Don't let Yu Ding take on any more disciples.

Chapter 260 Heartache So Much I Can't Breathe

After the mountain collapsed, a magnificent ancient metal palace appeared, with a simple and ancient design and a majestic presence, resembling a giant beast lying prostrate on the earth.

At this moment, the building was shimmering with multicolored light, surrounded by dazzling colors, and exuded a breathtaking aura.

"It really did become a secret stash, a safe..."

Yu Ding pursed his lips, but his gaze as he stared at the ancient hall gradually brightened.

Putting aside what's inside this treasure trove, the ancient palace itself seems to have already been refined into an extraordinary magical artifact...

However, the area outside the safe was shrouded in a formidable barrier, indicating that even the Jade Emperor had left a contingency plan in place to prevent the discovery of his secret stash.

Of course, he remained calm, after all... he wasn't alone this time; he had the Heavenly Emperor's little darling by his side.

"Disciple, open the door!"

Yu Ding stepped aside and said calmly.

Then Longji coughed and said, "Um, Master, do you remember that I mentioned before that the last two treasure vaults would be a bit troublesome?"

"Ok!"

Longji took a breath: "And the trouble is that... this disciple doesn't know how to open it either."

"Hmm?" Yu Ding looked over in surprise and saw Long Ji looking at him with a serious yet helpless expression.

"You don't know?" Yu Ding asked in surprise.

Longji gazed at the treasure vault and sighed, "Father Emperor took me to the first three treasure vaults, but these two... I have never been here. The reason I know where they are... is because I accidentally saw them in Father Emperor's notes."

"..." Jade tripod.

Longji smiled happily and said, "However, Master is incredibly powerful and his cultivation is unfathomable. With Master here... opening the treasure vault shouldn't be a big problem."

No, the problem is huge now... Yu Ding's gaze fell on the ancient palace. Aren't you underestimating your father, the Emperor?

Simply put, these treasure troves are like the safes and vaults hidden by the Jade Emperor outside the palace; therefore, protective measures are naturally necessary.

How could a restriction set up by an being like the Jade Emperor be simple?
Looking at the chilling aura emanating from the restriction, Yu Ding couldn't help but ponder. Breaking the restriction with his Six Meridians Sword Qi would certainly not be difficult, but the problem was that a single strike would result in nothing. Not only would he waste a sword qi, but he would also lose the treasure in the vault.

That's too much of a loss, he's not doing this deal...

While Yu Ding was pondering, Long Ji was also gazing at the ancient palace, thinking about how to open the vault and retrieve the treasure. Suddenly, she looked up into the distance, her eyes narrowing, and saw two long rainbows, as small as sesame seeds, heading towards her.

“Master!” Longji’s expression suddenly turned cold.

Yu Ding noticed it a little later than Long Ji. He glanced at the distant flowing light and then looked at the ancient palace, and couldn't help but laugh, "Before we even got to eat the meat, the flies have already come looking for the taste."

In his perception, not only those two streaks of light, but also more than a dozen auras of varying strengths were rapidly approaching from all directions.

"Hmph, that depends on whether they have the fate to lay a finger on these treasures."

Longji said coldly, a sharp and menacing killing intent beginning to brew, like an impending storm.

"No rush, no rush!"

Such a powerful killing intent… Yu Ding was closest to Long Ji, and was almost unable to maintain his balance when he was hit by that killing intent. He looked at Long Ji with some surprise. Without much thought, this terrifying killing intent must have been cultivated during the last battle in the Heavenly Court.

The rainbows in the distance were so frightened by the soaring murderous aura that they dared not approach.

At this moment, Yu Ding had already passed Long Ji and arrived at the cliff. With a gentle flick of his right sleeve, a landscape painting burst forth with blazing light, flying forward and merging into the entire world, appearing out of thin air.

“The Landscape Painting…” Long Ji said happily, “That’s right, how could I have forgotten about it?”

The Landscape Painting was also a treasure refined by his father, the emperor. No matter how powerful the restrictions on that ancient palace were, they were all made by the same person.

Yu Ding smiled and raised his hand. The landscape painting quickly shrank and turned into a stream of light, falling into his palm.

As Longji's murderous aura dissipated, the streams of light, emboldened, stepped forward and landed, spreading across the surrounding mountain peaks. Among them were both Qi cultivators and demons. After scanning them with their divine senses, they finally focused on themselves, looking at this side with surprise and uncertainty.

"Hmph!" Longji snorted lightly, releasing a sharp and powerful aura that immediately made the surrounding gazes much more obedient.

Yu Ding smiled, intending to leave with Long Ji without paying any attention, but a voice from behind him made him stop in his tracks.

"Xiao Sheng, a recluse cultivator of Qi Refining from Mount Wuyi... greets fellow Daoist!"

……

Meanwhile, in Zhangjia Village, separated from this place by thousands of mountains and rivers, was the Zhang Mansion.

"No, Mother, what did you say? The marriage... is settled?"

Zhang Youren was taken aback and sat down in a daze.

Across from him sat a gentle woman in her thirties, smiling warmly: "That's right, your father and your Uncle Yao have almost finished discussing it in the front hall. Our two families are old friends, and your father and your Uncle Yao are like brothers. Your marriage was arranged when you were young. If you can get married, it will be a double blessing, and the two of you will be as close as family in your generation... This is such a good thing!"

"But... Mother, you know I've never gotten along with Yao Chi since we were little. That girl is sharp-tongued, shrewish, and fierce. She's even better at fighting than boys. How... how can this be allowed?"

Zhang Youren felt he still had to try to salvage the situation, so he stubbornly explained his reasons.

"Ha, I knew it! You really don't understand girls' feelings!"

