【Heaven-defying Ecstasy】(43)

43.

In this world, things are either easy at first and then difficult, or difficult at first and then easy. Many people are

muddle -headed and idle

before doing anything, and when they actually do it, they are flustered and disorganized. In this case, success or failure depends entirely on luck. But another type of person is the opposite. They carefully consider and prepare before doing anything, and when the time comes, they are very relaxed and everything goes smoothly. 　　The fall of a giant is a big deal for the eight major powers, but I have prepared , so when the time comes, there is nothing more to do. 　　Sitting on a small hill outside Chang'an City, Jiang Tian'er and the other women, including Qingdie, stood behind her, waiting for the show to begin. 　　The disciples of the Lustful Sect have been cultivating diligently for many years, and now is the perfect time for them to leave the palace for some training . It would be perfect for Jiang Tian'er to lead them against the cultivators and generals of the Tang Dynasty. 　　After waiting for a long time, Chang'an remained peaceful, with no sign of killing intent in the air. Pink Butterfly couldn't help but ask, "Master, why is it so quiet? This..." 　　Just then, a deafening roar echoed from within Chang'an. Even from such a distance, it pierced everyone's eardrums . Except for Jiang Tian'er, all the other women instinctively covered their ears, immediately revealing the difference in their cultivation levels . Green Butterfly frowned slightly but quickly regained her composure, while the other women exchanged horrified glances, a sense of unease creeping in. 　　Looking up, they saw a purple-gold dragon aura soaring into the sky within Chang'an, followed closely by a divine light and two demonic flames , intertwining and swirling in a chaotic battle, instantly throwing the surrounding energy into disarray. 　　After a brief stalemate, Li Shimin had already integrated the primordial power of Chang'an City. Han Yue, Qi Qing, and Liu Yu each unleashed their Chaos Treasures, intensifying the battle. The four giants fought with all their might, their combined power In an instant, countless people were killed or wounded within Chang'an City, leaving it in ruins! 　　By this time, everyone from commoners to high-ranking officials did their utmost to escape the city. The collateral damage was too terrifying; who wouldn't cherish their life? 　　But how fast could these ants be? Only three or four out of ten could escape. Those who were slower were forced to remain and perish with His Majesty the Emperor. Whether they did so willingly was unknown. 　　After a moment, a beam of light descended, revealing Wu Zetian, who had seized the opportunity to leave Chang'an to meet him. In the chaos, no one noticed her movements. 　　I said, "Follow Consort Wu and kill all the ministers who still yearn for their homeland. If any reinforcements come, stop them all!" The women all agreed and left. 　　Turning back to look at the battlefield, Li Shimin was already at a great disadvantage. If the stalemate continued, he would surely die. Therefore, he tried every means to escape, but Han Yue, Qi Qing, and Liu Yu worked together seamlessly, the three great demon gods joining forces to surround him tightly . Furthermore, the Chaos Treasure sealed the void, making it extremely difficult for Li Shimin to break through the encirclement. 　　After fighting for half an hour, Li Shimin was in grave danger, his situation extremely precarious. However, the three great demon gods were also wary of his desperate last stand, so they dared not press too hard, only preventing Li Shimin from escaping and slowly depleting his magical power. 　　Suddenly, three streaks of light appeared in the distance, heading straight for Chang'an at extremely high speed. They were clearly powerful figures. I knew that Li Shimin's reinforcements had arrived, so I floated into the air and waited for the approaching enemy. 　　Three streaks of light flashed before me in the blink of an eye. They were none other than Ying Zheng, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Huang Taiji, three of the Five Emperors of the mortal world . Seeing me blocking their way, their faces were ashen. Ying Zheng shouted, "Ye Lingxuan, Li Shimin appointed you as the Protector of the Nation, how lenient he was with you! Yet you colluded with experts from the Blood Prison and the Heavenly Realm, plotting to usurp the throne. Such deceit and disrespect for the emperor is utterly depraved!" 　　I had received the empty title of Protector of the Nation to rescue Daji from her predicament. Li Shimin had also bestowed this title upon me to resolve the crisis of the Tang Dynasty. We were both hypocritical and exploitative. How could there be any talk of leniency? But such matters were not something to be discussed openly, so there was no need to waste words. In any case, I was an enemy, not a friend, of Ying Zheng and the others. I would just use high-sounding words to appease them. 　　He then proclaimed loudly, "Our Great Tang Dynasty is currently under siege by the Blood Prison and the Heavenly Realm. His Majesty the Emperor is risking his life to fight against these powerful enemies for the sake of the nation. You, fellow members of the mortal human race, are taking advantage of our misfortune—truly shameless! As the Protector of the Great Tang, even though I am outnumbered, I will stop you!" 　　These words, spoken with fervor and righteous indignation, were in reality nothing more than a case of the pot calling the kettle black, a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black! The human powers accused me, so I turned the tables and accused them! Anyone can say nice things, but in a life-or-death situation, no amount of rhetoric matters; strength is everything! 　　Hearing this, the three secular emperors turned green with anger. Zhu Yuanzhang roared 　　, "I've long heard that the leader of the licentious sect is unparalleled in eloquence and persuasive, and indeed, his reputation is well-deserved! But such sophistry is beneath his dignity!" I replied, "You are mistaken! Justice resides in the hearts of the people! Today's matter will be judged by history, why should I resort to sophistry ?" 　　Ying Zheng laughed angrily, "Fine, fine, we won't waste words with you! If you alone can stop the three of us , then we will not concern ourselves with the affairs of the Tang Dynasty!" 　　I separated my Yin and Yang avatars, standing side by side with my main body, each wielding the Four Symbols Cauldron, the Mountain Rock Shield, and the Xuanming Twin Swords. The three secular emperors had dominated for many years and were not to be trifled with, so I was determined to use my full strength in every move! 　　The reason I was able to defeat the four flag bearers was because no one knew the true power of my primordial spirit incarnation. These giants were too wary of it, and when I used a trick, they lost their composure. But this was a one-time thing. The three mortal emperors had all witnessed my attack and had some understanding of the incarnation technique. They would definitely be on guard, so I could only hold them off with my strength. Tricks wouldn't work. 　　Fighting three against one, we exchanged over a thousand blows in an instant. The three mortal emperors each displayed their supernatural abilities, demonstrating the human race's Dao techniques to the fullest . If the fight continued for too long, I naturally wouldn't be able to withstand it, but holding them off for an hour or two was no problem at all. 　　Li Shimin and I were both fighting three against one, but Ying Zheng and the others didn't have the Chaos Treasure. The pressure I was under was far less than Li Shimin's . Li Shimin and the three demon gods started fighting first, and the battle was already nearing its end. Therefore, Li Shimin would definitely be defeated first, and then Qi Qing and the others would be free to attack. 　　While activating their magic to defend against the enemy, they secretly kept an eye on the distance. In the distance, the light of magical treasures was faintly flashing, and the battle was extremely fierce. It was clear that Yu Zhangqi, Tathagata, Daji and the others were fighting against the reinforcements from the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling. Outside there was also a dark and gloomy ghostly aura clashing with the righteous aura of the Confucian school. Naturally, it was Jiang Tian'er and the others who had stopped the cultivators of the Tang Dynasty and were engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

