“Come on then, I don’t remember you being so emotional.” When he saw Ye Zichen just standing wordlessly by the window, Su Yiyun couldn’t help but tease him.
When he heard that, Ye Zichen turned back around. He suppressed the twinge in his nose, but his eyes were still slightly red with tears.
He whacked Su Yiyun and rolled his eyes. “You’re overthinking things…. But what’s going on with you? Why did you become a monk?”
‘That’s a long story.” Su Yiyun rubbed his bald head, smiled, and told Ye Zichen what had happened to him over the years.
From his explanations, Ye Zichen learned that after using the double eight-level formations, his soul really did melt into the formation, and stayed there until Ye Zichen’’s Divine Tribulation shattered it. His soul crumbled and dispersed into heaven and earth alongside the remnants of the formation, and his consciousness scattered.
However, when he woke up, he found himself lying on a bed. Before long, a tender-looking youth entered his room and accepted him as his disciple. Since then, he’d been living with the youth in his seasonal palace.
Decades passed before he discovered…that youth was Emperor Hades.
“Then you’re Emperor Hades’ disciple?” Ye Zichen’s eyes widened with shock. Emperor Hades was on the same level as the God, Yao, and Demon Emperors! If Su Yiyun was his apprentice, and he, Ye Zichen, was Su Yiyun’s bro, didn’t that mean it’d be smooth sailing for him from here on out?
“I guess so.” Su Yiyun nodded in response to Ye Zichen’s astonishment.
However, this response clearly didn’t satisfy Ye Zichen, who frowned and said, “What do you mean, ‘I guess so?’ You’re either his apprentice or you aren’t.”
“I can’t be certain either!” Su Yiyun shrugged. “I could say I’m his apprentice, but even after all these years together, he’s never once taught me anything. I could also say I’m not, but we refer to each other as master and apprentice. Furthermore, we’re the only two people living in his seasonal palace.”
“Then aren’t you his apprentice? It is a real pity that he’s not teaching you martial arts, though. Still, even just the title of ‘Emperor Hades’ apprentice’ is enough.”
When he realized that there was such a mighty backer standing behind him, Ye Zichen’s confidence increased.
If anyone dared offend him, all he had to do was push Su Yiyun forward. Just who would dare show off after he revealed his status?
“Hey, you’re not at the Emperor’s palace right now. Why’d you show up here all of a sudden? What, have you decided to follow me from now on? Let me tell you, you’re not making a mistake. You might not know this, but although I’m not as awesome as your master, I’m still doing awfully well for myself down in the lower lands.”
Ye Zichen smiled in satisfaction, but just as he was about to go on bragging, Su Yiyun said, “I’m here because Master wants to see you.”
“What on earth for?” Ye Zichen curled his lips, but before long it hit him. “You’re saying Emperor Hades wants to meet me?”
Emperor Hades had asked for him by name. Even if Ye Zichen was arrogant, he wouldn’t dare put on airs in front of such a high-level figure. After Su Yiyun told him this, they didn’t delay at all; they immediately left for the Emperor’s seasonal palace.
When they reached the River Styx and he sensed the auras of the beasts dwelling within, Ye Zichen’s heart thudded involuntarily.
In just thirty seconds, he’d already sensed at least a dozen supreme-level beasts locking onto him. When they looked at him, their eyes glinted with ferocity. If not for Su Yiyun’s command medallion, they might have long since torn them to pieces.
“We’re here.” After about an hour, Su Yiyun and Ye ZIchen reached the bottom of a valley and stopped before a palace.
Ye Zichen instinctively looked the place over. Finally, his gaze landed on the two dark demon dragon eyes decorating its surface.
“Don’t look!” Su Yiyun immediately reached out to stop him, only to find that Ye Zichen had already looked without encountering any issues at all.
“Why not?” Ye Zichen looked at him in bewilderment.
When Su Yiyun saw nothing out of the ordinary about him, he couldn’t help but frown. “Are you feeling alright?’
“Why wouldn’t I be feeling alright?” Ye Zichen didn’t quite know what to say.
It shouldn’t be like this!
Even the Yao Divine Generals suffered grave injuries upon looking into the demonic dragon’s eyes. If not for Emperor Hades’ timely assistance, they might have even damaged their origins.
Emperor Hades had once told him that even an ordinary ruler would fall into a trance upon looking into those eyes. Anyone beneath the diviner level was all but certain to perish.
Ye Zichen wasn’t even an earth supreme, yet he’d looked into the eyes without any adverse effects.
This bro of his really wasn’t ordinary!
“What are you looking at me like that for? Didn’t you say Emperor Hades wanted to meet me? Let’s go in already, then!” Ye Zichen felt unaccustomed to the way Su Yiyun was looking at him. He couldn’t help but speak up, but as soon as he did, the palace doors opened on their own.
A deep voice echoed from within. “Come in.”
The gates didn’t open into a hallway, but rather a set of stairs leading downward with no end in sight. Both sides of the stairway were pitch black.
Ye Zichen followed Su Yiyun downard, fumbling around in the dark. Soon, even he’d lost track of how many steps they’d descended…..
Whoosh!
It was then that the walls burst into flames.
The light of the fire illuminated the long, dark hallway. For the first time, Ye Zichen realized that the walls were decorated with countless images.
The strange thing was, all of the images seemed somewhat familiar to him.
He scanned them up and down, and when he finished, he turned to look at Su Yiyun.
“What is it?” Su Yiyun looked at him in befuddlement.
Ye Zichen pointed at the walls. “Look at that painting.”
“Ah? What painting?” Su Yiyun arched his brows in surprise and looked at the wall. In his eyes, there was no trace of an image whatsoever.
“It’s right there…..” Ye Zichen wanted to explain, but before the words left his mouth, he choked.
He’d been through enough that it didn’t take long for him to realize that only he could see these images. Other people couldn’t see them at all.
What really unsettled him was that last image: it was of him, and his battle with the demon armies!
After connecting it to the images he’d seen before, he couldn’t help but guess that the paintings were of the cycle of rebirth.
The images he’d looked at earlier…..
Were of his past lives!
