Goodness Is a Sin

"Imperial Monarch?" Xu Ying's heart pounded wildly. *Could it be the Imperial Monarch of the Immortal Realm? If so, why doesn't he recognize me?* His mind was in utter turmoil, cold sweat beading densely across his forehead. Facing the Imperial Monarch, he had no chance of victory whatsoever. To this day, he still had not completely unraveled the Imperial Monarch's sixteen-character seal, nor had he broken the Imperial Monarch's other eight-character seal. If this Imperial Monarch truly was the one from the Immortal Realm, Xu Ying would not have the slightest chance to flee! *Still, how could the Imperial Monarch appear in the lower realm?* *Could this Imperial Monarch merely be an evil thought severed by the real one?* He glanced at Hua Cuoying. She showed no panic in front of the Imperial Monarch, which meant she had likely long known about him, as well as the Immortal Realm and the Supreme Sovereign he mentioned. *Could there truly be an Immortal Realm inside Weixu?* Thoughts raced through his mind in a flash. Forcing a smile, he said, "Imperial Monarch? Back in the Yuanshou world, I met a descendant of the Imperial Monarch named Xiao Haihou. And in the Taishi Great World, there was another named Bai Yuchuan. Could it be that the Immortal Realm has more than one Imperial Monarch?" The young man calling himself the Imperial Monarch smiled. "'Imperial Monarch' is an office. Different titles designate different offices. In truth, there are multiple Imperial Monarchs in the Immortal Realm." Xu Ying inquired, "Then which Imperial Monarch might Your Excellency be?" "I am different," the young man replied. "My title was bestowed by the Great Emperor. The others, like the Imperial Monarchs of Wenchang or Wulong, merely have their duties as prefixes to the title. "Because my meritorious deeds were peerless, the Great Emperor granted me this honorable title. From that point on, no other Imperial Monarch could simply be addressed as 'Imperial Monarch'; they could only be called 'Monarch.' I have reincarnated repeatedly, traveling to Yuanshou and visiting Taishi. In Yuanshou, my surname was Xiao; in Taishi, my surname was Bai. Beyond those, I have four hundred and eighty other surnames." Xu Ying smiled. "I see." His eyes flickered. He was now certain that this young man was the demonic thought severed by the Imperial Monarch—he could also be called the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch! Yet what piqued his curiosity was whether the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch retained all of the true Imperial Monarch's memories, or merely a fraction of them. *Since he is the Imperial Monarch's demonic thought, what exactly was that thought? What drove him to sever it?* Xu Ying wondered. Nalan Du's expression shifted slightly as he finally recognized the young man's origins. He hastily sent a voice transmission to Young Master Ningqing: *"Young Master, he is a heavenly fiend—the Imperial Monarch's demonic thought!"* Young Master Ningqing looked on with great interest and chuckled softly. *"I know. They hail from the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain. Let us follow along and see what tricks these heavenly fiends are playing. Besides, I would like to see what kind of entity this Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign truly is!"* He glanced at Xu Ying and whispered, *"I am quite interested in this person as well. I think I've seen him before."* *You've probably seen him on a wanted poster—the kind where he sits at the very top of the list!* Nalan Du thought to himself. He dared not speak the thought aloud, for Xu Ying was right beside him. Although Xu Ying always wore a smile and treated others with kindness, he consistently inspired a sense of dread. The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch smiled. "Does Lord Xu not remember me?" Xu Ying's eyelid twitched. *He recognizes me? Could he be a demonic thought severed by the Imperial Monarch only recently?* His eyes darted around, trying to fathom the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch's angle. *As long as he isn't the true Imperial Monarch, I still have a fighting chance!* Xu Ying told himself. The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch led the way, guiding them past countless heavenly fiends into an immortal realm. The first thing to meet their eyes was the Southern Heavenly Gate, towering and majestic. Stationed to guard the gate were the Four Great Immortal Kings, formidable and awe-inspiring. Passing through the Southern Heavenly Gate, they saw celestial mountains and sacred grounds in every direction. Immortal palaces stood thick as a forest. Immortals cultivated elixirs and concocted medicine, wearing gentle, approachable smiles and treating everyone with warmth. Other immortals sat expounding scriptures and preaching the Dao in an atmosphere of flourishing prosperity. Massive complexes of heavenly palaces stretched into the distance, grand beyond