Chapter 1448: 断绝天人之路

Zu'an was startled. "He wasn't trying to claim the Torch Dragon's legacy?"

Wu Xian shook his head. "We initially thought so too, until he killed Bao Jiang and took the immortal medicine. Only then did we realize his true intentions."

Zu'an was puzzled. "That doesn't make sense. If he's the son of the great god Torch Dragon and the sole heir, why would he still compete for the immortal medicine?"

Wu Xian gave him a profound look. "Even gods aren't truly immortal. The immortal medicine allows one to live an extra lifetime."

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes. So that's what the so-called immortal medicine was for. Even living an extra lifetime was incredibly valuable, as lifespans varied greatly. Some powerful beings lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. An extra lifetime would mean thousands or tens of thousands more years!

"Of course, after achieving immortality, one's lifespan increases significantly, reducing the immediate desire for the immortal medicine," Wu Xian explained. "It's just that Gu couldn't achieve immortality."

"Why?" Zu'an and the others asked in surprise. It was almost inconceivable that the direct son and sole successor of a great god like Torch Dragon couldn't achieve immortality in that era.

Wu Xian hesitated, then finally said, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but since you saved Ya Yu, you are a fated person, so there's no harm in letting you know."

"It's because Emperor Zhuanxu severed the path between heaven and earth."

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue looked thoughtful, while Zu'an and Yu Yanluo were completely bewildered. "Severed the path between heaven and earth? What does that mean?"

Wu Xian explained, "A long, long time ago, there was actually a passage between the celestial realm and the mortal realm. Although traversing those paths was extremely difficult, it wasn't impossible for some powerful beings."

"After Zhuanxu became the Heavenly Emperor, he believed that maintaining a passage between the celestial and mortal realms posed too great a risk. Firstly, celestial beings descending to the mortal realm often caused great disasters. Secondly, whenever something happened, various mortal tribes would ascend to the heavens, disturbing the peace of the celestial realm. So, he dispatched the great gods Chong and Li to sever the path between the two realms."

"From then on, heaven and man were forever separated, and those in the lower realm lost all hope of achieving immortality."

Zu'an and the others were shaken, especially Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen. So that was it. No wonder for thousands of years, despite a constant stream of exceptionally talented individuals in the cultivation world, no one had ever truly achieved immortality. This led more and more people to believe that so-called immortality was just a hoax. It turned out the path to immortality had been severed by the Heavenly Court in ancient times!

Zu'an thought to himself that Zhuanxu was truly unkind. No wonder people slandered him, portraying his sons as all sorts of demons and monsters, or fierce beasts—anything evil or villainous, they attributed to him. He initially thought it was just a struggle between the lineages of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Bai, but now it seemed Zhuanxu's actions must have thoroughly enraged the mortal tribes. Unfortunately, they could only rage ineffectually, slandering Zhuanxu's descendants, while Zhuanxu in the Heavenly Court didn't care, or perhaps didn't even know any of it.

After the group had a moment to digest this astonishing news, Wu Xian continued, "The Torch Dragon is indeed a great god of extraordinary status. However, his son Gu was young and had not yet achieved immortality when the path between heaven and man was severed. He also couldn't achieve it in the future, which is why he set his sights on the immortal medicine."

"I see. Did he succeed later?" Zu'an quickly asked.

"He ambushed Bao Jiang and indeed managed to seize the immortal medicine. Unfortunately, the matter was exposed before he could consume it. After all, the immortal medicine was of immense importance. The Heavenly Emperor was enraged and subsequently had him executed." Wu Xian, holding a green snake in one hand and a red snake in the other, showed no expression as he spoke, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.

"But what does any of this have to do with the Golden Crow or Nüba?" Yu Yanluo asked, bewildered.

"Because Nüba is Gu's mother," Wu Xian sighed deeply.

Zu'an and the others were dumbfounded. They never expected such a connection; what a tangled web.

Wu Xian continued, "Back then, Nüba helped the Yellow Emperor defeat Chiyou. However, due to the immense toll it took on her, she couldn't return to the celestial realm and had to remain in the mortal world. Wherever she appeared, severe drought would follow. Consequently, the common people didn't appreciate her merit in defeating Chiyou; instead, they drove her away whenever she arrived."

