Chen Jiuyang’s expression darkened, his gaze falling upon the Hand Slave.
Just as the Hand Slave had foreseen, after losing their balance completely, these Dao Ghosts began to kill.
Sweating profusely, the Hand Slave gritted his teeth and said, “My lord, you must stop the Dao Ghost in the ancestral hall. Once it leaves the coffin, we might all die!”
“The balance of Dao Ghosts in this place is meant to suppress it!”
Chen Jiuyang didn’t need the Hand Slave to tell him; he had already sensed the terror of the coffin ghost within the ancestral hall. “A complete Dao Ghost is on an entirely different level from these lesser spirits!”
If it were allowed to escape and kill people, absorbing their life essence, its strength would likely grow even greater, leading to a terrible tragedy.
Chen Jiuyang immediately raised his hand and grasped towards the coffin in the ancestral hall.
As Chen Jiuyang, at the peak of the Martial Dao Crimson Immortal realm, exerted his strength, it was enough to shatter a planet. Yet, the coffin and the old man within the ancestral hall remained utterly unmoved.
Chen Jiuyang spoke, “Forget!!!”
A vast, strange, and inexplicable Dao force surged forth, pressing down on the old man in burial attire.
Instantly, the other Dao Ghosts in the entire village became dazed and stopped their killing.
However, the old man in burial attire merely paused his movements slightly.
Meanwhile, Qi Wushuang and the others inside the ancestral hall were still observing.
Chen Jiuyang said sternly, “Qi Wushuang, act now and re-imprison him in the coffin. This is an Immortal King-level Dao fruit evil ghost. If it escapes the coffin, we will all perish!”
“Do not attempt to swallow an elephant whole!”
“Curse!”
Chen Jiuyang unleashed another Dao force, which began to erode the old man.
“Crack! Crack!”
Pus-filled boils and age spots began to grow on the old man’s body. His burial attire started to corrode, and the coffin lid seemed to show subtle signs of movement.
“I can barely suppress this burial-attired evil ghost from reviving.”
“But how long can I possibly remain here?”
Chen Jiuyang’s thoughts raced as he asked the Hand Slave, “Does your Dao force foresee any method to seal this evil ghost?”
The Hand Slave’s face contorted in horror. “Resurrection from death, becoming a Celestial… Ah!”
“Cannot leave this place.”
The Hand Slave screamed, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.
Chen Jiuyang suddenly turned his head and saw that Qi Wushuang and the others were still observing. His brow furrowed deeply.
“Thump, thump, thump—”
Chen Jiuyang’s heart suddenly began to beat violently.
“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong…”
His thoughts suddenly churned like a vast river, with countless ideas flooding his mind…
Chen Jiuyang looked at Qi Wushuang and asked, “What are you waiting for?”
Qi Wushuang then spoke with a sinister tone, “Haven’t you realized yet?”
“Realized what?”
Chen Jiuyang felt an indescribable sense of incongruity surge into his heart.
Chen Jiuyang immediately ceased his ‘Forget’ and ‘Curse’ techniques.
The old man in burial attire slowly emerged from the coffin. Although his aura was terrifying, he posed no threat to Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang’s brow was tightly furrowed. “What exactly is going on?”
Qi Wushuang said, “The final chess game has shattered.”
“Chen Jiuyang, you are wise in all things but foolish in this one instance.”
“You have been completely deceived.”
“Allow me to tell you the truth…”
Following this, Qi Wushuang uttered words that made Chen Jiuyang’s soul tremble and shatter.
“I am from the Celestial Realm. Sent by the Celestial beings, I descended to the lower realm to investigate the matter of the Book of Life and Death.”
“Ten thousand years ago, I descended to this realm and investigated the cause and effect.” (Chapter 690: Appearance and Descent into the Mortal World)
“When you had the opportunity to ascend to the position of Great Emperor and cultivate to the Martial Saint realm, did someone tell you not to ascend to the position of Great Emperor, lest it bring misfortune and death to your loved ones?”
