Chapter 1744: The Annals of History

The stone door through which Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao had emerged was not set into a wall. Instead, it stood independently in the middle of the hall, with nothing supporting it on any side. If one walked around to the back, it was just like looking at the back of a mirror. There was nothing there.

After recovering from their brief astonishment, the two began exploring the great hall.

Zhou Mengyao discovered that the doors and windows of the great hall had been completely sealed from the outside. The talismans they could see from within were merely the tip of the iceberg. After all, the interior walls were also covered with murals. Zhou Mengyao’s preliminary assessment was that the entire exterior surface of the walls was engraved with talismans. Even if both of them recovered their full cultivation, they might still be unable to break through.

This place was essentially a prison, which made sense given that it was where the Azure Heaven had been suppressed. Although the primary means of suppression were the Cloud God’s pocket realm and the Grand Illusion Realm, this palace was also an extraordinary creation. It could be considered a masterpiece into which the Old Taiping Sect had poured all its resources and expertise. If one could take the time to carefully study these talismanic inscriptions, the insights gained would undoubtedly be immense.

However, the two made a new discovery near the sundial’s Eight Gates. Among them, the Life Gate corresponded to the great hall’s tightly shut bronze doors, which could not be opened at present. Opposite it was the Death Gate, which corresponded to a passageway leading downward.

There was another level beneath the great hall.

The two levels could be distinguished according to yin and yang. The upper level was the Yang Hall, while the lower level was the Yin Hall.

With nowhere else to go, the two had no choice but to venture into danger, even knowing full well that dangers might be lurking ahead.

Compared to the Yang Hall, the Yin Hall was almost like the moon reflected in water. Everything was reversed from left to right and inverted from top to bottom. Both halls featured star charts, but while the star chart in the Yang Hall aboveground was suspended across the domed ceiling, the one in the underground Yin Hall lay beneath their feet, making it seem as though they were walking upon the starry sky.

The lamps followed the same pattern. The hanging golden lamps became floor lamps, but their color had also changed entirely from gold to black. This gave the Yin Hall the appearance of the gloomy Netherworld. Its overall layout closely resembled the two realms of yin and yang that the pair had just escaped from.

The only difference was that the Yin Hall contained an additional inner chamber, which was the true heart of the entire structure.

By this point, someone had already opened the doors to the inner chamber. The faint sounds of fighting could be heard from within, accompanied by intermittent dragon roars.

Qi Xuansu immediately concluded that Long Xiaobai must be responsible for the commotion.

No wonder he had been unable to find her at the critical moment. That silly dragon had somehow been teleported straight into the core area again.

However, Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao did not act immediately. Having only just escaped their predicament, they still needed time to recover their cultivation. Qi Xuansu had currently recovered only to the Xiaoyao stage, while Zhou Mengyao was slightly stronger, having recovered to the Wuliang stage at most. At their present strength, they would struggle to defeat someone at the Zaohua stage even if the two of them joined forces. If they ended up becoming collateral damage in a battle between Immortals, like mere mortals caught in a clash between gods, that would truly be a joke.

Just as Qi Xuansu was thinking this, a figure was sent flying out of the inner chamber. His Spiritual Body had been shattered, and his entire body was drenched in blood. It was none other than the Innkeeper.

Qi Xuansu said softly, “Madam San, didn’t you say you could dispose of the Innkeeper with a mere flick of your hand? You could avenge Drenched Green Robes while you’re at it. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, what are you waiting for? Why aren’t you making your move?”

Zhou Mengyao rolled her eyes dramatically. When she had made that declaration, she still possessed the cultivation of an Immortal, even though she was severely wounded. So she had been brimming with confidence, as though disposing of the Innkeeper would require no more than a casual wave of her hand. But times had changed. Now, this was already the second time she had found herself in such a predicament. At this point, it was difficult to say who would end up disposing of whom.

Fortunately, they still had Long Xiaobai.

Without Long Xiaobai, the Innkeeper might genuinely have gotten the better of them.

Immediately afterward, Long Xiaobai charged out of the inner chamber with an imposing aura. At this moment, she was half-human and half-dragon, barely retaining a humanoid appearance. Her hands had transformed into dragon claws, and she had let out her dragon tail and a pair of horns.

Long Xiaobai showed no mercy. With a single swipe of her claw, she smashed the Innkeeper’s head to pieces.

Ultimately, there was an entire gap in cultivation between them. The Innkeeper was only at the Zaohua stage, so he was naturally no match for the Pseudo-Immortal Long Xiaobai. Moreover, the two had already been fighting fiercely for quite some time, and the Innkeeper had clearly reached the end of his rope, with nowhere left to turn.

Qi Xuansu called out. “Xiaobai!”

Only then did Long Xiaobai notice Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao. She immediately exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you two together?”

Before either of them could answer, realization dawned on Long Xiaobai. “I knew it! Once master and disciple, always master and disciple.”

Zhou Mengyao smiled, maintaining her usual facade of composure. However, her entire body had already tensed, and her eyes were filled with vigilance.

There was no doubt that Qi Xuansu now held the upper hand. If he wanted Zhou Mengyao dead, all he had to do was say the word.

This was also the closest Qi Xuansu had ever come to killing Zhou Mengyao.

Yet, now that the opportunity was right before him, Qi Xuansu found himself hesitating.

