At this moment, Dao Qiong Cang didn't resemble the lord of the Dao Hall at all; he looked more like a sneaky scoundrel about to pull off some shady deed.
He chuckled a few times and said:
“To be precise, Ba Zun An and Yue Gong Nu once had a child. If he had grown up smoothly, he would be about... um, the same age as Xiao Kong Dong now?”
Once?
Jin Ren picked up on that key word.
If it was the child of the Eighth Sword Immortal and the Holy Emperor of the Yue Clan, how incredibly talented would he be?
And if he was around the same age as Xiao Kong Dong, why hadn't anyone in the Five Domains heard of him? Had he simply faded into obscurity like everyone else?
So...
“Is there some accident?” Jin Ren asked.
“Uh-huh...” Zhu Yi Ke struggled a bit, realized he couldn't get up, and decided not to resist. After all, he could listen while sitting, whether he was being sat on or not.
“Not just one, but many.” Dao Qiong Cang said with a casual smile, gazing at the night sky as his thoughts wandered:
“The Five Holy Emperor families place immense importance on bloodlines. Within our... um, within our ranks, there are special ways to continue the bloodline.”
“The goal is for the next generation to inherit the Holy Emperor position with the most exceptional talents, passing it down generation after generation... um, forever.”
“But human nature doesn't work that way. The desire for freedom exists even within the Holy Emperor families.”
“Every generation has a few who try to rebel against the 'rules.' Most are exiled, becoming outcasts of the Holy Emperor families.”
“These people—do you know what we call them internally?” Dao Qiong Cang turned his head and asked.
“What?” Jin Ren asked in response, while Zhu Yi Ke curiously stopped his fidgeting eyes and swallowed the blood foam from his lips.
Dao Qiong Cang smiled softly:
“Holy Slaves!”
The moment those two words were spoken, both Jin Ren and Zhu Yi Ke tensed up.
Holy Slaves?
Was this the same as those Holy Slaves?
“This Holy Slave is not that Holy Slave.”
“But if you insist, their meanings align in a certain way.”
Dao Qiong Cang gazed at the lunar halo over the mountain and sighed:
“A symbol of those in lower positions rebelling against fate's injustice, driven by the desire for freedom... to defy the heavens.”
Jin Ren pondered this.
So, even the “Holy Slaves” within the Holy Emperor families had rebelled?
“No one wants to be branded with the label 'slave' for any reason. The word itself seems inherently derogatory.”
“The Holy Slaves of the Holy Emperor families have rebelled, and not just in one generation—it's happened in every one.”
“What do you think the outcome was?”
Not just Jin Ren, but even Zhu Yi Ke now knew the answer.
After all, if they'd ever succeeded, people would have heard about it, which meant the Holy Slaves of the Holy Emperor families had never won.
“Yes, they've always failed.”
“Even among them, some were geniuses who could rival Ba Zun An, but they still ended in failure.”
“In Yue Gong Nu's generation—that is, our generation...”
Dao Qiong Cang's gaze flickered, as if lost in thought, and after a long sigh, he continued, “No matter how you predict or speculate, I think her outcome was also failure.”
“But Ba Zun An succeeded.” Jin Ren interjected.
“What do you mean by success?” Dao Qiong Cang chuckled at the question. “Is it making a name for himself so everyone knows him, or does it mean completely overturning his fate and gaining true freedom to call it success?”
“...”
Jin Ren fell silent.
“If it's the former, he's already succeeded; if it's the latter, he's barely taken a big step forward.”
Even the old man was speechless.
Zhu Yi Ke was trembling with fear.
He had a feeling that after tonight, he might be in serious trouble.
After all, was he even worthy to hear all this?
“Back to the child...” Dao Qiong Cang quickly steered the conversation back, though it wasn't exactly on track. “Many people have seen Ba Zun An, but few have seen Yue Gong Nu.”
“Within the Holy Emperor families, we actually pay more attention to her and her child.”
“This child wasn't allowed, right?” Jin Ren picked up the thread.
“Right.” Dao Qiong Cang blinked. “Once Holy Emperor blood mixes with an outside clan, the power diminishes greatly—not to mention Yue Gong Nu was the designated heir of the Yue Clan.”
“And then there are the series of 'relationship' troubles that would arise after the child's birth.”
“Even if this generation doesn't care and dismisses the Holy Emperor families as nonsense, what about the next, or the one after that...”
“When their talents fall short, the problems will surface.”
Dao Qiong Cang sighed deeply. “Human nature is always like that.”
