Chapter 183: Wily and Treacherous

Pa—

Bang—

Whoosh—

The first sound was the Imperial Old Ancestor striking Hong Liang from behind with a palm.

The second sound was Hong Liang falling to the ground after taking the palm.

The third sound was the candles on this pavilion floor being lit.

In an instant, the lights blazed bright, Chen Yi He's eyes almost couldn't open from the glare. After he adjusted and opened his eyes, he saw the Imperial Old Ancestor standing right before him. In his hand he still held the sheep‑skin scroll called the Classic of Longevity.

Chen Yi He sheepishly rubbed his head, then tried to put the Classic of Longevity back into the wooden box, but the Imperial Old Ancestor reached out and stopped him.

The Imperial Old Ancestor smiled and asked Chen Yi He, 'Why put it back?'

'Because it isn't mine,' Chen Yi He replied, thick‑skinned.

'Hahaha! If I hadn't discovered it, you'd surely have pocketed it, right?' the Imperial Old Ancestor laughed, asking again. He released his hand, clasping his hands behind his back, 'Late at night you come to investigate me—are you checking my wounds, or do you have another plan? Cough cough…' He coughed several times; when he covered his mouth with his hand, blood seeped from between his fingers.

The Imperial Old Ancestor opened his palm to show Chen Yi He the bright red blood, 'I haven't bled in years. Too bad this blood isn't my own.'

'Whose is it?'

'Yours.'

Chen Yi He was so shocked he couldn't speak; he only remembered giving the Imperial Old Ancestor a few drops of blood, yet now the ancestor spat out so much blood, far more than a few drops.

'All yours.' The Imperial Old Ancestor's appearance had aged considerably without anyone noticing, perhaps due to the lights, 'Your blood saved my life.'

'What exactly do you want to say?' Chen Yi He asked, breaking the sandpot to get to the bottom.

The Imperial Old Ancestor replied, 'You trespassed the Scripture Pavilion; I could take your life at any time.'

'Yes.' Chen Yi He didn't know whether Hong Liang was alive or dead, lying there with no sign of life.

'Because you will soon become my partners, I spare his life,' the Imperial Old Ancestor pointed at Hong Liang and told Chen Yi He, 'Since you've come, I'll simply lay out the three conditions.'

'Which three?'

'One, I need three drops of your blood.'

Chen Yi He nearly fainted; again it was about blood, 'Is my blood really that desirable?'

'Three drops of blood cause you no loss.'

Indeed there is no loss, yet Chen Yi He felt strange that his blood flowed into another's body. 'What's the second point?'

'I need three strands of your true qi.'

'What?!' Chen Yi He was dazed—again three drops of blood, again three strands of true qi; he was merely a minor Fourth Heaven cultivator, why would a Seventh Heaven powerhouse covet him?

'If you can't meet these two, I have nothing to discuss with you,' the Imperial Old Ancestor said, his face deathly pale, looking at his weakest state.

Chen Yi He even thought of launching a counterattack, fighting the Imperial Old Ancestor to the death, rather than hear his method for defeating the Three Masters of the Way of Heaven.

'Three drops of blood, three strands of true qi—that's no big deal; I can agree.' Chen Yi He thought he must agree, lest his inner reservations let the world fall into disaster.

'Hahaha, refreshing! Cough cough…' A strange smile crossed the Imperial Old Ancestor's face; after coughing, he told Chen Yi He, 'I'm not taking your blood for nothing—I grant you the Classic of Longevity.'

'What's this for?' Chen Yi He asked the Imperial Old Ancestor, 'Isn't it just a torn piece of sheepskin?'

'A torn sheepskin?' the Imperial Old Ancestor found it laughable that anyone would call the Classic of Longevity a torn sheepskin! 'This is the Classic of Longevity! My internal cultivation method, with it, immortality is no longer a dream.'

'Immortality?'

'Isn't that what everyone longs for?'

'Then I'll take it.' Chen Yi He unceremoniously slipped the Classic of Longevity into his bosom.

'Hahaha! Good, good, little brother, I have high hopes for you.' The Imperial Old Ancestor patted Chen Yi He's shoulder, entrusting him with a great responsibility, 'The future is yours.'

'That depends on whether you stay alive, Seventh Heaven master—who can withstand you?' Chen Yi He laughed and threw the question back.

'Let me tell you this: from my long observation, I've found another mighty force within you, so powerful it's unimaginable. If one day you can absorb it and make it wholly your own, heaven and earth cannot stop you.'

Chen Yi He hesitated; he hadn't expected the Imperial Old Ancestor to see through his body at a glance, and that the 'other him' inside him, which even the ancestor deemed mighty, just shows how strong that other self truly is.

'Of course, you're very likely to be devoured by him.' The Imperial Old Ancestor reminded Chen Yi He, 'You two struggle for control of this body; perhaps the Classic of Longevity can help you.'

'My body, how could it harbor your soul?' that voice echoed again from the depths of the black hole, audible only to Chen Yi He.

The Imperial Old Ancestor couldn't hear it.

Chen Yi He guessed the 'other him' wanted to kill the talkative Imperial Old Ancestor.

'Or let's hear the third condition.' Chen Yi He didn't want to bring this up, fearing that one day the 'other him' might kill him, a scene he couldn't even imagine.

'The third condition concerns what happens after success.'

'Specifically?'

The Imperial Old Ancestor gazed seriously at Chen Yi He, a hint of color returning to his face, 'Zhang Huayu, West Factory, Embroidered Uniform Guard—whatever you are, I don't care, but the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty must be upheld.'

'Great Zhou Dynasty! King Wen of Zhou? Is he useful at all?' Chen Yi He, though he had no thought of changing dynasties, truly felt no fondness for King Wen of Zhou or the Great Zhou Dynasty.

'No matter how you say it, he is my descendant; I cannot stand by and watch the Great Zhou Dynasty fall. Moreover, this turmoil is because you shattered the dragon vein.' The Imperial Old Ancestor sighed, then added, 'I am also helpless, but this point cannot be yielded. The Great Zhou Dynasty is the mandate of heaven; the time has not come, you must accept your fate, or else the Way of Heaven will never know peace.'

'Is it really that terrifying?'

'You'll find out if you try.' The Imperial Old Ancestor shrugged like a youngster.

'Is there no room to bargain on the three points?' Chen Yi He was making his final stand.

The Imperial Old Ancestor shook his head.

'The first two points are fine with me; let's see what they say tomorrow.' Chen Yi He said.

'Alright.'

'Let's begin.'

'Pa.' Chen Yi He collapsed, his vision going dark, his whole body losing sensation.