Chapter 1621: The Wheel of Destiny Turns II

"Don’t you have any shame? Trying to kill a weak little girl."

"The fate of our clan is on the line. No one has time for empathy."

"We have stood at the top of the Chaos Universe for eons, but after so long, we’re afraid of a little girl. The founder would be ashamed."

"Don’t use the founder’s name in vain. Anyway, he would want us to protect his legacy at all costs."

"There is no point in arguing. The little girl is obviously not responsible for the disaster — she’s just the medium used to facilitate it."

"Then, should we focus on the Chaos Demon Gods? They are currently quite weak, and we could have the advantage if we strike now."

"Haven’t you people heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? We have no animosity with them, but suddenly attack because of her presence, thus forming a lifelong hatred that will eventually cause us to suffer."

"Glasses is right. A pre-emptive strike is the worst move we could make."

"Things don’t have to be absolute. We can just send the little girl away and ensure she has no future connection with us."

"Another cowardly approach."

"You don’t want us to kill her, but you don’t want us to send her away. What do you want? Wait, don’t tell me you’re interested in taking her as a disciple."

"Her physique is very suited for my path."

"Old Woman, are you mad? You want to risk the clan’s safety for your legacy?"

"Who are you calling old? Do you want me to smack you again?"

"Forget about whether to accept her or not. I’m interested in the information she revealed."

"Are you talking about the Eternal Ascension World?"

"Yes. The last time we checked, their Saint was of the lowest caliber, but based on the power of the lock, she now has at least seven foundation pillars."

"Wasn’t it two or three before? It’s quite remarkable if she managed to climb back from such a low position."

"Not really. Wasn’t she a Boundless Paragon? That’s a minimum potential of 10 pillars if she did things correctly. Now, she’s just making up for using that shoddy method."

"Why are you trying to be a contrarian? Being a Boundless only increases the chances of a 10-pillar foundation — not guaranteeing it. Above all, aren’t there plenty of them from the taboo that are still desperately trying to reach the four pillars?"

"Don’t mention that horrible event."

"..."

"He’s right. This woman is remarkable. She’s even trying to lure foreign powers into the disaster by allowing this little girl to escape."

"Well, given who they will be facing, it’s the wisest move."

"So, when are we intervening?"

"Definitely not so early on."

"The Heart Monument!"

"Ancestor?"

"Welcome, Ancestor!"

"You’ve been so busy pointlessly arguing that you haven’t noticed she has the aura and destiny of the Heart Monument."

"What?"

"It’s true. Her so-called Emotion-Desire Book has somehow resonated with the Heart Monument. How lucky is that Yin Moon Paragon?"

"Luck? There is no such thing as luck."

"True. We had theorized that the monument was flawed, and the book’s existence is probably its attempt at self-repair. Regardless, this is an opportunity we cannot miss."

"But, isn’t this too good to be true?"

"You’re right," the Ji Ancestor — Ji Junjie — said. "This is the choice presented to us by Grand Dao. Take the risk, and maybe the monument can solve our bloodline issue. However, the repercussions are a catastrophe involving the Chaos Demon God. Or, we accept our fate and send this little girl away."

"..."

"...Fuck Grand Dao. Let’s do it."

"That’s right. That woman has had it for us ever since she disliked our founder’s path."

"If we’re going to go out, let’s do it in a bang. Let’s carve our names into the annals of the Chaos Universe with blood."

"It’s been a while since I felt my blood boil."

"I’m glad eternity hasn’t dulled your fighting spirits," Ji Junjie said. "Grim Mask, since you want her as a disciple, she’ll be under your care. But don’t push her too far and break her like your other disciples."

"But, ancestor, if I don’t push her, how can I mold her into a strong cultivator?"

"Let me put it in simple words: if she breaks, I break you."

"So, what you’re saying is I can train her, just don’t break her. Is that right?"

There was no response.

"He didn’t say no, so I’ll take that as a yes."

...

