Chapter 1143: Old Devil's Past
While Li Qiye was deep in thought, Gu Tieshou hesitated for a moment and didn't know whether he should speak up. He had a question but didn't dare to ask.
Li Qiye noticed his demeanor, so he smiled: "Elder, we are not outsiders, so you can just speak your mind."
Gu Tieshou chuckled awkwardly with an embarrassed expression. He rubbed his palms together and asked: "Virtuous Nephew, hmm, about this… Ah, oh, the other elders in the sect, they are very curious, so, so they asked me to ask…"
Gu Tieshou didn't know how to phrase this delicate matter.
"Elder Gu, go ahead." Li Qiye smiled.
Gu Tieshou took a deep breath and calmed down before looking at Li Qiye with a serious expression: "Virtuous Nephew, are you the descendant of our patriarch?"
"You and the other elders are thinking too much." Li Qiye knew what he was thinking and laughed.
Gu Tieshou was still as awkward as before: "Well, the elders think that you are either the patriarch's direct descendant or perhaps even an imperial prince who was sealed."
The older generation of the sect felt that Li Qiye was Immortal Emperor Min Ren's descendant. He could even be a sealed child from the emperor.
No one would doubt if Li Qiye came out right now and claimed to be the emperor's son.
Li Qiye burst out into laughter and shook his head: "Elder, you are overthinking it. I am not Immortal Emperor Min Ren's descendant and definitely not his son."
Gu Tieshou could only smile awkwardly in response. He actually hoped that Li Qiye would be related to the emperor somehow.
He had to ask: "Then what about the Benevolent Armament?"
For millions of years now, no one had heard of this Benevolent Armament. Moreover, the triangular building had always been there. No one was able to connect with it, let alone control it. But now, Li Qiye had used it freely at his whim.
Thus, it was understandable to think that outside of the emperor himself, only his son would be able to use the Benevolent Armament.
Li Qiye smilingly said: "The armor was waiting for the fateful ones. It has been buried deep underground. When the right person comes again, it shall show itself once more."
He didn't need to explain this armor clearly because Gu Tieshou didn't know that despite its name, it didn't have a lot to do with Immortal Emperor Min Ren; he was not the one who refined it.
Back when Li Qiye couldn't come up with a good name, the emperor had already worn it to battle. From then on, people called it the "Benevolent Armament." Li Qiye had no problems with this name, so he didn't change it afterward.
Eventually, Gu Tieshou stopped bothering Li Qiye and bowed before leaving.
"Is Old Devil still here?" Li Qiye asked: "Tell him to come here, and Mu Shaohuang too."
Gu Tieshou's heart jumped out of confusion after hearing this. It was clear that he lacked the knowledge about their relationships.
Old Devil Mu Shaodi was their ancestor. With regards to status, Li Qiye should be calling him ancestor, but strangely enough, Old Devil listened to Li Qiye's commands. This was a chaotic mess that Gu Tieshou couldn't figure out at all.
"I, I will go consult the ancestor." What else could he say? He was several generations below Old Devil.
In fact, the entire sect was still dumbfounded at the moment. Both elders and ordinary disciples couldn't believe that the perverted Old Devil was their most powerful ancestor, Mu Shaodi.
In the past, one elder had proposed to expel Old Devil from the sect, lest he stains the sect's reputation even more. But now, after finding out that he was an ancestor, many people broke out in cold sweat.
After a while, Old Devil and the burly man, Mu Shaohuang, came. While looking at Li Qiye, even characters like Old Devil didn't dare to show any slight. He respectfully bowed and said: "Greetings, Your Excellency."
Li Qiye glanced at him and said: "It looks like the Black Dragon King told you about me."
"Senior Black Dragon King had only mentioned a few things." Old Devil smiled wryly before giving introductions: "Your Excellency, this is my little brother."
"I know who he is." Li Qiye glanced at the young king and then both of them before stating: "If I'm not mistaken, the two of you are the reason for Cleansing Incense's decline."
