Chapter 1390, Strange Dao or Exotic Dao; You Are Doomed

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

Black mist drowned out everything. The next moment, the ancient temple, the mountain, and the blue sky were gone.

 

Layers of substance, like bubbles, clashed and spread. Bolts of lightning intertwined with one another and blood lights illuminated different scenes such as countries of the Mortal World, the world of cultivators, and Buddhist temples.

 

The white-clothed woman beside Priestess Qi Luo was astounded when she saw this. She had heard that of all the Eight Legions, the Decay Legion was the most bizarre.

 

The Decay Realm did not have any shape or form. It existed somewhere between virtual and reality. Ordinary people could not see it much less find it.

 

Even if someone knew where the Decay Realm’s portal was, they would not be able to step into it. That was because what they saw might be fake. It might have been real in the previous moment, but it could turn illusory in the blink of an eye.

 

“Thanks for your compliment, Priestess Qi Luo. I am aware this kind of trick could never fool your astute eyes.” Wu Xuzi was still calm and collected when he saw these scenes. He spoke with a smile.

 

“After Heaven’s Proxy Group fell apart, the Eight Commandments were gone too. The Eight Legions that had survived evolved from the Eight Commandments. We are still not comparable to the Eight Commandments. But now, it seems that the current Decay Legion is far more unfathomable than expected. It might be as powerful as the previous Decay Legion. No wonder you have the guts to discuss such a risky thing with me…” Priestess Qi Luo put on a smile, now looking dangerous instead of charming. She stared at Wu Xuzi with her clear eyes, as though she could see through his mind.

 

“Thanks for the compliment, Priestess Qi Luo. The Decay Legion has been struggling to survive. If we didn’t have a way to protect ourselves, we would’ve been destroyed by the Heaven Legion.” Wu Xuzi smiled and extended his hand to motion for the woman to enter the portal.

 

Priestess Qi Luo squinted her eyes and shifted her attention to the white-clothed woman beside her. “You’ll wait for me here, Liuyun.”

 

“Yes, Priestess Qi Luo.” The white-clothed woman said respectfully.

 

With that, Priestess Qi Luo shuffled towards the bubble-like substance in front of her while carrying a unique fragrance. She did not seem worried about falling into danger.

 

Soon, ripples spread as the bubble-like substance fell apart and devoured Priestess Qi Luo’s figure.

 

Wu Xuzi then entered the portal and disappeared.

 

After the ripples were gone, everything became calm. The mountain and the dilapidated temple reappeared. It was as though the earlier scene was merely a hallucination.

 

A glint flashed across Liuyun’s eyes, but she still stood there respectfully with her head hung low. She turned to look at the astonished villager. After giving it some thought, she erased some of his memories and sent him to a place that was hundreds of kilometres away.

 

The Heaven Legion and the Eight Legions had always been on bad terms.

 

Those from the Heaven Legion, who had acquired most of the inheritance of the Heaven’s Proxy Group, always regarded themselves as the legitimate Successor to it. Over the years, they had been trying to annihilate the Eight Legions, to consolidate all their forces.

 

Priestess Qi Luo, as the Fourth Priestess of the Heaven Legion, came to the portal of the Decay Realm and entered it on her.

 

If anyone said there wasn’t a connection between Priestess Qi Luo and the Decay Legion, Liuyun would not believe it.

 

Nevertheless, Priestess Qi Luo had nonchalantly revealed everything to her. She did not seem afraid of her know all this.

 

Liuyun was bit sure if Priestess Qi Luo had intentionally done so to test her loyalty or if she did not care about the consequences of letting her find out everything.

 

Priestess Qi Luo doubted her identity and suspected that she was ordered by the Grand Priestess to watch over her.

 

At the thought of this, Liuyun lowered her head further.

 

Although it seemed like the Grand Priestess was in control of the Heaven Legion, the undercurrents were violent. Every Priest represented a different faction and had their own interests.

 

Even those High Priests, who were the Grand Priestess’ most trusted aides, might not be completely loyal to her.

 

This time, the Grand Priestess forcefully initiated the Black Disaster and held the Grand Ceremony to devastate the Boundless Expanse. This had already harmed the interests of many Priests.

 

If not for the fact that the Grand Priestess held the greatest authority, and that the members of the Heaven Legion dared not go against her Will, she would have greatly suffered because of this.

 

As far as Liuyun was concerned, several Priests had stepped forward and talked to the high-ranking officials of the Righteous Alliance. That was why a peace treaty was signed between the Heaven Legion and the Righteous Alliance, which led to the current situation.

 

Within the Heaven Legion, many Priests were not willing to expose themselves in advance, let alone initiate the Black Disaster to devastate the Boundless Expanse.

