And it seems I'm being controlled now. Lin Chun can't see my actions at all!
Just then, an angry voice suddenly came from not far away: "Do you want to die?"
My expression changed slightly. I looked in the direction of the voice and suddenly realized that someone was lying comfortably in the hot spring.
Then I found myself at the entrance.
Wasn't I in the hot spring?
My mind was full of doubt, but I didn't dare to say more, and my gaze turned to the source of the voice.
It was an old man with white hair and beard. His upper body was bare, with well-defined muscles, completely different from his face.
His face showed signs of age, but his body seemed full of vitality.
"I ask, do you want to die?" The old man stared at me intently.
Seeing his gaze, my heart sank slightly. I could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from him.
"I apologize, senior. I accidentally took something from here..." I said neither servile nor overbearing. "If I've offended you, I'll return it immediately!"
"Hmph! You took my things and just returning them is enough?" the old man asked with a cold laugh.
"Then what else do you need me to do?" I asked.
"What can you do?" the old man looked at me coldly. "Go get me something to eat!"
As the old man spoke, he pointed to the cooking area in the hall not far away.
The fish Lin Chun had been roasting was gone. A large fish lay on the ground.
After hesitating, I walked over, simply prepared the fish, and began to roast it by the fire.
"Since you dared to take my things without permission, you can stay here forever!" the old man said indifferently.
"Have you had enough fun, senior?" I suddenly chuckled. "If you're just bored and want to chat, there's no need for us to speak in such a tone..."
Hearing this, the old man in the hot spring paused slightly, and a brilliant smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Oh, young man, not bad, when did you find out?"
"When you asked me to roast the fish, I already felt something was wrong..." I sat down beside him without hesitation. "This should be an illusion, or a mental world you left behind, not where I was before..."
"Continue..." the old man said with a smile.
"You've pulled me into your mental world to chat. In other words, if you're still alive, you shouldn't be here. If you're dead, then it's a lingering wisp of your soul..." I said earnestly.
"Now that's more like it!" The old man wasn't angry at all, and looked at me with bright eyes. "Since you can discover this place, it means you've already overcome the ultimate tribulation of a cultivator, right?"
"The ultimate tribulation?" My face was full of confusion. "What is that?"
Hearing my question, the old man paused: "What's going on... you don't know?"
"I'm sorry, senior, I really don't know about this. But if nothing unexpected happens, the only cultivators left in the world should be starting with me..." I said seriously.
"The only cultivators... starting with you..." The old man savored these words carefully. After a moment, a hint of sorrow appeared on his face. "So, you still haven't overcome that great tribulation..."
"Can you tell me what it is?" I asked.
"Since you don't know, then forget it. However, since you can cultivate the Shepherd God power, it means the Shepherd God Art has been passed down..." The old man sat down beside me and said slowly.
"That seems to be the case for now..." I nodded. "Can you briefly explain to me what that so-called ultimate tribulation is?"
"Alright, since I haven't chatted with anyone in so long, I'll talk with you for a while longer..." the old man said with a smile. "I think you should be very clear about the essence of cultivation..."
I nodded. The Shepherd talked to me about this before.
"Since you know, you should also understand that cultivation is going against the heavens..." the old man continued. "If our strength reaches a certain level, we will naturally attract the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao. In this situation, we will be in a very dangerous predicament..."
"And then?" I asked.
"In our era, because extremely powerful cultivators emerged, the Heavenly Dao began to scrutinize us. At that time, for the sake of the laws governing the operation of heaven and earth, the Heavenly Dao directly wiped us all out..." the old man said slowly. "That was our ultimate tribulation..."
"Did no one escape?" I asked.
"No..." the old man shook his head. "Otherwise, how could cultivators start with you?"
Hearing this, I could only nod silently...