measure. Xu Ying stared wide-eyed, murmuring, "If not for the fact that this is still Weixu, I truly would have believed this was the Immortal Realm." Hua Cuoying whispered, "How could this be the Immortal Realm? This is the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain. Still, the heavenly fiends dwelling here were spawned by paramount figures and wield portions of their might. They are extraordinarily formidable and must not be underestimated." Xu Ying sensed the surroundings carefully. The power of the Immortal Dao truly existed within this space, indistinguishable from a genuine celestial world. "Why did an immortal domain form inside Weixu?" "Heavenly fiends are the stray thoughts severed by immortals," Hua Cuoying explained. "When those contaminated Dao hearts fall, some carry portions of the immortals' cultivation with them. When so many gathered in one place, they formed the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain." Xu Ying looked toward the immortals. Every one of them possessed the bearing of a transcendent being—serene, benevolent, and amicable, resembling enlightened masters without the slightest hint of ferocity. He had encountered heavenly fiends before: vicious and cruel, seizing the bodies of others. Once they took possession of a vessel, they would unleash slaughter and feast on flesh and blood, bringing immense catastrophe! For that reason, whenever a heavenly fiend appeared in the mortal realm, crowds of Qi Refiners would unite to hunt it down. When a heavenly fiend grew too powerful to suppress, a phoenix would even be born of heaven and earth to devour it, preventing the extermination of all living beings. Yet the heavenly fiends in Weixu's Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain seemed distinct—more refined, of a higher order. Just as the thought crossed his mind, an old immortal who had seemed gentle and kind mere moments before suddenly opened a maw vast as a blood-red basin. He engulfed a person beside him from head to toe and swallowed them whole! Xu Ying froze. The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch led them forward, completely unbothered by the sight. "The one who just ate a person is True Monarch Taiping. Normally he is a very kind man; his inner fiend simply acts up once in a while." At that moment, a voluptuous beauty walked toward them, beaming. "Our honored guests have arrived." The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch smiled. "For the Primordial Monarch to welcome them personally shows how honored our guests truly are." The voluptuous beauty had fair, tender skin that looked as though a breath might break it. She offered a faint smile. "When even the Supreme Sovereign has extended such a cordial invitation to this honored guest, how could I fail to appear?" With that, she cast a coy, blushing glance at Xu Ying. Pierced by her gaze, Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. He marveled inwardly at the potency of a heavenly fiend. *Primordial Monarch? She must be the Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch! But why is she looking at me like that?* The Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch stepped up to Xu Ying, nudging Hua Cuoying aside, and leaned her full figure against his side. She chuckled softly. "Lord Xu, it has been quite some time since your last visit. Since our parting, I have never forgotten you, constantly longing for the day you would return. Had I not been trapped in the Immortal Realm, I would have ventured out to find you!" Xu Ying's scalp went numb as a dreadful thought struck him. If the Xuanhuang Realm truly was here, then he must have visited the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain in the past! Had he shared some sort of romantic history with this Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch on his previous trip? *What an absolute scandal...* Young Master Ningqing looked at Xu Ying, thoroughly astonished. When he had seen Xu Ying summon prayer beads amidst the tide of heavenly fiends earlier, he assumed this dark-faced youth was a Qi Refiner from the Ancestral Court. He had initially intended to reveal his identity, awe the lad, and take him under his wing. Now, however, it was clear that this dark-faced youth was far from simple. His status was extraordinarily high—so high that even the Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch appeared to have shared a brief romantic dalliance with him! *The Imperial Monarch and the Primordial Monarch both know him. He is definitely no minor figure! Who on earth is he? Just who is he?!