“Sa was the second lifeform and the former overlord of the world, right? You said earlier that Sa had a strong desire to rule?” Gu Hai turned his attention to Long Wanyu.
“Yes, but he valued his own strength more. In the past, he slaughtered almost all beings in the world to perfect his cultivation system. He gathered their souls to practice his cultivation technique. Later on, new beings were born. He found ruling just billions of beings unfulfilling. It was like a human ruling over ants, finding them too weak and few. Seeking a sense of achievement, he ventured into the void in search of another immortal firmament. However, how could there be another immortal firmament in the void? The infinite birthed one; the infinite means nothing and the one means something. The void and our immortal firmament are opposites!” Long Wanyu frowned.
“What would happen if Sa came back?” Gu Hai asked, furrowing his brows.
Long Wanyu was taken aback. “Sa? Return? Isn’t he dead?”
“But what if he isn’t?” Gu Hai pressed, more seriously this time.
Long Wanyu looked at Gu Hai with surprise before eventually frowning. “He would immediately seize control of the world. Furthermore, he would be colder and crueler towards all life than Essence Genesis and Six Paths.”
“Oh?”
“Besides, Sa might be able to overpower Six Paths. Before Sa left, he gave me the Immortal Origin. However, I’m sure he had a backup plan. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to reclaim control of the immortal firmament!” Long Wanyu said, thinking back.
“I understand now!” Gu Hai nodded solemnly.
“But, Brother-in-Law, Sa is most likely dead. What we should really worry about is that Jiangchen!” Long Wanyu said with a bitter smile.
“Jiangchen?” Gu Hai asked, puzzled.
“Yes, although Six Paths Veritable Lord killed me, perhaps Jiangchen had a part in it too!” Long Wanyu speculated.
“Why?” Gu Hai asked, confused.
“He’s a source of chaos!” Long Wanyu replied, her brows furrowing.
“What do you mean? What is Jiangchen’s origin?” Gu Hai asked, curious.
“I’m not sure. He appeared thirty thousand years after Sa left, coming from who knows where. The world was peaceful then. I preferred peace, but Jiangchen always instigated wars and chaos!” Long Wanyu reminisced.
“Why did he want to stir up chaos?” Gu Hai asked, confused.
“He said the beings of this world were too weak. They couldn’t withstand any trials. He needed to make people stronger. Peace couldn’t bring about strength; only continuous battles could cultivate one peerless expert after another,” Long Wanyu replied.
“To cultivate peerless experts? Why?” Gu Hai asked in astonishment.
It seemed Jiangchen was not focused on seizing control of the world but on cultivating experts in the Divine Continent.
“He seemed to know about Sa’s existence, so he wanted to cultivate peerless experts to deal with Sa,” Long Wanyu recalled.
“Does Jiangchen have a grudge against Sa?” Gu Hai asked, shocked.
“Maybe, but it’s strange. Sa and Jiangchen never met. I don’t understand it. Oh, by the way, Jiangchen created the shaman race. He led a group of people and taught them strange cultivation techniques. Actually, he just inducted them into the cultivation techniques, then let the shaman race explore on its own. The shamans came up with one strange cultivation technique after another before fighting the animal spirit race. He didn’t care about results, only the process. He only wanted the strong; whether it was the animal spirit race or the shaman race didn’t matter. He didn’t command the shaman race. He manipulated the war between the shamans and the animal spirits, wanting to use war to make the strongest in the world even stronger,” Long Wanyu reminisced.
“No wonder Jiangchen called off the war when the shaman race was about to win!” Gu Hai mused, furrowing his brows.
“Nobody knows what Jiangchen wants. The war between the shamans and animal spirits caused countless deaths. Of course, I couldn’t stand by, so I went to confront Jiangchen, but he kept avoiding me. I didn’t know what he was thinking! He wanted war, I wanted peace. Maybe the appearance of the Six Paths Veritable Lord was to help Jiangchen remove me as a stumbling block. Hah!” Long Wanyu sighed with a bitter smile.
“You were right. In times of peace, people are people. In times of war, people are worse than dogs. Your peace policy allowed all beings to retain their dignity,” Gu Hai comforted.
Long Wanyu nodded.
“By the way, why did you put Hetu into the golden dragon’s body that day?” Gu Hai asked out of curiosity.
“I think Long Wanyu’s body in this life is quite good. Although Houtu and the others used the power of faith to help me rebuild my body, that golden dragon body is far from what I had in my previous life; it’s completely different, so I didn’t want it. However, I didn’t want to waste their efforts, so I absorbed some of the energy inside to enhance my cultivation, then gifted the body to Hetu!” Long Wanyu laughed.
“How much has your cultivation improved?” Gu Hai asked curiously.
“I’ve now reached the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm’s second layer,” Long Wanyu replied with a sense of pride.
“Good. The path you choose is up to you,” Gu Hai said, nodding.
“Pity about Hetu; he seems rather unlucky,” Long Wanyu said regretfully.
“Yes, it’s unclear what his current situation is. However, now that we’ve gathered what we came for from the flawed immortal firmament, it’s time for us to return,” Gu Hai stated seriously.
“Alright,” Long Wanyu agreed, nodding.
The Myriad Age Daoist Sect, Divine Continent, Six Paths Immortal Firmament:
Grasping the golden dragon, Essence Genesis returned to the Essence Genesis Hall, his hair somewhat disheveled.
Boom!
Essence Genesis threw the golden dragon onto the hall’s plaza, which shattered a large number of stone slabs upon landing. Its cultivation was currently sealed, and it could not move. The golden dragon, or Hetu as it was known, wore a face of despair.
“Salutations, Sect Master!” A group of Myriad Age Daoist Sect disciples rushed forward to greet him with surprise and delight.
