Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 301

Chapter 301 The Old Emperor’s Past

“Human Emperor, long time no see. What brings you to my place?” A frail, elderly woman in a rocking chair chuckled, rising and bowing to Jiang Li.

Jiang Li quickly supported the old woman, “Senior Yu Jue, please don’t embarrass me. I’m merely reminiscing as a junior.”

Five hundred years ago, Jiang Li summoned the Old Emperor to punish the Southern Dragon Clan. It was this old woman named Yu Jue who was then the leader of the Mermaid Clan.

Jiang Li still remembered how charming and graceful Senior Yu Jue was, her every expression captivating men, the most stunning beauty in the South Sea.

He never imagined that five hundred years later, Senior Yu Jue would age so drastically.

Jiang Li could tell that, as a Spiritual Transformation Stage cultivator with hundreds of years to live, she shouldn’t be this aged. She should be portrayed as a beautiful middle-aged woman or a stunning young woman.

A cultivator’s appearance is linked to their state of mind. It seemed Senior Yu Jue had suffered a setback.

“I never thought that the little fellow who only sought out the Old Emperor would now be the guardian of Kyushu. Time is merciless.” Senior Yu Jue, upon seeing Jiang Li, seemed to be reminded of someone, his words filled with emotion.

Jiang Li echoed his sentiment, “I never imagined that the Old Emperor, who lived a lonely life, would have descendants.”

Senior Yu Jue’s expression froze.

Jiang Li continued, “Senior Yu Jue, if I’m not mistaken, the current clan leader should be the Old Emperor’s daughter, and Yu Xiaomeng his granddaughter.”

Senior Yu Jue, recalling Jiang Li’s impressive cultivation, felt relieved and shook his head gently, “I can’t hide it from you after all. Yes, Emperor Lu and I do have a daughter.”

The previous Emperor’s surname was Lu.

“As expected.”

Jiang Li wasn’t surprised by this answer. Using his divine sense, he discovered that Yu Xiaomeng and her mother possessed not only the blood of the mermaids, but also that of the Old Emperor.

They were descendants of the Old Emperor.

Jiang Li had initially thought he was mistaken. After all, in his impression, the Old Emperor was aloof from women and rarely smiled, not like someone he loved.

Now it seemed he had only seen one side of the Old Emperor.

“Five hundred years ago, I fell in love with Emperor Lu, especially when he helped our mermaids clear obstacles, consolidate our position, and stop us from being bullied. I fell head over heels for him.”

“Emperor Lu was also interested in me, and with mutual affection, we met one night…”

“Afterwards, he offered to marry me, but I refused.”

“Why?” Jiang Li was puzzled. There was no rule against the Human Emperor marrying.

The old woman chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness lingering on her lips. “Because the Human Emperor Lu is too sentimental, or perhaps he’s too fond of me.”

“He once whispered in my ear that he didn’t want to fight the Heavenly Demon anymore and wanted to stay with me forever.”

“With him by my side, who would protect Jiuzhou?”

“You were just a Nascent Soul child then, not the invincible Mahayana.”

Jiang Li fell silent. Historically, a Human Emperor, unable to leave his wife and children at home, hesitated to fight tooth and nail, resulting in him not giving his all. Seeing the extraterritorial Heavenly Demon about to wreak havoc on Jiuzhou, it was two other Tribulation Stage cultivators who fought tooth and nail, burning their lifespans to slay the Heavenly Demon.

No one noticed at the time; everyone assumed the Human Emperor had done his best. Only he knew that his cowardice and retreat had cost his two fellow Daoists their lives.

Had he fought tooth and nail, perhaps he and his two fellow Daoists would have been able to defeat the Heavenly Demon with only heavy injuries.

The Human Emperor, half-living in regret, eventually allowed the Jiuzhou veins to elect a new Human Emperor, and he himself ended his life.

This fact is rarely known. It was Commander Liu who told Jiang Li that he had become the Empress of the Mermaids.

