Chapter 342

Chapter 342: Preaching at the Dao Arena
After Yu Zhao left the main hall, she went to visit the Grand Elder.

Unfortunately, the Grand Elder happened to be in closed-door cultivation, so Yu Zhao returned empty-handed.

So she changed direction and went to the Greenwood Sect’s residence.

Sect Master Wu Sang was greatly shocked after learning why Yu Zhao had come, but he thought she was acting on Sect Master Ji Yuan’s hint. Once his surprise passed, he did not hide anything and told her everything he knew.

As expected, Sect Master Wu Sang did not know much more than she already did.

She shut herself in her room and thought for a full day and night before making a decision.

She planned to visit all the parts of the One Sect, Two Schools, Four Clans that she had not been to yet. First, to gather more clues; second, to broaden her horizons and temper her state of mind.

Considering the distance between the sects, Yu Zhao decided to make Clarity Sound Temple her first stop.

Bu Yan was very happy when he heard Yu Zhao was going to visit Clarity Sound Temple.

Although he had been kicked out of the temple by his Master, Master Jie Chen, if he brought Yu Zhao and the others back with him, his Master would not have the nerve to throw him out again.

Besides, he felt Yu Zhao carried a kind of Buddhist nature that matched well with Clarity Sound Temple. She might even gain some unexpected fortune there.

When Ji Han Zhou and the others heard Yu Zhao’s plan, each of them had their own ideas.

Ji Han Zhou had already decided to follow Yu Zhao to Clarity Sound Temple. Mu Ye would return to Greenwood Sect with Sect Master Wu Sang. Yao Wu Ji would travel with Wanderer Bao Hua, while Zhou Jin Yue would stay in the sect to stabilize her realm.

In the end, it was still just Yu Zhao, Bu Yan, and Ji Han Zhou who set out together.

Right before they left, Yu Zhao went to the Archive Tower again to say goodbye to Elder Gu.

When Elder Gu heard that Yu Zhao was going out to temper herself, he fell silent in thought.

Yu Zhao saw that something was off and asked: “Elder Gu, do you have something you want to tell your junior?”

Elder Gu glanced at her, then fell silent again.

After who knew how long, he slowly stood up and said to Yu Zhao: “Come with me.”

Elder Gu led Yu Zhao to the small room where he rested, then took a yellowed scroll from a drawer and handed it to her.

Yu Zhao accepted it and asked softly: “May I open it?”

Elder Gu nodded.

Yu Zhao carefully unrolled the scroll. Her gaze fell on the painting on it and could not move away for a long time.

Elder Gu did not hurry her. He simply let her look.

After a full half hour, Yu Zhao suddenly came back to her senses and said in surprise: “This, this is… the Preaching Ground Scroll?”

Just now she had not been quiet on purpose. Her mind had been seized by the scene in the painting.

Just from this one picture, she had felt as if she were there in person, sensing the solemn, serious air of a Dao arena sermon. It was a pity that the painter had not fused their own insights into it, so she had only gained the shallowest feeling.

Elder Gu’s eyes showed a wistful look as he said: “Yes. I got this Preaching Ground Scroll by accident when I was out training with a friend.”

Yu Zhao’s expression turned serious.

For Elder Gu to take out the Preaching Ground Scroll at this time clearly meant he had another reason.

He said: “Back then, when my friend and I found this scroll, we immediately sensed that it was unusual. After many years of study, we finally solved the secret hidden in the scroll and found the place where the legendary Ancient Dao Arena lies.”

Even with all her years of tempering her heart, Yu Zhao almost cried out at his words.

The Ancient Dao Arena was a place of seeking the Dao that countless cultivators dreamed of, but it had long been buried in the dust of history.

Yu Zhao had thought the two keys in her hands would end up useless. She had never expected to hear the location of the Ancient Dao Arena from Elder Gu. It was simply an unexpected joy.

Elder Gu said: “Do not be happy just yet. This may not be a good thing.”

Seeing the joy written all over Yu Zhao’s face, Elder Gu immediately poured a bucket of cold water over her.

Yu Zhao quickly put on a look of serious attention.

Elder Gu let out a heavy sigh.

He said: “After my friend and I worked out the location of the Ancient Dao Arena, we decided to go there at once. But when we were about to arrive, we were ambushed. My friend and I were unfortunately separated.

“Luckily, before we left, we had agreed that if anything happened along the way, we would meet up at the Ancient Dao Arena’s location. Later, after I shook off the people who attacked us, I went to the Ancient Dao Arena and saw the mark my friend left there, but I did not see him.

“At the time, I thought he had already found the entrance to the Ancient Dao Arena, so I kept searching the surroundings, but I never managed to find it.

“I waited there for a year and gradually lost my patience, so I returned to the sect first, thinking that if he gained a legacy, he would come back sooner or later.

“But the result was…”

Speaking up to this point, Elder Gu could only keep shaking his head.

Yu Zhao understood in her heart.

That friend of Elder Gu’s had probably never been heard from again.

He went on: “I went back more than ten times, taking along fellow disciples who were willing to believe me, but we still gained nothing. Everyone told me to give up, but I can feel that my friend is still alive. He might be trapped somewhere, waiting for me to rescue him.”

Elder Gu’s somewhat cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.

He said: “Yu Zhao, from the first moment I saw you, I felt you shared quite a few traits with my missing friend. In the dark, I have a feeling that you might be able to find him for me. Are you willing to go there once more on my behalf?”

Yu Zhao said: “Yes.”

Yu Zhao answered too quickly, so quickly that Elder Gu had not even finished building up his emotions.

He stared at her with wide eyes, his expression a bit comical.

Instead, Yu Zhao felt rather sore and sad.

After being reborn, the first benefactor she had met was Elder Gu.

If Elder Gu had not found the Illusory Tide Art for her, her process of resetting her foundation and rebuilding would not have gone so smoothly.

Not to mention that later, Elder Gu even found her the materials she needed to forge and cultivate a Life-bound Dharma Artifact.

She had already felt guilty about not being able to repay Elder Gu. Now that she had a chance to repay him, she could not ask for anything better.

Elder Gu said: “Good, good, hahaha.”

Elder Gu burst out laughing. As he laughed, tears suddenly streamed down his old face.

His friend’s disappearance had long become a sore spot in his heart.

Whether or not Yu Zhao could bring the man back, Elder Gu would always remember this kindness.

Yu Zhao said: “Elder Gu, why don’t you first tell me more about this friend of yours?”

Seeing Elder Gu so emotional, Yu Zhao quickly changed the topic.

Elder Gu nodded slightly and told Yu Zhao the story of him and his friend.

It was no wonder seeing Yu Zhao made him think of his friend. The two really did have many things in common.

Elder Gu’s friend was named Lou Yu Shan. Thanks to his Single Fire Spiritual Root, he became a personal disciple as soon as he entered the sect.

But because of his stubborn and fiery temper, neither his Master nor his senior brothers liked him. Instead, he hit it off at first sight with the equally stubborn Elder Gu, and the two became close friends.

Later, Lou Yu Shan offended his Master over a small matter and almost got kicked out of the sect. Although the sect suppressed the matter in the end, Lou Yu Shan became a marginal figure from then on.

Lou Yu Shan was not badly hit by this. He had an open heart; when no one taught him, he taught himself. The Archive Tower became the place he and Elder Gu visited most often.

Lou Yu Shan not only studied on his own but also helped Elder Gu study. With his help, Elder Gu slowly rose from an inner disciple to a personal disciple.

In Elder Gu’s eyes, Lou Yu Shan was not only his friend but also his good teacher. That was why his disappearance had weighed on him for so many years.

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