Chapter 59: Tai Sui (End)
“I am your past life,” said the man with an emperor’s demeanor, taking a step forward. His voice carried deep, unfathomable emotions. “Have you forgotten?”
“Impossible.”
Tang Yunxian’s voice echoed coldly in the vast dark room, filled with vigilance and wariness. His eyes, sharp and alert, pierced through the dim firelight. He addressed the man before him, “How could an emperor use the word ‘I’? You’re an impostor.”
Cheng Xuyuan looked surprised at the “emperor.” No wonder he had found the man’s speech peculiar earlier.
Yet the man remained unfazed, continuing to approach them step by step. His feet didn’t touch the ground; he glided effortlessly over the scattered white bones.
“Who I am doesn’t matter.” The man stood before them, his face identical to Tang Yunxian’s. “Give me what you have in your hands.”
Only now did Cheng Xuyuan notice that he also held an identical compass. As the two compasses met, a sharp sound reverberated through the air, like a powerful strike vibrating the blade.
As if triggered by something, both compasses emitted a faint white glow.
Energy flowed through the compasses into Tang Yunxian’s hands, activating a mechanism. Memories of his past life flooded his mind, causing his brain to ache.
It felt like rebirth.
And destruction.
The dim chamber brightened; the inscriptions on the walls vanished, and the scattered bones disappeared. Tang Yunxian found himself back in the secret chamber from three thousand years ago — the one the emperor had recently built.
“Xuyuan,” the emperor said, standing alongside the white-robed youth. They both examined the crimson-drawn array on the wall.
In the center of the array, a pattern of the Eight Trigrams was visible, with two circular grooves.
“Your Majesty,” the youth’s expression grew solemn, “if the Star Kingdom faces danger someday, please open this secret chamber. The array depicts the Suppressing Evil Eight Trigrams; the two grooves in the center are meant for two compasses.”
The emperor looked puzzled. “Compasses? Are you referring to the one you gave me?”
The youth nodded. “I discovered recently that when these two compasses are placed together, they generate immense power — enough to activate this massive Suppressing Evil Eight Trigrams.”
The emperor nodded, then asked, “What makes this trigram so formidable?”
“Through stargazing and divination,” the youth sighed, his brow furrowed with worry, “I foresaw that the Xing Country would soon face calamity. Something ominous may descend upon the capital. If you encounter danger, Your Majesty, you must open this trigram.”
As the youth finished speaking, the surroundings blurred once more.
Months later, Tang Yunxian’s body floated in mid-air, watching as a dark miasma descended upon the land, disaster after disaster unfolding.
Guided by memory, he arrived at the main palace and saw the emperor.
At that moment, there was no one else in the main palace, only him… and the man who appeared before him, looking exactly like him.
“Who are you?” The emperor asked, a question that left Tang Yunxian equally puzzled.
“Well, I am you,” replied the identical man. He wore dragon robes and a dragon crown, but his expression lacked the emperor’s menace, instead carrying an air of mystery.
“But who are you really?” pressed the emperor.
“You should know, just as you’ve seen in your dreams,” the man continued. His appearance confirmed what many astrologers had foretold — the arrival of the “Evil King.”
The emperor’s pupils contracted. He stared at the man in disbelief and stammered, “You’re… the Evil King?”
“Yes,” the Evil King, with the same face as the emperor, confirmed. His presence validated the astrologers’ prophecy of the “Evil King’s descent.”
The emperor’s fingers trembled. His voice sounded dry as he grappled with the reality before him. “But why… do we look exactly alike?”
“Because I am you,” the Evil King explained, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “I emerged from your wicked thoughts, your desires. I took form because of you. As the Buddha once said, if an emperor can overcome this trial, they can ascend to enlightenment.”
“And I am your trial.”
With this revelation, Tang Yunxian finally understood the source of the impending catastrophe facing the Xing Country — the Evil King, born from the emperor’s malevolent thoughts.
In other words, the true culprit behind Li Yuan’s death was none other than the emperor himself.
The emperor’s gaze turned icy as he confronted the Evil King. “Tell me, how can I defeat you?”
The two powerful auras clashed as the Evil King replied, “All your weaknesses stem from emotions you shouldn’t possess.”
“What do you mean?” The emperor’s brow furrowed. “What emotions shouldn’t I have?”
The Evil King stepped closer, locking eyes with the emperor. His words were deliberate and weighty. “You love Li Yuan. The entire court knows this. Because of him, you haven’t married a queen, and your health deteriorates daily. Isn’t this a disaster for Xing Country?”
The emperor stood frozen.
“If you die, chaos will reign once more.”
The Evil King’s gaze bore into the emperor, who tried to evade it. “So, killing Li Yuan is the best way to defeat me.”
“Impossible! I would never do such a thing.”
“Then prepare for widespread suffering and the destruction of Xing Country.”
With those parting words, the Evil King dissipated into black mist, leaving the emperor wracked by violent coughs. Clutching his chest, he cried out for help.
And so, the emperor fell into unconsciousness. What followed was Prime Minister Zhong’s coup.
Later, Li Yuan sacrificed himself atop Zhaixing Tower.
Finally, when the emperor learned of these events, he erupted in fury. In a public reckoning with Prime Minister Zhong, he piled new accusations upon old ones, and the sentence was death by beheading.
Yet, it wasn’t enough.
Although Li Yuan had sacrificed himself, he was still a mortal. His ability to beseech blessings from the heavens was limited. Thus, the turmoil in the world remained subdued for only half a month before the Evil King resumed his mischief.
