Chapter 184 - 110: Dragon Elephant True Sect Disciple and a Shocking Secret: 10 Celestial Pillars, 9 Great Giant Houses, and the Succession of the Great Xuan Human Lord

Chapter 184: Chapter 110: Dragon Elephant True Sect Disciple and a Shocking Secret: 10 Celestial Pillars, 9 Great Giant Houses, and the Succession of the Great Xuan Human Lord

"When you become a Martial Saint, a Giant... or even a Human Immortal, why would you still need to be cautious?"

"When great power resides within oneself, any cage or shackle can be shattered with a single punch."

"Isn’t that how you’ve gotten this far?"

Ji Xiu shook his head.

"You’re right, and you’re wrong."

"When your fist is bigger than everything else, it’s true that might makes right."

"But does becoming a Martial Saint or a Giant mean you’re Unrivaled in the Human World, with no opponents or peers?"

Jiang Li fell silent for a moment.

"They exhaust countless schemes just to attain that status and power. For the sake of their lives, fortunes, and families, wouldn’t those Martial Saints and Giants become cautious to the extreme, terrified of making a single misstep?"

Ji Xiu scoffed.

"Those with nothing to lose have nothing to fear. A common brute from the market, a slave, a peasant—they have nothing. So when they get a chance, they risk it all to climb higher. They don’t care about hidden dangers or future consequences, because being one step too slow means death."

"But as their situation improves, it’s only human nature to start weighing pros and cons, understanding the power dynamics, and assessing the circumstances."

"It’s not about being afraid."

"It’s just that for most people, no matter the countless reasons or so-called righteous causes, it all comes down to a single concept in the end: trade-offs."

"There’s always something to gain, and always something to give up."

"No matter how high you climb, you can’t escape this reality."

Looking at the Jade Token in Jiang Li’s hand, Ji Xiu said:

"To me, this item’s disadvantages outweighed its advantages, so I wasn’t planning on keeping it. But..."

"...you, Miss Jiang, stopped me."

"Does it hold great significance for you?"

Ji Xiu narrowed his eyes, mustering his courage to probe her with a seemingly casual question.

In the past, facing the invulnerable Jiang Li, he could never get any information or details out of her, no matter how subtly he tried to ask.

This was the first time she had ever revealed a hint of her origins.

After hearing Ji Xiu’s words, Jiang Li clutched the Jade Token tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

She gazed out at the vast, shimmering East Canghai.

After a good while, her furrowed brow finally relaxed, and she murmured:

’So that’s how it is... heh.’

’That does make sense.’

’I’ve learned a lesson.’

’When did I, and how far did I go, to forget such a simple truth...?’

’To only see it clearly today... it’s true: it’s hard to see clearly when you’re in the thick of it, but an outsider sees everything.’

’No wonder I ended up with my soul separated from my body, drifting aimlessly, becoming nothing more than one of the Wandering Ghosts.’

She whispered a few phrases, leaving Ji Xiu uncertain, so he guessed tentatively:

"Miss Jiang, are you also from this Sun and Moon Hall? Have you met this Senior Ye Wenjiang?"

Gazing into the boundless East Canghai, Jiang Li replied nonchalantly:

"You could say that."

"But the Sun and Moon Hall is also divided into the ranks of Fiery Sun, Moonlight, and Stars. He had only just taken his seat. I never met him."

"It’s just..."

"Every single Sun and Moon Treasure Pearl is a priceless treasure, forged by a Divine Craftsman using Outer Dao Artifact Refining and Talismanic Techniques to enhance and strengthen the wearer’s Warrior’s Divine Soul."

"You shouldn’t have cast it aside like a worn-out shoe, tossing it into this vast sea to let a treasure gather dust."

"I’ve altered its appearance for you and hidden its aura. No one will be able to tell what it is, except for someone from the same origin."

"Take it."

Seeing Ji Xiu hesitate, the corner of her lip curled up, and she teased:

"Oh, that’s right. Just now, our dear Boss Ji was going on about weighing options, trade-offs, and whatnot, sigh..."

"And now that you’ve heard my background, you know that this helpless, wandering ghost might be a rebel wanted by the Great Xuan, a remnant of a former dynasty, and you want to draw a clear line between us..."

’This woman.’

A dark look crossed Ji Xiu’s face.

It was true what they said: you become like the company you keep.

After spending too much time in his residence, seeing the absurd antics of Cai Ling’er and Qingtuan, this woman—who had started out so mysterious and aloof—had picked up their habits.

"Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you."

"I know all about your immensely righteous reputation; you’d never abandon a ’helpless woman’ like me."

Jiang Li smiled sweetly, pinned the disguised Sun and Moon Jade Token to Ji Xiu’s waist, and clapped her hands together.

"I have nothing to my name right now, and I’m just freeloading off you every day. I can’t teach you anything either, so consider this a down payment on the interest."

She yawned.

"Alright, go back to sleep. It’s late. If you hadn’t insisted on throwing away my... on throwing away the life’s work of that person, I wouldn’t have bothered to find you in the middle of the night."

"This thing has a lot of symbolic and commemorative value, you know."

"What if the Great Xuan doesn’t last a thousand years, and we get to the next great dynasty, or some other Celestial Universe system successfully infiltrates?"

"It might become a valuable antique, and its price could double!"

"You kid, you really don’t understand its value. It would be great to pass it down to your descendants. In a few decades, or a Hundred Years, what if your family falls on hard times? You’d have this Jade Token left, and you could use it to make a comeback..."

"Who can say for sure about things like that?"

Jiang Li blinked, and Ji Xiu felt an immediate urge to retort.

’For crying out loud, woman, can you please stop reading those trashy storybooks that Bai Shuo and Qingtuan are always into!’

’You’ll rot your brain with that stuff sooner or later!’

The two rode side by side, each lost in their own thoughts.

However, they hadn’t gone far when Jiang Li suddenly stopped, pointing toward a fleeting flicker of firelight at the entrance to Anning County.

"Wait."

Her eyes narrowed.

"I think I sense..."

"...several unusual auras."

"Demons, devils, Divine Fiends..."

"For such a small County town, it’s certainly lively."

A cold wind blew past.

Red lanterns hung in the streets and alleys, the snow on the ground mixed with scraps of firecrackers. A sudden gust of icy wind swept by as soft, fine snow began to drift down from the sky...

Feeling the chill on her cheeks, Jiang Li murmured:

"It is precisely because there are far too many of these sudden calamities and mishaps."

"That makes it all the more necessary to Purify the Outer Dao and become a true Human Immortal Dynasty. I wouldn’t dare say it’s about making everyone a dragon, but at the very least, you have to give the common people a chance to live..."

"But that’s a truth too many people don’t understand. Or rather, they understand, but they just don’t care."

Her words sent a chill through Ji Xiu’s heart. Just as he was about to ask a question, he saw Jiang Li’s expression turn serious.

"Boss Ji, are you ready?"

She pointed in the direction of the ominous firelight, her tone calm.

"The snow tonight is about to be stained with blood."