"Zhou Hong, it's time to go. You are an anomaly of this era, so after you die, I will erect a tombstone for you, which will be fitting." Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's gaze sharpened. He didn't want to waste any more words with Zhou Hong and prepared to finish him off.
Zhou Hong was currently as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Grandpa, if I successfully scatter my soul and enter the mortal realm to start from scratch, then the loved ones in my sub-world...!"
"All gone!" Zhou Hong's grandfather stated directly, giving Zhou Hong no room for hope.
"No, I can't accept this." Zhou Hong wept. So many loved ones had come to life in his sub-world, and now they were all gone. What was the point of him continuing to live?
"Alas!" Zhou Hong's grandfather sighed deeply, saying with some helplessness, "It's all fate. Zhou Hong, then Grandpa will... take a gamble for you." Zhou Hong's grandfather seemed to have made up his mind.
"What do you mean, Grandpa?"
"There is one more way, with only a one in ten thousand chance of escape." Zhou Hong's grandfather said.
"Really? What way? Hurry up and tell me, there's no time!"
"That is... I..."
Zhou Hong seemed to understand something and hurriedly asked, "Then what will be the consequences for you?"
"Heh heh, foolish child, of course, I will cease to exist. From this moment on, not a single trace of me will remain in this world."
"No...!" Zhou Hong roared.
"Zhou Hong, it's all fate. The future is up to you. I hope you work hard."
"Grandpa... what are you going to do?"
Zhou Hong's grandfather stopped speaking.
At this moment, they had no time to converse. Even though they were communicating in their minds, it was only for a blink of an eye.
Zhou Hong was unable to move. He felt a force in the air continuously crushing him. Just as he was about to faint, suddenly, the force on his body seemed to be interfered with and instantly relaxed.
"Ah!" Zhou Hong heard the sudden scream of Nine Dao Immortal Emperor beside his ear.
Zhou Hong looked up and saw Nine Dao Immortal Emperor clutching his head with both hands, as if something very troublesome was in his mind.
Zhou Hong knew that the wisp of his grandfather's residual soul was no longer on him; it had entered Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's body.
Logically, the remnant soul of his grandfather should pose no threat. Zhou Hong didn't know how his grandfather managed to make Nine Dao Immortal Emperor scream.
At this moment, despite his immense grief, Zhou Hong could not afford to delay further, lest he waste the time his grandfather had sacrificed for him.
Zhou Hong was about to flee when he caught sight of Celestial Maiden Tianxuan beside him.
This Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, though he didn't know what Nine Dao Immortal Emperor had done to her, was certainly no ordinary celestial maiden. Thus, Zhou Hong immediately took Celestial Maiden Tianxuan with him.
"Zhou Hong, what are you doing?" Celestial Maiden Tianxuan asked in confusion as Zhou Hong pulled her along.
Zhou Hong suddenly remembered that his cultivation level was much weaker than Celestial Maiden Tianxuan's. He couldn't forcefully take her away.
"Celestial Maiden Tianxuan, do you want to come with me, or stay here to be cultivated as an immortal medicine by Nine Dao Immortal Emperor?" Zhou Hong asked while running. Celestial Maiden Tianxuan didn't struggle away from him.
"Zhou Hong, what do you mean? Immortal medicine?"
"Exactly. Nine Dao Immortal Emperor is cultivating you as an immortal medicine. He will eventually eat you."
"Ah?" Celestial Maiden Tianxuan's face changed dramatically.
Just then, a booming laugh echoed from the sky behind them: "Hahaha, hahaha, it's truly the will of heaven, the will of heaven!"
Zhou Hong had no time and accelerated his pace forward.
However, Zhou Hong couldn't shake the feeling that Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's laughter at this moment sounded a little off.
The next second, Nine Dao Immortal Emperor shouted from behind: "Zhou Hong, you don't need to run. I am your grandfather."
"Hmph, my sister's grandfather!" Zhou Hong snorted coldly.
"Zhou Hong, it's me, your grandfather." Just as Zhou Hong was about to curse again, he suddenly realized something, stopped, and looked back at Nine Dao Immortal Emperor.
Indeed, Nine Dao Immortal Emperor felt something was wrong.
"Hahaha, it's truly the will of heaven!" Nine Dao Immortal Emperor let out another laugh of disbelief.
Celestial Maiden Tianxuan also found it inexplicable. Nine Dao Immortal Emperor kept mentioning the will of heaven, what did it mean? And that tone... it sounded like someone else.
Zhou Hong recalled that earlier, his grandfather had sacrificed himself to save him by entering Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's body... and now Nine Dao Immortal Emperor claimed to be his grandfather.
Could it be?
Zhou Hong couldn't believe it was true, because it seemed impossible.
"Hahaha, hahaha, I, Zhou Sheng Gu, am back, and... it's actually... actually... truly incredible, incredible!" At this moment, Nine Dao Immortal Emperor let out another wild laugh, tears streaming down his face, as if crying from excitement.
Zhou Hong stopped running. He looked at Nine Dao Immortal Emperor and had a sense of familiarity... yes, it felt like looking at his grandfather.
Zhou Hong tentatively called out, "Grandpa? Is that you?"
Nine Dao Immortal Emperor snapped back to attention and looked at Zhou Hong, saying, "Good grandson, don't be afraid. The one facing you now is no longer the former Nine Dao Immortal Emperor, but your grandfather."
"How is this possible?" Zhou Hong's face changed drastically. Celestial Maiden Tianxuan was also stunned, not knowing what had happened.
"Hahaha, yes, I also find it impossible, but now it's all so real. I actually... actually... hahaha, it's truly heaven helping me, such a coincidence in the world." Nine Dao Immortal Emperor laughed maniacally again, seemingly disbelieving it himself.
Zhou Hong flew forward. He believed his intuition; Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's soul had truly been replaced.
"Grandpa? Don't fool me. I was already running away." Zhou Hong asked, a little nervously.
"Good grandson, originally Grandpa sacrificed his last wisp of residual soul to enter Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's body to buy you time to escape. I thought... it was as difficult as climbing to heaven, with less than a one in ten thousand chance. But I never expected that this Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's soul was not original. Even less did I expect that his soul was... mine, only missing a small part."
Zhou Hong shook his head, not understanding.
"Hahaha, Zhou Hong, to put it simply, before this Nine Dao Immortal Emperor became an Immortal Emperor, he was just an ordinary cultivator. Later, he obtained a soul of exceptional talent, and from then on, his cultivation soared. This soul was my previous life. After I was killed, my soul was refined, and then by chance, this young Nine Dao Immortal Emperor obtained it. However, my soul was missing a sliver, and that sliver was the trace of my soul that fled to Earth. Just now, after I entered Nine Dao Immortal Emperor's body, I instantly merged... and then this body instantly became mine, never feeling so compatible, as if it was originally mine."
Zhou Hong was dumbfounded. Could such a coincidence truly exist in the world?
(Wishing everyone a Happy Year of the Rabbit, may your wishes come true and all your endeavors be prosperous!)