On a mountaintop outside the Qi Heavenly Dynasty’s capital, east of the Divine Continent:
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord looked coldly at the blessings of the distant heavenly dynasty. Nearby, Mo Yike flew over.
“Your Reverence, the situation is not quite right. The Qi Heavenly Dynasty’s heavenly emperor was not around. I heard that a white-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord issued an invitation, and he followed the white-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord to pursue us—the demons.” Mo Yike frowned.
“The white-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord made the first move?” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord’s face sank.
“Yes, we were too late. The Six Paths Veritable Lord has great prestige, after all. However, there are four heavenly dynasties and eight holy lands in this time. Perhaps we should go to another one?” Mo Yike suggested, frowning.
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord remained silent for a while before shaking his head. “There’s no need. Given Old Mister Guan Qi’s intelligence, he can come up with the same solutions as I did. Heavenly dynasties and holy lands? He has already gotten them all.”
“Then, now…” Mo Yike frowned.
“We’ll go for the next best thing. We will work on the imperial dynasties, royal dynasties, middle-tier sects, and lower-tier sects. If we cannot compete in quality, we will compete in quantity. Let’s go!” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord flew far away with Mo Yike.
Soon, the two arrived at a middle-tier sect.
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord did not startle anyone, arriving directly at the sect master’s location in the sect.
“Who is it?” A white-robed old man glared, about to attack.
Upon seeing who had arrived, the old man stopped and said in shock, “Veritable Lord, why are you here?”
“Rakshasa Sect Master, evil demons are running rampant, intending to harm Heaven. I am here to ask for Rakshasa Sect Master’s help. Come with me and eradicate the demons!” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord said solemnly.
[TL Note: Rakshasa is a race of malevolent demigods in Hinduism and Buddhism. Here is the Wikipedia entry on them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakshasa.]
“Oh? This humble one does not dare to reject Veritable Lord’s invitation. Veritable Lord, please command me!” the Rakshasa Sect Master said in shock.
“I will lay a ritual array in your sect while you issue instructions to your sect disciples. Then, come with me to slay demons,” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord said solemnly.
“Excellent! Veritable Lord, please wait a moment.” The Rakshasa Sect Master left excitedly to give instructions.
Meanwhile, the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord laid a Go Dao ritual array in the hall.
When the Rakshasa Sect Master returned, the two left the Rakshasa Sect.
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord and Mo Yike traveled continuously, going to various lower-tier sects, middle-tier sects, royal dynasties, and imperial dynasties. Although they found it strange that the Six Paths Veritable Lord also invited lower-tier sects, the experts did not question anything, which showed the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s charisma and prestige.
After the Six Paths Veritable Lord gathered close to one hundred people, he brought them to an isolated mountain forest.
“Veritable Lord, where are the demons? Why are we here?” the Rakshasa Sect Master asked in confusion.
“Everyone, sorry for this,” the Six Paths Veritable Lord suddenly said.
“Hah!”
The Six Paths Veritable Lord roared, and an overwhelming suction came from his mouth.
“Veritable Lord, what are you doing?”
“Veritable Lord, we are here to help you!”
“Veritable Lord, the entire sect knows that I followed you.”
“Don’t eat me! Ah!”
The Six Paths Veritable Lord swallowed everyone as they cried out.
Whoosh!
All the experts vanished in the blink of an eye.
Mo Yike flew over from nearby.
“Your Reverence, how did it go?” Mo Yike asked worriedly.
The Six Paths Veritable Lord took a deep breath as he shook his head. “We’re fine. We don’t need to refine their consciousness; we only need to keep them in the water balls. Let’s go to the next region.”
“Yes!” Mo Yike answered.
The two quickly left and repeated the same thing.
All those who held authority in the world received the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s invitation and disappeared.
The name of Old Demon Guan Qi proliferated throughout the world, shaking it. Word spread that Old Demon Guan Qi led a group of evil demons to fight Heaven and imprison all life as slaves.
The tales of the horror of these demons reached every corner of the world.
Everyone in the world was afraid.
A dark submarine valley in the Northern Sea:
Many black tortoises swam around the seabed, chasing various animal spirits to the bottom.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
The many black tortoises showed ferocious expressions as the aquatic animal spirits fled to the valley.
However, a suction appeared in the depths when they entered the valley.
“Ah! Don’t eat me!”
“Save me!”
The aquatic animal spirits cried out in horror to no avail. The valley returned to silence in the blink of an eye. All the aquatic animal spirits had been consumed.
“Progenitor, do you need more?” the black tortoises asked respectfully, facing the depths of the valley.
“There’s no need!” An aged voice came from the depths.
“Yes!” all the black tortoises answered. They swam around outside the valley, guarding it.
“Shangguan Hen, why aren’t you eating?” That aged voice rang out.
“I can’t eat them. Isn’t it all the same if you all eat them instead?” Shangguan Hen’s voice rang out.
“He won’t eat them. After following Gu Hai, he stopped eating these innocent animal spirits. Hahaha! It’s not like you are cultivating Buddhism. Why the pretense of compassion?” Another voice rang out. It was Prime Feng Yue’s voice.
“There are benefits to abstinence. Feng Yue, your thoughts are too malicious and will incur too much karma.” The aged voice rang out.
“Karma? Hah! I don’t believe in it!” Feng Yue shook his head.
“Karma does exist. Back then, I led the black tortoise race and killed too much, sinned too much. That’s why we suffered the calamity.” The aged voice rang out.
“Didn’t you say that Heaven has already died? Since Heaven is already dead, does that mean Heaven sinned too much?” Feng Yue countered skeptically.
