Chapter 403

Chapter 403: Too Much Hope at Once?

"Daoist friend, from the moment you bore the Heavenly Dao’s will, you ceased to be yourself.” Ye Xu’s words were blunt, tearing open Emperor Yang’s wounds. “One day, you will realize you are merely a vessel, a puppet for the Heavenly Dao.”

Boom!

Moon Goddess stared at Emperor Yang in terror, her eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, shock, pity, sorrow…

A distinct mist gathered in the corners of her eyes.

Though she was a self-important, intensely jealous Innate Divine Being, her love for Emperor Yang was genuine.

Moon Goddess found it unbearable to accept that her invincible husband was just a pawn of the Heavenly Dao.

A dull roar filled Emperor Yang’s skull.

These words shook him to his core, draining all his strength. He trembled unsteadily.

Moon Goddess hurried forward to support him, but she didn’t know how to comfort him.

“I am not me… Ha ha ha…” Emperor Yang’s laughter was bleak and bitter, tears mingling in his mirth as he pushed away Moon Goddess’s hand and collapsed onto the ground. “So… the Heavenly Dao has selfish intentions?”

“Or not?”

Ye Xu nodded.

From the memories of the human ancestor, the moment Emperor Yang bore the Heavenly Dao and its will descended into the world, the Heavenly Dao had already birthed selfish desires.

A selfish greed for absolute control!

Yet, even the human ancestor, even the Heavenly Emperor, still could not comprehend why the Heavenly Dao fostered such selfishness.

Still, this did nothing to stop the human ancestor, the Heavenly Emperor—or even the Innate Divine Beings—from entertaining thoughts of striking against the Heavenly Dao.

“Daoist friend, it’s only within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion that you can gain even a sliver of clarity.”

Ye Xu stated lightly, “Outside, under the Heavenly Dao’s observation, your heart wouldn’t have stirred even the slightest at my words.”

“Heavenly Dao has selfishness…”

Emperor Yang seemed not to hear, endlessly muttering those four words.

“Master, you possess such vast divine abilities! Please, save my husband!” Moon Goddess pleaded with fierce conviction. “This Goddess is willing to pay any price!”

“No.”

Emperor Yang slowly rose from the floor, his gaze gradually hardening.

“Husband…?” Moon Goddess didn’t understand his intention.

“I must see this through.”

Emperor Yang declared sternly, “Should I forsake my duty and abandon the Heavenly Dao’s will, the Purple Star Heavenly Court would surely collapse, threatening the world. Without restraint, the Innate Divine Beings would inevitably shatter the Heavenly Dao.”

“Even if it means death, I must continue.”

He thought of Qin Yu.

With friends by my side, my Path is not lonely.

He couldn’t stay forever in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t afford the price—it was also that he, Emperor Yang, carried ambitions. How could he cower in a corner, clinging merely to survival?

Let there be war!

The Celestial Son was resolute in his belief.

A strange light flickered in Ye Xu’s eyes. Though he had never met the Celestial Son before, today’s encounter, under the influence of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, saw the Heavenly Dao’s control over the Celestial Son weaken. The Celestial Son regained a fragment of his true self.

At this moment, it was evident that the Celestial Son had once been a passionate young man himself.

"Master," the Celestial Son declared with firm clarity, "this journey of mine serves but one purpose."

"Can you tell me how to win this war and defend the Heavenly Dao?"

"System, how many heavenly secrets points are needed to query the path to victory for the Heavenly Dao?" Ye Xu asked.

[Eighteen trillion!]

"…"

Ye Xu was utterly shaken. Eighteen trillion heavenly secrets points were enough to enable two Immortal Emperors with the Three Yuan Proof to transcend the universe and become transcendents.

Clearly, this war involved forces of immense significance.

"Daoist friend," Ye Xu solemnly stated, "if you can produce twenty-four trillion Star Yuan, I will tell you the path to victory."

If the Heavenly Dao emerged victorious, the Heavenly Emperor, Yuanzu, the human ancestor, and others faced the peril of annihilation. The Pangu universe would plunge into desolation. From then on, the Heavenly Dao would reign supreme, achieving near-eternity and keeping the Pangu universe firmly in its grasp.

Twenty-four trillion Star Yuan was absolutely worth far more than the cost.

"Pfft!"

The Celestial Son spat out a mouthful of tea.

Twenty-four trillion Star Yuan — even selling himself and liquidating the entire Purple Star Heavenly Court couldn’t raise such a sum.

This wasn’t Ye Xu’s fault.

If the Celestial Son exterminated all the Immortal Emperors with the Three Yuan Proof in the Pangu universe, how could Ye Xu possibly profit?

Therefore, Ye Xu had to earn six trillion in one go.

Later, he could extract the final payment from Yuanzu, the Heavenly Emperor, and others to achieve his transcendence.

This last resort was entirely forced upon him.

"The Master’s price is too high," the Celestial Son said with a bitter smile. "After painstakingly managing the Purple Star Heavenly Court for tens of millions of years, I still couldn’t muster such resources."

Su Mu and Ye Xian’er, along with the others, had been reeling from shock ever since the Celestial Son and the Moon Goddess entered Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. They were utterly unable to regain their composure.

Ye Xu’s face revealed a look of disappointment.

His wish to become a big shot overnight had crumbled.

The Celestial Son frowned, pondered deeply for a long moment, and then looked at Ye Xu with grave seriousness.

