Chapter 533: Chapter 177: Hou Yan and the Once Heavenly Destiny Plan_2

In the arena, only Hou Yan and Hou Wanxiao remained.

…

“Brother Hou, you really had me fooled back then.”

Zhou Yan sounded somewhat wistful. Now, with his strength, he couldn’t see through Hou Yan’s true power, which showed just how skillfully Hou Yan had “hidden his clumsiness” in the past.

“Little brother, that matter was truly regrettable, and it’s a story that evokes much sorrow. Now that you’ve reached this realm, there’s no point in hiding anything from you anymore. Soon, you’ll understand many secrets.”

Hou Yan sighed.

“Zhou Xuanzhe, I’ve wronged you in this matter.”

Hou Wanxiao bowed respectfully, clearly apologizing to Zhou Yan.

“Elder Hou, the Primordial Magnetic Aurora you once mentioned, that ray of life, it’s actually the Primordial Magnetic Aurora Land of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb, isn’t it?”

Zhou Yan sighed.

Once, Hou Wanxiao had mentioned a place of life with Primordial Magnetic Aurora; in the end, that place was still the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb.

Everything seemed to be a leading thread that made him inevitable to seize that strand of Primordial Magnetic Aurora, and then follow some predestined trajectory.

If someone had arranged all this, then it could only be said that it was truly astounding.

“Yes… The Sect Master’s every action was also full of helplessness. The Venerable’s life was not to be prolonged, and they set up the Heavenly Destiny plan to draw forth the Nine Origin Reincarnation, which had its flaws and could not ensure your growth, Zhou Xuanzhe. Therefore, the initial Heavenly Destiny plan had to strictly seize key moments.

Hence, even if by any means necessary, we had to ensure this path continued.”

Hou Wanxiao sighed.

“Venerable? That’s… Divine Fist Li Liran? My brother?”

Zhou Yan pondered and then suddenly asked.

Hou Yan and Hou Wanxiao shuddered in shock, their gazes fixating on Zhou Yan as if he was some kind of monster, their faces filled with horror.

After a long silence, seeing Zhou Yan’s expression remained very calm, doubt crept into Hou Yan’s eyes again.

A moment later, he gave a bitter smile and said, “Little brother, I’ve been fooled by you again. All this is just your conjecture, but because it’s the truth, you surprised us by suddenly saying it out loud.

Sigh, indeed, the Venerable is Divine Fist Li. And you, little brother, are the Venerable’s most beloved brother. This matter is actually the most crucial secret.

After the Venerable passed away, to make your life perfect, he spared no effort or calculation, transforming the endless grand scheme, even exchanging it for supreme and defiant treasures to bring forth the Supreme Dao—this was the protection of the Sword Burial Ancestor Star.

This greatest scheme is the Nine Origin Reincarnation.

To break free from this reincarnation, little brother, you must seize the opportunity of the Nine Origin Reincarnation.”

Hou Yan spoke earnestly.

“This… Things have become even more complicated.”

Zhou Yan said helplessly.

“Actually, it’s not complicated at all. Sometimes, seemingly cruel actions, like me, for example, watching you fall into despair, seeing the women by your side die to save you, and yet I did not intervene. You would surely hate me if you knew. But from my perspective, if the loved ones, women, and friends beside you did not die, how could you have been driven to become stronger, to achieve perfection? If everything had gone smoothly, without such hardships, would you still be the small genius of Spirit-level at the Sword Body Realm within the Great Zhou Family, and even struggling to condense a Sword Soul, how could you compare to now, with your Break Nine combat power, unparalleled strength beneath the Sword Tribulation?!”

“If that’s the case, you’re even less qualified to be with the Holy Daughter, because the Yaochi Saint wouldn’t even care about a minor character like you…”

Hou Yan spoke without concealment.

Zhou Yan pondered thoughtfully. Although he found such practices cruel and hard to accept in his heart, he could empathize with the sentiment.

It was like watching Hou Chen struggle against Ji Wu; Zhou Yan didn’t intervene even when Hou Chen was in danger multiple times. Only the trials faced between life and death, only the agony that’s etched in one’s bones can spark a person’s potential and ambition.