Old Devil quickly said: "Your Excellency, it was my fault. I was the one who destroyed the sect. I'm ashamed to meet our forefathers."
Mu Shaohuang hastily interjected: "Your Excellency, my big brother is not to be blamed for this. It was all my fault. I was the one who found the secret underground and invited trouble, so Master sentenced me to an eternal imprisonment."
Old Devil busily asserted: "No, Your Excellency, if it wasn't for my obsession with power and desire to open the seal, the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect wouldn't have faced that disaster."
Li Qiye gently waved his sleeve after looking at the two: "Okay, there's no need to claim the blame with each other. If your master had declared his sentence, then I'm too lazy to care about who was right and wrong. I only want to know the process and details. Be specific."
"It was my fault." Mu Shaohuang deepened his tone: "Big Brother and I grew up at Cleansing Incense and joined under our master at the same time. I was not as gifted at cultivation as Big Brother since I was addicted to occult and bizarre matters. Thus, I read many scrolls of the sect when I was younger."
"So you traced back to the roots and thought about obtaining the power." Li Qiye said while looking at Mu Shaohuang.
"Your Excellency, it was not so. My little brother likes strange things and didn't care for prestige and power, so he was still nameless when I became famous." Old Devil quickly interrupted.
Mu Shaohuang scratched his head and went on: "Through the scrolls from our sect, I knew that there was a secret buried beneath Cleansing Incense. At the start, I thought it was the Benevolent Armament, but later on, I found that this was not the case."
Li Qiye flatly said: "A very powerful force is hidden underground." Back then, there was a reason why he let Immortal Emperor Min Ren establish the sect on this land.
"Yes!" Mu Shaohuang wryly smiled: "In the beginning, I only wanted to obtain the Benevolent Armament in hopes that Big Brother would be able to successfully seize the Heaven's Will just like the patriarch back then. However, I didn't understand the true principles behind the armament. It was not a treasure, so I couldn't take it."
"… Moving on, with my research, I found that there was something even more powerful beneath the imperial foundation of the sect. It was an eternal power, perhaps even more terrifying than the Benevolent Armament, so I became fascinated." He explained.
"It was because of me." Old Devil joined again: "It was because I wanted that power which led to the calamity later on."
He recalled: "I competed against Immortal Emperor Ta Kong. Out of our six duels, the score was three to three. However, after each battle, the emperor's dao became much more polished than mine. I understood him very well. During our last confrontation which led to my defeat, a huge gap was between us. I couldn't stand it… so I had the urge to obtain an even greater power."
Li Qiye coldly said: "You were obsessed, charmed by the devil."
Old Devil sighed in response: "I was truly charmed by the devil back then with my desire to become the Immortal Emperor. My thirst for power was what led me astray."
The old guy became dejected at this point: "At that time, I heard Little Brother said that he had finished researching the seal underground. I thought about a few legends back then relating to the power underground, a power that would make me invincible in the nine worlds."
Li Qiye glared at him and asked: "Did you know what their end result was?"
Old Devil gently sighed: "At that time, I was completely obsessed and didn't think much of it. I just wanted to obtain this power in order to surpass Immortal Emperor Ta Kong, to seize the Heaven's Will and ascend to the throne."
Li Qiye emotionlessly scolded: "It didn't matter what kind of person an Immortal Emperor was. Regardless of whether they were a murderer or a righteous gentleman, no emperor cultivating an unorthodox and evil method has ever been accepted by the heavenly dao. Only the supreme grand dao could carry the Heaven's Will. Even if you have obtained that power, you still wouldn't have become an Immortal Emperor."
Old Devil smiled sadly: "I was blinded by my miserable defeat. I was unwilling to lose against Immortal Emperor Ta Kong, so I became hell-bent on obtaining that power underground. Master and the elders did not agree in the beginning, but under my constant pleading, master eventually agreed to open the seal underground. No one expected that everything would go wrong and a calamity would befall us."
