Chapter 1865: No love, no hate, but sworn enemies

In Yaoguo, for Bai Ziqi, the Cloud Emissary from the Upper Capital, to visit He Lingchuan was a sign of respect and an elevation of He Lingchuan's status.

But here, Bai Ziqi's life and death hung on He Lingchuan's whim.

The roles were reversed; the world turned upside down.

Neither spoke, but both were filled with myriad emotions.

He Lingchuan nodded towards Granny Zhu, and the Cave Spider Queen retracted the silk binding Bai Ziqi.

Bai Ziqi flexed his wrists and exhaled slowly.

He Lingchuan picked up the pot and poured two cups of wine.

"Please," he offered. "This is fine wine I brewed myself on the Yangshan Archipelago."

Exhausted from the long battle, Bai Ziqi was also thirsty. He picked up a cup and drained it in one gulp.

The wine stung the wound near his mouth, but he paid it no mind.

His body was covered in wounds; the least severe were several broken ribs, one of which had punctured an internal organ, making every breath feel like fire. Still, he didn't care.

"Good wine," he said, setting the cup down. "During the battle in the Sea of Consciousness, did Master Xiao not emerge?"

If Xiao Wencheng had returned alive, He Lingchuan wouldn't have been the only one present.

He Lingchuan shook his head. "He also detonated his divine soul; otherwise, I couldn't have killed the Grand Celestial Myriad Illusions."

So, the Grand Divine Venerable fell by He Xiao's hand?

He Lingchuan's words were incredibly revelatory. Bai Ziqi pondered for a moment, then quickly said, "The battle between the Grand Celestial and the True Immortal, between the Heavenly Palace and the Illusory Sect, actually ended with He Xiao victorious! Congratulations to you."

His voice carried genuine admiration.

Grand Celestial Myriad Illusions was among the top three deities of the Spiritual Void, and Qianhuan was one of the leaders of Mount Ling. If either of them stamped their foot in anger, the mortal world would tremble. Anyone achieving what He Lingchuan had done would certainly be immortalized in history.

But then he immediately asked, "Does the Illusory Sect know that their patriarch was forced to his death by you?"

The Immortals of the Illusory Sect were all dead, leaving the rest to be deceived by He Xiao?

He Lingchuan raised the pot and slowly poured more wine. "The cultivators of the Illusory Sect wept bitterly upon hearing that their Immortal Venerable and sect master bravely sacrificed themselves to eradicate evil for the world, a deed forever etched in their hearts. After they leave the Upside-Down Sea, the heroic deeds of the Illusory Sect's immortals will also be widely spread."

Bai Ziqi was incredibly clever; he understood in a blink, finding it both absurd and admirable. "Impressive, truly He Xiao."

In the face of overwhelming circumstances, the truth no longer mattered, especially after all those in the know had died.

Of course, he was also one of the "insiders."

The most fundamental reason boiled down to four stark words:

The victor takes all.

If you lose, you must accept it.

"There are a few things I'd like the Cloud Emissary Bai to clarify for me."

Bai Ziqi was generous. "Ask away; I have nothing else to do anyway."

"The battle's over, so let's discuss something unrelated. The demonic power that Grand Celestial Myriad Illusions brought into the Upside-Down Sea this time was immense. Was it all his own?"

"Not entirely," Bai Ziqi replied, knowing this information was easily obtainable and He Lingchuan could get it from other celestials even if he didn't speak. "There were subservient deities from the God of a Hundred Battles and subordinate deities from True Monarch Tongming."

So, Grand Celestial Myriad Illusions even borrowed personnel from other deities. It seemed that waging war with borrowed resources wasn't exclusive to humans.

"What was the purpose behind his insistence on Qianhuan's body?"

Bai Ziqi smiled. "How would I question the actions of a celestial?"

"A True Immortal's body is a perfect vessel for a great demon, eliminating the need for those grotesque fiendish beasts, right?" He Lingchuan asked, his gaze fixed on Bai Ziqi. The latter neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Next question: Whose skin was True Monarch Zangxi?"

Bai Ziqi still didn't answer.

"Brother Bai, if you don't cooperate, I'll be in a difficult position."

Bai Ziqi shook his head. "Let's be frank, He Xiao. Are you insistent on opposing Beijia and the Heavenly Palace because you're being manipulated by the Great Square Jar?"

He Lingchuan chuckled. "Could someone being manipulated act like this?"

"Then I don't understand what good this does," Bai Ziqi said, taking another sip of wine, but he choked and coughed several times. "Oh?" He Lingchuan tilted his head. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"You're making an enemy of the Heavenly Palace, and secretly undermining the Illusory Sect and Mount Ling," Bai Ziqi said, his face flushed from coughing. "You want to establish your own power with the help of the Great Square Jar. Hmm, I see you're aiming for the entire Shanjing Plain!"

He said "entire" Shanjing Plain. He Lingchuan's eyes flickered slightly. "Why?"

His true intentions had never been revealed to outsiders; even Dong Rui and Granny Zhu didn't know what he truly aimed for.

Yet, it was Bai Ziqi, an outsider, who saw through him.

"Your ambition is too great; a single country or city cannot contain it," Bai Ziqi said softly. "When you used Qingyang to kill the King of Yao and destabilize Yaoguo, I knew you harbored grand ambitions for the Shanjing Plain, aiming to profit from the chaos."

Yaoguo's national strength was not what it once was, but it was still the hegemon of the Shanjing Plain. If He Lingchuan wanted to take control of the Shanjing Plain, he had to disrupt and dismantle the existing powers, otherwise the resistance would be too great.

Connecting He Xiao's past actions, this person had consistently used high-profile commerce to mask an even higher-profile strategy. It wasn't hard for Bai Ziqi to deduce his true objective.

"If I had arrived in the Shanjing Plain sooner, you wouldn't have had such an easy time," he remarked. He had still arrived too late; He Xiao's power was already established.

He Lingchuan smiled. "Cloud Emissary Bai is as confident as ever."

"But I don't quite understand why you secretly harmed True Man Qianhuan?" Bai Ziqi added. "Did you have an old grudge, or did you discover his true identity?"

If Qianhuan had defeated Grand Celestial Myriad Illusions, it would have been the safest and most secure outcome for He Xiao. Yet, he secretly interfered, ultimately causing Qianhuan's downfall.

It was hard to say there wasn't a personal vendetta involved.

He Lingchuan smiled, his eyes narrowed. "Oh, that? We had a feud. I found my chance and took my revenge."

Just as expected.

"Then what is your reason for insisting on being an enemy of Beijia and the celestials?" Bai Ziqi asked, his gaze at He Lingchuan complex and inscrutable. "There must be a reason, right? Look, heaven and earth inflict suffering upon mortals, yet mortals don't become enemies with heaven and earth because of it."

People, mortals, hate very specific things.

Because, "the emotion of hatred needs to be built upon a concrete object."

For weak mortals, how ethereal and remote are the celestials dwelling beyond the heavens?

They wouldn't even conceive of "hating celestials."

During this meeting, He Lingchuan shed his previous disguise, and Bai Ziqi immediately sensed his intense animosity towards the celestials.

Where there is hate, there is always a reason.

"How can demons be compared to heaven and earth?" He Lingchuan scoffed softly. "Heaven and earth are so vast and ancient, but what about demons? Over a dozen have died in the past two days. If they can be killed, why can't they be hated?"

"Besides," He Lingchuan shook his head, "there's no love or hate between me and the demons. It's simply that they can't tolerate me, and I can't tolerate them."

No love, no hate; just an irreconcilable opposition.