Book 08 Chapter 085: Feigning Illness

Eight Directions Sea:

“Did you see Jiang Lianshan earlier?” Ba asked with a grim expression.

Gu Hai nodded.

At Gu Hai’s affirmation, Ba’s pupils constricted, and she extended her hand.

Boom!

All the flames of the Eight Directions Sea sank beneath the ocean surface, extending as far as the eye could see.

“It’s no use. If he really is Jiang Lianshan, he has been here for eight hundred thousand years. If he wants to hide from you, you won’t find him.” Gu Hai shook his head.

“Did you see the real Jiang Lianshan?” Ba inquired, as she had failed to locate Jiang Lianshan.

“I’m not sure,” Gu Hai replied.

“Huh?”

Gu Hai furrowed his brows. “He carries a shadow of Jiang Lianshan, but there’s something about him that doesn’t match Jiang Lianshan’s personality.”

“Personality?” Ba looked at Gu Hai with confusion.

Gu Hai nodded. “Yes, during the brief interaction, his tone exuded a cold ruthlessness, a heartlessness akin to Essence Genesis, or even more so. Essence Genesis still cares about Sect Master Heavenly Access, but this Jiang Lianshan doesn’t care about anyone!”

“Oh?”

“I mentioned Murong Yan to him, but his reaction was indifference, as though he was just a bystander. He watched Murong Yan die back then without any emotional response,” Gu Hai continued, his expression troubled.

“So, he’s a fake?” Ba asked in a serious tone.

“No, as I said before, he carries a shadow of Jiang Lianshan. Apart from his ruthlessness, his way of thinking is similar to Jiang Lianshan’s, and he possesses all of Jiang Lianshan’s memories. That’s why I find it strange.” Gu Hai shook his head.

“Way of thinking?” Ba furrowed his brows.

“Yes, even his attitude towards Chiyou is similar, but without any concern. Oh! By the way, he mentioned he had been in the East Spiritual Fire Sea for the past eight hundred thousand years and even taught Jiang Lianshan something during that time?” Gu Hai added inquisitively.

“That’s correct. Many of Jiang Lianshan’s secrets came from the East Spiritual Fire Sea. However, very few people are aware of this. It seems that he acquired these secrets from here,” Ba explained.

“I have a feeling that he intends to use the Vermilion Bird Deity for something, and Jingwei might be in danger, so…,” Gu Hai trailed off, his voice sinking.

Ba’s expression turned grim.

“There are numerous ritual arrays in the East Spiritual Fire Sea, and we don’t know the specifics of how to break them or proceed further. We severely injured his fire deity, and it won’t recover anytime soon. However, he has Yinggou by his side. I noticed that Yinggou’s behavior is extremely sinister. We’re sure she didn’t use her full strength. There might be some kind of mutual manipulation going on between her and Jiang Lianshan,” Gu Hai concluded.

“That old fool. Even in death, he refuses to go in peace. Humph!” Ba’s face darkened.

“Your Holy Eminence, it seems that Gu Hai is severely injured,” Hou Yi whispered to Ba.

Should we kill the injured Gu Hai?

Hou Yi’s eyes gleamed with a hint of coldness, prompting Gu Hai to raise his vigilance.

Ba glanced at Hou Yi and said, “You want to kill Gu Hai? Hah! You won’t be able to kill him. We should leave.”

“Huh? Alright,” Hou Yi responded with a puzzled expression.

Gu Hai appears severely weakened, as evidenced by his pale complexion. Why can’t I kill him?

Ba did not explain, and Hou Yi did not dare to pursue the matter.

“No matter how many ritual arrays are here, the old man will continue to be a great threat if he remains alive. I’m going to find him,” Ba told Gu Hai before preparing to leave.

“Protect Jingwei carefully. I’ll recuperate and catch up with you as soon as possible,” Gu Hai said.

Ba flung out her sleeve and disappeared from the Eight Directions Sea with Hou Yi.

The Unborn Man rushed over. “Your Holy Eminence, are you alright?”

