686: Chapter 686 I Don’t Want to Be a Chess Pawn

“Jiang Ziya suppressed the entire Cultivation World by himself; no one dared to show their face. But now the world is full of 9th-order Cultivators, yet he is nowhere to be seen,” Zhang Jue explained.

“There's one thing I don't quite understand. Since Jiang Ziya isn't dead, why didn't he support the Zhou Dynasty and instead let it perish?”

Jiang Ziya was a founding hero of the Zhou Dynasty, Ji Fa's right-hand man.

“What does it mean to be ‘crowned a god in one battle’? It means that after the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, Jiang Ziya issued the Investiture of the Gods. He announced to the world that Cultivators were not to interfere in the interests and disputes of the common people. If anyone violated this rule, they would be hunted down.”

“Why did he do that?”

“It's the same principle as the enfeoffment of the feudal lords. A large part of the chaos in the Shang Dynasty was due to the rampant Cultivators and their constant conflicts. To maintain national stability, he had no choice but to do this,” Zhang Jue explained.

“This is a game of interests between nations. If you want revenge, I think you should look for Ji Fa, if he's still alive.”

“Ji Fa was not a Cultivator; he died a few years after taking the throne.”

“Then you don't need to take your anger out on Jiang Ziya, do you?”

“Hmph, take my anger out on him? The conspiracy to exterminate my Zhang clan was his idea. Do you think I wouldn't seek him out?” Zhang Jue snorted coldly.

“Then why didn't you act sooner, why wait for three thousand years?”

“Cultivators are hidden; I also tried to find him. In the early Han Dynasty, there was a person named Huo Qubing, do you know him? He was very high-profile at the time and grew very quickly. In Zhangye, in the Hexi Corridor area, he fought Jiang Ziya for three hundred rounds, with neither gaining an advantage. By the time I arrived, their battle had already ended. After all these years, I haven't found any trace of him since.”

“Are you saying Huo Qubing might have been killed by Jiang Ziya?” Oriental Chen heard a hidden meaning.

“I didn't say that. I don't know how Huo Qubing died,” Zhang Jue denied.

“Who leaked the news of Jiang Ziya at Hongmeng Academy to you?”

“An old man, who claimed to be a Cultivator from a primitive tribe. He said Jiang Ziya was a sinner of Huaguo, who completely destroyed the future of Huaguo's Cultivation World. He hoped I could find him and kill him.”

“Do you still remember what that person looked like?”

“Of course I do.”

“Can you describe him in detail?”

“Yes. He had a somewhat ugly appearance, with high cheekbones, indeed bearing some features of a primitive person. …” Zhang Jue described the appearance of the unfamiliar old man.

“Is this what he looked like?”

Xiao Lin had already generated a real-time avatar.

“He looks similar, but I always feel like something's off. Oh, right, his beard. His beard wasn't very thick; he looked a bit cunning,” Zhang Jue recalled.

Xiao Lin adjusted the beard's style according to his description.

“Yes, that's pretty much what he looked like.” Zhang Jue looked much more pleased now.

“Do you think he could be Ghost Valley Master?” Oriental Chen asked.

Historical portraits of Ghost Valley Master were drawn based on imagination and are not reliable.

“Ghost Valley Master? I haven't seen him; I don't know,” Zhang Jue shook his head.

“Alright, please rest for a bit. I'll find you later.”

After cutting off communication, Oriental Chen contacted Shen Huiying, who was still in prison.

She had seen Ghost Valley Master before; asking her for confirmation would reveal if it was him.

“Mr. Dongfang, yes, this is Ghost Valley Master. As for whether the mole on his face was in that exact spot, I don't remember,” Shen Huiying said with certainty.

“Good, that's enough. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Oriental Chen re-established the connection with Zhang Jue.

“Zhang Jue, I've verified it. This person is Ghost Valley Master,” Oriental Chen said.

“So it was him. This means I must have been deceived,” Zhang Jue sighed.

Ghost Valley Master was best at vertical and horizontal alliances and Qimen Dunjia, so creating small schemes was effortless for him.

“But why would he trick you into causing trouble at Hongmeng Academy?”

“I don't know either.”

“Think carefully, see if you've missed any details or past events,” Oriental Chen reminded him.

Ghost Valley Master had no reason to specifically frame an unrelated person.

“Sorry, the time span is too large, and too many things have happened. I don't know when I might have offended him,” Zhang Jue thought for a long time, still shaking his head.

“Alright, I'm done asking. I'll arrange for someone to send you back shortly.”

“What about the thing on my neck…”

“We will naturally help you remove it.”

“Thank you! Oh, right, there's one more thing,” Zhang Jue said.

“Please speak.”

“I want to bring all the disciples of my Zhanghua Sect to join you,” Zhang Jue said.

“Join us? Why?” Oriental Chen asked curiously.

“Because I don't want to be a chess piece,” Zhang Jue stated his reason.

“Life is like a game of chess; you and I are both chess pieces.”