As Wu Tao looked at the silent man and woman, he changed the subject and asked the main purpose of his visit.
"To be honest, I originally didn't want to venture out. But not long ago, I heard news of wars between various races, and I felt that the underground immortal cultivation world was about to undergo great changes. That's why I came out of seclusion to gather information. Do you two have any recent news about the human and blood races?"
Upon hearing Wu Tao's question, the two exchanged glances, looking at each other speechlessly, clearly with reservations.
At this moment, Wu Tao looked at the Spirit Race woman before him, and the sense of familiarity grew stronger, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wu Tao's mind, and he remembered who this Spirit Race woman was.
No wonder he felt such a sense of familiarity; it turned out to be Teng Ling'er, who had competed with him for treasures in Tongguan City back then.
He hadn't expected that after several hundred years, this willful and petulant Spirit Race girl would have actually advanced to the realm of Heavenly Spirit Master.
Thinking of this, Wu Tao couldn't help but rub his nose, feeling speechless.
What a turn of events! He came to ask for information and ran into an acquaintance from the past.
...
Actually, Teng Ling'er had recognized Wu Tao long ago. However, because Wu Tao's current realm was too high, she couldn't quite confirm his identity.
Or rather, she was unwilling to believe that an ordinary human boy from back then had now become a high and mighty King.
Although anything was possible in the immortal cultivation world, it was difficult for anyone to adapt to a human ordinary cultivator transforming into a King realm existence in just a few hundred years.
However, after their brief exchange, Teng Ling'er had already confirmed Wu Tao's identity.
Looking at Teng Ling'er, whose eyes flickered and whose heart churned like a stormy sea, Wu Tao also finally confirmed the true identity of the Spirit Race woman before him. It was indeed Teng Ling'er!
To be honest, after several hundred years, Teng Ling'er had also advanced to the Heavenly Spirit Master realm, and her appearance here was indeed beyond Wu Tao's expectations.
Indeed, life was unpredictable.
However, upon seeing an acquaintance from hundreds of years ago, Wu Tao's intention to kill them to silence them after getting the information immediately became hesitant.
Although he and this woman didn't have any deep friendship, and even had some grievances back then, after hundreds of years, all those matters had scattered like the wind.
Under such circumstances, Teng Ling'er was, in a way, an old acquaintance with some connection to Wu Tao, which made him unable to bring himself to be ruthless.
With a sigh, as if recalling something, a half-smile appeared on Wu Tao's face.
...
Just as the middle-aged man was bracing himself to say something, to his great surprise, Teng Ling'er suddenly stepped forward and made the middle finger gesture at Wu Tao, the same gesture they had made when they parted ways years ago.
...
Before the middle-aged man could reprimand her, Teng Ling'er spoke words that left him dumbfounded.
"Teng Ling'er greets Brother Wu. Congratulations on Brother Wu advancing to the Purple Mansion stage."
Seeing the half-smile on Wu Tao's face, Teng Ling'er knew that Wu Tao had recognized her.
To avoid any complications, she decided to break the silence herself and reveal her identity.
Seeing that Teng Ling'er had proactively revealed her identity, Wu Tao stopped pretending. He spread his hands and asked with a hint of amusement.
"It's been a while, and you've reached the Heavenly Spirit Master realm, haven't you? What's wrong? Judging by your expression, you still look incredulous..."
Hearing this, Teng Ling'er's bright eyes shifted slightly, and then she parted her red lips and explained, "Brother Wu, it's not that I don't believe it, but it's all too dreamlike, making it hard to adapt to for a moment..."
As if recalling something, Wu Tao's face was filled with emotion, and his tone unconsciously softened.
"Never mind, never mind. We did have some past acquaintance back then, so I won't hide it from you. I want to know what has happened to the human and blood races in these past few hundred years!"
"Since Brother Wu wants to hear, then Junior Sister will naturally tell you everything she knows!" Teng Ling'er replied without hesitation.
"Then I thank you!"
Wu Tao nodded with satisfaction and then listened attentively without any pretense.
"Too many things have happened between the human and blood races in these past few hundred years. According to the information I've gathered, the human race has generally been at a disadvantage."
"However, there's no longer any conflict between the blood race and the human race, because the blood race no longer borders the human race. Therefore, the human race doesn't need to worry about the issue of the blood race."
"It turns out that because of the human race's weakness back then, the highest echelons of the human race, after deliberation, adopted a method of 'gecko shedding its tail,' abandoning one-third of their original territory to gain strategic initiative."
