Chapter 2632: Seven Regrets of a Gift

Just as Zuo Qiu Wu stepped out of the Intent Sea Ice Coffin—

Above the Ice Coffin, the Bodhi Tree swayed.

Huang Fu raised his head, his hand on the Subdue Demon Pestle, which looked like an inverted Buddhist Pagoda. He thrust it towards Huang Sheli, providing her with enlightenment protection. His rough, farmer-like five fingers just grabbed and tore at the broken fur coat on his body, transforming it into an old Kasaya.

The little monk who had broken precepts at Wind Thunder Temple that year had already achieved fruition, but the Left Dao demoness who had sewn that Kasaya for him was no longer there.

He shook his body and rose, the Kasaya becoming his war robe. On his black-brown wrinkled face, which looked like it was coated with gold mixed with blood lacquer, he transformed into a fierce, awe-inspiring... "Buddha"!

The Buddha's compassion was piled in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, like a world-ending mad laugh.

He was, of course, not a true transcendent being, still far from immortality. But with the support of the two great hegemonic countries of the North Domain, it could be said that he had truly condensed a Buddha body—

There was a figure faster than him.

As he unfolded his Kasaya into a war robe, Jiang Zhenhe, in his green shirt with a sword hanging at his waist, was already high in the sky.

The sky was traceless, the sea waveless, without any noisy splendor, yet there was the shadow of a bird announcing death circling around his body—

Life passes, the soul extinguishes, Dao principles freeze. Thus, in this windless, waveless Intent Sea, a wisp of "dissonance" was precisely present.

Li Hengzhi's figure walked out of that conflict within the "incoordination" of this realm.

Precisely to prevent this trial from being interfered with by external forces, the crowd from Taixu Pavilion put in great effort to separate and contain Zuo Qiu Wu. And it was Jiang Wang personally who contained Zuo Qiu Wu's true body.

But Li Hengzhi unexpectedly found this place in unawareness!

Although the two elders of the Confucian Sect were called a pair, looking up, this "Old Li" was more than just a little stronger than "Old Xiao".

But he had come uninvited. What he faced was not only Jiang Wang, who instantly forced him into form, not only the manifested Buddha body of Huang Fu, but also Bian Cheng Yan Jun, who lay like a mountain range above the Ice Coffin, yet suddenly stopped his thunderous snoring and rose up!

Furthermore, there was a bright moon, quietly hanging and shining on the sea.

And a wisp of ubiquitous sword light, chasing after him, arriving before him, hanging and pointing at his brow.

Li Hengzhi was, after all, an elder of the Evident Learning Sect. Facing these, he still showed no ripple. He only took the first step and opened his mouth: "I am not your enemy, and Book Mountain is not on the opposite side of Taixu Pavilion."

"Taixu Pavilion has no plan to be an enemy to anyone," Jiang Wang stood in front of him with an unmoved expression. "...But when threatened, we also don't mind being viewed as an enemy by anyone."

Li Hengzhi originally wanted to see Zuo Qiu Wu's situation and then decide whether or not to rescue this Dean, but he didn't expect that after finally finding his way here, Zuo Qiu Wu had already left one step ahead.

Staying here had no meaning anymore. He carefully worded his words: "I specifically came here just to ask one sentence— does Town River True Monarch releasing Zuo Qiu Wu's true body represent Taixu Pavilion's stance?"

Jiang Wang only said: "I also did not stop Sima Heng."

"Ju Kui saw no error in legal reason, Huang Sheli saw no lie in time. Zuo Qiu Wu and Sima Heng each have their Dao, and who is right and who is wrong between them, Taixu Pavilion cannot judge with a high and mighty attitude. How can the right and wrong of ideals be lightly spoken!"

"Dean Zuo promised me Zhong Xuan's safety, and also promised me an explanation—"

He calmly said: "I tentatively believe, cautiously observe, and await the truth. Only this much."

"Since that's the case, I will look again." Li Hengzhi said and wanted to turn and leave.

"Stay a moment—" Jiang Wang was very polite. "Since you're here, why doesn't Mister just watch here?"

Li Hengzhi raised his eyes to look at him: "This is only my Li Body."