 

If they crossed the line, their enemies would join forces to go against the Heaven Legion. If that happened, the Heaven Legion would be forced to pay a huge price.

 

Although the Heaven Legion had restored a lot of its power over the years, they were still incomparable to the Heaven’s Proxy Group at its peak.

 

Even though the Heaven Legion had domineeringly intimidated various Races and Civilisations in the Boundless Expanse, they had expended a lot of their strength by initiating the Grand Ceremony earlier than they had anticipated to.

 

Naturally, the factions behind those Priests had paid a huge price for this.

 

The resistance from various Forces in the Boundless Expanse should not be underestimated.

 

Nevertheless, the Grand Priestess did not seem to care about the consequences. She was not the least bit bothered about the price they had to pay. She was bent on holding the Grand Ceremony, to resurrect the Master of the Heaven’s Proxy Group.

 

She was willing to sacrifice everything for this one goal, even if it meant sending all of those from the Heaven Legion to Hell.

 

Her insistence was now borderline madness, and had become taboo in the Heaven Legion. It was a topic no one dared to bring up.

 

[Despite knowing that the Grand Priestess has told me to stay by her side, Priestess Qi Luo has still brazenly come to this place, and to discuss with those from the Decay Legion no less. Does she have no regard for the Grand Priestess at all? What is Wu Xuzi’s intention when he told me to pass on his word back then? Why is it that he’s so worried about retaliation?]

 

Many thoughts turned over in Liuyun’s mind as she stood in front of the temple.

 

Despite knowing that Priestess Qi Luo’s suspicion would be aroused, the Grand Priestess still told her to come and stay by her side.

 

On the other hand, Priestess Qi Luo never restricted her freedom and did not mind her presence.

 

Even when she criticised the Grand Priestess, she never ordered her to leave.

 

Liuyun sighed and turned to look at the Dragon Finch in the cage. Presently, she was no different from that Dragon Finch. She had lost control over her own destiny.

 

If she could go back in time, she wondered if she would still choose to fall into darkness.

 

Back then, she had willingly let the Dark Concentrate corrupt her. Was it too late for her to regret her decision? Did she have a chance to reverse it?

 

…

 

As the bubbles dissipated, the illusion broke apart. Priestess Qi Luo appeared in a vast field. She could see that the roads were well-connected and the houses were neatly built.

 

The wheats swayed with the wind while exuding their natural aroma. Many women wearing straw hats lowered their backs and worked in the fields. Everything was peaceful and tranquil.

 

No one would associate a scene like this with the famed Decay Realm.

 

Even Priestess Qi Luo had fallen into a dazed state.

 

But the next moment, the view before her eyes shifted. The village and the fields disappeared. What she was seeing now was a bustling marketplace where there were plenty of people and carriages. People were heard shouting to attract more business. She even caught a whiff of meat buns, which she had not tasted for a long time.

 

“Who can tell what’s real and what’s fake? The Decay Realm has no shape nor form. It’s as elusive as what we’ve heard from the rumours. If I choose to believe everything I see, will all this turn into reality?” Priestess Qi Luo chuckled, but her gaze was still indifferent.

 

Just then, the scene before her eyes started falling apart as though it had been washed over by the Power of Time. The entire space disintegrated and turned into fragments and dissipated.

 

“You have to believe what you see to be true. If you don’t believe it’s real, then it’ll just remain fake.” Wu Xuzi’s voice sounded from behind Priestess Qi Luo.

 

He still looked like an old man with a hunched back. There was no transformation in his physique.

 

Without turning around, Priestess Qi Luo asked impassively, “It’s said that the Prime Ancestor of the Decay Legion has mastered the Dao of Reality and Illusion. He is able to resurrect a person lost in the River of Time and help them transcend reincarnation and karma. Is that true?”

 

Wu Xuzi said with a smile, “There’s no technique in the world that can resurrect a person. The so-called resurrected person is merely a lookalike. Perhaps a fragment of his Soul is similar, but he’s no longer the person he used to be.”

 

Priestess Qi Luo fell into her thoughts for a moment before shaking her head.

 

As the scenes shifted, a mass of mist appeared around her. The mist repeatedly expanded and collapsed. It was as though the scenes of the birth of the world and the demise of the universe were enacted before her eyes.

 

Steps made from stones could be faintly seen in the mist. The steps extended into the depths of the mist. It seemed that some figures were taking a peek in this direction. The further one went, the thicker the mist was.

 

A vague figure was seen holding an oil lamp and leading the way. Some icy pupils flickered in the mist. This was a strange path.

 

As the Fourth Priestess of the Heaven Legion, Qi Luo was naturally courageous. She calmly ascended the steps while speaking to Wu Xuzi, who was just behind her.

