was it a case reconstruction?

"Master, those two seem to be villains, about to kill us to silence us!" Ah Zhong exclaimed. "But why are their clothes so strange? Their sleeves are only half-length, and their legs are exposed. Look, they've brought that woman out and are about to attack. But the woman is wearing even less clothing, and she doesn't look like a respectable woman. Master, should we intervene to rescue her?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhun glared at Ah Zhong. Who doesn't look like a respectable woman? What's wrong with her wearing a short skirt in the middle of summer? Aren't those two men wearing beach shorts too?

Wait a minute, Gao Zhun finally realized something was wrong, especially when she saw that familiar face she had seen for almost twenty years. Her breath almost stopped. Could someone tell her why this secret realm had brought her back to Earth, and why she had so tragically encountered her former self before she was killed? But now wasn't the time to think about it. The two men had already pulled out a fruit knife—the very thing that had severed her carotid artery, allowing her to be reborn into her current body. Although she didn't know if saving her back then would have any impact on her now, she knew the despair she had felt then, and now that she had the power, she naturally had to act. (166 Reading Network)