Zhang's mother rolled her eyes at him and laughed, "Think about it again. Besides you, does that girl treat anyone else like that? This shows that she has feelings for you. Her flirting with you and those other girls is just playful banter. Why can't you understand, you silly son!"

"Flirting? No, Mother, don't try to fool me. I've seen flirting before, but would you and Father ever go to such lengths to flirt with each other?" Zhang Youren said indignantly. His mother blushed slightly and scolded him gently, "You child, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"Mother, you don't know, that girl really wasn't playing with me. She really went all out against me, aiming for my vital points."

Zhang Youren complained angrily, "I only played with Xiaohua, Xiaolan, and Xiaobai from the village for a little while..."

"This silly son..." Zhang's mother stood up with a smile and said, "Anyway, this matter is settled. Your mother and your father both think highly of you two, this pair of bickering lovers. Get ready, the wedding will be held on the seventh of next month."

After saying that, she gracefully left, leaving her son bewildered.

"I...I don't want to. Even if I, Zhang Youren, am a bachelor for the rest of my life, unwanted by anyone, and cut myself off from my ancestors, I will never marry that brat..." Zhang Youren was on the verge of tears.

He remembers that his life was very ordinary from birth, without any ups and downs or waves, and he had no ambitions from childhood.

His only wish was probably to find that the Zhang family was rather small, with only one son per generation for eighteen generations, so he wanted to find more wives to help the Zhang family continue its lineage.

until……

When he was three years old, he felt that his fate had changed.

Because... this brat was born!
He didn't understand why either; he'd had an innate aversion to this brat ever since she was born...

There was also a faint fear that even he couldn't quite explain!
He also remembered the betrothal arrangements made by the elders of both families back then, which he could never accept. So, over the years, he has been making his own efforts to resist, such as playing with other girls... in order to get married.

But just as he said, all his wonderful plans were ruined at the last minute by that brat from Yaochi who appeared out of nowhere.

This has led to his lofty wish to marry several wives and continue the Zhang family line being thwarted until... now!
"No, I can't stay here any longer. I have no hope with the girls in this mountain stronghold, but Third Master said that the girls outside are gentle, kind, and beautiful..."

Zhang Youren paced around the room like a fly, but as he paced, his expression suddenly changed. He knelt on one knee in pain, clutching his chest tightly with one hand, the veins on his neck bulging.

"What...what's going on?"

Zhang Youren asked with a pained expression, "Why does my heart ache so much... that I can't breathe?"

While in pain, a look of panic appeared on his face.

"These symptoms... have appeared several times recently. What's going on? I've always been healthy since I was a child, and I've even taken special care of myself and exercised a lot. Why am I suddenly experiencing such heart pain? The first time could be attributed to chance, but after several times in a row, I... could I have some kind of terminal illness?"

Zhang Youren's pupils dilated, and upon realizing this, his expression became even more shocked: "What should I do? I'm still so young, and my grand ambition of marrying many wives to continue the Zhang family line hasn't been fulfilled yet. I... I don't want to die. To survive, I must seek immortality and learn the Dao. Yes, I must study the Dao..."

Gradually, his gaze hardened, and he turned over and began to write on the table.

As he wrote, a smile crept onto his lips... and he even felt a bit familiar with the writing style!

In the living room in the front yard.

"Haha, I've been hoping for Chi'er to marry into my family and become my daughter-in-law for so many years. Finally, my wish is about to come true..." Zhang's father said with relief, "Go and call Youren out for dinner."

Yaochi, standing nearby, lowered her head shyly.

Not long after. "Master, Madam, no...it's terrible, the young master...he's gone!"

"What?" Everyone's expression changed drastically.

The servant handed over a short document: "I only found this in the young master's room."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang hurriedly took the letter and read:
"Father, Mother, please forgive your unfilial son for leaving home without saying goodbye. This time I left home not for any other reason, but for something I have never told you before: I have been suffering from angina, and recently the attacks have become more and more frequent and severe."

I am so sorry to have kept this from everyone for so long. I know that I am about to die, so how could I dare to delay my little sister's life?
This time, I have come down from the mountain only to seek medical treatment to save myself. If a cure is found within three years, I will surely return to marry you, Chi-mei. If I do not return... then please, Chi-mei, choose another suitable husband...

Note: Love, Yuren!

"Oh no... Master, how could this happen!"

After reading the letter, Zhang's mother dropped it to the ground, nearly fainting. She was helped up and covered her face in grief.

Upon seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Yao quickly stepped forward to comfort them.

Only Yao Chi looked at Zhang's mother, picked up the scroll from the ground, read it, clenched it tightly, and sneered in her eyes. She didn't believe a single word on it.

"Still calling me Chi Mei? How could that guy use such a disgusting name..." Yao Chi sneered.

It wasn't that she disliked Zhang Youren, but rather that she disliked his tendency to always suffer losses, his kindness to others, and his forbearance in everything. Oh, and he was also a womanizer, so bullying him was just a way to provoke his temper.

She hated Zhang Youren for always giving in, but without realizing it, it seemed like she was still thinking about that bastard...

……

Quack~
With a caw, a fiery raven streaked across the sky like a shooting star and soon arrived at Feiyu Mountain. It had come to deliver a message.

"letter?"

Inside the cave, Daoist Taixu took the letter and opened it. It read: "Thank you for your concern, Master. I have entered Chaoge and reunited with Miss Yin. By the way, I have also successfully joined the Xuan Niao Division... Master, please do not worry!"

"Chaoge...Xuan Niao Si..."

Taixu pondered for a moment.

As the gears of the Investiture of the Gods continued to turn, the fates of these characters began to revert to their original course.

(End of this chapter)