Chen Jiuyang’s mind immediately flashed with the figures of the armless old sword emperor and others. His breath hitched. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
“It’s very simple. You were lied to, utterly and completely.”
“My original intention was to have you perish after you entered the Nine Nether Myriad Tombs.”
“But you encountered Wu Shuang’er. That Wu Shuang’er is the one who holds the pieces, the one who initiated the final chess game. Why would she take a liking to you and help you?”
Chen Jiuyang’s body began to tremble. “Can you just tell me the result?” He realized something was amiss. Why could this Wu Shuang’er see the ‘Supreme’?
“Your wives, Yao Zixuan, Lin Yuexian, Ji Lengyue, Qiu Yihan, Yun Jingbai, and Qin Rouyu, are all descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. What do you say?”
“Boom!!!”
Chen Jiuyang’s mind exploded.
“My memories… have been tampered with…”
The scene suddenly shifted to after he entered the Nine Nether Myriad Tombs, where the person calling himself ‘Zhuang Wu’ told him that Yao Zixuan, Lin Yuexian, Ji Lengyue, Qiu Yihan, Yun Jingbai, and Qin Rouyu were descendants of his avatars. Therefore, it was predetermined that he would inherit ‘Zhuang Wu’s’ Dao fruit. It was also because Chen Jiuyang met Yao Zixuan that the Green Bamboo Spirit Immortal was born on the mountain behind his house.
After that, he rose rapidly, obtained Dao lineage inheritances, and believed himself to be the successor of the Human Emperor’s path, with his divine abilities and techniques possessing infinite power.
He proceeded step by step like this, and only then did Qin Shujian and the others tell him not to contend for the position of Human Emperor…
When he reached the last city on the Human King’s path, Chen Jiuyang was determined to ascend to the position of Human Emperor.
However, he was persuaded against it by Qin Shujian and the others.
Consequently, he began to forge an alternative path to enlightenment… leading to the Nine Nether Myriad Tombs, and then to the current situation.
Chen Jiuyang’s body trembled violently. “I was deceived. From the very beginning… this was a deception…”
“But… why…”
Qi Wushuang said, “Why? Because you are the reincarnated spirit of the Book of Life and Death’s register of the living…”
“The Celestial Realm’s Heavenly Court never controlled the Book of Life and Death’s register of the living; it controlled the Book of the Dead. Because the Book of the Dead records the names of all living beings, only by striking a name from the Book of the Dead can one achieve longevity.”
“And what fell into the mortal world was the register of the living…”
“Think about something carefully. Did someone tell you that the stake of the final chess game was the Book of Life and Death? Yet, the Heavenly Court established five great sacred lands in the human world and has never found the Book of the Living.”
“If the one holding the pieces possessed the Book of Life and Death, why did this ninth final chess game only begin after you entered the Nine Nether Myriad Tombs? Why not start earlier?”
“It was simply because Wu Shuang’er, through the erosion of her Dao force, confirmed you were the reincarnated spirit of the living register, and only then did she initiate this ninth final chess game.”
“Rumble! Rumble!!!”
One after another, words that overturned Chen Jiuyang’s understanding struck him like heavenly thunder.
“Why did the descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors feel a sense of goodwill towards you upon meeting you?”
“Why are your wives and confidantes all around your age?”
“The bloodline of the descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors descended because you were reincarnated and born.”
“And the current situation is being deliberately advanced by a behind-the-scenes manipulator, in order to transcend and enter the Celestial Realm.”
Chen Jiuyang remained silent for a long time. His past memories were stirred up, and he finally recalled the discrepancies from before.
Nine parts truth, one part falsehood, making it impossible for Chen Jiuyang to distinguish.
“I only ask you one thing…” Chen Jiuyang’s voice was hoarse. “Why didn’t you kill me before?”
“You bear the destiny of the Chongming Sea, and there are other powers monitoring you. If I were to contact you, wouldn’t my identity be exposed?”