“So, the child was aborted?” Jin Ren felt the ending shouldn't be so straightforward; otherwise, Dao Qiong Cang wouldn't have brought it up.
“When Yue Gong Nu was captured and thrown into the cold prison of the Yue Clan long ago, that's what we all thought.”
“What about in reality?” Jin Ren had a knack for prompting.
“As I said, the Holy Emperor families have their own unique ways of passing down bloodlines, and each clan does it differently.” Dao Qiong Cang mentioned it again before continuing: “It wasn't until recently that I discovered Yue Gong Nu might have hidden the truth in a way even I didn't know about, deceiving the higher-ups of the Yue Clan.”
“After that, she gave birth to the child and, somehow, managed to smuggle it out into the outside world under the Holy Emperor families' tight surveillance.”
Jin Ren had never been to the Holy Emperor families, so he didn't fully grasp how difficult that was.
But thinking it over, to pull off “deception” and “concealment” right under the noses of the Holy Emperors, who specialized in “forgetting” and “deceiving”...
—And even now, if Dao Qiong Cang hadn't mentioned it, probably no one on the continent would know that Ba Zun An had a child.
That was absurd!
“Isn't that a good thing?” Jin Ren didn't even need to speculate; just imagining it, he knew how terrifying the child's talent would be. “With Ba Zun An's gifts and Holy Emperor blood, maybe the kid could innovate, forge a new path, and avenge his parents. That sounds like the stuff of legends!”
“Kui Lei Han has a son too—did he innovate? Did Kui Lei Han?” Dao Qiong Cang countered with a question.
“Uh...”
“Actually, I had the same thought as you.” Dao Qiong Cang suddenly added: “The Holy Emperor families' method of bloodline continuation through special breeding causes each generation's power to decline, even if it seems minimal.”
“But over time, even if they still hold the Holy Emperor position, the descendants' abilities will never match their ancestors'.”
“Naturally, they can't perfectly inherit the power—that's the fundamental reason why high-level Holy Emperors are becoming rarer.”
“This method has its flaws. Unless every few generations, a prodigy emerges with talents rivaling the Ten Venerables, someone who can defy heaven, revert to ancestors, and restore the bloodline...”
At this point, Dao Qiong Cang smiled mysteriously. “Do you know why the Ten Venerables War ended after the previous generation?”
Jin Ren was startled.
Zhu Yi Ke's pupils dilated.
“Why?”
The two spoke in unison—one in surprise, the other weakly.
Dao Qiong Cang glanced at the flesh cushion beneath him and smirked. “Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed.”
Jin Ren felt like killing this flashy old Daoist—though he already had that urge.
But at that moment, he was powerless to resist. It was strange that Dao Qiong Cang was sharing so much with him.
He couldn't let himself get pulled into this old Daoist's rhythm, so he abruptly asked:
“Dao Qiong Cang, what about you? How old is your child?”
Zhu Yi Ke's pupils focused again, and he tensed his abdomen, nearly bucking off the person on top of him.
So curious...
Dao Qiong Cang stared at the night sky and murmured absentmindedly: “Ten years old, I suppose.”
“Huh?” Jin Ren was stunned. “You really have a child?”
“No.”
“Then where does this ten-year-old come from...”
“You asked, so if I didn't answer that way, wouldn't I be losing face for you?” Dao Qiong Cang laughed.
“...”
Jin Ren was speechless. This old Daoist was too much.
“Alright, you've asked your question, now it's my turn.” Dao Qiong Cang propped his head on his arms and turned back.
Jin Ren grew wary.
Dao Qiong Cang: “Xu Xiao Shou, do you want a child?”
Zhu Yi Ke's eyes lit up instantly, and he snapped his head around, nearly twisting his own neck, to look toward Jin Ren—I mean, Xu Xiao Shou.
Xu Xiao Shou: “...”
How did this suddenly make the old Daoist sound like Xiang Yi?
“You don't want one? You don't like kids? Or have no plans for descendants?” Dao Qiong Cang pressed.
“... Not exactly.”
“So you do want one. Who do you want to have it with?”
The question felt a bit too direct.
Xu Xiao Shou didn't know how to respond with his usual witty retort to deflect it.
“Then let's start with a fundamental question!” Dao Qiong Cang said seriously. “Do you like men or women?”
Xu Xiao Shou's spiritual sense scanned the surroundings and confirmed they were indeed on Qing Yuan Mountain, not in some dream.
How did the conversation end up here?
