How did a demonic witch become the leader of the righteous path?

Chapter 77 The Calamity of the Great Dao of the Universe, Amidst the Mystery (4,000 words)

The scene before her was too eerie and too challenging to her understanding. It was the first time Shen Yunshu had ever seen something so bizarre, and she stood there stunned for a long time.

Her breathing quickened, and it took her a while to calm herself down. She looked at Yu Zhao beside her and asked, "Sister, what should we do? Why don't you draw a few more runes?"

"You will protect me."

After leaving those words, Yu Zhao immediately entered a meditative state, and his divine consciousness once again probed into the inner space of the Human Emperor Banner.

She needed to get more information about the Desolate Tower from that self-proclaimed spirit.

When Yu Zhao arrived, the woman in white had somehow produced a recliner and was leisurely humming an unknown tune on it.

Seeing that Yu Zhao's spiritual avatar had returned, she quickly stood up from the recliner, placed her hands on her abdomen, and greeted him like a docile maid, "Greetings, Master~"

The word "master" startled Yu Zhao. She tried her best to maintain her aloof persona, saying, "Looks like you're quite comfortable here."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. This place is indeed very nice, and I like it very much."

To be fair, this woman in white is truly flexible and adaptable; her humble demeanor makes it hard for anyone to feel any ill will towards her.

However, Yu Zhao wasn't one to be seduced by good looks. She wasn't buying it and, without giving him a friendly look, went straight to the point: "How much do you know about the Desolate Tower?"

"To be honest, I know very little about the Desolate Tower. After I regained my senses, I was inside the Desolate Tower. To say that I am a spirit is just self-aggrandizement. I am more like someone who is trapped inside the Desolate Tower."

"They're like vengeful spirits, except that compared to vengeful spirits, servants have some freedom."

The woman in white wasn't trying to fool Yu Zhao, nor did she need to. Now that she was inside the other party's magic weapon, the other party could erase her with a single thought.

She also came to terms with reality, and in order to survive, she could only try her best to demonstrate her value and sincerity.

"Did you encounter something in the desolate tower, Master? Although my knowledge of it is limited, perhaps I can help you."

She looked at Yu Zhao cautiously, trying to glean something from his expression to gauge his mood.

"You know what I mean when I tell you." Yu Zhao's expression was cold, and her tone was devoid of any emotion.

Dealing with this ancient monster who had lived for who knows how many years, she dared not show the slightest extra expression. The other party was old and shrewd, and she could only intimidate him by appearing indifferent.

The woman in white knew she hadn't gained Yu Zhao's trust yet, but she wasn't worried. The fact that he hadn't killed her directly meant she had a chance.

Now she can only treat him with sincerity and gradually win over his new master's trust.

Without the slightest hesitation, the woman in white spoke up and revealed the information she knew: "The Desolate Tower appeared in the Fallen Demon Valley ten thousand years ago. There are many rumors about it. Some say it is the magic weapon of the Taixu Immortal Emperor, and some say it is the magic weapon of the Nine Nether Demon Emperor, but they are all wrong."

As far as this servant knows, both the Celestial Emperor Taixu and the Demon Emperor Jiuyou only possessed it briefly; its true origin is extremely mysterious.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhao suddenly interrupted the woman in white, "Wait a minute, are you implying that you've met the Taixu Immortal Emperor and the Nine Nether Demon Emperor?"

"How is that possible? I only awakened eight thousand years ago, while these two were supreme beings tens of thousands of years ago. I learned this from the remnants of divine consciousness in the desolate tower."

"The remaining divine consciousness? The divine consciousness of the spirit of the desolate tower?" Yu Zhao pressed.

"It should be." The woman in white wasn't entirely sure either. "I only became somewhat connected with the Desolate Tower and was able to use a portion of its power after I swallowed that wisp of divine thought. Therefore, I guess it should be the divine thought of its spirit."

But what I can't understand is that if it's the spirit of the artifact, its divine will shouldn't be so weak.

"Perhaps he was crippled by some powerful expert," Yu Zhao suggested.

"Perhaps." The woman in white neither confirmed nor denied this guess. She continued, "Every thousand years, the Desolate Tower selects a group of cultivators to undergo trials, but only a limited number can pass all the trials. Most of them become its nourishment."

The last person to pass all the tests was a woman who called herself Lingxiao Daoist, but that was three thousand years ago.

A group of exceptionally talented individuals were chosen along with her at the time. Many survived because of her, and it is said that one of them even established an empire.

Upon hearing the name Ling Xiao and the information that someone had established a dynasty, Yu Zhao guessed that the person who established the dynasty must be the Great Ancestor of Dayan.

She was somewhat surprised, never expecting that Celestial Master Lingxiao was a contemporary of Emperor Taizu of Dayan. The age of cultivators is truly a mystery.

wrong!

