The Ancient Evil Spirit could guess that Qian Xi, who didn’t speak, was saddened and felt pity because she saw Zhou Yan was about to perish. Therefore, it just sighed without saying much.
At this moment, Zhou Yuntian, Zhou Taiting, and others were just watching the scene with indifferent expressions, and no one explained anything.
Zhou Gucheng’s gaze remained calm and steady, his expression colder, and no one knew what he was thinking at that moment.
This unknowing was genuine, for even Zhou Gucheng himself did not know what he was thinking.
He forgot himself, his emotions, and everything around him.
Seeing Zhou Yan in such a state, he seemed to further solidify a certain belief, his attitude chillingly cold.
Next to Zhou Gucheng, Zhou Ying’s eyes were bloodshot, her pain vivid and undeniable yet so pale and powerless.
Beside her, Zhou Han tightly supported her, as if worried she might impulsively disrupt things.
At this moment, Zhou Ying was the most sorrowful one among them all; her anguish was evident and needed no hiding.
Her pain was reflected in her dim, hollow eyes.
She had always lived in pain, guilt, regret, conflict, and hesitation, seemingly unable to make a decision throughout her life.
Next to Zhou Ying was Zhou Qianqian, who still displayed a calm face, numb to the core.
She watched all that unfolded without uttering a single word, her gaze devoid of sorrow. The naive and pure girl had become reticent.
Throughout, no one heard her say even a word, not even when Cailing was the first to rescue her during a crisis—she had not spoken a half-word.
Besides Zhou Qianqian, another who showed emotional changes was Elder Wan, who had not taken any action since arriving here.
Often, he hesitated too, but never acted.
His arrival was either to cooperate with Zhou Yan or to just fulfill a plan... Elder Wan himself was somewhat bewildered.
Yet, witnessing Zhou Yan’s demise, he could only sigh helplessly, muttering, "Young Master, please strive hard in the future. The Sect Master and we have gone to great lengths for you; I hope you won’t hate us..."
As he murmured, a hint of moisture appeared in his blurred eyes. Any cultivator’s demise brought him a little pity, not such discomfort, but this time, faced with Zhou Yan’s impending fall, he felt an indescribable desolate sadness that he could not express.
Not far from Elder Wan were silently observing figures like Huangfu Zhan, Huangfu Jing, Hu Yidao, and Yang Liufeng. Upon seeing Zhou Yan in such a state, their expressions varied, but all somewhat tinged with sadness.
Seeing such a talented person die, they couldn’t feel happy.
Because even as enemies like Zhou Yuntian, Zhou Taiting, and the others, they weren’t truly happy at this moment.
"Alright, it’s fated, so let us not sigh anymore. Let’s leave here soon and enter the Core Land.
With Zhou Yan’s essence blood, we can use the ’Mingxin Mirror’ found by the Eternal Spirit to inquire about Zhou Yan’s True Self and unlock the Eternal inheritance."
After the Ancient Evil Spirit spoke, its figure suddenly changed, transforming into a man in colorful clothes.
This appearance of the man in colorful clothes visibly shocked Zhou Han, clearly unbelievable, but soon, he came to terms with it.
It seemed, only such a scene could perfectly explain everything.
"This is just one of my avatars, merely a Ding Furnace. To study the Ancient Array here, I deliberately nurtured this Ancient Evil Spirit as a freely descending Ding Furnace before the Reincarnation. This time, I merely used this Ding Furnace to descend my own volition."
The man in colorful clothes said.
Then he glanced at Zhou Yan and continued, "Zhou Yan’s essence blood has already been collected. Cailing Fairy, now we need your action on this matter; how are things on your end?"
"I’m almost ready. We already have control over Zhou Wangchen’s moves and are preparing for Zhou Wangchen and Li Yunjin to meet unexpectedly, then to develop from there.
Both of them are part of the current setup, which is now complete. With these two leading, the Despair Abyss should be accessible,"
Cailing pondered for a moment and spoke openly.
"Now, we need to unravel the mystery of Zhou Yan’s ancient bloodline and have Yuntian cultivate in this aspect, which would break Ji Tianxu’s Void Body constraints. Ji Tianxu, a person who comprehended the Evil King’s ’Reincarnation Path’ and awakens daily, is terrifying. We cannot let him continue; otherwise, the consequences of the Evil King’s inheritance awakening in him are unimaginable."
The man in colorful clothes said, frowning slightly.
"How would your ’True Self’ view what you’re doing? Will it not cause backlash?" Cailing nodded but expressed her concern.
"My True Self has a segment of self memory, which is troublesome. However, Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ghosts has already helped me awaken and merge. At the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, my True Self is still in Enlightenment about these matters, and he has come to terms with it.
Since living itself is a pain for Zhou Yan, might as well let him depart peacefully; we will try our best... to treat the people close to him properly.
Their lives are not viable with him alive, with his spirit dead, they should understand."
