đź“– Chapter 1165 - Separate Paths!
“Baole, do you know what the Heavenly Dao is?” Chen Qingzi glanced sideways at Wang Baole before turning his gaze back to the dark sky. His voice seemed to be more emotional than before. Not waiting for Wang Baole’s answer, he continued speaking, as if talking to himself.
“The Heavenly Dao is not a living being. Instead, it’s the convergence of all the thoughts and wills of a race, sect, or really any large group of people. When this group becomes the dominant force in the world, they can set the rules and kill all who oppose them. Gradually, all life will get used to their rule, and at that point… the will of that group will become the Heavenly Dao.”
As his senior brother’s almost ethereal voice echoed in his ears, Wang Baole fell silent. Although he didn’t know much about the Heavenly Dao, he still had his own judgment after experiencing all his past lives.
“This is the case for the Never-Ending Heavenly Dao. It’s the combined will of all members of the Never-Ending Clan over the countless years. However, the one who carries the Never-Ending Heavenly Dao is one of Patriarch Never-Ending’s Dao clones.
“The Heavenly Dao of our Underworld Sect is the same. Its former carrier was the Underworld Emperor, who had existed ever since the Underworld Sect’s inception.” Chen Qingzi softly spoke about his understanding of the Heavenly Dao. Listening at the side, Wang Baole agreed to a certain extent, but there were also points where he disagreed.
“According to my analysis, the Underworld Emperor is a being transformed from one of Allheaven’s fingers. As for the other four, one transformed into the natural laws, one transformed into the magical laws, one transformed into heaven, and one transformed into earth. And the palm… is this universe itself.
“Therefore, the origin of the Underworld Sect and its mission all come from Allheaven’s will. We must seal all things in this universe and stop anyone from leaving. On the surface, this manifested in our control over reincarnation. With life and death being inevitable, all lives would eventually come to an end. Thus, no one would be able to transcend the world.
“But then… Allheaven, who gave us this mission, suddenly perished. From that moment on, the Underworld Sect began to decline, and the Never-Ending Clan rose up. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they regained their former position.
“What the Never-Ending Clan desires is eternal life, and more than that… transcendence. They want to break the seal and enter the outside world. At that point, they’ll form a connection to the true world of Never-Ending, and then… return.
“And this desire of theirs clashes with the mission of our Underworld Sect.” Chen Qingzi shook his head. He was about to continue speaking, but Wang Baole suddenly interrupted.
“Because of The Immortal? The mission of the Underworld Sect isn’t to prevent the Never-Ending Clan from returning, but to prevent The Immortal from escaping. Isn’t that right?”
At Wang Baole’s words, Chen Qingzi fell silent. He didn’t continue on this topic any longer. Instead, he looked at Wang Baole and gave his answer to the previous question.
And with that, Chen Qingzi turned and left.
Staring at his senior brother’s back, a memory suddenly surfaced in Wang Baole’s mind. Back when he was still a cultivator in the Soul Conduit Realm, he followed his senior brother and left the Federation for the first time in his life. At that time… if the incident with Divine Emperor Split Moon hadn’t happened, then by the time he opened the coffin, he would have arrived at Planet Underworld.
In that case… maybe the final outcome would have been different.
Back then, his senior brother had been gentle, and he himself had been full of pride.
If things had developed along that trajectory, perhaps Wang Baole would be standing tall in the Underworld Sect by now. Even if there was opposition, he would have been able to overcome it.
But now…
The Underworld Sect’s defeat at the hands of the Never-Ending Clan back then was related to Chen Qingzi’s betrayal. Chen Qingzi’s regret must have been like a venomous snake gnawing on his mind for countless years.
Thus, in order to atone for his sins, he desired to allow the Underworld Sect to rise up again. In order to do this… he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his self and fuse with the Heavenly Dao. This was his obsession, and he wasn’t wrong to pursue it.
Moreover, the current Underworld Sect wasn’t wrong, either. They were just a group of pitiful people who had no contact with the outside world and held onto the glory of the past. Their resentment, unwillingness, and reluctance to let go of their delusions all entangled together and turned into madness.
This madness wasn’t wrong. Only the mad could fight to the death to rise up from the bottom!
Thus, the people in the Underworld Sect weren’t wrong.
And Wang Baole also wasn’t wrong. His hopes toward the Underworld Sect had been broken by the harsh reality. His respect and affection for his senior brother had been crushed by the ruthlessness of the Heavenly Dao. Moreover, he had to become stronger as soon as possible in order to survive the future crises, so he didn’t have the time to take over the Underworld Sect. He didn’t want to tie himself down to this Underworld Sect that had nothing to do with him.
Furthermore, it was possible that he was fated to be opposed to the Underworld Sect from the very beginning. What the Underworld Sect wanted was to prevent the escape of The Immortal, while Wang Baole… had obtained The Immortal’s inheritance.
Perhaps his senior brother had already sensed this.
Perhaps he only sensed it after fusing with the Heavenly Dao, which was why his attitude had changed so drastically.
Perhaps, in his heart, Chen Qingzi was also at a loss.
Perhaps… if Wang Baole gave up on the inheritance of The Immortal, gave up on his pursuit of the future, and buried the wish of seeing the world outside the stele deep in his heart, then he could stay in the Underworld Sect with peace of mind. Perhaps he could carry on the mission of the Underworld Sect forever into the future. Perhaps… that was what his senior brother was hoping for.
Wang Baole fell silent and remembered his master’s words at the end of the Underworld Dream. Lost in thought, staring at the departing figure of Chen Qingzi, his senior brother’s answer floated to the front of his mind.
“I used to be your senior brother, but now… I am the Heavenly Dao. All I do must be for the sake of the Underworld Sect. Once this matter is over, you… should leave.”
Wang Baole took a deep breath. Standing up, he bowed deeply toward Chen Qingzi.
“Senior Brother, I will do my best to bring you the remains of the Underworld Emperor. After this… take care.”
As Wang Baole’s soft murmur echoed out, Chen Qingzi stopped in his steps. He stood still for a long time, then continued walking away.
Two fellow disciples in an Underworld Dream. Now, one bowed and the other walked away. The distance between them gradually increased until they could no longer see each other. Only the statue of the ninth grand elder, the tallest of the nine statues in the Underworld Sect, seemed to cast its gaze over all of heaven and earth. In its gaze, there was one person slowly walking away, fading into the distance and disappearing into the void. In its gaze, there was another person bowing his head, only raising it after a long while and slowly closing the door of the palace.
Their paths had diverged.
Wang Baole was silent for a long, long time… More than half a month passed quietly. Then, as dusk settled on Planet Underworld one day, the sound of fanfare rang out all across the planet.
The waters of the faraway Underworld River surged, and the crashing of waves echoed out across the entire Land of the Underworld. All the cultivators on Planet Underworld could hear it, including Wang Baole. Slowly, he opened his eyes from meditation.
“The Underworld River…” Wang Baole’s eyes were filled with a decisive light as he pushed open the palace door. Lifting his head, he saw countless cultivators flying out from all parts of the Underworld Sect and gathering high in the sky. There was a blurry, giant face at the end of the sky. It was Chen Qingzi.
Chen Qingzi looked down at the planet, the cultivators of the Underworld Sect, and Wang Baole.
“The Underworld River is opening. Everyone… the hope for the Underworld Sect to regain its past glory lies in your hands.”
In response to his statement came roaring cheers from the cultivators of the Underworld Sect. All of their voices were filled with determination, as well as madness!
"Underworld Sect!"
"Underworld Sect!!"
"Underworld Sect!!!"