________________________
One day, the Evil King returned to the palace. The emperor confronted him, exasperated. “Li Yuan is dead. Why won’t you relent?”
“Because you still harbor feelings for him, making it impossible for you to defeat me.”
“But he’s been reduced to ashes! What more do you want?”
The emperor’s rage echoed through the opulent palace. The Evil King remained unmoved, standing face-to-face. His voice was frigid. “Forget him. Marry an empress or a concubine. Bear an heir.”
Gasping for breath, the emperor knew he couldn’t contend with the Evil King. Finally, he lost all hope, and his eyes dimmed.
After a moment, he calmly said to the Evil King, “Very well, I understand. However, since you’ve been so fixated on making me abandon this relationship, I hope you’ll attend the wedding.”
The Evil King readily agreed and refrained from causing any harm to the people in the following month.
The Emperor’s grand wedding was accompanied by a general amnesty throughout the realm.
The bridal chamber was arranged in a hidden room behind the main palace. Despite its concealed location, the room was opulent and adorned with dazzling jewels. The Emperor also ordered historical events of the Xing Country to be inscribed on the walls, ensuring their transmission to future generations. Clearly, the Emperor regarded this room as his final resting place.
On the wedding night, the Evil King arrived as promised.
The Emperor placed one of the compasses within the Bagua formation. When the Evil King arrived, the well-prepared soldiers sprang forth to intercept him. Seizing the opportunity, the Emperor secretly placed the other compass inside.
However, he was too late. By the time the Bagua formation activated, the Evil King had already stepped halfway out of the secret chamber.
The powerful formation suppressed most of the Evil King’s energy but failed to imprison his true form, allowing him to escape.
As the Bagua formation activated, the energy vibrations caused the emperor to cough up blood. Ironically, this was his twenty-fifth birthday.
He lay on the lavishly adorned bed, reaching out to touch the “bride” beside him. It was a puppet crafted in the likeness of Li Yuan, the Emperor’s betrothed.
The puppet wore bridal attire and lay motionless on the bed, its hollow eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Tang Yunxian’s chest rose and fell slowly, eventually settling into stillness. The bed resembled a resting place for two lifeless puppets.
The Evil King remained undefeated, and the Emperor had met his demise — defying the natural order.
Not long after, the skies over Xing Country unleashed a three-day sandstorm. The relentless tempest penetrated everything, shrouding the land unexpectedly. Overnight, the small nation was obliterated, leaving no survivors.
Three thousand years later, the wooden puppet had turned to ashes, and the bed had crumbled from decay.
Only the sacrificed ambush soldiers and the Emperor’s skeletal remains remained.
As Tang Yunxian finished recounting the entire story, it felt like he had watched an epic film. Gradually, the scene dimmed, and the room returned to its gloomy state.
The Evil King stood before him, observing the tears in Tang Yunxian’s eyes. He asked, “Do you remember everything now?”
“Ah, you’re crying?!” Cheng Xuyuan hurriedly wiped away the tears. “Why the sudden tears? Old friends meeting, both teary-eyed?”
Tang Yunxian wiped his tears, composed himself, and raised his head. His voice turned cold as he addressed the Evil King, “The compass will never be yours. You, vile wretch, should remain forever imprisoned in this chamber, surrounded by these bones. Day and night, pray to the heavens for redemption.
“But I am you.”
Tang Yunxian stared resolutely at him. "I am me. Anything detached from me is no longer relevant."
“Then I have no choice but to take action…”
The Evil King lunged forward, a slender scythe materializing in his hand. However, he didn’t aim it at Tang Yunxian; instead, he targeted Cheng Xuyuan.
To restore the Evil King’s energy, they needed either to reactivate the Bagua formation or consume the three-thousand-year-old Tai Sui before them. The Evil King was greedy; he wanted both.
Cheng Xuyuan paid little attention to the Evil King. He clenched his fists, ready to strike. But just as he was about to swing, a figure stepped in front of him.
Cheng Xuyuan’s eyes widened in shock as he watched Tang Yunxian shield him. He shouted, “You idiot! Get out of the way!”
Yet the Evil King wasn’t surprised by this scene; it seemed he had anticipated it all along. His scythe, poised to strike Tang Yunxian, suddenly vanished.
Transforming into a black gust of wind, the Evil King snatched the compass from Tang Yunxian’s hand and swiftly installed it behind them in the Bagua formation.
As the Bagua formation activated a second time, it released all the stored energy. The air trembled violently, and the greedy Evil King eagerly absorbed every bit.
Cheng Xuyuan, pale-faced, witnessed it all. Meanwhile, Tang Yunxian couldn’t believe he had been manipulated.
The system’s voice echoed in Cheng Xuyuan’s mind: “Warning, warning, mission deviation detected…”
“Warning, warning, mission deviation detected…”
“Warning, warning…”
Cheng Xuyuan had no time to intervene. Gasping for breath, he asked the system, “Is there any way to remedy this?”
“Sizzle… sizzle…”
Electric currents buzzed in Cheng Xuyuan’s brain.
“Mission deemed a failure. Both the system and host will face consequences…”
Everything went black for Cheng Xuyuan as he became lost in the fragmented darkness of spacetime.
Meanwhile, the system’s voice vanished completely.
Another unfamiliar voice replaced it.
“Plug-in 10287, I am the Supreme Deity. Due to your error, the system suffered severe trauma and became lost in spacetime fragments. Considering your previous performance, I’ve decided to grant you another chance. You’ll return to the world you previously inhabited to retrieve the system. However, be prepared — returning will erase your memories…”
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