NOVPUB"But just at that moment, the Mother Goddess suddenly said,"
"Having awakened now, although I do not remember what you did on your own, you, along with the God of War and the God of Longevity, are my earliest divine offspring, endowed with extraordinary divine power. I wish to entrust you with a great task."
"A great task?"
Wang Ba was slightly surprised.
Something the Mother Goddess considered a great task must truly be significant.
Without revealing any flaws, he respectfully replied,
"Please give your command, Mother Goddess."
The Mother Goddess’s voice carried a hint of solemnity,
"The Sky Rift has changed, the Supreme Vault of Heaven’s Yuan Qi has suffered great damage. As direct gods of the Heavenly Dao, we must do our utmost, assisting the Supreme Vault of Heaven in recovering its divine position."
"Recovering its divine position?"
Wang Ba’s heart stirred upon hearing this.
Wasn’t this what every cultivator dreamt of? But what good would it do an evil god?
Could it be that the Mother Goddess had lost her mind?
However, the Mother Goddess soon quashed these thoughts,
"But those cultivators are also quite detestable. If the divine position is restored too soon, I fear more Immortal Ascension cultivators will emerge... Thus, the recovery of the divine position can be somewhat delayed. The most important task for you is to mend the rifts in the sky, to prevent the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons from invading!"
"For every rift you repair, you will receive a contribution. I will bestow you with an incense fire to assist your return to the status of Divine Master and, perhaps even further, to reach the level of Divine Emperor."
"Incense fire?"
Wang Ba’s heart could not help but be moved, and the impulse to control the Mother Goddess quietly extinguished.
It was not that he coveted the incense fire of the Kingdom of Immortals, but rather their current goal coincided exactly with that of the Jin side.
After all, there were so many rifts in the sky; mending them one by one with the Merging Technique would also take considerable time.
What was more crucial was that the Kingdom of Immortals was also planning to assist in the recovery of the divine position.
Currently having stealthily assumed the divine position of the Yin God, he might be able to propel the development of this matter.
Thinking this, he quickly responded again in the customary tone of the Yin God.
The Mother Goddess’s voice then vanished.
Wang Ba quietly waited for a while.
His consciousness pierced through the thick divine temple, gazing into the distance.
There were reefs, islands, and even larger continents further away on the horizon.
Upon those continents, a vast golden pool was dimly visible, suspended mid-air.
A faint dragon’s chant could be heard.
"Is that the Huangji Continent?"
"And that pool, what is it?"
Wang Ba was slightly puzzled in his heart.
But before he could take a closer look, his consciousness suddenly felt a jolt of vibration.
"Hm?"
Wang Ba’s thoughts shifted, and his consciousness swiftly retreated to the interior of the Yin Temple, leaving a trace of spiritual sense behind before immediately withdrawing.
His consciousness quickly returned.
In the Pearl Dungeon of Wanfa Peak.
Wang Ba opened his eyes, and a Sound Transmission Talisman was fluttering in front of him.
He quickly infused it with mana and soon heard an anxious voice,
"Senior Brother Wang, Master is about to undergo the tribulation!"
Hearing this, Wang Ba was taken aback,
"Junior Brother Mo?"
"Martial Uncle Qi?"
His heart immediately tightened, and without any hesitation, he flew towards Shou Peak at extreme speed.
Soon, he landed on Shou Peak.
At the summit of Shou Peak, he saw the extremely anxious Junior Brother Mo and Qi Yan, who stood at the pinnacle, his gaze melancholic yet carrying a trace of resolve.
His heart sank slightly, but his face did not show it. Instead, he slowly walked over.
Junior Brother Mo quickly approached him.
Although he did not like Wang Ba, for Qi Yan’s sake, he still communicated in a low voice,
"After the passing of our ancestral master, our master has been despondent. Now, he even wants to attempt the Divine Tribulation Transcending. No matter how we persuade him, he won’t listen. I could only come to you, but you must not mention the ancestral master, Master would get angry..."
Wang Ba nodded in understanding,
"I know, don’t worry, leave it to me."
Junior Brother Mo glanced at Wang Ba’s calm demeanor, not even realizing he felt a subconscious relaxation in his heart.
As for Qi Yan, he still quietly gazed at the distant sea of clouds, silently.
It seemed as if he completely did not notice Wang Ba’s arrival.