If they were contemporaries, and Lingxiao Celestial Master was the most brilliant and talented genius, how could she only be at the Nascent Soul stage?

Yu Zhao realized what was happening, but at the same time, an even bigger question arose: if Lingxiao Celestial Master was not a Nascent Soul cultivator, then why would the outside world's understanding of her cultivation level remain at the Nascent Soul stage?

At that moment, Yu Zhao suddenly had a thought: Could it be that the Lingxiao Celestial Master known to the outside world is not the real her at all?

Is it possible that the Lingxiao Celestial Master they know is just a "remnant" of the real Lingxiao Celestial Master?

Once this thought came to mind, Yu Zhao couldn't help but start to have wild thoughts. If her guess was true, how could she prove that everyone she had ever met was a real person?

Could she herself be an afterimage without even realizing it?

As she pondered, Yu Zhao suddenly felt herself fall into a profound and mysterious state. Just as she was about to delve deeper into her understanding, a sharp pain shot across her face, interrupting her comprehension and waking her from this profound and mysterious state.

Coming to her senses, she touched her slightly sore face and looked at the woman in white suspiciously, "Did you hit me?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't!" The woman in white waved her hands frantically, protesting her innocence. "It really wasn't me! Just now, Master, you were in a state of enlightenment when suddenly a hand appeared and slapped you across the face."

"It's just you and me here, so who else could it be but you hitting me?"

Yu Zhao wasn't angry that the woman in white had interrupted her meditation; in fact, she was quite grateful. Now that she was fully awake, she realized that her meditation had been very dangerous.

Continuing down this path would either lead to her passing away or her Dao heart shattering. This slap could be said to have saved her.

"It really wasn't me!" The woman in white was almost crying. "I'm currently controlled by your magic weapon, how could I possibly fight against you, my master?"

Besides, you're currently in a divine incarnation state; even if I hit you, you wouldn't feel any pain.

Yu Zhao thought about it and realized that made sense. So who hit her?

She felt a chill run down her spine and cautiously looked around, but found nothing; it was just her and the woman in white there.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Zhao decided to try again; she needed to find out exactly what was lurking there.

So she tried to grasp a wisp of Daoist essence and carefully comprehend it, but this time she didn't unconsciously immerse herself in it. Instead, she cautiously probed at the "doorway".

As soon as he made the first attempt, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared in the void and struck straight at Yu Zhao.

Before Yu Zhao could react, her consciousness went black. When she regained consciousness, she opened her eyes and saw Shen Yunshu staring at her in astonishment. She casually asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Shen Yunshu didn't say anything, but took out a bronze mirror from her storage ring and held it up in front of Yu Zhao.

Yu Zhao looked into the bronze mirror and saw that his face was as black as charcoal and his hair was standing on end.

Where is even a trace of a fairy image left?

Even someone as unconcerned about her image as her almost went crazy at this moment, and hurriedly circulated her cultivation and cast a minor cleansing spell on herself.

Seeing that her older sister had returned to her beautiful appearance, Shen Yunshu was finally willing to approach her. She put away the bronze mirror and looked at Yu Zhao with curiosity. "Sister, what did you do? How could you attract a heavenly tribulation to strike you? You have no idea how terrifying that heavenly tribulation is. The aura it contained scared me to my knees."

At this moment, the girl's eyes were filled with curiosity and admiration. Her older sister had been struck by such a terrifying heavenly tribulation, yet she only had a slight stain on the hem of her clothes. Her sister was too amazing!

Yu Zhao: "————"

I don't really want to say it.

She never expected that she would attract a heavenly tribulation, and that this tribulation would strike her directly.

Surprisingly, it didn't harm her at all; it was as if it was just reminding her not to do anything reckless.

Is heavenly tribulation really that good?

Am I really the favored daughter of Heaven?

Yu Zhao quickly put her unrealistic ideas behind her. She realized that most protagonists who thought they were the main characters didn't have good endings. She was past the age of being a typical teenager who thought she was above everyone else.

Yu Zhao ignored Shen Yunshu and simply asked her to continue protecting her. She then closed her eyes again and used her divine sense to probe into the Human Emperor Banner once more.

The important business hasn't been resolved yet; we need to get back to the important business.

This time, as soon as she appeared, the woman in white immediately knelt down before her, her attitude even more respectful.

This left Yu Zhao somewhat bewildered. "What are you doing?"

"No—nothing, my legs are weak."

The woman in white stammered, looking quite frightened; the heavenly tribulation she had just faced had truly terrified her.

As a former powerful being, she recognized that it was not a heavenly tribulation sent down by the Heavenly Dao of this world, but a tribulation sent down by the Great Dao of the Universe!

Yu Zhao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was struck by the Great Tribulation of the Universe and was completely unharmed.