Despite knowing the dangers, the elders still ultimately agreed. This was their desire to have another Immortal Emperor. Without a doubt, Mu Shaodi was a great candidate.
"Hmph! You all only knew that this power was strong but never thought about what was sealed underground!" Li Qiye coldly stated: "Otherwise, why would Immortal Emperor Min Ren and I waste so much time to lay such a strong imperial foundation in order to seal this land?"
Chapter 1144: One Mistake; An Eternal Sin
Being harshly scold by Li Qiye left Old Devil smiling wryly: "I was overwhelmed with the need for more power, so I carelessly tried to borrow this power to forcefully seize the Heaven's Will."
"Hah, forcefully seize the Heaven's Will?" Li Qiye laughed in response: "That is only something found in legends. You couldn't become an Immortal Emperor back then, so you definitely couldn't succeed later on."
Old Devil exhaled and said: "If I could have thought of that back then, it wouldn't have deteriorated so badly. While focusing on obtaining the power underground, we opened the seal and unexpectedly found something else."
Li Qiye didn't say anything and continued to stare coldly at Old Devil.
The old man went on: "At that moment, I finally understood that outside of this power, there were other things down there, but it was too late. In order to protect this land from falling into the hands of the monsters, the other elders and I worked together. We spent countless efforts and refined jades in order to reseal the foundation!"
"Hmph! Immortal Emperor Min Ren and I were afraid that the power down there would break out again even from the foundation. But who would have thought that before it could break out, everything was destroyed in your hands." He glared at Old Devil.
The old man lowered his head in shame. His little brother spoke instead: "It is not all Big Brother's fault. If it wasn't for my curiosity of the secret, none of this would have happened."
"Cleansing Incense's situation today is because of me. My ambition blinded me, resulting in our decline and the elders suffering underground." He spoke with shame: "If it wasn't for senior Black Dragon King slapping me out of my stupor, I'm afraid I would have gone to meet the ancestors already."
Li Qiye asked: "You all couldn't suppress the old man underground?"
Old Devil smiled wryly and said: "The elders and I counter-attacked many times to no avail. We could only force him back at best. There was no way of re-creating the Immortal Emperor's seal, so we had to stand guard there."
Li Qiye coldly scowled: "If it wasn't for your meritorious service, I would be too lazy to deal with this mess. I will intervene this time but never a second! One might be able to survive an act of god, but no one can survive a self-brought calamity."
"Your Excellency, please reseal this land." After hearing this, Old Devil immediately rejoiced and prostrated on the ground.
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "It is easier said than done to seal this land. It can't be done in one or two days. When Immortal Emperor Min Ren erected the supreme imperial foundation in the past, it required a lot of time and effort."
"What I can do now is make that old man run back and stop causing trouble!" Li Qiye paused and glared at Old Devil: "Whether this land can be sealed again or end up being destroyed, I'll deal with that later."
"Your Excellency taking action is a blessing for the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect." Old Devil could finally let go of what was tormenting his heart.
Li Qiye asked: "Do you know anything about that last battle?"
"Your Excellency, I did not participate in that battle." Old Devil quickly explained: "I was haunted back then, so senior Black Dragon King awakened me with a slap. He told me to stay behind and guard the entrance without further explanations. Because I was suppressing the seal underground, I didn't know what exactly happened in that battle. The moment I got out, the battle between the senior and Immortal Emperor Ta Kong had already ended. I didn't meet the senior later on, so I don't know the specific circumstances."
Li Qiye pondered for a moment. He knew very well that the Black Dragon King must have survived the fight with Immortal Emperor Ta Kong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill his way into the Immortal Demon Grotto.
After a while, Li Qiye lifted his head and told Old Devil: "I will go underground to deal with this matter to avoid further complications."