The highest leaders of Heaven's First Tower and the Sacred Divine Hall were discussing this on Qing Yuan Mountain?
If word got out...
Qing Yuan's night battle—fighting over this stuff?
“Dao Qianbei doesn't have kids, and I'm still young, so I haven't thought about it yet.” Xu Xiao Shou chuckled.
“We're different.” Dao Qiong Cang snorted. “I'm a noble Holy Emperor descendant, my fate is predetermined.”
“You're just a lowly ant, with ordinary blood flowing in your veins. If you don't find a good sacred body to continue your bloodline, your child will likely achieve far less than you.”
“And under your reputation, anything ordinary is a sin—they'd probably die young.”
Xu Xiao Shou was furious.
I don't even have a child yet!
And you're cursing my kid to die young?
“You idiot!” he snapped.
Dao Qiong Cang didn't care. His eyes twinkled as he continued, “But if you pair with Holy Emperor blood, even if it's not the purest, it's still an exceptional sacred body... your descendants would be extraordinary!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Xu Xiao Shou sensed Dao Qiong Cang was up to no good.
Dao Qiong Cang stood up with a smile.
“Ah.” Zhu Yi Ke felt the weight lift from him and started to get up—who wouldn't be interested in Xu Xiao Shou's lifelong matters?
But then—
“Bang!”
The old Daoist smashed down with a fist.
The martial-suppressed Zhu Yi Ke rolled his eyes back and passed out in frustration.
Dao Qiong Cang leaned down, his face kind, and grinned at the Tian Ji puppet:
“Xiao Yu, what do you think?”
Xu Xiao Shou blanked out briefly.
After all that circling, was this what Dao Qiong Cang meant?!
“Xiao Yu? Which Xiao Yu?”
“Who else could it be? Do you have many Xiao Yus? Isn't there only one Yu Zhi Wen who's been good to you?” Dao Qiong Cang sneered dismissively.
“How is she not good to you?” Dao Qiong Cang feigned surprise and pulled out several reports from his robe:
“In the White Cavern, surrounded by Red Clothes, she called out and saved your life, right?”
“In the Yun Lun Mountains, as the controller of the Cloud Mirror World, she covered for you multiple times—knowing but not reporting it, which is basically treason. Didn't you know?”
“In the Four Symbols Secret Realm, at the Vermilion Bird Golden Tower, she detected your presence but told me she hadn't. Anything related to you, she withholds information—it's all favoring you, even treason. Are you really unaware, or just playing dumb?”
“And forget the rest—just when you faced the Holy Emperor of the Bei Clan, who was the first to rush out desperately to help you? If I hadn't stopped her, she'd be dead by now!”
Xu Xiao Shou was nearly dazed by this barrage, but he latched onto a point for rebuttal: “The Holy Emperor Qilin and that Bei guy—if not for you, would they have shown up?”
Dao Qiong Cang laughed: “If the one guarding the Vermilion Bird Golden Tower wasn't Yu Zhi Wen but me, would you have had a chance to proceed?”
“... Yes!”
“Don't change the subject; we're talking about kids, not Qilin.” Dao Qiong Cang's eyes flashed. “Oh, are you worried about the 'Qilin' issue?”
What issue with Qilin?
Xu Xiao Shou's mind went blank again.
“Relax, Xiao Yu has a Lin Pearl sacred body, but you have the Shen Nong Medicine Garden, right? Eat more Dragon Apricot fruits, gain the Dragon Ancestor power...” Dao Qiong Cang clapped his hands. “Dragon and fish—a match made in heaven!”
“...”
Xu Xiao Shou fell completely silent.
“Oh? So you look down on her? She's a descendant of the Kun Peng divine envoy, you know. Just because she's shown heavenly mechanisms doesn't mean she can't do other things. Do you realize how powerful the Kun Peng bloodline is? How strong Yu Lao is?” Dao Qiong Cang scoffed. “If another Holy Emperor descendant went for her, it'd be a mess, but the Kun Peng bloodline fits perfectly!”
“It's not that...”
“Oh, so you're worried Yu Lao will object?” Dao Qiong Cang anticipated. “Leave Yu Lao to me! I often fish with him and have praised you for ages, setting the bait early.”
“You worried about her master? Don't be, Xu Xiao Shou! That's my sister—as long as I'm around, she won't turn the tables!”
“What? You're worried about me?” Dao Qiong Cang amused himself with the question:
“I'm not like the Yue Clan, messing with matches and breaking up couples.”
“If you two hit it off, I'd applaud with both hands and feet, even sit at the head table for your celebration.”