However, Essence Genesis paid them no mind, instead looking up at the sky.
Rumble…!
The sky suddenly turned dark, filled with dense clouds. A surging might pressed down ominously.
Buzz!
A black eye appeared in a crack in the center of the sky, its gaze focused on Essence Genesis below.
Whoosh!
All the Myriad Age Daoist Sect disciples immediately knelt in awe at this sight.
“Essence Genesis?” An icy voice echoed from the sky. It was the Six Paths Immortal.
“Hah! Six Paths Immortal? You saw my capabilities in the previous battle. Do you want another round? Your true body is still in seclusion, right? Come out, and this sect master will fight you again,” Essence Genesis retorted without backing off, a frosty glare directed at the Heaven’s eye.
Essence Genesis’s words sent chills down the spines of all the Myriad Age Daoist Sect disciples. Onlookers wore shocked expressions as well. Is Essence Genesis seeking his own death by speaking to the Six Paths Immortal in such a manner?
However, the Six Paths Immortal did not respond, maintaining a steady stare at Essence Genesis. An eerie tension descended on the Myriad Age Daoist Sect.
Deity Seizing Hall, Spirit Mountain, in the west:
Jiangchen stood smiling with his hands behind his back as he watched the scene at the Myriad Age Daoist Sect.
“Essence Genesis? You’ve cultivated the spiritual light left behind by Sa to such a degree? Even Six Paths hesitated?” Jiangchen mused, a slight surprise in his voice.
As if sensing Jiangchen’s gaze, the distant Heaven’s eye suddenly turned towards him, giving him a cold look despite the vast distance between them.
“Hmph, Jiangchen? Essence Genesis? Just wait. Enjoy your time for now. Once this Immortal emerges from seclusion, your time will be up!” The cold voice of the Six Paths Immortal echoed in the sky.
“We shall see!” Essence Genesis retorted.
Jiangchen, far away, merely smiled faintly.
Rumble…!
The Heaven’s eye slowly closed, and the dark clouds gradually dispersed. The Six Paths Immortal had finally left.
At this moment, the Myriad Age Daoist Sect disciples were utterly stunned. From the words of the Six Paths Immortal, it seemed that even he could not handle their sect master. Just how powerful was their sect master? Everyone was shocked.
Despite knowing someone was rebelling against Heaven, the Six Paths Immortal could not do anything about it. Just like Long Zhanguo back in the day, only a person of his caliber could remain undeterred in the face of such opposition. Did their sect master’s strength match Long Zhanguo’s?
Jiangchen and Essence Genesis locked gazes across the vast distance. A glint of appreciation flashed in Jiangchen’s eyes, and he offered Essence Genesis a slight smile.
Essence Genesis squinted at Jiangchen, a hint of confusion in his eyes, but he also understood Jiangchen’s strength. His true strength had made the Six Paths Immortal compromise during his seclusion. Was it the same with Jiangchen?
“Humph!” Essence Genesis gave a cold huff and ignored Jiangchen.
Essence Genesis then turned to the golden dragon on the ground and commanded, “Turn into human form and follow me in.”
Buzz!
The golden dragon instantly regained its freedom as if released from its bindings.
With his hands behind his back, Essence Genesis entered Essence Genesis Hall. The golden dragon slowly transformed into a slender man. His features were those of Hetu from eight hundred thousand years ago.
Hetu watched as Essence Genesis entered Essence Genesis Hall. This was the perfect opportunity for him to escape, but he did not dare. Essence Genesis did not even consider the Six Paths Immortal a threat, so Hetu would be as easy to handle as a small chick. Escape? That would be courting death!
“Why am I so unlucky!” Hetu cried, a look of misery on his face. With a heavy heart, he followed Essence Genesis into Essence Genesis Hall.
Creak! The doors closed.
Deity Seizing Hall’s entrance:
Jiangchen squinted his eyes. “Essence Genesis shows traces of the Great Dao in his hands. Could it be a laws diagram? Heh, it seems Essence Genesis’s strength is about to increase even more.”
“Veritable Lord, a message arrived from the Myriad Age Daoist Sect’s zither puppet. Essence Genesis has issued a challenge to the Six Paths Immortal!” Long Aotian, Long Shenying’s son and now a follower of Jiangchen, rushed over to report.
“I already know,” Jiangchen replied calmly.
“Yes, Veritable Lord is invincible,” Long Aotian said respectfully.
“It seems Essence Genesis and the Six Paths Immortal had a battle in the void earlier. Essence Genesis got the golden dragon? Is that the Holy Heavens Immortal Firmament’s Immortal Origin?” Jiangchen pondered with a frown.
“Veritable Lord, what are you talking about?” Long Aotian asked, puzzled.
“Long Aotian,” Jiangchen called out indifferently.
“Yes?” Long Aotian immediately became serious.
“You will leave immediately and head to the nether realm’s Yellow Springs Sea. Scout the situation there for me,” Jiangchen instructed.
“Yes, but what information are you seeking, Veritable Lord?” Long Aotian asked, confused.
“The Yellow Springs Sea? I haven’t been there in a hundred thousand years. There are several Yellow Springs Roads leading to the Holy Heavens Immortal Firmament. I didn’t interfere before when Houtu was tinkering with something, but it seems that all her schemes have been foiled, giving Essence Genesis an immense advantage. I assume that the Holy Heavens Immortal Firmament has been destroyed without the protection of the Immortal Origin. Go check and report back if you find any abnormalities. If not, then forget it,” Jiangchen explained calmly.
“Yes!” Long Aotian acknowledged.
“I have to go somewhere, so I won’t have time to scout. When you come back, just wait if I’m not here. I will return after a while,” Jiangchen added in a serious tone.
“Yes!” Long Aotian repeated.
Whoosh!
Jiangchen disappeared from the spot.