Should he blame others for not saving his loved ones, his women, when they died? Why should others save them? They owed nothing to Zhou Yan! If there was blame, it could only fall upon his own inability.

Lacking power, one must vow to grow stronger. This is the spur of death!

Cruel, but it has always been the most effective.

“When you were in danger initially, I appeared, but when I saw it was Cai Ling, I left immediately, because, we are all pawns in the Heavenly Destiny plan, and you are the core! If it were the Evil King I saw back then, I would have certainly made a move. Of course, I’m definitely not as powerful as the Evil King.”

“We painstakingly took part in arranging the Heavenly Destiny plan. Even when the Evil King was calculated against, your persistent struggles and disruptions were worrisome as your characteristics from your previous life gradually emerge.”

“That’s why I let Hou Tianjian abandon some secret techniques, catalyzed Cai Xuan’s evolution, allied with Tianji Mountain to awaken the Void Body of your relative Gu Yan to become a rebel, and had Cai Ling join forces with Gu Yan to kill you. On one hand, Cai Xuan adored your rise and capabilities, the protectiveness for a lover; on the other hand, she had to attempt your assassination, even falling into conflict due to a Void Body developing feelings for you…

This is part of the reason behind the entanglement that led to your despair.”

“Now, the Heavenly Destiny plan is incomplete, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Sword Tomb has collapsed, and the Venerable’s layout is riddled with countless holes. The Blood Ancestor has returned, reincarnated as Zhou Lingyao for the third life, Ni Chang Fairy reincarnated, becoming Ghost Rain Sword Soul Lee Xinyu, it’s time for a reshuffle.

The Thunder Origin Sword God has also been coveting the chance to truly descend upon the Sword Burial Ancestor Star, Saints with ulterior motives like Yaochi aspire for independence, and Saints who have comprehended the Original Dao like the Evil King know the rare opportunity of the Nine Origin Reincarnation, already fully preparing to elevate the power of their Secret Realm, for the better the Secret Realm, the greater the connection with the Nine Origin Reincarnation…

With this, the Sword Burial Ancestor Star is chaotic enough. The more geniuses that die in this chaos, the more powerful the Thunder Origin Sword God becomes, and the easier it becomes to seize the Origin of the Ancestor Star, transcend from the Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain, and succeed in descending.

Once the Thunder Origin Sword God is resurrected, all life born on the Sword Burial Ancestor Star, having the mark of the Ancestor Star’s soul…every one of them must be extinguished, this is an unchanging law of energy conservation in the universe…”

“Chaos will eventually start, so I’ve come to you this time to hope that when you encounter that extraordinary woman, you must, you absolutely must take good care of her, don’t let her die. This is key to everything.”

Hou Yan said gravely.

Zhou Yan felt somewhat overwhelmed.

With his intelligence, it was all too chaotic.

He pondered for a moment, recalled the various experiences since the beginning of his cultivation, then connected everything, and finally had an epiphany, clarifying the relationships within.

“So, you mean, Master, that is, my brother Li Ran’s efforts for me, which originally could’ve ensured my reaching the Sword Void Nine Transformation Realm, have now crumbled? To ensure I enter the Sword Tribulation Realm, the first step is to face that extraordinary woman, and then cherish her? The implication is to make her my woman? So, only if she lives, can I ultimately awaken all my lost memories? Even inherit the most substantial power from Brother Li Ran?”

Zhou Yan analyzed and derived such a conclusion.

“Indeed. Younger brother, you’re right to think this way. To reach Sword Void Nine Changes, you will probably eventually have to ascend Tianji Mountain. But first, you must be able to perform deep Dual Cultivation with that extraordinary woman in order to have the capacity, to walk the path ahead.

But like you, although the extraordinary woman loves you, she has now lost her memories and might even become your enemy. Your path is not smooth.”

“Furthermore, due to the hatred stemming from the fall of the first-generation Emperor Qi Sword Body, this issue has continued, compounded by a powerful force’s schemes to prevent Lee Sha from regaining his memory. Younger brother, the dangers you face are present everywhere, fraught with difficulty.”

Hou Yan said gravely.

“I understand.”

Zhou Yan nodded, his expression growing a bit more solemn.