Wang Ba slowly stepped up to Qi Yan’s side, sensing the faint sorrow emanating from Qi Yan, and suddenly spoke out:
"Martial Uncle," on the day of the Sky Rift, did you happen to see Martial Uncle Du Wei sacrifice himself to mend the heavens?"
By Wang Ba’s words, Mo Qi’s mind went blank in an instant!
Didn’t I tell you not to mention the grandmaster?
What confused him even more was Qi Yan, who had been staring blankly, turning his head subconsciously, his tone not showing a trace of anger, only a hint of urgency:
"Did you see it?"
Wang Ba nodded, a look of respect naturally emerging in his eyes:
"Before he left, Martial Uncle Grandmaster entrusted the Chi Dragon and the Five-Coloured Divine Deer to me. Then, without any hesitation, he flew toward the largest realm membrane black hole in the skies above Jin..."
"The Chi Dragon, and the Five-Coloured Divine Deer?"
Hearing of these two divine beasts, Qi Yan’s eyes inevitably showed a touch of daze.
And upon seeing the special Spirit Beast Bag that Wang Ba handed over, the daze in Qi Yan’s eyes turned into a shade of sorrow.
His Spiritual Sense penetrated the Spirit Beast Bag, feeling the restrained and familiar aura of the two divine beasts inside, and his heart couldn’t help but swell with even greater sorrow.
The things remain, but the people have changed, nothing more than that.
And then, Wang Ba suddenly spoke again:
"Right, Martial Uncle Grandmaster also left a message for you before he left..."
Qi Yan couldn’t help but ask urgently:
"What did my master say?"
"He said..."
"This lifetime, the thing he regretted the least, was taking you as his disciple."
Wang Ba said truthfully.
Qi Yan was stunned on the spot, muttering to himself:
"His least regret... was taking me as a disciple?"
"Did, did he really say that?"
Wang Ba said frankly: "When have I ever deceived Martial Uncle?"
Qi Yan stood there in a daze.
Just then, Wang Ba spoke again: "I heard that, Martial Uncle, you wish to undergo the Immortal Ascension Tribulation?"
Qi Yan returned to his senses, and a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes:
"I... I have cultivated for a lifetime, mostly to achieve Immortal Ascension, to carry on Master’s will. But now that Heaven and Earth have declined, they no longer allow Immortal Ascension to exist. What use is there for me to barely survive?"
Beside him, Mo Qi couldn’t help but show a somber expression.
Wang Ba shook his head slightly, pointing to the Spirit Beast Bag in Qi Yan’s hands:
"Is Martial Uncle merely seeking death by undergoing the Immortal Ascension Tribulation? Who then should care for these two divine beasts that Martial Uncle Grandmaster left behind?"
Qi Yan looked longingly at the Spirit Beast Bag in his hands, faintly feeling the residual aura of his master.
Gently placing the Spirit Beast Bag back in Wang Ba’s hands, he said softly:
"Since Master entrusted them to you, it should be you who takes care of them."
"Undergoing the Immortal Ascension Tribulation is because of my Dao-heart, because of Master’s expectations, and also because I want to try... whether the current Heaven and Earth can still accommodate a cultivator of Immortal Ascension... If I live, it means there is still a glimmer of hope for Heaven and Earth. If I fail, I can leave behind the most precious experience for the Sect. Either way, I would have died for a worthy cause."
His tone was firm, without any emotional ripples.
Clearly, he had made up his mind and had pondered over it many times, not a decision made on impulse.
Watching the gradually serene and enlightened expression on Qi Yan’s face, Wang Ba seemed to see again the scene of Master Yao Wudi’s departure.
Although he had not been there in person, the Ice Daoist had already recorded that scene and conveyed it to him.
The same composure and indifference, the same fearlessness in the face of life and death.
Entirely... unlike a cultivator who cherishes life.
Wang Ba sighed deeply, his gaze growing solemn as he looked at Mo Qi and suddenly said:
"Junior Brother Mo, immediately swear an oath that the things you’ve heard today must never be spoken to others."
Mo Qi was startled, looking somewhat bewildered at Wang Ba.
Then, quickly realizing the gravity, he hurriedly made a series of fierce oaths.
Qi Yan frowned slightly, not understanding the reason.
The next instant, he opened his eyes and took out a Spiritl Ear from his sleeve.
"Junior Brother Shen is looking for me?"
The next instant, he opened his eyes and took out a Spiritl Ear from his sleeve.
"Junior Brother Shen is looking for me?"
