Chapter 504: A Consistent Lineage
The village chief was struck as if by lightning, standing dumbfounded in front of the stele. The legend of the Overlord Body? And from forty thousand years ago?
Wasn't the Overlord Body something he had fabricated to fool Qin Mu and the villagers?
Could it be that the Overlord Body actually existed in this world?
"No, no! There must be some misunderstanding! Perhaps the Overlord Body from forty thousand years ago has nothing to do with the one I made up!"
His mind was in turmoil, a flood of thoughts surging forth all at once. But the village chief was, after all, the village chief. He quickly sorted through his thoughts and thought to himself, "Maybe the Overlord Body does exist in this world. It might be a type of spiritual body, just called the Overlord Body because it's too powerful. This kind of Overlord Body has nothing to do with the one I fabricated!"
He steadied himself and looked at the stele.
The inscription was written in Dragon Clan script. After staring at it for a while, the village chief had no choice but to seek help from the First Ancestor. "What does this say? Dragon Clan script is profound and difficult; I never learned it."
The First Ancestor was easy to talk to. "It says here that before the fall of the Sovereign Emperor era, the Bai family of the Dragon Clan encountered a young man who called himself the Overlord Body. He was multi-talented, capable of what others could not do, and defeated all his peers without equal. His bearing was dazzling, his brilliance unmatched. Whether in sword techniques or divine abilities, he surpassed the Sovereign Emperor era by an unknown margin. So they asked him, 'What is the Overlord Body?' The young man said, 'The Overlord Body is unparalleled; the spirit embryo does not open. At first glance, it appears to be a mortal body. Later, when the spirit embryo opens the divine treasures, one attains supreme mysteries, thus dominating one's generation with peerless talent.'"
The village chief's eyelids twitched. Qin Mu was also different from other spiritual bodies; he wasn't a spiritual body at all. The spirit embryo divine treasure of a spiritual body was open from the start, but Qin Mu's spirit embryo divine treasure was closed!
Ordinary people's spirit embryo divine treasures were also closed, which was why they couldn't cultivate.
Yet Qin Mu, under the village chief's instigation and with the villagers' support, had managed to forcefully open the supposedly impossible spirit embryo divine treasure, and from then on, his progress was swift, advancing a thousand miles in a single day!
This situation was remarkably similar to what was described on the stele!
"It must be a coincidence!"
The village chief steadied his mind as the First Ancestor continued, "...The cultivation of the Overlord Body surpasses that of spiritual bodies by far. Moreover, their comprehension is outstanding; they understand at a single point, grasp analogies, and draw inferences. The Overlord Body is unparalleled, yet it has its enemy in this world—the theory of the False Overlord Body."
The village chief shook his head, his voice hoarse. "What?"
"It says here that although the Overlord Body is unmatched under heaven, there is a False Overlord Body as its enemy."
The First Ancestor patiently explained, "It also says that the Overlord Body and the False Overlord Body are in a struggle for fortune. They have a mysterious connection between them. The False Overlord Body contends with the Overlord Body, seizing its fortune, thereby making itself the true Overlord Body. How strange—how could such a peculiar constitution exist? To be honest, I have heard of the Overlord Body once before, but I dismissed it as a legend. I never expected the legend to be true."
The village chief's mind buzzed. It took him a long moment to come back to his senses. He stammered, "F-First Ancestor, you've heard the legend of the Overlord Body?"
The First Ancestor nodded. "I heard it once, but I never saw the Overlord Body. I just took that one hearing as a strange tale and didn't believe it. I never thought it would turn out to be true."
His expression grew strange. "There is such a refreshingly original Overlord Body in this world."
The village chief fell silent. Suddenly, the world around him felt absurd, bizarre and grotesque.
Could it be that the Overlord Body he had fabricated actually existed? And that this Overlord Body matched the lies he had used to deceive Qin Mu exactly!
Wasn't this too incredible?
Back then, in the village, to appease the villagers, he had told the first lie that Qin Mu was the Overlord Body. In the years that followed, he had to tell more lies to cover up that one, eventually fabricating a complete system for the Overlord Body.
The description of the Overlord Body on this stele was almost identical to his fabricated system. He had used the same words to deceive others, and they had believed him. Now, reading the words on the stele, he himself was starting to believe.
The stele was right in front of him; he couldn't help but believe.
