Chapter 855: Secret Of The Past
At this point, the golem begrudgingly stated: "Your Excellency, for the last several million years until now, I have accepted the punishment from the city and spent countless moons to recover. Then, I expended countless efforts to find a suitable candidate. If you don't let me try and just take the beastworld for your own, this, this is far too unfair towards me!"
"You really have some confidence." Li Qiye couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Excellency, at least let my disciple try just one time!" The golem hurriedly begged: "If my disciple is successful, then this will be a great help to you in the future. She can assist you in sweeping through the nine worlds!"
"That is not important to me." Li Qiye looked at the golem and said: "However, not too many people can still recognize me in this day and age. I will also be considerate for your love of the beastworld. If I don't give you a chance, then that would be too much. Very well, I am someone who does things fairly, so I'll give you a chance. Your disciple may try once!"
"I truly appreciate Your Excellency's generosity." The golem was ecstatic and quickly bowed after hearing this.
"However, the opportunity will be equal. My people will also go to Bi'an City. Don't expect me to take it easy on her." Li Qiye said dismissively.
The golem was startled and asked: "Your Excellency means that you also have a candidate?"
"You are correct. I know, you believe that you know the beastworld very well, but don't forget where all of you came from." Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: "In fact, I understand the beastworld even more than all of you. Your knowledge is only partially complete, so to be frank, the beastworld belongs to me!"
The golem was surprised and couldn't help but ask: "Can it really be done?"
"What do you think?" Li Qiye answered lightly: "Am I someone who does things without certainty?"
The golem became impatient and quickly asked: "If Your Excellency is successful, do you plan on going to that place?"
"It seems like you are also hoping that I will be successful." Li Qiye stated while staring at the golem.
He was met with a wry smile from the golem: "I'm truly not using my disciple as a means to accomplish my goal. I watched her grow up and treated her as my daughter. Since Your Excellency has given us a chance, I will have nothing to say if we fail. Nevertheless, my disciple is still my pride; she is an extraordinary child!" The golem gently sighed at this point.
"Not bad, a stone can have a heart at times." Li Qiye chuckled: "Leaving Bi'an City was not necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, you are not as cold as a rock and instead a bit similar to a living being."
"Your Excellency is joking. If it wasn't for you showing mercy back then, I wouldn't have lived until this day, I would have already become a dead stone, both hard and stinky, back in the swamp. It is a blessing from you that I can be here right now." The golem said with sincerity.
Li Qiye waved his hand and said: "No need to thank me. Back when you were trapped in the swamp, you still tried to bewitch Tun Ri. My personal decision was to pin you deeper into the swamp. Alas, Tun Ri was young and had a good heart; he spoke on your behalf, so I threw you out of it."
"At that time, I found Immortal Emperor Tun Ri to be a talent worth cultivating, so I wanted to teach him. I didn't know that Your Excellency was protecting his dao. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to try to steal your disciple even if I was a hundred times more courageous." The golem coughed with an air of embarrassment.
"Well, it is all in the past, there's no need to be embarrassed. Today, I have come to remind you not to get in my way and hinder my plans. As for the rest, I do not care." Li Qiye waved his sleeve and stood up to leave.
"Wait, just in case, just in case Your Excellency is truly successful, do you intend on going to that place?" The golem hastily inquired once more.
Li Qiye leered at him: "It seems that you still haven't given up. Those rocks back in Bi'an City will never be as stubborn as you."
The golem emotionally replied: "I just want to understand since we couldn't have appeared out of thin air. I want to know what kind of existence created us. We are not part of the golem or demon race, we're only carved statues! I just want to know our origin. If there were an answer in this world, it has to be at that location!"
Li Qiye emotionlessly asked: "You should know a little about that place, do you think that you can do it?"
The golem pondered for a while before lifting his head and replying in a carefree manner: "My knowledge is truly limited about that place. However, I know that Your Excellency knows about it. In this world, only you can reach that place! Immortal Emperor Tun Ri told me that it seemed like you were the only one successful in this regard."
"Haha, so you met that brat Tun Ri later on." Li Qiye couldn't help but chuckle.
The golem coughed in response: "I was working as a servant after the beastworld was opened once more. Immortal Emperor Tun Ri remembered our friendship, so he came to see me once at that time."
