Chapter 2559: The Celestial Court’s Secrets

The Goddess of Wu Mountain’s eyebrows shot up. “The Yellow Emperor once mined Genesis Mountain’s copper to forge a copper cauldron at the foot of Thorn Mountain.”

Wu Peng nodded in approval. “The goddess has a good memory. The Yellow Emperor once harvested Genesis Mountain’s copper and forged a cauldron from it. The shamans residing there are known for forging artifacts. Many approach them to ask for a weapon.”

Zu An widened his eyes. “If this metal fragment was from Genesis Mountain, the shamans there must have clues about its maker.”

The trail of clues on Yumen Beiqing had ended at the cavern. Zu An had tried using the jade badge to ask nearby little animals about Yumen Beiqing, but none of them had any other information about her. Right now, their only choice was to head to Genesis Mountain.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain pondered for a moment before turning to Zu An. “You seem unfamiliar with the world’s terrain. I’ll accompany you to Genesis Mountain.”

Zu An was overjoyed. “Thank you, goddess!”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled. “Since Miss Yumen went missing at my place, I also have a responsibility to uphold.”

The Kaiming Six Shamans exchanged confused looks.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain rarely leaves her mountain, yet she's been taking trips more frequently than ever.

But when they thought about Zu An, it all made sense.

Looking at the Kaiming Six Shaman’s knowing smiles on the screen, the Goddess of Wu Mountain felt embarrassed. She coughed softly and said, “I’ll trouble you to inform the other powers about the situation. Let’s investigate this matter together and root out the mastermind.”

The Kaiming Six Shamans’ faces turned solemn. “Of course. Other than informing the other shamans, we will also do our best to get in touch with Lady Houtu. We’ll keep you informed if there’s any update.”

“I’ll be troubling you.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain nodded.

Seeing her reverting to her usual cold expression, the Kaiming Six Shamans ‘tactfully’ clasped their fists and took their leave.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain turned to Zu An and the Mermaid Queen and said, “I doubt you’re in the mood to rest. Shall we begin making our way to Genesis Mountain?”

“Thank you, goddess.” Zu An was moved.

Who’s the one who said the Goddess of Wu Mountain is cold-hearted? Look, isn’t she caring and meticulous?

The Mermaid Queen had the weirdest look on her face.

I bet the Goddess of Wu Mountain hasn’t noticed her change in demeanor yet.

The three of them got onto a cloud and headed off. There wasn’t much space on the cloud, so the three of them stood in close proximity to one another. Zu An could smell their unique fragrances.

The Mermaid Queen’s fragrance felt like the ocean breeze gently caressing his skin, and it evoked thoughts about the beautiful yet enigmatic ocean. Meanwhile, he Goddess of Wu Mountain’s fragrance was like a translucent veil, light yet blurry. It was cold, yet it held irresistible allure.

Zu An had to quickly pull himself together and divert his attention elsewhere by starting a conversation. “Goddess, you’re the Flame Emperor’s daughter, so why do you live on Wu Mountain instead of at the Celestial Court? Pardon me if this question offends you. You don’t have to answer it if that’s the case.”

He had always been curious about this world. He'd asked the Goddess of Wu Mountain a similar question before, but the latter snubbed him. He thought it was worth asking the question a second time now that they had gotten closer. He knew this question could pique her displeasure, but he needed as much information as possible to make a reasonable deduction about what was going on. It wasn’t the time to be worried about offending others anymore.

As expected, the Goddess of Wu Mountain fell silent for so long that the Mermaid Queen thought that Zu An could have offended her. But in the end, she spoke up. “It has been many years since the Flame Emperor’s lineage lost control of the throne.”

Seeing that she was willing to speak, Zu An decided to continue probing. “Is it because of the defeat against the Yellow Emperor?”

“You can say so.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain sighed. “The first Celestial Emperor was the Green Emperor. There are many legends surrounding him, so much so that I can’t tell which ones are true.”

“The second Celestial Emperor was Shennong, who was revered by the masses as the Flame Emperor. From him, the title of ‘Flame Emperor’ was passed down for nine generations, but the Celestial Court collectively refers to these Flame Emperors as the second Celestial Emperor.”

The Mermaid Queen never thought that she would hear these secrets.

I’d have never encountered all these things if not for big brother Zu. I have to say that he’s truly like an incubus; women just fall in love with him no matter which world he’s in.