“Heaven got lazy. That’s why Heaven suffered this tribulation.” The aged voice rang out again.
“I never thought the black tortoise race’s progenitor looked like this. Does this mean I am also the black tortoise race’s progenitor?” Shangguan Hen frowned.
A giant black tortoise lay at the depths of the submarine valley. However, this black tortoise looked extremely strange.
A black tortoise had two parts: the profound tortoise and the profound snake.
However, this black tortoise’s profound snake had nine large heads, all of them pitch-black. Each head had a scarlet lump. The profound tortoise also had nine heads; most were greenish-black with a scarlet lump on their heads.
Nine snake heads and nine tortoise heads?
One of the tortoise heads glistened golden. That was Shangguan Hen. The blackest snake head was Prime Feng Yue.
The largest head among the nine profound tortoise heads was four times larger than the others. The tortoise had the Nine Halls Diagram on its shell.
[TL Note: The Nine Halls Diagram has a connection to the River Diagram previously mentioned. It is used in philosophy and geomancy. You can read more about it in the Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_Shu_Square.]
The aged voice came from the largest profound tortoise head.
“My black tortoise race has nine heads and an undying body. When this head reaches the end of its lifespan, you will choose one head among you to be the new leader. At the same time, a new head will grow. Shangguan Hen? Your cultivation technique is quite strange.” The huge tortoise head looked at Shangguan Hen’s golden head with bewilderment.
“It is the Eight Nines Profound Technique. Senior Wu, I can give you this cultivation technique if you want.” Shangguan did not hide anything.
[TL Note: The Wu in Senior Wu is the same Wu as the second character for black tortoise. It means martial or military.]
Senior Wu—the largest head—shook its head. “There’s no need. Your cultivation technique cannot be cultivated in a day or two. Keep it for yourself. I hope that you can rise up when my lifespan runs out.”
“Senior Wu, Shangguan Hen used to be the weakest. Why him?” the other profound tortoise and profound snake heads immediately protested unwillingly.
“He has an indestructible body. Him becoming the leader is a good thing for you all,” Senior Wu explained seriously.
The other profound snake and profound tortoise heads felt uncomfortable, but they did not dare to refute Senior Wu.
“Senior Wu, does this mean I am a reincarnation of the Black Tortoise Prime in the first place, like Prime Feng Yue?” Shangguan Hen asked with a frown.
“Logically speaking, yes. Otherwise, you would not have returned to the true body. However, was that Old Mister Guan Qi chosen by Heaven for revenge?” Senior Wu looked at Prime Feng Yue.
“I…I’m not sure. Senior Wu, if the Six Paths Veritable Lord becomes the immortal, there will be a great upheaval in the world. Just think about it: only Shangguan Hen and I remain eight hundred thousand years in the future. This means that everyone died. Why not try fighting? Even if you don’t fight, the Six Paths Veritable Lord will cause your deaths,” Prime Feng Yue yelled.
“Indeed, Senior Wu!” the other profound snake and profound tortoise heads called out.
Senior Wu fell silent and thought about it.
“Progenitor, someone claiming to be Old Mister Guan Qi seeks an audience!” a black tortoise cried out above the valley.
“Huh?” Senior Wu’s face sank.
The surrounding profound tortoise and profound snake heads appeared shocked.
“Old Mister Guan Qi? How does he know we are here?”
“That’s impossible. Only a few know our location, even within the black tortoise ranks!”
“Senior Wu even laid a ritual array and hid from the heavenly knowledge. Even Heaven would not know our location!”
While the other heads felt shocked, Senior Wu entered deep thought as he looked at Prime Feng Yue.
“Senior Wu, I did not! I did not…,” Prime Feng Yue immediately called out.
“I know that you did not. You have been with me these days. How could you have sent out any information? This only proves that your body carries the energy he gave you. He found us by following this energy,” Senior Wu said seriously.
“Huh? I-I-I raised my cultivation with Old Mister Guan Qi’s help previously. However, that was my own energy!” Prime Feng Yue said anxiously.
“I thought the evil energy in your body was quite strange. Haha! Old Mister Guan Qi used you to find me.” Senior Wu frowned.
“Senior Wu, sorry. I…I did not expect it!” Prime Feng Yue frowned.
“Never mind. Since he is here, let’s meet him. Old Mister Guan Qi? I want to see what he is like. To think that he dares to fight the Six Paths Veritable Lord,” Senior Wu said indifferently.
Soon, the black tortoises above invited Old Mister Guan Qi down.
Whoosh!
Old Mister Guan Qi landed before the black tortoise progenitor, wearing white and sporting white hair.
“Guan Qi salutes Senior!” Old Mister Guan Qi said politely.
Senior Wu looked coldly at Old Mister Guan Qi. The other heads did not dare to interject.
“Save it. Old Mister Guan Qi? Hah! What a great play, bringing a group of people to eight hundred thousand years in the past?” Senior Wu said coldly.
“It is all Heaven’s arrangement. I just made use of the opportunity,” Old Mister Guan Qi said humbly as he shook his head.
“Alright. Cut the crap and tell me what you want,” Senior Wu said coldly.
“Heaven has already died, and all life is facing a calamity. I am here to invite Senior to take revenge for Heaven with me, to find a path of life for all life!” Old Mister Guan Qi said gravely.
“Heaven? Hahahaha! If not for Heaven, my black tortoise race would not be hiding here. All life? You mean humans, right? What does the life and death of humans have to do with me? What does the calamity of all life have to do with me? You want to use me to help you deal with the Six Paths Veritable Lord? However, I have no grudges against the Six Paths Veritable Lord. Why provoke him and bring disaster to myself?” Senior Wu retorted indifferently.
