Chapter 1595: If Only I Had Died Back Then, Who Would Know Truth from Falsehood in Life?

The Village Chief watched Fire Heavenly Venerate warily, a sense of apprehension in his heart.

Cloud Heavenly Venerate's physical body was currently restricted by Qin Mu, with all his cultivation sealed except for his primordial spirit abilities. While his primordial spirit was undeniably powerful, whether it could contend with Fire Heavenly Venerate remained uncertain.

After returning from the Jade Capital City in the Ancestral Court, Fire Heavenly Venerate's cultivation and strength had significantly increased. His sudden appearance in the Ancestral Court, blocking their path as if he knew beforehand, always gave them an unsettling feeling.

How did he know Cloud Heavenly Venerate was going to the Ancestral Court? How did he manage to accurately block their inevitable path?

Cloud Heavenly Venerate remained composed. Fire Heavenly Venerate opened his arms, but Cloud Heavenly Venerate did not step forward to embrace him. Instead, he smiled and said, "It brings me great joy to see an old friend again. Fire, you seem to have some reservations, and perhaps some complaints about Imperial Heavenly Venerate, Heavenly Venerate Mu, and the others. Would you care to elaborate?"

Fire Heavenly Venerate lowered his arms, seemingly disappointed that Cloud Heavenly Venerate did not embrace him upon their reunion. He chuckled and said, "I don't wish to dwell on those painful matters. I have dedicated myself tirelessly to the safety of humanity, yet I am always misunderstood. Hmph, in the years since you left, I am the one who preserved humanity, ensuring they had no fear of extinction. Yet, whether it was Heavenly Venerate Ling, Heavenly Venerate Yue, or Emperor Kai and Heavenly Venerate You, they all ridiculed me!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, sneering, "Especially Heavenly Venerate Mu! Back then, I respected him for avenging Imperial Elder Brother, seeing him as a man of courage, but I never imagined he would misunderstand me the most! I endured humiliation and carried heavy burdens for humanity, even bearing the stigma of harming my own kind. Yet, I preserved humanity and built an ideal world in the Southern Sky! And what has he done for humanity? He only leads humans in rebellion and chaos! He only destroys the excellent situation I've cultivated! And he still has the nerve to call me a sinner of humanity!"

He looked at Cloud Heavenly Venerate, his gaze fervent: "They don't understand me, Cloud. But you must understand me, right?"

Cloud Heavenly Venerate pondered for a long time, then looked up and smiled, "I understand you."

Fire Heavenly Venerate's spirits lifted dramatically, and he burst out laughing, "I knew you would understand me! During the Dragon Han era, you and I had detailed discussions more than once, confiding our ideals to each other. Though our ideals differed, you knew my character!"

Cloud Heavenly Venerate nodded: "During the Dragon Han era, humanity was weak, merely one of countless notable races among the myriad heavens and myriad worlds, leading to the birth of our Nine Dragon Han Heavenly Venerates. But at that time, human power was negligible; even we Nine Dragon Han Heavenly Venerates were merely meat on the ancient gods' chopping block, left to be slaughtered. It wasn't until Heavenly Venerate Mu slew the Five Stellar Ancient Gods on the Celestial River that the world was astonished by humanity's strength."

Fire Heavenly Venerate's expression subtly darkened, showing displeasure at the mention of Qin Mu's achievements.

Cloud Heavenly Venerate continued: "Even so, humanity's power was still too weak, and despair constantly enveloped me. Realizing my own insufficient strength, I repeatedly sought you out, asking for your help, and you said you wanted to find another path for humanity."

Fire Heavenly Venerate recalled the past, saying, "At that time, we had a long secret discussion. You felt it would be very difficult for humanity to win, that we lacked the power to contend with the ancient gods and half-gods, and that humanity could be utterly doomed at any moment. You wanted me to help you."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate sighed, "You said we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket; there needed to be two plans. Plan A was for me to continue resisting and fighting for humanity."