Jiang Wang's face was expressionless: "It's all the same."

Those histories of "all the same" had all already turned a page!

In this chess grid prison cage, book slips were also pasted on the walls. Diligent Academy was written into a history book, and powers from ancient times until now were all gathered at once.

Zuo Qiu Wu pressed the Saint Demon against the wall, crashing violently and extremely roughly against the book slips. Book slips, iron walls, two layers of clamping walls, clanging and ringing!

The Saint Demon, who had been weakened many times within different chapters of history, and had been killed by Dou Zhao until only its skull remained, even if it swallowed the demon intent hidden within the academy's history, was fundamentally no match for Zuo Qiu Wu.

Swallowing demon intent was only the instinct of demon skill unwilling to perish.

Zuo Qiu Wu hit it to the point of near collapse in one face-to-face encounter, precisely utilizing this instinct to wash away the poisonous demonic nature within Diligent Academy's history.

He covered its face with his five fingers, as if he was fundamentally unwilling to see that face.

Just like this, time after time, pressing and smashing, cold, fierce, and violent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The manifested limbs of the Saint Demon hung powerlessly on the wall, and the Saint Demon's demon skull was being crashed into collapse!

The shattered demon qi stained the green slips, leaving strange patterns.

Yet, in such an intense moment, Zuo Qiu Wu raised his other hand and grabbed upwards—

Within the chessboard, quite far away, he probed into the grid that had lost its black piece, probed into its bundle of "high pavilions". The crowd only saw the void dimly, the image blurred, this hand seemed to grab the volume of book slips that sealed the black piece.

He pulled and held a cluster of shrieking somethings, dragging them down from that high pavilion!

Zuo Qiu Wu's state at this moment was close to madness, completely lacking his usual sect master demeanor.

But his heart was still like a calm sea. Only when a slight ripple rose, there was a faint and imperceptible voice in his heart: "Wait until your students attain the Dao... then you can come back!"

Even if the Confucian Saint awakened, or if Mister Zi took that step, they still could not guarantee Sima Heng's life, could not guarantee his Dao of straightforward writing without regret.

How willing was the Confucian Ancestor to talk about Wu Han Gong's death initially?

Mister Zi has been mysterious for so many years, how willing is he to reveal his entire life to the world?

This is still only within the Confucian family! Let alone looking outside.

Sima Heng's name spread throughout the world, and there were many who respected him, and many who hated him!

The Saint Demon that Zuo Qiu Wu was smashing with his right hand could no longer attract people's attention.

Everyone was looking at the twisting virtual shadow that he dragged down with his left hand—relying on the combined power of the entire "Diligent Academy", from the projection of the history window, from the bewildered chapter, dragged down from Sima Heng's body!

At the moment Sima Heng was expelled back into the bewildered chapter and could not autonomously play chess, Zuo Qiu Wu substituted his piece and pulled out his poisoned sore.

That was a cluster of continuously shrieking text, that was a human shadow continuously becoming clearer during the process of falling into "Diligent Academy".

When this human shadow crossed the black and white law boundary and fell into the chessboard, its features were already clear.

This person's face made Jiang Wang himself shocked!

There was no time to stare at Li Hengzhi's Li Body again. The Ice Coffin instantly shattered, and the Li Body was also expelled. The crowd of living beings and monks within Lake Heart Pavilion instantly transformed back into Jiang Wang's true body, his hand on the sword hilt, leaning and overlooking the chessboard.

Outside the pavilion, wind and clouds moved!

Dimly, there was a supreme immortal palace, ethereal in the void. The sound of rustling book flips, vaguely, history bowed to the immortal dynasty—

The history of Diligent Academy had infinite evolution, and in theory, it could also proceed towards the immortal era. After all, Xu Huaizhang was also a Confucian master from the Confucian family that year, so this path is open.

The person dragged into the chess pavilion by Zuo Qiu Wu had handsome features and extraordinary temperament, clearly the appearance of the Seven Hates Demon Lord!

Or rather, "Wu Zhai Xue".

This person was not in his later demonized form, but rather like the Wu Zhai Xue from past history.

At this time, Wu Zhai Xue was still wearing white clothes, a graceful scholar.