At this point, Ying Zheng and the other emperors realized the situation was dire and shouted, "Ye Lingxuan,

we admire your painstaking efforts and meticulous planning.

How about this, we each stop fighting, and we'll let Li Shimin share half of the empire with you?"

I sneered and said, "His Majesty is wise and mighty. Once he defeats the invading enemy, he will surely come to my aid

. At that time, it will be difficult for the three of you to leave. How dare you even suggest sharing the empire!"

Ying Zheng and the others were not fools. Hearing this, they naturally understood the meaning. Once Li Shimin was killed,

the three demon gods would definitely come to his aid. At that time, with four against three and three Chaos Treasures, it was likely that

several more powerful human beings would die.

The three mortal emperors' expressions changed. They exchanged glances and fled in three separate directions, clearly intending to aid

Li Shimin relieve his immediate crisis. After all, their Yin-Yang avatars only possessed 70% of their power and couldn't stop them. Their usual

formidable strength stemmed from the seamless coordination of their three bodies; if they pursued separately, they would be overwhelmed. Although their true selves

were evenly matched , they could only stop one at most, while the other two could assist Li Shimin.

Human cultivators are renowned for their shrewdness, and these three emperors' plans were undoubtedly brilliant. However, I

am also of human origin. They have their clever strategies, but I have my own!

As the art of war says: "I am one, the enemy is ten; thus, ten can unite against one!" If they dare to split up, I will

pursue and kill one at a time! (Note 1)

Ignoring Ying Zheng and Zhu Yuanzhang completely, he hurled the Four Symbols

Cauldron joined forces, overwhelming Huang Taiji and leaving him powerless to retaliate. Ying Zheng and Zhu Yuanzhang were startled and hurriedly returned to help, resulting in

a stalemate.

After a short while, the great battle in Chang'an finally came to an end. With a fierce and unparalleled clash, the Purple-Gold

Dragon Qi was dispersed by divine light and demonic flames, and a generation of emperors perished!

At this point, my battle with the three mortal emperors was meaningless. We all stopped fighting and faced each other. Ying Zheng said:

"Fellow Daoist Ye, you've won! But I'd like to know, will your ambition end here?"

I said, "I won't offend others unless they offend me!" Huang Taiji said, "Very well! Then swear by your primordial spirit that the Great Tang

will never expand its territory again, and that you will no longer harm mortal cultivators, and we will leave immediately. We

will never !"

Unable to contain my laughter, I said, "Those who covet the mortal world are not only me. Does this mean that after I swear this oath,

no one in the universe will ever harm mortals again?" "You're just burying your head in the sand; how can you expect to avoid defeat?"