Fire Heavenly Venerate said, "Plan B was for me to lead a portion of humanity to align with the half-gods and fight the ancient gods together. If you failed, humanity would not be annihilated because of it; my portion of humanity would survive."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate nodded, "Therefore, I had no objection to your aligning with Heavenly Venerate Hao. And facts have proven that your vision was remarkably farsighted, and your judgment of people very accurate. Heavenly Venerate Hao was indeed incredibly powerful, defeating the ancient gods, defeating me, and securing the final victory of the Dragon Han era."

Fire Heavenly Venerate said in a deep voice, "And we discussed then that if you led humanity in rebellion and failed, I, to demonstrate my loyalty to the half-gods, would have to kill you. And I did go."

He choked up, "I went to kill you with tears in my eyes. When you died, my heart ached the most! But because of that, I also bore infamy! Cloud, do you blame me for killing you?"

Cloud Heavenly Venerate shook his head, "I did not blame you for that."

Fire Heavenly Venerate laughed heartily, his voice filled with relief: "I knew it! Only Cloud is a true hero, the one who understands me best! Heavenly Venerate Qin, Heavenly Venerate Mu—they aren't even worthy to carry your shoes!"

"Later, during the Crimson Bright revolution, Fire, you also went to kill Emperor Ming with tears in your eyes, didn't you?" Cloud Heavenly Venerate asked.

The brow of Fire Heavenly Venerate's mask subtly furrowed. He said, "Emperor Ming was not as capable as you. He would find it hard to accomplish anything and would only be a hindrance."

"During the Emperor-on-High era, you must have also gone to kill Heavenly Venerate Yue and Heavenly Venerate Ling with tears in your eyes."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate walked over to him, looking at the sky behind him, which was red and distorted by the flames. He sighed with emotion: "During the Emperor Kai era, you went to kill Heavenly Venerate Qin with tears in your eyes. In the Eternal Peace era, you went to kill Heavenly Venerate Mu with tears in your eyes..."

Fire Heavenly Venerate's mask furrowed even more deeply as he looked at the sky behind Cloud Heavenly Venerate.

Suddenly, he cut off Cloud Heavenly Venerate: "Cloud, in terms of strategy and statesmanship, neither Emperor Chi nor Emperor Ming could compare to you. Heavenly Venerate Yue and Heavenly Venerate Ling are extraordinary women, but their methods were far inferior to yours; they couldn't contend with Heavenly Venerate Hao or the Ten Heavenly Venerates! As for Heavenly Venerate Qin Ye, by the time he rose, the grand scheme of the universe was already set. The Ten Heavenly Venerates had unified the world, and no one else had a chance to rise again! Heavenly Venerate Mu is just a child making a fuss. Cloud, you should understand."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate smiled faintly: "So, when did it begin, that you no longer shed tears when you killed them?"

Fire Heavenly Venerate abruptly turned his head.

The two, with four legs, stood almost in a line, one facing east, the other west.

As Fire Heavenly Venerate turned, Cloud Heavenly Venerate also turned.

The Village Chief felt that at this moment, the flames between the two great mountains suddenly became scorching hot. Dao fire swirled, and dry, hot winds blew towards him, making him smell something burnt.

His hand gripped the hilt of his divine sword tightly, his fighting spirit growing stronger, his mind focused, his gaze fixed on Fire Heavenly Venerate's every move.

The mountains of the Ancestral Court were majestic and grand, yet even the tallest peaks could not suppress their aura!

Cloud Heavenly Venerate smiled faintly: "When did it begin? Was it from the moment you became one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates? When you seized supreme power, you no longer shed tears when killing your own kind, did you?"

Fire Heavenly Venerate fell silent. Between the two divine mountains, Dao fire howled, blowing from the mountain pass to both sides.

The two great mountains began to dissolve in the flames, the ground became brittle, and magma surged beneath, causing the surface to float, soften, and melt above the lava.

"During the Dragon Han era, we discussed matters several times, and I understood your choice."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate said: "Once upon a time, there was a country where the people suffered greatly. A strategist had two sons who were about to venture out. The elder son said, 'I will go and support the powerful, overthrow the court. The powerful have strength and influence; if they become the Yellow Emperor, and I become one of them, then the common people can live better.'"

