Chapter 726: Nine Serenities

Chapter 726: The Nine Nether

This time, Ye Wuzong was utterly dazed. He couldn't flatly refuse the witch doctor's treatment, as Sisi had secretly arranged for a witch doctor to treat him quietly.

When the family came to visit, the old man was already awake, throwing a tantrum in the room: "I've lived my whole life pure and clean, never thought I'd be unclean in my old age..."

Sisi: "..."

Zhao Changhe poked his head in: "Being able to declare yourself a virgin with such righteous indignation is the thing I admire most about you seniors."

"?!" Ye Wuzong fumed inside: "I'm talking about a mess of poisonous insect blood inside me, what are you on about?"

Zhao Changhe tucked his hands in and didn't answer. The family of three entered the room, then said together: "Is Master in good health?"

Ye Wuzong was taken aback, looking at Zhao Changhe, then at Yue Hongling, his expression utterly strange.

You two are calling me Master too? Though your expressions are a bit awkward, you seem quite sincere.

Especially Yue Hongling... Are we even familiar? This is clearly Zhao Changhe following his wife's lead, and the other wife helplessly following her husband's call. By this rounding, even the Four Symbols Sect would have to call me Master, right?

Ye Wuzong almost floated with delight, feeling immensely pleased: "Changhe, you should take a few more, the higher the status the better."

Sisi's brows shot up: "Whose side are you on?"

Ye Wuzong coughed dryly: "Ahem... I'm not well..."

"..." Sisi was furious but couldn't be sure if the master was genuinely ill or not, so she couldn't vent her anger. She just went forward with a sour face, holding the medicine: "How are you now?"

Ye Wuzong smiled faintly: "The backlash from Yin Kui was too much for me. This time, I really don't have long to live."

Sisi was silent for a moment: "Don't joke."

"I'm not joking. I told you before, my lifespan is nearly up, my body is steadily declining. Unless I break through to the Imperial realm, it's the end." Ye Wuzong drank the medicine leisurely, his tone light: "They say it's an age of gods and demons, but we're still mortals. Mortals have their limits, especially in lifespan. I had a master too, once a strong figure on the Earth Ranking. Guess how he died?"

Sisi ventured: "His speed declined with age, and he was caught stealing?"

"Wrong. He couldn't stand being as slow and decrepit as an old turtle, so he took his own life."

Sisi: "..."

Zhao Changhe suddenly thought of Hai Changkong, the current King of Penglai. At fifty, his physical functions began to decline, and he lost his drive, no longer aspiring to probe the Central Plains. His master, Hai Pinglan, was the same—the reason he raised that final howl and perished with his enemies was that he was already old and near death.

Even Xia Longyuan had a bit of that flavor. If he had chosen to live on, he could have, but that would mean lingering on under the protection of his daughter and son-in-law. Old Xia couldn't bear that, preferring to die with the Four Swords, leaving behind a final glory.

In the world of martial arts, people are too influenced by their bodies. In the end, they are not immortals.

Sisi said: "But you've already opened three secret treasures. Can't you strive for the Imperial realm?"

"Everyone has their strengths. My secret treasures are merely wind and speed, offering little boost to lifespan. Someone like Yu Xu could live longer. As for breaking through to the Imperial realm, in my current state, I have no confidence." Ye Wuzong said leisurely: "Actually, even if they break through to the Imperial realm, without treasures to sustain them, they'd have died long ago. Even with treasures, they barely manage a 'lingering spirit' level, their bodies as decayed and ugly as dried corpses. What's the point of such a life? Alright, this is a trivial matter. Don't act like children. Let's talk about something serious."

With that, he looked at Zhao Changhe: "You came to ask about the divine axe?"

Zhao Changhe composed himself and replied: "I think, Senior... oh, Master, bringing the divine axe here might mean you already knew something and came intentionally."

Ye Wuzong shook his head: "How could I know what would happen thousands of miles away? I brought the axe here simply because Kunlun was too chaotic. Taking the divine axe to Kunlun would be like delivering it on a platter. I had to find a place—either go straight to the capital to give it to you, or come to my disciple. Tell me, how close were we back then for me to eagerly deliver a divine artifact to you?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

I overestimated you. I thought you had far-reaching foresight... But the divine axe ending up here wasn't entirely luck. It was a necessity born of chance, because Ye Wuzong had no other choice. The primary issue was: "Kunlun is too chaotic."