"If the Overlord Body really existed, why did the Sovereign Emperor era still fall?" The village chief was still struggling internally. He thought of the key point and quickly asked.
"It doesn't say here."
The First Ancestor showed a pained expression, his spirits sinking. "But in the face of an overwhelming tide, the power of an individual is truly too insignificant. Heh, even if it were the Overlord Body, what could it do? Could it clear the jade universe and restore the bright and clear world? This Overlord Body might have been eliminated before he could grow up, or perhaps his fortune was seized by the False Overlord Body, or maybe, grief-stricken by the fall of the Sovereign Emperor era and feeling powerless to turn the tide, he gave up on himself, wallowed in self-pity, and hid away like me, a turtle hiding its head. The possibilities in history are too many. A person in the vastness of history is truly too insignificant..."
He seemed to be talking about the Overlord Body from forty thousand years ago, but also about his own situation. Finally, he let out a melancholy sigh and fell silent.
The village chief examined the stele over and over. Suddenly, he grew excited. He fetched paper and inkstone and made a rubbing of the text on the stele.
The First Ancestor raised an eyebrow. The village chief laughed. "I'll take this rubbing back to show the past generations of Human Sovereigns. The real Overlord Body—there really is an Overlord Body! I took a real Overlord Body as a disciple, the successor to the Human Sovereign... When they see this rubbing, they will surely be happy for me!"
The First Ancestor gave him a curious look and continued walking forward. "According to the inscription, the Sovereign Emperor Divine Realm was destroyed long after the end of the Sovereign Emperor era. I can't help but worry about Carefree Village."
The village chief quickly caught up with him. "So, First Ancestor, you mean..."
"I'm worried about Carefree Village."
The First Ancestor said solemnly, "I haven't received news from Carefree Village in a long time. Although there have been a few messages from Carefree Village, carrying the orders of the Opening Emperor, I suspect it is no longer the same aggressive and enterprising Opening Emperor. Carefree, carefree... Heh, if a man has no long-term worries, he will surely have immediate troubles! They've been staying in Carefree Village for too long! Back then, I was against building any Carefree Village and advocated fighting to the end!"
The village chief pondered for a moment. "So, First Ancestor, on this trip, you intend to find people from the Sovereign Emperor era? The Sovereign Emperor era is too far away now. It's impossible for any remnants to have survived."
"No! There are still people alive!"
The First Ancestor looked around. "This Sovereign Emperor Divine Realm gathered the remnants of the Sovereign Emperor era. After many years of development, their power was considerable, no less than that of today's Carefree Village. Later, this place was breached by the enemy, but from the fragmented records of this ruin, I discovered that some people still managed to escape alive and founded another home elsewhere. I want to find them and have them join forces with Carefree Village. Perhaps we can plan something big again!"
The village chief was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "At the peak of the Opening Emperor era, you couldn't turn things around. Even if you find the old forces of the Sovereign Emperor now, their strength is far less than the peak of the Opening Emperor. When you were at your strongest, you didn't seek them out to join forces and fight. Now that you've found them, what use can they be?"
The First Ancestor showed a pained expression, his voice hoarse. "I know! But I also know that hiding in Carefree Village, doing nothing, will never bring hope! I have to do something, I have to keep busy. The moment I quiet down, my mind starts to wander. I see my comrades dying before my eyes, I see the heavenly calamity destroying all living things, I see people struggling in hellish, terrifying scenes. I have to do something..."
He was somewhat stubborn, his obsession deep. But the village chief understood his feelings and emotions. "I'll go with you."
Inside Fengdu City, Qin Mu arrived at the residence of the successive leaders of the Celestial Saint Sect. He looked around and saw many ghost servants and attendants busily working.
Compared to the poverty of the successive Human Sovereigns in the Human Sovereign Hall, this place was much livelier. Ghosts came and went, and the palaces were also magnificent. Clearly, the successive leaders of the Celestial Saint Sect received offerings from the sect, unlike the successive Human Sovereigns of the Human Sovereign Hall, who, due to the scarcity of descendants and few people visiting their graves, were all dirt poor.
Only the First Ancestor, because he had petrified his own body and placed it in Little Jade Capital, occasionally received some offerings, so his household had some surplus to help the Second Ancestor, Third Ancestor, and the others.
