The will of millions of heavenly souls assaulted the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s will. Even though he had a strong will, he could not withstand so many. The endless distinct wills instantly threw the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s mortal soul into chaos.
Gu Hai closed his eyes and sensed the Six Paths Veritable Lord through the roots stabbed into his body. He also joined the chaotic rush of wills.
Then, a suction came from the Go stone that had stored the heavenly souls, which Gu Hai held in his hand.
Whoosh!
This sucked back the many heavenly souls that had been released, restoring calm. However, the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s will had been broken. Now, he just sat there cross-legged like a dummy.
Buzz!
Gu Hai’s consciousness entered.
Boom!
The moment Gu Hai’s consciousness entered the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s mortal soul, he felt a strange sensation.
——
At the bottom of the sea:
A black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord sat cross-legged in the depths of an underwater valley. He had the Savant Wisdom Divine Cane stabbed into his forehead.
Whoosh!
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord opened his eyes.
“I am indeed in control of the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s body. How strange!” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord marveled.
Plop!
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord tried to stand up but stumbled and fell.
“It will take me some time to familiarize myself with this body. Every water ball in the lower heavenly palace contains an expert, and I can use their abilities and energy?” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord showed a solemn expression.
Rip!
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord suddenly waved his hand, and space tore open in front. The water around rushed into the spatial tear.
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord stepped in, and the spatial tear disappeared.
“Kong Xuan’s Divine Energy? The eighteenth layer of hell? I am back here. I need to get used to this body quickly. Also, I need to check Gu Qin’s black Go stone for Xianer’s heavenly soul.” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord landed on a planet and started stretching his muscles.
The bamboo cane stabbing into the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord’s forehead retracted slowly into his body.
——
Mo Yike waited patiently for a day on a desolate island outside All Magnificent Island.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew leaves all over the ground. Mo Yike noticed that the leaves arranged themselves in a Go puzzle and recognized it as the Go puzzle that Gu Hai passed to him the first time.
Pretending to be tired, Mo Yike took out a palace hall and slowly stepped into it.
Creak!
The doors closed, isolating the interior.
Mo Yike’s expression suddenly changed when he saw the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord inside the palace hall.
“You are…Your Reverence?” Mo Yike exclaimed.
“Mo Yike, you are being monitored.” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord frowned.
“It really is Your Reverence! You succeeded?” Mo Yike’s eyes lit up.
The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord nodded gravely.
“That’s good. I even had a dream earlier. What I dreamed was indeed true!” Mo Yike smiled.
“The Flame Monarch and Sect Master Heavenly Access are hiding and watching you. What’s going on? Why are you here?” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord frowned.
Mo Yike explained everything that had happened earlier.
“Fuxi? Sa?” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord’s pupils constricted.
While others might not know who Sa was, Gu Hai did. In the other immortal firmament, Laozi, Siddhārtha, Jesus, and the others had been forced to hide in the immortal realm like rats. The struggle in the other immortal firmament had ended in utter defeat.
Sa? He has already found this immortal firmament?
“Your Reverence knows Sa?” Mo Yike asked, feeling curious.
“It’s useless even though I do. That is a height that we currently cannot reach. The Future Buddha’s reincarnation? Hah! How unexpected! To think that it is you. No wonder the Savant Wisdom Divine Cane followed you around, and Qin Zibai remained by your side, protecting you,” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord said while nodding.
“This subject did not expect it, either. Perhaps it is fate; everything is destined,” Mo Yike said with a bitter smile.
“I cannot give you the Savant Wisdom Divine Cane for now. We need it to suppress the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s mortal soul,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Your Reverence, use it as you please. When we return, I will have another Savant Wisdom Divine Cane.” Mo Yike nodded.
“That’s right. This heavenly soul is for you. It’s Mo En.” The Six Paths Veritable Lord proffered a box.
“Father?” Mo Yike’s eyelids twitched as he gingerly accepted the box.
“Keep it carefully. Revive him when you can,” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord advised.
“Yes! Many thanks, Your Reverence! This is the best gift this subject has received in the Han Imperial Dynasty!” Mo Yike’s eyes turned slightly bloodshot.
“Jiangchen? The black tortoise? This has become complicated now. The Six Paths Veritable Lord’s heavenly deity body will return. There will be a difficult battle.” The black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord frowned heavily.
“Your Reverence, you say that Heavenly Access and the Flame Monarch have been monitoring me. They should be waiting for news about you. They intentionally acted casual around me to throw me off guard.” Mo Yike frowned.
The Six Paths Veritable Lord looked at Mo Yike. “Since our paths are different, we should not work together. Since we are now operating covertly, there’s no need to return to overt actions. Mo Yike, do you have the Future Buddha’s memories?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go, then. Bring us to visit all the experts from eight hundred thousand years in the past. We need all of them!” the black-robed Six Paths Veritable Lord said seriously.
“Yes!”
——
It had been one day since Mo Yike entered the palace hall.
In two mist-covered areas outside the island, Heavenly Access and the Flame Monarch frowned slightly.
“Something’s not right!” Heavenly Access’s face sank as he flew toward the island.
When Heavenly Access flew out, the Flame Monarch’s expression changed. Then, he flew over as well.
Boom!
The two landed on the island.
“I thought that Jiang Lianshan truly did not care about Gu Hai. Hah!” Heavenly Access showed a cold smile.