 

“I’ve heard that the Master of the Heaven’s Proxy Group once said the Art of Imitation and Reality of the Decay Legion’s Prime Ancestor had a shortcoming. It was because he helped solve the shortcoming that the Decay Legion’s Prime Ancestor started obeying his orders. That was how the Decay Legion was born.”

 

Her red robe was conspicuous in the mist, like a bright flame. The mist streaming towards her would stop at her feet as though obstructed by an invisible force.

 

A glint flashed across Wu Xuzi’s eyes when he noticed that. Then, he said with a smile, “It’s true. Of all the Eight Legions, apart from the Rare Yin Legion and the Rare Yang Legion, the others have been renamed by the Master of the Heaven’s Proxy Group. The Decay Legion’s Prime Ancestor wasn’t originally called the Decay Ancestor.”

 

Qi Luo squinted her eyes and asked, “Then, is the Decay Ancestor still alive?”

 

Wu Xuzi put on an inscrutable smile and said, “If you believe he’s still alive, then he is. If you don’t believe he’s alive, then he’s not.”

 

Qi Luo fell into her thoughts upon hearing that.

 

Behind her, Wu Xuzi continued to say, “The Prime Ancestor had survived several Epochs of Great Destruction and travelled between the past, the future, and the present on his own. From a speck of dust, he created a world where only he lived. Since he believed the world where he was located to be true, he could resurrect his friends and Family members and rebuild his homeland. However, the price he had to pay was that he would forever be lost in the dream of his own creation.

 

“The Master of the Heaven’s Proxy Group pointed out the shortcoming of his Art of Imitation and Reality and showed him a new path, but the new path had a shortcoming too…”

 

At this point, Wu Xuzi stopped dwelling on the topic, and Qi Luo never probed him further.

 

Soon, they reached the end of the steps. An ancient and massive palace stood there, and it was surrounded by a grey aura. It was as though the palace had been standing since the creation of Heaven and Earth.

 

In front of the palace was an ancient tree that seemed to be on the verge of death.

 

A shrivelled Old Daoist with the Sign of Five Immortal Decays was hung from a branch.

 

His clothes were dirty and he did not have much hair left. There was no light behind his turbid eyes.

 

A perplexed Qi Luo glanced at the figure. She could feel that this person was an Ancestral Dao Realm expert. He would surely be an authoritative figure in whichever Force he belonged to. Nevertheless, he was now hung from an ancient tree as his vitality and cultivation slipped away.

 

Wu Xuzi looked indifferently at the person and explained, “He’s a sinner. He was tasked with looking for a First-Generation Civilisation Supreme Treasure, the Gate of Eternity. But, because of his greed, he allowed someone else take the Gate of Eternity away. That is why he must be punished.”

 

Qi Luo’s interest was piqued when she heard that. She was aware that the Gate of Eternity had fallen into the hands of the Heavenslayers Alliance Leader. It seemed that the Decay Legion had secretly come into contact with the Heavenslayers Alliance.

 

Still, she did not fully believe Wu Xuzi. Such a crime was not serious enough to have an Ancestral Dao Realm expert be punished like this. It was apparent that there was a greater secret.

 

“The Elders have been waiting inside the hall. I’m sorry but I won’t enter the hall with you,” Wu Xuzi said.

 

Qi Luo nodded and shuffled forward.

 

The door of the magnificent palace silently opened. The mist inside was thick as nothing could be seen with clarity. Some figures were faintly seen seated on the cushions around her.

 

In the centre were hundreds of candlelights, but the flickering lights did nothing to illuminate the hall.

 

“We haven’t met for ages, Priestess Qi Luo.” In front of her was a person seated on a cushion. Covered in a mist, he opened his green eyes. A person with a Human body but a ghost face appeared there.

 

“Stop putting on airs.” Qi Luo calmly scanned her surroundings. She wasn’t surprised by what she saw in the hall.

 

The Decay Legion was unlike the Immortal Dao or the Divine Dao. Their Cultivation System was a cross between the two. It could be aptly described as the Strange Dao or the Exotic Dao.

 

“We last met hundreds of epochs ago. Your cultivation has become inscrutable, Priestess Qi Luo.” Another voice sounded. It was impossible to tell the person’s gender. The voice sounded like it was from a kid or a teenage girl.

 

“Well, what’s the deal this time?” Qi Luo asked dispassionately. She just wanted to cut to the chase.

 

“It’s not any sort of deal this time. I just want to give you a heads-up, to share with you your doomed fate.” An eerie laugh suddenly sounded from the depths of the hall.

 

The laugh sounded like it was right beside the listener’s ears. As though having a life of its own, the laugh would enter one’s ears. Anyone would feel a chill running down their spine and a crawling sensation on their scalp.