Chapter 1292 (First Ending), Cave of Emotions
The Heavenly Sovereign sneered, âIf you know youâre a nobody, a pawn in the big playersâ game, then you should also know that no choice is yours, youâve been guided without even realizing. Itâs not even a path you chose. My little brotherâŚâ
âWhat do you mean?â Zhuo Fan stared at him deeply, seeming confused.
The Heavenly Sovereign shook his head, âThe past is the past. You donât have to know. But understand this, since I admit to leading you on, you should also play along.â
âWhat makes you so sure Iâll listen?â
âLike I said, you have no choice.â The Heavenly Sovereign mocked as he looked in Chu Qingchengâs direction.
Zhuo Fan tensed and clenched his fists.
The space cracked to reveal a portal, reflecting a lush forest.
Heavenly Sovereign pointed, âThis is the Emotion Sovereignâs seat of enlightenment. Go and take his Sovereign path.â
âThe Emotion Sovereign? The most mysterious of the ten?â
Zhuo Fan blinked. [Heâs barely been mentioned in the Nine Serenities Secret Records, with the world havingHu sharing any rumors about him.]
âHow am I supposed to do that?â
The Heavenly Sovereign smiled, âYou will do what others canât. Accepting their path is within their plans, donât worry.â
Zhuo Fan squinted, âYou mean the Nether Sovereignâs group? They gave me their path and you have also. What the hell are you all up to? Would they still give it to me knowing you had sent me?â
âZhuo Fan, youâre overthinking it, ha-ha-haâŚâ
The Heavenly Sovereign laughed, âRemember my lesson. The higher you climb, the more useless tricks become. We all fight in the open to control everything. Our dealing has long been anticipated by those guys. That goes both ways as well. Just like this game of chess. We all can see what pieces go and stay, but the outcome is clear. Youâre in the open and not over, understand?â
Zhuo Fan didnât argue, glancing at Qingchengâs worried face and reassuring her with a glance before going through the portal.
Birds chirped and danced in the air from branch to branch. The place was paradise, without anything evil, heavy, or strange. It was the best place for one to live in seclusion.
Though something was odd that caught his eye. Everything here came in pairs, including objects.
Two insects flying side by side, squirrels hopping together, and even weeds growing in pairs, all joined in a bizarre manner.
The lone sun above struck a solitary figure in this paradise of emotion.
Zhuo Fan chuckled, then it dawned on him to look across the sky and notice the moon.
âJust like Emotion Sovereign, to bring even the sun and moon together.â
Zhuo Fan walked on, with nothing stopping him. Except for some odd sights, the Sovereignâs seat of enlightenment had no defenses.
It was the complete opposite from the dark and eerie Nether Sea. This forest only knew tranquility and peace.
[The Heavenly Sovereign is almighty, so why doesnât he come here, insisting that I go instead? Peculiar.]
Zhuo Fan was trying to unravel the ten Sovereignsâ game and his role in it.
It didnât get him anywhere so he gave up, just focusing on walking until he reached a cave. It had Cave of Emotion written above it.
âGreetings, Sovereign!â
Zhuo Fan gave a deep bow in respect.
There was no reply, only silence. Zhuo Fan cursed, [Is he out, or was the Heavenly Sovereignâs aim off?]
He was about to ask again.
âYouâre finally here.â A faint womanâs voice came from within.
âUh, yeah.â Zhuo Fan nodded, proving the Heavenly Sovereignâs words. His destiny was to be the Sovereignsâ pawn. All of them were waiting for him.
âWho let you in?â The voice asked.
Zhuo Fan was frank, âSovereign, it was Heavenly Sovereign who brought me to your seat of enlightenment.â
âAfter all this time, itâd be strange for Heavenly Sovereign not to notice. Nine Serenities was right, the final winner is still up to fate.â
Zhuo Fan spoke baffled, âSovereign, I can just go if you wantâŚâ
âNo, Iâve waited for you for too long. Thereâs no way youâre leaving.â
After her stern words, a prismatic light flew out of the cave.
It entered Zhuo Fanâs body and stayed there.
Zhuo Fan patted himself, making an odd face, âIs that it?â
âYes, youâre now free to go.â
âShouldnât it be like Nether Sovereignâs group?â Zhuo Fan scratched his head at how absurdly easy getting something so important was, âDonât you need to test me? Or guide me? Itâs kind of casual.â
âItâs yours now and youâre dissatisfied? Beat it!â
Zhuo Fan blinked at the temper and left with a bow, âTake care, Sovereign.â
He went for a few minutes before returning to the portal. He gave one last look back before stepping through.
The minute he did, the paradise faded away. The pairs of insects and birds were gone, the sun and moon were no more. Only a dark wind blew below the heavy clouds, over the endless bones roamed by mangy dogs and ravens as they searched for scraps.
The paradise had become hell.
The voice echoed from the cave, âIf heaven has love, heaven is also old. Love is the deadliest poison in the world. The Heavenly Sovereign ran amok through the world, yet fell for my bewitching and never again set foot here. Having sent him to take my path, this means heâs close to removing it. We are running out of time. Bali Yuyu, are you ready?â
A lady stood ice-cold in the cave. She nodded.
A pink glow filled the cave.
âWeâre going to act soon, so let me remind you. My soul trace relied on my path to survive for so long. The day I send it away is the day I will be gone from this world. But Iâll be able to control it once more through you. However, if you canât withstand a pathâs might then you will disintegrate. Will you still accept it?â
âDonât you want to stop the Heavenly Sovereign? Why say this now?â Bali Yuyu looked at the cave with a cold gaze.
The voice came once more, âThereâs no grudge between us and the Heavenly Sovereign. Blocking him is because of our diverging paths. The mortal worldâs emotions have no play in this. Iâm happy that youâd sacrifice yourself for me, but as the Emotion Sovereign I need to confirm your decision. For emotion is hard as stone. Mastering emotion means you need to feel them at their most intense. The Nether Sovereign sent you here believing you have the capability. I know that your emotions are one-sided. Whether they can reach or notâŚâ
âI know. I wonât let him die before me.â Bali Yuyu was determined, showing a faint smile.
With a boom, the cave shone bright then entered Bali Yuyu.
Bali Yuyu shuddered, from pain, but soon her eyes opened to reveal a dreadful gaze.
The mountain crumbled and all in a thousand miles turned to dust.
Bali Yuyu flew away, gone in a blink.
A hundred miles from Mirror Moon Cottage, as sacred stones entered the earth, a strange array took form. Shuangâer took a deep breath and made a sign.
Li Jingtianâs group was grave, âMiss Shuangâer, can we actually save Steward Zhuo with this array? Even Steward Zhuo has no confidence in defeating Shui Jing with his mastery of arrays. How can youâŚâ
âItâs not to fight Shui Jing, but to guide him.â
Shuangâer looked pained, âThis is my ancestorâs mission to our clan, to give big brother Zhuo a way out.â
A prismatic light shone and Shuangâer released a frightening aura that left everyone gaspingâŚ