Chapter 198 To Chun-jun: Ah, it's all about timing and fate...
The true form of the Eastern Azure Emperor appeared along with the fierce five thunderbolts that accompanied the breaking of the Thunder Pattern Curse Seal.
This time, the immortals did not cheer or revel; each of them looked solemn. They no longer had the energy for "surprise."
No one exclaimed as dramatically as they did when facing the three Celestial Venerables that the true form of the Eastern Azure Emperor was exactly the same as the statues of gods worshipped by all realms, and that he was as steep as a mountain and as handsome as a man.
After all, even the Savior of Suffering didn't come to save people. Could the "true self" of the three incarnation gods, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Azure Flower, really be completely unaware of the plans of his subordinate incarnation gods?
What if... what if the one who ultimately wants to usurp the throne is the very Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole?
Even if one is an ancient god, so what? Perhaps, as shown in the illusion of the Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms, the ancient emperors would first rule the Heavenly Realm and then refine the immortals.
In short, after the appearance of the Eastern Azure Emperor, the immortals were not only not delighted by his arrival, but instead became even more terrified.
As the mighty thunderbolts struck the Southeast Heavenly Venerable atop the Six Emperors' Platform in the Heavenly Realm, the Eastern Azure Emperor also attacked the three beings on the platform—
But when the thunderous roar subsided and the Eastern Azure Emperor withdrew his attack, only two of the three figures on the high platform had fallen.
The Five Thunderbolts, capable of cleansing the world of all darkness and suppressing evil spirits, did not harm the old turtle spirit in the slightest!
The thunder passed by, and not a single hair on his head was disturbed!
The Eastern Jade Treasure Emperor Heavenly Venerable and the Northwest Boundless Taihua Heavenly Venerable, who returned to heaven along with the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, had their souls directly reduced to ashes by the lightning tribulation and the Eastern Pole Pure Hua Emperor.
The robes of the Eastern Azure Emperor billowed, engulfing the five thunderbolts after the thunder pattern seal was broken, along with the divine souls of the two beings, which were then drawn into his robes.
In an instant, his body was filled with pure and divine light, soaring into the sky like a sacred mountain spring, surging through the heavens.
He directly absorbed the divine souls and immortal spirits of those two celestial beings into his own body!
Just like how the Southeast Good Life Salvation Heavenly Venerable casually destroyed the Big Dipper Star God and turned it into his own!
As expected, the abilities of the Southeast Celestial Venerable and the Eastern Azure Emperor are of the same lineage, and they can withdraw their blessings at any time. They are in cahoots!
Otherwise, since both are incarnations of gods, why did the other two vanish into thin air, while the Southeast Heavenly Venerable who disrupted the Heavenly Realm was spared?!
The immortals were in an uproar, and the celestial masters all retreated in unison.
Silently counting his ancestors for eighteen generations, he wondered if they had ever received the blessings of these two emperors.
Then, in despair, they discovered that even if the Southeast Good Life Deity withdrew all the blessings, there might still be people in the Heavenly Realm who could survive.
However, if the Eastern Azure Emperor were truly determined to rebel, let alone refining the immortals, he could directly withdraw his blessings, and the Azure Nether Emperor and the Heavenly Dao of all realms would be drained dry by him.
As the only ancient god who never used the sundial, he personally blessed countless Heavenly Emperors, and even some of them were put on the throne by his own hands...
The heavens are about to collapse, and the immortal realm is about to perish!
Just as the immortals were horrified, Dongji met the gaze of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, whose voice was like a soul-suppressing bell, saying, "Jing Su, why are you still so stubbornly unrepentant?"
As soon as the Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower spoke, the immortals first felt their souls tremble, and then their seven spirits and three souls were cleared, as if an awakening talisman had been injected into their sea of consciousness. They all immediately became alert and no longer chirped and scurried around like chicks under a flock of eagles.
Ironically, even though Dongji made his stance clear from the start, stating that he was opposed to the Southeast Heavenly Venerable.
But most of the lesser immortals, including some of the higher immortals, instinctively looked towards Fairy Bitao.
They were all watching to see what expression the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole looked at Bitao Taixian, who had just fearlessly identified the three Venerables and wanted to perish together with the Southeast Heavenly Venerable.
This will help determine whether Dongji is a reinforcement or the culprit.
The three competitions featuring the peach blossoms, coupled with the extraordinary wisdom displayed in the Heavenly War, have completely subconsciously made all the immortals look up to and obey them.
Bitao had no expression.