“And you wouldn't have to leave the Holy Slaves or force your way into the Sacred Divine Hall...”
He paused and chuckled: “As I said, the doors of the Sacred Divine Hall are always open to you—come if you want, leave if you want. I'm very satisfied with you.”
In the Ran Ming ruins, Xu Xiao Shou suddenly felt a trace of his true self reviving.
His spirit trembled!
At the same time, his thoughts flashed with many images...
If he hadn't joined the Holy Slaves, hadn't accepted Ba Zun An's half-coercive invitation and all the mess that followed...
But instead agreed to Shou Ye's offer, joined the Red Clothes, and entered the Sacred Divine Hall...
Would the outcome have been completely different?
“Ba Zun An hasn't treated you as well as I have, right?” Dao Qiong Cang said cheerfully, like an enthusiastic matchmaker:
“If his child were a daughter, secretly born after being suppressed for over a decade, she might be a bit younger than you, at most around your age.”
“But he'd never give her to you—he's too much of a troublemaker himself, you know.”
“I'm different!”
Dao Qiong Cang thumped his chest with gusto:
“Who am I? The unfathomable Dao Qiong Cang!”
“If you agree now, it's just a word from you—I'll change your fate and seal your match.”
“You and Xiao Yu will definitely end up together; even a Holy Emperor couldn't alter it— that's what I say!”
Dao Qiong Cang leaned in closer and sighed deeply: “Would you bet on Ba Zun An controlling the Void Island to save you, or on me?”
Xu Xiao Shou felt his head spinning.
His remaining spiritual sense scanned the blurry surroundings again.
It was Qing Yuan Mountain, right?
This wasn't a dream!
Were the Holy Slaves and the Sacred Divine Hall really battling over this on Qing Yuan's night?
If he woke Zhu Yi Ke and had him spread the word, no one in the world would believe it!
“I...”
“Don't rush to refuse.”
Dao Qiong Cang waved it off after saying his piece. “Think carefully about your Xiao Yu and about yourself. I'm not asking you to betray the Holy Slaves; I'm just asking you to... follow your heart.”
Xu Xiao Shou thought to himself that this earth-shattering matter shouldn't have fallen on his second true body to handle.
He wasn't his main self; he didn't dare think about such things.
But Dao Qiong Cang didn't stop his wild behavior. After finishing, he pulled out a bunch of portraits from his robe.
Without exception, they were all images of women, each quite attractive.
Xu Xiao Shou's spiritual sense swept over them and was surprised to find that he had encountered almost all of them.
Su Qianqian, Rao Yinyin, Mu Zixi, Mo Mo, Luo Leilei, Fu Yin Hong, Jiao Tangtang, Lei Xier, A Yao...
From the small likes of Xiao Lian from Duojin Trading House to the big ones like Xiang Yi, even the fallen Rao Yao Yao was among them!
Dao Qiong Cang looked through each portrait one by one, then set them down, only pulling out the last one.
It was a young woman with a somewhat shy expression, skin as fair as jade, and eyes sparkling like stars, as if she saw the world full of wonder.
Dao Qiong Cang held the portrait and said earnestly to the Tian Ji puppet:
“Did you know? My first real use of heavenly mechanisms in life was calculating someone's marriage on the roadside.”
“The result was spot-on! Extremely accurate!”
“Now that I'm revisiting my old skills, I'll calculate for you. If the others score up to eighty-eight points of compatibility with you...”
“She!”
Dao Qiong Cang tapped the woman in the portrait, like he was selling a top-notch product, his eyes gleaming:
“Yu Zhi Wen—one hundred points!”
“Don't wait until you've missed it to start imagining how wonderful it would be to have it...”
Xu Xiao Shou was shocked.
He stared in astonishment at this Dao Qiong Cang, who seemed like a playful old fool with no trace of the top Dao Hall lord's dignity.
Suddenly, he understood once more why people in that era called him... the flashy old Daoist!
The flashy old Daoist glanced back at the sky, and his eager expression vanished in an instant, replaced by unmatched seriousness.
“It's coming...”
He hurriedly tucked away the dozens of women's portraits, stood up, and said gravely:
“Alright, enough with the romance. It's time to talk about the great dao struggle.”
[1 minute ago] Chapter 44: Nest
[9 minutes ago] Chapter 1510: A Drink in Front of the Flower Moon Tower, Testing Your Three-Foot Sword in Your Chest
[14 minutes ago] Chapter 43: The Breaking Formula
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