Chapter 1725: Inspection |
The question Ye Qinghun raised left both her and Fang Chen pondering for a long time, yet they were unable to reach any conclusion.
After a while, Ye Qinghun snapped irritably, “In a situation like this, let alone us, even the demon race probably can’t clearly distinguish it. We’ll just have to take things one step at a time. I already felt something was off when Yu Feng suddenly brought us here to look for someone. I didn’t expect even a reincarnated bearer of the Heavenly Dao to show up this time.”
“Fellow Daoist Ye, haven’t reincarnations of the Heavenly Dao always existed? Didn’t the demon race try to find them before?” Fang Chen asked, puzzled.
“Who told you they’ve always existed?” Ye Qinghun raised a brow, smiling. “Oh, you’re too inexperienced. You haven’t lived through the earlier battles, so you wouldn’t know.”
Fang Chen’s expression shifted. “The earlier battles?”
“Yes. After the Three Realms Upheaval, the demon race and the demonic beasts both made repeated attempts to completely seize control of the Nine Mortal Realms. There were several major wars in the past, but in the end, the human race curbed them all. It’s just that those events weren’t made public. They weren’t as blatant as what’s happening now in Taicang Realm. This only shows that the demon race has been pushed into a corner. They’re getting desperate.”
After a pause, she continued, “As for why reincarnated Heavenly Dao bearers didn’t appear before, it was probably because they wanted to accumulate more foundation. Now that someone has reached half-step Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao must be getting anxious. Don’t you think that makes sense?”
Ye Qinghun chuckled and continued her explanation. “For a long time, people tried to find the reincarnated Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao’s methods were simply too profound. There wasn’t the slightest trace left behind. This time, its reincarnation has appeared only because it chose to reveal itself.”
Fang Chen was slightly taken aback. “I see…”
Then he came to the Forgotten River, collected the wandering souls in the area, and explored the city there. It was empty, no wandering souls, no Yin Demons.
Fang Chen smiled, shaking the Yin Gourd in his hand. “Fellow Daoist Ye, I’m preparing to return to the world of the living. For now, you can stay inside the Yin Gourd. Once I gather the spiritual materials you need for possession, I’ll call for you.”
Ye Qinghun nodded. “That works.”
After she entered the Yin Gourd, Fang Chen did not return immediately. Instead, he went back to the Monarch Yan Palace, reinforced the barrier between the two realms, collected a small amount of Yin Lifespan, and then headed to the Enlightenment Underworld Realm.
***
Enlightenment Underworld Realm, in the Reincarnation Division.
When Wang Chongsong saw Fang Chen, he was surprised.“Weren’t you supposed to be in the Taicang Realm?”
He then seemed to realize something and quickly asked, “Which place did you open the Yellow Springs Road in?”
“Mingwang Star,” Fang Chen replied. “I have something to tell you. This time, I encountered a True Immortal…”
After a while, having listened to Fang Chen’s account, Wang Chongsong showed a thoughtful expression.
“You’re saying this True Immortal calls himself Zhou Wuchang?”
Fang Chen nodded. “Zhou Wuchang… that name sounds familiar. He should be a very ancient figure. By the time I reincarnated into Fangcun Realm, he should have already fallen during the Three Realms Upheaval."
Wang Chongsong thought for a moment before he responded. “He was a senior from before the Three Realms Upheaval. Anyone who could attend a banquet hosted by the Three Qing Supreme Sect would definitely not be an unknown figure.”
“What do you think about this reincarnated Heavenly Dao?” Fang Chen asked.
Wang Chongsong came back to his senses and smiled faintly. “What is there to think? Just look at it. The demon race intends to piece together an incomplete Heavenly Dao, using its power to unleash an unstoppable demonic calamity upon the Nine Mortal Realms. It’s a great idea, but it won’t be easy to carry out.”
“As you said, if the Heavenly Dao they assemble turns out to be the one from the nine realms, they’ll only bring trouble upon themselves.”
Fang Chen theorized, “Piece together an incomplete Heavenly Dao… by making these reincarnated Heavenly Dao bearers merge with one another? Then their original memories would also fuse, creating a completely different existence? Would that happen?”
“That True Immortal didn’t tell you? If either the demon race or the human race tries to do this, those reincarnated Heavenly Dao bearers will no longer remain themselves. They will merge, devour one another, and the more memories they recover, the closer they become to the original Heavenly Dao.”
Wang Chongsong sneered. “However… if no one can distinguish which is which, it’s possible that the demon race’s Heavenly Dao and the Nine Mortal Realms’ Heavenly Dao could merge together. What kind of thing would be born from that? I couldn’t say. But the demon race is doing this because they’re desperate.
“For the human race, there were some benefits. If they can contaminate the former Heavenly Dao of the Nine Realms, then that entity might no longer stand with the Demonic Beast Race. At the same time, it could be used to counter the Demon Race’s plan, a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.”
“I won’t talk anymore, I’m leaving first.”
Fang Chen’s expression turned grave. After saying those words, he turned and departed.
***
Nanqing Constellation, in the Daotai Mountain.
Fang Chen searched around but couldn’t find any trace of Daoist Li.
Fang Chen sighed softly. “The seal I placed on him… seems to have disappeared as well.”
The disappearance of the seal already indicated the severity of the situation.
***
Mingwang Star.
Old Sheng stood in a courtyard, loudly cursing at a group of monks.
“Has your Kudu Monastery had enough or not? My young master and I each paid a full hundred immortal crystals for our travel permits, and we’ve only been here for such a short time, yet you come searching every few days? You’ve been searching for so long and still found nothing! I personally saw the person you’re looking for break through space and leave some time ago. Instead of chasing him, why are you here bothering us!?”
The monks of Kudu Monastery had uncertain expressions. The leading monk said coldly, “Have your young master come out and meet us. Once we see him, we’ll leave.”
“My young master is in seclusion,” Old Sheng replied calmly. “If you intend to break in by force, don’t blame me for being rude. If word gets out that your Kudu Monastery treats cultivators who bought travel permits like this, let’s see if you can still sell any in the future!”
“We’re not just investigating you, we’re investigating everyone here,” The leading monk pointed out coldly. “I advise you to let your young master come out. After some time, it won’t be us who come to investigate. If he still refuses to come out by then, it will be taken as a sign of guilt.”
At that moment, the door behind Old Sheng suddenly opened. Fang Chen stepped out, glanced at the situation in the courtyard, and frowned. “What are you investigating this time?”
The leading monk sized him up. “Fellow Daoist, you’d best not remain in seclusion for now. Something major has happened on Mingwang Star. Soon, someone will come to question you. If you’re still in seclusion like today when that time comes, they won’t be as patient as I am.”
With that, the monk snorted coldly and left with his subordinates.
“Young Master, something big may have happened on Mingwang Star during your seclusion,” Old Sheng revealed.
Fang Chen smiled. “It’s fine. In any case, it has nothing to do with us. don’t pay too much attention to it. Once the Starry Teleportation Formation here is operational again, we’ll return home.”
Outside, the leading monk, who had been paying attention to the conversation inside, heard this and immediately led his men into another courtyard to begin their inspection.
