Chapter 640: The Former Star Deity Who Clung to Life

Little... Qing? What is going on?

Wang Sheng was stunned, yet he still stepped in front of his senior sister without thinking, shielding her as he studied the old man warily.

Behind him, Mu Wanxuan caught Wang Sheng's wrist and held it firmly. She frowned as well, staring at the elderly figure standing in the corner. The man looked overwhelmed with emotion. His agitation seemed to stir up an old injury, making him press a hand to his chest as he coughed.

Is he a senior from her previous life? Perhaps a friend? Or maybe... Bah! He can't be a Daoist partner!

Yaoyun had said before that in her past life, the person closest to Mu Wanxuan was Yunxiao of the Three Xiao Sisters.

This place was near Qinghua's former residence. In a flash of insight, Wang Sheng concluded that the man was part of Qinghua's lineage, someone of higher seniority than his senior sister in her previous life.

A faint green glow appeared over the old man's chest. Brimming with astonishing vitality, it slowly spread across him. His emotions steadied almost at once, and his coughing gradually subsided.

He breathed a sigh of relief and took two slow steps forward.

With an incomparably complex gaze, he muttered, "Sorry for frightening you two. I lost my composure for a moment there. Little Qing, is this your reincarnation? Back then, you should have broken through the siege with Emperor Ziwei. I did not expect you would still fall and perish, only to return once more. Still, reincarnation is a blessing.

Aish,

as long as you live, that is good enough."

For a moment, Wang Sheng did not know what to say. Mu Wanxuan gently poked him from behind, clearly signaling for him to handle this. As her unofficial spokesman, he could only brace himself and step forward.

"Senior, you knew my senior sister in her previous life?"

The old man examined Wang Sheng as he gently replied, "Of course I did, and very well at that. I watched her grow up... Is Little Qing your senior sister in this life?"

In that instant, Wang Sheng felt completely seen through, as though he had no secrets left at all.

Yet the old man did not perceive everything. At the very least, he did not notice Spiritless or the Qiankun Ring. He only recognized Wang Sheng's Pure Yang cultivation method.

Wang Sheng mentally grumbled,

Why does it feel like surviving members of the Heavenly Court are all over the endless space?

However, upon putting some thought into it, he realized that it was not entirely a coincidence. The divine tree he sought was directly tied to Qinghua. A few powerful figures guarding the emperor's former residence to this day were not completely unreasonable.

The old man's surname was Zhuge, though it was likely an alias. Wang Sheng was not familiar with the experts under Qinghua's command. He could not even name all the great generals under Ziwei.

"You come from the lineage of Lu Dongbin of the Eight Immortals?" the old man asked.

Wang Sheng extended a respectful salute. "You have sharp eyes, Senior. May I be so bold as to ask who you are?"

"I now go by Zhuge Lin."

The old man had already approached them. It was clear he wanted to move closer to Mu Wanxuan, yet Wang Sheng remained firmly between them.

Zhuge Lin sighed. "Before the Heavenly Court fell, I followed Emperor Qinghua in cultivation for countless years and attended to him at all times. Later, the Heavenly Court granted me the title of Star Deity. Among those under the emperor's command, I ranked fifth, assisting him in managing the affairs of the Eastern Sky Region.

"Now I am merely an elder of the Qiling Immortal Sect, overseeing pill refinement. I hide my name and cling to life, hoping to see a few old acquaintances again. I never expected the first to appear would be Little Qing. Fate truly toys with us."

Wang Sheng and his senior sister exchanged a glance. The fifth-ranking subordinate of Qinghua was Xin Yuehu, the Heart of the Azure Dragon, a righteous deity of the Heavenly Court, and one of the twenty-eight Star Deities.

Wang Sheng had encountered another Star Deity before: Kang Jinlong, the white skeleton at the bottom of the Celestial Wind Sect's blood mine. Kang marked the constellation position[1], Jin the element[2], and Long the symbolic creature[3].

Xin Yuehu followed the same pattern. Xin marked the constellation position[4], Yue the element[5], and Hu the symbolic creature[6]. Each of the four celestial quadrants had seven such deities, arranged in the order of Wood, Metal, Earth, Sun, Moon, Fire, and Water.

