Chapter 1825: Advice

Then let's not meet again!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what the Ghost Ancestor would become the next time they met; it seemed the Ghost Ancestor himself wasn't even sure. Regardless of whether He became Bei Huai, Hua Changdeng, the Medicine Ancestor, or some other miscellaneous entity, the goodwill shown today was unlikely to reappear. Even if He didn't change and still retained His self, the Ghost Ancestor at their next meeting would surely be in a much better state. Would He still need to show goodwill towards him then? They might even be enemies!

“Since this is the first and last time we meet, and I’ve received your benefits, then…”

The Ghost Ancestor looked over, the ghost fire in His eyes seeming to hold a hint of expectation. Jin Ren took a deep breath, still unable to make out His appearance, and said, “I wish you peace?”

The Ghost Ancestor froze, then after a long moment, burst out laughing:“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”

His unadorned laughter was as cold and sinister as a venomous snake, sending a chill down Jin Ren’s spine. Then he heard Him say again: “It’s getting late; you should be on your way.”

Jin Ren jumped in surprise.

The Ghost Ancestor said, “After this meeting, you cannot return to the Crying Emperor Realm. You may choose to take your own life, or I can assist you.”

If he went back, he would fall into Bei Huai’s hands? Sometimes Jin Ren wished he were a fool; at least then he wouldn’t hear the chilling undertones that filled him with sorrow. He felt melancholic again. He truly lacked the confidence to withstand Bei Huai’s capture and soul-searching in the Crying Emperor Realm. Perhaps Bei Huai’s deliberate “indulgence” was to gain more when he finally cast his net. The Ghost Ancestor wasn't foolish. For the sake of privacy during this "secret rendezvous," the possibility of him leaving the Crying Emperor Realm alive was clearly zero!

Oh, my bitter fate!

Destined to die, Jin Ren instead felt his heart settle. “It’s getting late” meant there was still some time. With this newfound calm, he thought of many things and was unwilling to let the Ghost Ancestor off so easily. He tried to squeeze out his and the Ghost Ancestor’s remaining value to provide intelligence to his main body: “Just now you only mentioned the secondary and inferior choices. Among these contingency plans, what is His ultimate choice?”

Being favored by the Ancestor Gods never seemed to end well. Ai Cangsen had only visited the Divine Ruins once before he was possessed by the Cursed Yin’s contingency. Cursed Yin even attempted to seize him, overriding the restrictions of the Ancient Battle God Platform, but fortunately, his main body saw through the trick and stopped the possession process. His main body was already strong enough, yet the Medicine Ancestor had an even better choice than him? How strong could that person be?

“You have the answer.” After handing over the Scythe of Death, the Ghost Ancestor’s tone became much more relaxed, no longer rigidly answering every question. This was not good news for Xu Xiaoshou.

Jin Ren tentatively asked, “You?” The Ghost Ancestor shook His head.

“Then… Dao Qiongcang?” The Ghost Ancestor was stunned, then shook His head again. What connection could this have with Dao Qiongcang? He was completely unrelated.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately felt much more relaxed. He wasn't ruling out possibilities one by one, but rather eliminating key ones. As long as that flamboyant old Daoist wasn’t involved in this matter, the difficulty dropped by more than just one star. When fighting Ai Cangsen, the emergence of Cursed Yin at the end was already terrifying. If that flamboyant old Daoist also got involved, it would truly scare the soul out of someone.

Looking at it this way, there was only one answer left.

Jin Ren said, “So the Crying Saint Emperor’s deep study of the path of divine souls and reincarnation, and his use of ghost beasts to research the essence of life – was all of this at His instruction?”

The Ghost Ancestor nodded, then shook His head, a hint of apprehension in His words: “He is not bound by anyone, including the Ancestor Gods.”

Bei Huai… So strong!

Jin Ren was horrified. This meant either Bei Huai and the Medicine Ancestor had an equal partnership, or even the Medicine Ancestor had some “leverage” in Bei Huai’s hands?

Rumble!

