Old Accounts of History

The Eastern King looked toward him, his expression displeased. What he excelled at most—and took the greatest pride in—was his divine foresight. It was one of the few areas where he could surpass his father. For Xu Ying to suddenly say he might not surpass his father displeased him. Xu Ying's gaze was profound and distant. That Supreme in the Immortal Court was the very master of divine foresight who had laid down countless plots, scheming against him, the Demon Ancestor, the Dao Ancestor, and even the Last Lord of Ziwei, all in an attempt to obtain the Taiyi Cave Abyss! *He must have been the one who delivered Mother's hairpin into my first life's hands, forcing me back then to abandon the Ancestral Court and enter the Immortal Realm. It was also because of his backing that my first life soared to prominence in such a short span of time, rising from a lowly Human Immortal to an Immortal Monarch and seizing control of the Dou Department.* Thoughts flashed through Xu Ying's mind like lightning. The Immortal Realm's Supreme had nurtured the first-life Xu Ying for the Taiyi Cave Abyss. But the first-life Xu Ying had stolen away the Yingzhou Cave Abyss, Penglai Cave Abyss, and Fangzhang Cave Abyss, showing signs of breaking free from his control. Therefore, the first-life Xu Ying had later suddenly become a rebel, targeted by the Imperial Monarch, forced to fight his way down to the mortal realm, and ultimately brought down by the Imperial Monarch's dense web of traps. *And the reason the Imperial Monarch moved against my first life must have been at his instruction.* Xu Ying clenched his fists, then slowly unclenched them after a moment. Back then, Xu Ying had spun out of control. If someone could not be kept in hand, destroy him. That was almost certainly what the Immortal Realm's Supreme had thought. *However, the face of the Immortal Realm's Supreme doesn't match Qingxuan's.* Xu Ying had seen the countenance of the Immortal Realm's Supreme before. The Heavenly Fiend Supreme was born from the supreme fiendish thoughts purged by the Immortal Realm's Supreme, so his appearance was naturally identical to the Supreme's. Yet Xu Ying had also seen Qingxuan's face within the past-life memories of the young Daoist Yunhai. Qingxuan was a Daoist of ancient style and transcendent grace, looking completely different from the Heavenly Fiend Supreme. *Where did Qingxuan go?* He wondered inwardly. *Did he die in the battle to overthrow the Last Lord of Ziwei? Or is he still alive, settled somewhere in the Immortal Realm? Why is there no trace of him among the great figures of the Immortal Realm?* The Eastern King's face turned frosty, and he said in a heavy voice, "Celestial Venerable Xu, I admire your talent, but claiming my divine foresight cannot match my father's is utter nonsense. I hope you can give this king a satisfactory answer!" Xu Ying reined in his scattered thoughts and said placidly, "Your father is the Supreme of the Immortal Realm. Is his Dao attainment inferior to yours, or is his cultivation inferior to yours?" The Eastern King's expression grew solemn. "My father possesses matchless natural gifts. In both Dao attainment and cultivation, he stands above me!" Xu Ying recalled the magic treasures that had been knocked away and said, "The Supreme's Dao attainment surpasses yours, and his cultivation surpasses yours. Does divine foresight not rely on Dao attainment and cultivation? Your divine foresight cannot calculate the Supreme, yet his divine foresight can calculate you. That is why I believe Your Highness's divine foresight falls short of the Supreme's." Upon hearing this, the Eastern King shook his head and laughed. "Every art has its specialists. I specialize in divine foresight and have immersed myself in this path for ages, so it is only natural that I surpass him. Furthermore, my inability to become a Supreme is not due to a lack of talent or comprehension, but because my cave abyss is insufficient. If I could obtain a Supreme-grade cave abyss, I could become a Supreme as well! Celestial Venerable Xu, your experience is lacking. Say no more." Xu Ying bowed slightly and smiled. "Your Highness is quite right. I failed to consider that. By the way, Your Highness, what kind of person is the Imperial Monarch?" The Eastern King, knowing of his feud with the Imperial Monarch, replied, "Unfathomable." Xu Ying raised an eyebrow. "Is the Imperial Monarch even stronger than Your Highness?" The Eastern King looked grave. "I cannot gauge the depth of the Imperial Monarch's Dao attainment. But as for cultivation, we are roughly equal. In the past, I