Chapter 484: Past Events

Outside the bookstore, Luo Zhangtian looked uneasy.

He was very curious why Mu Bairen called that bookstore owner Saint Master.

According to the information he had obtained, that bookstore owner only had some connection to the Saint Master; how could Mu Bairen be so certain?

Just a moment ago, the great battle had ended, and everyone had left the Trial Ground and returned to the original bookstore.

However, Mu Bairen had chased him out, which made him quite angry.

Suddenly, Luo Zhangtian's eyes widened.

Because, in his bracelet, he had received a message.

This message was a missing person notice, and it was of the highest level.

The content of the notice was as follows.

"The Grandmaster once promised that on the day Xiao Hong'er came of age, he would gift Xiao Hong'er seven gourds of fine wine and drink with Xiao Hong'er until dawn.

Now, as Xiao Hong'er's coming-of-age is imminent, does the Grandmaster still remember this promise?"

Luo Zhangtian was stunned; could it be that the mysterious powerhouse was not just related to the Saint Master, but truly was the Saint Master?

At the same time, inside the bookstore.

Mu Bairen stood with a single arm, his eyes filled with respect and awe.

Lin Chao had seen this expression on Zhang Shaoqin before.

"Past events are like passing smoke; I do not remember them.

Perhaps I am not the Saint Master you speak of," Lin Chao said, looking at Mu Bairen, not hiding anything.

It was a matter of no importance.

"Saint Master, I cannot be mistaken!" Mu Bairen's expression was agitated.

Past memories kept flooding into his heart; he understood that the person before him was the Saint Master he had always revered.

"Oh, then tell me about the Saint Master... this person," Lin Chao became interested.

"Saint Master..." A look of reminiscence appeared in Mu Bairen's eyes.

"Back then, the Beast Master Great World had not yet been invaded by the Red Pupil.

The world was led by the Imperial Palace and the Yuan Palace.

The Holy Palace was merely an overlord of one realm.

This organization was licentious and lawless, committing all kinds of evil, causing the people to live in misery.

Within the Holy Palace's sphere of influence, everyone suffered under the Holy Palace."

Mu Bairen had been a slave born into the Holy Palace, and he felt immense resentment toward the Holy Palace of that time.

Unfortunately, because he lacked the talent of a Beast Master, he was at the very bottom of the Holy Palace and had no power to resist.

"But later, the Saint Master appeared.

He brought the five disciples he had personally taught, wiped out the Holy Palace, and established the current Holy Palace.

The Holy Palace leaped to become a top-tier power equal to the Yuan Palace and the Imperial Palace.

The world says that the five Saint Lords had exceptional talent, which is why they achieved what they did.

But I know that the reason the five Saint Lords were able to reach above the Saint Domain was entirely due to the Saint Master.

Because... the five Saint Lords were once slaves of the Holy Palace too!"

Mu Bairen was actually very familiar with the five Saint Lords.

Back then, when the five Saint Lords were still slaves of the Holy Palace, they plotted to escape and had invited Mu Bairen.

Unfortunately, the woman Mu Bairen loved was seriously ill at the time and could not withstand the ordeal, so he refused the invitation.

Mu Bairen then recounted much of the history of the Holy Palace's development, as well as the time the Saint Master saved the life of his beloved woman.

Unfortunately, that beloved woman only accompanied Mu Bairen for one thousand and twenty-seven springs and autumns.

There was no lack of longing in Mu Bairen's eyes.

"However, as the Holy Palace gradually grew stronger, the Saint Master gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.

This was because... the Red Pupil had invaded.

As a part of the Beast Master Great World, the Saint Master naturally did not wish for the Red Pupil to invade and destroy this world.

Therefore, he created the Seal of Red Pupil and handed it to the five Saint Lords.

Today, all Five Saints Favored Ones who can seal the Red Pupil do so thanks to the Saint Master's gift." Mentioning this, Mu Bairen's eyes were full of pride.

"The Saint Master left the Holy Palace and traveled everywhere, searching for a way to deal with the Red Pupil; these... were things the White Tiger Saint Lord mentioned once while drunk.

However, there is another theory regarding the Saint Master leaving the Holy Palace, which is that the woman the Saint Master loved had a flawed soul.

The Saint Master traveled across the Beast Master Great World, and even wished to head to the Great Thousand World, all to heal that woman."

"That woman... what was her name?" In Lin Chao's memory, the cute girl who fell from the bridge had a trace of sorrow appear on her brow.

"I do not know." Mu Bairen shook his head, his eyes filled with a sigh, "The Saint Master had vast Supernatural Power and astonishing medical skills, standing at the pinnacle of the world, yet he could not heal his beloved."

He felt deeply the same about this.

His wife eventually grew old and frail, and in her final days, she did not even wish to see Mu Bairen.

"Later, the God Game began, and the long-vanished Saint Master finally appeared; he met with the five Saint Lords and formulated the method to deal with the Red Pupil.

The five Saint Lords would participate in the God Game to hold back a portion of the Red Pupil's consciousness.

The Saint Master alone would head into the depths of the Red Pupil to suppress it."