Ying Zheng coldly said, "So, Fellow Daoist Ye, you still want to continue your quest for worldly dominance?" Too lazy to waste any more words with them,

he said indifferently, "You can keep wasting your time here with me. You

won't be able to leave even if you want to later!" The three worldly emperors exchanged glances, all quite angry. Huang Taiji said viciously, "Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish! Ye

Lingxuan, we'll see!" As soon as he finished speaking, the three worldly emperors left side by side, and the cause and effect of this irreconcilable feud was completely sown. 　　With a sigh, endless desolation welled up in his heart. The ambition for kingship and hegemony was not his wish, but alas, the world is beyond his control! 　　Turning his head to look at the battle in the distance, the overall situation in Chang'an was settled. After Han Yue, Qi Qing, and Liu Yu killed Li Shimin, they immediately went to help Jiang Tian'er and Wu Zetian. The Tang cultivators and loyalist troops, who were already at a disadvantage, were immediately overwhelmed and were reaped by the women. 　　Meanwhile, on Rain Flag Bearer's side, the fierce battle continued, intensely intense. I immediately activated my escape light and rushed to the battlefield. 　　After traveling nearly ten thousand miles, I finally arrived at the place where the powerful figures were clashing. There, I saw the five flag bearers—Thunder, Plague, Qian, Kun, and Fire— surrounding Rain Flag Bearer. Rain Flag Bearer was disheveled, her face pale and grimacing, desperately using her magic to protect her vitals, her life hanging by a thread! 　　Daji, Tathagata, and Jade Qilin tried several times to come to her aid, but were blocked by the three Bodhisattvas—True Wisdom, Spirit Source, and Wisdom Sea— and the two Holy Lords—White Tiger and Black Tortoise. The situation was extremely critical! 　　Seeing this, I knew that while I was setting a trap to kill Li Shimin, Thunder Flag Bearer was also taking the opportunity to invite my enemies to cut off my arms! 　　With a single thrust of the Four Symbols Cauldron, the Rain Flag Bearer was struck. If even the slightest opening appeared, the Rain Flag Bearer would have a chance to escape. However, the Thunder Flag Bearer dodged, his Thunderous Twin Maces clashing against the Four Symbols Cauldron, blocking the attack for the Plague Flag Bearer. He shouted, "Leave Ye Lingxuan to me! You all hurry and kill this traitorous bitch!" 　　At that moment, there was no time to speak. His Yin-Yang avatar intercepted the Thunder Flag Bearer, while his main body, wielding the Four Symbols Cauldron, fiercely attacked the Plague Flag Bearer, doing everything in his power to break the deadlock. If the Rain Flag Bearer could break through the encirclement, she could immediately escape! 　　Of the five flag bearers, Thunder and Plague had already been stopped. The remaining three continued their relentless attack on the Rain Flag Bearer. The Rain Flag Bearer knew her life was hanging by a thread, enduring several fierce blows, desperately trying to break through the encirclement. Although she was severely injured , she finally escaped! 　　Seeing that Rain Banner had broken free, I shouted urgently, "Run!" Tathagata, Daji, and Jade Qilin all abandoned their opponents and flew towards Rain Banner. If the four of them could reunite and break out side-by-side, they could escape! 　　At this critical moment, three streaks of light flashed and intercepted Rain Banner; these were the three mortal emperors who had returned: Ying Zheng, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Huang Taiji! 　　The three emperors combined their power to force Rain Banner back, and the three banner envoys of Qian, Kun, and Huo immediately pursued, cutting off Rain Banner's retreat. The six powerful figures working together had completely trapped Rain Banner! 　　Rain Banner stopped attacking, turned to look at me, and said with a faint smile, "Ye Lingxuan, I've always wanted to use you, but I never expected that I would be used by you all along, and so willingly at that. I wanted to seize your Chaos Treasure, but you stole my heart instead. This is my retribution!" 　　A strong sense of unease welled up in my heart, and I asked, "What are you going to do?" 　　Rain Banner smiled faintly, "Liar, you are the demon star in my destiny! Farewell!" As soon as she finished speaking, Rain Banner's delicate body glowed. Ying Zheng, Qian Banner, and the other six giants all showed expressions of horror and retreated rapidly. However the power of the self-destruction was irresistible. The six giants were at the core of the explosion, all spitting out blood and suffering serious injuries. 　　All the cultivators present were affected. In an instant, powerful figures were sent flying, and giants were scattered. Their injuries varied, and none survived! In an instant, my heart felt empty, as if I had lost the most precious thing. I had always thought there was no love, not even liking, no attachment, 　　towards this confidante, but at this moment, I felt an unbearable pain 　　! I was using her, always had! I always thought myself a genius, that anyone I could use was...

I should feel honored, but at this moment I am filled with remorse!

If I had been able to deduce things more thoroughly, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided! But this merciless

world leaves no room for "ifs"!

In a daze, I heard someone shouting. I looked up and saw Buddha and Daji desperately protecting and blocking

the enemy!

