Chapter 1224: 18.62 First Grey Star - The Being that resides in the Tower of God.
The meeting of the Heavenly Guardians and King Xingyun continues.
The king of the Xing Kingdom and his prime minister were present in the room, as were the six Heavenly Guardians (the final Guardian interacting with the others via a communication crystal). The way the two factions took their seats at the round table was indicative of their division.
The Heavenly Guardians of Gu and Yi sit on one side of the monarch, while the Heavenly Guardians of Mu Zang, Lu Wangle, Mo Xinyue, and Xian Wu, along with Doctor Sen, sit on the other. The prime minister is seated on the side opposite the king.
As King Xingyun watches this scene, the more he regrets what he did in the past. Whereas these old men used to be sworn brothers who would always support him, he now only has the Prime Minister on his sideāthe other two being Heavenly Guardians Gu and Yi, whom he appointed as Guardians from the noble factions.
If he had been them, he would have reacted even worse. King Xingyun could only sigh with sadness in it. After all, who in their right mind would stay friends with someone who caused your whole clan to die and caused your only son and their partners, as well as your grandson, to be lost in ruin because of one decree from him?
Sigh~
In an attempt to lead the conversation, King Xingyun glanced at his Prime Minister, Fu Zin. Xingyun becomes less enthusiastic about the meeting after realizing his sworn brothers are detached.
Fu Zin secretly pats Xingyun’s back in comfort before starting to talk. The topic of the meeting is about the changes in the Ruin of Time and the Tower of God.
“Today’s meeting, let’s begin. Those who live in the Capital City already know about the powerful earthquake that hit the city. We found the reason for that.” The Prime Minister begins his speech.
A few videos of the Tower of God’s entrance were projected, and as they did, they observed that the entire structure trembled violently, causing massive damage in its wake.
Additionally, a recording of an earthquake monitoring device showed that the Tower of God’s video trembled strangely at the same time as the recorded earthquake, with the movements of the tower perfectly timed to coincide with the shaking of the device.
Heavenly Guardians Mu and Lu’s faces darkened at the mention of the Tower of God, witnessing the reaction of the structure. The entity that lives there is a bad one, feeding on human sins and negative emotions; it is possible to say that there is a devil inside every god.
Lu Wangle said to Mu Zang: “It seems that blocking the entrance of people in that place made it angry.”
“If he considered those contracts as food, then that means he had been starving for quite a long time. Is that earthquake a warning or something?” Mo Xinyue said.
Mu Zang clicked his tongue and said, “That’s why I told you to seal up that stupid tower! The thing that lives in that place is evil!”
Cough. cough. Cough!
Doctor Sen examined Mu Zang and found that he had simply spoken too quickly with the exertion of his throat, which caused it to clog for a brief period of time. The abrupt rise in his voice restrained his throat, causing him to cough violently. Mu Zang’s ability to speak can only be supported by a machine. It would not be as good as before.
Doctor Sen said, “You are not allowed to shout. Do you want to go home with a hoarse voice and let your family worry?”
“Okay, I will not shout any more. Cough,” Heavenly Guardian Mu Zang said.
Heavenly Guardians Gu and Yi, on the other hand, were unable to understand what was being said. They were not aware of the mystery surrounding this Tower of God, which is a mysterious and malevolent object that may cause the world to suffer if it were to fall into the hands of a person with a dark heart.
Gu Yan asked while frowning. “Hey! You should at least explain properly. What do you mean that the Tower of God is evil? Is that place locked up because there’s a deadly miasma inside?”
“Think carefully. If there is really a deadly poison in that tower, would it be good to use living humans to guard and patrol that place? It’s to prevent others from entering it. Your Majesty, I think we also have the right to know about the tower,” Heavenly Guardian Yi said.
Heavenly Guardian Mu Zang snorted and said, “Isn’t it because you two came from the noble faction and had a direct connection to the palace, so you guys weren’t informed? I mean, if there are people who would want to replace the king, it would only come from your side of the faction. Unlike us, who had no desire for the crown, you two are a different story.”
As usual, Mu Zang speaks too bluntly. His notorious poisonous tongue never falters. He has no regard for other people’s faces, but he is overly protective of his own. The king has let him down so many times, but he is still a friend. Naturally, Mu Zang would support King Xingyun in contrast to strangers like Gu Yan and Yi Kun.
Angered to the point of his face turning red, Gu Yang bellowed. “Surnamed Mu, what the hell are you talking about?”
“The one you serve isn’t the current king but the real king that is supposed to be sitting on that useless seat. In reality, he doesn’t trust his own brother with his throne. After all, if he is not sick, he would be the one enjoying all the privileges and praises as the king of this kingdom. The Lu and Mo live in the capital city. This is their main territory. The Mu and Xian had no backing.
Only I, a Heavenly Guardian, exist as the sole member of the Mu Clan. You were never afraid of my fame but afraid of my strength. Isn’t that why you gave me the most dangerous danger zone and the farthest in the kingdom? You didn’t want me to get involved further with the palace,” Mu Zang said.
Gu Yan and Yi Kun shut up when they heard Mu Zang’s words. Even though they were trying hard to control their expressions, Gu Yan never did. He glared at Mu Zang so openly.
Lu Wangle said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your elder brother does not say anything. Brother Ye said to not get involved. You have a big family to protect. There is no need to add us too,” Mu Zang said.
