An image filled Jiang Yi’s mind. In a world… in a mystic realm somewhere, Yi Piaopiao was being crushed alive by a mountain. She was enduring this pressure alone and being mocked the entire time.
Her body was depending on energy elixirs alone, and she was hanging on by a thread. Her hair was in a mess, and her expression a mask of hopelessness. Both of her eyes filled with tears, and there was not a hint of life in them. The only thing keeping her alive was her little son, somewhere far away in the Stellarsky Domain!
“My child, do not try to look for Mother; and do not try to find out where Mother went. Even your father doesn’t know where I came from. If you can see this wooden sculpture, it means that Mother isn’t back yet. Please believe Mother… that I will try my utmost best to come back and look for you.
“Alright, my child! If we are unable to meet each other in this lifetime, please don’t be sad. This is the destiny given to us by heaven. Also… don’t blame your father. The matter back then is also because Mother is overly aggressive. If possible, I wish that you can acknowledge your father as he is still your birth father after all. Finally, I wish that you are in good health; and Mother will always love you, miss you, and think of you…”
Jiang Yi heard Yi Piaopiao’s voice in his head. A heart-wrenching pain filled him.
At that moment, he completely understood how Yi Piaopiao felt when she left. He also finally understood what kind of difficulty she was facing. The Xuan Thearch said that Yi Piaopiao’s people were destroying the Stellarsky Domain. One could only imagine how strong her race was. For the sake of the civilians in the Stellarsky Domain… for the sake of her own son and her own husband, all Yi Piaopiao could do was leave behind her son and go home with the people of her race. She could only endure the mockery and punishment from the human race and get crushed by the huge sacred mountain, bearing a life of lonely thoughts.
A thousand years!
It did not matter how long more Yi Piaopiao could live. Even if she could live that long, would Jiang Yi still be alive then? Even if Jiang Yi was still alive then, he would be an old man, barely able to walk. If Yi Piaopiao came looking for him, she would only be able to see the old man that was her son. How would she feel by then?
More than twenty years have passed. In other words, Yi Piaopiao had already been crushed for more than twenty years! Her son probably never once left her mind. She must be thinking about how big her son is now, what he looks like, and what kind of life he’s leading; wasn’t she?
“Mother…”
Just thinking about this caused tears to stream down Jiang Yi’s cheeks. It was painful enough for children who want to be filial but have no more parents around. Jiang Yi felt even worse than those people. He knew that his mother was enduring great pain at that very moment, and yet all he could do was sit back and watch her suffer. There was nothing he could do to ease her pain or share her burdens. He could not even see her with his own eyes!
At this moment…!
Jiang Yi finally understood why Yi Piaopiao and the Xuan Thearch did not tell him earlier about Yi Piaopiao’s situation. He also understood why the Xuan Thearch did not want to see him. If he was still in the Vajra Realm or Heaven Monarch Realm, there would be no point in even meeting him. Knowing about these things would only put Jiang Yi in greater pain. It would only cause him to feel more self-reproach and helplessness.
“Young Lord!”
The Xuan Thearch sighed deeply. “You should not be blaming yourself now. There is nothing you can do to change the situation. You can only focus on getting stronger, so that you can kill Wu Shang and Xing Mo. You’re already a Demigod at twenty-plus years old. Your combined combat ability is equivalent to that of a nine-star martial artist. That means you have a great chance of ascending! Before you ascend, you must first protect the humans of Stellarsky Domain. Otherwise, you would be letting the Mystic Thearch down and wasting your mother’s years of sacrifice and pain. Once you’re ready to ascend, I will tell you more.”
“En!”
Jiang Yi nodded profusely and tried to suppress whatever he was feeling about Yi Piaopiao. He told himself not to think too much. There was no point in overthinking now. If he could not ascend, all he would be able to do was cry and shout. Even that would be of no use to Yi Piaopiao. He wiped the tears from his cheeks and got to his feet. “Xuan Thearch, focus on recuperating. That’s right, don’t call me Young Lord. Just call me Jiang Yi.”
The Xuan Thearch looked at Jiang Yi as he walked out, his expression filled with gratitude. Nodding, he said, “Young Mistress’ son is indeed extraordinary. He has great determination and character. He puts the rest of us old folks to shame. True Dragons truly will soar above the Nine Heavens. I just wonder if he can beat Xing Mo and Wu Shang.”
