đź“– Chapter 1181 - A Sigh
This was the truth that Ming Kunzi didn’t tell Wang Baole!
The Ming Kunzi in this place wasn’t his true fleshly body. Ming Kunzi had already died in the war all those years ago. However, there was a profound connection between him and the Underworld Emperor that nobody else knew about. Thus, he eventually resurrected in this place and later accepted Wang Baole as his disciple through the Underworld Dream.
However, all things came at a price. The Ming Kunzi here was nothing more than a soul, and his mission was no longer to represent the Heavenly Dao and guide souls into reincarnation. Instead, what he had to do was… guard the Underworld Emperor Tomb.
No one was allowed to disturb the tomb of the Underworld Emperor. Even for disciples of the Underworld Sect, it was a grave disrespect to do so!
Thus… the only way to take away the Underworld Emperor’s remains was for Ming Kunzi to die again. Once he was well and truly dead, the Underworld Emperor’s coffin would open by itself.
This meant that obtaining the Underworld Emperor’s remains was all but impossible. Although the Ming Kunzi here was just a soul, he was still formerly one of the nine grand elders of the Underworld Sect. With his unfathomably deep cultivation base, let alone the current-day Underworld Sect, even a Divine Emperor of the Never-Ending Clan might be forced to leave in futility.
Even Chen Qingzi, who was his disciple, had been unable to take away the remains. This was how devoted Ming Kunzi was to his mission. He would not agree to give up the Underworld Emperor’s remains no matter who came, except for… Wang Baole!
Upon seeing Wang Baole’s suffering, Ming Kunzi felt regret for his disciple. At the same time, he was pleased that Wang Baole’s Dao and original intentions remained unchanged.
But in the end… his heart was full of guilt. In this world, Wang Baole was the only one who could move him, the only one whom he couldn’t refuse. Thus, Ming Kunzi had every intention of going against his own Dao in order to… fulfill his disciple’s wish.
Chen Qingzi knew all this clearly. If he hadn’t merged with the Heavenly Dao, perhaps Chen Qingzi wouldn’t have had the heart to do this. But after the merger… he was the Heavenly Dao first, and Chen Qingzi second.
Thus, he sent Wang Baole to retrieve the remains.
This was a scheme, a scheme that Ming Kunzi was unwilling to speak of. Chen Qingzi, too, kept quiet about it.
At that moment, Wang Baole’s whole body trembled. When he wished to see the truth, the wishing bottle not only allowed him to see the reality of this bottom floor but also helped him comprehend Chen Qingzi’s scheme. Thus, after a short moment of thought, he quickly understood everything.
As soon as the answer emerged in his heart, Wang Baole’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He abruptly lifted his head. This was the first time… that he looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar figure with such eyes!
Wang Baole didn’t care about the way the Underworld Sect ostracized him, nor did he mind being targeted at the Underworld River. But now… Chen Qingzi’s actions had crossed his bottom line. His eyes were full of fury, as well as a deep struggle and unwillingness to believe as a low growl came out of his mouth.
"Senior Brother?"
Chen Qingzi remained silent.
Wang Baole let out a miserable laugh and took several steps backward. But at that moment, Ming Kunzi’s aged voice echoed in all directions.
"Baole!"
Wang Baole paused and looked at Ming Kunzi. His heart was full of bitterness and a sense of loss.
“You asked me just now how your Dao was incomplete. Now, I will tell you the answer.” Ming Kunzi slowly said. His expression was gentle, and the kindness in his eyes grew deeper and deeper.
“Although you have achieved primary enlightenment of your Dao, your Dao Heart is still unstable. Moreover, the souls here are all illusory, not real… If you want to truly establish your Dao, you need to realize it through a real soul.
“And… I, your master, am the soul prepared for you. Bring deliverance to me. Our fate as master and disciple began in the Underworld Dream, and will now come to an end in this tomb.”
Wang Baole’s whole body trembled. His eyes became redder and redder, and he stumbled backward again. Looking at his master, he slowly became determined and shook his head.
Deliverance was a term used by the Underworld Sect. In reality, it was death. Even if Wang Baole drew a Corpse Face, determined a fated trajectory, and sent him back into the cycle of reincarnation… the one who appeared after reincarnation would no longer be his master.
Perhaps outsiders wouldn’t think so, but Wang Baole was the Underworld Child. He knew very well that after reincarnation, even if the essence was the same, it still wouldn’t be the original self.