"I know." Li Qiye smiled: "That brat Tun Ri, despite having such a domineering sobriquet, couldn't change his kindness deep down. We'll talk again once I reach there, I can't tell you the details right now."
"Thank you, Your Excellency!" The golem bowed in excitement right away after hearing this.
Li Qiye gently nodded and left. As he was leaving, Mei Aonan observed him as if she wanted to see through him.
After Li Qiye left, only Mei Aonan and the golem were in the palace. The golem sat in his chair, dazed for a very long time.
"Master, what did Li Qiye talk to you about?" Mei Aonan was intrigued to see the golem acting this way. Her master was even more powerful than Godkings! He had always been calm and rarely had such moments.
After calming down, the golem looked at Mei Aonan and softly said: "Child, you will have to exert yourself during our trip to the beastworld. Nothing would be better than you being successful, but if you fail, I will seal you underground away from the world."
"Seal? Why do I have to be sealed? Master, even if we are unsuccessful at the beastworld, I still have many things I want to do in this life, like seizing the Heaven's Will and becoming an Immortal Emperor! This is my aspiration and goal, isn't this your expectation as well?"
The golem gently nodded and begrudgingly spoke: "Child, it is not that I have no confidence in you. In your master's eyes, you are even more brilliant than Ye Qingcheng! He was gestated by countless wise sages to have this level of talent. You are only lacking time compared to him. The path for the Heaven's Will is long, so even against someone as supreme as him, you will still have a chance to beat him!"
"That is a matter of course! The Heaven's Will is mine alone!" Mei Aonan declared with utmost confidence. Naturally, she was qualified to put on such airs. She debuted later than Ye Qingcheng, but her fame had already caught up to his. She was very certain of being able to beat a genius like Ye Qingcheng!
"However, there are some things that no plans can prepare for." The golem gently sighed: "In this generation, anyone who wants to compete for the Heaven's Will must give way. Not even a more exceptional genius can change this fact!"
"Give way for whom?" Mei Aonan was unconvinced: "Master, I am not afraid of an even more exceptional genius. My heart is steel and I swear to seize the Heaven's Will!"
"Child, I do not doubt your resolve and I also believe that you have the ability." The golem smiled wryly: "But in this generation, you must give way. It is not that I want to force you, I just don't want you to die in vain. You have to dodge this generation by sealing yourself. It still wouldn't be too late to come out in the next generation and prove your dao. Otherwise, when the Heaven's Will appears and you participate in the war, I'm afraid your death is a foregone conclusion. Even with my personal protection, you would not be able to come out in one piece."
"Master, why are you so dejected?" Mei Aonan had to say: "Master's strength is enough to look down on the nine heavens and ten earths! Plus, once I become an Emperor Candidate, there won't be a need to be afraid of Godkings or any other geniuses as I shall sweep through the nine worlds!"
"Godkings and Emperor Candidates… these things are meaningless." The golem said: "Once he joins the battle for the Heaven's Will, both of these existences will only be mere insects!"
"He?" Mei Aonan inquired: "Master is talking about Li Qiye?"
"Yes, him." The golem looked up towards the sky and said: "In the present times, who else but he can make me step aside!"
"Master, why praise the enemy and lower our morale?" Mei Aonan didn't think it was a big deal: "Even though Li Qiye has a fierce notoriety, in terms of talents, dao heart, and strength, I still believe that I can beat him!"
"Child, you don't understand." The golem gently shook his head: "You will never be able to defeat him. Since the times of the Ancient Ming, no one in this world can defeat…" He stopped here as he was reluctant to reveal more.
"Is Master talking about the Ancient Ming Race from the legends?" Mei Aonan asked with surprise. She was very curious about what kind of conversation Li Qiye had with her master to cause him to become so depressed.
"Child, you should know about your own Jianlong Clan." The golem explained: "I trust that the elders in your clan have talked about why they choose to live in a reclusive manner."
"The ancestors rarely talked about this matter. They only said that in the past, our Jianlong Clan lost and was sealed by a taboo existence. From then on, we no longer wanted to come into being." Mei Aonan responded with some confusion.
"Yes, this is the taboo existence that your Jianlong Clan was talking about!" The golem spoke slowly.