A living Star Deity... An absolute master of divine abilities...

Wang Sheng had not expected that he and his senior sister would stumble upon such a being by sheer chance. Even Chun Yangzi had not found Xin Yuehu, much less recorded him on his jade disk.

Zhuge Lin gestured invitingly. "Come, don't just stand there. Have a seat."

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan returned the salute in unison and moved to a somewhat cluttered table nearby. The old man seemed more spirited than before. Even his steps trembled less.

Zhuge Lin sat down eagerly, his eyes filling with memories as he looked at Mu Wanxuan. At times, his expression turned desolate or vacant with longing. Only when the faint green glow bloomed again at his chest did he calm down.

Wang Sheng frowned. "Senior, you—"

"If you do not mind, you can call me Fifth Uncle just like your senior sister does," the old man gently interjected. His thin hands pressed against his knees as he forced himself to sit straighter. "Sit. There is no need for restraint. You are Little Qing's junior brother, so you are not an outsider."

"Daoist partner," Mu Wanxuan said softly.

"

Oh? Hahaha.

So that's how it is. Little Qing, you have found a Daoist partner in this life!

Haha! Cough! Hahaha! Cough! Cough!

"

Zhuge Lin clutched his chest as a violent coughing fit seized him. Wang Sheng could not help but worry that the old man would cough up a lung. Fortunately, the green light flickered again, calming him once more.

"Are you severely injured, Senior?"

The old man smiled bitterly. "Call me Fifth Uncle. I have no children, only a few disappointing disciples. I truly wish to have one or two more people by my side."

Wang Sheng felt awkward. However, when his senior sister softly accepted the old man's request, he had no choice but to follow.

"Fifth Uncle..."

"

Ah,

good. Very good." Zhuge Lin's eyes curved in satisfaction. He then raised a hand as if to stroke his beard, but the motion proved too taxing. Hence, he simply lowered it with a wry smile. "Anyway, I would be fortunate if I were just injured. Injuries can be healed with pills.

"What I have is an illness that has sunk deep into my core. My Dao Body and Primordial Spirit are withering. If not for the treasure that the emperor left behind to sustain me, I would have long since turned into dry bones."

An illness?

Seeing the confusion on Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan's faces, Zhuge Lin lowered his voice. "Have you heard of the Five Heavenly Declines?"

"I have," Wang Sheng replied. "Senior, could it be that you..."

"That is correct. I am afflicted with it." Zhuge Lin's smile turned bleak. "Long ago, His Majesty the Immortal Emperor angered the Three Pure Ones, which caused the Great Dao to cast down the Five Heavenly Declines on us. Whoever is tainted by it will wither beyond reversal. Everything that makes them who they are withers at a terrifying speed, from one's true spirit and Primordial Spirit to their Dao Body and even their very Dao.

"The Five Heavenly Declines wounded nearly all of the experts under Emperor Qinghua's lineage in the Eastern Sky Region. How else could those foreign forces have risen so easily? Alas, only a handful of my comrades still live. My emperor vanished amid the chaos of battle. I returned here alone to keep this desolate vigil, hoping to one day see them again."

The Five Heavenly Declines... Even great experts with divine abilities could not resist it?

Zhuge Lin sighed softly. "I was once a Taiyi Golden Immortal, but I have since fallen to the Golden Immortal Realm. Now, if I use my cultivation or make a single move, my body begins to collapse. I become no different from a cripple."

It was too tragic to imagine.

Wang Sheng muttered, "Senior, is there truly no way to break the Five Heavenly Declines?"

"There is," Zhuge Lin answered calmly. "Do not become tainted by it. This is punishment cast down by the Great Dao. The higher one's cultivation is and the closer one stands to the Great Dao, the greater the suffering. Enough of this. Tell me, why have you two come? Are you seeking pills to break through a bottleneck?

"Fortunately, the emperor taught me many methods of pill refinement long ago. I can at least help Little Qing once more in this matter. Still, cultivation is best achieved step by step. Using pills to force a breakthrough is always the inferior path."

As he spoke, Zhuge Lin raised a finger and pointed at Mu Wanxuan. Two jade bottles flew from his sleeve and landed gently in her hands. "Take these two Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pills. There is exactly one for each of you.