"Your Excellency will certainly be successful." Old Devil quickly stated in full exultation.
The two of them left Cleansing Incense and went to the town right below. After entering the small town, Old Devil led Li Qiye to the Happy Crimson Pavilion.
Old Devil was a regular here, so after he arrived, the ladies came to greet him in a very familiar manner. A gorgeously dressed woman coquettishly smiled: "Third Master, you are bringing along a young man today?" 1
Old Devil laughed boisterously and brought Li Qiye inside. He looked for the old madame and told her: "Open the door."
The madame noticed an outsider, Li Qiye, and was quite surprised: "Who is he?"
Old Devil knew about Li Qiye's temper and quietly told the madame: "Don't ask."
The madame did not blabber and immediately took the two deeper into the pavilion. She opened a closed iron door and let them inside.
Here was a different heavenly grotto that resembled a large courtyard with different types of strange grasses and spiritual medicines. Who would have thought that such a mundane location would contain a wondrous place like this?
Li Qiye took a look and spoke with a tinge of emotion: "This place is still here after so many years…"
Old Devil replied: "Your Excellency, this place has been running all this time. The ancestors of the sect believed that a cunning rabbit has three caves, so the entrance had been shifted to this place."
Li Qiye flatly said: "A cunning rabbit has three caves? Immortal Emperor Min Ren didn't have this thought back then. This was meant to be a home for those pitiful mortal women. Only someone like Min Ren would trouble himself with the chaotic mortal realm, or maybe he was just soft-hearted like a woman." 2
Old Devil remained silent. He was not qualified to comment on the past and Immortal Emperor Min Ren. He had only heard many legends about Immortal Emperor Min Ren's humane beliefs.
Li Qiye sighed and didn't want to talk more about the emperor's kind nature.
There were pitiful people all around the world, but as he had said before, he was not a savior. He couldn't save and enlighten all living beings. The only thing he wanted was to preserve the nine worlds so that the human race could exist forever.
As for the weak and pitiable, they would need to rely on themselves. Only by growing stronger would they be able to escape their own destinies. Otherwise, it would just be empty talk. He could save one person, but not millions.
This was the biggest difference between him and Immortal Emperor Min Ren. The emperor had a tendency for clemency and a wish to save all living beings in this world.
Old Devil opened another entrance to the underground and led Li Qiye inside. They were ported into the deepest location of Cleansing Incense.
A gigantic imperial foundation was located here. It was built upon the sweat and blood of Li Qiye and Immortal Emperor Min Ren back then.
One could see many great pillars shouldering the ground. The path was paved by refined divine stones and engraved with powerful imperial formations that were suppressing the entire area.
Walking into this place was the same as walking into the underground labyrinth of a palace. This underground base was huge. In the face of a disaster, it would be easy for all the disciples from the sect to come and hide here.
Li Qiye gently sighed after feeling the familiar power while walking inside the foundation.
This was an inheritance that could allow for Cleansing Incense to continue on. Even if it were to collapse one day, as long as this place was still here, it would eventually rise once more.
It could be said that in order to build this place, they had spent a countless amount of effort. Alas, after so many years, the future generations of Cleansing Incense did not utilize this inheritance to bring about prosperity for the sect.
They eventually went as far as they could go. Before them was an abyss that resembled a cave that led further down into the ground. It was pitch-black; one had no way to see what was down there.
Around this pit was an extremely powerful imperial formation. Many old men were sitting around it. Their vitality was weakened with age, but this didn't mean that they weren't extremely powerful. All were Virtuous Paragons.
At the same time, three weapons were floating in the middle of the formation. Two of them were life treasures that emitted imperial auras!
"Benevolent Saber!" Li Qiye glanced at the third weapon and immediately recognized it.
The Benevolent Saber was Immortal Emperor Min Ren's true fate weapon. The other two weapons were also refined by him.
Back then, he left behind all of his weapons. Outside of one life treasure falling into the hands of the Heavenly God Sect, the others vanished without a trace, including the saber.