After all, the two had just endured a life-threatening ordeal together. Judging by Long Xiaobai’s situation, perhaps not much time had passed in the outside world. After all, there was no way Long Xiaobai could have been fighting the Innkeeper for several months. Yet Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao had genuinely spent half a year together, helping and supporting each other through their predicament. They had only just escaped danger, and mere moments ago, they had still been discussing how to get out of their predicament. For Qi Xuansu to suddenly turn against Zhou Mengyao immediately afterward was easier said than done.

More importantly, Qi Xuansu’s resentment had mostly dissipated in those six months. Once his initial anger had subsided, he began to feel nostalgic about their past relationship. He also started seriously considering a practical reality. Refusing to acknowledge Zhou Mengyao as his master was one thing, but actually killing her was another matter entirely. The repercussions would be extremely severe.

After all, filial piety had become deeply ingrained in the very fabric of the Central Plains. No matter how many dynasties rose and fell, filial piety remained a fundamental virtue, and there was a deeply entrenched belief that parents could do no wrong. Although the Holy Xuan had strongly criticized this notion, advocating filial piety without blind obedience, even he had been unable to overturn it completely.

Moreover, the Daoist Order regarded the relationship between master and disciple as akin to that between parent and child. Killing one’s master was therefore tantamount to killing one’s parent. Such an accusation was not something one could easily bear. Others would not care about the circumstances or grievances behind the act. As far as they were concerned, the simple fact would remain that Qi Xuansu had killed the master who had first introduced him to cultivation.

Had he not heard of what happened to Emperor Taizong of the Qi Dynasty? Even an emperor as wise, brilliant, and formidable as Emperor Taizong had been condemned for killing his brothers and imprisoning his father. If even such an illustrious ruler could not escape criticism, what hope did ordinary people have?

Therefore, even the Grand Master of the Daoist Order would not dare to do such a thing.

After all, Qi Xuansu aspired to become the Grand Master. His lack of greed for wealth and his indifference toward women stemmed partly from his own nature but also from his desire to safeguard his reputation. He could not afford to disregard how he would be judged both during his lifetime and after his death.

At that moment, countless thoughts raced through Qi Xuansu’s mind.

Did Zhou Mengyao’s crimes truly warrant death?

She had never actually succeeded in doing anything to Qi Xuansu. At most, her actions amounted to attempted wrongdoing. Coupled with the six months they had spent together and the potential damage to his reputation, Qi Xuansu genuinely found it difficult to bring himself to kill her.

Qi Xuansu suddenly smirked. “Madam San, why are you so nervous?”

Zhou Mengyao said nothing and merely stared intently at Qi Xuansu.

When intelligent people conversed, there was no need to beat around the bush excessively, nor was it necessary to spell everything out. Thus, Qi Xuansu said, “A master for a day is a master for life. With the venerable patriarchs of the Daoist Order watching from above and the annals of history waiting to record our deeds, even I cannot silence the countless voices of public opinion.”

Zhou Mengyao’s expression softened slightly.

However, Qi Xuansu changed his tune. “That said, putting ourselves in each other’s shoes, I’m taking a step back today because I hope you can also take a step back, Madam San. Only then can we truly honor the bond that once existed between us.”

Zhou Mengyao gave Qi Xuansu a long, searching look. “There are certain matters in which I have no control over my own actions. The Earthly Preceptor might tolerate Madam Qi’s reckless behavior, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she would extend the same tolerance to me.”

Something stirred in Qi Xuansu’s mind.

Long ago, he had entertained a suspicion that Zhou Mengyao and Madam Qi were merely holding “shares” on someone else’s behalf, while the true shareholder and majority stakeholder was the Earthly Preceptor. Judging by what he had just heard, his suspicion had not been wrong. In fact, it was remarkably close to the truth.

Qi Xuansu then asked, “Why is the Earthly Preceptor so tolerant of Madam Qi? Is it simply because they’re sisters?”

Zhou Mengyao replied, “You can ask Madam Qi yourself.”

Qi Xuansu fell silent.

Long Xiaobai was thoroughly bewildered by their conversation, having no idea what the two were hinting at with their cryptic remarks.

Qi Xuansu waved his hand dismissively. “Enough of this. Let’s leave this place first. We can talk about everything else later.”

With that, Qi Xuansu headed toward the inner chamber.

Inside stood an enormous alchemy furnace, which was presumably the source of Long Xiaobai’s fortuitous encounter. Once again, Qi Xuansu lamented at this silly dragon’s extraordinary luck. She had actually been transported directly to this place, where she consumed an elixir and advanced to the Pseudo-Immortal stage in a single step. Had she been teleported into the Grand Illusion Realm instead, she would have been long gone.

Going around the furnace, they found a figure seated upright behind it. Presumably, this was the mortal shell that Long Xiaobai had mentioned. The body showed no signs of decay, sitting there completely motionless.

However, its head was missing.

Wisps of ethereal mist drifted slowly around the body, resembling both the celestial clouds of an Immortal’s abode and the eerie fog of the yin realm.

Zhou Mengyao spoke up. “Tian Yuan, do you remember the human face we saw on the manifestation of the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon...?”

Qi Xuansu immediately recalled it.

In fact, that human face had not been the creature’s actual head. Instead, it had occupied a position resembling a forehead.

It was as though someone had pushed a mask up from their face without removing it, leaving it resting on their forehead. That grotesque, distorted human face had been the “mask,” while beneath it lay the enormous abyssal maw that had swallowed them.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Are you saying that the human head is the key to sealing the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon?”