Chapter 1100: Secrets of the Previous Dynasty
Chapter 1100: Secrets of the Previous Dynasty
Zu An began absorbing Old Mi’s cultivation, using it to temper his own soul. When he felt that the preparation work was done, he began to absorb the soul fragments.
Only then did he realize just how deep and unmeasurable Old Mi had been. He had been quite the powerful individual even among master rank cultivators. Even though he had already perished, every single soul fragment still carried traces of his former power.
Any normal person would immediately go insane and die. However, Zu An’s soul foundation was already firm. Together with the absorption method Mi Li had passed onto him, he could greatly reduce the dangers.
But Mi Li had warned him before that he had to be careful, and that he couldn't let Old Mi’s lingering will corrupt him. Even though there was no danger of possession, there was still a chance for his mind to suffer a powerful backlash.
There was no way Zu An would go into the process recklessly. He didn’t dare to absorb too much at once either, and instead tried to just absorb a single fragment first.
Then, he felt his vision blur. Many complicated scenes appeared in his mind, seemingly recounting the life of a young man. Zu An knew they were memories of Old Mi’s youth. However, everything he saw was blurry, so he wasn’t affected too much. He simply watched with the eyes of a bystander.
But the scenes quickly became clearer, and it was as if he were there experiencing those moments himself. He saw that Old Mi had been so poor he couldn't even survive on his own, and had had no choice but to sell himself into the Imperial Palace. Entering the palace in that way meant one had to become a eunuch.
Then, Old Mi had been sent to the legendary castration room. The interior was extremely hot, and miserable screams filled the air from time to time. One after another, eunuchs were being created. When he had seen the strange smiles of the old eunuchs around him, Old Mi panicked, beginning to struggle.
It was all too real. Zu An had clearly been watching Old Mi’s suffering, and yet a second later, it felt as if he were the one to experience it himself! It was like a first person virtual reality experience…
His arms and legs were bound to the bed. Then, an old eunuch holding a shining trowel turned toward him, a sinister smile on his face. After that, a group of lesser eunuchs hurriedly removed his pants. The old eunuch slowly walked over with the sharp tool. Zu An could feel the sharpness of the blade even from far away. It seemed as if it could easily slice through flesh and bone.
Even though he knew what Old Mi had gone through, the first person view still made Zu An shiver. He had originally felt that his mind was already tough enough to endure any kind of pain and suffering. But never had he expected to encounter such a trial.
“Noooo!”
As the old eunuch approached closer and closer, he could even feel the chilliness of the blade on his exposed skin. Zu An instinctively began to struggle. He was completely immersed in the memory. He couldn't even tell what was real and what was fake anymore.
His limbs were still bound to the bed. It was as if he were dreaming. He had forgotten all of his cultivation. At that moment, he was as powerless as a normal person.
As his pants were undone and the blade crept closer to his thighs, the ice-cold sensation made all of his fine hairs stand on end.
He didn’t know where he had gotten the strength, but he finally managed to free one hand. He frantically reached out to stop the other party.
Huh? Why does it feel so soft?
He instinctively moved around. The thing in his hand seemed a bit too soft and flexible. However, he couldn’t be bothered to think about it too much. The only thing he was focused on was escaping the absolute tragedy he was facing.
…
Meanwhile, Yu Yanluo looked at the man next to her. For some reason, the longer she stared at him, the more pleasing she found him. After some time, however, she suddenly realized that something wasn’t right. He seemed to be in pain, as if he were experiencing something terrifying.
“Ah Zu, what is going on?” she called out, quickly moving over to take a look.
However, she couldn’t have expected that he would suddenly raise his hand. She was so startled that she couldn't even evade it, and so the hand landed straight on target.
Her mind instantly went blank. She didn’t even know what to think anymore. But what was happening to her finally snapped her out of her daze. This scoundrel dares to even fondle that?
You have successfully trolled Yu Yanluo for +555 +555 +555…
She instinctively raised her palm to slap him. But she quickly noticed that his eyes were still closed, and he was in pain.
“Has his cultivation deviated?” she murmured, alarmed. As a cultivator, she naturally knew the dangers of such a thing. If she struck him in that situation, the consequences would be devastating.
She finally became clear-headed again. She had spent a lot of time with him so far, and he had always been a gentleman through and through. His sudden rude action was definitely unintended.
She felt relieved when she thought of that and didn’t feel as angry as before. At the same time, she tried to think of ways to help him.
She wanted to help him infuse ki, but she didn’t know what he was experiencing, so it could make things worse instead. But if she tried to call out to him, she could disturb him at a crucial point.