She wasn't without suspicion that the Eastern Azure Emperor should have received the Return to the Void Order long ago. He was the origin of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, so why was he only returning now?
But no matter how much Bitao doubted it, she couldn't move at all right now.
Even if it can move, it's useless now, isn't it?
Her soul was restored by the Soul-Shaping Bell just now; isn't that a blessing from the East?
If Dongji were like the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, as long as Bitao didn't want to die, and as long as she didn't want her friends and Mingguang to die, she would become his number one trusted subordinate.
Bitao lay there, broken and reckless. Her fingers could move again, but she no longer used them to point at anyone. Instead, she hooked her fingers around Mingguang's.
Whatever...
If Dongji really rebels, she can simply start over with Mingguang.
When she died, Bitao tightly bound her soul to Mingguang's soul, so that in the next life, they would still be an inseparable pair.
Dongji has already transcended the Immortal Rank and attained the Immortal Status, so he can naturally learn the will of the Immortals instantly. Even if he cannot learn their specific thoughts one by one, he can sense that the Immortals' trust in him is in jeopardy.
She was even afraid of him.
He wore a stern, imposing face, but inwardly he was both amused and exasperated. Wasn't he more powerful and righteous than the Southeast Heavenly Venerable?
He had been hiding in the shadows, listening to the reverence and admiration of the immortals for the Southeast Heavenly Venerable. Why did they all resist him when it came to him?
Dongji cares most about his followers. He openly divides himself into ten groups, but secretly he divides himself into thousands upon thousands of groups to travel through the myriad worlds, all in order to gather followers.
For tens of thousands of years, the statues he sculpted were revered and loved by the people because of their heroic and handsome appearance, but in recent years... the number of believers has begun to decrease year by year.
How times change, and how people's hearts change!
The Eastern Pole gazed coldly at the Southeast Heavenly Venerable.
Whether the appearance of the deity is liked by believers is very important.
To put it simply, people's beliefs are what they want to believe in.
Dongji thought to himself, "Next time... when I carve a statue of myself, I'll have to put more effort into Dongnan's face."
As long as he has many followers, he doesn't care about his reputation.
After all, the image he's wearing now isn't his original appearance.
His divine body was born in the beginning of the ancient chaos, before the six realms were divided. What did he look like back then?
"Eastern Pole".
The Eastern Pole suddenly snapped back to reality.
...He was just lost in thought.
Dividing yourself into too many parts is fine, but it makes it easy to lose focus.
Then Dongji said the exact same thing again: "Jingsu, why are you still so stubbornly unrepentant?"
The Southeast Heavenly Venerable, who had feigned compassion towards the immortals and the peach blossoms that had attacked him several times, finally showed his emotions—which had remained completely unmoved like a mask—when he saw the true form of the Eastern Azure Emperor. This was like a boulder falling into water, causing ripples.
"You've finally revealed your true form."
“Jing Su…?” Bi Tao lay there, having regained some control over her body. Hearing Dong Ji call the Southeast Heavenly Venerable that, she couldn’t help but repeat it in a very low voice.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a majestic voice transmitted to her telepathically: "You guessed right, his real name is Jing Su. In the Heavenly Realm over the years, his alternate identity has also been called Jing Su, and he's even arrested you and put you in jail hundreds of times, hahaha."
Bitao: "...!"
Bitao was so startled she almost jumped up. This... this voice belonged to the Eastern Emperor Qinghua, who was standing with his back to her?!
She turned her head and looked around. The other immortals looked solemn, some even with a hint of despair. It seemed that no one had heard her voice...
"Fairy Maiden, how are you, Fairy Maiden?"
Taiji knelt in front of Bitao, lifted the back of her neck with his palm, and helped her sit up.
Bitao shook her head slightly, indicating to Taiji that she was alright. Her hand continued to probe into Mingguang's meridians, urging the immortal spirit to heal him.
He was badly injured.
Continuing like this will not help...
Bitao looked at the back of the Eastern Qinghua Emperor.
He was tilting his head slightly, speaking to the Southeast Celestial Venerable who was not far from the sundial.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable's tone hardened slightly: "I'm stubbornly unrepentant? I've told you long ago that I bear the will of all living beings. The Five Thunderbolts formed from the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao cannot harm me, so what right do you have to stop me?"
Bitao was waiting to hear Dongji's reply to the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, but instead, she was greeted by a loud, secret transmission.
“Your little Mingguang can’t be saved by my Soul-Shaping Bell. He’s not my servant. Wait for his parents to come back, then throw him into the sundial, and he’ll be fine on his own. That’s how it was done when he couldn’t hatch from an egg as a child.”