The older generation like Gu Tieshou didn't know where these weapons went. They speculated that the weapons had been lost in the war.
When Li Qiye and Old Devil stepped closer, the old men presiding over the formation opened their eyes as if they were waking up from their slumber.
"Elders." Old Devil looked at each one to say: "Young Noble Li is here today to deal with the calamity. After he is done with this crisis, Elders can return to the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. I have burdened everyone, forcing Elders to watch over this place."
Remember how Old Devil's title is hard to translate and consists of three characters: "Third" + "Devil" + "Grandpa/Master"? She is calling him "Third" + "Grandpa/Master" here, omitting the devil/sly/crafty/perverted part. ↩ Okay, this phrase might look bad for Li Qiye, but in his defense, it is a popular idiom that is widely used in literature. It is definitely a cultural thing. This phrase is not politically correct in modern speech anymore, however. You can probably still see it in historical/xianxia novels due to the setting. ↩Chapter 1145: Geezer Su
Among the elders here, there were brothers in the same generation as Old Devil as well as uncles who were older than him. Back then, they opened the seal only to find that the power within was not as simple as they expected. In the end, they had to stay here to guard this place.
If they didn't do so, this entire area would turn into an evil land. At that time, not only would the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect turn into ashes, the rest of this land would fall into ruin as well.
"It was everyone's fault." An ancestor gently sighed: "If we didn't agree and work together to open the seal, we wouldn't be in this situation today. It is not just your fault."
Old Devil sighed as well. It was all due to greed back then. It ruined everything and almost ended the sect completely.
Li Qiye looked at them and commanded: "Mu Shaodi can stay, the rest of you, leave."
The elders glanced at each other. In fact, they didn't know Li Qiye's true identity, so they looked at Old Devil instead.
Old Devil nodded and said: "Elders can go, just leave this place to Young Noble Li. When it is over, everyone can return to the sect."
Old Devil was the most hopeful to become an Immortal Emperor. He had a very high position in the minds of these elders. The elders were a bit hesitant, but they still decided to eventually leave after hearing him.
With their departure, Li Qiye signaled to the Benevolent Saber within the imperial formation by waving his sleeve. With a clank, the saber slightly resonated with a hymn before flying into his hand. The other two weapons also followed and floated above his head.
He gently stroked the blade afterward. It was flashing with a cold and dreadful glint capable of deterring others from approaching. Its tip could easily pierce a paragon's body. The saber kept on hymning as if it had seen its master. It looked like it was recognizing Li Qiye.
"Benevolent Saber…" Li Qiye gently sighed while holding the blade. Back then, it was quite an undertaking for him to find a destiny true stone for Immortal Emperor Min Ren and eventually refining into this one-of-a-kind weapon.
"Clank." The saber returned to its scabbard. He then shifted his gaze towards the huge abyss and told Old Devil: "Open it, I want to see him."
"Umm… " Old Devil hesitated and looked at Li Qiye: "Your Excellency, don't we need to prepare a bit?"
"Don't worry, I know what we're about to face." Li Qiye slowly replied while staring at the pit.
Old Devil took a deep breath and channeled all of his blood energy as universal laws emerged. The seal was opened at this time. The old man did not dare to be careless and was ready for the worst.
"Clank—" One could see a black energy floating around the pit as if there was boiling water inside.
"Boom!" With a loud blast, this black energy surged into the sky in an endless and terrifying manner. It was a ferocious reverse waterfall.
"Buzz—" A faint hum came about. Immortal Emperor laws appeared around the imperial foundation. Its power tried to stop this flood of boiling black energy.
However, the black energy kept on spewing out. It would eventually fill the entire underground foundation. Even a more powerful foundation wouldn't be able to seal this torrential black energy.
"Hahaha…" A shadow rushed out from the pit and laughed: "Junior, you have finally given up. Be smart and scram from this place to avoid making a mistake."
