C1553 Two Good Friends

Enshrouded in clouds and mist, Ascension Peak stood majestically.

Yu Yuan, aboard the Dragon Slash Platform, appeared to have torn through the heavens, arriving from the Absence Relic to hover above this world.

Looking down, the first thing he noticed was the towering Ascension Peak.

There, Zu Ann, clad in a white robe and feathered crown, was seated by a pond on the summit, deep in conversation with another.

Both looked up simultaneously.

With a radiant smile, Yu Yuan descended gracefully to the pond's edge, taking a seat beside Youyu, whose gaunt frame seemed to conceal the myriad currents of the Styx.

"What could you two possibly be discussing?" Yu Yuan asked with a hint of reproach, glancing at Youyu. "I had the Chamber of Commerce summon me, yet I hear you were in seclusion. How did you arrive here so early if you were secluded?"

Aside from Youyu, the vast Ascension Mountain Range awaited the arrival of other exalted beings.

Yu Yuan's swift arrival was facilitated by the Dragon Slash Platform.

"This is merely a fragment of myself," Youyu responded coolly.

Old Monster Zu, the custodian of the Skywatch Mirror, who had scrutinized the mortal realm for eons, seemed displeased when Yu Yuan arrived and spoke only with Youyu, his countenance growing stern.

"Old Monster Zu, your ambition has been fulfilled at last; you've secured a divine seat among the supreme," Yu Yuan remarked, turning to address the discontented Zu Ann with a smile. "Back on Rosy Island, and later in the Luan Bird Empire, I had my reservations, which is why I withheld the truth."

He understood the source of Zu Ann's irritation.

During his first visit in the guise of Yu Yuan, he had not revealed to Zu Ann that he was, in fact, Hong Qi. Zu Ann had mistaken him for merely a successor to Hong Qi's legacy.

Nevertheless, Zu Ann had entrusted him with the key to the sacred grounds, only requesting a piece of Giant Beast Amber in return.

Zu Ann had offered considerable support in the Luan Bird Empire and had even arranged for his subsequent journey to Horror Land.

Out of respect for his status as Hong Qi's disciple, Zu Ann had shown him extraordinary care. When the truth—that he was indeed Hong Qi—came to light, Zu Ann felt a mix of elation and a touch of resentment for not having been told sooner.

That's why he gave him the cold shoulder when he arrived.

"I'm not as capable as you," Zu Ann retorted with a cold snort.

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

"Just leave your Yin God here. As for your Yang God, true form, and the Dragon Slash Platform, it's best you leave now. Head to either the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area or the Desolate Swamp. Han Miaoyuan's Profound Dao Flag will be arriving soon," Youyu interjected suddenly.

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 proceeded to leave only his Yin God behind, quietly departing from Ascension Peak with his true form and the Dragon Slash Platform.

Youyu had thought of everything...

Within the main soul of his true form was the mark of his first life, and inside the Dragon Slash Platform, he was incubating the young of a Titan Spinosaurus—both colossal secrets.

Youyu was likely concerned that Han Miaoyuan would detect his first life's identity during the extended council.

"Furthermore, should any misfortune occur, even if your Yin God is reduced to ashes, I can refine it anew," Youyu said with a nod of satisfaction, seeing that he had promptly acted. He added, "However, if your main soul or Yang God were to meet with an accident, I would be powerless to assist."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Yu Yuan asked, frowning.

"Youyu, what's the status of the promise you made to me?" Zu Ann demanded, his face betraying an unusual anxiety.

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

"The woman you've chosen—if she delivers the child, the baby girl will be named Fei Xia," Youyu stated calmly.

"Fei Xia!"

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

Old Monster Zu's deceased wife was named Fei Xia. Back when they fought together beyond the heavens, Fei Xia fell, leaving behind only a remnant of her soul that he had collected and kept on Rosy Island in the deep sea.

In the eerie space nestled within a small hill on Rosy Island, the lingering soul of the island's namesake required periodic absorption of spiritual nourishment to sustain its existence.

Many independent cultivators who recklessly trespassed on Rosy Island would meet their end at the hands of Zu Ann. Their souls were harvested to nourish the remnants of his late wife's spirit.

Zu Ann, who had once provided great assistance and bore significant responsibilities, was tacitly allowed to continue by the various powers. They turned a blind eye, especially since those he dispatched were wrongdoers deserving of their fate.

His wife, before her death, had blood on her hands and was not without sin. This contributed to Zu Ann's prolonged struggle to attain a divine seat.

Previously, Zu Ann had sought a piece of Giant Beast Amber, hoping to enlist the help of his past acquaintance in pill refinement, with the goal of resurrecting his wife through a pellet.

Zu Ann harbored a faint hope, as he had crafted numerous bizarre and forbidden pills in the latter stages of his life.

Now, with Youyu ascending as the first Ghost King in the annals of the vast ocean, capable of direct communication with the Yin Meridian's source, Zu Ann glimpsed hope anew.

"Did you intend for her to practice the Ghost Dao, become a Ghost King, and then reincarnate as a human?" Yu Yuan inquired with curiosity.

"No," Zu Ann replied, shaking his head as a flicker of pain crossed his eyes. "I wanted her to reincarnate directly. Her soul is fragmented, making the journey to Ghost King too arduous. Furthermore, a Ghost King's strong soul might retain memories, possibly awakening in the future. She would live again as herself, merely in a different vessel."