Bitao: "..."
She was so frightened that she jumped up and down.
There wasn't even time to analyze what the Great Emperor Qinghua of the East meant.
Is this really the true form of the Eastern Azure Emperor?
Bitao hadn't expected the true form of the Eastern Azure Emperor to be so...lively.
In fact, upon closer reflection, it becomes understandable. The Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower has incarnations in countless worlds, and even his true self personally travels to the human realm to spread the Dao. He has always mingled among the human world, so naturally he has the strongest "human touch".
Anyone with a dull or introverted personality could not have spent thousands of years teaching and imparting knowledge, becoming so engrossed in it that they would not have returned to heaven.
But what kind of occasion is this? No matter how good he is at multitasking and how lively and active he is, he can't be this distracted!
As expected, the Southeast Celestial Venerable was not easily fooled. He noticed that the Eastern Azure Emperor was distracted and immediately became furious!
"Who are you talking to? The servant who would allow you to unleash a magical artifact that is linked to your own soul?"
"What is so special about her? Why were you willing to take her on as a waitress, but not..."
The Southeast Celestial Venerable paused, pursed his lips, and furrowed his brow slightly, covering the red mole between his eyebrows that symbolized compassion and peace.
This left him with nothing but alluring stubbornness, and even his handsome appearance was tinged with wickedness.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable was angered because he couldn't help but reveal his hatred when facing the Eastern Pole.
But hatred, like love, can never be hidden.
He hated the Eastern Azure Emperor for having the ability but refusing to save his son, and he also hated his indifferent and absent-minded behavior when he watched him die, just like now.
It was as if, apart from those worthless believers he cared about, he could remain indifferent to everything else in the world.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable suppressed his hatred and said, "I have inherited the fate of all living beings. Although you are the source of my body and soul, you can no longer annihilate my spirit. If you want to kill me, you can kill yourself."
The Southeast Celestial Venerable slightly curved his lips, his smile as radiant as spring: "But since your birth in ancient times until now, you have never performed the ritual of offering sacrifices to the sundial. You cherish your life more than anyone else. You rarely even use the Soul-Shaping Artifact for others. How could you bear to die?"
"Just like the immortals of the Nine Heavens, they all don't want to die, just like you, which is why they obey me, right?"
The Southeast Celestial Venerable finally said coldly, "Dongji, you don't want to die, so you pretended not to know about my plans over the years. Then don't pretend to be a compassionate saint and try to block my way."
Once he succeeds, the first thing he will do is kill Dongji as a sacrifice to Heaven. If he fails, Dongji's incarnation will rebel against the Nine Heavens, and he will inevitably suffer the same disgrace and ruin as himself.
As the Southeast Celestial Venerable spoke, he turned around and flew towards the direction of the star dial. Naturally, the Eastern Azure Emperor could not help but stop him.
Dongji stood solemnly, offering no defense of himself, and unleashed a gust of wind from his sleeves, heading towards the Southeast Celestial Venerable—this blockade, of course, stopped him.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable was now like a "fragile piece of glass," easily shattered. With this sudden gust of spiritual wind blocking his way, he landed from mid-air and turned around, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
But he slightly curled his lips, and a moment later, the soldiers of the Ministry of War who were closest to the God of War of the Year above the clouds fell silently.
"Clatter—clang clang clang!"
The sounds of weapons and bodies falling from the clouds were like a deadly duel played on a zither.
The immortals of the Nine Heavens, especially those from the ancient immortal clan whose own family tree was not yet fully accounted for, immediately felt a tightness on the back of their necks.
The eyes of the Eastern King Duke and the Western Queen Mother changed when they looked at the Eastern Azure Emperor—did you come to help or to cause trouble!
The spirits of the fallen soldiers and immortals dispersed from their divine souls, gathering into a cascading spiritual wind that surged toward the Southeast Heavenly Venerable.
Soon, the celestial spirit filled his body, and his face once again radiated a different kind of brilliance, his whole body shining with divine light.
He looked in the direction of the Eastern Azure Emperor, raised his hand, and slowly wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth—like a demon who had feasted on flesh and blood, he chuckled arrogantly.
"You can try to stop me all you want. There are plenty of ancient immortals in the Nine Heavens, and the myriad beings in the mortal realm are an inexhaustible resource."