"The Heavenly Emperor took pity on her and arranged for her to stay north of Red Water. That area happened to be near Mount Zhong, where the Torch Dragon was residing at the time."

"As the saying goes, 'proximity breeds affection'..."

Zu'an's expression was strange. "'Proximity breeds affection'?"

"What's wrong?" Wu Xian looked at him, slightly puzzled.

"Nothing, senior, please continue." Zu'an's face flushed. If they knew the chaotic thoughts running through his mind, wouldn't they be furious enough to tear him apart?

"The Torch Dragon and Nüba then got together and gave birth to Gu," Wu Xian said.

Zu'an secretly marveled, 'Great gods are truly great; they can even enter a nuclear reactor without being scorched.'

"Aren't Ya Yu and Er Fu her children?" The women were more concerned about a different question.

"No, we don't even know who Ya Yu and Er Fu's mother is," Wu Xian shook his head.

Zu'an thought to himself, 'No wonder Gu instigated his two half-brothers to fight each other; they weren't from the same mother.'

"I understand now. The Heavenly Emperor who executed Gu was Di Jun, so Nüba, heartbroken for her son, hated Di Jun and his son, the Golden Crow. She wanted revenge but was accidentally killed herself?" Zu'an suddenly understood.

The other shamans looked strange and shook their heads in unison. "That's not it. The Heavenly Emperor who executed Gu was Zhuanxu."

Zu'an was baffled. "Then was Nüba out of her mind? Instead of seeking out the true culprit, she went to take revenge on the Golden Crow?"

Wu Xian hesitated before saying, "What I'm about to tell you is merely speculation; we have no evidence. Just take it as a story."

Zu'an's spirits lifted. He loved hearing gossip.

Yun Jianyue, however, subtly frowned. They had no real relationship with the Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain, so for the latter to speak so deeply despite their superficial acquaintance—was there a trick involved? Did they want to use them for something? She wanted to warn her companions but was wary of the shamans' cultivation and methods, fearing they would be discovered. Thus, she could only suppress her doubts.

The other shamans began to speak, one after another:

"The Spirit Mountain, where we Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain reside, is adjacent to Mount Zhong and Red Water. So, we are their neighbors, and because of the matters concerning Ya Yu and Bao Jiang, we know more than ordinary people."

"Gu assassinated the celestial god Bao Jiang and stole the immortal medicine. Nüba knew his crime was unforgivable, so although she was grieved, she did not resent Emperor Zhuanxu."

"However, later by chance, Nüba learned that Gu had been instigated by someone else."

"Under Nüba's investigation, she found Di Jun's shadow in the matter."

"Di Jun?" Zu'an was surprised. So, after all this, he was the mastermind? But why would a dignified Heavenly Emperor get involved in such affairs?

"Didn't we mention earlier that Zhuanxu severed the path between heaven and man? This meant that besides Gu, Di Jun's sons also couldn't achieve immortality."

Zu'an was speechless. Even the Heavenly Emperor's sons couldn't become immortals? That rule was truly enforced strictly.

As if guessing his thoughts, Wu Xian explained, "With the path between heaven and man severed, the Great Dao's laws became incomplete. It was already a foregone conclusion that mortal tribes could not achieve immortality, and this wouldn't change according to anyone's will, unless the path was mended and the Great Dao's laws were completed."

"They were both Heavenly Emperors, so why was it enforced even if Di Jun disagreed?" Zu'an frowned.

"Because severing the path between heaven and man was in the common interest of a large portion of celestial beings. Moreover, Zhuanxu became Heavenly Emperor before Di Jun. Di Jun had only recently ascended to the position at that time, and his foundation was still shallow, making it difficult for him to contend with Zhuanxu."

"Therefore, there's a theory that Di Jun, unable to stand alone, planned to use Gu to draw the Torch Dragon into the situation. After all, the Torch Dragon held an extraordinary position and possessed immense power; with his help and support, the situation would greatly improve. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the Torch Dragon never took a stance on the matter, and then Gu accidentally died, so Nüba naturally directed all her rage towards Di Jun's lineage."