But the stronger a person is, the more unchangeable the past. The price to pay for killing a certain strong person in the "past" often exceeds the present.

The path of transcendence is even more a path of proving oneself forever. Wu Zhai Xue had already transcended with the name Seven Hates, an immortal existence in the past, present, and future. How could such a manifested body, completely suppressed, still appear?

The Wu Zhai Xue at this moment was more like a historical projection of Wu Zhai Xue. It was a silhouette left in a certain moment with Wu Zhai Xue's historical posture, belonging to a copycat drawing a tiger, not a true evil tiger. It was not truly the Wu Zhai Xue grabbed from a certain time-space.

Zuo Qiu Wu of course knew how terrifying it was to drag Wu Zhai Xue down. He had already felt that terrifying offensives were already approaching, waiting to be launched. Once his explanation was not reasonable enough, the Taixu Pavilion, which had just chosen neutrality, would immediately oppose him to the death.

He said: "That year's 'Li Collapse Le Bad Saint Demon Skill', originally targeted Wu Zhai Xue!"

"Wu Zhai Xue, bitter in the forever sinking calamity of heaven and man, rolled into Emperor Demon Monarch's layout, and was originally supposed to become Saint Demon Monarch returning to his position."

"That is a long story. In short, Wu Zhai Xue step by step walked to a dead end."

No one is wrong, no one is first, no one sends, no one contains, no one is in, no one watches!

"He could not avoid what was unavoidable, yet he turned his horse and spear, manifested extreme desire, did not abandon Li Le, and actively chose the 'Bitter Sea Forever Sink Desire Demon Skill'! He descended to the Magic Realm with the honor of Desire Demon Monarch, considered to have seized a point of initiative... and thereafter replaced it with the 'Seven Hates Demon Skill'."

"The Wu Zhai Xue at that time was a renowned historian and famous Confucian who traveled the world. His origin, South Mountain Academy, was flattened in his youth. He was on good terms with a great Confucian from our Diligent Academy and often came to the academy to discuss learning at that time—"

"When choosing the 'Bitter Sea Forever Sink Desire Demon Skill', Wu Zhai Xue also stirred this volume of 'Li Collapse Le Bad Saint Demon Skill' on his body, secretly leaving it within the academy, waiting for this demon skill to gain inheritance."

"This is why Diligent Academy preserved this skill."

"After Lou Yue achieved Hate Demon Monarch and Tian Anping achieved Immortal Demon Monarch, I presume you all can also easily see that the foreshadowing of this volume of 'Li Collapse Le Bad Saint Demon Skill' was an arrangement Seven Hates made for the day of his transcendence."

Zuo Qiu Wu's five fingers formed a cage, imprisoning the closed-eyed Wu Zhai Xue within it.

His other hand was still pressing and smashing the Saint Demon's skull, like pounding rice and mashing garlic.

Amidst the continuous clanging sound, he continued: "Sima Heng detected something was wrong early on. But because he was obstructed by several high-level academy figures who were invaded by demon intent, he was unable to pull out the 'Li Collapse Le Bad Saint Demon Skill' at that time. However, he also intercepted Wu Zhai Xue's projection in the long river of history, storing it in the time graveyard, waiting for the day to counter-control it."

"At that time, no one thought that Seven Hates would jump out of the fate set by the Demon Ancestor and achieve transcendence. No one could imagine that Sima Heng would be trapped in history..."

"After Seven Hates achieved transcendence, all its hidden dangers were wiped out, and all separations were returned. But because of the special nature of the history graveyard and the bewildered chapter, this share of projection did not immediately return, nor could it manifest transcendent power."

"But because of the strength and immeasurability of a transcendent being, this share of projection named Wu Zhai Xue still invaded Sima Heng."

"This is why Sima Heng is bewildered, this is why True Monarch Ju feels that sometimes he is not himself."

Zuo Qiu Wu said seriously: "He is indeed sometimes not himself. It is possible that he has returned as the historian sect master Wu Zhai Xue."

This was indeed shocking to hear.

Within the Intent Sea, on the White Day Dream Bridge, the crowd of people couldn't help but be shocked.