"I just don't know if your 'virtuous reputation,' built up over hundreds of thousands of years, can withstand the destruction of the entire celestial realm and all living beings in the myriad worlds because of your selfishness in 'refusing to die,' or the sin of personally causing the temporal order of heaven and earth to become disordered and return to chaos and obscurity?"
No sooner had the Southeast Celestial Venerable finished speaking his sarcastic remark than the Eastern Azure Emperor immediately chimed in, "Cannot withstand it."
Immortals: "..."
Some people were stunned, while others covered their heads and ears with their hands, unable to believe that even the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Azure Flower had been coerced into a state of powerlessness by the Celestial Venerable of the Southeast.
“But what happened back then can’t be blamed on me,” Dongji said. “You asked me to save your Lin’er and take him in as a servant, but he and I have no master-servant relationship.”
"Besides, I already told you back then that you were destined to be childless."
About ten thousand years ago, the Southeast Good Life Deity had a son with his partner, Doumu Yuanjun's successor, Ji Chunjun. However, Doumu Yuanjun's successor inherited the power of the Zhou Tian Star Universe. She should have had a child with the Immortal Emperor who received the fortune of heaven and earth, or the original body of the Eastern Pole Qinghua Emperor, in order to grow up smoothly.
Although the Southeast Good Life Salvation Heavenly Venerable is also an ancient god, he is merely an incarnation of the Eastern Extreme Azure Flower Emperor.
How can a weak branch bear such a large "fruit"?
His bloodline could not withstand the power of Doumu Yuanjun's cosmic energy.
At that time, the Southeast Celestial Venerable came to the Eastern Azure Emperor in order to keep the child, hoping that the Eastern Azure Emperor would take him as his attendant and, when he was too weak to support his soul, activate the Soul-Shaping Bell to reshape his body and soul.
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole, Qinghua, pointed at the child and told the Celestial Venerable of the Southeast, "This child is doomed to die."
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole, Qinghua, was wholeheartedly dedicated to opening temples, spreading Taoist arts, gathering believers, and relieving suffering in all directions. All the merits and faith he gained were invested in the Yin-Yang Sundial of the Star River, ensuring the smooth operation of all realms and providing it to the celestial immortals at any time. He was a true celestial donkey pulling the millstone.
He had long since witnessed life and death, and never felt that life and death were anything special.
He frankly told the truth about the Southeast Good Life Salvation Heavenly Venerable, whom he had always been most satisfied with and liked.
You don't know the pain until the knife cuts you. The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Qinghua lived a lonely life. How could he know what it means to be a parent?
Southeast Good Life Deity went mad at that moment, desperately begging the Eastern Pole for mercy. At that time, the Eastern Pole was... enlightening the people of several desolate stars. He offered a few words of comfort, seemingly possessed by a spirit: "The child you had with Lord Jichun will not survive." "Don't insist on keeping it." "I see that your body and soul are radiant, you may have a great opportunity." "Quickly send the child away and welcome your opportunity."
At that time, the Southeast Celestial Venerable and Ji Chunjun were deeply in love, and he even gave himself a name called Jing Su.
Jing Su is a star, and he wishes he were merely a fixed star under the rule of the successor of Doumu Yuanjun.
How can one easily let go of the first child, the one to whom love has been condensed?
He and the successor of Doumu Yuanjun searched far and wide for a way to prolong the life and shape the soul of children. Ironically, he was the Heavenly Venerable who saved lives and prolonged life, who had separated from himself and devoted his whole life to serving the world with compassion, responding to every request in the heavens and on earth.
But he couldn't save his own child.
He was unwilling to accept it.
How could he possibly accept this?!
He recalled that the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Qinghua had said that he possessed a great opportunity, and at that time he also vaguely sensed that he could directly hear the prayers of the souls that he saved and extended.
This is an ability that only a true god possesses—such as the Great Emperor Qinghua of the Eastern Pole.
It was around that time that he accidentally discovered that he could not only directly hear the prayers of the people, but also directly draw upon their faith.
At first, he simply drew upon his own faith to prolong his child's life.
But his good fortune didn't last long. Just as the Eastern Azure Emperor had said, his child's bloodline, belonging to him, couldn't withstand the power of the cosmos. He was simply a bottomless pit.
Finally, the Southeast Celestial Venerable couldn't help but wonder why he had used most of his divine power to save others' lives.
If only time could be reversed, if only I could turn back and save my child.
Then he actually took back the divine power that had been bestowed upon him.
However, the Southeast Celestial Venerable was not a madman who would "eat and spit out" things repeatedly. He was frightened by his own abilities and, upholding his responsibility to save the Celestial Venerable from suffering, quickly returned the celestial spirit he had taken back.
