Chapter 19: Foreign Power
While Hou Hui was occupied in the Heavenly Demon Tablet, the world hadn't stopped running. And although he had been cultivating for sixty years, in the outside, only two days had passed. In those two, however, the Celestial Realm was turned upside down. If the death of Ba Zu had not immediately provoked any mighty wave, that of Si Wang She had rocked the realm.
Gods didn't just stand at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, their very existence empowered it. Once an immortal ascended to godhood, his/her entire lineage would receive immense benefits such as stronger constitutions, cultivation base breakthroughs and a greater understanding of the ancient laws. But once that god perished, they would immediately lose those benefits. Thus, a god's ascension or demise could not be hidden.
Better, gods were the true pillars of a realm. Their number and strength directly affected its power and prosperity but said number was relatively small. In the incomparably vast Celestial Realm, which contained millions of immortals, there were barely over a hundred gods. Si Wang She definitely ranked low in the divine hierarchy. But he was also one of the youngest gods, having cultivated for only twenty thousand years. Still, as a Death Wielding God, he was very promising and successfully crossing a cosmic tribulation was almost certain.
As for Ba Zu, he wasn't just the leader of the serpent clan's younger generation, but a leader of the entire Celestial Realm's younger generation.
With their death, it wasn't just the ba serpent bloodline that was affected. The serpent clan had overnight lost both one of its three gods and a future god. Their ranking among the divine clans was about to sharply drop. The Serpent God, leader of the serpent clan, was incensed. But when he traced their death back to the Ancient Sea World, instead of leading an army to investigate, he asked the Heavenly Emperor for an audience!
Considering that the serpent clan was the most loyal vassal of the dragon clan, the Heavenly Emperor summoned all the deities to the Heavenly Palace to discuss and investigate the events of the Ancient Sea World. At the same time, he ordered the crown prince Long Wei, and the third prince Long Ming to organize a gathering of the prominent members of the younger generation with the serpent clan as the main guest to reaffirm the dragon clan's support.
Seizing that opportunity, Long Ming personally sent an invitation to Feng Wu Shuang, and her elder brother Feng Wu Chen. Outwardly, there was nothing wrong with it. However, rumors began circulating that during the gathering, he would publicly declare his affection for her and ask for her hand!
Feng Wu Shuang was particularly annoyed. She could say whatever she wanted in private, but if she dared reject him in public, it was no different from telling the world that the second legitimate son of the emperor was not good enough for the princess of the phoenix clan. The elders of the dragon clan who had always been looking for an excuse to suppress the bird alliance would definitely use that as that as an opportunity to strike!
"Young lady why not just accept the third prince. After all, he's not only a legitimate imperial prince but one of the most talented immortals of this generation. In the future, he will be one of the leading gods of the Celestial Realm! Isn't he a million times better than the eldest prince?"
Said the maid by Feng Wu Shuang's side. They had grown up together and were extremely close so the maid wouldn't hesitate to speak her mind. Moreover, she was extremely worried about her mistress' attachment to Hou Hui and saw this as an opportunity to rectify that state of things.
However, upon hearing her Feng Wu Shuang's already frustrated heterochromatic eyes were suddenly enraged.
*Slap*
In the blink of an eye, Feng Wu Shuang backhanded the maid across the cheek, sending her slamming into the ground with a resounding slap.
"I have already warned you about commenting on the eldest prince. If you dare disrespect him again, this young lady doesn't mind pulling out your tongue!"
The maid was not only deeply hurt by her hand and words but also surprised that her lady who had never laid a hand on her before would so easily strike her for a misplaced comment on the eldest prince. Quickly, however, she regained her wits, knelt, and deeply apologized.
"Young lady I'm sorry! This will never happen again."
Immediately, Feng Wu Shuang relaxed.
"B-but…what will you do?"
"Isn't that simple? Go! If Long Mind truly has the courage to publicly seek humiliation, I certainly don't mind publicly humiliating him. The consequences be damned!"
.....
In the meantime, Hou Hui's silent cultivation had come to an end. While his gains in the ancient paths were astronomical, his greatest achievement was definitely mastering the Thirty-Six Hundred Incarnations. Throughout the three realms, it was the only known magical ability that allowed one to change their aura to deceive immortals and deities!
What was his greatest worry? Not being able to freely move within the Heavenly World. And now this problem was as good as solved. Of course, it possessed many other wonderous abilities such as forming incarnations out of virtually anything by parting with a strand of divine sense and being able to perfectly assume any form within heaven and earth. He also now understood that It was through the use of the thirty-six hundred incarnations that Tian Mo had managed to protect the Ancient Sea.
He had refined it into an incarnation of himself.
As for Tian Mo, he had remained motionless during the whole cultivation period. But seeing Hou Hui finally opening his eyes and sensing his results, he gave an approving nod.
"You have truly not lain. Although my experiences have made it a lot easier for you, to successfully cultivate the path of yang to the pinnacle in sixty years while also comprehending such profound magical abilities is no small feat. With your comprehension level, you could have most likely achieved wielding in six paths in less than ten thousand years."
He appraised.