once exchanged blows with him, ending in a draw, but I sensed he had not exerted his full strength. His Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon-Breaking Secret Art reached mastery long ago. I suspect his Dao attainment has already reached the Supreme level, and he is merely constrained by his cultivation, unable to advance to Supreme." Attaining the Supreme realm was no easy feat. Even the Eastern King was currently merely a Heavenly Monarch, lacking the resources to advance to Supreme. The tides of the three realms had stirred unusual ambitions in those figures trapped in the Heavenly Monarch realm. "Within the Immortal Realm, there are Heavenly Monarch-grade cave abysses—such as Zuzhou, Xuanzhou, Yanzhou, and Changzhou—all held in the hands of Heavenly Monarchs. The cave abyss in the Imperial Monarch's possession is called Fenglinzhou. That cave abyss is blessed by heaven and earth, dense with spiritual energy, and the immortal gold it produces can be forged into supreme treasures," the Eastern King said. "However, the spiritual energy generated by Fenglinzhou is only enough for the Imperial Monarch to cultivate to the Heavenly Monarch realm, leaving him unable to take another step forward. The elevation of cultivation realm is limited by resources, but the elevation of Dao attainment is not bound by them. The Imperial Monarch's Dao attainment certainly does not stop at Heavenly Monarch." He shared all the information he knew with Xu Ying and smiled. "The Imperial Monarch is also my rival. If Celestial Venerable Xu can deal with him, the pressure on me will be greatly reduced. Furthermore..." He looked toward the nine great magic treasures behind Xu Ying and shook his head. "Celestial Venerable Xu, these nine magic treasures of yours appear formidable and can manifest as nine realms, but against a Heavenly Monarch, they are of little use. If you confront the Imperial Monarch in this state, you are certain to lose." Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and he said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance." The Eastern King said, "The Yingzhou Cave Abyss you took away back then was not inferior to any Heavenly Monarch cave abyss. If you can retrieve the Yingzhou Cave Abyss, your cultivation and strength will advance by leaps and bounds." Xu Ying bowed deeply to the ground. "Your Highness has shown me great kindness. I will certainly repay it in the future!" The Eastern King roared with laughter. "Celestial Venerable Xu, you and I are allies. I do not wish to see you become credit to the Imperial Monarch's name. Do not disappoint me!" Xu Ying straightened up and said with a smile, "I have one more presumptuous request. Could Your Highness help me inquire about someone?" He visualized for a moment, projecting the likeness of Daoist Qingxuan with his divine sense. "This person is named Qingxuan, formerly a Daoist of the Shangqing Dao Sect." The Eastern King looked up at the sky. "That is a simple matter. Celestial Venerable Xu, if I accomplish this for you, you must also help me with something. I have calculated that in half a year, the Yanzhu World and Yuankang World will merge. When these two great worlds merge, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth from ancient times will revive, and an ancient site known as the Wuzhuang Temple will emerge. At that time, it will be inconvenient for me to descend directly, so I will do so via an avatar or incarnation, whose strength will not suffice to suppress the gathered heroes. I hope Celestial Venerable Xu will be present to lend me a hand." "The Wuzhuang Temple?" Xu Ying nodded slightly. "Rest assured, I am a man of my word. I will certainly be there." The Eastern King breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Staying in the lower realm for too long will inevitably attract attention. Farewell! Lan Chengye, let us go." With that, he transformed into a streak of flowing light and soared into the sky. Lan Chengye followed closely behind, vanishing into the horizon. Xu Ying looked up, watching the radiant clouds tear through the void and disappear into the rift in the sky. Only when the Eastern King's figure faded away did the oppressive pressure that bore down upon all the Great Daos of heaven and earth finally dissipate. At that moment, the halo behind Xu Ying's head rippled, and the big bell flew out from the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, asking in confusion, "Ah Ying, why didn't you deploy the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven when dueling him? If you had used it, you wouldn't have had the Heart Peak Immortal Mountain