A killing intent rose in my heart. I picked up the Four Symbols Cauldron and charged towards Qian Zhangqi, determined to

kill and avenge Yu Zhangqi, even if it meant my own death!

There were thirteen powerful enemies. Although six were injured by Yu Zhangqi's self-destruction before his death,

seven other giants were less seriously injured. But they would never let me stop there!

Daji cried out urgently, "Old Ye, don't be impulsive, let's retreat first..." I said, "You guys go, I'm going to kill

these bastards!"

Daji wanted to say something more, but the enemy had already charged forward, and a battle that was almost certain to be lost was about to begin...

Just

then, the Primordial Scripture and the Four Symbols Cauldron suddenly resonated, and a faint, extremely subtle thought

was transmitted: "Although Rain Banner has perished, her soul has not been scattered, you don't need to worry..."

I was startled and immediately shouted, "What did you say?" The two divine objects continued to resonate: "

Without destruction , there can be no construction. If she does not undergo this tribulation, she cannot transform into the Primordial Spirit Commander..."

In an instant, I felt that I had vaguely grasped the purpose of the divine objects and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean?

What is the Primordial Spirit Commander?"

Before the divine objects could answer, I realized that something was wrong. Why

hadn't ?

When I looked up, I was shocked. All the powerful beings, including Rain Banner, Tathagata, and Daji,

were frozen in place!

To freeze the movements of sixteen powerful figures at once? Who in this world could do such a thing?

I involuntarily looked around, trying to find any clues, but found the world incredibly strange.

Even the spells used by powerful figures like Lei Zhangqi and Daji in their battle were frozen in mid-air!

Lightning stopped, flames stopped, Buddhist light stopped, immortal swords stopped... Upon closer inspection, clouds stopped, wind

stopped, sunlight stopped, dust stopped, everything stopped... Everything was frozen!

No, that's not right. This feeling... it's not that everything is frozen; only

one : time!

How is this possible? I've never heard of any magic that can change the flow of time, let alone freeze it

! Wait, where have I seen records of time-related magic? I remember! Quickly, I remember! It seems... it's

from beyond the realm!

That's right, the immortals and demons beyond the realm! Ancient texts record that the immortals and demons beyond the realm possess strange magic that can influence time!

However, the extraterrestrial immortals and demons had already been wiped out by the powerful beings within the Zhou Tian realm. Moreover, if time truly

had been frozen, how could I still be conscious? Could it be…

Looking at the Primordial Scripture and the Four Symbols Cauldron, I asked, “Did you freeze time?” The divine objects cried out, and a

subtle message was transmitted: “Yes!”

Although I had somewhat anticipated this, hearing this answer still made my heart skip a beat, and

a down my spine. I asked, “What exactly do you divine objects want to do? How do you possess such power?”

I could hear my voice trembling!

The Primordial Scripture trembled slightly and cried out, “We will assist the Twelve Primordial Spirits in their rise, slay all those who defy us,

and establish a new order within the Six Paths of the Zhou Tian realm!”

I hurriedly asked, “What are the Twelve Primordial Spirits, and what is this new order?”

The Primordial Scripture replied, “The Twelve Primordial Spirits are twelve women. You have already met eleven of them, but

you have yet to meet Primordial Spirit Flame.” Remembering that the divine objects had mentioned Primordial Spirit Commander before, it seemed to be related to this!

I immediately asked, "When Yu Zhangqi self-destructed, didn't her primordial spirit dissipate?" Asking this, I

was incredibly anxious. If this confidante had died because of me, I would regret it and blame myself for the rest of my life!

The Primordial Scripture said, "Absolutely true! She has entered reincarnation and will meet you again in the next life..." Hearing

this , I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of relief at having escaped a desperate situation.

Recalling everything from the past, I hurriedly asked, "Zihan is also one of the twelve primordial spirits?" The Primordial Scripture said, "Your

first wife is indeed the primordial spirit Ni..." So that's it! No wonder I couldn't calculate Zihan's fate!

After a moment of silence, I said, "The little beggar I met back then... was she also one of the Twelve Yuanling?" The Primordial Scripture replied,

"She was Yuanling. Tian..." I couldn't help but sneer, "What an imposing title!"

I said, "You say I've seen eleven Yuanling, but I only remember ten: Zihan, the little beggar, Tathagata,

Daji, Rain Flag Bearer, Seven Emotions, Six Desires, Hanyue, Jiang Tian'er, and Wu Zetian..."

The Primordial Scripture said, "The Jade Qilin will become Yuanling. Yu..."

A thought struck me, and I remembered a past event. When I cultivated my incarnation, I was caught in a mental tribulation and witnessed

an illusion: above all things, at the highest, boundless place, there were twelve stars, almost the Dao!

Of those twelve stars, three pairs were intertwined, while the other six were scattered in various places. Now that I think about it,

Wu Zetian and Daji were both at Ganye Temple, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires were at the Sea of Passion, Zihan and Hanyue were at the Guanghan Palace,

and the other women were scattered in different places. That's why the star map was so illusory and the celestial phenomena were so varied. But at that time, I

didn't realize that I had glimpsed the secrets of heaven!

