Chapter 2511: Chapter 2511

The ancient well spewed mist, and atop it sat an illusionary old daoist, cross-legged in meditation, softly chanting scriptures. Beside the well, the Taiyi Sword was inserted into the ground at an angle, its blade stained with blood.

It was an eerie scene that ordinary cultivators would never witness, because in the past, anyone who dared approach this forbidden zone had almost certainly met their death. Now, the fourth successor of Fangchun Mountain, Ling Xuanzi, stood before it.

The earth trembled. The void collapsed. Ling Xuanzi’s gaze burned like twin torches, locked on the old daoist with terrifying intensity.

“Just now...was that you howling like a ghost?” he asked expressionlessly.

Wreathed in a rain of radiant light, the old daoist’s figure remained indistinct. Facing Ling Xuanzi’s questioning, he responded in an indifferent tone, “It has been a long time since anyone dared to speak to me this way. Young man, you should watch your tongue. If you think you can do whatever you want just because you’ve transcended the Ancestor Realm...you’ll only end up a laughingstock.”

He had been sealed here since the previous epoch, for millions of years. During that vast stretch of time, he had seen countless peerless giants who had transcended the Ancestor Realm venture into this place.

And what became of them? Some fled in panic like stray dogs. Others died on the spot. Not once had he encountered someone worthy of his attention!

Upon hearing this, a radiant smile appeared on Ling Xuanzi’s youthful and handsome face, and then...

He rolled up his sleeves...

Extended his right hand...

And, in an outrageously crude manner, swung a slap at the old daoist.

A surge of obscure dao light erupted from the ancient well in defense, but it was instantly shattered by the blast of wind that came with the palm strike. The old daoist, still sitting cross-legged atop the well, burst apart like a bubble, utterly obliterated.

The strange thing was that the next moment, the old daoist’s figure reformed once more. As if infuriated by that outrageously crude slap, he roared, “Young Man, do you have a death wish?”

Before his voice had even faded, Ling Xuanzi swung another slap, reducing the old daoist to pieces once more. “Old bastard, I do have a death wish. What are you going to do about it?”

His voice dripped with disdain and his expression was filled with unrestrained contempt. The old daoist’s form gathered once more, his voice colder than ever, “Young man...”

He had just said two words when he was slapped to pieces again.

“Come on! Hit me! Destroy me!” Ling Xuanzi sneered, his eyes flashing with violent gleam. Wearing a careless grin, he said, “Old bastard, if my master hadn’t suppressed me back then, a piece of trash like you wouldn’t even be worthy to stand before me. Got that?”

His tone was icy and menacing.

As the old daoist’s figure reformed once more, Ling Xuanzi casually waved the Three Thousand Vicissitudes.

The horsetail whisk that was brilliant like starlight and as radiant as snow and ice swept into the air like a river of time. It cast forth a grand vision of the rise and fall of eras and all worldly things fading into illusion.

In the blink of an eye, the old daoist’s figure exploded again. Before the scattered rain of light could recondense, it was swept into the illusion of vicissitudes and obliteration. It was ground away inch by inch until it completely vanished into nothingness!

“Hahaha, you are too naive, young man. What you destroyed was nothing more than a wisp of my aura.”

From the depths of the ancient well, the old daoist’s mocking laughter echoed. “If you really have the guts...do you dare step in and fight me for real?”

“You think I don’t dare?” Ling Xuanzi let out a cold snort and lifted his foot, preparing to step into the ancient well.

However, the next moment, he sneered, withdrew his steps, and said, “Old bastard, do you really think I’d fall for such a cheap trick?”

“Whether it’s a trap or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you don’t dare. You’re afraid. No matter how arrogant you are, deep down, you know you’re not confident enough to defeat me. That’s the truth, whether you admit it or not.” The old daoist’s calm voice echoed from the depths of the well.

Ling Xuanzi nodded, his expression dimming as he let out a sigh, “You’re right...completely right...”

It was as if he suddenly remembered something painful. He stood there silently, lost in thought, a trace of loneliness clouding his handsome features.

This sudden shift caught the old daoist off guard. After a pause, he sneered coldly, “Weren’t you very arrogant earlier? What’s with the sudden cowardice?”

Ling Xuanzi sighed again, “I just remembered something. You and I...we’re not that different.”

“You were suppressed too?” the old daoist asked, a heaviness in his voice.

“Yes, by my own master. If it weren’t for that, my current cultivation in the great dao would never have been limited to just this.” Ling Xuanzi then asked, “What about you? How were you suppressed?”

The topic had clearly shifted, and the tense atmosphere subtly changed.

Despite that, the old daoist didn’t seem to notice anything off. After a moment of silence, said aloud, “Do you really want to know?”

“Why not?” Ling Xuanzi said casually. “At this moment, neither of us can do anything to the other. Might as well chat.”

There was another pause before the old daoist finally spoke, “The woman I loved most...was taken by the founder of the Taiyi Sect.”

His voice seethed with a fury and hatred so deep that not even the passage of countless years could wash it away.

Ling Xuanzi fell speechless.

“Back then, I became the laughingstock of the world, drowning in humiliation. To take revenge, I stormed the Taiyi Sect alone.” At this point, the voice twisted with madness and spite, “I swore that unless I utterly destroyed that pair of adulterous dogs, I would no longer call myself human!”