"I don't wish for her to return to her old ways, filled with hatred and extremism. I hope for her to truly start anew, without any recollection of her past. All I need is to know where she is, to silently watch over her."

"The pure reincarnation of her soul is a standard process, one that Youyu can easily facilitate."

Zu Ann offered a subdued explanation.

"Even without you, I would have Zu Ann's support for the Divine Throne of the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea," Youyu declared, lifting his head with pride.

Upon death, the light goes out, and the soul delves into the source of the Yin Meridians, purging all malevolent and impure thoughts before being reincarnated with a cleansed spirit.

Such is the destiny of the majority.

Yet, Zu Ann had chosen this ordinary path for his late wife, rather than allowing her to retain her memories in rebirth, or to continue as she once was...

Yu Yuan gazed at him intently. Perhaps his old friend also recognized that Fei Xia's past sins were grievous, and her death was more than deserved.

His old friend was aware that Fei Xia had done many wrongs and did not condone them. But he couldn't stand up to her, and after a lifetime of shielding her, he had only enabled her further.

This led to a grave error, resulting in Fei Xia's death in a battle beyond the skies, tarnishing his reputation and preventing him from ever being favored for the Divine Throne.

Now, his old friend had not only ascended to godhood but appeared to have resolved his inner turmoil, free from any lingering attachment.

This, to Yu Yuan's astonishment.

"In the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, I saw... Lady Yu Ying. She has a dark seed at her heart. And the other members of the Yu family in the Jade Peak Mountains, without exception, all harbor a dark seed at the core of their hearts," Yu Yuan shifted the conversation, revealing his discovery to Youyu. "Unless I'm mistaken, the mastermind intends to target you through the lineage."

"Tan Xiaotian?" Youyu's brow furrowed.

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

"As for Tan Xiaotian..." Zu Ann's face grew stern, and after a moment's consideration, he added, "We must proceed with caution."

"He may be one of our kind, but he doesn't fully align with Han Miaoyuan. He harbors his own ideas and scrutiny. In this regard, he differs from Lin Daoke, who isn't one for scheming."

After a brief silence, Youyu concluded, "We'll address it when we meet."

"Indeed," Zu Ann acknowledged with a nod. As his thoughts shifted, the clouds encircling the mountain peak thickened dramatically, devoid of any spiritual essence from heaven and earth.

The billowing white clouds, like tufts of cotton, enveloped the summit where the three were seated. The link between Yu Yuan's Yin God and the Dragon Slash Platform's soul gradually dimmed until it vanished entirely, prompting a look of intrigue from him.

"Let's get down to business. Before anyone else arrives, we should discuss our insights regarding the Origin Realm God, the Chaos Abyss, and the Origin Realm Gate," Zu Ann initiated. "Rest assured, from this point forward, Han Miaoyuan will be unable to overhear our conversation."

As soon as Yu Yuan's Yin God was disconnected from his physical form and the Dragon Slash Platform, he was aware that Zu Ann had isolated them from everything else. Youyu, his closest friend from his first life, and Zu Ann, the dear friend of Hong Qi, were both sitting beside him, one on each side.

And in this life? The image of Zhou Cangmin, the White-robed Imperial Advisor, surfaced in Yu Yuan's mind, and he let out a wistful smile. Unexpectedly, the first friend he thought of in this lifetime was the Demonic Seed from the Red Devil Sect.

"Apart from the Outland Devaputra, the souls of these outsiders are quite ordinary," Youyu remarked with a furrowed brow as he caught Zu Ann's gaze. "I've completely unraveled the secrets of Rovi's soul. During his exploration of a Chaos Abyss, he encountered the will of the Origin Realm God and discovered that their race's Founder—the colorful butterfly—had been corrupted by the Origin Realm God."

"Rovi managed to escape both the Origin Realm God and the colorful butterfly within the Chaos Abyss."

"Fearing that his entire race might one day be led astray by their Founder, Rovi secretly ventured to the Boundless Underground's Colorful Lake, aiming to obtain the Dragon Slash Platform through Xuanying," Youyu explained.

"Because originally, it was that very butterfly..." He paused, glancing at Yu Yuan before continuing, "The butterfly's spirit was shattered by the Dragon Slash Platform, its soul fleeing to a Chaos Abyss where it encountered the will of the Origin Realm God."

"Rovi is convinced that with the Dragon Slash Platform in his possession, he'll be able to confront the corrupted butterfly and ultimately liberate his people from the Founder's dominion."

Rovi refuses to bow to the Origin Realm God. He's even prepared to slay the Founder to protect his entire tribe."

"However, his understanding of the Chaos Abyss and the Origin Realm God is quite limited."

"..."

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

After hearing this, Zu Ann let out a deep sigh and said, "It appears I overestimated Rovi's exploration of the Chaos Abyss."

"And you?" Youyu inquired.

"The Origin Realm Gate, after absorbing various powers, can morph into the Chaos Abyss. Should it transform, it could unleash catastrophic harm." Zu Ann spoke with palpable dread in his eyes. "This has already been confirmed in the Lissom Realm."

"The Lissom Realm?" Yu Yuan was greatly shaken.

"Do I need to spell out the current state of the Deep Starfield for you?" Zu Ann's lips quivered.

Youyu remained silent.

Yu Yuan's face turned exceedingly grim.

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