C1553 Two Good Friends

Enveloped in swirling clouds and mist, Skyreach Peak loomed majestically. Yu Yuan, astride the Dragon Slaying Stage, seemed to slice through the heavens, arriving from the Forgotten Ruins to hover above this realm.

Looking down, the first sight to greet him was, of course, the towering Skyreach Peak. There, he spotted Zu Ann, clad in a white robe and donning a crest, seated beside a mountain summit pond, deep in conversation with another.

Both looked up as Yu Yuan, with a radiant smile, descended swiftly to the pond's edge. He took a seat beside Youyu, whose gaunt figure appeared to conceal the myriad currents of the River Styx within.

"What could the two of you possibly be discussing?" Yu Yuan asked, casting a glance at Youyu with a tone of mild reproach. "I had the Chamber of Commerce summon you, yet I hear you were in seclusion. Why emerge so early?"

Aside from Youyu, no other Supreme Gods had yet graced Skyreach Peak with their presence. Yu Yuan's rapid arrival was thanks to his possession of the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"This is merely a part of me," Youyu responded coolly.

Zu Ann, long the custodian of the Mirror of Fates, overseeing the mortal realm from Skyreach Peak, looked on with a somber expression as Yu Yuan approached, clearly irked by the exclusive conversation with Youyu.

"Zu Ann, your long-held desire has been fulfilled; you've secured a position as a Supreme God," Yu Yuan remarked, finally turning to address the discontented Zu Ann with a smile. "Back on Rosy Cloud Island and later in the Songbird Empire, I had my reservations, which is why I withheld the truth from you."

He understood the source of Zu Ann's irritation. During his first visit in the guise of Yu Yuan, he hadn't revealed to Zu Ann that he was, in fact, Hong Qi. Zu Ann had believed him to be merely a successor, generations removed from Hong Qi.

Despite this, Zu Ann had entrusted him with the key to the forbidden area, asking only for a piece of Sunsorrow in return. Throughout his time in the Songbird Empire, Zu Ann had offered considerable support and even arranged for his subsequent journey to the Land of Terror.

Remembering that he was a disciple of Hong Qi, Zu Ann had shown him extraordinary care. When the truth finally came to light—that he was indeed Hong Qi—Zu Ann felt a mix of elation and a twinge of resentment for not having been told sooner.

That's why he had a sour expression when he arrived.

"I don't have your abilities," Zu Ann retorted with a cold snort.

Yu Yuan chuckled awkwardly, "Don't be so stingy."

"Leave the Lunar Spirit here. Your real body, along with the Solar Spirit and the Dragon Slaying Stage, should depart immediately. Head either to Moonfall Sanctuary or Godsblight Marsh. Han Miaoyuan's Banner of Duality will be arriving soon," Youyu interjected abruptly.

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

"The closer we are, the longer the council lasts, the more he'll be able to discern," Youyu hinted.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Yu Yuan nodded and left the Lunar Spirit behind, quietly departing from Skyreach Peak with the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Youyu had thought of everything...

Inside the dominant soul of his real body was the mark of his first life, and within the Dragon Slaying Stage, he was incubating a young Titan Spinosaurus—both colossal secrets.

Youyu was likely just concerned that Han Miaoyuan might sense his first-life identity during the extended council.

"If any unforeseen events occur, even if your Lunar Spirit turns to dust, I can recreate it," Youyu said, pleased with Yu Yuan's prompt action, and added, "However, if something happens to your dominant soul or your Solar Spirit, I'll be powerless to help."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Yu Yuan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Youyu, how far have you gotten with what you promised me?" Zu Ann demanded, his tone revealing an unusual anxiety.

Yu Yuan was taken aback, glancing between Zu Ann and Youyu, puzzled about what business these two seemingly unrelated individuals could have with each other.

"The woman you've chosen, as long as she gives birth to the child, that baby girl will be named Feixia," Youyu stated calmly.

"Feixia!"

At the mention of that name, Yu Yuan instantly understood what Zu Ann had requested of Youyu.

Zu Ann's deceased wife was named Feixia. They had fought side by side in otherworldly battles until Feixia perished, leaving behind only a fragment of her soul that he preserved on Rosy Cloud Island in the depths of the sea.

In the eerie space nestled within a small slope on Rosy Cloud Island, the residual soul of Feixia required periodic absorption of soul nutrients to sustain its existence.

Many independent cultivators who dared to cause trouble on Rosy Cloud Island would meet their end at the hands of Zu Ann. Their souls would then nourish the residual soul of his late wife.

Zu Ann had made significant contributions to the Everlands and bore a great responsibility. Additionally, since he only eliminated those rogue cultivators who had it coming, the various powers chose to look the other way.

His wife, before her death, had blood on her hands, and her sins were not insignificant.

One of the reasons Zu Ann had yet to achieve a divine seat was tied to this fact.

Previously, Zu Ann had sought a piece of Sunsorrow from the giant beast, hoping it would aid in his alchemical endeavors to resurrect Feixia with a pill. At this late stage in his life, after crafting numerous peculiar pills, he harbored a faint hope.

Now, with Youyu ascending as the first-ever God of Ghosts in the history of the Everlands, capable of direct communication with the Root of the Lunar Meridian, Zu Ann glimpsed hope once more.

"You're suggesting Feixia should practice necromancy, become a Ghost King, and then reincarnate as a human?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.

"No," Zu Ann replied, a flicker of sorrow passing through his eyes. "I want her to reincarnate directly. Her soul is fragmented, making the journey to become a Ghost King exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, should she successfully reincarnate with the strength of a Ghost King, her memories might remain intact or potentially resurface in the future. She would still be Feixia, just in a different body."