"Although this method gave the human race a strategic advantage, it also left a considerable number of people confused and unknowingly sacrificed."
"This decisive move, likened to breaking one's wrist, not only avoided the sharp edge of the blood race but also greatly preserved their strength. Thus, it has been widely circulated in the underground immortal cultivation world."
Although Teng Ling'er spoke with some reservation, Wu Tao's heart sank upon hearing it, and his expression turned extremely grim.
As Teng Ling'er spoke, she cautiously observed Wu Tao.
Having been to Tongguan City before, how could Teng Ling'er not know that Tongguan City was also on the list of territories to be sacrificed?
In other words, the being before her was also one of those abandoned by the human race back then.
To be honest, Teng Ling'er was truly afraid that Wu Tao might do something in a fit of rage after knowing the truth.
...
"Oh, so that's how it is. Those abandoned guys are really quite stupid!" Wu Tao said slowly in a low voice, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his heart.
Upon hearing these words, Wu Tao lost interest in further questioning and fell completely silent.
The scenes of the past flashed through his mind, and fragments of memories surged to the surface.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh, his expression incredibly complex, beyond words.
Tongguan City was breached back then, with hundreds of thousands of blood race members attacking. Most of his old acquaintances had likely died.
Thinking back to the many events that happened in Tongguan City, it felt like a long, lingering dream.
Tongguan City was probably already a paradise for the blood race now.
How ridiculous it was that the heroes who fought desperately, what did they mean to the higher-ups of the human race?
After his past suspicions were confirmed, Wu Tao's heart was filled with mixed emotions, his thoughts in disarray.
Abandonment! Betrayal! Ruthlessness!
Recalling the appearance of his old acquaintances before their deaths, the killing intent emanating from Wu Tao began to stir, threatening to erupt at any moment.
He wanted to kill now!
But when he thought about what he had done in the Purple Province immortal cultivation world, Wu Tao finally suppressed the killing intent in his heart.
Because, it was like the crow laughing at the pig for being black, without looking at itself in the mirror. It was a huge joke.
Compared to what the higher-ups of the human race had done in the underground immortal cultivation world, what Wu Tao had done was not much better, and some might even argue it was more excessive.
Anyone could use this as an excuse to retaliate against those higher-ups of the human race, but Wu Tao couldn't, because what he had done was no less wicked than what those higher-ups had done, and perhaps even more so.
Moreover, although the "broken wrist" strategy was cruel, it preserved most of the human forces in the underground immortal cultivation world. Setting aside emotions and speaking purely rationally, this was not only a flawless move but also an extremely brilliant strategy.
After giving Teng Ling'er a deep look, Wu Tao said nothing further. With a flash of his light, he instantly disappeared without a trace.
...
"Fellow Daoist Ling'er, do you really know this senior? And you called him Brother Wu, are you perhaps very close?"
Seeing Wu Tao disappear, the somewhat older middle-aged man finally couldn't help but ask Teng Ling'er.
"What, Fellow Daoist Mu, are you interrogating me?"
Teng Ling'er frowned and retorted unhappily.
Her mood was already not good today, and after Wu Tao's interference, it only worsened!
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Ling'er, no need to be angry. I have no intention of pressing you, I just find it a bit strange."
"Listening to both of your conversations, it doesn't seem like this senior is very old."
"Fellow Daoist Ling'er, when did you first meet this Senior Wu, and how long has it been since you last saw each other..."
"When I first met him back then, he should have only had the cultivation of the early Core Formation stage. As for the time elapsed between then and now, it's about two hundred years."
At this point, Teng Ling'er seemed to understand what he meant and replied with a slight change in her expression.
"So, this Senior surnamed Wu only took a little over two hundred years to advance from the Core Formation stage to the King realm."
"And if I'm not mistaken, he should be a human cultivator, right? Do you know what that means?" the middle-aged man said with a serious expression.
...
"You mean... no, that's impossible..."
"No one has been able to advance to the Emperor realm in the underground immortal cultivation world for a million years. Even if he is extraordinarily talented, he shouldn't be able to break through the shackles..."
Teng Ling'er's expression changed at first, and then, after reacting, she retorted.
Hearing Teng Ling'er's words, the middle-aged man surnamed Mu shook his head slightly and continued, "Even if he can't break through the shackles to advance to the Emperor realm, the sudden appearance of a King realm expert for the human race is enough to cause significant ripples."
"At this troubled time, we should prioritize self-preservation. I advise Fellow Daoist Ling'er to stay home recently. It's better to have less trouble than more."
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