This shadow was engulfed in the black energy, making it seem as if it didn't have a body. It was made up entirely of this dark air and seemed to be able to control this form of energy.
It looked quite burly and strong, resulting in a very vigorous and mighty presence. Despite being formed from the black energy that gave off a dark and ominous feeling, there was an innate majestic aura.
"No, I did not give up. I simply let you out today in order to end it all and obtain peace for this land!" Old Devil shook his head.
"Ha, Junior, you are indeed very powerful, but the best you can do is to borrow the power of imperial foundation to suppress me. If you think you can seal or kill me completely, think again. You are not an Immortal Emperor! Plus, I am immortal. Even your patriarch couldn't kill me." The shadow declared with a guffaw.
"After so many years, Geezer Su, you are still the same. You're still as stubborn as a rock underneath an outhouse, hard and smelly." Li Qiye slowly spoke at this time.
His words surprised the shadow. Its eyes immediately fell upon Li Qiye while flashing a dark glint. Anyone would feel creeped out by these pitch-black eyes and wouldn't dare to do anything.
However, Li Qiye was unperturbed. He coldly stared back at the shadow.
"Boy, who are you?" The eyes stained with black energy glared at Li Qiye because Li Qiye called him "Geezer Su." This was quite astonishing because there should be no one in this world who knew who he was, let alone his name.
"The person who will not let you rise again." Li Qiye flatly said: "You are still causing trouble after millions of years. You might not be bored of it, but I have grown a little weary of this game."
"You are that damned Dark Crow!" The shadow finally realized something. He took several steps back with a shocked expression before exclaiming: "You are still alive after this long?"
"You have been slashed by the old villainous heavens and pinned to the ground, but aren't you still alive right now?" Li Qiye chuckled: "If you can live till now, why can't I?"
The figure eventually burst out into laughter after taking a long stare at Li Qiye: "No wonder why the junior is so confident, so he found some reinforcements. Hahahaha, damned crow, so what if you are here, what can you do to me? Nail me down again, or maybe you want to kill me?"
"Hahahaha, you should know that I am unkillable, I am eternal!" It ended with more obnoxious laughter.
Li Qiye coldly glanced at him and spoke: "Geezer Su, after so many years, you are still indulging in this game. Do you really think that I can't kill you? What if I uproot this land completely, how much longer do you think you can last? Ten years, maybe a hundred?"
"Hmph!" The shadow snorted after hearing this. There was a secret in this place that very few knew about it. However, since Li Qiye was the Dark Crow, he was one of those privy to this information.
"Haha, damned crow, all of this talking boils down to you wanting the thing underground. Otherwise, you and that brat Min Ren wouldn't have built the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect here." The shadow coldly retorted.
"Yes, I did want the item before." Li Qiye did not deny the shadow: "However, with the passage of time, it no longer matters whether I can take it or not. I have no need to force it. There are many things in this world that I can obtain instead."
"Hmph, if that's the case, then why have you returned? Don't stand in my way!" It replied.
"Stand in your way?" Li Qiye laughed in response: "You actually have a future? Even if I don't stop you, what are you going to do?"
"Hehe, I will definitely see the sun again and return to the nine worlds!" The shadow laughed imposingly.
Li Qiye looked down at him and said: "Old geezer, you really think you can change back to the old you? The truth is that you will never be able to since you are already dead!"
"I am undying!" The shadow interrupted Li Qiye with a roar.
"Fine, you are undying, then tell me, what do you consider yourself to be?" Li Qiye went on: "You were dead after the tribulation back then. Everything about you turned into ashes! What was left? Only an abomination that is neither human nor ghost, a meaningless existence!"
"Utter rubbish!" The shadow shouted: "Quit your bullshit! I once reigned over the nine worlds! I protected and saved the human race! When the tyrant came, only I rebelled and attacked him! I am the savior of the nine worlds, the guardian of the human race…!" The shadow became more riled up as he spoke with increasing volume. In the end, he was screaming.
