Zhang Ruochen had not expected Wu Yue to speak so openly. Was she truly laying everything bare?
The Blood Absolute War God continued. “She told me her secret.”
“What secret?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blood Absolute War God said, “To trace this matter to its roots, we must begin when Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable was still alive. Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable spent his entire life searching for the method of immortality, and he set his sights on the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor, who had already lived through six lifetimes by then.”
“Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable killed the sixth incarnation of the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor and seized his secret of immortality.”
“Yet Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable never anticipated that the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor had not truly died, but lived on into a seventh lifetime. After Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable passed away in old age, the seventh incarnation informed his four disciples of the secret Star Perceive had obtained. This led to the later dismemberment by the four sons.”
“The seventh incarnation of the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor then took away Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable’s wife, the Ancient Moon Goddess, as revenge. After the Ancient Moon Goddess died, she was buried in a secret place. Over endless years, a ghostly soul was nurtured in her tomb.”
“Guided by the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor, this ghostly soul developed spiritual intelligence and embarked on the path of cultivation. That is the current Wu Yue.”
Though Zhang Ruochen had heard Xu Wen Zhi’s analysis and knew the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor might have played a key role in the historical case of the “dismemberment by four sons”, hearing such secrets still left him deeply shocked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “So Wu Yue means that a battle between the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor and the Feng Du Great Emperor is inevitable in the future? By accepting Void Heaven’s bestowed marriage, she attaches herself to his sect to secure a fallback for herself? That does not add up. If she wanted to attach herself to Void Heaven, would marrying Void Heaven directly not be better?”
The Blood Absolute War God said, “She told me the fallback she seeks is you. She believes you will not remain an ordinary figure.”
“Grandfather believes her?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blood Absolute War God replied, “Why not? My grandson’s future achievements will surely surpass both the Feng Du Great Emperor and the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. Though he harboured such ambition, at this stage he would not indulge in such lofty dreams.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “Something is wrong. Even if the Feng Du Great Emperor is a ghostly soul nurtured from Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable’s corpse, he is still a new being, completely different from his previous life. If he possessed Star Perceive’s memories and still bore grudges from that life, he would long ago have attacked the Darkness Divine Hall. That is the first point.”
“The second is this. Even if a battle occurs between the Feng Du Great Emperor and the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor, what does it have to do with Wu Yue? How could it affect her?”
“And third, there are too many inconsistencies in what Wu Yue said about the secrets between Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable and the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor. It cannot possibly be the truth. Moreover, as a ghostly soul born from a corpse many years later, she could not possibly know the secrets of that time. Nor would the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor tell her such inglorious matters.”
Most so-called ghostly souls are earth souls.
Earth souls are the shadows of living beings or corpses that slough off in the region of the Three Paths River and become ghosts. Because of this, ghosts almost never retain memories of previous lives, nor do they cast shadows. They are entirely new beings.
Wu Yue could not possibly be the human soul of the Ancient Moon Goddess, for a human soul could not survive from over two million years ago to the present.
The Blood Absolute War God smiled. “Everything you have said, I have considered. But you have overlooked one person.”
“Who?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Blood Absolute War God replied, “Yourself.”
“Me?” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Blood Absolute War God continued. “Ruochen, you underestimate yourself too much! Do you realise the immense pressure you now place even on me, your grandfather? If I feel pressure, how could Wu Yue, as your enemy, feel none? How could she not consider the possibility of dying by your hand in the future?”
“You must understand that when you had only just become a divinity, both Qing Tian and the master of the Darkness Divine Hall acted against you at the same time. To them, you were already a threat worth fearing.”
“The threat you pose now is more than ten times greater than it was then.”
“The reason no one moves against you at present is, first, fear of Tian Mu; second, uncertainty about Void Heaven’s stance; and third, most importantly, at this stage neither Heavenly Court nor Hell Realm wishes to offend Star Perceive Heaven or Star Heaven Cliff.”
“Once the Heavenly Court’s first starry defence line is breached and Hell Realm no longer needs to stabilise Star Perceive Heaven and Star Heaven Cliff, your position will become perilous. If you then refuse Void Heaven and decline to become the Young Lord of the True God Palace, the outside world will surely believe you and Void Heaven have fallen out. When the tide surges, the mere status of Tian Mu’s divine envoy may not protect you.”
“This is why I am so conflicted. On one hand I hope you accept the position of Young Lord of the True God Palace; on the other I do not wish you to become someone unfamiliar and distasteful to me.”
“Ruochen, do you know what I like most about you? It is not your talent, but that for Kong Le you would plunge into fire and water, dare to invade Hell Realm, dare to battle Xiu Chen. In the end, even facing scorn from the entire world, you would not flinch.”
“In this world, divinities who always place sentiment and righteousness first are already few!”
The Blood Absolute War God gave a wry laugh, then his gaze sharpened again. “At present, Wu Yue undoubtedly belongs to the Darkness Divine Hall in her heart and surely harbours many schemes, possibly including putting you to death when the time is right. Yet what she said about securing a fallback for herself and recognising your potential is also undoubtedly another side of her.”
