World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 662: The Passing of Xin Yuehu

Zhuge Lin softly instructed, "Have a seat."

Wensheng bowed, then took a seat in the circular stool beside him. With his brow furrowed, he studied his master.

"In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred thousand years have passed." Zhuge Lin sighed quietly. "Do you still remember how things were when you first came to me as a disciple?"

Wensheng smiled faintly. "I would never dare forget. My juniors and I all owe our lives to you. You saved us and taught us how to cultivate, allowing us to become who we are today."

A trace of nostalgia appeared in Zhuge Lin's eyes. The shadows on his gaunt face softened with a hint of warmth.

"Wensheng, have you ever resented me for refusing to let the Qiling Immortal Sect inherit the emperor's legacy?"

"I'm sure there's a reason behind every decision you make, Master. I would never presume to question it," Wensheng answered solemnly. After a pause, he added, "And given the current situation, even if one of our sect's disciples could enter that immortal palace, we would never dare acknowledge it. It would only bring disaster in the future."

Zhuge Lin nodded slowly. "That is one of the reasons. Second, since the emperor left behind that legacy himself, it is only right that his own disciple inherits it. Now, tell me, what do you think of that young man named Fei Yu?"

In a low tone, Wensheng said, "If he ever rises to prominence, he will not remain confined to shallow waters. It has been many years since my Dao Heart wavered in the presence of someone so young.

"He values loyalty and righteousness. He seems to come from extraordinary origins, and his Daoist heritage is likewise uncommon. When I came into close contact with him, I sensed three strands of Dao Rhythm within him, yet I could not discern their source."

"You are indeed correct. He will be quite remarkable one day," Zhuge Lin said as he slowly closed his eyes. "One of the three strands that you could not identify is the legacy and sole inheritance of Emperor Ziwei. That path commands the myriad stars.

"The second is the Great Dao of Slaughter. At present, it's still a mere embryo, and a powerful treasure is preventing it from influencing him. The third lies hidden within his true spirit. Even I cannot fathom its origin. It seems to be the incomplete imprint of a Great Dao."

The old man shook his head gently.

"That little fellow seems to have forgotten that although I'm now frail and my immortal power has declined, I can still see clearly, and my Daoist realm hasn't been severed."

"Why are you suddenly bringing him up, Master?"

"No particular reason."

Wensheng gazed outside through the thin barrier of array light, watching the busy people moving through the valley.

"Master, thirty thousand years ago, the stellar upheaval in the Western Sky Region was said to mark the emergence of the Western Emperor's Daoist heritage. By that reckoning, three of the Four Heavenly Ministers' legacies have now appeared. Does this foretell anything?"

"It foretells nothing. It merely shows that the flame of the Heavenly Court has not yet gone out." A quiet smile formed at the corner of Zhuge Lin's lips. "When the Heavenly Court started to fall from its peak, Emperor Ziwei fought his way out, and several great powers tore open a path together, allowing many of the Heavenly Court's experts to escape the collapsing Heavenly Palace.

"To speak plainly, if not for the Immortal Emperor's death and the onset of the Five Heavenly Declines, how could those petty forces ever have risen to such heights? The powers that now occupy the Immortal Saint Realm were, in truth, no more than defeated enemies of the Heavenly Court in the past." Zhuge Lin exhaled slowly. "Wensheng, do you know why I have lingered on for more than a hundred thousand years?"

"Master..."

"Through countless days and nights, I endured the torment of the Five Heavenly Declines. Like dead wood, they gnawed away at me little by little, yet I struggled constantly to stay alive and preserve a breath." He smiled bleakly, yet a hint of relief also appeared in his eyes. "I endured all of this because the emperor could not accept his fate. As his general, I had to share his burdens. I held on for one purpose alone: to find a worthy inheritor of his legacy and help him carve a path of rebirth from utter ruin."

A path of rebirth from utter ruin?

Shock filled Wensheng's expression. "Emperor Qinghua isn't truly dead?"

"He is," Zhuge Lin whispered as he reached into his robes. With trembling fingers, he took out a pendant. "He condensed his final trace of vitality into this, extending my life up to this point. From the perspective of living beings, not even the weakest spark of his life remains. Yet your cultivation is no longer shallow. You should understand many truths and have grasped much of the mystery of the true spirit.

"The Emperor's attainment in the Great Dao of Life had already reached its peak. In my eyes, the Five Heavenly Declines are illness and decay. In his, they were a completely new path."

Stunned, Wensheng simply listened in silence.

Zhuge Lin slowly removed the pendant that had sustained his life, caressing it gently as memories filled his gaze.

"I still remember everything the emperor told me that day. Living beings exist to journey from life to death. Not even Golden Immortals truly live forever. From the Primordial Era to the present, how many great figures have actually endured to this day?

"This so-called transcendence of life and death merely allows one to borrow the Dao to stabilize their existence, delaying aging and decay. Yet calamities will always arise, claiming even the lives of Golden Immortals. Life and death remain in balance, just as the substantial and the illusory do. However, the emperor could not accept this."

Wensheng frowned. "He could not accept it?"

Zhuge Lin smiled bitterly. "How could anyone? That day, I saw anger and defiance in his eyes. The emperor resolved to survive at any cost, uncover the truth behind the Immortal Emperor's death, and answer the doubts in his heart. He wished to question those who had betrayed the Heavenly Court and confront the Three Pure Ones about why they treated the gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court in such a manner."

"Master, what did the emperor do in the end?"

