Side Story 10

“Those who seem heartless often have hearts, while those who seem affectionate often have none.” This saying perfectly describes Yin Ze. For the thirty years he was confined in the Shattered Sea Heart Tower, the Heavenly Emperor never once came to see him, nor did he allow anyone else to visit. Only when the thirty years were up did he finally come over leisurely, with a friendly smile on his face, and casually asked him, “Yin Ze, it’s been thirty years. How have you been?”

Yin Ze turned his head and looked at his arms. His hands and feet were translucent, shackled by illusory chains, and hung high in a corner of the tower where divine power was cut off. He sneered, “Being so afraid of a mere soul, that’s really not your style.”

The man in front of him had silver hair that reached the ground, and even his eyebrows were snow-white. His long hair mingled with his gold-embroidered snow-white robe, dancing without wind like clouds. He smiled faintly, “Calling yourself a mere soul is belittling yourself. A god reduced to just a primordial spirit is more terrifying than a demon. You want to bring back Heavenly General Chen Zhi so badly. I really don’t know what you’re thinking. Is it for Shang Yan? You don’t love her that much.”

“So, you think I want to rescue Chen Zhi and join Zi Xiu?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Haotian, don’t play these mind games with me. We both know what we’re thinking. Now that I’m at my wit’s end, you can just go about your business. When the natural disaster comes, come find me. Until then, don’t worry about me.”

“I just can’t understand why you’ve come to this.”

“Figure it out.”

In their final meeting with Luo Wei, Yin Ze decided to merge with all things before the Luo River dried up, preserving her and her child’s lives. This meant they had less than fifty years left. Since humans were made of mud and immortals were made of water, it would take about forty or fifty years to recreate an immortal body using the water of the Wuxiang Pool, lotus, and phoenix feathers. Unfortunately, human life had its limits, and going against the heavens would come at a cost. To revive an immortal, a god had to exchange their own body. So, Yin Ze told the Heavenly Emperor that he agreed to merge with the universe to save the world, but on the condition that Chen Zhi be resurrected, and the Heavenly Emperor agreed. The Heavenly Emperor pondered and said, “I really don’t want to keep Zi Xiu’s son. But for the sake of Shao Hua Ji and our past relationship, I agree to your request.”

Was it for Shao Hua Ji’s sake? Or was it for the sake of the merging? This guy always spoke so pleasantly. But Yin Ze always felt that he was only telling half the truth. “Why don’t you just say it straight?” Yin Ze said.

Sure enough, the Heavenly Emperor made a new demand: once his primordial spirit left his body, it had to be locked at the top of the Shattered Sea Heart Tower until the day of the merging. This was a completely inhumane move, revealing the Heavenly Emperor’s suspicious nature behind his smiling mask, but Yin Ze agreed readily. He knew that after Chen Zhi’s death, Luo Wei was heartbroken, and she would want him back more than anyone. So, he hoped that Chen Zhi could return to her side before he disappeared. That day, the gods took him to the Shattered Sea Heart Tower, and the Heavenly Emperor finally told him straight, “Yin Ze, I’ve wanted to get rid of you for a long time, but now that it’s come to this, I actually feel quite sorry.”

Shang Yan, who had come with him, cried until her face was red. To use Luo Wei’s silly words, it was as if her “eyes were about to melt from the hot tears.” She grabbed his sleeve and shook him, pleading, “Yin Ze, don’t do this, okay? I love Zi Xiu, but I can bear it if he’s not in this world, but if you leave, I will regret it for the rest of my life.”

“You just don’t love me, that’s all. There’s no need to feel guilty.”

“But you’re exchanging your eternal freedom for Chen Zhi...”

“It’s not for you, it’s for Wei’er. I’ll find a way out. I’ll also find a way to solve the drought.”

“You can’t find a way. Haotian locked you up because he wants to torture you, make you lose all hope, and eventually make you willingly sacrifice yourself.” Clearly, Shang Yan wasn’t as easily fooled as Luo Wei.

“If that’s the case, then I can only blame myself for having a weak will.” Yin Ze smiled faintly. “Besides, if I really can’t find another way, then merging with all things is also something that a god of Cang Ying should do.”

Shang Yan looked at him in surprise, “You... you would never say something like that before.”

Recalling his conversation with Shang Yan thirty years ago, Yin Ze realized that he would never have said such things before. Perhaps he had really been changed by that person. And so, he thought of Luo Wei’s smile again. For the past thirty years, his only sustenance had been his memories of her. So, even though he couldn’t remember the details of her facial features, he could clearly remember the feeling of embracing her.

“Lost in thought again?” The Heavenly Emperor smiled. “Seeing you like this, I can’t help but wonder if everything you’ve done is for a woman.”

“No, I know you, you’re not a sentimental person.”

After denying this idea, the Heavenly Emperor chatted with him for a while before leaving. Before leaving, seeing that Yin Ze no longer had his former arrogance, he removed the illusory chains from Yin Ze. But he never expected that as soon as he let down his guard, he would attract a wolf. That wolf’s name was Zi Xiu.

Unlike the Heavenly Emperor’s arrival, Zi Xiu, the demon lord of the night, appeared in the moonlight with a creepy, enchanting beauty. Seeing Yin Ze, he clicked his tongue and said, “You’ve become so miserable. If it weren’t for my son, I couldn’t bear to see you like this.”

Yin Ze stood up and rubbed his wrists, coldly saying, “Whether I’m miserable or not, what does it have to do with you looking bad?”

“You’re my rival and my enemy. If you’re so miserable, it makes me look shabby too, doesn’t it? I don’t understand your gods. You have to go through a heavenly tribulation to create a new body. In our demon realm, it’s very simple to create a new body. Come on, come with me to the demon realm, and I’ll give you a new demon body.”

Yin Ze frowned, “Then wouldn’t I become a demon?”

“Haotian, the Heavenly Emperor, is so ruthless and hypocritical. As long as he’s around, you’ll never get ahead in the divine realm. It’s different in our demon realm. The strong become king.”

Yin Ze didn’t know who was more ruthless. He looked at Zi Xiu for a moment speechlessly. “Aren’t you afraid that the Heavenly Emperor will take your son’s life if I leave?”

“I can protect my son, you don’t need to worry about that.” Zi Xiu smiled, revealing one corner of his mouth. His eyes shone like purple crystals in the night. He drew a teleportation array on the ground, “Come on, follow me to the demon realm.”