He also told Kichun-kun about it with great fear.
But Ji Chun-jun has already decided to send the child away himself.
As a goddess who inherits the power of the stars, how could she be bound by the life and death of her offspring, becoming a demon or an obstacle?
Even though it's regrettable, the child was born in anticipation of his arrival, and sending him away was simply because they were not meant to be.
She advised the Southeast Celestial Venerable, "The inheritance of divine power among the ancient immortal clans is based on survival of the fittest and natural selection. Even without children, aren't the two of us perfectly fine?"
However, the Southeast Celestial Venerable could not accept it.
He was born as an incarnation of others, inheriting the will of others to become a god or a venerable one. He had no lineage or bloodline of his own and even resented the ruthlessness of Ji Chun Jun.
He suspected that she didn't love him at all, but was only after his looks.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable stole the magical artifact that Ji Chunjun used to command the stars, mobilized the Big Dipper Star Gods to form an array for him, shifted his own destiny plate, and gave the "great opportunity" that Dongji had mentioned as his to his own child.
At that time, the Southeast Celestial Venerable was prepared to die. If he had truly died at that moment, it would have been a fitting end for him, as he harbored a "compassionate father's" heart.
In fact, he did not die. His immortal spirit began to dissipate, and his divine position was about to collapse. But this was not a quick and easy strike; rather, it was an extremely slow process.
The most heartbreaking thing is that even his "great opportunity" couldn't save his child.
His child died before his eyes, was taken away by Ji Chunjun, and his remains were never found.
Trying to draw water with a bamboo basket... it's all for nothing.
He sought out the Eastern Azure Emperor once more, hoping that the emperor would remember him as the incarnation of the god and allow him to restore his soul and prolong his life.
He is willing to strive to bestow blessings again from this day forward, and no longer fantasize about passing on his bloodline.
But what did the Great Emperor of Qinghua in the East say to him at that time?
He remained absent-minded, glanced at him, and said, "You are destined to die; I cannot save you."
Southeast Heavenly Venerable watched his body rot away. During the time he lay on the sickbed, even Ji Chunjun disliked him and disappeared without a trace.
He was heartbroken and devastated.
He refused to admit defeat, thinking that he could take back the blessing, and thus his life was extended.
No one can save him, but he can save himself.
He clearly heard the prayers of the people, who all loved the frail child.
They all hoped that he could save the lives of their children who were destined to die. He had saved so many children, so many... even countless children who held celestial positions in the heavens.
Why can children of ancient immortals whose bloodlines do not match live on because of the blessing, while his children do not receive the mercy of the heavens?
He saved so many lives, so why was he "destined to die"?
He began to plot silently, hoping that one day... the Eastern Azure Emperor, who had refused to lend a helping hand, would understand that neither he nor his child were "destined to die".
His great opportunity was to receive the mandate of heaven and to convey the voice of the people.
The beings of all realms do not desire survival of the fittest or natural selection; they simply want their weak children to grow up safely and healthily!
He wants to ascend to the highest position, so that all the immortals will follow his will and spread his teachings.
Just like today.
His path is unobstructed by thunder and lightning; the people are on his side.
Even the Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower Realm could not stop it.
The Southeast Celestial Venerable blinked, his brow smoothing out. The past events, though chaotic and tangled, seemed to float lightly in his eyes, like the celestial spirits that had been blocking his way, vanishing before his eyes.
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower Realm was still saying, "Later, you asked me to activate the Soul-Shaping Bell to prolong your life..."
“I told you outright back then that you were destined to die.”
"Oh, is that so?" the Southeast Celestial Venerable said softly. "But as you can see, even if you had stood by and watched me die, I am still alive and well, which means that I shouldn't have been the one to die."
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Qinghua said, "It's not that I'm abandoning you to your death, but if you had died then, you would have been able to break free from my 'origin' and become a saint on your own."
“I saw through your destiny back then, but you also knew that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. The divine opportunity you sacrificed for your child was in line with the will of all living beings at that time. When your immortal essence was dissipated, it was the living beings inviting you to undergo tribulation and be reborn.”
"If I had activated the Soul-Suppressing Bell for you back then, it would have been tantamount to blocking your opportunity and depriving you of the path to becoming a saint or a god on your own."
As the voice of the Eastern Azure Emperor faded, the Southeast Heavenly Venerable froze.
His figure, which remained unmoved even under the Five Thunderbolts, swayed slightly after a few words from the Eastern Azure Emperor.