seized on his final move." Over these days, the big bell had been cultivating inside the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, comprehending all manner of Dao arts and divine abilities. When Xu Ying had contemplated the Yellow Court Scripture and the Shangqing Great Cave Scripture in the Shangqing Great Cave Abyss, it had also benefited immensely, causing its cultivation to progress tremendously. Now, waves of Dao might emanated from within the big bell. This Dao might was entirely different from the earlier Dao imprints; previously, it had not known the purpose of those imprints, but now it clearly understood the function of every single Dao art within its body. With a single chime, it could form a layer of bodhimanda, making it extraordinarily formidable. Xu Ying's expression remained calm as he said placidly, "If I had defeated him, I fear he would not have felt secure allying with me." The Ruyi Great Luo Heaven allowed him to unleash his full Dao attainment. Once this Luo Heaven was raised, a bodhimanda formed naturally; combined with the Taiyi Golden Bridge, it would have been exceedingly difficult for the Eastern King to breach his domain. However, had he done so, the Eastern King would have become deeply wary of him, perhaps even turning hostile and killing him on the spot. Xu Ying had no intention of overestimating the Eastern King's magnanimity. Entrusting one's life to another's generosity was not the mark of a wise man. The big bell asked, "If you merged your ten cave-heavens into one, transformed them into the Taiyi Cave Abyss, and supplemented it with the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven, could you contend with him?" Xu Ying hesitated, then shook his head. "Certain defeat. The Eastern King is unfathomable." The big bell was shaken and muttered, "That lad is really that powerful?" What made Xu Ying most vigilant was the technique the Eastern King had used to defeat his Taiyi Golden Bridge—it had directly crushed his Dao arts and divine abilities with sheer, overbearing dominance! The Queen Mother of the West walked forward and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, is the survival of my Kunlun to be pinned on the Eastern King?" Xu Ying smiled. "Pinned on the Eastern King? Dao Brother, that man saw that you and I were useful. It was only because he failed to subdue us that he chose to ally with us. If the day comes when we are of no use to him, that will be the moment he eliminates us to claim merit. We join hands with him solely to deal with the three Heavenly Monarchs: the Imperial Monarch, the Heavenly Venerable, and the Primordial Monarch. As for whether we are friends or foes in the future, we can worry about that when the future arrives." The Queen Mother of the West smiled. "I thought you intended to become a lackey of the Immortal Court." Xu Ying burst into laughter. "I already tried that. It was a dead end." Seeing the female immortal walking toward them, he hesitated for a moment before steadying his mind to face this woman who looked identical to Yuan Weiyang. Seeing this, the Queen Mother of the West quietly departed, leaving them alone. The big bell, however, did not retreat into the Ruyi Great Luo Heaven to hide, remaining hovering behind Xu Ying. "Fellow Daoist Xu, I just saw you duel the Eastern King. Your Dao arts are profound and truly remarkable. You can break the Imperial Monarch's seal now, can't you?" Immortal Monarch Zitong looked at him with hope in her eyes. "If you break the seal, you can restore your first life's memories, and we can return to the way we were before." Xu Ying looked at her with a smile and said, "Back then, when my first life fought through the heavenly path and was on the verge of escaping the Imperial Monarch's schemes, he turned back to the Immortal Realm and missed his chance to flee. Some say I fell into the Imperial Monarch's trap for the sake of a woman, which led to that crushing defeat. Was that woman you?" Immortal Monarch Zitong gently shook her head. "You turned back to the Immortal Realm to bring your mother with you. Once you recover your first life's memories, everything will become clear." Xu Ying fell silent for a moment, then asked, "If I return the Xu Ying you love to you, can you return the girl who dug for loaches with me to me?" Immortal Monarch Zitong froze. "Yuan Weiyang was merely a stretch of memory from this lifetime." Xu Ying said, "To you, she was merely a stretch of memory; to her, that was her entire life." Immortal Monarch Zitong opened her mouth, but could find no words. She could sense the love that former self had felt for this