"Kunlun has always been a place where heaven and earth connect, vast and boundless. If the Heavenly Realm existed, after it shattered and scattered, the most fragments would naturally fall in Kunlun." Ye Wuzong leaned back in his chair, sipping his medicine, and said slowly: "You've seen it before—a random alchemy room becomes a small secret realm, a random mountain hollow another secret realm, and within Yuxu Peak, a large secret realm... And this is just around Yuxu Peak. How many are there in the thousands of miles of Kunlun?"

Zhao Changhe said: "So Senior lived in seclusion in Kunlun to seek fortune and improve."

"Who isn't? So many villains gather in Kunlun, all for fortune. I'm one of them too. The Demon-Suppression Bureau's wanted list has had my name for a long time."

"..."

Ye Wuzong sighed: "As for Yuxu, 'three rooms in cloud and water, drunk on poetry and fishing, woodcutting,' it seems carefree beyond the world. But if he were truly indifferent, why stay in Kunlun? I laugh at myself, boiling a pot of chaos and enjoying it. Clearly, I have desires, yet I insist I'm not so vulgar. I don't know if I'm deceiving others or myself."

These words mocked both himself and Yuxu. Zhao Changhe thought for a moment and laughed: "That's a way of life. Life is life, work is work. It's not really deceiving others or oneself."

"Heh, you sure know how to say nice things." Ye Wuzong knew there was a difference between life and work, but the flattery felt good, so he didn't argue. He just said: "What Yuxu seeks is nothing but the path to heaven. For Buddhists and Taoists, they truly have the idea of 'becoming immortals.' Once people have desires, many things are no longer up to their whims. He could give up the Heavenly Book, but he couldn't abandon his lineage. That's his contradiction."

Zhao Changhe said: "Behind him is some ancient Dao Venerable?"

"Most likely. The exact name is unknown, so let's call him Dao Venerable for now. But I can't guess the nature of their relationship or what Yuxu plans to do. However, I can tell you one thing: you absolutely cannot enter Kunlun recklessly now." Ye Wuzong's expression turned serious: "Back then, Yuxu let you take the Heavenly Book, and his relationship with the god behind him became extremely tense. The matter spread so far that even I heard about it. If you enter Kunlun again, there are only two outcomes..."

Zhao Changhe interjected: "Either Yuxu compromises with him, and they both come for my life; or I manage to drive a wedge between Yuxu and him."

"The former is eighty percent likely. I suggest you don't count on the latter." Ye Wuzong said: "Why do I say Kunlun is chaotic? Because first, the resurgence of many gods and demons has become a major trend. They no longer hide behind the scenes as they did in earlier times; they now stand on the stage. How many of those villains in Kunlun can still listen to Yuxu? In my estimation, Yuxu is more likely to submit to the Dao Venerable's banner. His resistance is too weak. By now, he may no longer control the situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't necessarily have to flee."

Is that so...

Zhao Changhe didn't say much, just asked: "Secondly?"

"Secondly, as I said, Kunlun is vast with many secret realms." Ye Wuzong said: "That means there are other gods behind the scenes, not just the Dao Venerable. For instance, the Snow Listening Tower's lair hides in the Tianshan Mountains, the Bandit Brotherhood dominates the Hexi Corridor. Don't they have something behind them? Take the assassin from Snow Listening Tower who appeared this time—why was he with Yin Kui? Yin Kui was already very strong, yet he came in person as a pawn. Even if he wasn't taking orders from someone, at least in the cooperation of gods, he was secondary. There's an even more powerful figure behind him."

Zhao Changhe said: "Given Snow Listening Tower's nature, it somewhat aligns with you, Senior. Did they approach you? That might be the real reason you fled Kunlun."

Ye Wuzong clapped his hands and laughed: "Right. Do you know that Yin Kui's corpse has disappeared?"

Zhao Changhe was startled: "Did he escape alive? Or was it stolen?"

"He's truly dead, but he's probably become someone else's corpse puppet." Ye Wuzong said calmly: "You asked earlier if Yin Kui could be called the Nether Emperor. I'll tell you clearly: no. Before the Nine Nether, Yin Kui is at most a minor demon under her command."

"The Nine Nether?"

"Yes. She represents stillness, death, and... chaos."

Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling exchanged glances and nodded.

Chaos—that's it. There must be a god representing chaos. So that's where it lies.

As for Yin Kui being turned into a corpse puppet, it didn't matter. Dead is dead. A dead thing and a living thing are ultimately different. No regrets.

