Chapter 694: Chapter 124: The First Strand of Memory Awakening
“There exists a spiritual instrument, the origin of myriad forms, the Eight Diagrams and the zodiac, concealing divine mechanisms and spirits.”
“When heaven unleashes its killing force, stars shift and constellations change; when earth unleashes its killing force, dragons and snakes rise from the ground; when humans unleash their killing force, heaven and earth revolve inversely; when heaven and humans act together, all transformations are solidified.”
Zhou Yan’s mind was shocked, yet inevitably these two passages of the Emperor Scripture sprang up in his mind.
He contemplated for a moment, and there was no longer any sign of agony in his eyes, for his soul had already extracted the true Lifebound Essence Blood from his flesh, only leaving behind the fusion of various Sword Bodies.
Eventually, he just needed to find his original body that was stored in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, amidst the solitary graves stretching for thousands of miles, and he would be able to recover to the peak of the Sword Void Nine Transformations in a very short time.
In essence, this did not count as any loss; on the contrary, it even unearthed a cruel truth.
“What do you plan to do now? Is there anything you can’t let go of?”
Seeing Zhou Yan simply standing there without departing, Zhuge Wuwei sighed again and inquired.
“What truly can’t be let go of at this point? It’s just that, all of a sudden, I feel a sense of loss. Although I detected something off about Sisi a long time ago—I knew since nothing in the Yuan Ci Secret Realm could be hidden from me—I never spoke of it, and have always deeply loved her with all my heart,” Zhou Yan said.
“Feng Lingqing has already endured too much, and Hou Ling’er is also under a lot of pressure. I will pretend to be unaware of this matter.
“Hou Yao, too, is a person of deep feelings and sincerity. Since she passed away in her previous life and has abandoned her memories, cutting off all ties with her past completely, if I were to still pursue the matter, what would that make me?
“Every child has their past life before reincarnation; if everything is to be scrutinized, it becomes meaningless.
“In this life, she is my daughter, has acknowledged me as her father, and carries a life rooted predominantly in the bloodline of Feng Lingqing and me. I should be the one to provide a haven for her.
“Shouldn’t a child who is obedient, kind, and adorable be loved all the more? If a child is disobedient and behaves improperly, should a father really kill their child?
“As a father, what one ought to do is take on all responsibilities for the child, steering them back onto the right path if they stray. She is trapped by the Demon Heart, perhaps related to the Netherworld backlash or, maybe, it has to do with the Evil Soul.
“If she were to awaken, the pain would be even greater. How could I give up on her at such a time, or even strike her down? Even a tiger would not devour its offspring; how could I, for my own selfish peace and safety, lay a hand on her?
“The main body of the Evil Soul has been slain, but what about its Soul Splits scattered across the Universe? The Evil Soul is born from my malevolence; as clever as I am, so is the Evil Soul.
“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Could the Evil Soul have left behind other contingencies? This is what bothers both my brother and the Lei Yan King.
“Yet they have still departed, which signifies that the main existence of the Evil Soul has indeed perished. If there is anything left now, it’s negligible, and I am confident that I can face it and suppress it.
“Therefore, I must save Sisi at all costs,” Zhou Yan said indifferently.
He was extremely calm, as if he had never been this composed before.
Zhuge Wuwei looked at Zhou Yan and realized that Zhou Yan had truly changed, becoming calm and dignified, patient and serene.
He sighed emotionally, feeling both melancholy and reassured.
“To think like that, I have no more worries. Go ahead. The Starry Sky Gate of the Purgatory Ancestor Star will always be open for you,” Zhuge Wuwei said.
Zhou Yan nodded lightly, murmuring to himself, “Thank you for your Heavenly Mechanism Skill, thank you for the guidance through the maze. I will bring back the Holy Daughter’s Life Soul intact. This Crystal Coffin, I will entrust to you for now, help me… take good care of her.”
As Zhou Yan spoke, he took out the Crystal Coffin from above his Soul Sea.
Zhuge Wuwei nodded, silently accepting the Crystal Coffin.
His eyes were complicated as he looked at the sleeping woman in the Crystal Coffin. Zhuge Wuwei’s lips trembled for a moment, but he said nothing.
For some words, he did not know where to begin.
He did not wish to affect Zhou Yan’s mood.
Zhou Yan saw Zhuge Wuwei’s reluctance to speak, but he did not probe for secrets; instead, he said somewhat sorrowfully, “If it’s inconvenient to say, then don’t say it. I really understand now, not knowing something indeed often feels better than knowing it. First… let me focus on saving Sisi and retrieving her Life Soul, I really don’t know if I can handle much more.”
Exhaustion appeared on Zhou Yan’s face, his features at that moment seemed particularly drawn and gaunt.
His strength sometimes had its limits.
Especially at the softest places in his heart, he truly could not take any more blows.
“Go, come back. After her recovery, that will be your greatest happiness. This is not a misfortune but a blessing,” Zhuge Wuwei said softly.
Zhou Yan nodded, said no more, and his ghostly silhouette, like a specter, emanated the shadow of a Divine Seat.
Like a streak of Primordial Magnetic Pole Light, Zhou Yan shot through the Void and disappeared.
…
In the Life and Death Illusion Realm of the Netherworld.
“Qingyan, this time, you seem to have become somewhat different… has something unpleasant happened?”
“And why do you no longer torment Ping’er? Have you not yet obtained the awakening Secret Technique of the Life Soul?” asked the Netherworld Palace Master, somewhat puzzled.
Mu Qingyan had many concerns on her mind. She regained consciousness and her memories, only to seal those memories away again.
However, under the seal, she was exceedingly clear about everything; it was all just to appear as if nothing were amiss.
Part of the Jiang family’s power had infiltrated the Netherworld Palace, and in this life, Zhou Yan would give birth to an Immortal Evil Soul—an entity that could drive endless powerful beings across the planes to madness, akin to a Divine Medicine that could give a chance for a Supreme to embark on the path to immortality. How could that not drive countless people insane?!