"The younger son said, 'I don't trust the powerful. I want to establish my own faction, build my own power, overthrow the court, and make the common people live better.' So they made an agreement: if the younger son failed, to prevent further widespread war, the elder son would have to kill him."

Fire Heavenly Venerate remained expressionless, tilting his head to listen.

"Later, the wicked court was overthrown. The powerful figure supported by the elder son became emperor, while the younger son became a rebel. The elder son killed his own brother with tears in his eyes, bringing the war to an end."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate asked, "This was our intention back then, wasn't it?"

Fire Heavenly Venerate did not answer.

Cloud Heavenly Venerate said: "The elder son, credited with helping the emperor, became a powerful official. Yet, the country's livelihood remained dire, and its people suffered. At this point, the elder son no longer harbored thoughts of overthrowing the new court, because..."

He said flatly, "Because he was part of this court, the most powerful person within it. How could he overthrow himself? So, whenever someone rebelled because they could no longer endure the oppression, the elder son was always the first to jump out and suppress the righteous army. Because he had experienced the Dragon Han era's three-way division of the world, experienced those events, he knew he couldn't let these rebels destroy his position of power. He was no longer the elder son who acted for his family's sake."

"Cloud, you've changed."

Fire Heavenly Venerate sighed desolately, shaking his head: "You are no longer the Cloud of yesteryear, no longer the Cloud who understood me."

The face on his mask twisted, showing both crying and laughing expressions simultaneously: "Like Mu and Qin, do you also wish for my death?"

Cloud Heavenly Venerate clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the sky warped by Dao fire behind Fire Heavenly Venerate, and calmly recited: "Singing nobly in Yan City, calmly accepting the fate of a Chu captive. Drawing a blade to achieve quick resolve, living up to youthful aspirations!"

He scoffed, "If one had died back then, who would know the truth or falsehood of their life? Fire, you still have a way out."

He turned around, directly facing Fire Heavenly Venerate: "Fire, if you could assassinate Heavenly Venerate Hao, using your relationship with him to strike him down, then humanity could achieve a great victory and overthrow the current Celestial Heavens! All the merits could be yours alone! Whether it's me, or Heavenly Venerate Ling, Heavenly Venerate Yue, Emperor Kai, or Heavenly Venerate Mu, our accomplishments would not be as illustrious as yours! You would accomplish a great feat that we couldn't achieve in a million years!"

He declared loudly: "I can conceal all your past actions for you! Before others, you will be a glorious figure who endured humiliation, bore infamy, and achieved ultimate victory in one stroke! Countless people will praise your sacrifice, and countless future generations will admire your deeds, unaware of what you did before! Your past will be erased! All you need to do is assassinate Heavenly Venerate Hao!"

Fire Heavenly Venerate stood motionless, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Cloud Heavenly Venerate frowned. Fire Heavenly Venerate's laughter grew louder and louder, shaking the canyon and causing the two great mountains to collapse amidst the Dao fire, transforming into surging magma.

"Cloud, it's undeniable, you are more enticing than Heavenly Venerate Mu."

Fire Heavenly Venerate turned around, looking directly into Cloud Heavenly Venerate's face, his voice devoid of warmth, growing colder and colder: "But you all cannot possibly contend with Heavenly Venerate Hao, or the Celestial Heavens! If I were to assassinate Heavenly Venerate Hao, even if I could kill him, I would be killed by his dying strike! Your plan is excellent, killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of both of us at once!"

He scoffed, "After that, you could flatten the Celestial Heavens in one swoop. Then you could deal with Emperor Kai, deal with Heavenly Venerate Mu, eliminate them, and seize all power for yourself! How could those inexperienced youngsters be your opponents? You've thought it through very well, truly excellent. Get rid of me, get rid of Heavenly Venerate Hao, then get rid of Heavenly Venerate Mu and Emperor Kai."

Cloud Heavenly Venerate sighed deeply, saying desolately, "You've truly changed. You have betrayed your original intention..."

"Wrong!"

The Dao fire around Fire Heavenly Venerate suddenly became incredibly intense, rage burning everything, unleashing the fury in his heart like a consuming beast: "It is *you* who betrayed me!"