The appearance of Chongming left everyone present in disbelief. Only Lu Chukong's expression kept changing in an indescribable way.
The arrival of her master instantly made Zhaozhao feel a lot safer. It was as if she had returned to her childhood, when she was picked up by her master, planted, and carefully nurtured.
Perhaps children always inadvertently show their vulnerable side when facing their family. Zhaozhao firmly believed that her master had come to save her.
And Chongming did exactly as she had expected. Without hesitation, he trapped the imposter "Zhaozhao" with a burst of flames, looking as if he was going to burn her to death on the spot.
"Ugh!"
The demon, who was originally a plant spirit, couldn't withstand the torment of flames, which were like a natural enemy to it. In an instant, it was burned to the brink of death.
Seeing this, Lu Chukong withdrew his hand that was about to touch Song Yao. He left Song Yao's side and finally took a deep look at her.
He took out a strangely shaped bottle, and the dying "Zhaozhao" trapped in the flames was instantly sucked into it.
"Senior, our master said that he knows the reason behind everything you've done. He also said that since we have a common goal and he can help you fulfill your lifelong wish, you might as well consider cooperating with us."
Leaving behind these seemingly divisive words, Lu Chukong turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
With Lu Chukong and the other Zhaozhao gone, the boundary suppression on the scene instantly dissipated. Everyone returned to normal.
Except for Su Yuan. Only he was still trapped in a nightmare carefully designed for him.
Hearing the words Lu Chukong left before leaving, Zhaozhao felt as if something was about to surface in her mind, but she just couldn't figure it out.
Before she could ask her master for an explanation, the next moment, Chongming reached out his hand to her.
He neither chose to chase after the culprit who had hurt his disciple, nor to rescue Su Yuan who was still trapped. He didn't even offer a single word of comfort to Zhaozhao. Instead, he directly took her away from the Xuan Sect.
The moment Zhaozhao and Chongming disappeared from the Xuan Sect, Su Yuan finally opened his eyes. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and called out her name with endless reluctance and pain: "Zhaozhao..."
Wutong Mountain.
Zhaozhao followed her master back to the cave where they had once had an argument. Looking at the lamp in front of her, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
The Soul - Gathering Lamp. Her senior brother had once told her about this lamp. He said that the soul of the uncle she had never met might be gathered in this lamp.
"Master..." Out of uneasiness and concern for Su Yuan's elder sister, she softly called out to her master and took a step forward to grab his sleeve like she did when she was a child.
She wanted to go back to the Xuan Sect to check on the situation of her elder sister and Su Yuan. She was worried.
Moreover, it was too quiet here. The silence was terrifying. She urgently needed something to break this silence, anything would do.
The moment her hand missed, Zhaozhao looked up at her master's back in disbelief. It was as if she suddenly didn't recognize the master who had raised her since childhood.
"Do you know how I picked you up?" Chongming suddenly spoke, as if he was going to reminisce with her at this critical moment.
Zhaozhao bit her lip and said nothing.
Chongming saw through her worry and said, "You don't have to worry. Neither the Song family nor Su Yuan will be in danger."
Hearing this, Zhaozhao felt a little more relieved. She also understood that she had to humor her master and listen to what he had to say today before he might let her leave.
"So how did master pick me up?" Zhaozhao asked, following his previous words.
Chongming walked to the tea table, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then slowly recalled, "When I picked you up, my elder sister, the Immortal Yaochen, your uncle you've never met, had just fallen."
Hearing this, Zhaozhao's eyelashes trembled slightly. She sat there quietly without saying a word, and her heartbeat gradually accelerated.
"The first time I saw you, you were just a charred seed, lying silently in the muddy ground after the rain. No one would have given you a second look if they passed by, but I just stopped there and happened to notice you. Do you know why?" Chongming put down his teacup and looked at Zhaozhao calmly.
"Why?"
"Because at that time, I was holding the Soul - Gathering Lamp that had just collected your uncle's soul. When the lamp passed by you, its light flickered. The last wisp of Yaochen's remaining consciousness sensed your weak life force and signaled me to save you."
Chongming had grown up with Yaochen since childhood. They had no blood relation but were closer than real siblings. Since he was born, he had been dependent on Yaochen.
They had gone through the once - turbulent prehistoric era together, always supporting each other.
Finally, they had achieved enlightenment through cultivation. But Yaochen was too kind - hearted. She had fallen into the River of Weak Water to save a little demon and was gone without a trace.
By the time Chongming arrived, he had only managed to collect her broken soul.
Those decomposed and melted by the River of Weak Water, whether they were mortals, gods, or demons, would never be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Yaochen didn't even have the chance to be reincarnated because of her kindness.
Because of this, Chongming actually hated Yaochen's kindness, which made him lose his sister forever. He had lost the only family he had in this world.
"So at first, I actually didn't want to save you."
Chongming suddenly seemed strange to Zhaozhao. There was no trace of the former gentleness and love on his face.
Zhaozhao took two difficult breaths. It was hard to describe her current mood. She hesitated and asked, "Then why did you save me?"
Actually, she already had the answer in her heart, but she was still a bit reluctant to accept it and wanted to take a chance.
When the final answer was announced, the heart that she had been holding finally sank heavily.
"Because when I got closer to you, the originally dim light of the Soul - Gathering Lamp gradually became brighter. I could feel that Yaochen's shaky soul became more stable because of you."
"And then?" The truth was almost out, and she stared blankly and continued to ask.
"Later, I found out that you were the legendary Resurrection Tree that could bring the dead back to life. To me, you were hope, the hope to bring Yaochen back."
So that was it. So it was like this...
So her master had taken her back, carefully planted her, and taught her so patiently. It turned out that it was all because she was the "medicine" to bring her uncle back?
No, she smiled bitterly and shook her head. Perhaps she wasn't even considered medicine.
"But for some reason, you were seriously injured and lost the source of all your power - the spirit of the tree core. I searched all over the mountains and rivers and finally found a few fragments, but you couldn't absorb them. So I had to wait and wait. I sent the found fragments out to receive offerings to wash away the unwillingness and hatred they carried, waiting for the right time to come."
When would the right time come? Undoubtedly, it would be the day when she could transform.
Only when she was willing to retrieve her past could she truly be "resurrected" and become a "complete" Resurrection Tree again.
Zhaozhao's head was buzzing. Her master's words still echoed in her ears, and all that had happened in the past flashed before her eyes like a carousel.
Those happy and care - filled days of the past, all her calls of "master", were they all wrong?
"Master," a tear rolled down the corner of her eye. Zhaozhao looked at Chongming blankly and urgently, "Even so, I don't blame you... Please, master, tell Zhaozhao. In the past hundred years, have you ever softened your heart towards me even for a moment? Have you ever, even for an instant, regarded me as your truly beloved disciple?"