Chapter Thirty-Four: The Battle of Celestial Guidance, Seeking the Heavenly Soul (Part 2)

Let us speak of Haodan, who within the world of the Eastern Emperor diligently cultivated the four great arcane arts. He had now achieved a rudimentary command of the Grand One Overlord Body, and with the aid of the Celestial Art for Invulnerability from the Mystical Gate—one of the wonders among the divine arts of heaven and earth—he had touched upon the threshold of this formidable body. After untold days of effort, he practiced the divine arts of his former life atop the Sealing Altar before the ten Ancestral Witches themselves. This was nothing less than a slap in the face to those venerable beings, yet there was nothing they could do but bellow and curse, powerless in the face of his progress.

By now, with the time afforded him in the world of the Eastern Emperor, Haodan had mastered two supreme techniques: the Grand One Overlord Body and the Thousandfold Blade. The other two arts, however, remained beyond his grasp. No matter how he mimicked the forms he saw in the mirrored visions, he could not seize their essence.

Outside the Eastern Emperor Bell, the Lord of the East stood sentinel. At this moment, a pillar of golden light enveloped Haodan, escorting him out of the world within. He emerged brimming with excitement, his handsome face aglow with joy, which the Lord of the East was quick to notice.

“How fares your cultivation?” the Lord of the East inquired, his transparent form drifting closer.

“I have barely managed to master the Overlord Body and the Thousandfold Blade,” Haodan replied truthfully. “As for the other two arts, I cannot even touch their threshold. It is a source of great frustration to me.”

Indeed, those two divine techniques were too profound, and in such a short span, completely beyond his comprehension. Haodan knew he needed far more time to cultivate them. Yet Little Bai Ling was still waiting for him, his adoptive father Cheng Tang awaited rescue—time was truly running out.

“As I expected,” mused the Lord of the East, stroking his chin. “Without merging with your Celestial Soul, you will never truly master these four instinctive arts.”

“Instinctive arts?” Haodan echoed, momentarily stunned.

“I will explain when the opportunity arises. For now, time is short. Your Celestial Soul lies within the heart of this glacier. What comes next, you must face alone.” The Lord of the East’s expression shifted rapidly to one of utmost seriousness.

“You will not accompany me?” Haodan asked, not understanding this sudden turn.

“Are you afraid?” The Lord of the East’s question was earnest, without a hint of mockery.

“Though I’d rather not admit it, I am,” Haodan replied, his heart beginning to race, anxiety mounting as he saw how grave the Lord of the East was.

“You must know, my lord, that thousands of years ago, you walked this path as well. You were afraid, you hesitated, you struggled, you felt unwilling—but never did you regret, not once. Even at the cost of your life, you never abandoned your quest. You pressed on, fought to the end—that is the spirit you must embody!” The Lord of the East spoke as if recalling an ancient tale, his tone calm yet stirring.

These words awakened a hidden courage within Haodan, like a stone cast into a placid lake, sending waves of resolve surging skyward. His presence grew brighter, more dazzling—though Haodan himself did not sense this change, the Lord of the East saw it and smiled with satisfaction.

“My lord, go now! Fight as a true man should!”

Ahead, beneath a colossal glacier, there was a deep, hidden cavern—an almost invisible corner of the ice, so well concealed that the Lord of the East felt no worry that any of the immortals who intruded into the Tower of Heavenly Guidance would stumble upon it.

“The path of awakening has only just begun,” murmured the Lord of the East, watching Haodan’s retreating figure.

With one step forward, all retreat was cut off.

Before the cave, Haodan hesitated not at all. Each step he took was more resolute than the last. He recalled the journey that had brought him here—so much had been fantastical: the voyage to the Void, the struggle of the witches, the battle at Yudu, and now this. From the moment he arrived at the Tower of Heavenly Guidance, he had been mired in self-doubt. But that doubt was now banished, replaced by conviction forged in the crucible of countless failures. Since his defeat at the hands of General Yan Lietian, the sting of loss had burned in his memory—never again did he wish to taste it, for his pride, etched into his very blood and bone, would not allow it.

The path ahead was long and arduous. Within the cave, only ice and an utter, biting cold awaited. Were it not for the protection of the Grand One Overlord Body, Haodan, relying on his former strength, would have been frozen into a statue in an instant.

At this moment, his anxiety surpassed what he had felt before. He had no inkling what might lie in wait ahead—a place more terrifying in its unknowns than even his first foray into the Void. At least there, in that phantasmal realm, he had not known such darkness and chill.

Driven by a stubborn will, he pressed on, until at last a faint glimmer appeared in the distance—so weak that, had it not been for his mastery of the Eastern Emperor’s Gaze, he could not have detected it.

Just then, a voice rang out, and Haodan halted at once.

“Who dares disturb my emperor’s slumber?” The voice, regal beyond measure, issued from the glimmer.

