The pitch-black eternal night, within the darkness, it seemed as if terrifying and ominous beings were staring at Chen Jiuyang, coveting him, wanting to devour him.
Having stepped into the Emperor Realm, Chen Jiuyang once again entered this Broken Old Village. He could perceive a little more than before, and the terrifying and chilling aspects of the village became even more apparent.
It was subtly more chilling than the unspeakable terror that descended when one defied heavenly laws.
Chen Jiuyang carried a small, peculiar Buddha statue on his shoulder, which emitted a faint light, protecting him.
Step by step, crossing mountains and rivers, and bridges, Chen Jiuyang arrived at the Broken Old Village and met the armless old sword emperor and others.
Just like before, Chen Jiuyang still could not sense any aura from them, as if they were ordinary mortals.
However, after conversing with Princess Shile, Chen Jiuyang would no longer think so.
Chen Jiuyang put down the peculiar Buddha statue and cupped his fists, bowing, "Greetings, esteemed seniors."
An old woman, hunched over and holding clothes, constantly sewing, with cloudy eyes, looked at Chen Jiuyang and smiled, saying,
"Village Chief, the butcher, the woodcutter, the fisherman, the cart puller, look, how good is this child's Sendai foundation."
The others slowly nodded.
The armless old sword emperor nodded slowly and said, "This Sendai foundation is indeed excellent. The five great origin forging furnaces are even better than our foundations were back then."
The armless old sword emperor looked at Chen Jiuyang, "Have you come this time to inquire about the method of Sendai?"
"That's right," Chen Jiuyang said. "Our Human Emperor's Path lineage can only follow the path of alternative enlightenment and hidden cultivation, otherwise, it will endanger our loved ones?"
Chen Jiuyang got straight to the point, asking the question that concerned him most.
The armless old sword emperor sighed, "Blind Granny, he has karmic ties with the demonic path. You also come from the demonic path, so you should explain this matter to him."
Huh? Besides him, Chen Jiuyang, there was actually someone from the demonic path here!
Chen Jiuyang's gaze immediately fell upon the blind old woman.
The blind granny, holding a needle and thread, spoke, "Our lineage's inheritance, after reaching its peak, will usher in an extreme yin state, plagued by misfortune and ill omen. You have now ascended to the Emperor Realm..."
"If you were to contend for the position of Great Emperor, within a hundred years, all your loved ones would die, just like this old woman back then."
The blind granny's tone was extremely calm.
But they were all inheritors of the Human Emperor's Path, all people who valued love and loyalty.
Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists and bowed to the blind granny, "May I ask, Senior, which lineage of our Sacred Path are you an ancestor of?"
"I have been estranged from the demonic path for many years, almost forgetting my origins. Residual memories faintly recall that my husband was a Holy Lord of the Chongming Sea, named 'Xing Zhu'."
Holy Lord of the Chongming Sea... That was an existence from even further back...
Chen Jiuyang's heart trembled. The Chongming Sea had descended into the mortal realm many years ago, and there was a Holy Lord before the war with the Immortal Realm's Heavenly Court.
He would likely need to inquire with a sacred artifact to know who this blind granny was.
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath and asked, "Senior, if I wish to avoid being plagued by misfortune in the extreme yin state, what should I do?"
The blind granny said, "Retreat when the tide is high. Go into seclusion when your fortune is at its peak, seal all your loved ones, avoid this era, and unseal them after you achieve alternative enlightenment."
"This path is the only way discovered through the painful experiences of our predecessors, paid for with their blood."
"Sealed slumber?" Chen Jiuyang asked.
The blind granny replied, "Yes, this way, in your Yin decline state after reaching the peak, you can bear the misfortune alone."
"Several other villagers have retreated when the tide was high, preserved themselves, and protected their loved ones, thus surviving."
"Granny asks you one question: if all your loved ones die, will you still have the courage to live on alone?"
Chen Jiuyang remained silent. The mere abduction of Yao Zixuan had driven him to near madness.
If his loved ones died because of him, he would probably go mad instantly and become a lunatic.
"Since you have risen triumphantly from humble beginnings, and have enjoyed enough glory, you must learn to let go."
"The goal of alternative enlightenment is not Emperor Realm cultivation, but the cultivation of a Martial Dao Mortal Immortal."
"If you do not retreat when the tide is high and contend for the position of Great Emperor, then your best outcome will be like us cripples, with your cultivation perhaps stopping at the Emperor Realm."
Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists and bowed, "This junior is certainly not someone who covets power or is infatuated with glory."
"Very good, then you can set your sights on the immortal path."
"The essence of the Martial Immortal Path is calculation—calculating heaven, earth, and oneself. You should know today, having been guided here, that this place does not belong to the mortal realm; it is a region of the Spirit Realm. Continuing deeper into the village will lead directly to the thirty-three layers of the Spirit Realm, and further up is the Immortal Realm."
"If you wish to walk the Martial Immortal Path and continue the Human Emperor's Path, you must learn to endure loneliness."
"You may need to ponder this matter carefully before making a decision. Once you go into seclusion, whether you enter the Chongming Sea or the Broken Old Village, you cannot casually go to the mortal realm."
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath, his eyes burning, and said, "This junior understands."
"Good child, you are teachable," the blind granny nodded with satisfaction.
"Village Chief, pass on the method of cultivating Sendai from our lineage to him, so he can prepare."
The armless old sword emperor's eyes moved, and a bamboo scroll flew out from the house, landing in Chen Jiuyang's hand. "After you return, you can begin cultivating and start preparing to seal your loved ones."
Chen Jiuyang accepted the unremarkable bamboo scroll and asked, "This junior does not know the method of sealing loved ones. Senior, please tell me how to seal them."
As his voice fell, the armless old sword emperor and the blind granny exchanged glances, showing a hint of awkwardness. "I don't know this either. Butcher, go to another village and find a villager who knows how to seal and freeze to help."
A middle-aged man with well-developed muscles, carrying a butcher's knife, nodded, picked up a small, peculiar Buddha statue, and headed in another direction.
Other villages...
Chen Jiuyang's heart stirred, "Senior, are all of us from the Human Emperor's Path lineage here in the Broken Old Village? Approximately how many are there?"
The armless old sword emperor pondered, "There are several hundred."
One inheritor per generation, several hundred inheritors of the Human Emperor's Path, just like Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang's heart trembled. This did not even include those who had fallen.
He could clear his karmic ties with the demonic path, but if he were to go into seclusion, it seemed inferior to the Broken Old Village...
Perhaps, after retreating when the tide was high, he should follow the example of other Human Emperor's Path prodigies and go into seclusion in the Broken Old Village before making further plans.
Not long after, the butcher returned to the village with a youth-like person.
The youth-like person had a weathered gaze and a hoarse voice. He looked at Chen Jiuyang and asked, "You want to seal your loved ones?"
"Greetings, Senior," Chen Jiuyang cupped his fists and bowed. "This junior indeed wishes to seal all his loved ones."
"Retreat when the tide is high and avoid this era, that's good," the youth-like person said. "I can help, but the price is not cheap."