153: Chapter 152 Liu Bang!!

Chapter 152: Liu Bang!!

[Fahai] did not remember when he first started exorcising demons. He only remembered that before he had even embarked on the path of cultivation, his entire household had been devoured by a snake demon.

A family of four... His younger brother, still in swaddling clothes, was swallowed by that wicked beast like a snack. The snake demon was pure white all over, as if sculpted from snowflakes, and its demonic power was not particularly strong.

Folks often said that snakes were spiritual creatures of cultivation, and mortals should treat them with great respect upon meeting them. His father had firmly believed this.

When that white snake first crawled into [Fahai]'s home, it was already on its last breath, seemingly suffering from extremely severe injuries.

Instead of harming the snake demon, his parents tended to its wounds, going to the town to buy medicinal herbs and catching wild rabbits and pheasants to replenish its vitality. The white snake also behaved very docilely in their home, sometimes even acting as a backrest for [Fahai]. In the hot summer, its cool, slithering body always allowed [Fahai] to fall asleep in peace and comfort.

His parents both said it was a Snake Immortal destined to ascend to immortality in the future, and that their family had climbed onto a great karmic path. They believed the Snake Immortal would leave when it was time, and they must never neglect it.

Until one night, [Fahai] returned late from playing in the village, only to find no lights lit in his home, nor did he see his mother's figure waiting for him at the main gate.

At the time, [Fahai] was still wondering why his family had gone to sleep so early tonight, turning in before he even got home. At least he had escaped a beating.

The courtyard tonight was terrifyingly dark. He crept closer on all fours, but the closer he got, the more flustered he became. Before he even reached the courtyard gate, a thick stench of blood rushed into his nostrils.

[Fahai] did not dare to go in. A dark premonition filled his heart. Peering through the crack in the door, he saw that very white snake, usually so gentle, holding his younger brother in its mouth and swallowing him whole. Its belly was bulging, clearly indicating it had eaten far more than just a single infant.

[Fahai] was too terrified to make a sound, but suddenly he saw the white snake seem to sense something. In an instant, a white streak cut through the night sky and abruptly vanished from [Fahai]'s sight.

In the next second, cold snake eyes suddenly appeared in the crack of the door, filling [Fahai]'s vision and staring at [Fahai] from across the door.

Those terrifying snake eyes from his childhood gradually overlapped with the snake eyes in the water mirrors before him. A powerful wave of dread took hold of [

Fahai].

"No!! Snake demon!! Me!! Give me back my family's lives!!"

He crashed around frantically among the water mirrors like a startled rabbit, looking absolutely nothing like a high monk or a mighty master.

He violently shattered a water mirror and fled into the distance, but further away, a new water mirror quickly formed to take its place.

Within [Fahai]'s field of vision, water mirrors were ever-present. No matter where he looked, he could always see those cold white scales and a pair of panicked vertical pupils.

[Fahai] was like a white python trapped in a snake-catching cage. Gradually, he stopped struggling and sat on the ground as if dazed, uttering not a single word.

He looked back at the massive Jinshan Temple and muttered, "Buddha is behind me, yet the demon is in my heart."

He suddenly burst into wild laughter. At this point, how could he not realize that he himself was the very white snake he had searched for in vain?

In the end, the obsession that had lasted for untold eons turned out to be fulfilled in himself.

Unwillingness, anger, fear, relief—he felt it all. But in the end, it finally put a period to this joke of a [Grand Vow].

He smiled bitterly. "Amitabha—"

Suddenly, Fahai's vision was filled by a battered yet towering figure.

It was Liu Jianren, whose chest had been completely blown open, yet he was actually climbing back up as if nothing had happened.

What a shocking and horrifying sight. A person's chest and abdomen were ripped open, with mangled organs hanging out, yet he climbed up just like that, completely unbothered.

[Wuzhiqi] sighed, "I'm afraid Liu Jianren won't be coming back—"

Hearing this, Sun Po asked in confusion, "Why? Isn't he still standing there? He even looks completely fine.

Although I don't know why, if even [Fahai] could exist eternally in this bizarre space for so long, why can't Liu Jianren?"

[Wuzhiqi] said, "Master, although Liu Jianren's chest and abdomen were blown open earlier, his life force was not completely severed. Most of his three souls and seven po were lost, but there was still a chance to retrieve them.

But now, even if all his souls and po were to return to their places, I'm afraid it would be useless."

Sun Po asked urgently, "Why?"

[Wuzhiqi] pointed at Liu Jianren, who was staring at the remains of the [Red Flood Dragon], and said:

"I can hear it. He is no longer Liu Jianren. The person before you now should be his ancestor from who knows how many lifetimes ago—Liu Bang."