"I don't want her to revert to her former self, burdened with memories of the past and consumed by hatred. I wish for her to truly start anew, free from the chains of her previous life. I just need to know where she is, content to silently watch over her."

"It's simply a matter of course for her to reincarnate with her residual soul. Youyu will find it quite effortless."

"…"

Zu Ann bowed his head, offering an explanation.

"Even without you, Zu Ann would have supported me for the Divine Throne of the Rainbow Ocean," Youyu declared, lifting his chin with pride.

When one dies, their light is extinguished. The soul descends deep into the Root of the Lunar Meridian, shedding all malevolent and impure thoughts, preparing for a pure reincarnation.

This is the destiny of the majority.

Yet, what Zu Ann had arranged for his late wife, Feixia, was this very conventional path, rather than allowing her to retain her memories in rebirth or to return in her original form...

Yu Yuan gazed at him intently. Perhaps his old friend also recognized Feixia's past transgressions, acknowledging that her death was well-deserved.

His old friend was aware of Feixia's many misdeeds and internally disapproved of them. But he could never stand up to her, and after a lifetime of shielding her, he only enabled her further.

This indulgence led to grave mistakes, culminating in Feixia's death beyond the stars, tarnishing his reputation and barring him from the Divine Throne's favor.

Now, not only had his old friend ascended to godhood, but it seemed he had also resolved his inner turmoil, free from any lingering fixation.

This, to Yu Yuan's astonishment, was quite the revelation.

"In the Moonfall Sanctuary, I saw it... Lady Yu Ying had a dark seed in her heart. And when I observed other members of the Yu family in the Serpent Spine Mountains, they all, without exception, harbored a dark seed within their hearts," Yu Yuan shifted the conversation, revealing his discovery to Youyu. "Unless I'm mistaken, the mastermind intends to exploit the lineage connection to target you."

"Tan Xiaotian?" Youyu's brow furrowed.

Yu Yuan gave a slight nod. "I can't imagine it being anyone else."

"Regarding Tan Xiaotian..." Zu Ann's face took on a grave expression. He carefully chose his words, "We must proceed with caution."

"He may be one of our kind, but he doesn't fully align with Han Miaoyuan. He has his own agenda and meticulous plans. In this regard, he's quite different from Lin Daoke, who isn't known for such subterfuge."

Youyu fell silent for a moment before responding, "We'll discuss it when we meet."

"Indeed," came the reply.

Zu Ann nodded, his thoughts shifting the white clouds encircling the mountain peak to thicken substantially, devoid of any divine force.

The clouds, cotton-like, swirled and enveloped the peak where they were seated.

Yu Yuan's connection between his Lunar Spirit and the Dragon Slaying Stage began to fade, eventually vanishing completely.

A look of intrigue crossed his face.

"Let's focus on the matter at hand. Before anyone else arrives, we should share our insights on the Origin Deity, the Maw of Oblivion, and the Origin Gate," Zu Ann initiated. "Rest assured, from this moment on, Han Miaoyuan won't be able to overhear our conversation."

As soon as Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit disconnected from his real body and the Dragon Slaying Stage, he was aware that Zu Ann had isolated them from everything else.

Youyu, his closest friend from his first life, and Zu Ann, the inseparable companion of Hong Qi, were both seated beside him—one on the left and one on the right.

And in this life?

The image of Zhou Cangmin, the High Oracle, surfaced in Yu Yuan's mind, prompting a silent chuckle.

To his surprise, the first friend he cherished in this life was none other than the Hellbreed from the Ruby Hand.

"Otherkin, apart from the Star-Spawned Terror, your souls are quite ordinary," Youyu remarked, his brow furrowed as he looked at Zu Ann. "I've unraveled all the secrets of Rovi's soul. During his exploration of the Maw of Oblivion, he encountered the will of the Origin Deity and discovered that their race's creator—the colorful butterfly—had been corrupted by the Origin Deity."

"Rovi managed to escape from the clutches of both the Origin Deity and the colorful butterfly in the Maw of Oblivion."

"Fearing that one day their creator might lead his entire race astray, the liberated Rovi secretly ventured to the Seven-Colored Lake in the depths of the Everlands, intending to use Xuanying to acquire the Dragon Slaying Stage."

"Because originally, it was that very..."

Pausing, Youyu glanced at Yu Yuan before continuing, "Butterfly, whose spirit body was shattered by the Dragon Slaying Stage, its soul fleeing to a Maw of Oblivion, where it encountered the will of the Origin Deity."

Rovi firmly believes that once he obtains the Dragon Slaying Stage, he'll be able to confront the corrupted Butterfly and free his people from the Creator's enslavement.

Rovi refuses to bow to the Origin Deity and is even prepared to slay the Creator for the sake of his entire tribe.

However, his understanding of the Maw of Oblivion and the Origin Deity is quite limited.

...

Youyu disclosed the secrets he had gleaned from Rovi's soul.

Upon hearing this, Zu Ann sighed deeply and remarked, "It appears I overestimated Rovi's exploration of the Maw of Oblivion."

"And you?" inquired Youyu.

"The Origin Gate, after absorbing various powers, can morph into the Maw of Oblivion. Should it transform, it could unleash catastrophic destruction," Zu Ann explained, a palpable fear in his eyes. "This has been confirmed in the Spirit World."

"The Spirit World?" Yu Yuan was visibly shaken.

"The current state of Brugeth speaks for itself, doesn't it?" Zu Ann's lips quivered.

Youyu remained silent.

Yu Yuan's face turned exceedingly grim.

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