“At the time, I told Emperor Lu Ren that I was only having s*x with you to repay your kindness in teaching the Southern Dragon Clan a lesson. I have no feelings for you, and please don’t use this as a threat.”

“After that, he never came to the Mermaid Clan again, let alone knew he had descendants.”

“Did Commander Liu know about this?”

“He knew. He often sent us resources and took care of us. He also knew that Emperor Lu Ren had descendants. I begged him not to tell anyone else, including Emperor Lu Ren.”

“Later, Commander Liu told me that he told Emperor Lu Ren about this before he died, and Emperor Lu Ren died with a smile on his face.”

Emperor Lu Ren had sustained a hidden injury from his battle with the extraterritorial demon. The injury recurred over three hundred years ago, and he died very quickly. Jiang Li did not see the Old Emperor for the last time. It was Commander Liu who saw him off.

Jiang Li saw Senior Yu Jue, once the most stunning beauty of the South China Sea, now utterly aged. He was probably heartbroken upon hearing the news of the Old Emperor’s death.

“Does your daughter know her origins?”

The old woman shook her head gently. “I only told her that her father was a towering hero, a cultivator unrivaled. There’s no other man in all of Jiuzhou who could surpass him. Perhaps she’s already guessed it.”

Jiang Li wondered if Senior Yu Jue couldn’t tell whether her feelings for the Old Emperor were love or admiration. After all,

she always addressed him as Lu Ren Huang, rather than something more familiar.

“Those are matters of the older generation. Don’t take them to heart. You don’t have to worry about what I’m facing, like someone who likes you but doesn’t express their feelings for fear of interfering with the battle. After all, with your skills, you’re more than capable of protecting Jiuzhou.”

“I appreciate your advice.”

Jiang Li bowed to the old woman. He hadn’t expected the mermaids to have such a connection with him.

If he hadn’t summoned the Old Emperor, perhaps the events that followed wouldn’t have happened.

Life is unpredictable; everything is fate.

After Jiang Li left, the old woman squinted her eyes, lying in the rocking chair, rocking gently. A smile crossed her lips, as if she had recalled something.

“Human Emperor.” The current leader of the merman tribe approached Jiang Li.

“What’s the matter?” Jiang Li said gently. He had never accepted the merman tribe leader’s courtesy, but he suspected that the leader was the only daughter of the old emperor.

“I have an unwelcome request, and I beg your help, Emperor Jiang.”

“Just ask, I will help you in any way I can.”

“It’s like this. Two thousand years ago, Senior Changcun Immortal Weng borrowed a book from our tribe. It was left by our ancestor who ascended to the immortal realm.”

The mermaids’ talent for cultivating immortals isn’t particularly high, but there have been some exceptionally gifted individuals throughout history who broke through the shackles of their bloodlines and ascended to the immortal realm.

“Senior Immortal Changcun hasn’t returned it yet. Is it possible he’s forgotten about it?”

“I’d like to ask the Human Emperor if he could remind Senior Immortal Changcun,” the mermaid leader said quickly. “Of course, if he hasn’t finished reading it, he can continue.”

“I’ll talk to the Immortal Elder.” Jiang Li readily agreed. It was just a small matter.

Jiang Li returned to the Seventh Killing Taoist and offered some encouragement, emphasizing the importance of reminding him to treat Yu Xiaomeng well. Although confused, the Seventh Killing Taoist nodded.

Jiang Li’s reminder was exactly what he wanted to do.

Jiang Li also gave Yu Xiaomeng some advice, pointing out her shortcomings in cultivation and urging her not to focus too much on bloodline cultivation. He also warned her that demon cultivation wasn’t limited to relying solely on ancestral bloodlines.

Yu Xiaomeng was deeply moved by the Human Emperor’s guidance.

She felt Jiang Li was giving her this advice out of respect for the Seventh Killing Taoist.

(End of this chapter)