…
After Jiang Yi walked out, he asked about the Buddha Thearch’s and the others’ injuries. All of them were apparently feeling much better. However, the Night Empress, the Yin Thearch, and the Xuan Thearch—as well as several Demigods—still had the talisman poison in their bodies. They could only keep the effects of the poison suppressed in their bodies for now.
“Talisman Poison?”
Jiang Yi thought about the talisman poison in Su Ruoxue’s soul spirit and quickly asked, “Is talisman poison that powerful? Can none of you undo the poison?”
“Yes!”
The Buddha Thearch answered confidently. “However, we need to refine medicines. I have no herbs with me. I need to go back to Buddha Thearch City in order to refine the right antidotes. Our Ancient Divine Essence Rings have all been taken away by Xing Mo.”
“Really?”
Jiang Yi’s eyes twinkled as he responded, “I have a friend who has talisman poison in her soul spirit as well, but it’s been in there for a long time. Now, it’s spread to all the other parts of her soul spirit, too. Can your antidote still work on her?”
“This…”
The Buddha Thearch hesitated for a second and said, “I’m not too sure. We’re not that badly poisoned, and we can still suppress the effects of the poison for now. I need to take a look at her, but I’m sure there’ll be a solution. Don’t worry, Jiang Yi.”
“En-en!”
Jiang Yi nodded and asked, “Does this talisman poison have any special effect? Did it affect your skills?”
“I’m sure it did.”
The Yin Thearch rolled his eyes and said listlessly, “When we activate our skills, the poison will spread and affect our battle powers. We will be weakened by at least thirty percent.”
Buzz!
Jiang Yi retrieved the Mystic Divine Palace and teleported the Buddha Emperor and others out. They had all been in seclusion so they got a shock. They looked around in confusion. Finally, the Yin Emperor turned to Jiang Yi with joy. “Jiang Yi, are we safe?”
“En, we are,” Jiang Yi answered casually. He addressed the group and asked, “Have you all been poisoned as well?”
“That is right.”
The Yin Emperor smiled bitterly. “Our essence force has been sealed, too. I can feel my powers deteriorating, but I don’t know how much talisman poison there is inside my body and soul spirit. Although I’ve suppressed the poison’s effects, my battle skills are only fifty percent of what they used to be.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about these things for now.”
The Buddha Emperor suddenly interrupted their conversation. With a heavy tone, he said, “Jiang Yi, don’t bother about us. We will not die! The most important thing now is your own powers. You need to become stronger. Only then will you be able to take us out safely. If we don’t get out of here, the continent is finished.”
“Alright!”
Jiang Yi knew the seriousness of the situation as well. He turned and said, “I’m going to recover my essence force and try my best to advance as much as I can for one or two months. I’ll also refine Xing Mo’s divine artifact shield before applying the saint beast’s blood. After all of these are done, I think I’ll be able to endure the Void Ancient Path’s meteorite-killing formation.”
“That’s not enough!”
The Buddha Thearch waved his hand. “You need to do one more thing. If I’m not wrong, after you’re done this, your body will become at least two times stronger! Then, you can refine the saint beast’s blood. After that, you’ll probably be as strong as the Saint Emperor.”
“What is it?”
Jiang Yi was curious now. If he could become as strong as the Saint Emperor—together with the Mystic Divine Armor and divine artifact divine shield, he would have a better chance of getting through the Void Ancient Path.
The Buddha Thearch laughed and said, “You need to make love to Little Chan’er. Little Chan’er has a Heavenly Thunder True Body. This kind of astral body is one of the strongest. She is at least as strong as the top ten divine furnaces. Of course… how much that will benefit you is dependent on your luck.”
“Uh!”
Jiang Yi rolled his eyes, feeling both awkward and uncomfortable. The Buddha Thearch and Buddha Emperor were father and son indeed. Both of them were equally strange. How could they talk about these things relating to their own descendants in front of such a large crowd? They even talked about it as if there was nothing wrong.
Still, thinking about it made Jiang Yi quite excited. Would he be considered as going to bed with Yi Chan on their orders?