After hearing this, her eyes lit up with a surging battle intent as she stated: "Master, are you saying Li Qiye has the legendary taboo existence as his backing?"
855 TeaserAt this point, the golem begrudgingly stated: "Your Excellency, for the last several million years till now, I have accepted the punishment from the city and spent countless moons to recover. Then, I expended countless efforts to find a suitable candidate. If you don't let me try and just take the beastworld for your own, this, this is far too unfair towards me!"
"You really have some confidence." Li Qiye couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Excellency, at least let my disciple try just one time!" The golem hurriedly begged: "If my disciple is successful, then this will be a great help to you in the future. She can assist you in sweeping through the nine worlds!"
"That is not important to me." Li Qiye looked at the golem and said: "However, not too many people can still recognize me in this day and age. I will also be considerate for your love of the beastworld. If I don't give you a chance, then that would be too much. Very well, I am someone who does things fairly, so I'll give you a chance. Your disciple may try once!"
"I truly appreciate Your Excellency's generosity." The golem was ecstatic and quickly bowed after hearing this.
"However…”
[collapse]Chapter 856: The Mythical Immortal Emperor Slaying War
"You can put it that way." The golem noticed his disciple becoming more excited and couldn't help but smile. He didn't want to say more because if he revealed that Li Qiye himself was the taboo existence, who knew if his fearless disciple would go to fight him or not!
"Then all the more reason for me to fight Li Qiye!" Her aura surged as if she had turned into a goddess. She powerfully exclaimed: "I also want to see what is so special about the successor chosen by this so-called legendary taboo existence!"
"Child, take a deep breath and calm your mind. War is only one part of cultivation, there's no need to be so excited. A proper expert's mind is as calm as water, even in times of war." The golem slowly lectured her after seeing the battle-ready Mei Aonan.
Eventually, she took a deep breath before staring straight at the golem to speak in a solemn and firm manner: "Master, I want to fight Li Qiye!"
The golem wryly smiled. How could he not know his own disciple's personality? He gently shook his head: "Child, no rush. Your weakness is your impatience and arrogance. If you don't fix them, they will be your undoing one day."
Here, the golem seriously stared at her and said: "I know your personality, if you don't fight Li Qiye, then the rest of your life will be laden with regret. However, there's no need to rush. Wait until you beat Ye Qingcheng, then I will discuss a spar with him between the two of you, there's no need for a life and death match."
"Master, are you afraid that I will not be able to beat him?! I can beat Ye Qingcheng so I can definitely defeat Li Qiye as well!" Mei Aonan was unconvinced.
"You are mistaken." The golem responded: "Ye Qingcheng is nothing compared to Li Qiye. If Li Qiye really wants him dead, it would be as easy as killing an ant."
Mei Aonan was a newborn calf with no fear of a tiger. She couldn't help but speak: "Master, you are already so powerful, but you are still so wary of this dark hand in the legends. Is this person really so scary?"
"Scary?" The golem gently shook his head after chuckling: "Scary alone cannot describe him. How strong do you think your Jianlong Clan is? How strong do you think the Alchemy Kingdom is? But look at them now! Even these behemoths do not dare to come out…
"… Outsiders might not know, but you should be aware that your clan is afraid of this dark hand! Only those who experienced the war with the Divine Beast Realm that year would understand what hell on earth truly is. In that battle, corpses filled the heaven and earth! The Stone Medicine World lost its light, and even those from the other eight worlds also trembled; they didn't dare to enter our world!"
The golem carefully preached. He knew that his disciple was just a little calf. He watched her grow up and hoped for her who didn't know the immensity of the heaven and earth to not eventually die at the hands of Li Qiye.
The golem's words made her quiet. She naturally knew why her clan didn't want to come out, but in her mind, this was a shameful matter. Because of this, she left the clan and came out on her own accord.
"You might feel that your clan is very powerful, and you might also think that Immortal Emperors are invincible." The golem gently sighed: "But compared to the taboo existence, even Immortal Emperors may not be able to—"
"But Immortal Emperors really are invincible!" Mei Aonan couldn't help but interject. In fact, this was common knowledge to all cultivators. At the very least, emperors were invincible in their respective generations.
"I know that they are unrivaled." The golem nodded: "However, the taboo existence is terrifying beyond your imagination."