The palaces of the Celestial Saint Sect were arranged in a row, one after another, like the scales of a fish or the teeth of a comb. They had green tiles and red eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, layered buildings and stacked pavilions. The palaces themselves were laid out in a formation, connected by pathways and long corridors linking the many halls. Numerous little ghosts carried various flower clusters and fruit plates, coming and going, bustling and lively.
Qin Mu sighed with emotion. Even as ghosts, the treatment was quite different.
He arrived in front of a palace and looked up. It was the Zuyang Hall. He thought to himself, "Could this be the palace of Leader Zuyang?"
Leader Zuyang was the Celestial Saint Leader before Li Tianxing. Qin Mu didn't know much about his deeds, only that there was a Zuyang Hall on Saintly Proclamation Mountain. He didn't expect to find one here too.
In front of the hall, a young man was carving a stone lion with a chisel, while some little ghosts nearby were picking up the stone chips.
Just as Qin Mu was about to enter the hall, the young man quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
Qin Mu smiled. "I'm here to see Leader Zuyang."
The young man looked him up and down, put down his hammer and chisel. Immediately, a little ghost stepped forward with a jade plate to take the tools, another brought a jade basin for him to wash his hands, and yet another ran over with a face towel.
The young man wiped his hands clean and said with surprise, "You haven't met Leader Zuyang?"
Qin Mu was astonished. "You are Leader Zuyang?"
The young man nodded and laughed. "I am. I see you're all bones, so you should still be alive. But strangely, you're not Li Tianxing. Li Tianxing is my disciple; I wouldn't forget him. Are you the next generation's leader?"
He became interested and said excitedly, "Did you kill Li Tianxing?"
Qin Mu quickly shook his head. "Leader Li has already been utterly destroyed, body and soul. He fought desperately against Xing Han but couldn't defeat him. Although Leader Li's character was somewhat lacking, he knew remorse before his death, which is admirable..."
"Utterly destroyed, body and soul? Good!"
Leader Zuyang clapped his hands and laughed. "He died well! In my later years, I didn't want to abdicate. This brat took advantage of my cultivation of the Nine Withers Nine Blooms Divine Art, when my qi and blood were in decline, to challenge me. He severely wounded me and seized the position of leader! I was gravely injured by him and died of depression. This bastard even hypocritically cried at my grave..."
Qin Mu was dumbfounded. After a moment, he asked, "May I ask where the Celestial Saint Ancestral Master is?"
"Who is the Celestial Saint Ancestral Master?"
Leader Zuyang was startled, then suddenly realized and laughed. "You mean my little junior uncle? My master took him as a disciple in his later years. Little Junior Uncle never became the leader; he's even younger than me. After I killed my master, he complained about it. I wanted to kill him, but I was afraid of gossip within the sect, so I gave him a sinecure, made him the Celestial Saint Ancestral Master, and sent him far away... Master, come here! The little leader of our Celestial Saint Sect has come to see us!"
A black-robed man walked out of the adjacent palace. He was also handsome, appearing to be thirty or forty years old, with dignified features and an extraordinary handsomeness. He walked over and said with surprise, "Little leader? Has our Celestial Saint Sect changed leaders again? How did you die?"
Leader Zuyang laughed. "The little leader isn't dead yet. Look, he's in skeleton form. He's here to find your junior brother, my little junior uncle."
The black-robed man walked over, looked Qin Mu up and down, and laughed. "Indeed, not dead. Have you taken any disciples?"
Qin Mu quickly bowed. "Greetings, Leader Yulian. I haven't taken any disciples yet."
"Don't take disciples too early. Take them early, die early. Look at me, I was assassinated by my own good disciple."
Leader Yulian turned around, revealing a sword stuck in his back. He kindly warned, "See this sword? My good disciple stabbed me with it."
Leader Zuyang said smugly, "Master, aren't you embarrassed to keep that sword? What did you say when you assassinated Grandmaster Grandmother?"
Leader Yulian said smugly, grinning slyly. "Your Grandmaster Grandmother wanted to pass the position to Little Junior Uncle. If I hadn't assassinated her, how could I have become the Leader and Saintly Master? And how could you have assassinated me to become the leader? By the way, little leader, who did you assassinate to become the Leader and Saintly Master?"
——It's New Year's Eve. So nervous, so nervous. Many pigs meet their end on New Year's Eve. So nervous, what to do? Brothers, throw in some monthly votes to calm my nerves!