The man in colorful clothes smiled, his topic veering towards the grave.
"Alas, the Heavenly Mechanism Lineage really does calculate everything so thoroughly, even using the Sword Illusion Realm to set their plans. Truly remarkable,"
Cailing Fairy remarked.
"It’s just so-so. As long as the ’Heavenly Destiny Plan’ is completed, no matter how great the cost, it is worth it."
The man in colorful clothes replied with a smile.
Cailing nodded in agreement with his statement.
Even others, such as Zhou Yuntian and Zhou Taiting, were confused and seemed to be lost.
Zhou Taiting looked dumbfounded at the scene, seemingly still lost. Zhou Yuntian, on the other hand, was somewhat dazed as he watched the Ancient Evil Spirit transform into the man in colorful clothes, feeling almost as if he were dreaming.
"This... Elder, what is going on? Wasn’t Zhou Yan the inheritor of the Evil King? How... How did it become Ji Tianxu?"
Zhou Yuntian stammered, finding himself only now realizing how little he knew, merely playing a role in someone else’s scheme.
"How could Zhou Yan be the inheritor of the Evil King? I, as an Ancient Evil Spirit in the form of a Ding Furnace, don’t know much, so it’s understandable to be confused. Regarding the inheritance of the Evil King, Zhou Yan is definitely not; it is Ji Tianxu!
However, the existence of Ji Tianxu is somewhat abnormal and has its complex reasons. You, on the other hand, are part of our arrangement, meant to take over the inheritance of the Evil King. We plan to transfer this inheritance to you, thereby plotting against the Evil King, making him fail miserably!"
The man in colorful clothes did not mind revealing his purpose outright.
"Ah—this, this, the Evil King is of such a realm, can we really plot against him?"
Zhou Yuntian’s complexion turned somewhat pale.
"We ourselves cannot, but the higher-ups can. You needn’t worry about these matters. Now, by training you, we aim to combine the forces of the Evil King, the unnamed powerful backers behind Zhou Yan, and the Ancestor Thunder Bloodline within Zhou Gucheng’s body. We are generating a new and invincible bloodline, suppressing and stripping the Evil King’s inheritance.
Eventually, we will use the ’Mingxin Mirror’ to initiate the Heavenly Destiny Plan, carrying out the Heavenly Destiny.
The Despair Abyss in the City of No Tears is precisely where the Emperor Qi Sword Body is favored by the Heavenly Dao. The more miserable Zhou Yan is, the more benefits he will receive there.
Thus, we must make his plight exceptionally grievous, so he receives immense energy favored by the Heavenly Dao.
Using this energy, we’ll suppress his soul, then begin to help him condense his Sword Soul, at which time you will directly understand his Bloodline Power, open your Sealing, and crush the wills of Ji Tianxu and the Evil King with the Power of Heaven.
This way, by relying on the Power of Heaven to crush everything, Zhou Yan’s condensation of the Sword Soul will not be disrupted and will succeed, and you can directly seize the body at that moment..."
The man in colorful clothes revealed a monumental plan, leaving Cailing and others pale and terrified.
In that moment, all Cultivators felt a chill, because such a grand secret had been openly disclosed by the man in colorful clothes—what did that signify?
Only the dead can safeguard secrets.
Therefore, it seemed likely that the man in colorful clothes might kill them all.
Or perhaps... they might end up as sacrificial victims or scapegoats in some situation...
An uneasy mood always spreads fast; in that moment, including Huang FuZhan and others, all felt they had been swept into a crazy and terrifying scheme, unable to extricate themselves.
The man in colorful clothes seemed to have sensed something. He glanced coldly at Huang FuZhan and the others, calmly saying, "Rest assured, you temporarily have no use, and some of you, with certain backgrounds, will not all die.
So there’s no need to worry."
"The reason I haven’t secretly discussed this matter is because the overall situation is set, and nothing can stop it now. Moreover, those Great Powers above have not yet turned their attention to the City of No Tears, and you can’t cause any significant waves.
And even if word gets out, the Heavenly Destiny Plan will have surely succeeded by then. Because if it hasn’t, everyone here will die. But if it does succeed, whatever you say afterwards doesn’t matter."
The man in colorful clothes displayed a mysterious aura of cold arrogance; he had an air of loftiness, looking down upon the world.
However, when his gaze fell upon Zhou Han, the loftiness vanished, replaced instead by a gentler tone.
"Brother Zhou Han, I am sorry."
The man in colorful clothes said with a sense of guilt.
"You haven’t wronged me. If apologies are needed, apologize to Zhou Yan. He is not quite dead yet, and can still learn of all this."
Zhou Han’s body trembled slightly, his tone filled with deep melancholy.
Beside him, Zhou Ying’s complexion was already very pale, as if she had lost her soul, looking utterly haggard.
Zhou Han held on to Zhou Ying, his heart in pain and helplessness.