"Really?" Frankly, Mei Aonan was skeptical and didn't believe that this so-called dark hand could be so frightening.
The golem continued: "We won't talk about how his shadow was behind so many emperors, we'll just talk about a massacre. You should know about the Ancient Ming Race, correct?"
"They ruled the nine worlds for a very long time and heralded a dark and horrible period for the world." Mei Aonan nodded: "Future generations claimed that the Ancient Ming was the strongest race in this world; they were far above any other race. Even the charming spirits, who are considered the favored children of the heavens, were weaker than them."
"Did you know? That dark and horrible period was ended by the dark hand behind the curtains. The last battle finally brought dawn to the nine worlds!" The golem paused here for a bit before solemnly continuing: "Legends state that in this last battle, the dark hand massacred the nine worlds and uprooted any location where the Ancient Ming planted their seeds. From then on, this race ceased to exist in the nine worlds and faded to mere history!"
After hearing this, she could imagine that bloody period full of carnage in her mind!
"Do you know the last Immortal Emperor of the Ancient Ming Era?" The golem asked slowly.
She nodded in response: "Immortal Emperor Long Ming, an emperor rumored to have the bloodline of true dragons. Legends also stated that he had a very powerful war-dragon as his mount." [Long = Dragon, Ming = Dark.]
"In principle, emperors are invincible during their generation; they are practically unkillable! However, in that last battle, you might not know this and I'm afraid very few people in this world do, but Immortal Emperor Long Ming died in that battle!"
"His death was very miserable, very miserable indeed…" The golem became absent-minded after saying this. Although he didn't see it with his own eyes and had only heard about it, just thinking about the death of an Immortal Emperor would leave anyone quivering.
"Someone can actually kill an Immortal Emperor?" Mei Aonan gasped; she felt that this was something unimaginable.
"In principle, it should be impossible, but alas, there is always an exception! For example, that dark hand has a method to slay an Immortal Emperor! Plus, Immortal Emperor Ta Kong, was his Heaven's Will not dragged out by the Black Dragon King in the end?" The golem smiled wryly and continued: "Emperors should be invincible. Killing one is a hundred times more difficult than grooming one, but for the dark hand behind the curtains, logic is meant to be broken, do you understand?"
After a good while, Mei Aonan took a deep breath and looked at her master before speaking with decisiveness: "Master, I still want to fight against Li Qiye, regardless of the outcome! I want to see just how special the dark hand's disciple is!"
"Very brave." The golem smiled and nodded his head: "If you want to fight, then I can go talk with him about a spar. Of course, I still advise you to think it over.
"I have experienced arduous times and life and death situations; I was buried then unearthed only to be unearthed then buried again! I won't be able to live for much longer, but I should be fine for this generation." The golem solemnly said: "If you want to avoid this generation, then after your burial, I will go back to my dwelling and continue to prolong my life. I'll wait until you come out again to compete for the Heaven's Will and send you towards that final destination!"
"Master, the victor has yet to be decided. There's no need to be so pessimistic." Mei Aonan shook her head. She was not someone willing to seal herself in order to escape, she would rather fight to the very end.
"It is nothing to be ashamed of, who is to blame for you being born at the wrong time?" The golem consoled her: "In the past, there was an extraordinary genius back in the Mortal Emperor World from the Mysterious Bamboo Mountain. He was even more brilliant than you. Alas, he met the taboo existence and ultimately chose to avoid that generation by sealing himself!"
"Master, I will not consider avoiding this generation for now." Mei Aonan spoke firmly. Despite the current situation, she remained full of confidence.
What else could the golem say? He understood that his student was not someone that would change her mind once she made a decision.
At the Heavenhoof Ravine, the Golden Crow Prince was sitting on top of a majestic towering peak. He was in a daze while looking at the sky. At this time, he didn't have his usual dignified and prideful appearance and instead seemed a bit lost.
He was defeated and fled in the battle against Jian Wushuang. For him, the physical wound was curable, but his pride was damaged beyond repair and scattered all over the place. He was naturally proud since he had both talents and skills. Moreover, he was a hard worker as well. All of these factors turned him into one of the most famous geniuses in the Stone Medicine World.
Even though he was not comparable to Ye Qingcheng, he believed that he was definitely no weaker than anyone else.