But a moment later, as if suddenly waking up, he said sharply to Dongji, "You lied to me! You're trying to confuse me and buy me time, aren't you?"
“The Thunder Pattern Seal is broken. I guess the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms must have returned. She is hiding and dares not show herself.”
"Hmph," said the Southeast Celestial Venerable, "You are all afraid to bear the responsibility for causing the fall of immortals and the destruction of the world."
"Then don't stop me."
As the Southeast Celestial Venerable spoke, he turned and continued walking beneath the star dial. With a swift movement, his form transformed into a celestial spirit, and he descended upon the star dial—
Dongji did not respond to the words of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, nor did he pay attention to his action of casting the sundial.
Instead, he turned around and raised his hand to stop Bitao from committing suicide, thus mending the throat bone she had just pierced with the peach blossom hairpin in Mingguang's arms.
Dongji tossed the hairpin into the air, frowned at Bitao, and said, "You child, how can you be so ruthless to yourself? You're too impatient."
"How can I not be anxious!" Bitao's throat had just healed, and her voice was hoarse like a crow's cawing. She pointed at the sundial and said, "Your Majesty, you wouldn't really be in cahoots with the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, would you? He's already thrown the sundial!"
Bitao appeared from the Eastern Qinghua Emperor and killed the other two Heavenly Venerables, but kept talking nonsense with the Southeast Heavenly Venerable about "reminiscing about the past", which shows that he also had no way to deal with the old turtle spirit.
Therefore, she had been preparing to commit suicide, waiting for the opportune moment when her soul and the Southeast Heavenly Venerable would enter the star dial together. They would vie for control of the star dial, hoping to reverse the situation.
Bitao lived her life by practicing self-salvation and never asked anyone for any chance, no matter how small.
Unexpectedly, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Qinghua was incompetent. He started by rambling on and on, which only angered people. At the crucial moment, he had to stop her!
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole, Qinghua, looked helplessly at Bitao and said, "It's no use if you die. He truly embodies the will of all living beings. Otherwise, why do you think the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms didn't kill him with its lightning curse?"
"Your compassion for all living beings originated from him. Ten thousand years ago, the consciousness of all living beings was the first to seek him out. He is the ancestor, and you are his grandson. How can you possibly compete with him?"
Bitao: "...Huh?!"
Dongji's expression was complicated: "The same consciousness of all living beings, how come there is such a big difference when it is placed in different people? He would rather steal the immortal spirit of all living beings than die, but you, on the other hand, are always thinking about dying, and we can't stop you..."
If the Southeast Heavenly Venerable had even a fraction of the courage and determination of that Little Fairy Bitao, the Heavenly Realm would have been completely transformed and belonged to the Southeast by now.
When he tribulations and becomes an independent saint, he and Ji Chunjun were so loving back then, they might even give birth to a sky full of stars.
Ah, it's all about timing and fate.
Dongji slammed Bitao to the ground from a distance and said, "Just you wait and see."
Then the immortals followed his gaze and looked at the star track that the Southeast Heavenly Venerable had already entered.
What are you looking at?
Will you watch how the Southeast Celestial Venerable controls the sundial and dominates the celestial realm?
However, just as the immortals were in despair, a sudden frost appeared around the yin-yang sundial, which rotated through the starry sky.
The frost quickly condensed into ice, slowly and fiercely covering the entire celestial sphere and the yin-yang sundial.
All the immortals' expressions hardened as they sensed a vast and violent pressure, like a tsunami, emanating from the yin-yang sundial that rotates through the starry sky.
It was as if... as if the sky was pressing down on the earth, and chaos was about to merge!
The remaining six of the Big Dipper's Seven Stars suddenly changed their expressions; they were overjoyed, yet also speechless with astonishment.
Bitao was also shocked. She squinted as she watched the solid ice shield gradually covering and spreading across the yin-yang sundial that was rotating with the starry sky!
I felt like I'd been struck by lightning!
Send Chunjun? !
When all the immortals ascended to heaven, only Lord Jichun was missing!
But how did Ji Chun Jun emerge from the celestial sphere and the yin-yang sundial?!
Bitao looked around at Taiji and the other immortals who had ascended with her, but they all looked bewildered.
Taiji also recognized Jichunjun's shield and said, "According to Mingguang Xuanxian's plan, we should have died at the same time, with no difference of one month between us in the mortal world."
Taiji frowned: "But when it was Jichun's turn to ascend, she suddenly disappeared."