But within Lake Heart Pavilion, everyone was expressionless. One was calmer than the other.

"So, this is why Dean Zuo had to seal Sima Heng and bundle him in the high pavilion?" Qin Zhizhen asked in a low voice.

When Zuo Qiu Wu mobilized all the power of the entire "Diligent Academy", part of the chessboard's restriction had already been broken, and the exchange between inside and outside no longer needed to go through the chess pieces.

The crowd overlooked the chess grid, like standing at the edge of a well and viewing its bottom.

Zuo Qiu Wu, at the bottom of the well, shook his head, denying Qin Zhizhen's well-intentioned guess.

He said: "When I pushed Sima Heng back into the bewildered chapter, I still didn't know he was invaded by Wu Zhai Xue. This was during a recent game, he used his chess to tell me."

"Mister Zuo, how do you intend to act now?" Ju Kui asked faintly.

Zuo Qiu Wu said firmly: "I sealed Sima Heng, which has nothing to do with Wu Zhai Xue. It is because he walked the wrong path and is still stubbornly persisting in his wrongdoing. I am using all the power of 'Diligent Academy' to strip away Wu Zhai Xue, which also has nothing to do with Sima Heng. I want Wu Zhai Xue to repay his debt!"

He said it very determinedly, but wanting Wu Zhai Xue to repay his debt, how easy is that! He is already a transcendent being who has been proven forever.

But Zuo Qiu Wu had a plan in his heart.

He smashed the projection named Wu Zhai Xue, which he was holding in his hand, into the remnant skull of the Saint Demon, which already looked unrecognizable, smashing out countless texts representing order, Li Yi Ren Xiao, and sternly shouted: "Saint Demon Monarch! Now return!"

The Saint Demon Monarch returning to his position is indeed of great benefit to the demon race.

But the Saint Demon Monarch returning to his position at this point in time today, within this chess grid prison cage, is destined to end.

The Saint Demon Monarch who can ascend to the Magic Realm is fundamentally unable to be strong here.

Moreover, there is no existence that can welcome this honored Saint Demon Monarch back to the Magic Realm.

Not even Seven Hates!

Dou Zhao suddenly realized: "So that's it! It's very difficult to refine the 'Li Collapse Le Bad Saint Demon Skill' which possesses immortal nature, but killing the Saint Demon Monarch is very easy. You are using the Saint Demon Monarch to consume the Saint Demon Skill, delaying the time of the Saint Demon Monarch's return to position—once the Saint Demon Monarch is killed, the demon skill will dissolve and reform, and at least before the God Firmament War, it will be unable to gather again, and it will not affect the overall situation, and it can be handled slowly afterwards!"

But he frowned again: "Not right..."

Jiang Wang, who had been quietly overlooking the chessboard, already spoke: "How can one lightly underestimate Seven Hates? Since Wu Zhai Xue has already invaded Mister Sima Heng, it means that your and Sima Heng's game of chess has already been watched. The gaze of a transcendent being has fallen, and all your schemes will be influenced—no, they have all already been influenced. How can you still dare to follow the plan?"

Regarding the terror of Seven Hates, probably few people in this world can recognize it more profoundly than Jiang Wang. Because he already views this immortal existence as a great enemy in life, and has researched it with Chong Xuan Sheng for a very long time.

He can even now recite Wu Zhai Xue's birth date and fluently recite all the historical discussions about Wu Zhai Xue that can be found!

"True Monarch Jiang is right," Zuo Qiu Wu said. "When Wu Zhai Xue opens his eyes and achieves Saint Demon Monarch, Seven Hates will definitely react."

"Under its gaze, all our moves are uncertain."

"But there is one point that is unchangeable when Wu Zhai Xue achieves Saint Demon Monarch."

The Dean of the world's first academy had a few points of schadenfreude: "The Demon Monarch returning to his position exists within the fate of the Demon Ancestor returning! With the name Seven Hates, it jumped out of the fate arranged by the Demon Ancestor. But with the name Wu Zhai Xue, it jumped back into the fate arranged by the Demon Ancestor."

"In all the results that target Seven Hates, this is the most harmful kind. Because this relates to its fundamental transcendence, it must also shake all its layouts in the demon race!"