Despite liking Jian Wushuang, he was still confident that she was much weaker than him. During the battle, he thought that he could use his power to suppress her then conquer her heart afterward. An arrogant phoenix like Jian Wushuang would eventually be convinced by his martial ability and develop a crush on him. From there, he would be able to bring her back home.
In his view, as long as he was willing to take the time and spend the effort, he would be able to win her over. It was only a matter of time since he was so capable.
However, he didn't expect to suffer complete defeat in their duel before being forced to flee. From start to finish, she didn't even use an emperor law from the Jian Clan.
This was a heavy blow to his self-esteem, causing him to no longer have the face to meet people!
Chapter 857: The Word Love Causes The Most Pain
The night was especially beautiful at the top of this peak. While the prince continued to sit there in a daze, a pretty figure drifted closer.
It was the gentle Miao Chan who was as noble and elegant as always. She was definitely a virtuous and wise beauty. After arriving, she gently looked at the prince before slowly sitting down next to him.
The prince only watched the sky, not looking at Miao Chan even once. He couldn't recollect his thoughts for a while.
"Junior Brother, winning and losing are both common occurrences for a cultivator, there is no need to worry about it." Miao Chan gently sighed after seeing her dejected junior brother: "Even the most brilliant and invincible emperor had lost when they were young. For example, Immortal Emperor Ta Kong had lost countless times in his life. Young Emperor Mu and the Stone-Dragon God had both defeated him before.
"But in the end, these defeats were meaningless. When you stand at the peak as an emperor to look back at the years of defeat and think about them, won't you think that they were just a part of honing yourself? The most brilliant aptitude requires experience and refinement. One can only become successful after experiencing failure."
"Only with a heart as tough as stone, to never be afraid of defeat and continue to face battles, only someone with this kind of unrelenting attitude would be able to have the last laugh and become an extraordinary Immortal Emperor." Miao Chan consoled him like a big sister. She had always been gentle and considerate like this.
It could be said that she had paid a lot for the prince's sake. However, the prince had never liked her and even tried to avoid her!
The prince continued to look up at the sky as if he didn't hear her.
Miao Chan looked at him and felt sad inside, but she continued her comforting: "Although you lost this time, you still have the ability to fight back. Your talents are unquestionable, and you only lost because you were not well-prepared. Take Patriarch Jin She's true fate weapon next time and use it with your two arts. Your power will then rise several levels; at that point, it wouldn't be difficult to defeat Jian Wushuang."
No matter the occasion, she would develop a plan to protect and support him.
"If Brother wants to fight again, I will ask the elders for permission to summon Patriarch Jin She's true weapon to help you…" Miao Chan told the prince.
"Enough!" The dazed prince angrily shouted at this time: "I am not a child, I don't need you to make decisions for me!"
His shouting startled Miao Chan for a moment. She didn't have a response.
"I don't need your help or your pity!" The prince was very emotional as he raised his voice: "The things I want have always been obtained by my own abilities! This position of being the main descendant as well as the imperial weapon! I don't need your help or your concession to have everything I've gained today! Don't think that just because you gave me the descendant position that I will owe you for the rest of my life! Even if you didn't do so that year, I would have gambled it all away! I had the ability to become the ravine's descendant!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became until he turned completely livid and shouted non-stop. He had always felt uncomfortable about this matter. Despite being the ravine's descendant and the number one genius, he knew very well that if Miao Chan didn't concede, it would’ve been hard to say who would be the best!
A talent like Miao Chan left the number one genius in the ravine like him out of breath. And now, losing to Jian Wushuang was completely unacceptable, an affront to his haughty pride!
"Brother, that's not what I meant. Back during the descendant competition, your cultivation and strength were greater than mine, and the ancestors also valued you…" Miao Chan quickly tried to appease him.
The prince screamed once more before ignoring Miao Chan. He basically didn't listen to a single word she said as he disappeared into the horizon.
Miao Chan had a dejected look as she watched his back slowly disappearing. The bitterness in her heart was difficult to describe!
"Why bother?" After a while, another figure appeared on the peak. He came over and gently sat next to her.
"Daughter, this Golden Crow brat is not worth your effort." This person was the ravine's master and also Miao Chan's father.
Miao Chan only bitterly smiled and sat there quietly without saying anything.