After thinking for a while, I felt something was wrong and said, "Since Zihan is one of the twelve primordial spirits, why was I able to predict everything about her

before ?"

Since the divine object was unearthed to assist the twelve primordial spirits, they must be extremely important. I shouldn't be able to predict Zihan

's fate, but before the battle at the Nine Immortals Demon Palace, I could easily predict Zihan's destiny!

The Primordial Scripture: "After the battle at the Nine Immortals Demon Palace, she truly became a Primordial Spirit. From then on, she was

protected , making it impossible for anyone to predict her destiny!"

I said: "In other words, they need a certain opportunity to become Primordial Spirits?" The Primordial Scripture: "Yes!

And you are that opportunity!"

So that's how it is. Zihan and the little beggar embarked on the path of cultivation because of me, Tathagata and Hanyue attained enlightenment because of me, Daji

was freed from her predicament because of me, the Seven Emotions and Six Desires reformed because of me, Jiang Tian'er and Wu Zetian rose to prominence because of me, Yu Zhangqi

died because of me, and even the Jade Qilin was suppressed by the Ten Kings of Hell, but it was indirectly because of my help that it was able to escape.

A quick calculation revealed that most of these women's destinies were unpredictable, clearly indicating they had become Yuanling (Primordial Spirits).

Daji and Wu Zetian, however, could only have their vague fates calculated, showing they hadn't yet undergone a complete transformation!

Daji and Wu Zetian had already met me, but hadn't fully transformed into Yuanling. This wasn't surprising, though.

I met Zihan in my youth, but she didn't immediately become a Yuanling. It wasn't until we met again in the Nine Immortals Demon Palace that

she began her transformation. It seems that while I was the catalyst, it required a specific moment to bring her to life.

For years, I'd thought only Zihan was special, but now it seems…

A surge of anger welled up inside me. I gripped the Yuanshi Sutra, lashing it twice against the Four Symbols Cauldron, and couldn't help but curse:

"Why didn't you say anything more sooner about something so important?"

Now, Zihan and that little beggar were nowhere to be found, and Yu Zhangqi was dead.

What was to be done ?

The Primordial Scripture states: "Each of the twelve primordial spirits has its own destiny and opportunities. In the future, they will be in charge of the six realms of the universe. No one

should interfere excessively. You only need to provide slight guidance on their path of growth!"

Back then, the divine object asked me to search for the Primordial Spirit Heaven within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty. However, even though I had already found the little beggar,

it still randomly guided me to continue searching. It seems to be a tactic to deceive me!

My thoughts were surging, and for a moment I didn't know what to say. After a while, I said, "Since your divine artifacts

were unearthed to assist the Twelve Primordial Spirits and establish a new order, how exactly will this be done?"

The Primordial Scripture replied, "The existing eight major powers—the Mortal Realm, the Primordial World, the Heavenly Court, the Spirit Mountain, the Underworld, the Blood Prison, the Celestial Realm, and the Holy Realm—

must all perish. A new forbidden barrier will be established, dividing the universe into

eight realms: the Spirit Origin Realm, the Human Realm, the Demon Realm, the Immortal Realm, the God Realm, the Ghost Realm, and the Buddha Realm."

I scoffed, "Just a change in name, what's the point?"

The Primordial Scripture said, "It's different! All living beings, at the beginning of their existence, will appear in the Spirit Origin Realm, instead of being scattered

everywhere. Depending on the cultivation methods they use, they will ascend to their respective realms. Different

races will be unable to break the forbidden barrier, and there will be no more wanton wars between races!"

I said, "According to your plan, the demons..." " The demon race can only ascend to the demon realm and cannot attack the human or demon realms.

The divine and ghost realms, etc., cannot interfere in the affairs of the immortal and Buddhist realms. They keep to themselves, right?"

The Primordial Scripture replied, "That's roughly it. But if a demon cultivator practices human techniques, they will ascend to the human realm,

not the demon realm."

I sneered, "You have a good idea, but it's just a pipe dream, a pipe dream! Doing this is equivalent to depriving all cultivators of their freedom, meaning we'd be fighting against the eight major powers simultaneously—no, against all cultivators