Li Qiye silently stood there and watched the screaming shadow until he could finish venting!
After screaming for a while, the shadow eventually calmed down and coldly spoke: "In short, I will return to the nine worlds again. That day will surely come!"
"So what?" Li Qiye insipidly said: "What can you bring to this world even if I let you out? Your power underground will turn this land evil. And have you ever thought of what will become of yourself?"
Chapter 1146: Indignation
The shadow became silent instead of screaming some more. Eventually, it coldly said: "I can escape this worldly prison and turn this land into a paradise. I can soar to the nine heavens again and reestablish my glory! As long as I can persevere, nothing can't be done, nothing is impossible!"
Li Qiye emotionlessly countered: "Escape from this prison? Purify the land? How are you going to do that? You have everything right now, but it is only due to the underground power, yet you want to escape then purify it? Don't you know how hilarious that sounds? Without a doubt, you are thinking about building a pavilion in the sky, it is all talk!" 1
"You are not what you used to be." Li Qiye coldly stared at him: "You are no longer the Mortal Emperor, no longer the wise sage of the past. To put it bluntly, you are only a monster that's able to live on by clinging to this resentment and feeling of indignation!"
"Hmph, who says I am a resentment?" The shadow retorted: "I am me, the Mortal Emperor that protects the human race!"
"Is that so? Look at yourself in the eye and ask yourself, are you truly the Mortal Emperor in the past?" Li Qiye emotionlessly spoke: "Wake up, you are nothing right now! And in all seriousness, I'm not clear on what exactly you resent.
"Do you resent yourself? Resent the old tyrant? Or do you resent the heavens, or maybe your daughter?"
"Stop talking!" The shadow became especially aggravated after hearing about his daughter and shouted: "What do you know! During the tyrant's reign, how many humans and sentient beings did he kill?! Did you see how people wailed in lamentation, how their blood flowed like rivers? There was no sunlight to be found…"
"I know!" Li Qiye interrupted him and flatly said: "Even though I was not in the nine worlds during that era, I know about it very well. In fact, I have experienced an even crueler period with more bloodshed. The tyrant is nothing compared to the Ancient Ming."
He went on while looking at the shadow: "You know, when Immortal Emperor Min Ren and I sieged this underground location, why did we only seal you instead of kill you? The truth is that with the emperor's might and my legions, I could have buried you even deeper underground and make you cry forever in the darkest prison of no escape…"
"I could have even cut you into little pieces so that you would never form your body again. Even if I couldn't kill you, I had plenty of ways to make you experience a fate worse than death. I could have used the most vicious means in the world to let you give up on everything!" With that, he stared at the shadow with sympathy and said: "But I didn't do so."
"It was not because Immortal Emperor Min Ren was a merciful person, it was because I remembered your contribution in protecting the human race back then." He continued: "Thus, we only sealed you and the power underground. I hoped that one day, you would come to understand and let go of this hatred! Unfortunately, it seems like you still haven't thought it through judging by today!"
This shadow ahead was Su Yuhe's father, an invincible Virtuous Paragon from the human race. He was only one step away from being an Immortal Emperor.
During the era of the tyrant, he rose up and rebelled. In the end, he used his daughter as bait by making her marry the tyrant. One misstep ruined his daughter's entire life and also doomed himself.
The shadow loudly snapped: "Let go? Why should I?! I can still return one day!"
Li Qiye sighed and gently shook his head: "Every choice, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, will come at a price! Your current situation and your daughter's fate were ultimately decided by your decision."
"Stop talking!" The shadow screamed.
Li Qiye ignored his plea and continued: "Really, I admire your will to oppose the tyrant as well as your contribution to the human race. Because of this, you are qualified to be called the Mortal Emperor even though you couldn't become an Immortal Emperor. However, we'll make a few things clear today. We won't talk about your guardianship of the human race, only your dao heart and personal obsession."