The ravine master spoke: "My daughter, regarding skill, ability, talents, and cultivation, you are many times better than that brat. Even fighting Ye Qingcheng wouldn't be a problem! Hmph, if you didn't concede, that brat would just be another regular disciple unable to reach the apex!"
"This brat does not care for your love either. You spending so much effort is not worth it at all." The master grew angrier the more he spoke: "Daughter, it is not too late to change your mind. As long as you have the will to reach the top and the ambition to compete for the Heaven's Will, we can still push the brat down in the future. There are still many ancestors who greatly support you in the sect!"
"Father, I don't have the will to reach the top. I, I only want a good ending." Miao Chan said softly. 1
"But that brat is no good ending at all! He is not worthy of you! Hmph, he is blind and won't be able to escape death soon enough. Just watch, being so close to Ye Qingcheng all day will eventually push him to his death!" The master indignantly said: "If you want a good ending, then I can introduce you to other men. As long as I send out the news, there will be an endless horde of those who want to marry my daughter!"
The ravine master naturally loved his daughter. He didn't agree with her concession back then, but she had made up her mind. Moreover, the Golden Crow Tribe was in full support of the prince as well. Eventually, he could only give up. Otherwise, the prince wouldn't have been able to climb to his current position!
In the master's mind, after the prince became the descendant, it would have been fine if the brat could treat his daughter well and marry her. The two families were of the same status. Moreover, these two were childhood sweethearts. Thus, a son-in-law wouldn't be an outsider.
However, the prince had no feelings for Miao Chan and simply didn't want to marry her. How could the master not be annoyed with this?
"Father, I am not some kind of commodity." Miao Chan couldn't help but respond.
"Daughter, I know." The master replied: "However, your actions are simply not worth it! It is better to forget the brat and focus on cultivation! It is not like our house is weak, I can give you whatever you want. If you want to change your man, I am raising my hand and foot in full support!"
"Perhaps this is my mental tribulation." Miao Chan smiled bitterly: "How can I talk about cultivation before surpassing this?"
The master could only sigh at this point. He only had one beloved daughter that should have displayed her greatness to become supreme in the world, but she was ruined by this Golden Crow brat!
"Daughter, you can just dump the brat and we'll go to a new place instead of staying here. As long as you don't meet him, you will eventually forget! As long as you can forget about him, I don't need to be the ravine master. We can travel to different places instead and be at ease." The master spoke with a heart full of love.
"Father, the ravine cannot do without you." Miao Chan gently shook her head.
"The ravine will still be there without me. Plus, I only have one daughter, and I don't want to see you being unhappy." The master spoke in a serious manner: "As long as you can be happy, everything will be worth it!"
Miao Chan silently looked up at the sky. In this moment, she couldn't help but become confused.
On a solitary peak, Ye Qingcheng sat there leisurely. The atmosphere swayed to his will under the influence of his divine light as if there were prostrating wise sages and saints surrounding him. No matter the time or place, Ye Qingcheng always had the presence of a domineering ruler.
The Golden Crow Prince was seated opposite him. However, he no longer had the usual arrogant and imposing aura. He only drank one cup of wine after another as if it was mere water.
He seemed so ragged and dejected that no one could connect him to the mighty descendant of the ravine, an unparalleled genius.
"Brother Golden Crow, there's no need to be downtrodden. There are many women in this world, there's no need to focus on just one." Ye Qingcheng slowly started the conversation after seeing the prince drowning in wine: "With your supreme style, as long as you are willing, countless princesses and saintesses would come into your embrace, why bother with an unrequited love with the Jian daughter."
The prince did not respond and continued to drink. He wanted to become drunk, but with his cultivation, it might not happen even if he drank a river of wine.
"Since we are brothers, frank yet sincere words will be spoken. I hope you don't mind." Ye Qingcheng slowly spoke: "In my opinion, the Jian daughter is not worth caring about. She is an arrogant and fearless girl. It is virtually impossible to tame her."
"I know!" The prince bluntly responded with just these two words before continuing to fill his stomach with fine wine.
"If that's the case, then why the need to be so down like this?" Ye Qingcheng smiled: "As for the defeat, I think that you shouldn't even worry about it. My brother, when I meet a more powerful genius in the future, perhaps I will suffer a defeat as well."
This can be construed as home/family/husband. ↩