Chapter 1633: Drunken Wine Boy's Wild Talk, Divine Seat and Spirit Shadow Stand Empty by the River

The atmosphere in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows grew somewhat tense.

Earlier, Kong Yuhen had already finished carving the wooden sculpture of Rao Wangze. After all, even the longest task eventually comes to an end. Surely there was no reason to keep him any longer? Emperor Saint Wangze felt he had shown enough respect to the enigmatic Kong Yuhen, having stayed in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows for a very long time. He certainly didn't want Kong Yuhen to push his luck now that the task was done.

Kong Yuhen was indeed not that kind of person. It was merely a casual favor; there was no need to see it through to the very end. However, not keeping him didn't mean that "showing him out" was the only option left. Kong Yuhen said nothing. Instead, using the power of the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, he connected to the outside world and showed them what was happening in the Divine Ruins.

At this moment, Xu Dao and others had just entered the Star River Divine Court. Within the Divine Punishment Pillar formation, Huang Quan witnessed Half-Saints easily having their souls torn apart, and among them were many Profound Half-Saints. Against Su Yin, even Profound Half-Saints couldn't utter a single scream. Those reduced to such despair even included his opportunistic ally, Yue Gongli. Huang Quan then sat more upright on his small stool, as if this dangerous place, the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, had become his last refuge.

What Emperor Saint Wangze saw was Emperor Saint Fengtian, stripped of all dignity, who, after repeatedly bowing and begging for mercy in vain, became an energy source for the Star River Divine Court. He merely chuckled at this.

"Fengtian? How could he compare to Wangze?"

Regardless of what others might think, Emperor Saint Wangze mused thus. He didn't believe he would suffer the same fate as Emperor Saint Fengtian if he left. But how much better could things truly be? After days of restlessness in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, for the first time, he felt that life couldn't always be about moving forward; one needed to settle down and reflect when the opportunity arose. Sometimes, sitting quietly is not stagnation, like rowing upstream where not advancing means retreating. Rather, remaining on the shore after the tide recedes, not being swept away, can also be considered a success.

"Just wait then!"

"That's fine too."

As he waited, Emperor Saint Wangze felt a slight relief that he hadn't made a move against Kong Yuhen. That's why, at this critical moment, Kong Yuhen hadn't driven him out. While it was true that the future of the Wurao Imperial Realm was his greatest concern as the head of his clan, couldn't he, as the clan head, sometimes think only of himself?

"I'm very tired, alright!"

And so... Silence descended upon the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows that night. Anxiety festered amidst the endless waiting.

"A divine war?"

After an unknown period of calming his mind and spirit, when he saw the Eye of the Celestial Ancestor appear, Emperor Saint Wangze couldn't help but ask. For the first time, he felt that the Divine Ruins were so out of control. He had originally thought that personally entering the fray for the mere future of the Wurao Imperial Realm was like using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken—an overkill, but at least he'd have full control. Now it seemed he might have been reckless... Even an Emperor Saint entering the situation was now a thankless and arduous task? How many years had Su Yin been planning this? And he had actually thought, "Since I'm already here, if I don't see Ran Ming, why not negotiate or cooperate with Su Yin?" Bargaining with a tiger? At best, he would have been rushing to become Su Yin's accomplice!

"No, no, no, he was being too modest. He was an Emperor Saint; it wouldn't come to that..." Emperor Saint Wangze glanced at Kong Yuhen, awaiting a response.

"Chop, chop, chop..."

To Rao Wangze's question, Kong Yuhen showed little interest, simply continuing with his new wooden sculpture without answering. Perhaps he simply couldn't predict the direction of the divine war, or perhaps he couldn't define whether the current curses exchanged by the two weakened Ancestral Gods could even be considered a "divine war."

Prying was not good. It would reveal many people's minor flaws and secrets. And to protect Xu Xiaoshou's various methods and privacy, Kong Yuhen chose to turn off the projection and watch silently by himself. He had been continuously following Xu Xiaoshou, and had offered slight assistance whenever Xu Xiaoshou fell into trouble. Kong Yuhen highly valued this "visitor from another world," otherwise he wouldn't have gifted the Time Ancestor's Shadow Staff during their first meeting.

As for the reason... Kong Yuhen himself wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps he was one of the few who could remember more about him?

Waiting... Still, a long wait...

During the anxious time that felt like years, conversation ceased in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, as if both Kong Yuhen and Emperor Saint Wangze had forgotten their initial intentions for staying and being kept. Huang Quan, naturally, was no exception; he had tried his best to minimize his presence, even deliberately trying to fade his "restraint." In this neither wide nor narrow ground-floor pavilion, only the incessant "chop, chop, chop" of wood carving remained, annoyingly buzzing in one's ears. It was highly annoying. And deeply unsettling.