The calamity of the Great Dao of the Universe was merely a reminder to Yu Zhao, or rather, a protection for Yu Zhao!

How could this not terrify the woman in white?

Suddenly she understood everything, and realized why she had been struck by the Great Tribulation of the Universe earlier—it was because she had schemed against Yu Zhao!

What kind of master have I been following?!

At this moment, the woman in white was both terrified and excited; her feelings were incredibly complex.

Following someone watched over and protected by the Great Dao of the Universe—she dared not even imagine what bright future she could have!

"Master, are you tired? Shall I give you a shoulder massage?"

As he spoke, the man reached out to touch Yu Zhao, but Yu Zhao dodged to the side and said irritably, "Be normal, don't go crazy."

"This servant is perfectly normal, more normal than ever before!"

Seeing the other person suddenly become inexplicably agitated, Yu Zhao silently took two steps back. "You're so crazy you don't even realize it, huh?"

While inwardly complaining, Yu Zhao's face remained perfectly serious. "Don't give me that nonsense. Do you have any way to get me out of the Desolate Tower?"

"Leave? Why leave?" Seeing that Yu Zhao seemed to have misunderstood her meaning, the woman in white quickly added, "Master, please rest assured, you will definitely be safe in the Desolate Tower. This Desolate Tower is meant to be your opportunity!"

How could someone protected by the Great Dao of the Universe perish in a small, desolate tower?

The woman in white cursed inwardly, but she dared not say it aloud. She felt that if she revealed the Great Dao of the Universe, she would be struck by lightning, most likely killing her instantly.

Seeing that Yu Zhao had already frowned, the woman in white felt a pang of unease. Oh no, she had forgotten that her new master didn't trust her. In her new master's eyes, she must be trying to trick her!

The woman in white immediately became anxious. She could not reveal the Great Dao of the Universe, but she was afraid that Yu Zhao would kill her directly. So she continued to explain: "Master, please listen to what your servant has to say. Your servant is quite familiar with the trials of this Desolate Tower. The first three levels are all about tempering the heart and are the most dangerous, but they are not a problem for you, Master."

Just now, when you were struck by the heavenly tribulation, a crack appeared in this space for a short time. I saw that you were already on the third level, so you must have passed the test of the third level.

So you have passed the most difficult test. The next three tests are comprehension, opportunity, and combat power.

The test of comprehension requires learning the cultivation method provided by the Desolate Tower within one incense stick's time. The test of opportunity is simply to choose the treasure that best suits one's own path from among a group of treasures. As for the test of combat power, one must be invincible among those of the same level.

With your talent, Master, you'll have it done with ease.

The woman in white spoke at length, but Yu Zhao seemed unresponsive, only asking, "And after passing all the trials? Will I really obtain the Desolate Tower?"

"No, the Desolate Tower will give those who pass the test two choices: either keep it for a hundred years or leave with the treasure they want."

The Celestial Master Lingxiao chose to leave with the treasures, including a coffin; it's unclear why she chose that.

Upon hearing the word "coffin," Yu Zhao inexplicably thought of his own bronze coffin.

Her bronze coffin was purified by the light curtain, but was the original coffin related to the one that Lingxiao Celestial Master took away?

Thinking of this, she used her memory and divine sense to conjure up the original appearance of the bronze coffin and asked the woman in white, "Did Celestial Master Lingxiao take this coffin away?"

"Yes, that's it. Master, have you seen it before?"

The woman in white answered decisively, confident that she wouldn't admit her mistake.

Having confirmed that it was the same coffin, Yu Zhao's doubts only deepened.

This coffin was indeed brought out of the desolate tower by Celestial Master Lingxiao. Why did she take it out? And how did it end up in the hands of Senior Big Beard?

The big-bearded senior gave it to me, was it really just a casual decision?

Filled with doubt, Yu Zhao's divine consciousness left the Human Emperor Banner. After opening her eyes, she frowned and pondered. In front of Shen Yunshu, she no longer pretended to be profound.

Seeing her older sister looking worried, Shen Yunshu comforted her, "Sister, don't worry. It's okay if we haven't found the exit yet. We'll take it slowly."

"I'm not worried about that. What I feel right now is that my life is being controlled."

Yu Zhao repeated what the woman in white had said to Shen Yunshu. She was currently too caught up in the situation to understand and desperately needed an outsider to help her analyze the situation.

Shen Yunshu was the only person she trusted; their fates were already intertwined. Therefore, she could only seek help from Shen Yunshu. "Little sister, you're quick-witted, help me analyze this."

Shen Yunshu: "————Sister, you overestimate me. I'm just a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Shen Yunshu wore a pained expression. Even if there was a powerful figure behind this, how could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like her see through it?

Sister, am I some kind of all-knowing figure in your heart?