Keyboard Immortal-Chapter 2552: Vengeance

Xingtian looked at the massive golden avatar with an admiring gaze. “To think there were such valiant heroes amongthe Fiend races too!”

Kuafu nodded in agreement. "Looks like not all fiends are despicable and shameless. There are noble souls among them too.”

Zu An could tell that the shamans and the fiends were extremely prejudiced toward each other. “I’m surprised that you acknowledge him.”

“The separation of heaven and earth is easier said than done. Back then, Pangu sacrificed his life to sever heaven from earth. What Zhongli is trying to achieve is nowhere as difficult as what Pangu did, but he is nowhere as strong as Pangu either. The only fate awaiting him is death by exhaustion,” Kuafu explained.

The Shaman races were said to be created by Pangu’s blood essence, so they naturally carried great respect for Pangu.

Upon hearing those words, Zu An looked at the golden avatar once more with a melancholic gaze. He had a greater grasp of the world now, and he could sense the golden avatar dissipating, as if fusing with the world. In due time, it would become a part of the world’s laws.

“He is a true hero!” the other shamans in the mountains remarked as well.

The Celestial Emperor remained silent. In the end, he let out a sigh and dissipated his golden avatar.

Even the previously infuriated Gonggong also looked conflicted. He clasped his fist at the massive golden avatar before leaving on a water wave.

“He’s leaving like that? He acted as if was going to pick a fight with the Celestial Emperor!” Zu An was perplexed. He'd thought that Gonggong was going to make a move, but the latter hadn't gone through with it.

“The Celestial Emperor killed Ancestral Shaman Zhulong’s son, but now the Celestial Emperor is sacrificing a grandson for this cause. The Shaman races are meticulous in settling scores. Things are even now, so there’s no reason to continue pursuing this matter,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain explained.

“Zhongli is the Celestial Emperor’s grandson?” Zu An was surprised. It was his first time hearing about this.

“Indeed. He is the Celestial Emperor’s most outstanding grandson, and there was a chance he could have become the next Celestial Emperor,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain said.

Zu An took this chance to gather more information. “You mentioned earlier that the Celestial Emperor’s name was Zhuanxu, and that Zhongli is in line to become the next Celestial Emperor. What’s the deal with Dijun then?”

Yumen Beiqing’s face twitched at the mention of ‘Dijun’.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain answered his question. “Strictly speaking, he is only the appointed successor and has yet to take the throne, so we should address him as ‘Jun’ instead of ‘Dijun’.

“Jun is likely to become the next Celestial Emperor, but Zhongli is outstanding too, not to mention that he’s Zhuanxu’s grandson, whereas Jun is only Zhuanxu’s nephew. Due to that, Zhongli has many supporters too. Even if he didn’t become the next Celestial Emperor, there was a huge chance he could become the subsequent one after Jun.”

At this point, the Goddess of Wu Mountain sighed. “But now that Zhongli has sacrificed himself to separate heaven from earth, that is all for naught.”

Zu An was at a loss for words. He hadn't thought that deities engaged in nepotism too, though it was hard to think badly of Zhongli after the latter had selflessly sacrificed himself for others.

“Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu looks to be at the peak of his power. Why is he stepping down all of a sudden? Is he nearing the end of his lifespan?” Zu An was confused.

“Deities do have limited lifespans, but that’s not why the Celestial Emperor is stepping down. He has merely reached the end of his term. By letting go of secular responsibilities, he can go into seclusion and focus on achieving enlightenment.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain’s voice was cold, but she gave off an inexplicable charm.

“Achieving enlightenment?” Zu An was surprised by the huge burden that came with being the Celestial Emperor. “Isn’t the Celestial Emperor already the strongest person in the world?”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain eyed Zu An. “I see you have become a deity too, so why don’t you know the basics? Being the Celestial Emperor can accelerate one’s accumulation of faith and hasten one’s cultivation growth, but that only works to an extent before the effectiveness starts to wane.

“On top of that, being too entrenched with the world’s karma can get someone stuck, preventing them from advancing any further. That is why the Celestial Emperors of every generation step down when they feel their time has come, purge the karma they have been afflicted with, and focus on grasping the greater dao so that they can eventually achieve Sainthood.”

“Sainthood?” Zu An recalled a phrase from a popular web novel in his previous world—’All beings beneath saints are mere ants’. I wonder if it’s the same for this world too. To verify his conjecture, he asked, “What saints are there in this world?”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain rolled her eyes. “That’s not something you should concern yourself with.”

Zu An was speechless. She's scorning me, right?

He wanted to ask more when he noticed the nearby flora and fauna withering swiftly. Even the Goddess of Wu Mountain’s straight black hair had begun curling up.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain frowned. A mist enveloped her body, and her hair regained its straightness and smoothness.

A terrifying heat wave surged. Even breathing left one with a stinging sensation in the chest.

Zu An quickly protected the Mermaid Queen and Yumen Beiqing. With their current cultivation, they wouldn’t be able to withstand this heat wave.

Just then, a hoarse female voice echoed, “Yaoji, return my son’s life to me.”

A terrifying heat wave surged toward the Goddess of Wu Mountain.

Even Xingtian and Kuafu had no choice but to retreat three hundred meters away to avoid the brunt of the attack. Zu An was also worried about the two ladies, so he took them elsewhere to avoid the heat wave.

Much to his astonishment, the Goddess of Wu Mountain stood her ground, not bothering to dodge. Alarmed, he shouted, “Be careful!”

Soon, a green-robed woman slowly walked over from afar. Wherever she passed, lush grass and fresh flowers withered at a visible pace. She left giant footprints that looked to be crackling with flames on the ground.

Wu Mountain was a verdant mountain shrouded in fog, but the woman’s presence dissipated the fog and withered the forests. All beings residing on Wu Mountain felt their mouths becoming dry as sweat rained from their bodies.

Beads of sweat appeared on the usually cool Goddess of Wu Mountain’s forehead. In response, she waved her sleeves with a harrumph, and the fog reappeared around Wu Mountain.

The green-robed woman stopped not too far away from the Goddess of Wu Mountain. Somehow, it felt as if two forces were clashing against each other, especially given the stark difference in the sceneries behind the two women.

One had a backdrop of scorched earth, whereas the other had a verdant mountain.

Zu An recognized the green-robed woman to be Gu’s mother. Just earlier, she'd begged the Celestial Emperor to spare her son’s life.

Yumen Beiqing’s eyes narrowed. She came at a good time.

“Were you the one who reported this matter to the Celestial Court?” The green-robed woman’s appearance was concealed by her unkempt hair, but she was glaring at the Goddess of Wu Mountain.

“Indeed. Gu deserves punishment for what he did,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain replied.

“You’re courting death!” Furious, the green-robed woman swiped her pitch-black fingernails toward the Goddess of Wu Mountain’s neck. If her attack landed, the latter’s neck would be covered in bloodied holes.