Zhuge Lin softly corrected, "You mean what the emperor and I did."

He wrapped the pendant in a thread of aura and slowly presented it to Wensheng. That single movement seemingly drained away the last of his remaining immortal power, making him look even more exhausted.

Wensheng hurriedly exclaimed, "Master, you have to keep that pendant with you at all times!"

Zhuge Lin replied calmly, "Why should I? Today is the day I reach my limit."

Wensheng sprang to his feet and rushed forward, clutching the pendant as he moved. However, when he saw his master's faintly clouded eyes—and the relief and yearning within them—he was forced to stop in his tracks.

That yearning was a longing for release.

"Wensheng, listen carefully. I cannot rest easy entrusting your martial juniors to anyone else; I must leave this matter in your hands."

Wensheng gazed toward the sky. His eyes reddened slightly as he sighed slowly. "Even if I have to give up my life, I will not let Master down."

"There is no need to risk your life. A few careful arrangements will suffice," Zhuge Lin said gently. His tone then turned solemn. "Beneath the divine tree lies a grand array called Nine-Extremity Life Reversal. From what I sense, it has already been successfully activated.

"At the heart of the array rests the emperor. Perhaps it cannot truly be called a corpse. Although he no longer possesses vitality, his divine soul has not dispersed. Instead, it has been sealed within this pendant."

"What?"

Wensheng Zhenren's hand trembled as he lowered his gaze to the pendant.

Zhuge Lin smiled faintly and nodded. "Every time I was on the verge of collapse, it was the emperor who intervened and saved me. His divine soul has been in deep slumber all this time. When I met Little Qing some time ago, it seemingly awakened briefly. I even sensed his joy. Anyway, let us return to the main matter.

"The Nine-Extremity Life Reversal is extraordinarily difficult to construct. Fortunately, the divine tree's roots serve as the finest possible array disk. However, activating it requires a large amount of vitality power. That's why the emperor's Daoist heritage has announced itself to the world; it attempted to draw cultivators here.

"The more people come and die in this place, the greater the death aura that can be supplied to the Nine-Extremity Life Reversal. No one can stop his revival now that the array is complete, especially not with the supreme treasure Apricot-Yellow Banner guarding the emperor. The only thing missing now is this pendant."

Wensheng Zhenren lowered his voice. "So you and the emperor have schemed against the entire Eastern Sky Region?"

Zhuge Lin shook his head slowly. "Only a small portion of its cultivators. Those who have come here represent only a tiny fraction of the Eastern Sky Region, and the vast majority are not immortals of the Heavenly Court.

"Anyway, why should I not scheme against them? Among the immortal factions of the Eastern Sky Region, which long-standing sect has not once caused chaos for the Heavenly Court? Of the powerful beings who have come here today, how many were not once traitors who attacked the Heavenly Court?"

"This still feels somewhat..." Wensheng sighed softly and lowered his head. "I spoke rashly. Please forgive me, Master."

"When the Nine-Extremity Life Reversal is unleashed, everyone within it will be reduced to blood and transformed into death aura. However, I did not intend to be utterly ruthless. During the later arrangements, I ensured that before the divine tree completely withers and the array fully activates, the three layered arrays will dissolve on their own. Those inside who have good luck will have a chance to escape."

"What about the emperor's disciple and her junior brother?"

Zhuge Lin sighed. "By the time the array erupts, the emperor will already have revived. How could he harm them? Moreover, a portion of the Heavenly Court's heavenly fate is protecting Little Qing's junior brother. There is no need to worry."

Deep in thought, Wensheng lowered his gaze to the pendant. "Master, what do you need me to do?"

"Do you still remember the young girl who brought back those spiritual herbs a few days ago?"

"Feiyao? She could be considered my grand-disciple."

"Yes, her. Arrange for her to deliver this pendant into the array. Tell her that once she enters, she only has to crush the pendant and withdraw immediately."

"Why must it be her?"

"Fei Yu likely gave her those spiritual herbs. Since he chose her, I see no reason not to let her handle this task. In the unseen workings of fate, there are always hidden connections. Perhaps she will one day become a pillar of the Qiling Immortal Sect."

Zhuge Lin's words carried deeper meaning. Daring not to ask further questions, Wensheng simply nodded in agreement.

He then asked, "Once the pendant is in the array, will the array immediately activate?"

Zhuge Lin smiled, his spirit seemingly stronger now than before. "No, the emperor's revival will require some time, but we won't have any control over what happens afterward anyway. The emperor will handle it all. Treat it as though nothing has happened. Do not tell the girl anything. Simply instruct her to bring the pendant into the array and crush it once she's inside."

"Yes, Master."

"Go." Zhuge Lin waved his hand as his aged eyes slowly closed. "I am a little tired. I will rest here for a while. Wensheng..."

"Yes, Master?"

Sensing something amiss, Wensheng hurried forward, but Zhuge Lin's gaze had already begun to dim. Faint streams of light slowly dispersed beneath his withered skin.

Although abundant vitality still flowed within him, his flesh was starting to look like a hollowed tree trunk riddled with wormholes. His vitality leaked away almost instantly, leaving nothing behind.

"Master!"

Grief flooded Wensheng's expression as he dropped to his knees beside the bed and bowed his head.

"You are the eldest of your martial siblings..." Zhuge Lin dissolved into drifting black and gray dust. "You have to watch over the others..."

His Dao Body collapsed, leaving only his robes resting quietly upon the bed.