The name Nine Nether had been seen before. In the Four Symbols Sect scriptures he was punished to copy, it appeared many times as a backdrop for the Night Emperor, like "In the past, the Night Emperor broke the Nine Nether at the northernmost point." But there were no specific stories, as the sect's scriptures weren't complete. If they were complete, they wouldn't need to extract memories from Blood Kui to find the path to the Imperial realm.

"When her name appeared in Kunlun, some initially thought she was the Night Emperor. But the Night Emperor is extremely rule-bound; she is the opposite. If I'm not mistaken, she is more likely the Night Emperor's archenemy." Ye Wuzong paused here, glanced at Sisi and Yue Hongling again, and revealed a hint of ambiguous smile: "Note, she's female."

"Huh?" The family of three all gaped, including Zhao Changhe himself.

Among all the gods and demons known so far, only Piao Miao was female in form, and Piao Miao was a spirit in the previous era, not a human. So all known normal gods were male, and everyone subconsciously assumed this one was male too. Hearing "female" was a bit jarring.

Jarring as it was, it wasn't strange. Who said gods had to be male? What really got them thinking was another question: Was the Night Emperor female?

They hadn't thought about it before, but now they realized she probably was. Shuang Hua was the Night Emperor's close guard—note "close guard," not "maid." Generally, close guards didn't need to be specifically female, and she wasn't taken in, allowed to fall in love with that scumbag Azure Dragon. If the Night Emperor were male, this likely wouldn't happen. Only one possibility: the Night Emperor herself was female. A woman would have to choose female close guards and not take them in. Only women have a strange enthusiasm for matchmaking among their subordinates.

Given the yin-yang correspondence of day and night, night is yin, so being female is normal.

And the Nine Nether might not just be the Night Emperor's enemy. Her nature likely also conflicts with Piao Miao. Based on the principle that an enemy's enemy is a friend, the Night Emperor might even be friends with Piao Miao.

Ye Wuzong said: "The Nine Nether and the Dao Venerable's side are clearly not allies. Whether there's a third party, no one knows. Kunlun right now is a whirlpool. Anyone who jumps in risks utter destruction."

Zhao Changhe thought to himself that at least there was a third party, Bo Xun... But he couldn't be sure if it was completely independent or connected to one side. It seemed really chaotic, a tangled mess.

Ye Wuzong suddenly changed the subject: "Why are you so interested in Kunlun? Do you think to break the Northern Barbarians, you must first open the Western Regions?"

Zhao Changhe snapped back to attention and nodded: "At least it's closely tied to the Li family. I don't believe they have no contact."

"I think that mess over there should be dealt with later. The Li family is just a mundane clan. How much can they be involved in these godly wars? Even if they have contact, it's at the level of worldly agents. Besides, on the surface, they lean toward the Eternal Heaven, not these Kunlun forces."

Zhao Changhe said: "Is the Eternal Heaven unrelated to these?"

"Unrelated. If there's any connection, it's oddly with the Spirit Clan." Ye Wuzong's expression turned serious: "Tell me honestly, is there something wrong with the Spirit Clan's secret realm, this small world? It likely isn't part of the ancient Heavenly Realm, disconnected from other fragments."

Zhao Changhe admired him inwardly. He had only guessed this after cross-referencing the ancient Xuanwu's "Mountain and River Atlas," yet this old man, living there, could see the flaw.

Sisi was horrified: "Master, why do you say that?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Yin Kui's final stroke is not to revive some ancient powerhouse of yours, but to resurrect this very heaven and earth. The Spirit Clan's secret realm is an independent world; the world itself is your progenitor. It was likely suppressed and slain here by the Heavenly Dao, forming an extra realm. This divine axe might not be the axe of the Eternal Heaven, but rather yours... It was only after the Eternal Heaven God obtained this axe that he cultivated his divine-demonic abilities. Your clan's elders all feel this axe is fated with the Spirit Clan—perhaps it's not mere greed for treasure, but a genuine, faint intuitive perception."

Sisi suddenly stood up, frowning as she paced back and forth.

In truth, from Zhao Changhe's attitude last time, she had already guessed as much... But if it had already evolved into the world itself, that wouldn't normally be a problem—many races have similar legends. Yet if their own could be revived, that would be a disaster. Who could comprehend the feeling of the earth sitting up? Without preparation, the moment that "ancestor" rose, all life would perish utterly.

Indeed, her earlier decision to try venturing outward was correct. From now on, the Spirit Clan must gradually migrate; the Spirit Clan's secret realm can only serve as a strategic base, akin to someone else's "ancestral home," not a primary dwelling place. Fortunately, the situation in Miaojiang is now controllable, as if ready to take over the relay.

