Chapter 341: “I… Am Unwilling!” |
Chu Huaixu sat on a meditation cushion. Listening to the sounds coming from outside the room, his eyes narrowed slightly.
His Majesty the Moon Emperor had summoned him?
He stood up and opened the door.
Upon seeing that beside the Guardian of the Nation stood Jiang Zhi, Nangong Yue, and Chu Yinyin, he immediately said:
“I’ve had an insight and my cultivation hasn’t stabilized yet. I can’t go.”
The imperial palace of Moon Country—was that not a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den?
He would have to be out of his mind to follow the Guardian of the Nation there.
Within the Academy, at least the major cultivators of the Four Great Sects were gathered. There was still some mutual support.
Surely they wouldn’t expect him to call over people like the Sword Sovereign and Heavenly Net just so they could personally escort him wherever he went?
But why should he, just because the old emperor of Moon Country summoned him, go running over eagerly and trouble a whole bunch of people?
Not going, not going. Might as well just say he had diarrhea! Truly couldn’t go!
Xiahou Yue gave Chu Huaixu a deep look. As a Ninth Realm major cultivator, he could tell at a glance that the young man’s aura was long and steady, completely undisturbed—his condition couldn’t be better!
So good that it even made him feel that Chu Huaixu might truly have mastered Myriad Swords Converge!
Earlier, tens of thousands of spiritual swords had gathered above the Academy, only to inexplicably fall scattered to the ground afterward.
This had split outside speculation into two factions.
One faction believed that Chu Huaixu had successfully comprehended the sword. After merely watching the Sword Sovereign once, he had, with Third Realm cultivation, mastered the legendary number one technique under heaven!
—As expected of Dao Ancestor Second!
The other faction believed that Chu Huaixu had almost succeeded but ultimately failed at the final step, falling short at the last moment.
Otherwise, those spiritual swords wouldn’t have suddenly dropped from the sky.
In truth, even these cultivation powerhouses were completely baffled.
Because the kid had directly collapsed from exhaustion!
Who could possibly figure that out?
Moreover, earlier there had been the Sword Sovereign—practically the only person with the authority to interpret Myriad Swords Converge—personally vouching for him!
No way… no way! Could it be that someone really learned the number one technique under heaven at the Third Realm?
After hesitating for a long time, Xiahou Yue finally said, “I will relay your exact words to His Majesty. Also… has Champion Chu already mastered Myriad Swords Converge?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi and the others immediately looked at Chu Huaixu with amused smiles.
How could they not know what kind of insufferably smug personality this kid had?
Sure enough, Chu Huaixu gazed leisurely at the Guardian of the Nation of Moon Country. He suddenly let out a sigh and said:
“Yes… and no.”
He looked profound and unfathomable, as if it were something not to be shared with outsiders.
But in truth, it was just two infuriating words:
—You guess!
Xiahou Yue, a dignified Ninth Realm Fifth Heaven expert, flew back toward the imperial palace with an expression of displeasure.
Soon, he met the Moon Emperor.
Upon learning that Chu Huaixu refused to come, the Moon Emperor wasn’t particularly surprised.
This aged, frail old man showed not the slightest trace of grief over losing his imperial grandson.
On the contrary, he appeared in excellent spirits—full of vitality and energy.
Xiahou Yue even felt that His Majesty now seemed somewhat excited, yet also more imposing than before!
Perhaps this was the taste of power.
Or rather—the taste of truly holding power independently!
He had been personally nurtured by the Moon Emperor, who had invested countless resources in him. In Xiahou Yue’s heart, His Majesty was both teacher and father.
Simply put, the Guardian of the Nation was the Moon Emperor’s most trusted confidant.
Xiahou Yue could vaguely guess why His Majesty had invited Chu Huaixu to the palace.
But he didn’t dare think too deeply about it.
Because it would change the fate of Moon Country for hundreds of years!
—His Majesty had made a decision that went against the ancestors!
At this moment, the Moon Emperor instead looked at him and said with a smile, “Xiahou, you should have already guessed what I’m thinking, haven’t you?”
“I dare not speculate recklessly,” Xiahou Yue immediately replied.
The Moon Emperor lowered his gaze and asked, “Do you know how many years I’ve sat in this position?”
“It has been… sixty-seven years,” Xiahou Yue answered.
The Moon Emperor, Qin Tianyang, nodded and said with emotion:
“In the blink of an eye, I’ve been on the throne for sixty-seven years.”
“Or rather, I’ve been chosen by the Ancestor for sixty-seven years.”
“As for how the former emperor died… I need not elaborate, do I?”
Xiahou Yue dared not respond.
In the Xuanhuang Realm, although cultivation did not grant lifespans of hundreds or thousands of years like in Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, it still allowed one to remain healthy and live longer.