Eternal Ascension World, Emperor Enlightening Academy:

Lin Fan sat cross-legged in his cultivation room. He exhaled deeply before closing his eyes and entering his Sea of Consciousness. His spirit found himself seated before a highly handsome man dressed in white with violet hair and eyes. He looked muscular, but his ancient robe did a good job of hiding it.

"Now, we can talk," Lin Fan said.

"Talk? Boy, nothing has changed. You do as I tell you, or I annihilate your soul."

"No, I had options. For example, telling the Saint about your existence."

"That weak woman who couldn’t even detect my presence? Hahaha, you’re quite humorous."

"While that’s true, I also have no doubt she can find a way to detect or remove you as long as she knows you exist."

"And then what? I can still slap her into oblivion."

"We both know that’s not true; otherwise, no one from the Grand Sect Alliance would have survived," Lin Fan sneered.

"You’re underestimating how weak I was because of that damn prison. Anyway, boy, I no longer find your resistance amusing. I think I will annihilate you now."

A powerful aura instantly suppressed Lin Fan’s soul, making him unable to talk, move, or even think. A few cracks appeared in his spirit. Luckily, the aura only lasted for less than a nanosecond. Lin Fan took a few seconds to regain his composure.

"You can’t...scare me."

"I think I can."

"Your presence means I have...two fates awaiting me: body possession or death...Either way, I’m dead. So, you might as well do it now."

"You think I won’t?"

"That’s right," Lin Fan nodded. "You chose to inhabit my body for a reason. You chose not to immediately kill, possess, or turn me into a puppet. All signs say you need me alive."

"Quite bold of you to gamble your life on unfounded conjectures," the violet-eyed man smiled. "But you’re right — I do need you alive."

A glint flashed in Lin Fan’s eyes. "In that case, how about we start our relationship on a solid footing? Maybe with an introduction."

"A softer approach, huh? I’ve never done that before. I guess it could be fun," the violet-eyed man muttered. He looked at Lin Fan with a smile the latter wasn’t too fond of: "Sure, why not?"

Lin Fan controlled the uncomfortable feeling: "Who are you? Why were you imprisoned? And what do you need from me?"

"I’m Hundunxi, the First Born, the Primordial Chaos Demon God, and the elder brother. I’m the blueprint for all life in the Chaos Universe — Well, I used to think I was." A deep sigh echoed in the Sea of Consciousness.

"My story involved something that occurred eons ago, and it involved my youngest brother, Pangu," Hundunxi said as he was lost in his memories. "Pangu was supposed to be the best among us. He was kind, hardworking, and talented. He was the first of us to become a Grand Dao Saint."

An intense hatred suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"One day, he suddenly went mad and started to destroy the Chaos Universe."

"Destroy the universe?" Lin Fan asked in shock. However, Hundunxi was already lost in his story and ignored him.

"Our mother — Grand Dao — orders us to stop him. We did. Well, we tried. Sadly, he was too powerful. He felled all of us one by one with his axe," Hundunxi casually explained. "I don’t remember what happened afterward, but after we were defeated and Pangu was eventually stopped, mother turned on us and locked everybody’s remaining Origin Spirit or our obsession into this prison until you release us."

Lin Fan was momentarily quiet: "If you didn’t want to talk, you could have just said so. There is no need to lie."

"Lie? Why would I do such a pointless thing?"

"Your story is not adding up," Lin Fan followed through. "Why did Grand Dao lock you guys up, but not eliminate you? I understand entities of your level are challenging to kill, but after this long, I don’t believe it has found a way.

"But let’s say she couldn’t, there is still a problem with your story: you. I couldn’t help but notice the flash of animosity in your eyes when you were telling the story. The odd part is that it was not directed toward Grand Dao, but Pangu.

"And that’s not mentioning how all the others were forced to inhabit a body, but you chose to do it. The truly powerful one escapes, and as you once claimed to be the strongest, you should have been able to as well. But you chose to stay. It’s almost as if you are hiding from something or someone."