The gray fog space gradually became unstable, showing signs of imminent collapse, and a roaring sound echoed from afar. Jin Ren anxiously asked, “Can you tell me more?” He was equally wary of Bei Huai. This mad life-scientist, whose combat power was already supreme, would be found to have no morals if one tried to bind him with them. Intelligent, highly talented, unlimited resources, no bottom line in his actions… Indeed, no one could control such a person. Under heaven, if anyone knew Bei Huai most deeply, it was likely the Ghost Ancestor, who had long resided in the Crying Emperor Realm, witnessing all of Bei Huai’s methods. Miss this opportunity, you won't get another!

The Ghost Ancestor also didn't care about the collapsing space. His bottom line was to kill Xu Xiaoshou before their conversation ended. He had the ability to do so. Beyond that bottom line, and with the Scythe of Death successfully gifted, it was naturally more beneficial for Him the more Xu Xiaoshou knew about Bei Huai in the future.

And so, amidst the rumbling sounds of shattering, the Ghost Ancestor paced slowly and said: “The Heavenly Ancestor’s legacy, it’s with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.” Jin Ren nodded quickly.

The Ghost Ancestor leisurely walked as He spoke: “Of the cycle of medicine and ghosts, I can borrow some of His methods, and thus I know all the major and minor events that have occurred on Void Island over the years.”

Jin Ren listened intently, still not understanding what He was getting at. “The Heavenly Ancestor’s legacy has chosen many prodigies over time, but only three have truly been able to bear such karma. You, Ba Zun’an, and him.”

Jin Ren knew this. Before him, Old Ba and Bei Huai had been to Void Island. Their talents were quickly chosen by the spirit of the later Void Island, but both refused. Ba Zun’an’s ambition was boundless; he even dared to curse the Heavenly Ancestor to his face, uttering the extremely arrogant phrase, “No prodigy like me in a hundred generations, no superior person in ten thousand years.” It was normal for him to refuse. Bei Huai didn’t accept… But now, it seems there’s more to it?

The Ghost Ancestor spoke candidly: “I mentioned that among His ultimate contingency plans, there is a clause: ‘anyone who consumes spiritual medicines or elixirs that aid in cultivation.’ The 'spiritual medicines' referred to here naturally include all great spiritual plants under heaven, up to the remaining seven of the Nine Great Ancestor Trees.”

Jin Ren seemed lost in thought. All things under heaven were the Medicine Ancestor’s contingency plans; he now knew this. And among the Ancestor Trees, the Dragon Apricot and the Progenitor Infant Saint Plant were secondary choices. The remaining seven, being fundamentally life forms and spiritual plants, were also restricted by the Medicine Ancestor, making them inferior contingency options, which was understandable. But what did the Ghost Ancestor mean by mentioning this point?

Jin Ren wasn't foolish; he quickly connected it to the Ancestor Tree in the Crying Emperor Realm, the Grand Huai Tree. The Ghost Ancestor nodded slightly, affirming his thought: “The Crying Saint Emperor refused the Heavenly Ancestor’s legacy because he already had one. When he was six, his talent first emerged, and he was chosen by the Grand Huai Tree.”

“Born into a Saint Emperor family, even as a child, he had some understanding of the Ancestor God’s secrets. He could have avoided His influence and only accepted the power of the Grand Huai Tree.”

“He didn’t?” Jin Ren couldn’t help but interject.

“Indeed.” The Ghost Ancestor nodded. “He hid it from everyone, actively sought out the ‘influence’ within the Grand Huai Tree, displayed his talent, gained the acknowledgment of His will, and became the sole successor of an Ancestor God.”

Madman! Six-year-old Bei Huai, already so deranged? Sure enough, one's true nature is evident from childhood; Bei Huai was simply a lunatic.

The Ghost Ancestor continued: “After receiving that legacy, the Crying Saint Emperor didn’t reveal it but frequently performed extraordinary deeds.” “You’ve seen the nature of the Progenitor Infant; it was affected by His power, hence its excessive proliferation.”