"If I wage war against the Innate Divine Being, the human ancestor, and the Heavenly Emperor… what are my odds of victory?"

"You wish to see the future?" Ye Xu’s disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by hidden glee.

Peering into the future demanded an immense price. Moreover, this future concerned the survival of the Heavenly Dao, the rise and fall of the Pangu universe, vastly eclipsing even the Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm.

Though not as costly as the previous question, the potential gains were clearly far greater.

"Yes." The Celestial Son nodded. Heavenly secrets tangled, the Dao became chaotic; the Heavenly Dao had turned blind. It could glimpse no glimpse of the future nor devise any response.

"System, how many heavenly secrets points would it take to inquire about the future of the Pangu universe’s Heavenly Dao?" Ye Xu asked.

[Three trillion!]

"My goodness…"

Ye Xu’s heart was shaken. Could the Emperor afford three trillion heavenly secrets points?

"Thirty-eight hundred billion Star Yuan."

After a moment’s thought, Ye Xu added a small increment.

The Emperor’s gaze turned sharp.

Star Yuan possessed immense purchasing power, and the resources that could be bought with thirty-eight hundred billion Star Yuan were unimaginably vast.

The Emperor slowly shook his head.

The Purple Star Heavenly Court could indeed produce thirty-eight hundred billion Star Yuan.

However, once the transaction with Heaven’s Secret Pavilion concluded, the Purple Star Heavenly Court’s treasury would be emptied, plunging them into poverty and rendering them unable to handle the impending cataclysm.

War required capital.

Especially during a full-scale war against the Innate Divine Beings like this—every single moment was burning money.

Ye Xu furrowed his brow.

The Heavenly Dao of a universe was equivalent to a transcendent.

No.

In the grand scheme of things, it should surpass a transcendent.

Inquiring about all the details of its future would naturally be astronomically expensive.

"System, let’s keep it simple. If we just queried whether the Pangu universe’s Heavenly Dao would still exist one thousand years into the future, how many heavenly secrets points would that require?"

Ye Xu changed his approach.

After all, the answer the Emperor truly wanted to know was simply whether the Heavenly Dao would be destroyed.

Though the detailed process was omitted, this answer hit the Emperor’s core concern.

After all, in a thousand years, the human ancestor and others would long have acted.

[Twelve hundred billion heavenly secrets points.]

"Daoist friend, considering your sincerity, I won’t make things difficult for you," Ye Xu said. "If you can offer eighteen hundred billion Star Yuan, I will tell you whether the Heavenly Dao will be destroyed within the next thousand years."

Ye Xu wore an expression of helplessness.

"My thanks, Master."

A flicker of emotion crossed the Emperor’s features. "However, I did not bring sufficient resources with me this time. Please wait, Master. I will dispatch the Moon Goddess back to the Purple Star Heavenly Court to retrieve sufficient resources."

Ye Xu nodded.

"Wu Mian, rush back to the Purple Star Heavenly Court immediately. Have Qin Yu calculate the amount and return with him as swiftly as possible," the Emperor instructed the Moon Goddess.

"Yes."

The Moon Goddess slightly parted her crimson lips, suppressing the words that came to her throat. "Be careful, Your Majesty."

She transformed into a trail of moonlight and flew out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Master, have Yuanzu and the others ever come here?" The Heavenly Emperor regained his composure, once again embodying the authority presiding over the celestial court—supreme above all beings beneath the heavenly Dao.

Cultivators of this realm possessed unshakeable Dao hearts. Once they set a goal, only circumstances turning the world upside down could sway their resolve.

"Telling you wouldn’t hurt."

Ye Xu smiled. "After the Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm, only the White Emperor ever visited Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Facing this valued customer, Ye Xu couldn’t be bothered to nitpick.

After all, it wasn’t a major secret—whether revealed or not, it wouldn’t affect the larger scheme.

"It seems their opinions still haven’t aligned." The Heavenly Emperor stated impassively.

"They’ll come eventually."

Ye Xu said, "Wishing to eliminate the heavenly Dao—with just their group alone—it’s likely impossible."

Whether Yuanzu, the Heavenly Emperor, or even Alien Universe Immortal Emperors, none could readily destroy the heavenly Dao of the Pangu universe head-on.

They had to find its weakness.

Otherwise, even victory would demand an immense cost.

And the one capable of uncovering that weakness? Only him remained.

"Not necessarily."

The Heavenly Emperor countered, "The human ancestor has amassed boundless merit from all beings, half-step beyond transcendence, surpassing even me. With his aid, even a direct confrontation would overwhelm me."

"Heh heh…"

Ye Xu’s smile deepened, holding profound meaning.

The Heavenly Emperor still didn’t know—the human ancestor was already one of Ye Xu’s own.

To maximize profit, Ye Xu couldn’t bring the human ancestor into play immediately. He had to secure ample funds first before unleashing that piece.

A strange expression flickered across the Heavenly Emperor’s face—Ye Xu’s smile sent an eerie chill down his spine.

This man truly was unfathomable,

The Heavenly Emperor thought to himself.

Before Ye Xu, he felt like a helpless child, at others’ mercy.

This sensation—one he’d only experienced once, the very moment he first merged with the heavenly Dao.

Ever since ascending as the unparalleled Heavenly Emperor, he’d never again known such powerlessness.

Yet…

The Heavenly Emperor also took solace.

If Ye Xu harbored evil designs, with such power, who in the Pangu universe could possibly resist him?

At least that was one faint silver lining.