within the Zhou Tian realm !" 　　I paused, then continued, "Moreover, there are countless techniques within the six paths of the Zhou Tian realm, many of which involve both human and ghost cultivation, or demon and monster cultivation. How will you distinguish which realm they ascend to?" 　　For example, I myself cultivate seven paths: human, ghost, immortal, demon, Buddhist, demon, and divine. After establishing an ascension system, which realm will I ascend to? 　　The Primordial Scripture states: "Most of the beings already existing within the universe will oppose change and attempt to obstruct the evolution of the Great Dao . Therefore, those who do not understand the times must be eliminated, and then specially compiled Daoist methods must be taught to newly born beings. In this way, an ascension system can be formed, perfecting the system of coexistence of the Eight Realms. This is also the primary responsibility of the Twelve Primordial Spirits." 　　Hearing these words, even I, with my ruthless heart, couldn't help but tremble with fear. This not only meant burying and killing existing cultivators who had achieved success, but also destroying the existing cultivation scriptures in the world! 　　I couldn't help but question, "Do you know how many lives this will kill?" The Primordial Scripture replied, "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Without destruction, there is no creation!" 　　I said, "You are too naive! Within the eight major powers and the six realms of the universe, there are countless experts. Do you think you can do whatever you want? I don't know what the twelve primordial spirits' duties are, but they absolutely cannot complete this task. Even if each of them had ten lives, it wouldn't be enough!" 　　The Primordial Scripture said, "That's why our divine artifact was unearthed. Our duty is to protect the twelve primordial spirits and try to prevent them from perishing." 　　Looking at Lei Zhangqi, who had become motionless due to the time freeze, this once-powerful giant now appeared so frail. I said, "Unless you maintain the time freeze indefinitely, they cannot possibly fight against all the powerful beings." 　　There are hundreds of powerful beings within the universe. Even if each of the twelve primordial spirits possessed a Chaos Treasure, they could not possibly fight against ten. Moreover, there are only ten Chaos Treasures. How can they be evenly distributed? Unless time is frozen and the giants , there is only a sliver of hope. 　　The Primordial Scripture: "Impossible! Because you are an extremely special being, we dared to temporarily release you from the shackles of time. For other living beings, this is absolutely forbidden!" 　　I said, "Fine! I'll do it myself and kill these bastards first!" 　　The Primordial Scripture: "No! We froze time only to share our secrets with you, to let you understand our respective responsibilities. You cannot take this opportunity to harm living beings; this is absolutely forbidden! However, you must believe that as long as you are willing to assist the Twelve Primordial Spirits, they will absolutely not perish!" 　　After a moment of silence, I said, "So, I have no choice but to obey your orders?" 　　The Primordial Scripture replied, "Not at all! As I've already said, you are an extremely special being. Even if you choose to retire now , we won't stop you. You can live a carefree life, but the Twelve Primordial Spirits will still rise, and the burning of books and burying of cultivators, as well as the establishment the Eight Realms, will continue. It won't change because of your departure. It's just that without you, they might perish." 　　The Primordial Scripture spoke lightly, but endless anger surged in my heart. What meaning does it have for me to live in seclusion? To watch Zihan and Daji die? 　　Perhaps they will perish—I can't bear the word "perhaps"! 　　I said, "Is this even a choice? Did you really give me a chance to choose?" The Primordial Scripture remained silent. 　　Looking at the Primordial Scripture, I said, "You say I am an extremely special being, so what exactly am I? It seems that as long as I am willing to assist the Twelve Primordial Spirits, they will never perish and will be invincible in every battle. Could I be the reincarnation of some ancient great being?" 　　In the lives of many mortals, there will be such questions: What am I? Where did I come from? Where ?

They themselves may not know the answers to these questions, but with my abilities, I can

deduce . But... what about my own destiny? To understand others but not oneself—what a

tragedy!

I have no past life, no future life. Even the divine beings say I am an extremely special being. So

what ?

The Primordial Scripture: "Your origins need not be told to you; you will know soon enough. If this

is a game of chess, then the twelve primordial spirits are the generals, we divine beings are the chariots, horses, cannons, advisors, elephants, and pawns, the six realms

of the universe are the chessboard, and all things are the opponents. As for you, you are the key to making this game a guaranteed victory!"

A guaranteed victory? Even a master who has studied chess manuals his entire life wouldn't dare claim a guaranteed win, let alone

the far more complex situation of the six realms of the universe. How can one guarantee a victory? Unless... cheating! Only when the opponent must abide by the rules, while

one can disregard them, is it possible to win every game!

The divine artifact freed me from the shackles of time and assumed I could disregard the rules, clearly indicating my background

was far from simple. Yet, when I tried to kill Lei Zhangqi while time stood still, the artifact prevented me.

How can this be explained? Does it only allow me to cheat within certain limits?

There are so many things I cannot understand today, but I must ask one more question!

I said, "Who is manipulating all of this behind the scenes? You so-called divine artifacts could never have orchestrated

this! Using heaven and earth as the chessboard and all things as pieces, who is playing this game?" Such a complete Eight

Realms system and ascension system could not have been conceived by the superficial consciousness of divine artifacts! Someone must be controlling

everything behind the scenes!