At the same time, Zhao Changhe was also thinking: the Spirit Clan's gu arts have a flavor of laws, like causality, surpassing everyone's conventional understanding of the human body. This itself is a completely different system of laws from the Heavenly Dao that everyone cultivates, on par with it or at most slightly weaker.

And the prophecy found in the Spirit Clan's ancient texts, "The Vermilion Bird and White Tiger converge in the southwestern wilds," is highly likely directly linked to this resurrection. Regardless of when it refers to, it can essentially be seen as inevitable.

Relocating the Spirit Clan people isn't too difficult given his current prestige and control. The real trouble is if a being of world-creating caliber were to revive—one who could stomp into the Central Plains with no one to stop them. How would that play out?

Jiuyou and Yin Kui actually want to revive such a thing—aren't they afraid of death?

Are they truly mad for chaos, or do they believe they can control even such an existence?

Ye Wuzong was saying, "In that case, you must thoroughly comprehend this axe. It will surely be a key to the future."

Zhao Changhe said, "When I swung the axe earlier, I didn't sense an axe spirit. Do you have any advice, elder?"

"It does have a spirit, but it's different from the conventional sword spirits we know. Its spirituality has scattered yet not died—it exists and yet doesn't." Ye Wuzong said, "No one can make it recognize a master. Forcing it to do so will only result in backlash like what happened to me. So Bo'e was never its true master; to put it bluntly, calling Bo'e its accessory wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Zhao Changhe nodded. In fact, when he swung that axe earlier, he himself was just an accessory to the divine axe.

Ye Wuzong continued, "Since you have an affinity with lightning, you can go along with it, help it unleash its proper power, and it will see you as a kind of partner. It might let you use it, allow you to learn and comprehend some lightning force, and so on..."

Zhao Changhe found this oddly familiar, and sure enough, from the ring came Longque's disdainful voice: "What kind of riffraff is this, trying to imitate me?"

The giant axe stood upright in the ring, its handle's shadow thicker than Longque's blade. Longque fell silent.

Ye Wuzong, unaware of the little drama in Zhao Changhe's ring, continued, "As for truly gaining its recognition, some steps may still be needed. From what I know, the Eternal Heaven's Sacred Mountain should have a related altar, or some connection."

Sisi asked, "Where is the Eternal Heaven's Sacred Mountain?"

Yue Hongling said, "When I was beyond the frontier, I asked. It's in the northern desert, a mountain called Langjuxu, where the Eternal Heaven God's temple is located."

Both women looked at Zhao Changhe.

Though they didn't know how the southwest and northeast, so far apart, could be connected, unraveling the mystery still hinged on Zhao Changhe's fundamental goal.

Drink horses at Hanhai, seal the Langjuxu. Westward to the great river, establish commanderies at Qilian.

Ye Wuzong finally seemed weary and said softly, "I've told you all I know... While I still have some strength left, let me teach you a few final things."

Sisi pursed her lips. "Master, you should rest first..."

"No need." Ye Wuzong said lazily, "If you can govern Miaojiang well and let me sleep comfortably by the Erhai Lake, that would be the greatest filial piety."

Sisi was silent.

Ye Wuzong looked at Zhao Changhe. "My techniques were never meant for you. Teaching you the Crane Control Skill back then was the only one of my arts you could use. But I unexpectedly found you've learned some of my lightness skill—how the hell did you do that? I'm sure Sisi didn't teach you, because some of the essence you used even Sisi didn't know at the time."

Zhao Changhe wiped cold sweat. Could he tell him he'd stolen it from the Heavenly Book?

Ye Wuzong didn't press. "Since we've all started studying the Imperial Realm, we know techniques are just summaries and applications of essence. My arts can indeed be used by you—it's not surprising. Since you three have all called me master, I'll pass this essence to you all. How much you comprehend depends on your individual aptitudes."

Yue Hongling, who had been about to take her leave upon hearing the transmission of skills, asked in surprise, "I can learn too?"

"Of course." Ye Wuzong rolled his eyes. "As if I didn't teach you, you couldn't learn from each other? Who are you fooling?"

Zhao Changhe and Sisi lowered their heads without speaking.

Yue Hongling hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "What is it?"

"The mastery of wind." Ye Wuzong said leisurely, "Have you ever met a demon god named Feng Yin? I hope next time you can make him realize that wind and wind are not the same... That is this old man's final wish."