youth—the budding innocence of a first love, a heart fluttering with joy, plagued by anxiety and the fear of loss. She had run alongside Xu Ying like a frolicking young mare, pressing her lips to his, passionately pouring out her affection. She had fretted constantly that her love was unrequited, her heart tumbling up and down as she tried to guess the youth's thoughts. Yet when Immortal Monarch Zitong looked back on those emotions now, they were merely recollections, incapable of shaking her Dao heart in the slightest. The girl that Xu Ying the snake catcher loved truly was nothing more than a memory to her. Back in the Immortal Court, the Eastern King carefully reviewed Xu Ying's Taiyi Golden Bridge, deducing the flaws hidden within that divine ability. After a long while, he still shook his head. "That divine ability has already reached the edge of the Supreme realm. Incredible, truly incredible! Xu Ying, back when your brilliance was peerless and your skill stunned the world, why couldn't you see things through?" Recalling the matter of Qingxuan, he summoned several retainers of the Eastern King's estate, handed them the portrait of Daoist Qingxuan that Xu Ying had visualized, and said, "Go investigate this person's whereabouts." The retainers took the portrait, bowed, and departed. A few days later, the Eastern King suddenly remembered the matter. Noticing that those retainers had not reported back, he felt surprised and asked the other retainers, all of whom said they had not seen those men in days. Following a sudden premonition, the Eastern King performed a calculation, only to feel a sudden daze wash over him, his mind turning murky. He steadied himself and continued calculating their whereabouts, only to be struck with terror. *When did those retainers of mine die? Who is so audacious as to dare kill my people?!* Filled with shock and rage, he continued his deduction. Suddenly, a warm sensation trickled from his nose. Raising a hand to wipe it, he found his fingers covered in blood—two streams of blood were flowing down his nostrils. Terrified, the Eastern King dared not calculate any further. He hastily ordered his attendants, "Quick, find someone who resembles me!" Before long, an unaffiliated cultivator bearing an eighty-to-ninety-percent resemblance to the Eastern King was brought to the estate. The Eastern King stripped off his own robes, exchanged clothes with the man, and said, "Fellow Daoist, you die in my place today. Your entire family shall be treated as my own!" How could that unaffiliated cultivator be willing? Yet suppressed by the Eastern King, he could neither move nor speak. The Eastern King placed a basin of clear water before him, sat him in front of it, and hung white lanterns of deathly energy all around. Late into the night, the unaffiliated cultivator looked down to see the water smooth as a mirror, reflecting his image. Suddenly, from somewhere within the basin, a hand reached out, grabbing him by the hair, while another hand thrust forward with a blade, slashing across his throat, immediately lifting his severed head away! The head on the unaffiliated cultivator's neck flew off, his primordial spirit was sliced in two, and his body perished as his Dao dissolved. His soul scattered, leaving only a wisp of an Undying True Spirit drifting faintly away. Only after the unaffiliated cultivator was decapitated did the Eastern King breathe a sigh of relief. Still clad in the man's robes, he instructed his retainers, "Bury him lavishly." The retainers gathered the man's head and corpse and set off to arrange the funeral. The Eastern King frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "Could Xu Ying be trying to harm me? He clearly knew that divine foresight cannot calculate a Supreme, yet he had me search for this Qingxuan's whereabouts. Did he want to kill me by the hand of a Supreme?" He turned the matter over in his mind and whispered, "The one trying to kill me certainly isn't my father. Could Qingxuan be another Supreme in the Immortal Realm? But surely merely investigating his name wouldn't warrant killing me, would it?" Though he recognized the mortal danger, the name Qingxuan had firmly caught his attention. *There must be a secret hidden behind this!* High above the Nine Heavens in the Immortal Realm, within the Great Luo Heaven. "Someone is investigating Qingxuan, digging into the old accounts of history." "Oh? Who is so bold?" "It is Mingzun's son. I have already meted out a minor punishment." "The younger generation truly doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, daring to rake up just any old debt." "Indeed."