The divine artifact can easily control time, yet it completely obeys the orders of the 'chess player'—such an existence is simply unimaginable! All known masters of the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, so-called great powers and giants, are nothing but ants

compared to this 'chess player' ! 　　The Primordial Scripture: "You are not qualified to know!" Faced with my questioning, the Primordial Scripture didn't answer at all, but this was within my expectations. Such a figure, elusive and rarely seen, how could I easily glimpse him? 　　Although I knew I wouldn't get an answer, I couldn't help feeling disappointed! 　　A vast and immeasurable plan had finally revealed only the tip of the iceberg before me. It was foreseeable that for countless years to come, I and the Twelve Primordial Spirits would stand in the Six Paths of Heaven, but this was meaningless. Neither I nor the Twelve Primordial Spirits were merely pawns. Even my past achievements might have been arranged by that 'chess player.' How tragic! 　　A sense of gloom settled in my heart, and I fell silent. After a moment, I said, "How will the Twelve Primordial Spirits equally divide the Ten Chaos Treasures? I have already refined the Four Symbols Cauldron. Moreover, what do I need to do to assist the Twelve Primordial Spirits ?" At this moment, I chose to endure. I couldn't let the woman I loved die. Perhaps one day , I could shatter this puppet's destiny, but for now, I could only endure, endure until I became stronger! 　　The Primordial Scripture said, "Yuanling.Ni and Yuanling.Hun have other opportunities and do not need to wield the Chaos Treasure. The Four Symbols Cauldron is only temporarily under your control and will eventually be returned to Yuanling.Yan! Your job is to stay by the side of the twelve Yuanlings and advise them." 　　I remained silent, thinking to myself, "The Four Symbols Cauldron wasn't originally mine! However, whether it's in the hands of these confidantes or in my hands, it makes no difference. With my current power, I don't need to use the Chaos Treasure to deal with ordinary giants." 　　The Primordial Scripture continued, "The flow of fortune is unpredictable, and within the universe, hens will crow at dawn, so the twelve Yuanlings all have great opportunities. Right now, you don't need to take action..." The more I listened, the more I felt something was wrong. How could this divine object's words be so organized? It wasn't like this before; it only expressed veiled meanings. Why was it saying so much now? Could it be... that 　　the Primordial Scripture hadn't yet noticed my suspicions, and continued, "...The most urgent task is to retrieve the Eight Trigrams Diagram. It was damaged in the battle between the ancient powerful beings and the extraterrestrial immortals and demons..." 　　Hearing this, I was startled again and hurriedly said, "The Chaos Treasure is indestructible, how could it be damaged?" 　　The Primordial Scripture replied, "The world is full of wonders, there are many things you don't know! Of the sixty- four trigrams in that Eight Trigrams Diagram, six are in the hands of the Blood Prison Demon Lord, and the remaining fifty-eight trigrams, along with the original Eight Trigrams Diagram, are lost in the Broken Territory of the Extraterrestrial Realm. You must set off immediately and retrieve the Eight Trigrams Diagram first!" 　　I suspected that the person speaking at this moment wasn't the Primordial Scripture itself, but that 'Chess Player'! It must be! It's the 'Chess Player' speaking to me through the Primordial Scripture! But I can't reveal it, nor dare I! If this ' Chess Player' knew that I had discovered his secret, he might kill me, and then no one would be able to rescue Zihan and the others! 　　After all, even if they control the Six Paths of Heaven, they are merely puppets! I absolutely cannot allow this! 　　The Primordial Scripture says, "Time stillness is about to end. Take Yuanling.Kong, Yuanling.Yu, and Yuanling.Mei with you first. If they are killed by those ants, you can't blame anyone else!" 　　Only this 'chess player' would dare call Lei Zhangqi and the others ants, right? Perhaps time wasn't frozen by divine objects at all, but rather cast by this 'chess player'! Considering the records in ancient texts, could it be... he is actually a demon from beyond the realms? Then he might want to overthrow the Six Paths of Heaven, making his words even less credible ! 　　Moreover, this 'chess player's' insistence on sending me to beyond the realms likely hides a conspiracy! As the saying goes , one can understand the meaning from the sound of a stringed instrument. From his words, I can sense his ruthlessness and coldness. He doesn't care about the lives of billions of beings. For some reason, I always feel that killing as many beings as possible is one of his goals! 　　But I had no choice. All the women connected to me were now in the eye of the storm; how could I ignore it ? Although this "chess player" suggested I could remain unscathed, this was merely a feint. For some reason I didn't know, he seemed unable to directly command or threaten me, but through divine guidance, he had created romantic ties between me and these women, indirectly manipulating me. 　　I said, "We are outnumbered! If you don't let me kill Lei Zhangqi and the others, we'll have a hard time escaping! How about this, I won't kill them, I'll just injure them?" 　　The Primordial Scripture replied, "No! That's forbidden! Those ants have been frozen in place. You can take the three primordial spirits and leave; they can't possibly catch you!"

After saying this, the Primordial Scripture fell silent again. Left with no other choice, I pulled Tathagata,

Daji, and Jade Qilin away. Not long after, the time freeze ended, but we were already close to Chang'an.

Once we reunited with Qiqing and the others, we would have no fear of the thirteen giants' attack. After all, although our numbers were fewer,

we possessed four Chaos Treasures, making us stronger than their opponents. Given Lei Zhangqi's cunning, he

would never chase after us for a direct confrontation!