Qin Tianyang had ascended the throne at a young age, and he was the eldest son of the former emperor.
One could imagine that when the former emperor died, he was still in his prime.
Then how did he die?
Of course, the royal family’s official explanation was that he died from Qi Deviation.
Qin Tianyang continued, speaking to himself:
“The world says that for hundreds of years, Moon Country has maintained the supreme authority of imperial power.”
“But only we know whose country Moon Country truly is.”
“Whether it’s me or every so-called emperor before me, we are merely caretakers managing the family business on behalf of the Ancestor.”
“Everything is for the day the Ancestor possesses a body and is reborn—to hand back a well-managed Moon Country to him.”
“If anything displeases him, there is only one outcome.”
“If not for Qin Xuanxiao being born and chosen as the Vessel, requiring most of the divine sense to enter his body, then people like you—the Guardians of the Nation—and Zhuge Boyue, the Blade Bearer—would all carry a strand of Emperor-level Divine Sense within you!”
“When you geniuses first received the divine sense, who among you didn’t feel like Qin Xuanxiao—believing you had gained the Ancestor’s recognition and an immense opportunity?”
“For hundreds of years, it has always been like this.”
“This made it so that whether emperor or powerhouse, life and death were all decided by a single thought of the Ancestor.”
Qin Tianyang stood up and began pacing.
“Of course, this also brought one advantage—that Moon Country would not become like Mirror Country, where the court weakened and the Four Great Sects rose above it.”
“But it also carries a hidden danger—that the Ancestor alone stands above everything.”
“What they call the approaching Heaven-and-Earth Calamity—in my view, the Ancestor himself may become Moon Country’s great calamity!”
“Do you believe that for the sake of possession and rebirth, the Ancestor would do anything? Pay any price?”
“Even sacrificing half the people of Moon Country—even if all his royal descendants died—he wouldn’t blink!”
Xiahou Yue, hearing such words, dared not respond even more.
The Moon Emperor paced back and forth in the room.
He picked up the imperial jade seal and examined it in his hand.
“Xiahou, I can tell you frankly—if the Ancestor hadn’t already lost eight strands of divine sense, I would never have entertained such thoughts.”
At this point, Xiahou Yue finally dared to speak.
“Your Majesty is considering the royal family—the Qin family!” he immediately flattered.
Qin Tianyang nodded slightly.
“As long as ten strands of divine sense exist, then at the very least, Moon Country will always belong to the Qin family.”
Ten strands of divine sense—enough to hold the lives of the top cultivators of Moon Country firmly in hand!
At the very least, it would prevent the Qin family from becoming like the royal family of Mirror Country—mere figureheads.
But after saying this, a trace of ferocity appeared on Qin Tianyang’s wrinkled old face.
His cheeks even flushed slightly.
“But Xiahou, now the Ancestor only has two strands of divine sense left!”
“This means he can at most control the one sitting on the throne and one major cultivator of Moon Country!”
“That alone is no longer enough to stabilize the Qin family’s imperial power!”
“And since that’s the case— I… I am unwilling!” he said word by word.
Hearing this, Xiahou Yue immediately expressed his loyalty.
“Your Majesty, no matter what decision you make, Xiahou will follow you.”
He was genuinely grateful for Qin Tianyang’s nurturing.
At this moment, he was even somewhat moved.
Because these words had been spoken only to him.
This meant His Majesty trusted him the most!
In his eyes, the Guardian of the Nation protected both the nation and the ruler.
And the ruler Xiahou Yue recognized had never been the Ancestor Emperor—but Qin Tianyang!
The Moon Emperor looked at him with approval.
But after hesitating, Xiahou Yue still reminded him:
“Your Majesty, Chu Huaixu truly seems capable of erasing divine sense.”
“And even I cannot discern what he relies on.”
“That power is extremely strange, and its rank is unimaginably high!”
“However, the Emperor-level Divine Sense resides within Your Majesty’s Sea of Consciousness.”
“Unlike on the platform, where it leaves the body on its own.”
“Even if Chu Huaixu can destroy divine sense, once that power enters your Sea of Consciousness, it will cause irreversible damage the moment it enters.”
“And I suspect that no heavenly materials or treasures could fully repair such damage.”
“It would greatly affect your Sea of Consciousness—even… your lifespan!”
“So I urge Your Majesty to think carefully!”
Qin Tianyang listened without changing expression.
“What you say, I naturally understand.”
“Though my cultivation is only at the Sixth Realm, how could I not know that the Sea of Consciousness is, aside from the Spirit Embryo, the most mysterious yet most fragile part of the human body?”
“Since Chu Huaixu’s power can even destroy divine sense, the damage it would cause upon entering my Sea of Consciousness would be beyond repair.”
In the Xuanhuang Realm, the rank of power was extremely important.
