Chapter 1493: Selecting Your Reason

Zhu An was momentarily stunned. “He wasn't trying to obtain the Candle Dragon’s legacy?”

Wu Xian shook his head. “At first, we thought so, but it wasn't until he killed Bao Jiang and seized the Immortality Elixir that we realized his true objective.”

Zhu An was somewhat puzzled. “That doesn’t make sense. Logically, since he was the Candle Dragon Deity’s son and became the sole heir, why would he still pursue the Immortality Elixir?”

Wu Xian looked at him deeply. “Even gods are not immortal. With the Immortality Elixir, one can live for another lifetime.”

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue exchanged glances, seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes. So that was what the so-called Immortality Elixir was about. Still, being able to live for another lifetime was incredibly precious, considering lifespans varied. Some powerful beings lived for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Living another lifetime would add thousands more years!

“Of course, after achieving immortality, lifespans increase significantly, so the craving for the Immortality Elixir isn't as great in the short term,” Wu Xian explained. “It was only because Drum could no longer achieve immortality.”

“Why?” Zhu An and the others asked in surprise. It was unimaginable that the son and only successor of a great deity like the Candle Dragon could not achieve immortality in that era.

Wu Xian hesitated, but eventually spoke. “I shouldn’t be telling you these things, but since you saved Ya Yu, you are destined, so there’s no harm in telling you.”

“It was because Emperor Zhuanxu severed the path between heaven and man.”

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue seemed to ponder this, while Zhu An and Yu Yanluo were completely bewildered. “Severed the path between heaven and man? What does that mean?”

Wu Xian explained, “Long ago, there was actually a passage between the heavens and the mortal realm. Although traversing those paths was extremely difficult, it wasn't impossible for some powerful individuals.”

“After Zhuanxu became the Heavenly Emperor, he felt that having a passage between heaven and man posed too great a risk. Firstly, heavenly beings descending to the mortal realm often caused great calamity. Secondly, the various tribes of the mortal realm would ascend to the heavens whenever something happened, disturbing the tranquility of the heavens. So, he dispatched the great deities Chong and Li to sever the path between the heavenly and mortal realms.”

“From then on, heaven and man were separated forever, and those in the lower realm lost all hope of becoming immortal.”

Zhu An and the others were greatly shaken, especially Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen. So that was it. No wonder that for thousands of years in the cultivation world, despite the endless emergence of talented and brilliant individuals, no one had ever truly achieved immortality, leading more and more people to believe that the so-called immortality was just a hoax. It turned out that the path to immortality had been severed by the Heavenly Court in ancient times!

Zhu An thought, Emperor Zhuanxu was truly unscrupulous. No wonder the world slandered him, portraying his sons as various demons and monsters or ferocious beasts, making them as evil and villainous as possible. At first, he thought it was just a struggle between the Xuan Emperor and Bai Emperor’s lineages, but now he suspected that Zhuanxu’s action had thoroughly enraged the various tribes of the mortal realm. Unfortunately, they could only rage powerlessly and slander Zhuanxu’s descendants. Yet, Zhuanxu in the Heavenly Court likely didn't care, perhaps not even knowing any of it.

After they had somewhat digested this astonishing news, Wu Xian continued, “The Candle Dragon was indeed a deity of transcendent status, but his son Drum was young. When the path between heaven and man was severed, he had not yet achieved immortality, and he wouldn't be able to in the future. That’s why he set his sights on the Immortality Elixir.”

“So that’s it. Did he succeed?” Zhu An eagerly asked.

“He ambushed Bao Jiang and did succeed in seizing the Immortality Elixir. Unfortunately, the matter was exposed before he even had a chance to consume it. After all, the Immortality Elixir was of great importance. The Heavenly Emperor was enraged and executed him,” Wu Xian said, one hand holding a green snake and the other a red snake. His expression was unreadable as he spoke, making it impossible to know his true thoughts.

“But what does all this have to do with the Golden Crow and Nü Ba?” Yu Yanluo asked, puzzled.

“Because Nü Ba was Drum’s mother,” Wu Xian sighed deeply.

Zhu An and the others were speechless. They never expected such a connection; the affairs of the powerful were truly chaotic.

Wu Xian continued, “In those days, Nü Ba helped the Yellow Emperor defeat Chiyou. Unfortunately, she suffered too much damage and could not return to the heavens, only remaining in the mortal realm. Wherever she appeared, great droughts would follow, so the common people didn't appreciate her achievement in defeating Chiyou; instead, she was driven away wherever she went.”

