Chen Yindou gestured for everyone to go ahead, while he stepped out of the room himself.

The two of them came outside, into a world of ice and snow, with ancient trees stretching out, draped in a silver cloak.

Behind them came the sound of a door closing. Du Yiran mustered her remaining mana, leading Hu Xiaoliang and the others away.

Chen Yindou broke the silence, saying, "Why is Master waiting for us here?"

"This place is called the Sky Frost Snowfield, originally a Holy Land. Later, it was contaminated by the Outer Dao, making life here increasingly difficult, and fewer people stayed."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor said, "Du Yiran’s Daoist Skill requires a door to cast spells, so I calculated that your escape route would be to Golden Turtle Island, and then deduced how far Du Yiran could flee in one push. After that, I moved all the houses on the Sky Frost Snowfield away, leaving only this one structure. If you escape here, you would inevitably enter this dwelling."

Chen Yindou fell silent; the wisdom of the Hidden Dragon Ancestor was indeed profound, befitting the founder of the Primordial Talisman. Capturing them would be a mere trifle.

"Why does Master let us go?" he inquired.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor smiled and said, "Yindu, why such childish words? I let Du Yiran and the others go, but not you. The four of them together are not as important as you. Do not forget, you are still in my grasp."

Chen Yindou nodded gently.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor asked, "Did Mr. Chen learn the Primordial Talisman in the North Sea?"

Chen Yindou affirmed it.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor queried, "You went to the North Sea to assassinate Beidi, evading the pursuit of the Four Saints of the Beiji, for half a year. In that time, to what extent did Mr. Chen improve the Primordial Talisman?"

"Fifty percent."

"Fifty percent, hmm..."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor was somewhat moved and asked, "How did he perfect the Primordial Talisman?"

Chen Yindou replied, "He mastered the Outer Dao, using it to supplement the shortcomings of the Primordial Talisman."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor was silent for a moment, then said with a bitter voice, "To use the Outer Dao to supplement the Primordial Talisman’s shortcomings requires denying the Immortal Dao as the rightful heir of heaven and earth. How did he escape?"

Chen Yindou answered, "Mr. Chen never considered the Immortal Dao to be orthodox. He believes the Immortal Dao is a part of the Dark Sea Outer Dao."

"Is that so?" the Hidden Dragon Ancestor murmured.

At this moment, there was a faint sound of a door opening behind them, as Du Yiran quietly opened a crack in the door, beckoning to Chen Yindou.

Chen Yindou ignored it.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor asked, "Why did the Primordial Talisman become so perfect afterward?"

Chen Yindou said, "His vision and experience have their limits, but I brought with me the knowledge Master has collected over the years. With this foundation, I helped him elevate the completion of the Primordial Talisman to eighty percent."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor smiled, appearing very honest and quite pleased: "I have also contributed something to this."

"Master’s contribution is immense."

Chen Yindou continued, "Without Master’s creation of the Primordial Talisman, I wouldn’t know how long it would take if I explored alone. Without Master gathering various Daoist Skills, compiling such brilliant minds, who knows how long it would take for the Primordial Talisman to form a system. I couldn’t have improved the Primordial Talisman to eighty percent based on Mr. Chen’s foundation. Master has achieved great merit."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor happily replied, "How much of my merit lies with the Daoist Ancestor Chen?"

"Thirty percent, even forty percent!"

"Thirty or forty percent, huh?"

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor laughed, "I am content. You may leave with Du Yiran."

Chen Yindou turned and walked towards the dwelling.

"One last question, does the Primordial Talisman Mr. Chen passed on hide any flaws?" The Hidden Dragon Ancestor’s voice came.

Chen Yindou halted, silent for a moment.

"No."

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor also fell silent, watching Chen Yindou’s back.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Very well, you may go."

Du Yiran opened the door, and Chen Yindou stepped inside.

"Click."

The door closed.

The Hidden Dragon Ancestor stood alone on the Sky Frost Snowfield, gazing at the snow accumulated over tens of thousands of years.

"As expected, there are flaws, Mr. Chen is indeed a ruthless character, but I hope my merit will remain untainted in the future..."