But if it were only this, the unease could be smoothed by time, which would also be a form of "forgetting worries" on another level. Unfortunately. It seemed that whatever one feared most was precisely what would come knocking?

"Creak."

There was a wooden clock in the pavilion. But no one even knew how much time had passed when, at a certain moment, the wooden door of the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows was pushed open.

"Who else have you invited?" Emperor Saint Wangze's startled eyes first turned to Kong Yuhen. What he saw, however, was Kong Yuhen stopping his carving, and a slightly surprised look in his eyes.

An uninvited guest!

Huang Quan, as if petrified, seemed to regain vitality at that moment. His eyes behind the mask shifted, glancing towards the wooden doorway. No one was there! The door had been pushed open, but only air seemed to enter. At any rate, he couldn't see anyone. But! Why did it suddenly feel! As if the ground-floor pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows had become even more cramped?

"My friend..." Kong Yuhen, seated at the tea table, gently placed his wooden sculpture and carving knife down, rose to pour tea for the opposite side, and then extended his hand, gesturing: "Please, have a seat."

To his left and right, Emperor Saint Wangze and Huang Quan suddenly looked terrified. They simultaneously turned their heads, one to the right, one to the left, to gaze sideways, towards the spot opposite Kong Yuhen. Before this small tea table, another person had appeared at some unknown moment. Dressed in a light-colored linen robe, his attire was utterly simple, yet his aura was exceptionally imposing. The ground-floor pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows wasn't large to begin with, designed for coziness. Two people felt a bit spacious, three were just right, but four... that would be too crowded! Crucially, this newly appeared "person" wasn't particularly large—just a normal human size—yet seemed extraordinarily "colossal." With three heads and six arms, merely sitting there quietly, his aura seemed to fill the entire ground-floor pavilion. Not to mention, those three heads were simultaneously staring at the three individuals, creating an overflowing sense of oppression. Even though this "person" had a normal human appearance at this moment, his presence, power, aura, and even his every movement undeniably revealed an essential difference from mortals.

Su Yin! This must be Su Yin's human form, right?!

The human-form Su Yin pointed a single finger at the teacup on the table. His three mouths and six hands seemed unsure how to distribute themselves, and his voice could not be traced to any specific head: "I have traveled a long way; is this the way the 'Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows' treats its guests?"

This was utterly disastrous! The atmosphere was simply explosive with dread! Emperor Saint Wangze didn't even know if he should take another look at the human-form Su Yin. Only one thought echoed in his mind at that moment: "Impossible!"

Impossible, wasn't the Evil God Su Yin fighting a divine war outside? How could he have time to come here? Impossible, wasn't the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows beyond worldly affairs? How could it be sought out like this? Impossible, wasn't the Evil God Su Yin an arrogant and presumptuous Ancestral God? Why was he so polite to Kong Yuhen?

Impossible! Utterly impossible!

Yet, the impossible, his greatest fear, had come to pass, sitting right beside him. Emperor Saint Wangze's thoughts, after a surge of madness, almost froze. He struggled to calm himself. Soon, a wild thought popped into his head: "What a great opportunity this is!" He had originally come here seeking an opportunity, and now, instead of him finding it, it had come to him. Perhaps the idea that had died earlier could be resurrected—cooperation?

He tilted his head. Emperor Saint Wangze saw the three-headed, six-armed Su Yin. His mouth twitched twice; his throat felt dry, and he found he couldn't utter a sound.

"Fear? Hahaha, would I, this Emperor, be afraid?"

He was merely a recently revived Evil God. To be given a chance to return gloriously to the Saint God Continent was a boon, a boon from the Rao Clan of Emperor Saints. If it weren't for the crisis in the Wurao Imperial Realm, even if Su Yin begged him, he wouldn't allow Su Yin to step half a foot onto the Saint God Continent, alright!

"Rao Wangze!"

"Unleash your aura, elevate your stature, and then, speak!"

Emperor Saint Wangze's aura swelled, and he was about to rise and speak, when suddenly a hand reached out from his side, almost brushing his cheek.

"My apologies, my hospitality has been lacking." Kong Yuhen had just remembered to stand up and wash two more teacups to serve Su Yin's three mouths.

"No need." Who would have thought that the latter's three arms would extend simultaneously, almost brushing Emperor Saint Wangze's and Huang Quan's faces, taking the wine cup and teacup from in front of each of them. He drained them in one gulp.

"Thud!" An unusual sound echoed. Everyone looked up to see that Rao Wangze had tripped over his own small stool, nearly falling to the ground. He controlled wind essence, how could he possibly fall? And an Emperor Saint, how could he possibly be startled?

"Heh heh..." Emperor Saint Wangze chuckled twice, just about to say something, when he noticed one of Su Yin's heads, with its huge, demonic purple eye, turned to fixate on him. All his words died in his throat, and he froze in place, his gaze fixed.