Ye Jingya, Lu Wangle’s distant cousin and Mu Zang’s lover, volunteered to survey the interior of the Ruins of Time, which is supposed to be Lu Wangle’s duty, and he did so because it was dangerous. He also supported Lu Wangle until he became the head of the Lu Clan because of their great rapport, which led to their children growing up as childhood sweethearts and becoming in-laws.
This is the second reason Mu Zang detested Lu Wangle. It was because of him that his son and his husband had to go there. He was also the one who prevented him from going there; worse, they were unaware that his son was carrying a child and had gone there with Lu Wangle’s son, so when the Ruins of Time became uncontrollable, Mu Zang lost his son, his husband, and his grandson.
One of Ye Jingya’s special abilities is telepathy, which he uses to communicate only with his other half. It may seem like a pointless skill, but it is very powerful. Ye Jieye’s soul is too weak to come out of the ruin where he was born, so Ye Jingya gave up his lifespan to bring it out.
Only souls or unique existences can move in such a small crevice of space, and Ye Jieye’s soul was the only one to emerge, with the others still trapped inside the remnants of time and space.
The dragon, on the other hand, is the medium that Ye Jingxia discovered among the ruins; it shielded his grandson’s soul during the transmigration process. The dragon egg is a special kind of existence. Ye Jingya utilized it as a medium to extract his grandson’s soul after observing that it could move unhurt through time and space.
To create a body for him, Lu Wangle and Mu Zang went to the Tower of God. The exchange between Mu Zang and the existence of that tower was never equal in the beginning.
—
What happened to the Tower of God a few years ago?
Upon entering the tower, Mu Zang and Lu Wangle found that each floor was teeming with monsters, the majority of which were either undead or dark creatures. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to vanquish the creatures because they could regenerate indefinitely. However, for some reason, the tower welcomed them with an opening at the top.
The highest floor has a massive black throne, upon which sits a humanoid creature whose face is concealed by a cloak, leaving only a pair of red eyes staring down at the occupants with a sense of contempt that they cannot quite put their hands on.
{Mortals, you are the first to reach this throne’s floor. You may now speak your heart desires~}
Every word this thing speaks seems to be loaded with strength and qi, and as Lu Wangle and Mu Zang looked up, they saw a massive pair of monstrous eyes staring down at the seductive and magnetic voice of a man resonating throughout the space. Complicated ruins light at the walls and the throne.
Mu Zang asked, “Any wish? Without consequences?”
{Hm~} The pair of crimson eyes narrowed as it stared at Mu Zang. All of a sudden it started laughing.
Hahahaha~
Even though he didn’t know why this being was laughing, Mu Zang felt that something had been seen through by this being. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing what it was.
{Well~ instead of a wish. It’s more like an exchange. Hmm, but for you, a small exchange is enough for that wish. You wanted a growing vessel for that young soul with you, right? I will give it to you. In exchange, give me what is the most useful for you~}
Lu Wangle panicked, “Zang, don’t believe him. He must be lying. It’s not possible!”
{Snorts!}
The entire floor darkened and became eerie; in front of Mu Zang, a massive black flower slowly opened, revealing the body of a human baby, curled up as though it were sleeping, but with no heartbeat. When Mu Zang reached out, he felt his body warm, a revelation that left both Mu Zang and Lu Wangle dumbfounded.
{Do you believe me now? Put the soul in it and I will take away the most useful thing in you. Once you put in the soul, the exchange will begin.}
Mu Zang wanted to do it as fast as he could but was stopped by Lu Wangle.
Lu Wangle spoke, “I also have a wish. I wonder if you can fulfill it as well!”
{Hmm~ nothing is interesting to you. But I follow the words of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, that one beside you is an exception though ~ haha! What he wanted is connected to my future, after all. So the price for it, I am willing to pay. So his exchange will only take away the minimum price.}
{As for you… what you wanted is resurrection. It can be done but to revive something that can only be exchanged with a life.}
Lu Wangle trembled at such words and declared. “I am willing to give up my life!”
{Pfft! Have you learned too much nonsense? The sacrifice of one for one life? Only the God of Life and Death can do such an exchange, I am not. To resurrect someone you must help me increase my strength, of course, one life isn’t enough. You need to give me thousands of innocent souls to resurrect someone.}
Lu Wangle and Mu Zang turned pale at these words. When they heard his words, he realized that the being in front of them might not be a God but something extremely evil instead.
{Frightened? That’s why you shouldn’t wish for something so easily. Everything in this world must be in balance. An exchange for another exchange. Your friend’s situation is different. The one who will pay for it is me so his exchange is small.
For example, his voice is enough to trigger the contract. As for your wish, thousands of innocent lives must be given and I can give you what you wanted~}
Mu Zang understands that this situation is fated. To save his grandson, this is the only way to do so. Since he can keep his life in exchange for his wish, he agrees to it.
“I agreed with the exchange!”
{Good~ then your voice shall be mine!}
Lu Wangle shouted with a pale face. “NO!!!”
Mu Zang saw a dark shadow of a blade flash before his eyes, severing its throat; the neck remained intact, but blood gushed painfully from his throat, indicating that something inside of him had been forced out without causing damage to the outside world.
Pukes blood~
The baby on that flower began to cry as soon as Mu Zang finished vomiting blood, and the soul of his grandson in his care vanished. When the baby opens its eyes and reveals deep black eyes that resemble Ye Jingya’s features in their recollections, Lu Wangle and Mu Zang conclude that this is, in fact, their grandson.
Mu Zang glanced up at the staring figure above him, its now crescent crimson eyes looking down on them, and understood that he was unable to cry out in happiness.
“…”
{I told you, didn’t I? I wanted your voice in exchange~}