Thinking about how she'd been ensnared by him at first sight, the Mermaid Queen’s fair skin turned red like a blossoming tundra rose.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain continued. “The title of ‘Flame Emperor’ was passed down through the generations, but each successor was weaker than the previous. By the ninth generation, a man from the Xuanyuan clan rose through the ranks, and he later became known as the Yellow Emperor.

“The balance of power began tipping. There were multiple wars between the Flame Emperor and the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor eventually emerged victorious. With that, the Flame Emperor’s lineage completely lost power in the Celestial Court.”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain briefly paused before adding, “I am the youngest daughter of the final Flame Emperor.”

She hadn't explained it explicitly, but Zu An and the Mermaid Queen could already understand why she had taken up permanent residence in Wu Mountain. A new clan had taken over the Celestial Court. It was benevolent of the new rulers to spare her life, so how could they allow her to remain in the Celestial Court?

Zu An suddenly remembered what he had heard before and asked, “You mentioned that when they feel that their term is up, each Celestial Emperor passes down the position to their successor so that they can go into seclusion and pursue the great dao. Did the previous Flame Emperors turn a blind eye to this matter?”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain shook her head. “Entities like them view the pursuit of the great dao to be their ultimate goal. Their descendants’ affairs are fleeting clouds to them. Besides, the Green Emperor was the founder of the Yellow Emperor’s lineage. The position has merely switched to the other side; the previous Celestial Emperors would not bother themselves with that.”

Zu An nodded.

I wonder what the great dao that all these Celestial Emperors are pursuing is.

The Goddess of Wu Mountain continued, “The subsequent Celestial Emperors came from the Yellow Emperor’s lineage. After the Yellow Emperor was White Emperor Shaohao, followed by the incumbent Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu, who is also Shaohao’s nephew and is known as the Black Emperor.”

Zu An was surprised. “Why did Shaohao pass the position to his nephew instead of his son?”

“There are many speculations.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain took a moment to construe her thoughts before continuing, “Most people believe that the White Emperor’s sons failed to achieve anything significant compared to Zhuanxu. While the Celestial Emperor’s position can be passed from father to son, the successor must also prove himself worthy of the position.”

Doubt surfaced in Zu An’s mind. “What’s the situation with Emperor Jun then?”

“Jun is White Emperor Shaohao’s offspring. Many celestials support his ascension as the next Celestial Emperor, but Black Emperor Zhuanxu had a grandson named Zhongli who was highly talented too. There was intense competition between both sides. Jun claimed the upper hand and won the position of the official successor, but many still had a high opinion of Zhongli’s future.”

The Goddess of Wu Mountain suddenly sighed. “But who could have thought Zhongli would sacrifice himself for world peace? We all underestimated him.”

These bits of information helped Zu An to clear up his thoughts, guiding him toward an answer.

At this point, the Goddess of Wu Mountain hesitantly spoke up. “The White Emperor’s lineage and the Black Emperor’s lineage are not on good terms. It would be best for you to steer clear of their fight.”

“All this over the Celestial Emperor’s position?” the Mermaid Queen remarked.

“That’s not all. The White Emperor’s lineage worships the phoenix, whereas the Black Emperor’s lineage worships the dragon. Even though both are from the Green Emperor’s lineage, they come from different maternal races. The White Emperor’s maternal race is the Phoenix race, whereas the Black Emperor’s maternal race has inherited the dragon’s bloodline.

“The Dragons and the Phoenixes were the world’s powerhouses before the Fiends and the Shamans came to power, and they were mortal enemies in that era. The enmity was passed down through the generations. That’s why you mustn’t get involved in the fight between those two factions, or else the only fate awaiting you is death,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain said.

Zu An was stunned. A famous daoist work in his previous life known as ‘The Cloud Bookcase with the Seven Labels: Records of Spirit Treasures’ once mentioned—’There was a calamity named Longhan[1]. After Longhan, the world transformed and entered the era of Yankang.’

Many webnovels in his previous life had built on that setting to talk about the war between the dragons and the phoenixes.

Could I have inadvertently stumbled upon the truth here?

1. Longhan refers to an era of calamity, when the world is dominated by the Ancestral Dragons, the Origin Phoenixes, and the Genesis Qilins, and they fought one another for supremacy. ☜