In the end, she was disappointed to discover that all she could do for him was to wait helplessly by his side and not disturb him.
But his hand is surprisingly honest, not holding back in the slightest.
You have successfully trolled Yu Yanluo for +33 +33 +33…
…
Meanwhile, inside the illusion, Zu An’s hands and feet had been bound again. He felt despair as the shining blade descended.
Suddenly, a string of Rage points entered his mind.
Huh?
Yu Yanluo, Rage points…
Who am I? Where am I?
At that instant, a large amount of information returned to his mind. His eyes quickly cleared up again.
The one being tormented is Old Mi, not me!
The moment he realized that, it was as if all of his cultivation had returned. He shook off the lesser eunuchs, then kicked the old eunuch with the blade, sending him flying.
Then, he became clear-headed again and the scene disappeared. He had completely absorbed the soul fragment.
Zu An sighed in relief. He hadn’t expected the process to be so dangerous! Even though the blade might not have dealt any true physiological damage to him, it might very well have left an indelible trauma. He definitely didn’t want to personally go through what Old Mi had experienced.
Then, he began to absorb the second piece. After his previous experience, the second went much more smoothly.
Huh? Wait, what was that soft sensation earlier?
A steamed bun?
Why would Old Mi remember something like that?
A veteran like him obviously knew what else it could be, but a eunuch like Old Mi definitely wouldn’t have such an experience. As such, he abandoned the thought.
Old Mi had probably worked some odd jobs around the Imperial Palace at first. He might have had to knead dough in the kitchen. That was probably his happiest memory, or else Zu An wouldn’t have felt any happiness.
Sigh, this Old Mi really didn’t have any prospects. The happiest thing he did in his entire life was just kneading some dough in the kitchen?
He collected his thoughts and continued to absorb the other soul fragments. Subsequently, he saw all kinds of scenes. The Imperial Palace was quite different from the one he was used to. At first, he thought it was a different Imperial Palace. But some parts of it were identical, so he realized it was the same palace.
Huh? Did the Imperial Palace really change that much over the years?
Then, various maids, concubines, and even the emperor appeared one after another. The most shocking thing was that the emperor wasn’t the one he was used to.
Is this the former emperor?
No, that’s not it.
His expression changed, because he saw that the emperor’s robes were completely different from the current emperor’s.
During his time in the Imperial Palace, he had learned that there were strict regulations for each person’s uniform. There was no way the difference would be so large.
Then, he heard some indistinct terms of address and finally realized what was happening. This was before the Zhou Dynasty; he was seeing the Meng Dynasty’s emperor!
The current government had always kept all records of the Meng Dynasty confidential. But Zu An had become part of the upper echelon, so he had gained much more authority than a regular person. He knew that the emperor of his own dynasty had seized power from the Meng Dynasty, and the way he had done so wasn’t the most honorable. But not even someone like him knew any more details than that.
“Huh? This Old Mi seems to have lived through several emperors,” Zu An remarked, feeling somewhat shocked as he watched the scenes go past.
However, he was confused as he watched the scene unfold. Other than the first emperor, the others all seemed to be quite young. It seemed all of the first emperor’s children had died prematurely. Later on, he himself had been seriously injured and afflicted by an illness, so the threat of having no successors had become extremely real. As such, the first emperor could only choose his successor from the royal family.
The empress wasn’t his first wife, but rather someone he had raised out of his concern for her. She was quite young. If they chose a fully grown member of the royal family, the young empress would be left in quite the awkward position. As such, they had ended up choosing a young nephew as their adopted son.
Zu An was confused. Shouldn’t these have been Old Mi’s most unforgettable memories? Only the most powerful lingering will could be left behind as fragments after the original owner passed on. For example, the scene of being castrated was something completely understandable. But why was Old Mi’s memory of this scene so clear?
Several more scenes surrounded him. He saw a young emperor lead a group of eunuchs and maids, brandishing his weapon as he charged at an important minister. The minister was cold and detached, and didn’t need to do anything as his subordinates killed all of the eunuchs and maids. Even the young emperor died in the battle.
Zu An was alarmed, because he saw that the important minister’s appearance was somewhat familiar. He had seen a picture of him before in the Imperial Palace.
The minister was the founding emperor of the Zhou Dynasty!
No wonder Old Mi had recalled the scene of the Meng Dynasty so clearly. So that was what had happened!
…
He absorbed the soul fragments piece by piece. In the end, there was only one piece left. Just as he started absorbing the last fragment, however, endless flames surged before him. A terrifying pressure descended, and a massive phoenix surrounded in blazing flames appeared in the darkness.