The boy in white waved his hands, and three coins along with a tortoiseshell fell from his sleeve.
He placed the tortoiseshell on the ground and arranged the three coins pointing in different directions.
Then he sat cross-legged, and a misty aura began to spread from around him.
The three coins started spinning rapidly.
As they spun, the coins, which were originally shiny and new, began to change. It was as if time reversed, and they became ancient coins.
When they reached a certain point, there was a loud crack, all three coins shattered.
Cracks also appeared on the tortoiseshell.
The boy in white coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was bright red with a purplish hue, like a blooming rose. His white robe was stained with blood spots.
He looked up at Xu Zimo and asked, “Who exactly are you?”
“Aren’t you the one who can tell?” Xu Zimo replied.
“You don’t exist. You’re not part of this world,” the boy said, shaking his head.
“Not being able to read my fate is one thing, but how can I not exist? I’m standing right in front of you,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.
“You’re from the Heaven-Jade Tower, aren’t you?”
“How do you know that?” the boy asked in surprise.
“I’ve seen Ancestor Word-King from your Heaven-Jade Tower before,” Xu Zimo said.
In his past life, during a major assembly held by the True Martial Sacred Ground, Ancestor Word-King had attended on behalf of Heaven-Jade Tower. That was when Xu Zimo first learned of the Heaven-Jade Tower.
Now, seeing the boy’s fortune-telling techniques reminded him of that elder.
Back then, the elder had warned him that past lives and dreams were meaningless, but as the heir of True Martial Sacred Ground, Xu Zimo hadn’t taken the words seriously.
……
Heaven-Jade Tower was a very mysterious group. When it came to predicting fate or disasters, most people thought of the Celestial Secrets Valley first.
But few knew that there was an even more secretive organization, Heaven-Jade Tower.
Those who knew of Heaven-Jade Tower understood that its members were all ordinary people. They had no cultivation and couldn't open their meridians.
Yet few dared to harm them.
It was said that they were connected to the Heavenly Dao and acted as its messengers in the mortal world.
Whoever killed a member of Heaven-Jade Tower would suffer divine retribution.
Of course, this was just a rumor, no one knew if it was true.
“So you’ve met Ancestor Word-King. I guess my skills aren’t good enough yet, which is why I couldn’t read your origin,” the boy in white said, shaking his head.
“We only met once. That’s all. I won’t keep you. Until next time,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile and headed back to Old Master Pi’s house.
As he watched Xu Zimo leave, the boy in white wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and began untying the others.
“Even Little Yi has someone he can’t read?” the girl in the white dress joked.
“There are too many capable people in this world. He’s not the only one I can’t read,” the boy said, shaking his head.
……
After leaving Cosmic Sect, Xu Zimo quickly returned to Void Town.
Right now, he was practically at the top of the world. With his God Meridian cultivation, he was among the strongest in this era, where no true ancestors walked the earth.
To him, the once-feared Cosmic Sect was no more threatening than ants.
Dusk was falling.
The last light of the day stretched across the sky. Leaves drifted in the wind.
Some who returned from Void Valley were happy, others filled with sorrow. Results and survival varied.
When Xu Zimo entered the courtyard again, he saw Old Master Pi sitting in a rocking chair, eyes closed in rest.
Xu Zimo casually tossed the black-robed man’s head to him.
Old Master Pi slowly opened his eyes and was stunned.
He stared at the head on the ground in silence for a long time. His voice choked as he said, “You really killed him?”
“Isn’t the head right in front of you?” Xu Zimo replied. “Can we talk now?”
The old man didn’t say anything. He hunched over, picked up the head, and walked toward the back of the courtyard.
Xu Zimo followed him through a cool, shaded corridor and into the backyard.
It was very clean. In front were two earthen graves.
Several cypress trees were planted nearby. A wooden plaque marked the grave.
It read: “Grave of my son, Pi Yunlei.”
Xu Zimo didn’t interrupt. The old man placed the head in front of the grave and sat in silence for a long time. Tears streamed down his face.
Eventually, he stood up, walking back to the front yard as he asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Besides Void Trees and Void Beasts, have you ever seen any other living creatures in Void Valley?” Xu Zimo asked.
“What do you mean?” the old man asked, puzzled.
“I’m looking for a creature called the Void Spirit Monkey,” Xu Zimo said.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, nor heard of others seeing it,” Old Master Pi replied. “But if you’re looking for a monkey, there might be something that could help.”
He led Xu Zimo into a back room and searched through a cabinet.
After a while, he pulled out an iron box.
Though it had been well preserved, it still showed signs of rust and age.
He struggled to open the box.
The moment the lid opened, a golden light shot into the sky.
Thankfully, Xu Zimo reacted quickly, sealing the surroundings to keep the light from attracting attention.
The whole room lit up with dazzling brilliance.
“Even after hundreds of years, it’s still this radiant,” the old man sighed.
Inside the golden light was a small monkey statue.
It was tiny, but the golden glow was intense, and the craftsmanship made it look lifelike.
When Xu Zimo looked at it, he felt as if the statue had come to life, like a real monkey jumping in front of him.
It seemed to sense the heavens and earth, move through the void, and shift stars, capable of bypassing any seal in the world.
Xu Zimo didn’t know why, but the statue gave him this powerful illusion.
Then, when he blinked, the illusion disappeared, leaving only the glowing statue.
“What is this?” Xu Zimo asked in surprise.
“I’ve never seen any other creatures, but when I was young, I once got lost in Void Valley,” the old man said. “I wandered into a valley and heard strange sounds. When I rushed over, there was nothing there, just this little monkey statue left on the ground.”