"These... how do you know them so clearly?" Lin Chao looked at Mu Bairen.

Mu Bairen's cultivation was not even at the Saint Domain now.

And the five Saint Lords were powerhouses above the Saint Domain.

Why did he know so much?

"I... am the older brother of the former Vermilion Bird Saint Lord." Mu Bairen's gaze was extremely complex when he mentioned this. "At that time, my younger sister participated in the God Game."

"She told me that they were facing a life-or-death situation, and that the Saint Master was also feared to be in danger."

"She hoped that I could look after her daughter, stop her daughter, and not let her daughter follow the Saint Master... into the depths of the Red Pupil."

The daughter of the former Vermilion Bird Saint Lord was Mu Bairen's niece.

However, there are likely fewer than three people in the world today who know of this connection.

"The daughter of the Vermilion Bird Saint Lord grew up by the Saint Master's side since she was young."

"A figure like the Saint Master is revered by everyone."

"Naturally, she could not avoid falling in love with the Saint Master."

"But... the Saint Master's heart was entirely focused on healing that person, so how could he notice that young girl in the bloom of youth?"

"When the Saint Master returned, she clamored to see the Saint Master and wanted to leave with him."

"And so, at my sister's instruction, I..."

Mu Bairen closed his eyes in pain.

In the past, he had never seen his niece.

He only knew that the girl had been locked inside the Palace by the Vermilion Bird Saint Lord.

He stood guard outside the Palace and never opened the sealed Gate of the Palace.

This also became one of the things he regretted most in his entire life.

"With the strength of the Five Saint Lords, combined with the Saint Master's cultivation that towers over the world, they didn't need to win the God Game; they only needed to stall, and the Saint Master would have been able to strike directly at the heart of the enemy and slay the Red Pupil."

"The Beast-Taming Great World would also have avoided the crisis of annihilation."

"But... the God Game had no intention of letting them stall the Red Pupil."

"Those were the Five Saint Lords, the Saint Master's most prized disciples, existences standing at the pinnacle of the Beast-Taming Great World."

"They might not have been able to slay that wisp of the Red Pupil's consciousness, but suppressing it would have been absolutely no problem."

"However... they were defeated, defeated without any warning."

Lin Chao's gaze was deep: "Why?"

"There was a traitor!" Mu Bairen's eyes turned blood-red. "The Vermilion Bird Saint Lord... was the traitor!"

This information was told to him by the White Tiger Saint Lord.

Back then, the God Game failed.

All the Chosen Ones perished within it, and only the White Tiger Saint Lord escaped, but after coming out, the White Tiger Saint Lord breathed his last.

Mu Bairen only heard two words from the White Tiger Saint Lord's mouth—Vermilion Bird.

He also finally understood why his sister had locked her daughter inside the Palace.

Because the daughter had learned the information about the Vermilion Bird Saint Lord's betrayal and wanted to see the Saint Master to tell him this information.

However, she was stopped by Mu Bairen.

This also led to the tragedy that occurred.

Mu Bairen still regrets it immensely to this day.

If he hadn't listened to his sister back then and trapped his niece in the Palace, none of it would have happened.

Perhaps the Saint Master would have known of the traitor's existence and would not have rashly headed into the depths of the Red Pupil, subsequently disappearing.

"All of this... still doesn't seem to explain how Vermilion Bird betrayed the Saint Master." Lin Chao voiced his own doubt.

The White Tiger Saint Lord mentioning Vermilion Bird before his death does not necessarily mean that Vermilion Bird had a problem.

"After the incident, I investigated many records, especially the books left behind by the Saint Master."

"Only then did I learn that Vermilion Bird's Supernatural Power... Rebirth Through Fire, has a major flaw."

"Rebirth Through Fire granted Vermilion Bird two lives."

"But after using Rebirth Through Fire, Vermilion Bird's consciousness would undergo some changes."

"It seemed as if... the Red Pupil had invaded, and she would turn into another person."

"My sister actually... died once; at that time, she spent ten years recuperating before she recovered, and she instructed me not to tell the Saint Master about this, lest the Saint Master worry."

Mentioning this, Mu Bairen felt sorrow in his heart.

"After my niece came out of the Palace, she was crying and laughing, muttering that her mother was a traitor!"

"The God Game failed, and the Beast-Taming Great World should have perished."

"Therefore, the order of the Beast-Taming Great World collapsed."

"However, the destruction did not happen; the existence within the Red Pupil did not wipe out the Beast-Taming Great World, only saying it would continue to the next God Game to decide the fate of the Beast-Taming Great World."

"Humanity survived the catastrophe, but order was not restored."

"The Imperial Palace Master Zhou Buqu appeared and established wartime policies, and only then did the world slowly recover."

Mu Bairen looked at Lin Chao, his gaze filled with reverence.

"I originally thought that the Saint Master had perished in the depths of the Red Pupil."

"I did not expect to be able to see the Saint Master again today."

"I understand now why the Red Pupil continues to open the God Game."

"They are not wary of the Beast-Taming Great World, but are wary of you, Saint Master."

Lin Chao digested this information.

This information had quite a bit of overlap with the fragments in his memory.