Sun Po gasped in shock. Reincarnating in another's corpse? But whose soul from which dynasty was this? This was no longer as simple as a haunting; wasn't this soul possession?

But with such a battered body, what use would this so-called "Liu Bang" have for possessing it?

This trip to the secret realm was far too bizarre, and the information exposed was too terrifying. Sun Po felt a chill run down his spine.

If this was the case for Liu Jianren, what about Li Tiance? Was the ultimate fate of these exceptionally talented reincarnations of emperors to be possessed by the remnant souls of those very emperors?

He suddenly felt as if, in the void infinitely far above, pairs of eyes—some cold, some fanatical, some mocking—were staring down at him, staring at this world.

This sensation of being watched from out of nowhere caused Sun Po to break out in a cold sweat. The desire to grow stronger as quickly as possible and head beyond the domain to seek the truth began to grow like wild weeds in his heart.

The "resurrected" "Liu Jianren" instantly became the focus of the entire field, with all eyes fixed upon him.

A deep, resonant voice echoed from the sky above: "[Son of the Red Emperor], it is about time to clean up this mess. I still have to return and report back to Lord [Red Emperor]."

"Liu Jianren" smiled freely and said, "Wait a moment, wait a moment. I must take a good look at this current world first, mustn't I?"

With that, he began to mutter to himself as if no one else were around:

"How is this world still in this bird-like state? Is there no one left in my Liu family? I sired so many for nothing; what a bunch of useless disappointments."

"And this kid, why does he have to sport red hair of all things? How bizarre—"

Suddenly, he turned his gaze toward Sun Po and said, "Not bad. You're even more impressive than that old boy Han Xin. This fellow is so useless, yet you managed to prop him up?"

Sun Po asked directly, "May I ask if Your Excellency is Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang?"

"Liu Jianren" swayed over, crouched beside the [Red Flood Dragon], clicked his tongue a few times, and said, "I don't change my name when I walk, nor my surname when I sit. It is indeed this old man!"

Sun Po asked again, "Then may I ask, Your Excellency, is there any saving Liu Jianren?"

Liu Jianren, possessed by Liu Bang, reached into the body of the [Red Flood Dragon] with his bare hands to pull out the [Water and Fire Flood Dragon Pill] that still glowed with water and fire, while saying:

"No saving him. This body is mine now."

In a provocative tone, he added, "What do you think, kid named Sun Po? What can you do to me?"

Although his words were provocative, his eyes never left the [Red Flood Dragon] from beginning to end.

He caressed the [Red Flood Dragon]'s damaged bones, its broken dragon horns, and those eyes that still refused to close.

The [Red Flood Dragon] recognized that this was indeed its old master from its past life, its master back when it was still the [Chixiao Sword].

Leaning close to the [Red Flood Dragon]'s damaged skull, he whispered, "Old partner, of all us old fogeys, you lived the longest—"

The rest of his words were too faint to be heard clearly.

Meanwhile, [Fahai] remained motionless as if dead, his body already slowly disintegrating.

Along with the crumbling of [Fahai]'s body, the golden-glowing Jinshan Temple also gradually dissipated into the void like smoke and dust.

Within moments, the Jinshan Temple, which had previously left Sun Po almost completely helpless, vanished as if it had never existed, leaving behind only an almost entirely transparent phantom of a white snake.

The monastic robes of the crowd controlled by the Jinshan Temple also automatically faded away, their appearances returning to what they were before, and they all fully restored to their original states.

With the Grand Vow broken, the Jinshan Temple and [Fahai] naturally collapsed. However, that these people could still recover was unexpected. Meanwhile, the almost transparent phantom of the white snake looked toward the now-recovered [Xu Shilin] and said, "My child, live well."

[Xu Shilin]'s eyes welled with tears as he screamed toward the void above, "No!! Why?! Why must it be my mother who undergoes the tribulation?!"

The pale red astral power on his body had just erupted when it was instantly swept away and extinguished by a wave of crimson fire.

Sun Po turned his head to look. The [Red Flood Dragon] on the ground had vanished, and in "Liu Jianren's" hand, there was now a battered, entirely crimson longsword, radiating a near-tangible crimson divine flame.

Sun Po looked at [Wuzhiqi] somewhat helplessly and said, "Does this count as a corpse reanimating for Liu Jianren? It's truly never-ending. Prepare to make a move."

But [Wuzhiqi] said, "Master, there is no need. If we make a move, then Liu Jianren will truly be doomed without a doubt."

Sun Po: "???"

Earlier you said that with this Liu Bang around, Liu Jianren was doomed. Now you say that if we attack this Liu Bang, Liu Jianren will truly be doomed?

So he's doomed either way? Is there really no way out for Liu Jianren?

[Wuzhiqi] continued to explain, "Master, this Liu Bang is here to save Liu Jianren."

This was something Sun Po had not expected. After all, this old fellow had just said he was going to possess Liu Jianren's body.

[Wuzhiqi] said, "This Liu Bang is also a true name fragment within the river of destiny. If someone were to make a card, they would have a chance of creating the card [Son of the Red Emperor - Liu Bang]. Yet, relying on the entanglement of his past and present lives, this true name fragment found this critical node in the river of destiny. Through the talent connection of the [Mandate Dragon and Snake], he swam in—precisely when Liu Jianren was mortally wounded and dying, and at the critical moment of this Red-White Conflict.

His compatibility with Liu Jianren's body is basically one hundred percent. As long as the possession succeeds, he will no longer be a [true name fragment] drifting in the river of destiny, but can live in this world with Liu Jianren's identity, which is equivalent to living another life."

Sun Po asked, "In that case, it is only natural for him to want to possess Liu Jianren. We should make our move even faster."

But [Wuzhiqi] said, "But the strange thing is that this Liu Bang is not here to possess Liu Jianren. Instead, he seems to be using his own spirituality to help Liu Jianren hold onto his soul and restore his life."

Sun Po: "???"

What kind of play was this? In Sun Po's impression, this man was the ancestor of Thick Black Theory. How could he possibly do something that harmed himself to benefit another?

Holding the battered crimson longsword, Liu Bang walked step by step toward the white snake that was already slumped on the ground, its body transparent.

[Xu Shilin]'s eyes were practically splitting with rage, his hair flying wildly in a rather disheveled state. He scrambled up from the ground, about to fly forward to block him.

In the void above, a massive golden-white arm descended from the sky, firmly grasping [Xu Shilin].

[Xu Shilin]'s body instantly erupted with a pale red, blazing starlight, as brilliant as if a real star had descended.

A soft chuckle sounded from the void above: "What? [Wenqu Star Lord]? Are you going to fight with your life? It was not easy for you to endure in this river of destiny. Why can you still not see through this illusory mortal world? Must you ruin everything you have before you are satisfied?"

As they spoke, that massive golden-white arm instantly transformed into a golden storm, like a dazzling tornado reaching the heavens, firmly enveloping the pale red star within.

Sun Po was also growing more and more confused. Shouldn't this Red-White Conflict be between Liu Jianren's Son of the Red Emperor and the Son of the White Emperor represented by the white snake?

Why was [Xu Shilin] trying to stop the Son of the White Emperor from being slain by the Son of the Red Emperor? And instead of the Red Emperor's faction above stepping in to stop it, the White Emperor's faction was the first to act? Friendly fire?

Suddenly, the familiar voice of an old man echoed in Sun Po's mind: "Because this Red-White Conflict, whether the Son of the Red Emperor slays the Son of the White Emperor, or the Son of the White Emperor devours the Son of the Red Emperor, is nothing more than a monkey show put on by those above. Since it's a play, there must be a pre-arranged script. The so-called Red Emperor's side and White Emperor's side are merely acting according to the orders of those above."

Sun Po was startled. One really couldn't trust this old fellow [Zhuang Zhou] too much. Even if this wasn't mind-reading, it was no different from mind-reading, was it?

Furthermore, his identity was a mystery, so Sun Po still had to be careful when dealing with him. But after all, he was a top-tier powerhouse from beyond the domain, even surpassing a titled Card Maker, so it wouldn't hurt to ask around.

Sun Po asked in his mind, "Senior [Zhuang Zhou], then what is the purpose of putting on this play?"

[Zhuang Zhou] fell silent for a moment before saying, "To act is to derive. It is still too early to tell you about these matters. However, this old man can give you some reassurance: your friend will not die. Not only will he not die, but based on my understanding of Liu Bang, your friend might even become the most unique and special [Son of the Red Emperor] in history."

Sun Po indeed didn't quite understand, but he was finally somewhat relieved. This [Zhuang Zhou] seemed to be neither purely good nor evil, and although his stance was unclear, he was still a senior expert. He probably wouldn't lie to him about such matters. More importantly, with [Wuzhiqi] endorsing it, he could indeed rest much easier.

And as for what would happen next, if Sun Po hadn't estimated incorrectly, it should be the Liu Bang-possessed "Liu Jianren" holding the broken sword transformed from the dying [Red Flood Dragon] to slay the white snake.

From within the crimson fire in the void above, a coarse and violent voice was already urging Liu Bang: "[Son of the Red Emperor], do not delay! Strike quickly!!"

The white snake also lowered its head and closed its eyes in resignation, seemingly waiting for that battered crimson longsword to strike. Liu Jianren, possessed by Liu Bang, chuckled softly and said, "Look at you, [Fire Virtue Star Lord], still as impatient as ever. I'm doing it now."