Chapter 818: Death Diary

"If you have any questions, just ask directly," the Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master said with a faint smile. "I will consider them carefully." He was very happy to answer questions for such an outstanding disciple as Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan no longer hesitated. "Pavilion Master," he asked, "what is the purpose of our Heavenly Secret Pavilion exploring the underground world?"

He had long harbored this question because one of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's rules for the underground world defied common sense: everything obtained through exploration belonged to the explorer. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion seemed to only care about opening up more space.

Further clues could be seen in the merit reward system. Developing a hidden space of several hundred zhang earned three thousand merit points, yet even submitting a spiritual artifact only yielded a mere one thousand. This discrepancy was quite unusual.

Upon hearing this, the three Demon Emperors' eyes subtly flickered. Clearly, they too had long harbored the same question: What exactly had the Heavenly Secret Pavilion been digging for all these years? They seemed utterly unconcerned with treasures, only focused on opening up more space.

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master pondered for a moment. He decided not to conceal the information from the Demon Emperors present, nor from Jiang Fan.

"Very few people still ask this question," he said. "Everyone has grown accustomed to the rules that have been passed down for hundreds of years. Since I became Pavilion Master, only two disciples have raised this question: Ye Banxia, and you."

Jiang Fan nodded. He thought of Ye Banxia, that legendary prodigy renowned for her strategic mind. It was strange, he mused, that she hadn't shown any desire for retaliation after he took her jade-carved phoenix chair. Was she plotting something big? Shaking his head, he refocused, listening intently as the Pavilion Master continued.

"Our Heavenly Secret Pavilion is searching for an Ancient Saint."

The words, like a thunderclap, stunned everyone present, including the three Demon Emperors. An Ancient Saint? Were they referring to one of the nine Ancient Saints who created heaven and earth?

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master explained, "That Ancient Saint is our hope for resolving the Ancient Giants' predicament. For a thousand years, our Heavenly Secret Pavilion has been searching. Unfortunately, the Ancient Giants are about to descend again, and we still haven't found them." He looked at Jiang Fan, regret in his eyes. "Our Heavenly Secret Pavilion has walked this path for a thousand years. In the end, we have still failed. If people like you and Ye Banxia had appeared five hundred years earlier, in that era of abundant resources, perhaps you could have gone further than our predecessors. Alas, our Heavenly Secret Pavilion bears the name 'Heavenly Secret' in vain; in the end, destiny has never been on our side."

Jiang Fan looked puzzled. "Pavilion Master," he asked, "since the Heavenly Secret Pavilion has limited manpower, why not open up the underground world? We could invite the Seven Aperture Nascent Souls from Taicang Great State, or even the Bodhisattva from White Horse Temple, to assist. Surely they could open up the tenth level?"

The Pavilion Master smiled faintly, then looked at Jiang Fan's finger. "You exchanged for that damaged Immeasurable Ring, didn't you?" he asked. He had already guessed its presence when the Hellish Beast was suddenly attacked earlier. Jiang Fan nodded without concealment. "The owner of that ring was once a Seven Aperture Nascent Soul," the Pavilion Master explained. "She perished on the tenth level."

Jiang Fan vaguely understood. It wasn't that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion forbade outsiders; it was that outsiders were unwilling to enter. The Pavilion Master said, "Everyone who cultivates to the Nascent Soul stage has overcome countless difficulties and dangers on their arduous journey. Who would be willing to take such huge risks for a vague legend, for the sake of so-called sentient beings? Since ancient times, many have walked the path, but few have forged it. Even fewer are willing to carry burdens forward in the darkness."

Jiang Fan was deeply moved. He hadn't expected that the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's original purpose was to be a spark of hope, left for future generations by a group of idealistic humans, after enduring the Ancient Giant calamity a thousand years ago. But a millennium later, that spark had not, as they had envisioned, become a blazing fire to burn away the darkness originating from the sky. Instead, it had gradually dwindled.

Jiang Fan, filled with reverence, said, "Pavilion Master, please don't lose heart. The Ancient Giants won't descend immediately; we still have a chance. Though I, your disciple Jiang Fan, may be untalented, I vow to do my utmost to continue our predecessors' legacy and forge ahead."

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master smiled faintly, his melancholic expression replaced with resolve. "Good!" he said. "Your words are enough!"

The three Sea Demon Emperors and Gu Xin'er all looked ashamed. They were among those who walked the path left by their predecessors but were unwilling to forge new ones. The East Sea Demon Emperor sighed softly, saying, "If I didn't bear the fate of my clan, I would abandon this body and explore the tenth level myself." The South Sea and West Sea Demon Emperors both sighed in agreement.

The Heavenly Secret Pavilion Master, however, smiled. "Your strong assistance in expelling the Hellish Beasts is already a great act of righteousness," he said. "Our Heavenly Secret Pavilion is immensely grateful; how could we possibly blame you?"

Seeing that everyone had nearly finished recovering, he stood up. "Everyone, let us part ways here," he said. "We will await the arrival of Taicang Great State, then return together to deal with the black light pillar." The three Demon Emperors nodded in agreement.

The East Sea Demon Emperor looked at Jiang Fan and Gu Xin'er. "Vice-Director Gu," she said, "you will return to the East Sea with me. As for Jiang Fan, you should come along too. My East Sea has a Spirit Cleansing Pond that can help your cultivation advance further." She had been moved by Jiang Fan's declaration to "continue our predecessors' legacy." For such a promising junior, she didn't mind offering more opportunities. Jiang Fan was overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior Demon Emperor!" he exclaimed.

Soon after, she departed with the Sea Demon clan, heading towards the East Sea. The journey was long. Jiang Fan sat beside the East Sea Demon Emperor, pulling out a thick stack of books on the languages of ten thousand races and flipping through them one by one. The East Sea Demon Emperor leaned over, glanced at them, and was slightly surprised. "Languages of ten thousand races?" she asked. "Is there still a use for studying these? Many races have already vanished into history."

"I want to help the Pavilion Master decipher a script," Jiang Fan replied. "I want to offer him some assistance." The East Sea Demon Emperor's crystal eyes sparkled. *What a good child,* she thought, *so grateful.* "My eldest daughter enjoys reading," she said. "When we arrive, I'll have her give you some of our demon clan's ancient texts." Jiang Fan immediately thanked her. He knew that if the answer wasn't in these current books, he would have to rely on other ancient records, and the East Sea Demon clan's ancient texts were undoubtedly invaluable, rarely seen by outsiders. The East Sea Demon Emperor smiled gently, growing fonder of this polite and ambitious young man.

Just then, she noticed Gu Xin'er, sitting to her right, also holding a small black notebook. Gu Xin'er would think for a while, then write for a while, as if recording something important. The Demon Emperor was surprised. Both these children seemed very fond of studying—one reading books, the other taking notes.

Gu Xin'er was currently gazing at the outside environment, lost in thought. A gentle breeze ruffled her small notebook, flipping open a page. The East Sea Demon Emperor looked over with a smile, and her eyes fell upon the revealed entry: "Jiang Fan's Death Diary. Ruined my business: death count +1. Hit me in the underground world: death count +1. Fooled me into being chased by the Hellish Beast: death count +1. Said my chest was small enough for one hand: death count +100!"