Legend Management Bureau Chapter 366

[ … words ]

After listening to the Northern Emperor’s explanation, Du Yu felt that something was a bit off.

“Northern Emperor, if the situation is truly as you describe, then I have far too many questions…” Du Yu frowned. “If this chanted-in-reverse Heart Sutra is so incredibly powerful, why are you perfectly fine? Why am I fine? Why is everyone else on this battlefield unaffected? Why did only the Eastern Emperor and Cui Jue fall victim to it?”

“I do not know.” The Northern Emperor glanced at Du Yu and said, “I have no desire to understand the reason. It holds no meaning for me.”

Du Yu noticed that this man always seemed to have the word “meaning” hanging on his lips, making him sound exceedingly pragmatic.

“Northern Emperor, what ‘meaning’ does ‘saving me’ have for you?”

Hearing this, the Northern Emperor sighed inwardly and said, “Because you appear to be quite crucial in this battle. Your head determines the direction of the war, so I will protect you within the scope of my ‘capabilities.’ If I find that protecting you threatens my own life and safety, I will abandon you without hesitation. I hope you understand this.”

Hearing these words, Du Yu actually breathed a sigh of relief. The Northern Emperor seemed to be exactly this kind of person, so this statement was entirely acceptable to Du Yu.

He looked down toward the direction where Cui Jue had fallen, inevitably feeling a bit of despair in his heart.

But none of that mattered right now. The absolute most important thing was to “survive” this war.

That way, he could continuously return to this battle and save those who had died.

“Northern Emperor, you should know that as long as I can survive, this battle will sooner or later result in victory.” Du Yu looked at the Northern Emperor; he knew the Northern Emperor was a smart man. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out entirely for him to understand.

“That much is true, but I will still prioritize my own life first, and yours second.”

“Deal,” Du Yu said.

Just as the two finished speaking, they saw two Heavenly Generals furiously trading blows as they flew right before their eyes.

“Qiang Nan, what exactly are you doing?!” One Heavenly General had been purely on the defensive. He looked with a face full of confusion at the man named “Qiang Nan” in front of him.

“Sima Er, do you still remember that slap you gave me seven hundred years ago?!”

The Heavenly General called Sima Er immediately furrowed his brows. “Qiang Nan! Have you gone mad? It’s true that I slapped you back then, but it was to sober you up! Otherwise, if you had angered the Western Queen Mother, would you even have your life right now?!”

“Total nonsense!” Qiang Nan roared viciously, his eyes completely bloodshot. “You just wanted to show off in front of the Western Queen Mother! If it weren’t for you, I would have already ascended to the True Immortal realm long ago!”

After saying that, the Heavenly General named Qiang Nan transformed his right hand into a stone arm and violently grabbed Sima Er by the throat.

Du Yu felt that things were taking a turn for the worse. How was it that even the Heavenly Generals were now falling into internecine strife?

He took a step forward, wanting to intervene, but the Northern Emperor pulled him back.

“Du Yu, what are you doing?” the Northern Emperor asked coldly.

“Saving people!” Du Yu turned his head. “They clearly aren’t enemies! They are falling into internecine strife under the influence of the Heart Sutra right now! How could I possibly just stand by and watch them die?!”

The Northern Emperor shot Du Yu a disdainful glance and said, “There are a hundred thousand people on this battlefield, and all of them have been affected to some degree now. How many can you realistically save?”

“I…”

“Do not take unnecessary risks for these extraneous matters,” the Northern Emperor stated. “If you have a plan, figure out how to kill the Mahakala. If you have no plan, I will cover your retreat.”

Kill the Mahakala?

Du Yu looked at that massive black Buddha.

He had never had any contact with this giant Buddha. He didn’t even know the entity’s techniques or weaknesses.

Given that, how could he even speak of killing him?

“If he doesn’t stop soon, I suspect it won’t be long before I abandon you,” the Northern Emperor warned.

“Why?!”

The Northern Emperor raised a finger, pointing toward the sky, and said, “Among the named Immortal Beings on this battlefield, many have encountered you in the Legends before, haven’t they?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“You have, to varying degrees, altered their lives.” The Northern Emperor spoke with utter seriousness. “These changes are very likely to serve as a ‘bad cause’ that will bloom into an ‘evil result.’ If these Immortal Beings develop even a single thought like ‘why did he have to interfere with me back then,’ you will be in grave danger.”

Du Yu seemed to finally grasp the Northern Emperor’s meaning, his face instantly draining into an expression of horror.

The Northern Emperor continued, “According to my estimates, as time passes, the number of Immortal Beings coming to kill you will only grow. If an Almighty Cultivator or an Immortal Being at the Heavenly Venerable level appears, I will abandon you immediately, without the slightest hesitation.”

Du Yu knew that the Heart Sutra being chanted in reverse by the Mahakala could infinitely magnify a tiny sliver of ‘evil’ within one’s heart. No matter how insignificant the matter was, it would ultimately fester into a motive for murder.

In other words, the more an Immortal Being had interacted with Du Yu, the greater the likelihood they would try to kill him.

If he was truly forced into internecine strife with his former friends, how much agony would that bring his heart?

Right at this moment, a strip of pure white silk flew down from above Du Yu’s head, aiming directly for his skull.

The Northern Emperor casually waved his hand, sending a strand of hair flying out to intercept and clash against the silk.

When Du Yu looked up, a look of absolute despair washed over his face.

Fairy Chang’e was hovering in mid-air directly above Du Yu, glaring at him with deep resentment.

Du Yu knew that it was time to pay some debts.

The Northern Emperor stated coldly, “Fairy Chang’e, you are merely at the True Immortal realm. You are no match for me. I advise you not to act rashly.”

Chang’e completely ignored the Northern Emperor. Instead, she slowly descended in front of Du Yu and said softly, “Brother Pang Meng, I trust you have been well since we last met.”

“Lady… Lady Heng E…” Du Yu didn’t dare lift his head to look at Fairy Chang’e.

“Brother Pang Meng, do you know… just how cold the Moon Palace is?” The pure white silk behind Chang’e began to drift upwards slowly. “Do you know how excruciating it feels to have absolutely no one to speak to?”

All those memories seemed to be dragged out from the deepest recesses of Du Yu’s mind, floating to the surface piece by piece.

“You said you would reunite my husband and me, but why did he turn into a white rabbit?!” Chang’e shrieked, her face twisting with ferocity. “I wanted a human! Someone who could hold me during my suffering and comfort me! I didn’t want a beast!”

The pure white silk shot forward like a sharp blade, whistling through the wind straight toward Du Yu’s neck.

The Northern Emperor acted on Du Yu’s behalf once more, effortlessly deflecting the lethal strike.

“Northern Emperor… forget it,” Du Yu murmured, utterly disheartened.

“What do you mean, ‘forget it’?”

“I…” Du Yu bit his lip, his face etched with agony. “I owe her… I failed to fulfill what I promised her. So just let me pay this debt.”

“Oh? You owe her?” The corners of the Northern Emperor’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold sneer. “But I don’t owe her a thing.”