Inwardly, Hou Hui didn't let his ego get inflated. After all, his achievements in the path of yang were already not small. The foundation was rock-solid, and it was, therefore, natural to have fast results. However…
"That is only natural. When one is born with supreme divine talent and wisdom, cultivation is but a walk in the park."
…he pompously replied while stroking his beardless chin.
"Says the one unable to break through the Great Dao Immortal Realm."
Tian Mo said flatly, not pulling any punch.
To this, Hou Hui had no counter and could only complain through awkward mouth grimaces.
"However, I'm very fond of your talent. If you acknowledge me as your master, I can give you more good fortune."
Hou Hui realized that Tian Mo was offering to deal with his seal. But although he was excited, his face contorted into a frown.
"Actually, there is something I have yet to tell you. It is not that I wished to hide it but I didn't have an opportunity to say it until now."
He seriously began.
"I'm from the imperial dragon clan. Xuan Yuan is my ancestor."
Considering the deep grudges between Tian Mo and Xuan Yuan, this was a very risky thing to say. Hou Hui, however, didn't feel like cheating a man into grooming his nemesis' offspring. Moreover, he believed that with Tian Mo's character and realm, he wouldn't make things too difficult for him.
And Tian Mo indeed didn't disappoint his trust.
"That is irrelevant. Xuan Yuan is Xuan Yuan. You are you. Our fate doesn't need to involve him."
Immediately, Hou Hui fell on his knees and thrice kowtowed.
"Master, your disciple greets you!"
In any case, he had already received Tian Mo's inheritance. What was there to still feel shy about?
"Rise. Since you're willing to accept me as your master, I will now deal with that pesky seal."
Tian Mo gently replied while his lips curled into a rare smile. He then lifted his hand, and in a beam of white light, sent incomparably formidable truth and life laws into Hou Hui's body.
The truth laws attacked the soul seal while the life laws dealt with the bloodline seal. However…
*Boom*
Violent sky-blue light erupted from Hou Hui's body and fiercely clashed with Tian Mo's laws in a contest that caused Hou Hui to spurt a heavy mouthful of blood.
His entire body shook, and teetering, he took several unsteady steps backward. However, Tian Mo's laws didn't prevail. That strange force did.
"How's this possible?"
Tian Mo wondered with deep confusion. Although he only was a divine will, within the Heavenly Demon Tablet, his cultivation base was equal to that of the original body. Yet, a mere seal could resist him? Quickly, he analyzed the nature of the sky-blue light, but what he found startled him.
"You are truly unfortunate. I can guarantee that the power behind your seal doesn't belong to the three realms. It also belongs to neither the immortal nor the holy road. As for what force that exactly is, I do not know."
Still staggering, Hou Hui bitterly smiled. He recalled his uncle mentioning that his father might not have been the one to seal his bloodline. And if Tian Mo's words were true, then his uncle was indeed right. Who then? His deceased mother? Was she even truly dead? Could a dead person not have a grave? There was obviously something fishy in that story, but he could not grasp it.
And if she was alive, then why…why did she abandon him?
"If you are truly dead, I can only mourn you. But if you live and purposely chose to abandon me then…whether you're alive or dead makes absolutely no difference."
He inwardly declared.
"Thank you master for your attempt. I didn't have much hope to begin with. However, I'm confused. How can there be a force that doesn't belong to the three realms? Is it possible that other realms exist beyond ours?"
Suddenly, Hou Hui remembered the white-haired fortune teller he had met within the marketplace and recalled his prophecy.
"In my time, I could feel that there definitely was something beyond our realms. But I could never reach it. The path is barred by a force cultivation alone cannot overcome."
That there were things Tian Mo's cultivation couldn't challenge was a concept Hou Hui had a hard time accepting. However, the recent debacle was proof enough.
"Although I cannot remove your seal, there is another way to allow you to break through the next realm."
Immediately, Hou Hui's dampened spirit was rejuvenated.
"Master please speak."
"I can teach you a magical ability that will allow you to form a false soul and bloodline to cheat heaven's eyes. Through that method, you can break through. However, that method is very risky and will trigger a violent tribulation should you fail."
Naturally, Hou Hui wasn't deterred.
"For the opportunity to break through, I can challenge any tribulation."
Tian Mo had nothing more to say and passed on the mnemonics to him. Afterward, he also taught him the many uses and restrictions of the Heavenly Demon Tablet. After which Hou Hui gave him a deep bow and said.
"Master, it is time for me to leave."
"Why not stay until you reach the wielding threshold in the death laws? I've already told you that once you leave you won't be able to return for another ten years. Why waste the opportunity? With your talent plus the understanding brought by my experiences, it should not take you more than a century."
That was one of the tablet's limitations. Unless the wielder had reached the God Realm, they couldn't freely use it. However, Hou Hui had already made up his mind.
"Although only a few days have passed in the outside, I have already spent sixty years in this place. Moreover, while the time spent in the dream world was illusory, it truly feels like a thousand years. There are many people I miss so I cannot stay here any longer."
Knowing that his mind couldn't be changed, Tian Mo no longer bothered trying.
"Suit yourself."
And in a twister of purple light, Hou Hui vanished from the tablet.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone