290: Chapter 290 The Story of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor

Chu Sheng walked into the light, and his body felt a little lighter.

It was not sunlight, but a kind of warm light, like a mother's embrace, wrapping around him and supporting him like an invisible hand.

His consciousness began to blur, and the scene before his eyes rippled like the surface of water, twisting, distorting, and rearranging.

He saw a person.

It was a young boy, thin and pale, squatting under a large tree, holding a roasted Spirit Chicken in his hands, eating until his mouth was covered in grease.

His eating habits were unsightly; he wolfed down the food as if he had been starving for hundreds of years.

Standing nearby were several children of the same age, wearing magnificent Daoist robes with jade pendants hanging from their waists, pointing at him and laughing.

"Heavenly Demon Ancestor, did you steal food again? You ate half a pot of the Sect's Spirit Chicken all by yourself!"

"Look at his stomach; can he even fit any more in there? Hahaha..."

"Glutton, Heavenly Demon Ancestor is a glutton!"

The boy looked up, grease still hanging from the corners of his mouth, and looked at the children mocking him without saying a word.

His eyes were black, a very deep black, like two bottomless pits.

He lowered his head and continued to eat.

Chu Sheng stood in the distance, watching this scene, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

He recognized the boy.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

When he was young.

That aura could not be mistaken.

Chu Sheng did not move; he just stood there, watching.

The scene shifted.

The boy had grown a bit older, looking about fifteen or sixteen years old. His figure was still thin, but his eyes were deeper than before.

He stood on a mountain peak, with a girl in white clothes opposite him.

The girl was very beautiful, with gentle brows and eyes. She held a bouquet of flowers in her hands, looking at him with a smile.

"Heavenly Demon Ancestor, are you practicing again? Don't work too hard; I brought you some snacks."

Heavenly Demon Ancestor took the snacks, took a bite, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Is it good?" the girl asked.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor nodded.

The girl smiled even more happily, took his hand, and said, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

The two walked hand in hand down the mountain peak.

The sunlight spilled onto them, stretching their shadows long.

The scene changed again.

This time, it was night.

Flames soared into the sky, and screams rose one after another.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor stood in the ruins, covered in blood, holding a broken longsword in his hand.

In front of him lay several corpses wearing the Sect's Daoist robes.

Behind him was that girl.

The girl lay in a pool of blood, her eyes closed, with no pain on her face, looking very peaceful.

There was a hole in her chest; her heart had been ripped out.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor knelt down and reached out to touch the girl's face, his fingers trembling.

His eyes began to turn red, and a scarlet light emerged from his black pupils.

Wrath.

"Why..." His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"Why!"

He roared at the sky, and scarlet Devilish Qi surged from his body, sweeping across the entire mountain peak.

Those children who mocked him, those who bullied him, and those who killed the girl were all swallowed by the Devilish Qi.

The mountain collapsed, the ground sank, and the Sect turned into ruins.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor stood in the center of the ruins, bathed in blood, with only scarlet light in his eyes.

His Gluttony, his Wrath, erupted at this moment.

Chu Sheng watched this scene and was silent for a long time.

He thought to himself: So, the Heavenly Demon Ancestor also crawled up from the bottom.

He had also been mocked, bullied, and had his most cherished person taken away.

His Wrath did not arise from nothing.

The scene dissipated, and Chu Sheng found himself standing in a Void Realm.

A door appeared in front of him, with a character carved on it: Wrath.

The door was open, and a scarlet light shone from within.

Chu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

Behind the door was a sea of fire.

It was not ordinary fire, but the fire of Wrath; scarlet flames licked the Void Realm, burning the air until it twisted.

In the center of the sea of fire stood a person.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor. But not as a boy, but as a man in his prime.

He wore black armor, held a long halberd, had a cold expression, and there was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.

He looked at Chu Sheng, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"You have come." His voice was very calm, like a stagnant pool of water.

Chu Sheng stopped and pressed his hand onto the hilt of his sword.

"Senior."

Heavenly Demon Ancestor waved his hand. "No need for formalities. This seat is just a remnant image, not the original body."

He turned around, looking at the sea of fire, his voice very soft.

"This trial is called Wrath. What you must do is not to defeat Wrath, but to control it."

Chu Sheng asked, "How do I control it?"

Heavenly Demon Ancestor said, "Wrath is a blade. Used well, it can slay enemies. Used poorly, it will harm oneself. Back then, because I did not control my Wrath, I destroyed the Sect and killed countless innocent people."

He paused, his voice lowering a bit.

"I do not regret killing those people, but I regret killing those innocent people. They did not deserve to die."

He turned his head and looked at Chu Sheng with a serious gaze.

"Do you have Wrath in your heart?"

Chu Sheng said, "I do."

"Towards whom?"

"Arrogance. He killed my masters and my friends. He also wants to kill me."

Heavenly Demon Ancestor nodded. "Wrath is right. But do not let Wrath control you. Otherwise, you will become the second version of me."

He raised his hand and waved, and countless illusions appeared in the sea of fire.

Chu Sheng saw the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak, Grandmaster Jiang, Jiang Yuenü, and countless Cultivators who died in the Righteous-Demonic War.

Their faces were twisted as they lunged at him, as if to claim his life.

Chu Sheng's hand pressed against the sword hilt, his knuckles turning white.

But he did not draw his sword.

He took a deep breath and exhaled the turbid Qi.

He closed his eyes and opened them again.

Those illusions disappeared, and the sea of fire also vanished.

Heavenly Demon Ancestor stood in front of him with a trace of a smile on his lips.

"Not bad. You are stronger than I was back then."

He reached out and tapped the center of Chu Sheng's forehead.

A warm power surged into Chu Sheng's body, and he felt his Dao of Wrath improve a little.

"Go. The next trial is waiting for you."

Heavenly Demon Ancestor's figure dissipated.

Chu Sheng found himself standing in front of a new door, with a character carved on it: Gluttony.

He pushed the door open and walked in.

Behind the door was a huge dining hall.

It was not an ordinary dining hall, but a great hall that could accommodate thousands of people. Long tables stretched as far as the eye could see, laden with delicacies.

Spirit Chicken, Spirit Fish, Spirit Fruit, Spirit Wine, and various delicacies Chu Sheng could not name, all emitting an enticing aroma.

In the center of the hall sat a fat man.

Not an ordinary fat man, but one so fat that even the chair was deformed under his weight.

His face was as round as a basin, his belly as big as a water vat, and he held a Spirit Chicken in each hand, frantically stuffing them into his mouth.

Chu Sheng looked at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

The fat man looked up, saw Chu Sheng, and his eyes lit up.

"Are you here to eat too? Come, come, come, sit, sit, sit! It's boring for me to eat alone; you keep me company."

Chu Sheng did not sit; he stood there and watched him.

The fat man didn't mind and continued to eat.

He ate very quickly; a Spirit Chicken was gone in a few bites, and he didn't even spit out the bones, crunching them into pieces and swallowing them.

The delicacies on the table decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye, but new delicacies constantly emerged from the Void Realm, refilling the empty spots.

Chu Sheng stood there watching for a long time, then asked, "Are you full?"

The fat man's hand paused.

He put down the Spirit Chicken, looked at Chu Sheng, and a glimmer of light flashed in his murky eyes.

"Full? I have never been full."

His voice was hoarse, with a hint of bitterness. "Since I can remember, I have always been eating. Eating Spirit Beasts, eating Spirit Medicine, eating Spirit Stones, eating Spiritual Qi. I eat everything, but I can never get full."

Chu Sheng was silent.

He recalled the scene of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor when he was young, the boy squatting under a tree eating Spirit Chicken, mocked by his companions as a "Glutton."

So, Gluttony is also a sickness.

It is not Greed, not desire, but a void that can never be filled.

The fat man stood up, walked to Chu Sheng, and looked at him.

"This trial. What you must do is not to eat more than I do, but..." He paused, "...to let me know what it feels like to be full."

Chu Sheng was stunned.

"How do I let you?"

The fat man shook his head. "I don't know either. I have been trapped here for I don't know how many years, and I have seen countless people come in. They all tried to satisfy me with delicacies, but no one succeeded."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then took out a pot of wine from his Storage Pouch.

It was not any Spirit Wine, just ordinary wine bought in Jin Xiao City; a pot only cost a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He pulled out the stopper and handed it to the fat man.

"Take a sip."

The fat man took the wine pot, hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head and took a gulp.

The wine entered his throat, spicy, with a cheap alcohol taste.

The fat man's eyes suddenly turned red.

"This... what is this?" His voice was trembling.

Chu Sheng said, "Wine. Ordinary wine. Wine from my hometown."

The fat man took another sip, then squatted down, hugging the wine pot, and started to cry.

"I... I have never drunk wine like this..." His tears streamed down his fat face, mixed with snot, covering his face.

"It's not because it tastes good, it's because..." He looked up at Chu Sheng, "Because someone is drinking with me."

Chu Sheng squatted down, patted his shoulder, and did not speak.

The fat man cried for a good while, then stood up, wiped his tears, and returned the wine pot to Chu Sheng.

"Thank you." He smiled; the smile was ugly, but very sincere.

He reached out and tapped the center of Chu Sheng's forehead.

A warm power surged into Chu Sheng's body, and his Dao of Gluttony improved a little.

"Go. I cannot help you with the rest of the road."

The fat man's figure dissipated, and the great hall also vanished.

Chu Sheng found himself standing in a Void Realm, with a huge door in front of him.

There were no characters on the door, only a ray of light.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and walked towards the light.

He thought to himself: The seven Legacies of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor each correspond to a period of his life.

Gluttony was his childhood, Wrath was his youth, and Arrogance, Greed, Envy, Lust, and Sloth were his later years.

Chu Sheng pushed the door open and walked in.

The light engulfed him.