“And the nature of life, the essence of life…” The Ghost Ancestor paused, then turned His back to Jin Ren. The gray fog space began to collapse from afar, deafening rumbling sounds echoing continuously. He spread His hands, embracing the destruction, His voice, amidst the ruin and desolation, chilling Jin Ren even further: “The nature of life lies in ‘thriving growth,’ and the essence of life lies in ‘reproduction and legacy.’ Within a fixed cycle of reincarnation, this is irreversible.” “Birds spread their wings, fish swim freely, plants reach upwards, beasts gallop – the process is called ‘growth,’ and the destination is ‘death’.” “If one wishes to slow the process of ‘growth’ leading to ‘death’ within a single cycle of reincarnation, the only method is ‘plunder’.”

Plunder others’ vitality? Thunderous sounds filled his ears, and Jin Ren’s scalp tingled. He finally understood why, when the Progenitor Infant went mad in the Divine Ruins, it devoured countless Half-Saints and beings of Half-Saint rank. This was its true essence. It wasn't just because it was Cursed Yin’s command; the Progenitor Infant Saint Plant, influenced by the Medicine Ancestor’s residual power, had only one way to exert its strength: “plunder.” And Bei Huai… That guy’s research into ghost beasts was essentially “plunder” too, wanting to convert the lives of others for his own use. Or perhaps even reaching the highest realm of plunder, converting the “lives” of other Ancestor Gods for his own use?

Extraordinary deeds… Jin Ren suddenly recalled an earlier event in the Purple Bamboo Forest of the Cloud Mountain Emperor Realm. In their childhood, Dao Qiongcang, Yue Gongli, and others were going to the Cloud Mountain Sacred Hall to be scolded, but they didn’t invite Rao Yaoyao. The reason given then seemed to be that young Bei Huai had already started “devouring vitality.” Was this the influence of “plunder”?

“In his early stages, the Crying Saint Emperor, as His successor, was restricted by Him.” “In his middle stages, the Crying Saint Emperor, utilizing His power, forged a new path.” “He was not content with ‘life’ alone, but sought to combine the paths of ‘life’ and ‘reincarnation’.” “He, of course, also acknowledged this, as it was a path that neither He nor I had completed.”

Hearing this, Jin Ren realized the turning point had arrived. Since the path Bei Huai intended to walk had not been successfully traversed by either the Medicine Ancestor or the Ghost Ancestor, an uncontrollable factor had already emerged. As expected, the Ghost Ancestor continued: “He succeeded halfway. At the very least, He could no longer fully control His successor.” “As for everything else that followed, let's not discuss it for now. To this day, the Crying Saint Emperor’s existence can stand shoulder to shoulder with Him; their paths are intertwined yet also divergent.”

“If he succeeds, he can plunder Him; if he fails, He can reclaim His contingency plans and look to the future again.”

“What about you?” Jin Ren hurriedly asked. Being caught between these two lunatics, wasn’t the Ghost Ancestor’s situation a bit too desolate?

The Ghost Ancestor chuckled, His laughter mournful: “Why have I not died? All because the time has not yet come.”

The day their paths are complete, will that be your death day, Brother Ghost? Jin Ren’s first reaction was how miserable Brother Ghost was, but his second reaction was to snap back to reality: the Ghost Ancestor’s words couldn’t be fully trusted. No matter what, He was one of the Ten Ancestors; how could He be so humble? What He had just said made it sound as if His existence was merely to await death, like an offering for their paths.

“You still have me!” Jin Ren solemnly called out, then didn’t want to hear any more meaningless nonsense from Brother Ghost.

The space was rapidly collapsing. He still had many questions and couldn't ask them all. He could only pick the most important ones: “Between you and Him, who came first?” This was important; order determined primary and secondary roles. It was the same for the Saint Ancestor and the Demon Ancestor: the Saint Ancestor came first, and only when he sought further advancement did the Demon Ancestor emerge. Generally, the primary controls the secondary. However, once both became Ancestor Gods, the differences between them became minimal, but the fundamental relationship remained. The primary and secondary roles could become a breakthrough point in the future or during conflict.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't have many impressions of the Medicine Ancestor and the Ghost Ancestor. He only remembered that the Medicine Ancestor Shennong Hundred Herbs seemed to have come first, and only later, to construct reincarnation, did the Ghost Ancestor appear. But something seemed to go wrong in the middle; the Medicine Ancestor deteriorated, and the Ghost Ancestor also deteriorated. He wasn't quite sure of the specifics.