“The Heavenly Emperor took pity on her and arranged for her to stay north of the Red Water, which happened to be close to Zhongshan. The Candle Dragon was staying at Zhongshan during that time.”

“As the saying goes, familiarity breeds affection…”

Zhu An’s expression was strange. “Familiarity breeds affection?”

“What’s wrong?” Wu Xian looked at him, somewhat confused.

“Nothing, Senior, please continue.” Zhu An’s face grew hot with embarrassment. If they knew the messy thoughts he was having, wouldn’t they tear him to shreds?

“The Candle Dragon and Nü Ba then came together and gave birth to Drum,” Wu Xian said.

Zhu An inwardly mused, “Gods are truly extraordinary; it seems even a nuclear reactor wouldn't harm them.”

“Weren’t Ya Yu and Er Fu her children?” The women were more concerned about other questions.

“No, even we don't know who Ya Yu and Er Fu’s mother was,” Wu Xian shook his head.

Zhu An thought, no wonder Drum instigated his two brothers to kill each other; they weren't born of the same mother.

“I understand. The Heavenly Emperor who executed Drum was Di Jun, so Nü Ba, heartbroken over her son, resented Di Jun and his sons, the Golden Crows, and sought revenge, only to be accidentally killed in retaliation?” Zhu An realized with a sudden understanding.

The other shamans looked strange and unanimously shook their heads. “That’s not it. The Heavenly Emperor who executed Drum was Zhuanxu.”

Zhu An was confused. Had Nü Ba’s mind gone astray, to seek revenge on the Golden Crows instead of the real culprit?

Wu Xian hesitated before saying, “What I’m about to tell you is merely speculation; we have no proof. Just listen to it as a story.”

Zhu An’s spirits lifted; he loved listening to gossip.

Yun Jianyue, however, frowned inwardly. They had no deep connection with these Ten Witches of Ling Mountain, yet the other party was revealing so much to casual acquaintances. Could there be a trick? Did they want to use them for something? She wanted to warn her companions but was wary of these people’s cultivation and methods, fearing they would be discovered, so she could only keep her doubts to herself.

The other shamans began to explain, speaking over each other:

“Ling Mountain, where we Ten Witches of Ling Mountain reside, is adjacent to Zhongshan and Red Water, so we are considered their neighbors. Coupled with the incidents involving Ya Yu and Bao Jiang, we know more than the average person.”

“Drum assassinated the heavenly deity Bao Jiang and stole the Immortality Elixir. Nü Ba also knew his crime was unforgivable, so although she was saddened, she didn’t resent Emperor Zhuanxu.”

“However, by chance, Nü Ba later discovered that Drum had been instigated by someone else.”

“Nü Ba’s investigation revealed Di Jun’s involvement.”

“Di Jun?” Zhu An was somewhat surprised. So, after all that, he was the mastermind behind the scenes? But why would a dignified Heavenly Emperor get involved in such matters?

“Didn't we mention earlier that Zhuanxu severed the path between heaven and man? This meant that not only Drum, but also Di Jun’s sons, could no longer achieve immortality.”

Zhu An was speechless. Even the Heavenly Emperor’s sons couldn’t achieve immortality? This enforcement was truly strict.

Seeming to guess his thoughts, Wu Xian explained, “Once the path between heaven and man was severed, the laws of the Great Dao became incomplete. It became a certainty that the various tribes of the mortal realm could not achieve immortality; it did not shift according to anyone’s will, unless the path between heaven and man was repaired and the laws of the Great Dao were made complete again.”

“Why did Zhuanxu’s decision prevail if Di Jun, also a Heavenly Emperor, disagreed?” Zhu An frowned.

“Because severing the path between heaven and man was a common interest for a large portion of those in the heavens. Moreover, Zhuanxu became Heavenly Emperor before Di Jun. Di Jun had only recently become Heavenly Emperor at that time, and his foundation was still shallow, making it difficult for him to compare to Zhuanxu.”

“So, some speculate that Di Jun, unable to stand alone, intended to use Drum to draw the Candle Dragon into the situation. After all, the Candle Dragon had transcendent status and immense power; with his help and support, the situation would be much better.”

“Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the Candle Dragon never stated his position on the matter, and then Drum accidentally died. Nü Ba naturally vented all her anger on Di Jun’s lineage.”