Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 176 - 154: Centennial Return (Part 2)

He shook his head silently, withdrew his gaze, and turned to swiftly return using the Escape Light.

Soon, he was back in the depths of the Water Mansion ruins, his Escape Light landing in front of everyone.

"How is it?"

Lord Haihe looked at him, a hint of unrest in his eyes:

"Did you get the item?"

"Got it."

Zhang Yao nodded slightly and passed the azure-colored jade in his hand to him, saying:

"This is the Azure Jade, delivered by that secret agent."

"Good, good, good!"

Lord Haihe repeated 'good' three times, his hands slightly trembling as he received the Azure Jade, cherishing it with gentle strokes as his eyes grew slightly moist.

"A hundred years unseen, you haven't changed, but I have grown old and feeble..."

He laughed at himself, tightly grasping the Azure Jade in his hand, speaking solemnly:

"Please inspect everywhere, tally the losses from this battle, and report to me later."

"Qingxu, stay behind, I have something to say to you."

"Alright." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Zhang Yao replied, and the other Foundation Establishment masters also took their leave.

After everyone left, Lord Haihe bowed deeply to Zhang Yao, earnestly saying:

"I owe you a great debt for this!"

"If not for your heroic efforts, I would have died at the hands of Du Bu Daoist long ago, and the Haihe Association would have become history along with me!"

"The Association Leader's words are heavy."

Zhang Yao quickly moved forward to support him.

"Ah..."

After standing up, Lord Haihe took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy tone:

"I will soon leave Fang Continent, heading to the mountain gate of Fuhai Sect."

"If all goes well, I will return to the sect's teachings, to serve my master again, and won't be returning to sit in Fang Continent at the Haihe Association."

Stopping, he said solemnly:

"Before departing, I plan to leave the Haihe Association in your hands, how do you feel about that?"

Zhang Yao, hearing this, was genuinely surprised and mused briefly before saying:

"Association Leader, I'm afraid this might be inappropriate..."

Frankly speaking, he couldn't help but be moved by Lord Haihe's proposition.

How large is the entire Haihe Association? As the holder of such an enterprise, Lord Haihe is immensely wealthy, likely one of the richest among Foundation Establishment masters.

If he could manage the Haihe Association, his cultivation resources for the coming decades or even centuries would be secure.

But the biggest issue is, he has been with the Haihe Association for under ten years, while other veteran Foundation Establishment members like Peng Yue Xian have much longer tenures.

Of course, with his strength, he can forcibly take over, but still...

"What's inappropriate?"

Lord Haihe directly asked back:

"In the world of cultivation, strength reigns supreme ultimately."

"After I leave, you'll be the strongest in Haihe Association; with such power, why worry about overwhelming the competition?"

"As for your concerns, I understand them, don't worry, I'll personally talk with Old Peng and the others, there won't be any problem."

Hearing this, Zhang Yao was even more tempted; before he could speak, Lord Haihe waved his hand decisively, firmly setting the decision:

"Alright, don't decline anymore."

"For saving my life, you likely burned at least thirty years of your lifespan, greatly affecting your future cultivation path."

"Such kindness, how can I not repay it?"

"Just take it as me repaying a favor, seeking peace of mind..."

"Since the Association Leader has said so much..."

Zhang Yao took a deep breath, slowly nodded, and said:

"Then I definitely won't let the Association Leader down and will manage the Haihe Association to prosperity."

"Good!"

Lord Haihe nodded and then explained some specific matters, which Zhang Yao noted one by one.

After they talked for a long while, Zhang Yao brought up the Azure Jade again, asking:

"The Association Leader can have the opportunity to return to the mountain gate, shouldn't it be related to this jade?"

"Yes, you're very right..."

Lord Haihe picked up the Azure Jade in his hand, deeply moved, sighing:

"Lost and regained, a hundred-year interval."

"This Azure Jade was originally a Heaven and Earth Treasure collected by my master, used as primary material for crafting Magical Treasures; saying it's priceless is not an exaggeration."

"Back then, I was proud and reckless, and stole this jade to flaunt, but carelessly lost it..."

He paused, shook his head, and said:

"Thinking of my folly back then makes me feel utterly ashamed, better let me retain some dignity."

"Anyway, the end result was that I was expelled from Fuhai Sect's mountain gate, stripped of my True Disciple status for disrespecting my master and elders."

"Despite that, my master showed mercy, giving me a chance, he didn't abolish my cultivation, but ordered me to find the lost Azure Jade."

"Whenever it's found, I can return to the mountain gate, but no one from the sect was allowed to assist..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao realized:

"So that's how it is."

"No wonder the Association Leader has been thinking about this for a hundred years and hasn't acted..."

A hundred years ago, Du Bu Daoist was already a famed Foundation Establishment powerhouse, though only in the Middle Stage, but due to his formidable combat strength, he assembled a batch of people to start forming the Attack and Defense Alliance.

At that time, Lord Haihe perhaps had just achieved Foundation Establishment, isolated and helpless, dared not to challenge, thus couldn't find an opportunity to succeed.

The enmity between the two parties had been entangled for over a hundred years until this conclusion.

"By the way, there's one more thing..."

Zhang Yao suddenly recalled something, his expression subtly:

"Fairy Yuan Meng is actually a Demon Cultivator, right?"

"During the fierce battle just now, she was ambushed by that old Soul Cultivator, revealing her Demon Cultivator identity inadvertently to save her life."

"I'm sure the Association Leader must know about this..."

"Yes, I know."

Lord Haihe nodded, candidly:

"I've known her identity for decades, just..."

He hesitated, his expression slightly changing, before softly speaking:

"Her life has been filled with hardship, always drifting around, she once helped me several times by chance, so I remembered the favor and protected her for years."

"Regrettably, this exposure means she can't stay anymore."

"Even if we can accept her, there are ultimately two Foundation Establishment masters from the Du Bu Alliance who escaped, this matter is bound to be revealed."

He sighed and said:

"According to her character, she will likely find a chance to leave secretly..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao understood internally.

Back when he discovered Fairy Yuan Meng was a Demon Cultivator, several puzzles in his mind instantly unraveled.

Fairy Yuan Meng, only at Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, could break through the Third level Restriction in the Soul Thought Bead, likely relying not on proper cultivation-acquired Daoist Techniques but on her Demon Cultivator bloodline talent.

Similarly:

The source of the second water attribute Foundation Establishment Demon Blood that Lord Haihe offered, apart from Elder Zhuo Miao's Water Resistant Golden Eyed Beast, is also self-evident.

Hidden among his own Foundation Establishment masters was a demon cultivator at the Middle Stage, significantly reducing the difficulty of obtaining Essence Blood.

"Association Leader, Lord Qingxu."

While they were speaking, a delicate voice entered their ears.

Zhang Yao turned toward the sound, and unexpectedly saw Fairy Yuan Meng standing alone.

"When did she come close? She even avoided my Divine Thought's detection..."

In his heart, he quietly marvelled.

Fairy Yuan Meng's bloodline talent was indeed eye-opening, unlike those previous Hu Family cultivators, who couldn't even activate their bloodline talents.

"The Association Leader guessed correctly, I indeed plan to leave secretly..."

Fairy Yuan Meng spoke, a hint of fluctuation in her tone:

"Fortunately, over these years, thanks to the Association Leader's shelter, I've been able to cultivate peacefully without worries."

"Before leaving, I still want to formally say goodbye, as once gone, there might never be a chance to meet again..."