Wait a minute, where is my master?

In the center of the pond.

The elder in brown-green clothing, after a hearty laugh, scrutinized his surroundings, seeking someone who had passed the test.

His gaze briefly passed over Yaoer at the edge of the pond and lingered on Little White, who occasionally let out a bubble, and then, stroking his beard, he shook his head and shifted his gaze away.

The two little girls beside the shore, one a Magic Cultivator, fundamentally couldn't have passed his "Heavy Waterfall" test given her physical constitution.

The little girl with the gray short hair was, though, a Body Cultivator with decent physical quality and held pure Wood Attribute Spiritual Power within her body, but just that level was still not enough to pass the "Heavy Waterfall" test.

As for the Nine Death Soul Flower beneath the elder's feet in the water, he completely ignored it.

If the challenge left by the long-bearded elder was about whose poison was stronger, then the Nine Death Soul Flower would be unparalleled. However, if it was about physical constitution, perhaps even the Wood Spirit Beasts that roamed awkwardly in the outside world would be better.

"Who has successfully breached the 'Heavy Waterfall' that I laid down? Show yourselves quickly!"

The elder in the brown-green robe, stroking his long beard, looked imposing.

This was him scanning around extensively, as he had indeed failed to find someone among his remnants who seemed to have passed the test, thus he called out.

"Swoosh! Splash!"

Just as the long-bearded elder finished speaking, a commotion was heard overhead,

and he looked up only to see the "Heavy Waterfall" in the distance split apart by a golden light, and a small Taoist, dressed in a dark Taoist robe and wearing a faceless mask, flew down from above.

The elder examined the newcomer, and upon noticing the Golden spiritual power that enveloped Jin Xu, his cloudy eyes narrowed slightly, and his beard-stroking hand stiffened.

Then...

The elder in brown-green attire decisively and quickly shattered his own phantom.

After the elder shattered his phantom,

In a corner of the pond,

The Nine Death Soul Flower, which had accidentally tumbled into the water due to a dislodged rock, poked its small head out of the water, her eyes filled with shock.

That the "Heavy Waterfall" was a test left by a certain Immortal wood known only amongst the Ten-thousand-year-old Treasure Medicines within the Qingmu Secret Realm, and it was not disclosed outside.

After all, the elder himself was an ancient tree, and the heritage he left was meant for plant-like spirits, not having much effect on humans.

Furthermore, since the elder chose to leave the test in the Qingmu Secret Realm, his intention was also to find a plant-like spirit of the same lineage to pass on his teachings.

However, perhaps due to the long-bearded elder's high standards, the test he left was extremely stringent; thus, for thirty thousand years, none of the medicines in the realm had passed it.

The Ten-thousand-year-old Treasure Medicines of Qingmu Blessed Land, including even the Ba Wang Tree, which had the strongest physical body, still fell short of the elder's test standards by a step.

Who could have expected that today it would have been absurdly breezed through by a human!

The Nine Death Soul Flower was emotionally stirred.

But as it poked its head above the water, it discovered in the air only the retracing Taoist, and the phantom of the long-bearded elder who was supposed to pass on the teachings had dissipated without a trace.

"Did the elder complete passing on the legacy and dissipate so quickly?"

A strange thought popped into the small head of the Nine Death Soul Flower, just then she noticed a Cold Pond Green Fish, belly-up, floating towards her!

"Oh no!"

Caught by surprise, the Nine Death Soul Flower had forgotten about her own lethal toxicity.

With a sudden burst of strength, she darted out of the water and landed by the pond, around ten meters away from the two girls.

It was already too late, however,

as the pond within this Immortal wood's remains was now dotted with several dozens of poisoned dead Green Fish.

Upon seeing this, the Nine Death Soul Flower's small face wrinkled, and her nose started to tingle, feeling like she was about to burst into tears the next moment, tender-hearted as she was.

Elsewhere,

Jin Xu, having returned to this place from the second layer of the secret realm, somewhat bewilderedly scratched his head, falling from mid-air to the shore.

"What has happened during the brief while I was away? Who is the long-bearded old man with the green branch in his hand, and why did he shatter at the sight of me?"

The Taoist, full of questions in his eyes, walked over to the two women and asked softly.

"The long-bearded old man appeared suddenly from the pond after Young Master left. He seemed very happy when he first appeared, laughing and saying that it had been thirty thousand years, and finally someone had passed the test he left behind. He even called out in mid-air for the person who passed his test to come forth quickly. Then... after Young Master returned from the second layer of the Secret Realm, he shattered."

Yu Yaoer relayed everything she knew to Jin Xu in detail.

Meanwhile, Little White, who was blowing bubbles in a water sphere, transmitted his voice, "Temple Master, perhaps the long-bearded elder shattered himself out of frustration for not finding the person who passed the test. I have experienced something similar in the Demon Realm with a type of river delicacy. They get extremely angry over minor things and can end up shattering themselves from anger."

"..."

Husky spoke earnestly, but the Taoist did not want to hear even a single word.

He waved his hand, signaling the other to continue blowing bubbles for fun, then turned and walked toward the Nine Death Soul Flower, which looked regretful not far away.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Right after he left, the long-bearded elder emerged from the water. This person's appearance likely had something to do with him passing through the "Heavy Waterfall" and entering the second layer.

Yet for some reason, the moment he saw him, the other shivered his shadow into nothingness without saying a word.

With a stomach full of doubts, Jin Xu walked toward the Nine Death Soul Flower, which was ten meters away.

At that moment, the Nine Death Soul Flower, manifested as a little boy, sat on the ground, his face full of confusion and his eyes filled with tears, sadly watching the big green fish "backstroke" on the pond.

"I can't wait any longer, while these green fish are still fresh, I must go ask Grandpa Che for some Wood Spirit Liquid."

The Taoist was about to speak.

But then, the Nine Death Soul Flower, squatting on the ground, suddenly rose to its feet, clenched its little fists as if to encourage itself, and spoke this sentence.

Then she vanished on the spot.

"???"

Three question marks appeared above Jin Xu's head.

Do all the people in this Qingmu Secret Realm love to disappear without saying a word?

Standing there, the Taoist frowned slightly, turned around, and returned to the two women, enveloping them in a golden spiritual power.

He then rushed toward the waterfall.

Whatever the elder was, whatever the legacy was, if it had anything to do with him, the other party would surely seek him out again.

If it had nothing to do with him, there was no need for him to waste his energy here at this moment.

It was better to hasten to the fourth layer of the Secret Realm, to obtain the juice of the Che Liang Wood and the Wood Spirit Liquid, especially since Xu Qian was still in Shangjing City, unable to see or hear.

...

In a place regarded by the cultivators of the Nine Provinces Realm as the Immortal Realm.

Inside a spacious and luxurious cave, five diversely dignified cultivators were toasting one another.

At this moment, the long-bearded elder sitting on the left suddenly shuddered, his wine cup dropping, his face showing an ugly expression.

The four sitting at the table immediately noticed the anomaly and cast probing glances.

The leader, half-jokingly said.

"Brother Lin, does my wine not suit your taste, or are you offering it to the floor?"

The long-bearded elder heard this and slowly shook his head, slightly leaned over to pick up the wine cup, and then said with a serious and solemn tone,

"Forgive me, I was just pondering over something.

Do you think the person sealed by the Four Great Divine Lords thirty thousand years ago could have escaped?"

After finishing this sentence, the elder paused briefly, then continued,

"Or, is it possible that his legacy has leaked to the Lower Realm?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the four at the table were all deeply shocked!