What a pity—the resentment in his heart ran too deep. If not controlled, never mind eternity, he would destroy heaven and earth by his own hands.

Tai Shang Lao Jun didn’t believe that the Five Elements Barrier here could completely trap him, but since Li Ye didn’t seem to have any intention of breaking through immediately, he thought he might say a few more words.

“You hate the Divination Master of the Heavenly Dao, and he is certainly wary of you. But I am willing to make this journey, not to serve him like a dog or horse, but because I feel it would be too much of a waste if you were to go down the wrong path like this.”

With eyes full of mockery, Li Ye leaned forward and stared at him steadily: “What is right, and what is wrong?”

“Since the world is in his hands, then he is right.” Tai Shang Lao Jun sighed softly, “You may be unwilling to admit it, but after ninety thousand years, the world under his rule has been relatively peaceful.”

His mockery growing stronger, Li Ye stopped speaking. He leaned back against his seat and lazily summoned the Phoenix Slayer Blade with a turn of his hand.

The other immortals who were still watching from the entrance retreated far away at the sight of the Phoenix Slayer Blade. Tai Shang Lao Jun, however, didn’t back down, merely stroking his beard: “The blade’s light has grown considerably brighter.”

He had gone to the Netherworld for only a short month, and everyone thought that even if there was trouble, it wouldn’t be too serious. Unfortunately, everyone, including himself, had underestimated Li Ye. This man was a born prodigy in cultivation—in just one month, he could make the Phoenix Slayer Blade grow several times stronger. There was no need to even think about how much his power had increased.

His heart heavy, Tai Shang Lao Jun still forced himself to continue: “There is something this old man wishes to discuss with the Upper God. If, after hearing it, the Upper God still insists on not changing course, then this old man will cease trying to persuade you.”

…

…

The person on the throne did not answer. He took a deep breath and continued on his own: “The Upper God was born from the first spark of fire when heaven and earth were first created. From the moment the Upper God took human form, that first spark transformed into the divine fire within you.”

In other words, Run Ji didn’t exist. He didn’t know when people began to mention this name, claiming she was Li Ye’s birth mother.

Tai Shang Lao Jun had checked the Nine Heavens’ historical records—the name did exist in the records, but the author of those records had editorial intentions. No one had ever seen Run Ji, and even the Divination Master of the Heavenly Dao expressed doubt about her existence.

He felt that Li Ye had been incited by someone.

However, when he said this, he didn’t sound entirely confident; after all, it was just his conjecture. Li Ye probably sensed this from his expression, so his face remained completely unmoved.

“Doesn’t the Upper God find it strange that events that should have happened tens of thousands of years ago are suddenly being fabricated now?” He sighed, “From the moment you began to hold a grudge against Kan Ze, everything seems to have been arranged to follow a path opposite to that of the Nine Heavens.”

Li Ye had killed Kan Ze without leaving any evidence, but thinking backward from this point, Tai Shang Lao Jun could understand.

Kan Ze was the Upper God closest to the Divination Master of the Heavenly Dao. If Li Ye believed that Run Ji was killed by the Divination Master, then naturally Kan Ze would be his primary target for revenge.

What a pity—such a powerful Upper God, dying so ambiguously, without even leaving a corpse behind.

“Of the Five Elements, the absence of the one that most suppresses fire certainly benefits you.” Tai Shang Lao Jun pressed his lips together, “But have you considered that with Kan Ze’s death and no successor to the Kan clan, rivers drying up and severe drought throughout the land—how many people would perish because of this?”

Li Ye was growing impatient.

What did it matter to him if people in the world died? When Er’er was soft-hearted and reproached him, he could still listen, but why was this old man also going on endlessly? Kan Ze controlled rivers and lakes, but he had been dead for so long, and the world’s rivers hadn’t completely dried up.

Thinking of this, Li Ye paused.

Yes, Kan Ze was dead—why hadn’t the rivers dried up completely?

Logically, when the Water God’s soul returned to heaven and earth, there should have been a great drought.

Strangely, Er’er’s image flashed through his mind.

…

Er’er had spent three days on the immortal mountain gathering souls, and had barely managed to bring back one soul of Long Xu.

She sat down in the magic array, breathing heavily and urgently, feeling that her spiritual energy was insufficient to continue. The energy in her meridians surged left and right, seeking acupoints that still had reserves, causing her vision to blur with white spots.

Xin Wu seemed busy nurturing Long Xu’s wisp of soul and didn’t pay attention to her. Er’er rested for a moment and then sat in meditation on her own.

She had overexerted herself in casting the spell without being properly skilled, so the spiritual energy Li Ye had given her was nearly depleted. She tentatively searched for other sources of spiritual energy, but somehow her consciousness suddenly encountered a body of water.

Was this spiritual energy left by Kan Ze? Er’er suddenly realized. Like a traveler finding an oasis in the desert, she rushed toward it and used his spiritual energy to replenish all the meridians in her body.

The tension eased, and her head wasn’t as dizzy anymore. Er’er sighed in relief, just as she was about to meditate for another cycle, she seemed to hear a familiar voice.

“Er’er, go find the Water Moon Mirror Flower.”

Slightly startled, she drew in a sharp breath.

Kan Ze?

Hadn’t he completely disappeared?

Holding her breath and concentrating her spirit, she quickly used her divine consciousness to respond: “Are you still alive?”

Kan Ze’s voice sounded very weak, as if he had been asleep for a long time and finally had a chance to awaken, but he didn’t have the strength to answer her additional questions. He only murmured repeatedly: “Find the Water Moon Mirror Flower.”

The Water Moon Mirror Flower was in Li Ye’s possession. Although it could observe certain things, what use would there be in finding it?

When she asked again, Kan Ze had already disappeared, and no matter how she called out, it was as if he had sunk to the bottom of the water.

Er’er opened her eyes, frowning in thought. Before she could figure things out, she heard Xin Wu calling her.

“No more soul fragments?” His voice was hoarse.

Pulling back her thoughts, Er’er rose with a sweep of her sleeve: “I did my best. She was poisoned by the Netherworld. If she didn’t return on time, her soul would scatter. Even using all the spiritual energy in my body, I could only retrieve this one soul.”

Netherworld poison? Xin Wu’s face darkened.

“Zhong Su thought she would return, but didn’t expect her to be so stubborn.” Er’er glanced at his clenched sleeve, guessing what he wanted to do, and couldn’t help but shake her head. “You are also the chief culprit, there’s no need to blame others.”

With just this one sentence, Xin Wu was struck as if by lightning, his lips instantly turning white.

Yes, it was he who had insisted she stay here to guard for him.

It was laughable—when he was severely injured and unable to maintain the protective barrier, he had taken it for granted that she would come to guard for him. After all, he had been bullying her for so many years.

“Return to the Nine Heavens,” Er’er said. “The immortal energy is abundant there, which will better nurture this soul of hers.”

“Alright.” Xin Wu responded hoarsely, yet remained standing where he was.

He didn’t look particularly well.

Er’er tilted her head and examined him, suddenly feeling that if Long Xu could see him like this, she might feel better.

“By the way,” she said, “since the Water Moon Mirror Flower is an item from your realm, you should be quite familiar with it. It was supposed to be Long Xu’s dowry, so why was it placed near the Heavenly Gate back then?”

And so, coincidentally, it had recorded the scene of the Divination Master of the Heavenly Dao persecuting Run Ji.