“I am not here to disturb, but to seek,” Haodan steadied his mind and answered with courage.

“To seek?” A trace of surprise, of amusement, of puzzlement—so much was contained in those two words.

Haodan moved toward the source of the voice. Before him, the cave opened into a broad chamber, encircled by icy lakes. At its heart, a Five Elements Eight Trigrams disk spun slowly, emitting that faint glow.

“You are bold,” the voice sounded near Haodan’s ear, though nothing could be seen.

Haodan spun around, surveying the area, but saw no one.

Suddenly, a blurred figure appeared before him—one whose form was almost identical to the Lord of the East. Yet the aura of this being was utterly peerless, impossible to describe, inimitable in all the world.

“Oh?” The figure seemed to search his memory upon seeing Haodan’s face.

“I am you, and you are me,” Haodan replied without hesitation.

Even at his first meeting with the Lord of the East, Haodan had shown no undue surprise, remaining calm. His composure now was not something he could have feigned.

“Only you would dare address me in such a tone. You are the first in all the world!” the figure replied playfully, with a wicked gleam in his eye that hinted at admiration.

“I am you, and you are but a wisp of my soul. There is nothing strange in this,” Haodan declared boldly, having instantly realized who stood before him—the Celestial Emperor Taiyi, without a doubt. Casting aside his earlier anxiety, he spoke without fear or reservation.

“I have long been in need of a body, and your arrival is most timely. If you can defeat me, I will gladly let you merge with me. Otherwise, you will be ruled by me, and you will no longer be yourself,” the figure intoned.

At these words, Haodan began to doubt what the Lord of the East had told him earlier—that the Celestial Soul possessed neither self-awareness nor memory. Yet before him, this soul seemed cunning, already scheming.

Seeing Haodan’s expression, the Celestial Soul showed no surprise, as if everything was proceeding according to plan.

“You knew I would come?” Haodan asked, perplexed.

“Did you not already say that you are me, and I am you?” The Celestial Soul, hands clasped behind his back, floated in midair, a devilish smile on his lips.

“So you sensed me the moment I entered the Tower of Heavenly Guidance?” Haodan recalled that his hesitation outside the tower had been due to an unprecedented pull, a strange attraction he would have ignored had it not been for Luo Yu sending him into the desert.

“Why did the Lord of the East not accompany me?” The Celestial Soul, seated upon a throne of emptiness, looked down upon Haodan and asked a question of his own.

“You have yet to answer me,” Haodan said, a flicker of anger rising within him.

“Mere reincarnation of the Earth Soul, and yet you would presume before me?” The Celestial Soul was not angered, but smiled wickedly, his crimson eyes glinting as he backhanded Haodan with a speed impossible to guard against.

Thunder boomed.

A gust of dark golden wind swept toward Haodan, splitting the icy ground around him, shards of ice flying in every direction. Most terrifying was that, after blasting Haodan away, the place where he had stood was reduced to powder, which then merged with the icy lake.

Haodan was powerless to resist. Perhaps the Celestial Soul had held back, for at the crucial moment he seemed to catch Haodan, preventing him from being flung too far. If Haodan were killed outright, the Celestial Soul would have no vessel to enter—a loss for both.

Coughing blood, Haodan struggled to his feet, clutching his chest. He realized that had the Celestial Soul not held back, he would have perished right then.

Regaining his breath, Haodan asked, “Why did you hold back?”

“It would not be any fun if you were dead,” came the reply.

Haodan seemed to understand now. He smiled instead of becoming angry. “Then, our battle is destined to end in my victory.”

“I know what you are thinking. Although I will not kill you, I can destroy your will and consciousness. But that would harm the very source of our three souls. Therefore, I can only conquer you. And for you to win, you must conquer me.”

“Let us make a pact: the victor takes the body, and the loser must submit unconditionally.”

“Before I agree, let me ask you one thing: can you recall that cataclysmic battle a thousand years ago?” Haodan inquired, grave and earnest.

The Celestial Soul answered without hesitation, “I possess only instinct and awareness, no memory.”

“Good! It’s a deal,” Haodan replied, his confidence unshaken, agreeing without the slightest hesitation.

“Oh?” Even the Celestial Soul was taken aback, watching Haodan with suspicion. He could not fathom the source of Haodan’s unshakable confidence, for by all reason, Haodan stood no chance against such overwhelming power. Yet the certainty Haodan radiated was unmistakable.

“We cannot battle here. With your strength, unleashing your power would destroy this world. Will you follow me into the world of the Eastern Emperor for our contest?” Haodan proposed, his motives unclear.

“In the face of absolute power, all tricks are but illusions,” the Celestial Soul replied with utter confidence. To him, the place mattered not at all.

And so, the two reached an agreement, entering the world of the Eastern Emperor together to decide their fate.

What will come next? Read on in the next chapter.