Chapter 1408: The Road to Immortality Is Cut Off

I had initially thought Si Wenming was an obscure figure; even if formidable, he couldn't possibly be on par with legendary beings like Gonggong or Chiyou.

But now you're telling me Si Wenming is Yu the Great?

Who is Yu the Great? The founder of the Xia Dynasty, one of the very few individuals throughout history to be honored with the title "Great." And, if I'm not mistaken, this unknown place is clearly connected to the Xia Dynasty. So, we're going to their territory to confront their ancestor?

I'd better start thinking about all the ways I could die.

At that moment, the voice said, "That's why I'm sending you to retrace Yi's heroic journey. Once you obtain the divine artifact, you will have the power to deal with him."

Zu An was speechless.

After a long pause, he regained his composure and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you want to deal with him? Don't history books say you abdicated the throne to him?"

"History books?" The three women beside him blinked their beautiful eyes, finding the term very strange.

"History?" The voice contained a hint of mockery. "History is merely written by the victors."

"Is it possible there's some hidden secret from that time?" Zu An asked, curious. He reasoned that understanding the full background before undertaking a task would help him decide whether to accept it and how to proceed.

The voice hesitated briefly before replying, "To be honest, it's not a glorious chapter for me, but since you've asked, I don't mind telling you."

"After I ascended to the throne, many great disasters across the land had already been resolved, but the Great Flood persisted. For the sake of all living beings, I put aside our past grievances and promoted Gun's son, Yu, entrusting him with the ongoing task of flood control."

Zu An's expression became odd. "His father died because of you. You still dared to employ him?"

The voice responded, "Familial bonds in royalty differ from those of commoners. Father-son love and brotherly affection are not as crucial; rather, shared interests hold more weight. As long as interests align, even if you execute the head of a family, the remaining members will still support you."

"As I mentioned before, for many years, the lineage of the Black Emperor suffered severe oppression from that of the White Emperor. Most descendants of the Black Emperor harbored resentment towards the White Emperor's line, and I represent their interests. Individuals like Gun, who, despite belonging to the Black Emperor's lineage, remained steadfastly loyal to the White Emperor's and betrayed their own kin, were rare exceptions."

"I believed that by dealing with Gun, I was rectifying a wrong. Furthermore, the father-son relationship between Yu and Gun was strained, and their political views, especially regarding flood management, were starkly different—even diametrically opposed."

"It was precisely for these reasons that I felt confident in promoting Yu, offering his family an opportunity to return to the Black Emperor's lineage."

"Indeed, I was not mistaken. There was little father-son affection between him and Gun, and he showed no desire to avenge his father. Moreover, his flood control efforts during those years were remarkably successful, proving him worthy of my trust."

"If he didn't even seek to avenge his father, then why did he break with you?" Zu An asked, utterly perplexed.

The voice replied, with an inscrutable tone, "Do you believe a person who won't even avenge his own father can be trusted?"

Zu An was taken aback, but immediately understood the implication. He recalled Duke Huan of Qi, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, whose later years were wretched due to his excessive trust in corrupt officials. On one occasion, when Duke Huan had a poor appetite, a treacherous minister even cooked his newborn son for him to eat, which greatly whetted the Duke's appetite, as he found the meat exceptionally delicious.

When the truth was revealed, Duke Huan was moved, believing the minister to be exceptionally loyal, willing to sacrifice even his own son.

Guan Zhong had warned him, "If a man can bring himself to kill his own son, how can he truly be loyal to you, a stranger by blood?" Sadly, Duke Huan of Qi completely ignored this advice and was ultimately harmed by that very minister.

That Yu could abandon even his father's revenge proved his ambitions were vast.

The voice sighed. "I only realized the truth of the matter much later, but by then, it was already too late."

"During his flood control efforts, Yu amassed immense prestige and recruited numerous skilled and extraordinary individuals. Moreover, because I had replaced Yao, many from the White Emperor's lineage secretly defected to him, seeking revenge."

"So he successfully supplanted you?" Zu An thought to himself, marveling at how truly dark these ancient abdications were, completely overturning his perceptions.

"If that were all, he wouldn't have been able to defeat me. The crucial factor was that during his flood control efforts, Yu also gained assistance from the Yan Emperor's clan," the voice said bitterly. "The combined strength of these powerful factions ultimately led to my downfall through his machinations."

"The Yan Emperor?" Zu An was taken aback. How was his lineage connected to this again?