Gu Hai put the calabashes away and suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

Blargh!

After spewing blood, Gu Hai collapsed.

“Your Holy Eminence!” the Unborn Man exclaimed.

“Let’s leave this place first!” Gu Hai gasped out.

“Yes!” the Unborn Man replied anxiously.

Riding the boat, Gu Hai and the Unborn Man quickly departed from the Eight Directions Sea. Gu Hai leaned against the railing, looking extremely frail.

Not long after Gu Hai and his group left, a Nether Fire Divine Commander slowly emerged from below the Eight Directions Sea.

The Nether Fire Divine Commander had observed everything that had transpired.

——

In a secluded valley within the East Spiritual Fire Sea, Lifespan Xiahou had witnessed everything through the Nether Fire Divine Commander.

“Jiang Lianshan? The Yan [old] Heavenly Dynasty’s heavenly emperor? Eight hundred thousand years ago? I’ve been in the East Spiritual Fire Sea for thirty years. Could there have been earth-shattering changes outside?” Lifespan Xiahou was slightly taken aback.

Thirty years was a long time, and many things had occurred during those thirty years. Lifespan Xiahou had been in the East Spiritual Fire Sea all this time, capturing large groups of ghosts occasionally. How could he know what drastic changes had occurred in the land of the living?

“Humph! No matter how the outside world has changed, it has nothing to do with me. As long as I obtain the treasures here, I can reach the peak. Even Fuxi might not surpass me! These are the treasures of the vermilion bird, the power of the Vermilion Bird Prime!” Lifespan Xiahou clenched his withered fist.

“The Unborn Man? Hah! I understand your intentions. You want to find me? Each of our eight lines of inheritance of lifespan cultivation has its own strengths, and we rarely interfere with each other. Why are you looking for me? It seems you’ve become greedy and want to take my lifespan physical soul. Hah! You’re really seeking death!” Lifespan Xiahou watched the scene in front of him.

“Since I now know Jiang Lianshan has been in the East Spiritual Fire Sea all along, I can finally breathe easy. Lifespan Dongfang, that fool, doesn’t understand the eight trigrams as well as Jiang Lianshan? Take it slow; no need to rush. I’ll deal with the Unborn Man first. Haha! Here, in the East Spiritual Fire Sea, your strength is limited to the Nascent Soul Realm, yet you dare to barge in here? You must be tired of living. If you want to deal with me, I’ll devour you first. Hehehe…

“Gu Hai must be the helper you brought? If it were before, I would have been cautious of him. But, alas, the Physical Soul Scattering Calabash tore up his fire deity beyond recognition. It’s crippled now! This way, I don’t need to worry. He came willingly; turning him into a puppet is a fine idea! Then there’s the Absolute Zero Calabash, the True Flame Calabash, and the Vine World Calabash. All precious treasures, all mine. Oh! Right! There’s also the Renewing Soil; although it’s a bit weak, it’s not bad. Hehehe…”

——

The Unborn Man sailed his boat swiftly through the Eight Directions Sea.

Gu Hai propped himself against the railing, looking pale and feeble. It seemed like he needed some time to recuperate. However, this was the East Spiritual Fire Sea, and the fire deity’s injuries were not easy to recover from.

“Your Holy Eminence, let’s leave the East Spiritual Fire Sea first. We can come back later!” the Unborn Man urged anxiously.

The pale Gu Hai said nothing.

“Hah!”

Just at this moment, a roar rang out. It was a Nether Fire Divine Commander riding on a warhorse, charging across the sea.

“A Nether Fire Divine Commander?” The Unborn Man’s expression changed.

“Use the Absolute Zero Calabash!” Gu Hai pulled out the Absolute Zero Calabash.

The Unborn Man did not hesitate. He immediately activated the Absolute Zero Calabash and directed it at the Nether Fire Divine Commander.