“Same here, same here!” the Flame Monarch said coldly as he waved.
Creak!
The doors opened.
However, the hall was empty. Mo Yike had left without a trace long ago.
“Where is he?” the Flame Monarch said in shock.
“Humph!” Heavenly Access snorted coldly. Then, he flung his sleeve out and flew away.
The Flame Monarch searched for a while but could not find any traces of Mo Yike. He showed an unsightly expression. “He fled? Or did someone bring him away? How am I to give an account to His Holy Eminence?”
Feeling depressed, the Flame Monarch left.
——
Phoenix Island, Eastern Sea:
Many phoenixes flew around the island. In a restricted area off-limits to everyone were some palace halls facing a small mountain.
Jiang Lianshan sat in a pavilion shelter, facing that small mountain. He drank continuously, bottle after bottle, apparently bothered by something.
Murong Yan looked at the information the phoenixes sent over and frowned slightly. All this was information about Old Mister Guan Qi’s appearances. It seemed that she would not let any information about him slip by.
Murong Yan only raised her head and looked at the nearby Jiang Lianshan after reading everything. There was already a pile of bottles in front of Jiang Lianshan. Furthermore, he did not use his energy to eliminate the inebriation. He intentionally let himself get drunk.
“Your Holy Eminence, it has been two days since you sent them out to scout for information. However, there does not seem to be any word!” Murong Yan said somewhat worriedly.
Jiang Lianshan suddenly looked at Murong Yan, slightly drunk, his expression somewhat dazed.
Upon meeting Jiang Lianshan’s gaze, Murong Yan hastily lowered her head. She asked, “Your Holy Eminence, are you drunk?”
“I’m not drunk. Yan`er, do you remember this place? Do you remember that small mountain?” Jiang Lianshan smiled as he pointed to the nearby mountain.
Murong Yan looked over and nodded. “Yan`er grew up there and eventually transformed. It is also where I first met Your Holy Eminence.”
Murong Yan felt moved the first time they met, thinking that Jiang Lianshan was her fated one. Unfortunately…
“Yan`er, I have regrets,” Jiang Lianshan suddenly said with bloodshot eyes.
“Your Holy Eminence, what do you regret?” Murong Yan looked at Jiang Lianshan.
“I regret letting you go back then. I regret not taking you in under me as I promised to. I regret everything I did to you. Yan`er, I hate myself!” Jiang Lianshan said drunkenly.
“Your Holy Eminence, there’s no need for you to be like this.” Murong Yan shook her head.
“No. Listen to me. Yan`er, did you know? I suddenly discovered that I could not forget you after you married Old Mister Guan Qi. I hate myself! I hate myself a lot! Why did I not cherish you when you were around? Why?! Old Mister Guan Qi wanted to buy you with an immortal firmament? No! You are priceless. I did not compete for the immortal firmament. I did not want it. There is nothing that can compare to you, Yan`er!” Jiang Lianshan looked at Murong Yan with moist eyes.
Murong Yan was at a loss. “Your Holy Eminence, there’s no need for you to be like this. The past is the past. Don’t think about it anymore. Don’t bring it up anymore.”
“No. I have to say it. I have held it in for so long already. I can’t bear it anymore. Since the day you left, my heart could not contain anyone else. Old Mister Guan Qi tried to take revenge for you, but I did too! I am accumulating strength, but it is not sufficient yet. I worry that I will fail in my revenge. I must cut the Six Paths Veritable Lord into thousands of pieces. Yan`er, come with me. Trust me. I will be good to you. You will be my empress, and I will give you everything!” Jiang Lianshan grabbed Murong Yan’s hand, his eyes flowing with emotion as his body trembled in extreme agitation.
“No! Don’t. Your Holy Eminence, you have drunk too much and are speaking nonsense!” Murong Yan struggled to pull her hand free.
However, Jiang Lianshan’s hand was like iron; Murong Yan could not pull her hand free after he grabbed it.
“I am not drunk, nor am I speaking nonsense. Yan`er, do you know how much I have thought about you over the past thousand years? I think about you at every moment. I was wrong in the past! I was an ass! I will not let you go now! Yan`er! My Yan`er!” Jiang Lianshan lost control of his emotions.
“Don’t! Don’t! Your Holy Eminence, you are mistaken. I’m not Murong Yan. I am a fake that Husband manifested with a ritual array. A fake!” Murong Yan struggled in fear.
“I don’t care! I don’t care anymore! I only want you! Regardless of whether you are fake or real, I only want you! I just want you!” Jiang Lianshan did not care.
“I’m already married!”
“I don’t care. Old Mister Guan Qi doesn’t even want you; why do you want him? I will give you the best. Yan`er, I will give you everything!” Jiang Lianshan tried to hug Murong Yan.
“Don’t!” Murong Yan cried out in pain.
Boom!
Just as Jiang Lianshan was about to hug Murong Yan, a figure landed beside Jiang Lianshan.
“Your Holy Eminence, what are you doing?” An explosive shout rang out.
The Flame Monarch had returned and saw this scene upon his return. He immediately yelled in anger.
The furious roar seemed to startle Jiang Lianshan to his senses.
Murong Yan used this opportunity to escape Jiang Lianshan’s grip. She ran far away, covering her face while crying.
Jiang Lianshan watched as Murong Yan left. An upset expression flashed in his eyes. He created some heat and dried his tears before looking at the glaring Flame Monarch.