For example, if one’s arm were severed by sword qi—
If it were Han Shuangjiang’s sword qi, one could regrow the arm with top-tier treasures or high-grade spiritual pills.
But if it were Jiang Zhi’s sword qi, the difficulty of regrowth would skyrocket.
Neither Xiahou Yue nor Qin Tianyang could understand why a mere Third Realm cultivator like Chu Huaixu possessed a power in his Sea of Consciousness with a rank even surpassing Emperor-level Divine Sense.
But in the entire Moon Country—even the entire Xuanhuang Realm—almost no one could destroy divine sense.
Thus, the damage caused by such high-rank power was also something no one could repair!
Yet the Moon Emperor still said:
“But no matter what… I am unwilling!”
He stepped closer to Xiahou Yue.
“I have been a puppet emperor for sixty-seven years!”
“Sixty-seven years! A full sixty-seven years!”
“Even if it damages my Sea of Consciousness—even if it shortens my lifespan—I want to try!”
“Even if I can only live one more year—or just a few months!”
“Then I—will at least be the true emperor of Moon Country!”
“Not a laughable puppet whose life and death are decided by another’s thought!”
“I will become the first true ruler of the Qin family since the Ancestor’s death, after hundreds of years!”
His voice grew louder and louder, his face increasingly flushed with excitement.
His eyes widened as memories of his ascension sixty-seven years ago resurfaced.
Cries of “Long live the emperor!”—how laughable!
Was that truly an ascension?
I will crown myself—truly crown myself!
Xiahou Yue looked at him steadily.
After a long moment, he said firmly:
“Your Majesty… I understand!”
…
Time passed, and the three days of rest soon ended.
Chu Huaixu went to the Imperial Capital Treasury of Moon Country and exchanged for Holy Water.
There were several other items he was tempted by.
But after much hesitation, he still chose this.
The members of the Four Great Sects boarded giant hawks and set off together back to the Eastern Continent.
Only when they reached the point of separation would they part ways.
When they landed at the Dao Gate, Xiang Yan and others were already there to greet them.
This time, the Dao Gate had achieved outstanding results.
Even the Sect Master had to personally come to offer praise.
He could already foresee how powerful the Dao Gate would become once these prodigies matured!
After all formalities were completed, Chu Huaixu and the others were brought back to the grand hall of Ask-Dao Peak.
Xiang Yan sat on the main seat and smiled at his beloved disciple:
“Huaixu, you’ve won the position of Champion this time. What reward do you want?”
Then he looked at Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.
“You two should think as well.”
Chu Huaixu immediately asked, “Master, does our Dao Gate’s Treasure Pavilion have Holy Water?”
Xiang Yan thought for a moment.
“It seems there is one drop?”
He looked uncertainly at Nangong Yue, who nodded.
“You want Holy Water?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Granted!” Xiang Yan said with a smile.
Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing, unlike Chu Huaixu, were too embarrassed to ask for anything.
In the end, Xiang Yan decided to give each of them a high-grade spiritual artifact, along with the right to exchange for Fourth Realm cultivation methods and supporting treasures.
After arranging everything, Xiang Yan said:
“Huaixu, tell us the details of your Champion’s Duel.”
“Yes.”
Chu Huaixu began recounting.
Aside from certain things that had to be concealed, he told everything else.
After answering several detailed questions, Xiang Yan said:
“You three may leave.”
Clearly, the higher-ups intended to hold a private discussion.
But at that moment, Li Chunsong suddenly stood up.
“Wait!”
The Dead Gambler chuckled awkwardly before saying:
“Well… since Huaixu was chosen by the Emperor-level Divine Sense in the Imperial Pool… that counts, right?”
“Then shouldn’t I win the bet?”
Everyone was speechless.
They hadn’t expected this shameless old man to bring up the bet again in front of the juniors!
Zhao Shuqin immediately said:
“Sixth Junior Brother! That’s not how it works!”
“By rights, Huaixu must obtain the divine sense for you to win—obtain, understand?”
Li Chunsong argued stubbornly:
“How is entering the body not obtaining?”
“It’s just that my disciple saw it had malicious intent and tried to possess him, so he destroyed it!”
“But fundamentally, he first obtained it—then we simply chose not to keep it!”
“So no matter how you look at it, I win!”
Gamblers never admit defeat!
“Sixth Junior Brother, stop barking nonsense!” Zhao Shuqin’s squinting eyes widened in shock.
How could someone twist logic like this?
The Fifth Elder and Sixth Elder argued endlessly.
Finally, Chu Huaixu said leisurely:
“Masters, perhaps stop arguing for a moment.”
“I’m not sure if this counts as obtaining it?”
He raised his hand.
A semi-transparent Accursed Pill floated in his palm.