It was evident that Mu Bairen had not lied to him about many things.

"The events of the past are like clouds and smoke; there is no need to remember them anymore, just live well in the present," Lin Chao said softly.

"Saint Master..." Mu Bairen's voice was somewhat choked with emotion.

The Vermilion Bird Saint Lord was his younger sister, yet she betrayed the Saint Master, leading to the loss of the God Game.

He felt immense self-reproach.

And just at this moment, an anxious voice came from outside.

"Mu Bairen, Senior, the Vermilion Bird Saint Lord is looking for the Saint Master!" Luo Zhangtian ran in and showed the content in his bracelet to Mu Bairen and Lin Chao.

Seeing this scene, a trace of fear flashed in Mu Bairen's eyes.

"You go out; I have important matters to discuss with the Saint Master," Mu Bairen said.

Hearing this, Luo Zhangtian could only leave helplessly.

Lin Chao looked at Mu Bairen: "The current Vermilion Bird Saint Lord is your niece?"

Mu Bairen nodded, his gaze becoming grave: "Yes.

She lost her father when she was young and grew up following the Saint Master.

Therefore, she admired the Saint Master like a father.

However, Saint Master, you must not see her!"

"Oh?" Lin Chao was surprised.

"I suspect... she has undergone Rebirth Through Fire!"

Rebirth Through Fire would mean that Red Pupil might have invaded her consciousness, and she has already become a different person.

"Back then, she was locked inside the Palace... when she came out, she was covered in water droplets and fell into a serious illness for ten years.

At first, I thought she couldn't accept the death of her mother and the news of the Saint Master's fall.

But later, after my investigation, my niece... drowned in the Palace.

The ten-year illness was a sequela of Rebirth Through Fire."

Mu Bairen felt deep self-reproach.

He could imagine how desperate that young girl must have felt, locked inside the Palace.

On one side was her mother.

On the other was the person she admired most.

The desperate girl could not bear it.

When she received the news, she quietly died in the lake.

"Saint Master, you must not go to see the current Vermilion Bird Saint Lord; she has already colluded with Red Pupil.

She issued this notice, and there must be a conspiracy."

"Is that so?" Lin Chao's gaze became profound.

Vermilion Bird Saint Lord... Xiao Hong'er...

Was the failure of the original body due to the betrayal of the Vermilion Bird?

He was plotting against Red Pupil, and Red Pupil was likely... plotting against him as well.

Supreme Heavenly Realm.

Yu Yaonu wore a red dress, her expression cold.

Inside her head, two voices were arguing incessantly.

Yesterday, she received an empowerment, and after it ended, the two voices in her head began to argue.

Yu Yaonu said slowly: "Aunt Xiaotiantian, Banana Aunt, the first Pet Beast is crucial to me, so..."

For this empowerment, she gave ninety-nine percent of the vitality to the first Pet Beast.

As for the Vermilion Bird, it was very little.

This point made Xiaotiantian and Banana Aunt particularly angry.

Especially Xiaotiantian; hearing Yu Yaonu's words, she said: "Yaonu, you are someone destined to become a Chosen One.

The Vermilion Bird is your foundation; only by strengthening the Vermilion Bird can you master your own destiny in the God Game, and only then can you... save this world."

"Xiaotiantian, Yaonu is still young, why are you putting so much pressure on her?

I think her first Pet Beast is quite good," Banana Aunt spoke up for Yu Yaonu. "Even if the last empowerment didn't go to the Vermilion Bird, so what?

This world has plenty of Beast Masters with two powerful Pet Beasts.

With our help, Yaonu's Vermilion Bird and her first Pet Beast will both grow to heights that make others look up in awe!"

Hearing this, Yu Yaonu felt even more self-reproach.

She thought of something and asked.

"In the God Game, what kind of existence is our enemy?

Back then, why did the Five Saint Lords go out together and still... fail?"

In fact, Yu Yaonu held a pessimistic attitude.

The Five Saint Lords had taken action, yet the God Game still failed.

The current Beast Master world does not seem to have a Chosen One comparable to the Five Saint Lords.

Zhou Buqu, the Palace Master of the Imperial Palace, is strong, but he is too old and has no qualifications to participate in the God Game.

Hearing this, Banana Aunt was silent for a moment, then said heavily: "In the God Game, it is indeed very difficult for us humans to win.

But this concerns the life and death of our billions of living beings; even if we fail, we should fight to the death and... Slay the enemy in the God Game!"

"The enemy... is it Red Pupil?"

"It might be, or it might not be.

After ten years, when the quota for the Chosen One is determined, if you become a Chosen One, you will know the specific content of the God Game and who the enemy really is."

"Ten years later, it seems to be the Vermilion Bird Saint Lord's coming-of-age ceremony as well," Xiaotiantian said softly.

……

An unknown land.

A tall, upright figure appeared.

Within the Heavenly Vault, there was a blood-red pupil.

"In this God Game, who shall our Beast-Taming Great World Slay?"

From within the blood-red pupil, an ethereal voice drifted out.

"A... black dragon."

"Good, after the God Game, do not forget our agreement."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

(End of this chapter)