The voice explained, "During the ancient conflict between the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor was defeated by the Yellow Emperor. However, the Yan Emperor's lineage never truly submitted, engaging in various rebellions; Gonggong and Chiyou were prominent figures among them. The Great Flood itself was the most severe consequence of their defiance."

"Similar to the many divisions within our Black Emperor's lineage, there were also many within the Yan Emperor's lineage who disagreed with Gonggong and Chiyou's methods, believing their actions had harmed the common people. A key figure among them was Yao Ji, the Yan Emperor's third daughter."

"When Yu was controlling the floods, he passed through Mount Wu and received assistance from Yao Ji. The Yan Emperor's lineage had always been proficient in water control, so with their aid, Yu gradually brought the Great Flood under control."

"As his flood control efforts succeeded, his prestige grew exponentially, eventually posing a threat to me. It was only then that I realized a vast power had already coalesced around him, making it impossible to confront him directly."

"Nevertheless, I was open-minded at the time. After all, he was also from the Black Emperor's lineage and undeniably talented. There seemed to be no harm in passing the imperial throne to him; I was not so pedantic as to insist on passing it only to my son. I had subtly and overtly conveyed this intention to him multiple times."

"Unfortunately, I never anticipated his impatience. While I was touring the Plains of Cangwu, he launched a sudden sneak attack and ambushed me. He then declared my death to the world, burying me on the southern slopes of Mount Jiuyi, and claimed I had abdicated the throne to him. Heh, what a profound deception."

Yan Xuehen, standing nearby, gasped in surprise. "You're... dead?"

"Yes, in a sense, I am indeed dead," the voice said with a touch of melancholy. "What remains of me now is merely a wisp of divine consciousness I left behind years ago as a precaution, having sensed something was amiss. I never imagined the worst-case scenario would actually come to pass."

Zu An was secretly astonished. If a mere wisp of lingering consciousness could persist until now, how terrifying must this being have been in his prime?

Yun Jianyue said, "Forgive my bluntness, but the events you speak of occurred tens of thousands of years ago. Unless your enemy ascended, he's likely long dead. Asking Zu An to help you with revenge seems rather pointless, wouldn't you agree?"

Yu Yanluo, concerned for Zu An's safety, seconded the thought: "Precisely. Even you at your peak were no match for Yu, and now, a mere wisp of your lingering consciousness is beyond our comprehension. Expecting us to avenge you is likely unrealistic."

"The path to immortality was severed long ago, so Yu could not have ascended. However, given his power, it's not impossible for him to still be alive—no, he must be alive; I can still sense his aura in this world," the voice said, growing somewhat agitated towards the end. "Moreover, at the time in the Plains of Cangwu, I was far from my prime, while Yu was at his peak and aided by top experts from both the White Emperor's and Yan Emperor's lineages. That's why I was defeated."

Yu Yanluo secretly stuck out her tongue. It seemed all powerful individuals possessed an intense unwillingness to admit defeat, and her question might have offended him.

"What does 'the path to immortality was severed' mean?" Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, more interested in this detail, couldn't help but ask in unison. They wondered if this was why, despite countless prodigies emerging throughout the cultivation world for millennia, not a single one had genuinely achieved immortality.

The voice calmly replied, "This pertains to a monumental secret that I cannot disclose to you now. However, if you fulfill my wish, I might consider revealing it."

Zu An was speechless for a moment. This individual seemed rather dark; there was no trace of the embodiment of virtue described in historical records.

Some people die, but not completely...

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and various other emotions flooded his mind.

Where was this?

Shi Yu then instinctively surveyed his surroundings, growing even more confused.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room by now.

And his body... how could there be no injuries at all?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror on the bedside table.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face.

His previous self had been a striking young man in his twenties, who had been working for some time.

But now, this appearance looked unmistakably like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time.

Please don't tell him the surgery was a success...

His body and appearance had both changed. This was no longer a matter of surgery; it was some kind of immortal art.

He had completely transformed into another person!

Could it be... that he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror, which was clearly positioned poorly according to feng shui, Shi Yu also discovered three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked one up, and the title instantly silenced him.

"Essential Beast-Rearing Handbook for Novice Breeders"

"Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts"

"Evaluation Guide for Beast-Eared Girls of Different Species"

Shi Yu: ???

The titles of the first two books seemed normal, but what was up with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth like a tide.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?