It was like the Duke of Ye who claimed to love dragons. When a real dragon descended, he was terrified to his core. It was only at this moment that Emperor Saint Wangze suddenly realized that being able to stand and converse with Su Yin after encountering him was, in itself, a form of courage. So where did that fellow, Xu Xiaoshou, get the audacity to openly provoke an Evil God?

"It must be because I personally entered the fray, and the opportunity is singular. It's been too long since I engaged in battle myself, haha, how amusing... I've experienced a 'thrill' I haven't felt in a long time. This is, in fact, the most novel experience in a hundred years, haha, ha..."

Emperor Saint Wangze had already understood himself within his heart. The Saint God Continent had long been without battles where Emperor Saints personally entered the fray; it was too tranquil. During the battle at Void Island at that time, he had only sent an avatar of his Emperor Saint's will. If that thing died, it died; it was difficult for it to fundamentally affect his true body. Counting carefully, ever since he became an Emperor Saint, he had actually been detached from true "battles of life and death"... for too long to even count. The current "thrill" was merely because he truly faced genuine danger in front of Su Yin. That was all, wasn't it? Emperor Saint Wangze smiled with relief. Suddenly, at one moment, the image of Emperor Saint Fengtian kneeling and kowtowing, ultimately having his soul torn apart, flashed through his mind. His backside stiffened in mid-air for a moment, then he calmly sat back down on the small stool.

Emperor Saint Fengtian? Among the Ten Honored Seats, one's relevance had already faded. How could one Emperor Saint be compared to another?

Before Su Yin could speak, Emperor Saint Wangze, having resettled, watched the wine cup return from Su Yin's mouth, and proactively spoke, interjecting into Su Yin's and Kong Yuhen's staredown: "This Emperor has a matter to discuss."

Negotiations required one to hold the reins of control. At this moment, whoever spoke first would gain the initiative at the negotiation table. Emperor Saint Wangze, as the esteemed head of one of the five great Emperor Saint Clans, had ample experience being sidelined during the "Five Emperor Conferences." At those times, he couldn't get a word in. But that didn't mean he didn't know how to speak. Before the Qianshi Dao Clan emerged from the Dao Firmament, and before the Dao clan had ever laid a hand on the Saint God Temple, his Wurao Imperial Realm's influence in the "Five Emperor Conferences" could rank in the top four, sometimes even making it into the top three.

"Pour the wine." Su Yin placed the wine cup down, gently tapped the table with his finger, his subtle gaze fixed on Kong Yuhen opposite him.

As the master of the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, Kong Yuhen was just about to make a move. Emperor Saint Wangze had already summoned the wine warmer, which was gently heating wine on the side. He knelt, then rose, bending his waist without overstepping Su Yin, and began pouring wine into the empty cup before him: "Alright."

Gurgle... The wine slowly poured out. Kong Yuhen's body, caught between rising and not rising, stiffened. His hand, about to lift but not yet, paused. He stared at Emperor Saint Wangze with a look of surprise. Huang Quan's gaze towards Rao Wangze was far more direct: filled with horror!

It was only when the wine cup was full that Emperor Saint Wangze awoke as if from a dream, realizing he hadn't been able to break free from the guiding force at all... No negotiation, no pressure applied yet! "This Emperor, pouring wine for this newly revived little Su Yin?" His body, half-bent to a posture that seemed slightly reverent, froze in mid-air. He felt as if every joint in his body had become sluggish and incredibly difficult to control. He wanted to take the opportunity to stand up and casually stretch, indicating that his legs and arms had gone numb from sitting too long. The wine was already poured; such an action couldn't hide anything. He wanted to sit back down and regain his composure, pretending nothing had happened. The wine was already poured; how could nothing have happened? "What have I done!!!" A storm of anger raged in Emperor Saint Wangze's heart, though his face remained relatively calm. After gently placing the wine warmer down, he pointed to the wine cup before him and said: "Please."

It was merely pouring a cup of wine; to outsiders, it would only demonstrate the propriety of his Wurao Imperial Realm. Why should this Emperor overthink it?

Su Yin made no move to take the wine. As if he hadn't heard anything, his six arms crossed behind his three heads, and he leisurely continued to stare at Kong Yuhen. Kong Yuhen, taking the cue, lowered his hand, picked up his carving knife, and after looking down, couldn't help but raise his eyes to glance at Rao Wangze again.

"What are you looking at!" Emperor Saint Wangze simply couldn't tolerate that gaze. As if possessed, he pointed to the side stove and offered an explanation: "This Emperor was closer to this wine warmer..." As if feeling the explanation was insufficient, he added: "It was convenient."

"No, what am I explaining? What am I adding?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Emperor Saint Wangze was filled with deep regret, his mouth twitching. Why explain? This Emperor's actions throughout his life require no explanation to others!

