Chapter 124: Patriarch Zhou

The holy demon extended fingers as flawless as jade, from which glowing runes shimmered and drifted forth. He intended to seize Zhou Tian and study him thoroughly.

“Because of a few of my family’s ancestors,” Zhou Tian finally spoke as the runes were about to touch his body. At the same time, he deactivated the Immortality System, his eyes fixed intently on the holy demon before him.

Zhou Tian had read descriptions of several of his ancestors in the family archives—truly eternal paragons, all formidable beings at the Celestial Sovereign level.

“Oh?” The holy demon showed a hint of surprise, thoughtful flickers passing through his eyes. He clenched his palm lightly and withdrew his divine power.

The few ancestors of the Zhou family were on par with the Buddhas of Luotian Temple, the Dao Ancestors of the Dao Alliance, and the Supreme Sages of the Great Luo Academy—figures of the Celestial Sovereign realm. Publicly, only three were acknowledged, but whether others remained hidden was unknown.

Reaching the Celestial Sovereign stage was an entirely different world. Facing such figures, the holy demon dared not treat the matter lightly; he wanted to hear exactly what Zhou Tian could reveal.

“Do you know what kind of constitution I have?” Zhou Tian’s expression grew considerably calmer as he asked.

“Completely blocked channels, innate wastrel,” the holy demon replied, having studied Zhou Tian somewhat. The reason he targeted Zhou Tian initially was precisely because of this constitution—unable to cultivate, utterly powerless, thus causing fewer complications.

“No, no,” Zhou Tian denied.

“Although my channels are blocked, I am not an innate wastrel but possess an extremely powerful constitution. Had I been born into an ordinary family, I truly would be worthless, but I was born into the Zhou family.”

“Coincidentally, one of my ancestors also had a blocked channels constitution—a rarity that appears once in ten thousand years, desperately seeking heirs but finding none. Then I was born.”

Zhou Tian narrated slowly. Though naked, his mind never ceased. He was accustomed to moments of nudity each day. Such stories were countless in internet novels of past lives; no need to strain his brain—he could just borrow them.

The holy demon frowned slightly. A blocked channels constitution was an extraordinarily strong constitution? How had he never heard of this? Even if it required great cost to cultivate, he should have known. Moreover, how many years had passed since the Zhou ancestors rose to fame? Surely, at least one blocked channels individual would have appeared.

But not necessarily. The Zhou family was a clan-based power; an ancestor taking an heir from outside the family would pose complications. The holy demon’s thoughts raced, various possibilities flashing through his mind.

Meanwhile, Zhou Tian continued.

“My resurrection is due to an ancestor’s technique, which can extract me from time itself, returning me to a moment before death.”

“Is that so?” The holy demon’s eyes deepened, a faint golden light swirling within his pupils, shining like the radiant sun. He examined Zhou Tian thoroughly, finding no trace of divine power.

He had touched time before, but extracting someone from the river of time was a wholly different concept. He did not know whether Celestial Sovereign beings possessed such power, nor had he truly encountered one. Although the higher one’s cultivation, the greater the temporal impact and the harder it is to retrieve them, Zhou Tian was still a mere mortal; it was not impossible.

“Then why haven’t you gained any cultivation to this day?”

The holy demon’s black eyes returned to calm, tranquil and unruffled.

“Because a blocked channels constitution requires activation, and the materials are exceedingly rare. Even my Zhou family has not fully gathered them yet.”

“For example?” The holy demon doubted any materials could elude even the Zhou family.

“The Heart of the World, Primordial Purple Qi, and so on.” Zhou Tian spoke confidently, possessing many such impressive-sounding names.

The holy demon fell silent for a moment. He considered himself a well-known figure in the martial world, though far from the pinnacle, yet he had surpassed most. Yet now, speaking with Zhou Tian, he felt like a bumpkin, unfamiliar with everything mentioned.

“How do you prove it?”

The holy demon asked the crucial question. Zhou Tian’s explanation was plausible, but he needed proof to confirm its truth.

Zhou Tian smiled. All his previous words had been leading to this moment.

“My ancestor did not only leave the resurrection technique on me but also bestowed a divine power. Through it, I can borrow his strength, though limited by time. I can also call for his aid, but only in moments of true life-or-death crisis—such as when facing someone who can break time or when imprisoned.”

“Since I just resurrected, I need to recover energy, so I must wait before using it. I believe this suffices to prove my claim.”

The holy demon’s gaze flickered. Calling upon a Celestial Sovereign for aid? If Zhou Tian spoke the truth, he was in grave danger. He doubted he could escape a hunt by such a figure.

“Indeed, that does prove it,” the holy demon said. The Nine Provinces were protected by powerful formations constructed by major factions. For safety, these defenses did not allow Celestial Sovereigns to cross easily. Even internal Celestial Sovereigns had to pay a high price to break through. This explained why Zhou Tian had not called for help directly but tried to convince him with words instead. The holy demon did not want to face a Celestial Sovereign’s pursuit—that was a death sentence. Having Zhou Tian prove himself was the best course.

“Very well, wait for a while. The power left by my ancestor within me has been depleted and needs time to recover.”

“How long?”

The holy demon did not press further. Zhou Tian had already mentioned that using the power required a cooldown.

“At most twelve hours.”

Zhou Tian checked the Immortality System; about six or seven hours remained before the next resurrection could refresh.

The holy demon nodded, his eyes glittering as he stared at Zhou Tian.

“You’d better be telling the truth. Otherwise, I’ll show you what torment really means!”

As he spoke, a cute little fairy fluttered its wings and hopped onto his shoulder, sitting down with a delicate sigh. Its translucent wings stilled, exuding an adorable charm.

Yet Zhou Tian shivered inwardly. The filthy members of the Shadow Sect had just flashed in his mind, and now these adorable fairies—what a jarring contrast. The holy demon’s tastes were indeed peculiar.

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