After the time freeze ended, Daji and Tathagata were extremely shocked, and Jade Qilin's eyes also showed surprise and uncertainty

. Daji asked, "How did we get here? Where are the enemies?" Previously, their consciousness had also

been frozen by the time freeze. In their view, one moment they were fighting, and the next they were flying tens of thousands of miles away—clearly

incomprehensible!

I said in a deep voice, "Don't ask! I won't answer! But you must believe that I will do everything I can

to help you." Seemingly sensing my unease, Tathagata and Daji exchanged a glance, nodded, and remained silent.

Jade Qilin, however, snorted coldly, appearing extremely disdainful. I also had no good feelings towards this Yuanling Yu, and in my current depressed

mood , I was even less inclined to pay attention to her!

After returning to Chang'an, I immediately summoned all the women to meet. Silently observing each of these extraordinary women, their titles

naturally surfaced in my mind: Tathagata was Yuanling Kong, Daji was Yuanling Mei,

Wu Zetian was Yuanling Quan, Qiqing was Yuanling Zhen, Liuyu was Yuanling Se, Hanyue was Yuanling Zhan, Jiang

Tian'er was Yuanling Hun, and Jade Qilin was Yuanling Yu. At this moment, there were a total of eight Yuanling gathered here.

Adding to the twelve extraordinary women mentioned in the Primordial Scripture—Primordial Spirit. Heaven: the little beggar, Primordial Spirit. Reverse: Meng Zihan, Primordial Spirit. Commander:

Yu Zhangqi, and the yet-to-be-met Primordial Spirit. Flame—that makes twelve!

All the women knew of Yu Zhangqi's demise and understood my low spirits, so they remained silent. After a long while,

I broke the silence: "I entrust the affairs of the Tang Dynasty to you. I will be in seclusion for a while. No matter what happens

, do not disturb me!"

Jiang Tian'er said urgently, "Brother-in-law, the dead cannot be brought back to life. You must grieve! The most important thing now is to

find a way to avenge Yu Zhangqi!" Her words sounded righteous, but this sister-in-law, the Primordial Spirit. Soul, only

hoped I would quickly recover from my depression and establish a powerful empire. She didn't understand that such a thing as a powerful empire

was merely a mirage, the most hypocritical thing!

Without escaping the control of the 'chess player,' one is forever just a pawn! Even unifying the Six Paths of Heaven wouldn't help!

I said, "My mind is made up, no need to persuade me further! Bodhisattva Yuanmie, you can go and save people now, save as many as you can

, but if you can't save them all, or if those people refuse to convert to Buddhism, then leave them to the demon, monster, and ghost realms to

deal with." The Buddha wanted to say something more, but I strode out.

The women thought the death of Yu Zhangqi was too much of a blow to me, but in fact she had simply reincarnated, so my pain

was somewhat relieved. But at this moment, I had other plans! In this life, I never intended to be anyone

's slave!

I pretended to be in seclusion to conceal myself from the eyes and ears of various forces. To avoid leaks, I even kept it from the women, and

secretly headed to Woniu Mountain in the northwest of the Tang Dynasty. After finding Liu Er, I planned to set off for the Broken Territory beyond the borders.

Six Ears had once said he wanted to return to the Lustful Cult, but he was too fond of pleasure and had no interest in cultivation. So, he had been holed up

in Woniu Mountain all these years. Upon seeing me arrive, he was terrified and ran away in a panic. However, I myself had once sought a life of seclusion and comfort, so

I didn't punish him. Besides, the journey to the outer realms was extremely long,

and I would need him as my mount. Upon hearing that we were going to the outer realms, Six Ears shuddered and tried his best to dissuade me. After all, the outer realms were devoid of spiritual energy,

and cultivators who went there would eventually die from the depletion of spiritual energy, just as mortals would

die . But I had countless rare and precious treasures

, so I wasn't overly worried. The outer realms in ancient times were far more dangerous than they are now. After all, the immortals and demons there were incredibly strange and

numerous, and even I wouldn't dare to provoke them easily. But now, the immortals and demons of the outer realms were basically extinct, so this greatest

threat had disappeared. As for that 'chess player,' I only suspected he was a demonic possession of the outer realms;

I wasn't entirely sure.

This "chess player" sent me to distant lands. Perhaps there's a conspiracy, perhaps not, but how can one catch

tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? To unravel all the secrets, I must take risks! Even wealth and honor are sought amidst danger, let alone freedom of life!

Note 1: From Sun Tzu's *The Art of War*, Chapter 1, "The Art of War: The Deception and the Reality." The general meaning is that our forces concentrate their strength,

divide then defeat them one by one. The three emperors of the secular world traveled in three separate routes, and the protagonist could not intercept them all, so

he began to pursue Huang Taiji separately, forcing Ying Zheng and Zhu Yuanzhang to return to their aid.

(To be continued)

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【Heaven-defying Ecstasy】(43)

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