Ling Xuanzi couldn’t help but ask, “And then what happened?”

“Yes....I failed...” The old daoist’s voice was thick with bitterness and frustration, “Not only did I fail, but even the treasure marked with the Epoch Seal that I obtained through great hardship was also snatched away by that damned pair...I...”

The old daoist could no longer continue. It was clear that the memories of the past had wounded him too deeply, leaving behind hatred etched into his bones and soul.

Ling Xuanzi sighed, “So, you’re even more pitiful than me. Your woman was taken, and your reputation ruined. You went to take revenge and got suppressed instead. Even your treasure was seized. Tragic...truly tragic!”

By the end, his lips twitched, unable to contain a smile. His shoulders began to shake, and he looked like he was doing everything he could not to burst out laughing.

“Sigh... You’re still young. You simply don’t understand. The cruelest thing in this world isn’t losing your pride or your love, it’s living on while all those you hated are long gone...What revenge? What release of hatred? What cleansing of shame? It’s all meaningless now!”

The old daoist’s voice was dull and stifling.

At that moment, Ling Xuanzi couldn’t hold back anymore. He erupted into laughter, “Hahaha! Hahahaha...”

His laugh was incredibly sharp and jarring in this heavy atmosphere.

From the depths of the well came a furious roar, “Fellow Daoist, are you mocking me?”

“No, I...I just couldn’t hold it in. I mean, you said it yourself...this green hat can never come off.[1] It’s just too tragic...Hahaha...”

As he spoke, Ling Xuanzi burst out laughing again. His grin stretched all the way to his ears. In the end, he was clutching his stomach and pounding the ground with his fist, laughing so hard like a lunatic that tears even welled in his eyes.

Only then did the old daoist realize he had been played. His fury boiled over. “You little bastard! You dare to humiliate me ​​? When I get out, I’ll grind you to dust!”

The deepest scar in his heart had been ripped open and cruelly mocked. It was like a sharp blade stabbing into his chest, driving him mad with rage.

The ancient well began to tremble violently as a terrifying and murderous aura erupted from its depths.

Beside it, the Taiyi Sword vibrated with a sharp clang, unleashing countless sword qi that slashed down toward the bottom of the well. However, even its powers couldn’t suppress the violent shaking of the well.

Ling Xuanzi stopped laughing and his expression shifted into one of burning anticipation as he murmured, “If I hadn’t provoked you , how else would you be willing to come out at any cost? But you, old fellow...are indeed pitiful.”

In the end, Ling Xuanzi couldn’t help but grin again. He waited, but despite the furious shaking of the well, the old daoist still didn’t emerge. Ling Xuanzi couldn’t help but frown.

“Old Green, are you even capable?” Ling Xuanzi shouted, “Come on, show me your true strength! Break out and destroy me!”

Hearing this deeply humiliating name, the old daoist in the ancient well was so furious that he nearly coughed up blood. He roared toward the heavens, “You bastard, I swear, if I don’t kill you in this life, I’m not human!”

Ling Xuanzi burst into laughter again. “You said the exact same thing back then. You swore to kill the one who put that green hat on your head, but in the end, you lost both your woman and your army. In my opinion, you’re better off staying sealed here. At least that way you won’t embarrass yourself in front of the world. Imagine it, when people find out that the mighty demon of the last epoch has changed his surname to ‘Green’...won’t they laugh so hard that their stomachs burst?”

“I’m...going...to...kill...you!”

The old daoist in the well was clearly mad with rage. Each word exploded like thunder from the depths of the well, shaking the forbidden zone to its core. The sound alone would have shattered the minds of ordinary cultivators and torn their souls from their bodies.

However, Ling Xuanzi only laughed harder. “Old Green, don’t be like that. Even if you make me die of laughter, you’re still stuck in that ancient well. You’ll never be able to inherit my dao.”

Surprisingly, even under this provocation, the old daoist only roared toward the sky and did not show himself.

It was then that Ling Xuanzi realized this old fellow who had survived the last epoch hadn’t accumulated enough power to break the seal yet!

After thinking it over, Ling Xuanzi decided not to stay any longer.

However, before leaving, he raised a finger and traced patterns in the air, inscribing a profound and mysterious array onto the ancient well. Then, he put his hands behind his back, chuckled and strode away.

“Old Green, if fate allows us to meet again, I promise I’ll carve you a legendary tombstone that’ll make the world remember your name forever! Hahahaha...”

His voice echoed through the heavens, gradually fading into the distance.

After a long silence, a stream of radiant light rose from the depths of the ancient well, condensing into the figure of an old daoist. He stared in the direction Ling Xuanzi had left, his eyes brimming with icy, boundless hatred. “The day I break free, I’ll wipe out your entire clan!”

After another long while, he lowered his head and looked at the outer wall of the well. The moment he saw it, it was as if he had been struck by lightning! His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and a thunderous, rage-filled roar erupted from his throat, shaking the heavens and causing the entire Dao Ruins to quake violently.

On the wall of the well, countless intricate dao runes surged and flowed, forming a single dazzling and vivid character: Green.

1. Wearing a green hat is often a phrase used to denote being cheated on ☜