Chapter 689: A Conversation with the Saint King

"This happened many years ago. I don’t recall exactly how long it’s been. I never thought I would meet you, but fate would have it that I did. Since I accepted this task, failing to complete it would leave an unresolved matter."

The man in green murmured softly to himself before turning to Ye Wushuang. "It seems you’re about to slay Heaven now, correct?"

Ye Wushuang nodded calmly, not a trace of nervousness or fear on his face. Heaven had awakened. Even if he didn’t seek it out, Heaven would not let him be.

The man in green smiled. "Speaking of slaying Heaven, the Emperor also came to the Grand Emperor Domain to do so once."

"Senior, are you referring to when the Empress of Time and Dijun joined forces to deal with Heaven?" Ye Wushuang’s eyes narrowed as he seized the chance to ask. He had learned a little about these events back in the Moonfall Land.

"Yes, but not entirely." The man in green gave a vague smile and an ambiguous answer before continuing, "I say ’yes’ because it was indeed the Empress of Time and Dijun who fought Heaven. I say ’not entirely’ because before that, the Emperor had already wounded Heaven. He was prepared to destroy it, but he later changed his mind and had the Empress of Time and Dijun act in his stead."

’Huh?’

Ye Wushuang was thoroughly confused. ’If the Emperor could obliterate Heaven when it was in the Great Saint Realm, and he intended to destroy it, he should have finished the job. Why would he only wound it and not kill it, instead letting the Empress of Time and Dijun take his place? It doesn’t make any sense.’

"Actually, it’s not that hard to understand."

The man in green saw through Ye Wushuang’s confusion and smiled. "You could say that all of this was for you."

"For me?"

Ye Wushuang was even more bewildered.

"There was once a legend in the Nine Heavens Domain about slaying Heaven to attain the Dao. You possess Royal Blood. I believe the Emperor sent you to the Grand Emperor Domain so you could do just that—slay Heaven, use the Celestial’s Mark to form your Dao Fruit, and thereby reach the Supreme Realm."

"That’s why he didn’t intervene directly. He had the Empress of Time and Dijun merely wound Heaven severely, knocking it down from its Realm. It was all to pave a path for you—the path of slaying Heaven to attain the Dao. However, it is a path you must walk on your own."

The man in green revealed a great secret.

’Slay Heaven to attain the Dao!’

Ye Wushuang was suddenly startled.

The man in green continued, "There are many ways to form a Saint Sage Dao Fruit, but the path of slaying Heaven is the most special, the most powerful, and the one with the most frightening potential. The Emperor’s goal was for you to walk this path, the same one he once walked."

Ye Wushuang fell silent. ’If that’s true,’ he thought, ’then the Emperor planned all of this. My quest to slay Heaven is just me walking the path he laid out for me.’

"Kid, there’s a lot more to this than meets the eye. It’s not that simple," the Dragon Cat’s voice echoed in Ye Wushuang’s mind, sounding as if it knew something. "Lord Cat senses a much deeper scheme. It’s not just the Emperor; many others might be involved. It’s a tangled mess, and I’m afraid even this fellow is being kept in the dark."

It continued, "Don’t overthink it. The priority right now is to eliminate the threat that is Heaven. As for all these schemes, Lord Cat guarantees that once your Cultivation is high enough, you’ll be able to see the truth for yourself."

The Dragon Cat’s words sent Ye Wushuang into deep thought.

"Is what he said about slaying Heaven to attain the Dao true?" Ye Wushuang communicated with the Dragon Cat using his consciousness.

"Of course it’s true. The Emperor himself attained the Dao by slaying Heaven. But don’t get hung up on that. You’re the Inheritor of the Chaos Heaven-Devouring Dragon Body. You should just focus on forging your physique. You haven’t even perfected your body yet, so what’s all this talk about attaining the Dao? That’s still a long way off for you..."

The Dragon Cat stammered, its words vague and its tone profound and inscrutable. ’Attaining the Dao’ could mean many things.

’Especially the Chaos Dragon Tomb. It’s incredibly mysterious. From what I’ve seen, I’m afraid even the Emperor doesn’t know it exists.’