"We couldn't find him no matter what we did, and after that, the generals of the Ministry of War and the God of the Big Dipper came to us... We always thought that Lord Jichun had been captured or killed by them."
Ji Chunjun appears in the celestial wheel of Yin and Yang, and Taiji doesn't know why.
Soon, Zhu Ming, who had been stunned, explained to Bi Tao: "Ancient books say that the successor of Doumu Yuanjun and the master of the stars in the heavens ascended to heaven in response to a calamity. She did not return to heaven by the Five Thunderbolts, but rather attained her position through the rotation of the stars and the Yin-Yang gnomon."
Bitao looked at Zhu Ming, who shrugged: "I have never seen the successor of Doumu Yuanjun return to heaven to assume her position. But I know that the companion of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable is the successor of Doumu Yuanjun."
Bitao had long suspected that Jichunjun was a great ancient deity who had been banished to the realm of immortals for thousands of years.
But no one expected that she would be the successor of Doumu Yuanjun!
So... was the Eastern Azure Emperor not out of ideas to deal with the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, but rather "properly" stalling for time?
The delay was until Ji Chunjun returned to the position of Doumu Yuanjun's successor from the star dial—just in time to intercept the Southeast Heavenly Venerable who had entered the star dial.
When all the solid ice covered the Milky Way and the yin-yang sundial rotated, the first one to emerge from the sundial was the Southeast Celestial Venerable. He was pushed out of the sundial by being choked.
His entire body was encased in solid ice, with only a slender, jade-like arm supporting his massive, frozen body at the point where his neck was being choked.
Ji Chunjun materialized from the star dial, holding the Southeast Heavenly Venerable aloft. His long hair, unusually loose, was not tied up neatly, but instead fluttered like seaweed due to the surging spiritual wind around him. His blue-black robe, covered with the celestial map, fluttered like a battle flag in the gale.
She still maintained that restrained, dignified, and deeply dogmatic demeanor of a refined young lady.
Grabbing the Southeast Heavenly Venerable of Good Life and Salvation by the neck, looking directly into his eyes, he said with disappointment, "Clinging to life and fearing death, weak and incompetent..."
“Sending…sending spring…” The Southeast Celestial Venerable’s eyelashes were covered in frost, and they fluttered rapidly like a butterfly dying in the dead of winter.
His eyes were filled with a palpable fear. From the day he was with Ji Chunjun, the successor of Doumu Yuanjun, he knew clearly that he was "climbing the social ladder".
He respected her first, feared her, and only then did he fall in love with her.
More than four thousand years ago, she discovered his opportunity to plunder the common people. Ji Chunjun wanted to arrest him and bring him to justice, but he launched a plan he had long planned to deal with her.
Even if he were to use his hands, he would never dare, much less bear, to kill her. He simply followed Yu Jian Xuanzhen's instructions and imprisoned her in the Star Realm.
But no matter how wonderful their past was, the Southeast Celestial Venerable knew that from then on—they could only be mortal enemies.
"You stole my magical artifact that allows you to control the stars, shouldn't you return it to me?"
Ji Chunjun's voice lacked hatred and excessive intensity, yet every word and phrase carried the power to overturn the stars.
As soon as Ji Chunjun finished speaking, the body, blood, and meridians of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable solidified into solid ice.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant, even the red moles between his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes lost their color. The giant spikes made of solid ice, glowing with a pale blue light, slowly pierced out from his chest, which was suspended in mid-air, tearing his entire chest cavity apart.
At first glance, he looked as if he were encased in armor made of solid ice spikes.
Upon closer inspection, every glimmer of light shimmering on the solid ice "armor" is the radiance of the stars in the heavens.
Ji Chunjun reached out towards the solid ice spikes, but the spikes instantly turned into pale blue water droplets the moment they touched her fingers. They surged towards Ji Chunjun with joy and madness, covering and enveloping her, and then disappeared into her body.
No immortal has ever possessed dual spiritual roots, but Doumu Yuanjun, who controls all immortals, possesses both water and ice spiritual roots, and can freely transform her spiritual roots into any of the five elements according to her wishes.
The "Ice Spirit" among the two spirits is actually the magic weapon of Doumu Yuanjun's successor - the Star Soul.
In an instant, the celestial map of the sky reappeared, with starlight shooting out and the flowing Milky Way bringing with it a distant and desolate hum, like the sigh of the stars.
Then the stagnant celestial map began to slowly rotate, casting down countless celestial spirits of the five elements.
