Chapter 873: I Do

He took a deep look at the “dense overcast clouds” deep within the earth, a hint of obscure hesitation flickered in his eyes, yet he immediately shook his head, and then turned to walk toward the celestial prison.

…

In the celestial prison, a considerable number of people were being held at the moment.

These individuals were precisely the “Xia Dynasty Revivalists.”

After the incident where Grand Tutor Gao suddenly transformed into the last king of the Xia Dynasty, the Human Emperor naturally paid close attention to this matter.

In reality, the more he analyzed it, the clearer it became—even though the Yin and Yang seemed unified, these “Xia Dynasty Revivalists” had undeniably provided significant support behind it.

And after rigorous torture and interrogation, he learned quite a bit about the Xia Dynasty.

The Xia Dynasty, since thirty thousand years ago.

Its sacrifices were made with people.

And at that time, the Emperor Star evidently excelled in “soul preservation.”

Xia She’s soul was preserved by that Emperor Star, then implanted into Grand Tutor Gao’s body. Grand Tutor Gao… thus became Xia She and swiftly acquired Xia She’s powers, though not fully restored, it was nonetheless not far from complete.

Besides Xia She, there were actually many others.

For instance, among the summit of power within the Xia Dynasty were three formidable beings titled as “Emperors,” namely the Celestial Emperor, Earth Emperor, and Human Emperor.

The present “Human Emperor” was in his own celestial prison.

However, his title of “Human Emperor” had been changed by the jailers to “Pseudo-King.”

Even at their peak, the Three Emperors of Heaven, Earth, and Human were simply no match for Ji Hu.

Before Ji Hu, they were at most just kings.

Ka…

An ear-piercing sound came from the iron lock at the prison door.

The door opened.

The Human Emperor walked in, looking at the “Xia Dynasty people” one by one under interrogation in the prison.

Some were ordinary people, so they were only subjected to simple lashing.

And as formidable as the “Pseudo-King,” there was only a head left, soaking in the secret medicine water.

The secret medicine water was filled with a complex mix of high-grade, high-concentration poison, relentlessly forcing him to resist, preventing the head from dying yet unable to break free.

The Human Emperor walked to the crystal glass box containing the “Pseudo-King,” lifting the heavy black cloth draped outside.

Inside the box, the Pseudo-King calmly opened his eyes; even in such high concentration of poison, even inside this sealed box, he remained serene, even smiling.

The Human Emperor unlocked the shackles outside the crystal glass, grabbing the Pseudo-King’s head with one hand.

Once the head was freed from the secret medicine water, the severed neck quickly grew flesh buds, forming a skeleton, and in no time, it turned into human form.

The Human Emperor tossed some outer clothes to him.

And the Pseudo-King caught the clothes, not upset or rushed, but rather smilingly said, “Recently, I’ve been marveling, that after tens of thousands of years, someone like you has emerged.”

He put on the clothes, while a eunuch, adhering to the Human Emperor’s command, served a pot of new tea, two plates of preserves, and three plates of fruits.

The Human Emperor and the Pseudo-King sat down, drinking tea, talking as if they were friends.

For them, malice and aura had long lost their importance, and between them, autumn was understood by a single leaf, insights gained with one point.

Hence, rather than sitting down properly, talking about facts, discussing reasoning.

The Pseudo-King was clearly not afraid of death, having once died; meanwhile, nearly all senior officials in the celestial prison knew… these people, upon death, merely return, not truly dying.

So, it was obvious the main targets of rigorous torture were not him, but those who couldn’t endure fleshly suffering.

Like the Pseudo-King, even being pulverized wouldn’t incite any fear, nor would he howl disgracefully—that was the unique character of the prodigies from his era.

While sipping tea, the Pseudo-King said, “No one in the world could surpass you; your power should be the sole power to have reached Second Grade in the thirty thousand years I know. Your power within Second Grade is at what level, I can’t discern, but it ought to be quite strong.”

The Human Emperor said, “Let’s talk about your master.”

The Pseudo-King laughed, “Why should I talk?”

The Human Emperor said coolly, “Because you’re out of chances.”

The Pseudo-King laughed, “That’s your misunderstanding.”

The Human Emperor said, “At my level, I’ve vaguely seen some changes; chances are but one last time for you—if you die, next time you might not wake.”

The Pseudo-King said, “Why is it the last chance?”

The Human Emperor said, “You can choose to believe, or not. I won’t keep someone who serves no purpose. If you’re willing to speak, I can at least take you out, give you some freedom. If you choose silence, then today when you close your eyes, you might never open them again.”

The Pseudo-King fell silent, then after a while, said, “Beidou… my master is the Beidou Emperor Star, only now, he has turned into Extraterrestrial Star.”

The Human Emperor asked, “Is Ghost Lake Beidou?”

The Pseudo-King hesitated, saying, “Yes, and no. Strictly speaking, Ghost Lake… is the gate upon Beidou’s return from slumber, a part of Beidou, yet it is also all that Beidou can manifest in the Ancestral Land. This is much like the Dragon Vein on your earth.”

The Human Emperor asked, “In your eyes, what is the Dragon Vein?”

The Pseudo-King looked at the Human Emperor, showing a profound smile, “It’s the gate upon the Emperor Star’s return from dormancy, a part of the Emperor Star, and also…”

The Human Emperor raised his hand, interrupting him, then casually yanked off his head, immersing it back into the high-concentration poison within the crystal glass, and quietly watched him saying, “You aren’t candid enough; I’ll come back in a few days.”

After speaking, he draped the black cloth over the box once more and left.

…

…

Deep winter.

Year’s end.

Before the Star Sea Dao, at Moon River Bay, many Fifth Grade, even Fourth Grade powerhouses were lurking.

The twinkling starlight across the ocean currents created shimmering waves, as the tides surged, lapping at the sandy shores, producing ethereal sounds.