The Nether Fire Divine Commander’s chains rushed towards the boat, but the Absolute Zero Calabash’s cold energy erupted.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The chain instantly froze and shattered under the influence of the vast cold energy. The cold energy continued towards the Nether Fire Divine Commander, forcing him to back off.

Whoosh!

The vast amount of cold energy rushing over severely injured the Nether Fire Divine Commander as he retreated far away.

“Your Holy Eminence, when I use the Absolute Zero Calabash, I can only unleash about one percent of its power, much weaker than you!” the Unborn Man said with a wry smile.

“It does not matter. Just be cautious.” Gu Hai shook his head.

In the distance, the Nether Fire Divine Commander absorbed some flames from the sea, warming himself, and then charged back.

However, the Unborn Man had the Absolute Zero Calabash, preventing him from getting close. The Nether Fire Divine Commander could only attack the sea repeatedly, creating towering waves.

Gu Hai took out the True Flame Calabash for the Unborn Man to use as protection for the boat.

“Fortunately, this is only a Middle Heavenly Palace Realm Nether Fire Divine Commander!” The Unborn Man took a deep breath.

Rumble…!

Just then, galloping hoofbeats came from afar. Three more Nether Fire Divine Commanders approached.

“Three more? Well, Nether Fire Divine Commanders are unpredictable and often engage in mutual slaughter, fighting for each other’s lifespan. Perhaps we can escape in the chaos!” the Unborn Man said optimistically.

However, reality dashed the Unborn Man’s hopes.

The three new Nether Fire Divine Commanders simultaneously attacked the boat. Even with the Unborn Man using two calabashes for protection, a gaping hole appeared in the boat with a loud report.

“Oh no! They are working together!” the Unborn Man exclaimed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The four Nether Fire Divine Commanders beset the boat while the Unborn Man struggled to fend them off using the True Flame Calabash and the Absolute Zero Calabash. With great difficulty, the boat finally reached the shore.

In a stroke of luck, the Unborn Man used the Absolute Zero Calabash to freeze one of the Nether Fire Divine Commanders and took his flaming warhorse.

The still-weakened Gu Hai rode the horse.

The Unborn Man used the two calabashes to continue fending off the attacks of the four Nether Fire Divine Commanders.

Along the way, they narrowly escaped death. Soon enough, the four Nether Fire Divine Commanders turned into six. Six Middle Heavenly Palace Realm Nether Fire Divine Commanders?

The Unborn Man gulped, feeling utterly miserable. Fending them off had taken a toll on him, and he was in a sorry state.

“Your Holy Eminence, they are working together. This is bad. Also, I have a feeling they are not in a hurry to attack us. It seems like they want to drive us to a specific place!” the Unborn Man said anxiously.

“Cough, cough, cough!” After a coughing fit, Gu Hai nodded with an unsightly expression as he looked at the six Nether Fire Divine Commanders.

“Could they be working with that Nether Fire Divine Commander who self-detonated? If not, is it all Lifespan Xiahou controlling the Nether Fire Divine Commanders? If he is the one controlling them, then it means Lifespan Xiahou is fully aware of our location?” the Unborn Man speculated anxiously.

“We will take it step by step. We fend them off first before finding another way out,” Gu Hai said, his voice sinking.

“Yes!” the Unborn Man said uncertainly.

Protecting the weakened Gu Hai, the Unborn Man continued fending off the six Nether Fire Divine Commanders, who were herding them to a certain location. At the same time, they tried to find an exit.

——

The secluded valley:

Lifespan Xiahou watched the scene and chuckled, “Gu Hai has truly been crippled. The True Flame Calabash? The Absolute Zero Calabash? They are wasted in the Unborn Man’s hands. Come on, come to me. Hahaha!”

Lifespan Xiahou guffawed as he watched the scene, mostly focusing on the Unborn Man. As for the sickly Gu Hai, he no longer paid any attention to Gu Hai. He was so disinterested that he failed to notice the icy glint in Gu Hai’s eyes or the mischievous smile that briefly appeared on Gu Hai’s face during a coughing fit, which Gu Hai’s hand promptly covered.