* Just then, another immortal clad in full armor walked over. His aura was deep and steady, his expression grave. "Lord Xu has finally arrived. Over all these years, the Supreme Sovereign has never stopped thinking about your last meeting. He mentions you constantly." Xu Ying hesitated. "Fellow Daoist, and you are...?" The armored immortal stared in disbelief, then grew indignant. "Lord Xu no longer remembers me? I am the Heavenly Venerable of the Thunder Department! Back then, you and I drank wine atop the Immortal Execution Stage. I sang 'Setting Sun Over the Long River,' and you joined me with 'Rising Tide of the Azure Sea.' With the wine rushing to our heads, we burned incense and swore an oath of brotherhood! Have you forgotten the solemn vows we made to each other?" Xu Ying was even more bewildered than he was. Scratching his head, he said, "I've forgotten... I was suppressed beneath the Imperial Monarch's seals for forty-eight thousand years. I remember nothing." The Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable glared furiously at the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch. The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch said mildly, "It wasn't my doing. It was done by the me in the Immortal Realm. Over these years, his inner fiends have run rampant, and he has severed a great deal of demonic nature and cast it down to me. I have witnessed all his deeds." The Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable looked abashed. "I misunderstood you, then." Hua Cuoying was utterly dumbfounded. She scratched her head, thinking, *I originally planned to abandon Immortal Master Xu here, let the heavenly fiends swarm him, and sneak back to Fengluan Ridge to loot my old man's private vault. That plan is out the window now.* Every heavenly fiend in this Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain seemed to recognize Xu Ying! Even the Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable had become his sworn brother! Swearing brotherhood with a heavenly fiend—wasn't that taking things a bit too far? *Swearing brotherhood with a heavenly fiend and flirting with a female fiend... no wonder he's got treason in his bones!* Hua Cuoying thought. Young Master Ningqing stared at Xu Ying, his mind reeling. *Just who is he? Why does even the Heavenly Venerable know him?* A moment later, several other prominent figures from the Immortal Realm arrived, all for no other purpose than to catch a glimpse of Xu Ying. The sight nearly drove Young Master Ningqing mad. He had assumed he was the paramount figure here, only to discover he was nothing of the sort—this dark-faced youth was the true luminary! *He is... he is...* Suddenly, Ningqing's eyes lit up. *I've seen him on the wanted posters! He is Xu Ying!* The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch led them to the very center of the immortal domain. Xu Ying looked out to see myriad brilliant manifestations of the Immortal Dao interlacing to form a Dao Domain. Within it stood a golden palace, positioned as though it were the center of the universe, inhaling and exhaling the profound workings of heaven and earth. *This truly doesn't look like a dwelling for heavenly fiends. No wonder it's called the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain,* Xu Ying marveled inwardly. *What kind of entity could this domain's Supreme Sovereign possibly be?* "Lord Xu has finally come." Before the golden palace, an elder clad in robes embroidered with five dragons came out to receive them in person. Smiling, he said, "Forty-eight thousand years have fleeted past since our parting, and at last, we have awaited Lord Xu once more. Over these forty-eight thousand years, has Lord Xu been well and content?" Xu Ying was struck speechless. Only after a long silence did he let out a deep sigh. "Is Your Excellency the Supreme Sovereign? To be truthful, I have wasted forty-eight thousand years, drifting in a stupor as if through a dream. Even now, I have yet to awaken the memories of my first life. I have no recollection of when I met any of you." Hearing this, the elder looked toward the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch, the Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch, and the others. The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch said, "I have heard that Lord Xu suffered a misfortune and perished once before." Gathering his courage, Xu Ying said, "Everyone, there is one thing I cannot comprehend. Why is the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain so different from what I imagined?" The Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign, the Imperial Monarch, and the rest exchanged glances and chuckled. The Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch smiled. "When you came here back then, you asked that very question. The Supreme Sovereign answered you thus: for those who dwell in high positions, benevolence and compassion can sometimes be an inner fiend—one that must be severed alongside evil. Lord Xu, you did not understand back then. Do you understand now?" In Xu Ying's mind, the experiences of those forty-plus millennia swept past like scenes on a revolving lantern. Memory upon memory, life after life, flickered across his thoughts in a single instant. After suffering through all those years of hardship, he finally understood a little. Sometimes, goodness was a sin.