Fantasy: I Am the Villain.

Chapter 271 Stealing the Vermilion Fruit, Chi Tian Ce! (Part 2)

Chapter 271 Stealing the Vermilion Fruit, Chi Tian Ce! (Part 2)

Elder Lin's eyes widened when he saw his precious Vermilion Fruit, and he couldn't help but reach out to grab it.

Bai Ke suddenly pulled his hand away from the Vermilion Fruit, leaving Elder Lin with nothing.

Elder Lin forced himself to stand up despite the pain and said angrily, "Why are you making fun of me again?"

Bai Ke certainly wouldn't go out of his way to tease Elder Lin after he'd already eaten.

By the time he obtained the Vermilion Fruit, the system mission was considered complete. His subsequent deliberate appearance to attract aggro was also a test of his physical strength.

Clearly, Bai Ke is now able to ignore attacks from early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

As for why the Vermilion Fruit was forcibly confiscated, it was actually for another item on Elder Lin's person, which he only remembered from his childhood, a story Bai Yan had told him.

"Elder Lin, it's not that I can't return the Vermilion Fruit to you, but... you'll have to exchange it for something!" Bai Ke explained slowly.

Even Ling Xin'er couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for Elder Lin, saying, "Brother Bai clearly stole the Vermilion Fruit that belonged to someone else, and now he's even asking them to give something in return. He's utterly shameless."

"Hey, Xin'er! Whose side are you on? Why are you siding with outsiders?"

"Of course I'm on the side of justice! Unlike some bad people who do bad things and don't apologize, but instead escalate their misdeeds!"

Bai Ke chuckled and gently pinched Ling Xin'er's indignant little face, then turned to Elder Lin and asked, "How's your consideration going?"

Elder Lin, a figure with little real power, was helpless in the face of the rising young devil Bai Ke, and could only sigh and reply, "What do you want? Spirit stones or cultivation techniques?"

"I want the Youth-Preserving Pill!" Bai Ke smiled meaningfully and said, enunciating each word clearly, "The Youth-Preserving Pill!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Lin's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and his expression became somewhat bewildered, as if he were lost in some distant memories.

In the ancient cultivation world, the Youth Preservation Pill was an elixir reserved for immortals; consuming just one pill could grant eternal youth.

But in the present world of the Mountain and Sea Realm, where the Great Dao has declined and all methods are in decline, what conditions and materials are there to refine such divine pills?

The formulas for the youth-preserving pills circulating nowadays are basically greatly reduced versions, and their effects are not as miraculous as they seem. They can only improve the skin texture slightly, and most pharmacists can easily concoct a few pills.

However, the Youth-Preserving Pill in Elder Lin's possession has a rather interesting origin, the reason for which involves Elder Lin's youth...

Elder Lin seemed somewhat reluctant to recall the past, and let out a soft sigh.

He pulled a dirty jade bottle from his pocket, stared at it blankly for a long time, and then shoved it into Bai Ke's arms without hesitation. He took back the century-old Vermilion Fruit and cursed, "Get out! Take it all! Don't ever come to my herb garden to cause trouble again!"

He casually handed the jade bottle containing the Youth Preservation Pill to Ling Xin'er, then cupped his hands meaningfully to Elder Lin and said, "Understood! I will never set foot here again. Thank you for the Youth Preservation Pill, Elder. Farewell!"

After saying that, he took Ling Xin'er, who looked puzzled, into the air and flew away.

Our Elder Lin, holding the long-lost Vermilion Fruit he had regained with great care, looked up at the streak of light in the sky that flashed like lightning, and murmured:

"Just like me when I was young..."

During the flight, Ling Xin'er, holding the jade bottle given to her by Elder Lin, asked Bai Ke with a puzzled look:

"You scoundrel, you went to all this trouble just for Elder Lin's Youth Preservation Pill?"

Bai Ke didn't answer Ling Xin'er, but instead asked, "Have you ever heard the story of the 'Prodigy of Heavenly Strategy'?"

"No, who is Tian Ce Jiao Zi?" Ling Xin'er was completely confused and didn't understand what Bai Ke meant.

Bai Ke laughed heartily and began telling Ling Xin'er the story of 'The Prodigy of Tian Ce'...

Three thousand years ago, a boy with almost monstrous talent appeared in the Tian Ce Palace. At the young age of eighteen, he had already reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm and was known as the pride of Tian Ce.

The elders of the sect all placed high hopes on him, believing that he was the person with the best chance of ascending to the immortal realm since the collapse of the ancient cultivation world.

After realizing the bottleneck of the Returning to Emptiness Realm, he chose to leave Tian Ce Palace alone and go to the other three regions to train his Dao Heart in order to find an opportunity to break through.

During his trials, he encountered a narcissistic mortal girl and fell hopelessly in love with her.

But she didn't love him, and even though he tried everything to please her, she still said she wouldn't marry him.

He did not give up and continued to pursue and care for her relentlessly.

Fifteen years have passed, and she is no longer as young and beautiful as she once was; time has left its mark on her face.

Extremely narcissistic, she began to feel afraid. She was afraid of getting old, and even more afraid of becoming ugly.

She told him that if he could find the legendary ancient elixir of youth that could make one's appearance ageless, she would marry him.

He agreed to her request and made a five-year promise.

So he set off. He frantically traversed various small worlds, entered ancient secret realms, explored ancient cave dwellings, and ventured into dangerous forest burial grounds.

As the saying goes, heaven rewards the diligent, and he finally found the legendary ancient elixir of youth. However, he paid a heavy price for it.

The soul is cursed, the foundation of one's cultivation is damaged, and one's cultivation level is permanently reduced, with no possibility of advancing further in one's lifetime.

But he doesn't regret it, because he loves her and is willing to give everything for her.

When he excitedly returned to her home, he found her dead, having committed suicide.

He then realized that the five-year agreement had already passed; he was a day too late. She had chosen to end her own life because she could not accept her aging appearance.

He broke down and returned to Tian Ce Palace with an empty soul, where he went into seclusion as an elder of the medicine garden.

From then on, there were no more prodigies in the world.

After Bai Ke finished speaking, he looked back at the back mountain of Wanbaotang and sighed softly.

"You mean... Elder Lin was once the 'Prodigy of Tian Ce'... This bottle of Youth Preservation Pill is from ancient times?!" After hearing the story, Ling Xin'er was shocked and immediately felt the jade bottle in her hand become very heavy.

"Look at you, so silly." Bai Ke affectionately patted Ling Xin'er's head and said softly, "This is my apology gift to you."

Ling Xin'er couldn't help but kiss Bai Ke, excitedly holding the jade bottle, muttering to herself, "Eternal youth, haha! Eternal youth!"

Bai Ke smiled and increased his flying speed. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in the sky outside Tian Ce Palace. Looking around, he could see the entire Tian Ce Palace.

"Today I'll show you what the Tian Ce Palace looks like!"

After saying that, Bai Ke activated "Immortal Crossing" at full speed, flying around the entire territory of Tian Ce Palace at high speed.

Tiandu Peak, Hundred Flowers Valley, Tianxiu Peak, Tiansheng Peak, Tiance Peak, Chijie Cliff...

The two took in every mountain peak of Tian Ce Palace, feeling refreshed and couldn't help but smile at each other.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the mission [Lightning Speed], and you have received 500 Evil Points as a reward!"