Huang Quan's eyes squeezed shut behind his mask; he dared not look further, averting his gaze. He offered no comment. He only knew that after days of being "wild" in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, Emperor Saint Wangze had indeed shattered wine cups. This wine, he had poured for the first time, and it was for someone else. Huang Quan inexplicably felt fortunate that he was wearing a mask at that moment, preventing his true emotions from showing too much. He pulled his hands in, resting them on his lap, his posture even more constrained.

"Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me..."

"I have a worry that I hope to resolve. I came uninvited, and I hope you do not take offense." Since taking his seat, the human-form Su Yin had never once truly looked at the "ants" beside him, even if some might have thought he was looking at them. His gaze was always fixed on the ethereal figure opposite him, appearing illusory and indistinct, standing atop the long river of time.

"What worry?" Kong Yuhen sat quietly on his small stool, holding his carving knife, which covered the newly carved wooden sculpture of a three-headed, six-armed figure. In truth, he couldn't discern the slightest anxiety from Su Yin. However, a guest is a guest. The Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows had always welcomed those who sought its help, readily alleviating their worries.

"Before I state my worry, there is still a question I wish to ask, if I may." The human-form Su Yin seemed to have learned politeness, his words exceptionally courteous.

"No..." Emperor Saint Wangze opened his mouth, wanting to say, "What about me? Are you ignoring what this Emperor said?" He quickly chose to close his mouth. Never mind. Even if he had just revived, he was an Ancestral God in the past. He would just consider it giving Su Yin some face. Once this worry was expressed, he would then bring up the matter of cooperation.

"Please do." To the polite, Kong Yuhen responded with politeness. In fact, even to the impolite—Emperor Saint Wangze, who was historically the most impolite guest in the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows—he also responded with politeness.

Su Yin extended one hand to each side, clenching them into fists and resting them against his two side heads. His other two hands remained crossed behind his central head, while his remaining two hands were folded across his chest. In this relaxed posture, he began to speak: "If you encounter an injustice, would you remain indifferent, or would you lend a helping hand?"

"Injustice?" Emperor Saint Wangze and Huang Quan, their ears perked, were the first to be taken aback. Why would Su Yin say such a thing?

Kong Yuhen frowned, thinking of Xu Xiaoshou. If forced to choose between the Evil God before him and Xu Xiaoshou, he would unhesitatingly choose the latter, as they had interacted pleasantly before. He didn't give a direct answer, but instead asked, "What do you define as 'injustice'?"

Su Yin chuckled, his slightly upturned lips easily mistaken for mockery: "Injustice is injustice. Is it so hard to interpret?"

"It's not hard to understand, but mainly I don't know what you're trying to ask..." Kong Yuhen got straight to the point: "My friend, speak freely. In the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows, there's no need for circumlocution."

Hearing this, Su Yin's three heads simultaneously lowered. Around the pavilion, a "hissing" chuckle arose. After a long moment, he returned to his previous posture, but not before picking up a wine cup from the side and draining it.

"Pour the wine." After placing the wine cup down, he looked directly at the person on the long river of time and repeated: "If you encounter an injustice, would you remain indifferent, or would you lend a helping hand?"

Gurgle... The wine cup was filled. Emperor Saint Wangze put down the wine warmer, his mind reeling as he stood rooted to the spot. "No, what am I doing? Why am I still being obedient? Giving face once is enough. Is this Emperor actually, deep down, trying to be Su Yin's wine-serving attendant?"

Kong Yuhen also froze in place. Su Yin remained silent, but Kong Yuhen heard something significant in the repeated words. "Darn it, I'm the one beating around the bush..." After a moment's hesitation, Kong Yuhen could only speak from his heart, musing: "If there truly is an injustice, I am willing to lend a hand."

Su Yin smiled.

With a resounding boom, immense pressure descended within the Pavilion of Ancient and Modern Sorrows. Cups and vessels trembled, people felt like duckweed, and everything seemed on the verge of shattering, yet halted just before the breaking point. Behind Su Yin, an illusory divine throne appeared, upon which a three-headed, six-armed purple monstrosity reclined, its eyes surveying the past, present, and future. Before the tea table, the human-form Su Yin slowly parted his lips: "Under divine decree, a verbal oath becomes a command. Sir, are your words true?"

Kong Yuhen's heart inexplicably tightened. He felt that his next words would be incredibly important, though he didn't know why or in what way. He had forgotten many things. Su Yin, it seemed, knew "him"?

"Words from the heart, why hesitate?" The Su Yin on the divine throne lazily shifted, while the Su Yin at the tea table's gaze was full of amusement.

"Indeed, what am I hesitating about?" Kong Yuhen opened his mouth and said, "If I encounter an injustice, I will lend a helping hand."