“When she realises her schemes cannot succeed, that second choice becomes her only path to survival. Just as in the Dark Grand Triangle Star Domain she chose you, from that moment she has prepared two paths.”
“This woman is exceedingly dangerous and carries great karma.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Yet the Blood Absolute War God seemed unconcerned. “If she truly holds both advance and retreat strategies, then even if she wishes to kill you, she will never act personally. Instead she will assist you at every turn. Just like this time, when the Darkness Divine Hall targeted the Goddess Twelve Workshops and the Blood Absolute Family, Wu Yue played the role of a complete amnesiac, pushing Wu Bian forward as the chief culprit.”
“She said that in the Dark Grand Triangle Star Domain, Wu Bian originally intended to kill you. It was her plan that saved your life.”
Zhang Ruochen inwardly marvelled. Wu Yue truly left no openings. No wonder she could convince the Blood Absolute War God.
“My uncle’s death is somewhat tied to her plan. Grandfather truly feels no hatred towards her?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
A deep shadow crossed the Blood Absolute War God’s eyes. He countered with a question. “If we truly pursue it to that extent, would not you and I bear even greater responsibility for Qing Sheng’s death?”
Zhang Ruochen felt a jolt through body and soul.
The Blood Absolute War God said, “Qing Yuntai is dead. Qing Yunque has paid the price. Pu Chuanqi will also die. Let it end here!”
“Since this is a marriage bestowed by Void Heaven, she will marry you. As your grandfather, I can only analyse the advantages, disadvantages, and possibilities for you. In the end, the decision can only be yours. You are no longer a child!”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Does Grandfather believe the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor truly possesses a method of immortality?”
The Blood Absolute War God smiled. “What true immortality exists in this world? If there were, how could Star Perceive Heavenly Venerable have died?”
“It is merely transformation from one lifetime to the next. Like you now, this counts as your second lifetime, does it not? After you die, as long as the preserved flesh body transforms into a corpse clan or bone clan member, that is the third lifetime.”
“Corpse clan and bone clan members fall, they can petrify and transform into stone clan members. That is the fourth lifetime!”
…
“In this way, each lifetime is a new birth. Like the reincarnated golden children of Buddhism, each has its own method.”
“But with each new birth, how much of the previous life’s memories can be preserved? Each new birth is an entirely new person who must cultivate anew. Can they reach divinity again? Might they die midway? Might they perish in body and spirit?”
“For someone like the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor, living nine lifetimes, reaching extremely high cultivation in each, and always meeting a good end, there is only one such being in the entire universe.”
Zhang Ruochen pondered deeply. “In that case, the so-called immortality secret of the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor should be mastery of some means to preserve part of the memories from the previous lifetime. And also a way to pass on part of the previous lifetime’s power to the next, allowing extremely high cultivation in every lifetime.”
“Perhaps mastery of some supreme treasure!” the Blood Absolute War God said.
Zhang Ruochen thought of the old corpse ghost. “There must also be a special technique, one that can be cultivated in every lifetime.”
For existences at the level of the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor, Zhang Ruochen and the Blood Absolute War God could only glimpse the surface. Everything else was guesswork. The truth, even the heavens of this era might not know.
That was the Nine Deaths Strange Heavenly Emperor’s greatest secret!
Zhang Ruochen left the Blood Absolute War God’s divine realm world and returned to the Vast Sea Manor.
The manor was decorated with lanterns and coloured banners, plastered everywhere with the character for happiness.
Along corridors, in gardens, on pavilions, maids in colourful attire bustled ceaselessly.
“Greetings, Ruochen Realm Venerable.”
One hundred and eight divinities radiating powerful auras stood in neat rows outside the Dust Heart Bright Moon Divine Hall. They knelt on one knee to Zhang Ruochen as he approached.
The scene was truly grand.
All were false god generals, dressed in bright red wedding robes, appearing rather bizarre.
“Idiots! What Realm Venerable? It should be Young Lord! The one before you is the Young Lord of the True God Palace, a future leader of the Destiny Divine Hall.”
Blood Butcher kicked out, sending two false gods of the undying blood race tumbling.
Zhang Ruochen asked coldly, “What is going on?”
“They were all found by the Grand Patriarch. One hundred and eight divine generals in total, also called the one hundred and eight auspicious gods, signifying great fortune. The day after tomorrow, they will accompany you, senior brother, to the Darkness Divine Hall to receive the bride. Impressive lineup, is it not?”
Blood Butcher added in a low voice, “Originally the Grand Patriarch wanted to invite one hundred and eight true divinities, but the Old Patriarch scolded him fiercely, saying such an array was only for a clan leader taking his principal wife.”
Zhang Ruochen had long known his grandfather’s love of extravagance and grand displays. Such arrangements were not unexpected.
“The Old Patriarch has come to the Destiny Divine Domain?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Blood Butcher replied, “Naturally! To receive the bride from the Darkness Divine Hall, an elder of sufficient weight must accompany the party. The Grand Patriarch feared the Darkness Divine Hall might deliberately cause trouble, so he invited the Old Patriarch to oversee matters.”
Zhang Ruochen drew a deep silent breath. He had never imagined his grandfather would invite the Old Patriarch to take charge. The weight of this was truly profound!
