Chapter 765: Chapter 186 Substitute_2
“Zhou Yan, he really did become the Lei Yan King!”
The Evil King, Saint Yao, and others couldn’t help but feel a sigh of melancholy in their hearts.
By then, Zhou Yan had already taken over the Black Chess; although Fat Liu Jin’s methods were capable of inviting good fortune and warding off disaster, he barely managed to trick Fang Hong once in a risky move without actual danger, and Fang Hong could no longer trust the fat man’s character guarantee.
Therefore, as soon as Zhou Yan took over, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Fang Hong’s performance made the Evil King, Saint Yao, Fairy Die, and the Void Double Saints feel even more that Zhou Yan was now mysterious and unfathomable, powerful and terrifying.
Even though Zhou Yan claimed to be in the Sword Void Nine Transformations Realm, they treated him with the reverence due to a Sword God-like figure.
To Zhou Yan, Fang Hong and Liu Jin seemed rather ordinary, but in the True God Plane, they were figures of the Sword God Fifth Transition realm, far surpassing the Thunder Origin Sword God, and their bloodline completely dominated over people like Saint Yao. Thus, Liu Jin and Fang Hong were viewed as significant figures by the likes of Saint Yao and others. But such figures, in front of Zhou Yan, also appeared a bit obsequious, and all of this was naturally witnessed by the Evil King and others.
The Evil King felt somewhat fortunate, thankful that in the end, he did not continue to be Zhou Yan’s enemy. The Void Double Saints felt an increasing bitterness; even under the protection of the Black Chess, they felt somewhat uneasy.
“Void Double Saints, it’s better to resolve enmities than to maintain them. We have no deep-seated hatred between us, and I will not make things difficult for you. Rest assured. Your child, Wu Ji, is actually a friend worth making and a top-notch talent. If there is a chance and I have the ability, I will help you all transcend, after all, Sword Burial Ancestor Star, it carries too many of my memories.”
Zhou Yan sensed the unease of the Void Double Saints and immediately spoke out.
Having now learned the rules of the planes and the vastness of it all, and feeling pressured by the Mechanical Clan and the colossal enemy of the Jiang family, Zhou Yan no longer cared for the petty squabbles at Sword Burial Ancestor Star. Besides, the Void Double Saints haven’t troubled him for a long time. As Saints, they were even ‘servants’ in the Upper Plane, which was quite pitiable in itself.
“Thank you, Lei Yan King. My spouse and I previously thought we were about to step onto the Divine Tao, so we became a bit too confident. After learning the truth about the Breeding Ground, all our ambitions were worn away, and our hearts turned cold, allowing us to think more seriously about our situation.”
“Lei Yan King, I can’t thank you enough. Although someone very close to you under your command once insulted me, and because of that, I developed an intense hatred for you, I’ve thought it through. If it weren’t for Wu Ji risking his life to collaborate with me multiple times in this Nine Origin Soul Sea Land, I would have died. The child is innocent, yet I…” Saint Kong Ji and Wu Xu took turns speaking.
As Zhou Yan delved into the path ahead, he listened to the two speak and thereby understood Wu Ji’s identity.
“You mean the former Sect Master of Thunder Flame Sect… Xiao Muzi?”
A very mysterious figure flashed through Zhou Yan’s memory — back when Lei Yan King founded Thunder Flame Sect, enlisted Wan Jian Tian, settled the various members at Tianji Mountain like Zhuge Wuwei, this person had made significant contributions, and was someone Zhou Yan greatly valued and trusted.
That person was Xiao Muzi.
Zhou Yan, surprised by this recollection, gave Fairy Wu Xu a new look and suddenly said, “So you—you were the former ‘Wan Xu Saintess.’ I never expected you would choose to rename yourself ‘Wu Xu.’ I’m sorry, this is my fault for not supervising my subordinates properly, allowing them to err.”
“I think, Lei Yan King, you are mistaken. Think carefully about the name Xiao Muzi — what does that name represent? I have derived from my bloodline and my Tao, although it’s vague, due to the closest relationship I’ve had with him, I can assert that he was a person — who intentionally used me as a breeding tool, to help him have a child. Now, can you guess who this person is?”
“Xiao Muzi… the Tai Chu Rune for ‘Xiao’ is ‘Burnt,’ for ‘Muzi’ is… ‘Lee’. Is Wu Ji the son of Lee Ran?”
Zhou Yan was suddenly shocked and said in amazement.
“It’s definitely him, which is why I hate him. Others might not know, but don’t I know your relationship with Lee Ran? After Wu Ji was born, with all sorts of exceptional talents, I directly had Ji Wu steal Wu Ji’s talents and then expelled Wu Ji from our Sacred Land….”
Fairy Wu Xu sighed as she spoke.
She didn’t continue speaking, but Zhou Yan already grasped the entirety of the experience.
After birth, suffering Soul Extraction, then being expelled, then shunned by his biological mother — wasn’t this a combination of his own and Yanyan’s experiences? What was his brother Lee Ran trying to do?
Zhou Yan found it all very strange but finally understood why he had always felt a strange sense of kinship with Wu Ji.
“Originally, knowing that Lee Ran died, I was thrilled. I wanted Wu Ji to live as a cripple forever, just to vent the rage in my heart. Unfortunately, Wu Ji is like a cockroach that can’t be killed, with very tough luck, his talents becoming stronger and stronger…”
“Ji Wu encountered you, and because of you, he fell, yet Wu Ji did not wish to be your enemy. He gave up in every bout against you, how could I not be enraged?”
“I wanted to keep this secret forever, but…now, knowing the real situation of the Breeding Ground, what does it all matter? Everything seems meaningless, and I began to see things differently.”
Fairy Wu Xu said, with a wry smile.
Zhou Yan remained stunned for a good while, and Liu Jin and Fang Hong, who knew parts of Zhou Yan’s past, were equally astonished.
Until Wu Ji suddenly said, “My biological father Lee Ran intended for me to replace Zhou Yan Uncle as a decoy for safe growth. I was used to deceive the ‘Three-Life Soul Nourishment,’ a substitute being monitored as the true object of ‘Three-Life Soul Nourishment.’ This allowed Zhou Yan Uncle to grow up safely. The moment Zhou Yan Uncle truly rose to power, they realized their mistake and wanted to kill me, yet I had been inexplicably transported here.”
“Actually, I’ve known about this for a long time, just silently bearing it. Everyone is born with their own mission. Knowing about my sister Yanyan’s situation, Yanyan also saved me multiple times in the Outer Star Domain, and for a while, we were dependent on each other for survival… Thus, I pity my sister’s plight and am more determined to fulfill this mission. The sense of responsibility in our blood is the same. And my biological father… it’s he who owes my mother, so whatever disdain my mother shows me, I will silently endure it.
Moreover, about my foster father Kong Ji, I truly am sorry to you. But do not be saddened, my biological father once said he would nurture brother Ji Wu well and would not let him truly die. One day, you will have the chance to meet an admired Ji Wu who has understood all truths and is astonishingly brilliant.”
His words were as shocking as a thunderbolt, leaving everyone present astonished.