There were no two identical flowers in this world.
He could draw Corpse Faces and send others into reincarnation without the slightest fluctuation in emotion, but he couldn’t do the same for his master. Ming Kunzi, in his current state, could still exist for countless more years. Bringing deliverance to him was no different than murder…!
“Master, I won’t take away the remains of the Underworld Emperor!” Veins bulged on Wang Baole’s forehead as he roared and continued stepping backward. But as soon as he did, more than a dozen Underworld Sect cultivators who had been watching from afar instantly burst into motion and charged over.
Among these people, the weakest one was still in the great circle of the Eternal Star Realm, and there were even three Star Domain Realm Almighties. Their speed was blindingly fast as they targeted not Wang Baole, but… the coffin!
They wanted to extinguish the invisible soul lamps on the coffin. Although they didn’t know how, they could tell that once the coffin was opened, the lamps would go out by themselves. At other times, perhaps Ming Kunzi would stop them, and they wouldn’t be able to do anything. But at the moment… Ming Kunzi just let them pass.
As soon as these dozen-over figures approached, killing intent erupted in Wang Baole’s eyes for the first time since arriving at the Underworld Galaxy. His cultivation base circulated at full speed, the power of his Star Domain Realm fleshly body spread out violently into the surroundings, and his pinnacle Eternal Star Realm divine soul roared with madness. He instantly split into more than a dozen afterimages that rushed out and blocked the incoming Underworld Sect cultivators.
The two sides clashed with a deafening boom above the coffin. This was Wang Baole’s first time unleashing his true power in this place, and his momentum was overwhelming. As soon as they made contact with his afterimages, almost all of the Underworld Sect cultivators were sent flying, coughing up blood and looking at Wang Baole with horror in their eyes.
Although the three Star Domain Realm Almighties fared a little better and didn’t cough up blood, the power of Wang Baole’s fleshly body and divine soul was enough to push them back several dozen zhang.
“Don’t force me to kill you!” Wang Baole’s hair flew about wildly, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. After all, in that moment, he alone had faced off against so many people. Despite his strength, he didn’t come out unscathed. However, the killing intent in his eyes was stronger than ever.
In the beginning, he wanted to obtain the Underworld Emperor’s remains for his senior brother. Now, he wanted to prevent the Underworld Sect from taking them. The former was an obsession, and the latter… was even more of an obsession!
Only those with an obsession in their hearts could be said to be cultivating. If there was no obsession, nothing to strive for, then so what if you stepped out into the starry sky?
Wang Baole’s cultivation base erupted again. With a wave of his right hand, the star chart materialized behind him, and countless magical treasures appeared in his surroundings, shining with dazzling light. Amidst all this, Ming Kunzi sighed and looked up at the figure of his other disciple, far above the vault of heaven.
“What… is going on in your head…?”
Meanwhile, the Underworld Sect cultivators who had been forced back all had complicated expression on their faces.
“Underworld Child, why be like this…” One of the Star Domain Realm Almighties said bitterly, finally admitting to Wang Baole’s identity.
“I understand that you’re suffering, but all of this is for the sake of our Underworld Sect. Ninth Elder has also agreed…”
“Underworld Child, please allow us to aid you in this great contribution. Once we return, we will all revere you as our leader!” All three Star Domain Realm Almighties spoke up.
“I refuse!” Wang Baole formed a hand seal, and the divine ox projection rumbled into existence. But just as its heaven-shaking aura erupted in all directions, a cold snort rang out from the distance.
Two people suddenly appeared – the female pseudo-Underworld Child who had hidden her strength, and the male who had a weak sense of existence. These two people flew over from the distance in an instant, turning into two long rays of light that suddenly started merging together.
The merger didn’t last long. After three or four breaths of time, the two rays of light unified, the bodies inside unified, and yin and yang unified. What appeared in front of Wang Baole then was an androgynous figure. It was impossible to tell if they were a man or a woman, but their cultivation base exploded in an instant, breaking through the great circle of the Eternal Star Realm and directly reaching the Star Domain Realm. Furthermore, their Star Domain Realm aura was even more shockingly powerful than that of the other three Star Domain Realm Almighties.
As soon as they appeared, they immediately struck out at Wang Baole with a finger.
“There can be no mistakes when it comes to the rise of the Underworld Sect. Wang Baole… you are a failure of an Underworld Child. In that case, I shall help the Underworld Sect rise on your behalf!”