Knowing he was no match for Yun Zhi, the shadow realized the gap between them was too vast. The chances of him successfully escaping were slim. Rather than exposing himself, it was better to self-destruct and ensure the safety of his main body.

If Yun Zhi found his lair, he would lose any chance of participating in the grand world conflict. Damn it, why were there such people in the Central Continent?!

Could it be that all the luck of the world was concentrated in the Central Continent?! And why had the Immortal Maiden resurrected?

Apart from a few of them, who else knew about the existence of the Immortal Maiden, let alone her name?! How on earth had the Immortal Maiden resurrected?!

Only by uttering her honorific and true name could she be resurrected. Who had done it?!

As described, the Immortal Dao Fruit was indeed immortal, capable of resurrection even after death. As the shadow self-destructed, a series of questions flooded his mind, unanswered.

His self-destruction was silent. His body turned into dust, the dust into spiritual energy, returning to the world. “Did he run away?” Lu Yang was puzzled. The shadow’s methods were too advanced for him to understand.

Yun Zhi shook her head lightly, her eyes revealing a hint of killing intent and regret. “He didn’t run. He self-destructed.”

“Will his main body know about the situation here? About the Immortal Maiden?” Lu Yang thought about the shadow’s last words before self-destruction, “It’s a pity that the main body doesn’t know about the situation here.”

Was it a diversion, or was it true?

Yun Zhi’s words denied Lu Yang’s speculation. “The main body won’t know. The clone wouldn’t dare to let the main body know.”

“If the clone could inform the main body, then I could find the main body through the connection between the clone and the main body.”

Lu Yang didn’t understand Yun Zhi’s methods either.

“However…” Yun Zhi’s eyes held a trace of doubt, as if she was pondering something. “However, what?”

“The shadow feels familiar. I might have fought him before.” Both Lu Yang and the Immortal Maiden were surprised.

Yun Zhi continued, “It was about a hundred years ago. I sensed the presence of an immortal in the Central Continent. I asked him to identify himself, but he refused. We then started fighting.”

“He probably didn’t anticipate my strength. He was at a disadvantage from the start. I pursued and injured him. Seeing that he wouldn’t get a good outcome if the fight continued, he feigned an attack on the city below. While I was protecting the city, he escaped. By the time I wanted to chase him, he was already gone.”

“That man concealed himself in chaotic fog and used very common techniques. I couldn’t tell his origin. He was very similar to the shadow we encountered today.”

Yun Zhi believed that the shadow today was the clone of the man from a hundred years ago.

Lu Yang pondered. If Yun Zhi’s guess was correct, then the shadow’s words, “As expected, your strength is far beyond what you show,” were a pretense of not understanding Yun Zhi’s strength, a lie.

The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more likely it seemed. If he didn’t know Yun Zhi’s strength, why would his first reaction be self-destruction instead of escape? It didn’t make sense.

The shadow didn’t say much from beginning to end, and most of it might have been lies. Such a cunning old fox.

The Immortal Maiden was still scared. Although the two fairies didn’t hold back when they attacked him, at least they didn’t kill him.

If he fell into the hands of the shadow, not to mention having his Dao Fruit taken away, there was a high chance he would be killed to silence him. “Can the Maiden guess who he is?” Lu Yang asked.

The Immortal Maiden frowned, somewhat hesitant. “The Ninefold Immortal is best at manipulating clones, but the other three could also do it if they wanted to.”

“Is it possible that there are other immortals besides you five?” Lu Yang continued to ask. Lu Yang’s question made the Immortal Maiden uncertain.

Could it be that the Ninefold Immortal wasn’t the first immortal?

“How did you determine that the Ninefold Immortal was the first immortal back then?”

The Immortal Maiden recalled, “When the Ninefold Immortal ascended, the world was filled with immortal light and music. Multicolored rain fell from the sky, bringing blessings and cheers, benefiting all living beings. When the four of us ascended later, none of this happened.”

Lu Yang was surprised, “Is this the special treatment for the first one to ascend?”

Yun Zhi nodded. She had seen records of the Ninefold Immortal’s ascension in ancient books, which were consistent with what the Immortal Maiden said. Or rather, as a participant, the Immortal Maiden described it in more detail.

The first one to ascend was indeed extraordinary.

The Immortal Maiden shook her head, “No, later when the five of us were having dinner, the Ninefold Immortal got drunk and told us that all the strange phenomena at the time were secretly created by him, consuming a lot of heavenly and earthly treasures.”

Lu Yang:

Yun Zhi: “…”

Why did every time they heard the Immortal Maiden talk about ancient oddities, their understanding was refreshed?

Lu Yang even felt that the ancient times described by the Immortal Maiden and the shadow were not in the same style.

In a mysterious place, a black figure sat on a throne made of bones.

He opened his immortal eyes, emitting boundless immortal light, illuminating a part of the world.

The boundless immortal light flashed by, making the corpses and bones on the ground look particularly eerie under its illumination. The black figure slowly stood up, stretched his body, and frowned slightly, “Why is this chair so hard?”

“Whose idea was it to make a chair out of bones? There’s not even a cushion.” The black figure shook his head, deciding to find another place to sleep.

Suddenly, the black figure sensed something unusual and hummed. “Master, what’s wrong?” The attendant asked cautiously.

“The clone I sent to the Immortal Sect has disappeared?”

The black figure could always sense the connection with his clone and determine its location.Just a moment ago, his clone had completely lost contact with him, indicating that it had been obliterated. This clone, into which he had poured countless efforts, was now gone. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t heartbroken. “What? The master’s clone has disappeared?!” The attendant was greatly shocked, and his expression was not feigned.

The master was an immortal, and a single clone of an immortal was enough to traverse the world. How could it disappear in the Central Continent? The shadowy figure pondered, “Who could be responsible?”

The first possibility he ruled out was the immortal beings. A soul created by thought, he could guess how powerful it was. It was impossible to silently kill his clone.

There were only a few people on the Central Continent who could kill his clone.

The reason he didn’t go himself, but sent a clone to investigate, was because he was worried about being discovered by those few people on the Central Continent.

He didn’t want to reveal his identity yet.

Even if his clone was captured, it would be impossible for the other party to deduce his identity based on the clone. They might even be misled by the information on the clone and suspect other immortals.

In one’s life, it’s always best to be cautious.

Otherwise, like the immortal beings, living carelessly and heartlessly, one might be killed by someone any day. “Is it that guy in the palace? Is it Yun Zhi from the Seek Tao Sect? Or someone else?”

His clone was hidden in the Immortal Sect, and those who had contact with the Immortal Sect could only be the Great Xia Dynasty, which was dedicated to combating the demonic sect, and the five major immortal sects that exorcised demons.

Some people died, but they were not completely dead…