With a crack, the lightning tribulation arrived—
While all the immortals were quietly benefiting from the gifts bestowed upon heaven and earth by the successor of Doumu Yuanjun, one immortal actually ascended to the next rank in a grand manner at this critical moment when the "great calamity of the heavens was still unresolved."
The Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower turned around, wanting to see who possessed such an unrestrained and wild nature...
Turning around, he saw... a heaven-defying immortal with five spiritual roots, frantically absorbing the surrounding immortal spirits, as if he wanted to absorb all the gifts from the return of the Doumu Yuanjun's successor.
Right next to Bitao!
While others were being struck by lightning, seemingly unaffected, he asked Bitao with concern, "Fairy, can the reward for my ascension to immortality directly extend the life of Immortal Mingguang?"
"Hey!" The Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Azure Flower flashed and grabbed Tai Chi.
She glared at him as if she had caught a giant shark eating fish in her own koi pond and said, "What's wrong with you? Where did you get so many immortal veins? All five elements are present and they can all be used?"
If this had been discovered too late, it would have been even more extraordinary than the Southeast Heavenly Venerable...
Bitao saw Taiji's eyes harden. Since the appearance of the Eastern Qinghua Emperor, he had not acted "respectfully" enough and almost "ruined things". He was not convinced by him at all. He raised his hand and flung Taiji away, relying on the residual power of the tribulation of his advancement!
Judging from his expression, he was about to confront the Eastern Azure Emperor. He immediately stood up and rushed between the two, turning his head to Taiji and saying, "Taiji! Don't be rude!"
Luo Hui, the Yang Shen Yunan who had a grudge against Taiji in the past, twitched slightly when he saw that Taiji was even going to fight the Eastern Qinghua Emperor.
He decided to forgive Tai Chi for his previous offense—considering how reckless he was.
The immortals' gazes were irresistibly drawn to the Taiji and Dongji, these two "polar poles." What five immortal veins? Where did this monster come from that could operate five immortal veins?
However, they were reluctant to abandon the unresolved matter of the Southeast Celestial Venerable, since the lives of most people were still in his hands.
The immortals wished they could split themselves off on the spot so they could take in all the "excitement".
The Southeast Celestial Venerable was startled by the sudden appearance of Ji Chunjun from the star dial, and trembled all over.
Looking at his timid appearance, Ji Chunjun sighed inwardly. The Southeast Heavenly Venerable was once her favorite thing besides the Star Soul.
Now, with pity and regret, she reached out her other hand and wiped away the tears that flowed from the eyes of the Southeast Celestial Venerable in fear of being deprived of the power of the stars' offerings.
Ji Chunjun said, "I shouldn't have asked you your name at Qingming and Kunyi's wedding."
She shouldn't have watched other lovers become a couple, her "Red Phoenix Star" shining brightly. She coveted the handsome face of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable and started a tragic love affair that would lead to a calamity in the Heavenly Realm.
She raised her hand and touched the trembling eyes of the Southeast Heavenly Venerable.
He placed his palm over the boy's head and said, "Go..."
He was actually going to take matters into his own hands and shatter his frail soul beneath the sundial!
The ill-fated relationship that began with her should most appropriately end in her hands.
But just as Ji Chunjun activated her immortal spirit, the Southeast Heavenly Venerable, who had been so afraid of her that he dared not even breathe loudly, suddenly grabbed Ji Chunjun's wrist—shaking away her immortal spirit that was attacking his sea of consciousness and soul.
His face was streaked with tears, and his eyes were filled with despair and utter despair.
His handsome face, which had once captivated the goddess, remained unchanged, but his grief only made it more alluring, yet it could no longer earn her even a shred of pity.
He felt that at least Ji Chunjun could understand everything that happened back then.
The child belongs to both of them. If Ji Chunjun hadn't given up on him too early, he wouldn't have taken such an extreme step.
He spoke through gritted teeth, as if clutching his heart: "Ji... Chun, you are still so cruel... Is this how you destroyed our child, leaving no trace of him?"
Ji Chunjun's expression froze for a moment.
All the fear and trembling of the Southeast Celestial Venerable came to an abrupt end, like the curtain falling on a play on a stage. With tears still wet on his face, he looked at Ji Chunjun with utmost calmness and murmured, "Even if you return to the position of Star God, it cannot stop me from taking on the will of the common people."
“I am no longer the young Jing Su who was helpless against you when we sparred.”
“Ji Chun, I haven’t been living off your ‘Star Soul’ all these years.”
As he spoke, he opened his arms and, in the blink of an eye, was about to extract all the celestial spirits from the heavens—
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