"These pills came about through fate. After all, Spirit-Enlightening Grass that was over one hundred thousand years old is an immeasurably rare treasure. It cannot be sought or found at will. Anyway, I suggest you only take them if you find yourself unable to break through to the Golden Immortal Realm. I am sure it will help you attain the fruit of immortality. Consider this my gift to you both.

"Little Qing has even found a Daoist partner. Good, very good. If my emperor could learn of this, his spirit would surely lift, and the gloom in his heart would scatter. Of all the emperor's disciples, the one I worried about most was Little Qing. She was just far too withdrawn..."

Zhuge Lin continued to ramble, but Wang Sheng's attention had already shifted to the pills in his senior sister's hands.

Those pills could be used to break through the Golden Immortal bottleneck? If one took it at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, one could steadily become a Golden Immortal! What kind of ungodly medicine is that?

Staring at the two jade bottles, Wang Sheng felt the weight of the favor pressing heavily upon him. Just as he was about to speak, Zhuge Lin flicked his finger again. Two other jade bottles flew into Wang Sheng's hands.

Zhuge Lin smiled faintly. "I only refined the Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill on occasion. Since its true rarity lay in that heaven-defying Spirit-Enlightening Grass, it had little to do with my skill in pill refinement.

"Those two bottles contain my proudest works. One holds the Six-Aperture Dao Comprehension Pellet, which is only half as potent as the Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill. The materials used can all be found in this world, and their value is less than a fraction of the former.

"The other is called the Absolute-Heaven Pill. I poured over a hundred thousand years of effort into refining it. It has only one purpose: to restore a remnant soul to life. I once hoped that if I could find even one or two remnants of my comrades' souls, I would use this pill to bring them back. Now, I fear I cannot even leave this planet."

The Absolute-Heaven Pill... The restoration of a remnant soul...

Accepting the two jade bottles, Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "If only I had met you sooner, Senior."

Zhuge Lin frowned. "Why? Have you encountered someone's remnant soul?"

Wang Sheng sighed softly. He passed the two bottles back to his senior sister and let her store them away. The Heart of the Azure Dragon had given them to her, not to him. Afterward, he tapped lightly at his chest. A burst of immortal light bloomed, and three streams of radiance flew out.

Spiritless transformed into Yaoyun. With a dim expression, she stared at the old man before her. Meanwhile, the Dragon Sword let out a resonant draconic cry, and a green dragon coiled around its blade. The immortal armor also trembled softly.

"Your Highness, the Thirteenth Princess? Why have you become a sword?! And isn't that... Brother Li's armor? Him as well?!"

Wang Sheng closed his eyes and sighed. The immortal armor and the Dragon Sword flew of their own accord to the old man's side, circling gently. A faint aura of the Eastern Kang Star Deity still lingered upon them.

Kang Jinlong, ranked second among the seven constellations of the Eastern Sky Region.

Xin Yuehu, ranked fifth among the seven constellations of the Eastern Sky Region.

The green light at Zhuge Lin's chest flickered wildly. His left hand trembled as he reached out and brushed against the armor. He then let out two hollow laughs and raised his head in a long, aching sigh. At last, he could no longer hold back. He began to wail in grief as tears spilled onto the armor.

"Brother Li, I couldn't save you in time... I was too late! What use are my Absolute-Heaven Pills now? They have lost their purpose! The Great Dao is unjust! How unbearably unjust it is!"

He wailed and wailed, then suddenly turned aside and spat out a mouthful of blood. He swayed before collapsing backward.

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan rushed forward at once, but they had barely taken two steps when a dense green light surged around the old man. Waves of astonishing vitality wrapped around him, and his aura gradually stabilized.

The Absolute-Heaven Pill...

Wang Sheng glanced at the bottles his senior sister held and sighed inwardly.

Was the Great Dao too cruel to the immortals of the Heavenly Court? The Five Heavenly Declines, the mockery of fate... O' Immortal Emperor, what grievous sin did you commit?

1. The Kang constellation. ☜

2. The element of metal. ☜

3. Dragon ☜

4. The Xin constellation. ☜

5. The element of Moon. ☜

6. Fox. ☜