"In your case, protecting the humans and the nine worlds eventually became your obsession." Li Qiye spoke slowly: "A young genius of the human race opposing a tyrant, persevering to the very end to become a gray-haired Mortal Emperor. I really do admire your persistence."
"However, have you ever thought that ultimately, it became a feud between you and the tyrant?" Li Qiye took a serious look at the shadow: "By saying this, I feel as if I have become a conspiracy theorist due to your great accomplishments."
"But ask yourself, what is your true intent? Was it really to protect the humans and the nine worlds?" He went on to say: "At the very end, you only had one obsession left, and that was to defeat the tyrant because that had been your lifelong dream! You simply wanted to make it come true!"
The shadow retorted: "Nonsense!"
"Is that what you think?" Li Qiye smilingly said: "From a teenager to the old Mortal Emperor, at that stage, you already had enough power and authority. The human race, under your leadership, was strong enough to fight against the tyrant's kingdom."
"But we can talk about something else instead." Li Qiye stated: "We won't talk about how you became ashes back then, but rather, your immortal situation today. Regardless of whether you are a strand of obsession or a wisp of resentment, they share one thing in common: to a certain degree, the power here could allow you to live on. Maybe not to the level of everlastingness, but definitely something close."
The shadow said: "Hmph. Only I have understood the mysteries within!"
"I won't deny that." Li Qiye responded: "But let me ask you a question. You took the underground secret from the tyrant back then after he died — surely you must know what I'm talking about? He couldn't comprehend the power here, and the truth was that he was even older than you. His death was only a matter of time, and it certainly would have been before you."
"Hmph." The shadow scowled.
Li Qiye continued: "I know this is difficult to hear, but even though we are discussing this issue, it has no effect on your contribution to the human race. In my mind, you are still qualified for your title and deserve to be worshipped as an admirable great sage."
"But now, we have to discuss the negatives in this." Li Qiye coldly glared at the shadow at this point: "Compared to you wanting the underground secret, it is more apt to say that you wanted to defeat the tyrant. You hoped that you could defeat or personally kill him before his natural death! This was your lifelong wish, so ultimately, you made a choice."
"Defeating him and protecting the human race, is there a distinction here?" The shadow spoke without emotions.
Li Qiye replied: "To tell the truth, I am not trying to criticize you on this matter. In fact, I am not qualified to make any criticism at all. A man is not a saint, so how can he always be righteous? Everyone has their own desires and ambitions.
"But since you made the choice, it doesn't matter how you have turned into ashes or became this abomination, what are you resentful about? The tyrant? The damned villainous heavens? Or perhaps yourself?
"Honestly, I do not know what you are resenting. Since you made your choice, face it and the consequences that come with it, regardless of whether they are good or bad."
The shadow replied: "I have no resentment, I only want to see daylight once more!"
"Do you think these words bear any weight?" Li Qiye smiled and said: "Truly ask yourself that question again."
Li Qiye stared at him and continued: "Others do not know about the power here, but I do. It is a power that belongs to darkness and negativity. Why was it that the tyrant was so strong back then and capable of changing the tides of battle by himself? Why was it that you turned into ashes yet you are still alive? It is all because of this underground power."
Li Qiye exclaimed: "The tyrant is violent and ambitious, which allowed him to rely on this power. But as for you, because of your resentment, it turned you into your current form, making you think that you are actually eternal!"
The shadow shouted: "So what?! So what if I resent! Am I not allowed to resent just because I'm opposing you?"
"I won't deny that I had my own agenda when establishing the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect here. I also wanted the thing underground, but I eventually gave up." Li Qiye flatly said: "I don't mind your feelings of resentment and indignation, but they will turn this land evil and kill all the living beings here, so it has become my problem!"
An idiom meaning unrealistic utopian construction, imaginary future plans. ↩