The Ghost Ancestor’s answer was unexpected: “Different times and spaces, no order of precedence.”

This… A single sentence brought forth endless mysteries for Jin Ren. These questions truly had no end… Jin Ren had a headache. The words “time and space” reminded him of an existence he had forgotten throughout his questioning. But the gray fog space was about to vanish, so he didn’t dare to act rashly. He continued to ask the most important questions, following the priority given by his main body: “The two Saint and Demon Ancestors, what are your thoughts on them?”

“Cannot be spoken.”

Tsk, troublesome. Living Ancestor Gods are just troublesome!

The rumbling grew increasingly harsh, and even the Ghost Ancestor, walking towards the distant shattering, became incredibly blurry. Jin Ren quickly switched questions: “Art and evil are one, gods and demons are primal forms, medicine and ghosts rise and fall, the Four Ancestors reincarnate, only time and space are eternal… What do you think of this saying?”

The Ghost Ancestor pondered briefly: “It directly points to the essence.”

Jin Ren, like a snake following a stick, tried to seize the opportunity to press Brother Ghost for his understanding of the Time Ancestor: “Time…”

“Hush.”

Amidst the destruction, the Ghost Ancestor’s distant ‘hush’ made all of Jin Ren’s hair stand on end. The Time Ancestor was also truly alive, so much so that even His revered title couldn't be mentioned! He, like the Saint Ancestor, Demon Ancestor, Medicine Ancestor, Ghost Ancestor, and Cursed Yin, was constantly observing the changes in this world!

Fine, if the Time Ancestor couldn’t be asked about, then surely Kong Yuhen, this infatuated man who was possibly the Time Ancestor’s successor, could be mentioned?

“Brother Ghost, what do you think of this person? Kong Yu…”

“Hush.”

Far away in the Ghost Buddha Realm, a chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou’s forehead too. You even hush Kong Yuhen? Why do you hush everything? Why is everything a taboo? Could Kong Yuhen really be the Time Ancestor Himself?

The destructive fluctuations arrived close by. Jin Ren felt a strong urge to die, faintly seeing the Ghost Ancestor, who was walking into the distance, with a faint dark light glowing from His sleeve. Are you going to kill me, Brother Ghost!

Death, for Jin Ren, was commonplace. He didn't even blink. Knowing that further questions would be of little use, he thoroughly implemented his main body’s will, employing the Daoist questioning method: “Brother Ghost, give me one… three pieces of advice!”

This sudden change in his request even impressed Xu Xiaoshou. Jin Ren, you’re even more insatiable than I am… For this, Jin Ren only hoped that if there was a next life, his main body would be a little kinder to all beings whose names contained the character for “person.”

The Ghost Ancestor was understanding. Before the waves of destruction could obliterate Jin Ren, He struck preemptively, fearing that Jin Ren might leave behind a shred of consciousness, return to the Crying Emperor Realm, be caught by Bei Huai, and become a 'little Bei Huai'. If that happened, this meeting and this conversation would lose all meaning.

With a whoosh, a dark green light, arriving after the spatial collapse, cut through the surging waves of destruction and directly struck Jin Ren’s throat. Jin Ren did not resist. He merely raised his head, tears in his eyes, a mournful expression on his face, his lips trembling uncontrollably: “Oh, boundless heavens, why are you so cruel to me…”

Rip!

As his head separated from his body, and his spiritual will completely vanished, Jin Ren’s ears were still perked up. At the last moment, he heard the ethereal voice left by the Ghost Ancestor, still crisp and straightforward, without any lingering:

“One, He retains the right to see you; always be wary.”“Two, the Cloud Mountain Saint Emperor must not die; protect him.”“Three, do not approach Gan Shi.”