"In that calamity, not a single person could escape, nor could any cultivator survive. That was the rule of the Heavenly Dao!" the old man said with a sigh.
I listened silently, able to imagine how desperate those people must have been at that time.
"Many chose to use their cultivation to directly confront the Heavenly Dao, but it was of no use. However, people like us chose a different method..." the old man suddenly smiled.
"What?" I asked.
"To voluntarily dissipate all cultivation, leaving only a wisp of remnant soul, like me now." The old man seemed a little proud. "Although I can't continue to live, and this remnant soul can only move within a certain range, there is one benefit..."
"At the very least, I can see the future, just as I can see you now..." the old man said with a smile.
"The era has completely changed now. Science dominates the world," I said seriously.
"So what? History exists. It doesn't disappear just because you refuse to acknowledge it..." the old man said, picking up a piece of grilled fish and taking a satisfying bite.
I knew this grilled fish wasn't roasted by Lin Chun, but belonged to this space.
"What a pity, there's no wine..." the old man lamented. "Since you can cultivate, it means the world of cultivators might return..."
I frowned, "Have you ever considered a possibility, that those people back then didn't actually die?"
"Hmm?" the old man paused slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Is it possible they entered another world?" I asked earnestly.
Upon hearing this, the old man fell silent. "It shouldn't be possible..."
"Once a cultivator's strength reaches a certain realm, they cannot remain stagnant in that place. You can't guarantee that the cultivators in this world wouldn't be able to break through the void and leave this place!" I said seriously.
It wasn't that I was intentionally making such a judgment, but because of the existence of the Shepherd.
The Shepherd gave me the feeling that they were not remnant souls.
"This..." the old man hesitated for a long time, then a wry smile appeared on his face. "What does it matter? Since we made that choice back then, there's no turning back now..."
"Although my range of activity is limited to this place, I am very content with this kind of life..." the old man said. "It's just a bit lonely..."
I looked at the old man and roughly understood the situation.
The conditions to see him again were too harsh.
On one hand, someone had to be able to cultivate, and on the other hand, this place had to be found...
Furthermore, one had to be able to use their own Shepherd's power to absorb the Shepherd's power in the water.
Only then could that small piece of stone be retrieved from that place.
"The outside world must be beautiful, right?" the old man asked.
"Yes!" I nodded. "At least there's wine to drink..."
The old man glared at me indignantly. "Knowing I miss this, and you still tempt me like this..."
"Can't you leave this place?" I asked.
"No..." the old man replied. "My remnant soul resides within this stone. To you, it's just a stone, but in reality, it's the crystallization of all my Shepherd's power..."
Shock appeared on my face.
This stone had been in this place for an unknown length of time. Who knew how much Shepherd's power had flowed into the distance along that small stream before.
In other words, even though this small stone had been continuously depleted here for so many years, it could still remain. One could imagine how terrifying the old man's strength was back then!
"What if I take this stone away?" I asked.
"It's impossible..." the old man said. "Don't underestimate this hot spring pool. This is a resting place I spent countless years creating. Only in this place is there such abundant Shepherd's power, allowing the crystallization of Shepherd's power to maintain this state..."
I thought for a moment, and something flashed through my mind. "Perhaps I can try..."
"Hmm?" the old man paused and looked at me with a hint of confusion. "You're taking this crystallization of Shepherd's power not for yourself to use?"
"For myself to use? What do you mean?" I was a little confused.
"If you can perfectly absorb all the power within this formation, it can elevate your strength to a brand new height!" the old man said earnestly.
"Oh? It can be used like this?" I was a little surprised.
Seeing my expression, the old man paused, then slapped himself hard. "Look at my mouth..."
Seeing his expression, I couldn't help but laugh too...