However, Ye Wushuang didn’t press the matter, pushing all his questions down. Perhaps the Dragon Cat was right. Once he was strong enough, all the schemes and truths would be unraveled, one by one.

’Besides, if I want to know everything, I’ll have to break free of my shackles and go to the Azure Celestial Domain to ask the Emperor myself.’

"Senior, how much do you know about Heaven?"

Ye Wushuang asked, focusing his attention on Heaven. Since the man in green was a Saint King, he must know a great deal.

"Heaven."

Hearing Ye Wushuang’s question, the man in green chuckled. "Actually, in the past, neither the Grand Emperor Domain nor any of the other Realms in the Nine Heavens Domain had a ’Heaven.’ Heaven is merely a product of the Rules of each individual Realm."

"Take the Grand Emperor Heaven, for example. It’s a product of the Grand Emperor Domain’s Dao and Rules. I watched it from its birth and growth until it became the master of this domain. In the beginning, it was just and impartial. But gradually, as its sentience grew, it became selfish and greedy."

"To strengthen itself and prevent any living being from surpassing it, it schemed against all of creation. It made mortals kill one another, causing them to decline and wither away. Then, it unleashed one world-ending cataclysm after another, wiping out any existence that could potentially grow strong enough to threaten it. This ensured its unrivaled position and simultaneously strengthened its own Dao."

...

The man in green’s eyes seemed to see through everything beyond the Cloud Sea as he let out a faint sigh.

From his words, Ye Wushuang could easily tell that this man in green was an ancient existence, someone whose age surpassed even the birth of Heaven back in Ancient Times.

Ye Wushuang couldn’t imagine how such a figure had survived to the present day. ’Can anyone truly live forever?’

The man in green said, "Heaven has now been grievously wounded, its Realm having fallen to that of a Saint. However, it is still not something an ordinary person can oppose. With your current strength, your chances are slim."

"I’ve already made my decision. Even if the chances are slim, I have to try. Otherwise, I’ll miss even that small opportunity."

Hearing the man in green’s words, Ye Wushuang actually laughed. ’So what if the chances are slim? I can’t back down. Heaven has no intention of letting me go anyway. It’s either kill or be killed!’

"Interesting. It’s been ages since I met someone so interesting."

At Ye Wushuang’s words, the man in green suddenly looked to the sky and laughed. Within his scholarly elegance was a trace of pride that looked down upon the world, hinting at the peerless, divine grace he must have once possessed.

"Since you are so resolute, I’ll give you a hand. It’s a request I promised the Emperor long ago. However, the Emperor took my Dao repository, so I have nothing left to give... I’ll just pass on my Secret Techniques to you and reforge your physique one more time while I’m at it."

As he spoke, the man in green pointed a finger, and a beam of incandescent light shot into Ye Wushuang’s body.

Ye Wushuang didn’t dodge. After all, if an expert of this caliber wanted to kill him, it would be effortless. There was no point in even trying to defend himself.

"This is as much as I can help you. With my part done, I can finally rest easy. As for slaying Heaven, whether you succeed or not will depend on your own fate. With your current strength, you only have a thirty percent chance of victory. You’re on your own now. If you win, all is well. If you lose, you will pay a price beyond your imagination."

The man in green shook his head with a smile and stepped into the darkness.

Ye Wushuang was silent and his expression grave. He knew what that price was. If he failed, all his friends, his family, and every living soul in the Grand Emperor Domain would die.

Ye Wushuang called out, "May I know your name, Senior?"

"You’ll find out on your own in the future."

As the man in green walked into the darkness, his enigmatic voice drifted back, "One last piece of advice. Slaying Heaven is but a small step. The Nine Heavens Domain is just a springboard. The truly vast and magnificent world is beyond anything you can imagine!"

With that, his figure vanished.

"Heh heh, looks like that guy is another unlucky soul," the Dragon Cat muttered inexplicably from within the Chaos Space. The term "unlucky soul" seemed to imply a great deal.

Ye Wushuang paid this no mind, however. As the white light entered him, his body instantly erupted. His Dragon Blood began to boil, and his bloodline underwent an astonishing metamorphosis. Just as it had during the Refinement of the Divine Power, his Dragon Blood Saint Body began to gradually transform!