Chapter 182: The Goddess Is My Exclusive (3)

Fate! What is fate!” Hun Yuanzi was furious. “The responsibility of the Dan Ding Sect should all fall on me. Why should my apprentice suffer such a calamity too?”

“One lives, one perishes.” Yun Shang was expressionless. Ten thousand years as a celestial being had made him accustomed to the vicissitudes of the world and the endless passage of time. Nothing was immutable. “Your apprentice died, but you were reborn. The Dan Ding dual cultivation sect still lives on, the root of this school remains. Moreover, you’ve become much stronger than when your apprentice was alive. What’s wrong with that?”

“But what about the celestial race’s curse? You still need him to lift the curse. He is the one chosen by the Creator!” Hun Yuanzi tried to appeal to the interests of this great deity.

Yet fate had already been sealed; there was nothing left to change. Yun Shang sipped his lips and shook his head. “I can’t do anything. The only thing I can do is gather the strength of other great deities to help you take revenge, and then you will lift the celestial race’s curse.”

Hun Yuanzi was stunned. From Yun Shang’s gaze, he understood too much. To the celestial race, it simply didn’t matter who was the Creator’s chosen one or who would become the King of the Universe. They merely needed someone to lift the curse; who that person was didn’t matter at all.

“Fate! What is fate!” Hunyuanzi was furious, “All the misfortunes of the Dan Ding Sect have fallen upon me. What reason is there for my disciple to suffer such calamity as well?”

“One lives, one perishes.” Yun Shang’s expression was indifferent. His millennia of experience as a divine being had made him accustomed to the vicissitudes of life. In the vastness of time, nothing was truly immutable. “Your disciple has died, but you have been reborn. The Dan Ding Dual Cultivation Sect still lives, its roots remain. Moreover, you have become stronger—far stronger than when your disciple was alive. What is so bad about that?”

“But what about the divine prohibition? You still need him to lift the divine prohibition. He is the one chosen by the Creator!” Hunyuanzi hoped to sway this great deity with self-interest.

But fate had long been decided—what could possibly change? Yun Shang pursed his lips and shook his head. “There is nothing I can do. The only thing I can do is gather the power of the other great deities to help you seek vengeance. Then, you will be the one to lift the divine prohibition.”

Hunyuanzi was stunned. From Yun Shang’s gaze, he understood far too much. To the divine beings, it didn’t matter who was chosen by the Creator or who would become the King of the Universe. They only needed someone to lift the prohibition—who that someone was made no difference at all.

Inside the room, Yang Hao had also reached a life-or-death moment. His screams were even more agonizing than those of the nascent soul. Yet, no matter how much power he mustered from his inner core, he couldn’t stop the radiant nascent soul from penetrating his body, merging completely with that unfamiliar vessel.

Yun Shang grabbed Hunyuanzi. “You can’t save him. You only have the power of a loose immortal. Even I, an upper-tier divine being, cannot save him—let alone you. Go and do what you must. Yang Hao was merely a child you picked up during your lowest moment. He had nothing to do with you in the past, and even less so now. Remember, you are already a loose immortal—transcendent, beyond worldly concerns. When you return to the world of ordinary people, everyone will worship you. In the universe, your rivals are few.”

As he spoke, Yun Shang casually waved his hand, opening a spacetime gate—a swirling vortex of deep blue light. The ever-deepening vortex seemed to beckon Hunyuanzi forward.

“This spacetime gate can take you anywhere you wish to go. If you seek vengeance, you’d best set off immediately.” Yun Shang pointed coldly. “You’ve waited a thousand years, drifting like a lonely ghost for a millennium. Wasn’t it all for the sake of vengeance?”

Hunyuanzi’s face was deathly pale as he stared at the spacetime gate. The deep blue barrier shimmered like the Milky Way, spinning in solitude, as if recounting the tumultuous fate of Hunyuanzi—his thousand years of loneliness. The burning desire for vengeance that had once filled his heart still raged like fire.

Yun Shang was absolutely right. What had kept Hunyuanzi alive all these years was nothing but his thirst for revenge. And now, before him was a spacetime gate—a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Hunyuanzi knew exactly what it meant. The gate could take him anywhere in the world, including right behind his enemy.

With Hunyuanzi’s current power as a loose immortal, coupled with the element of surprise, he had at least a seventy percent chance of killing “that person” in a single strike.

Seventy percent!

What did that mean to Hunyuanzi? In the past, even a fifty percent chance would have driven him to risk everything—even forsaking his chance at ascension.

But now, he had seventy percent. Looking back a thousand years or forward a thousand, neither Hunyuanzi nor the Dan Ding Sect would ever have such an opportunity again.

This was no mere temptation—it was the path fate had laid out for him. This was destiny.

If Hunyuanzi consoled himself this way, he could step through that spacetime gate with peace of mind, summon his flying sword, and plunge it deep into his enemy’s heart.

Everything would end. The dead could rest, and Hunyuanzi would find peace. But then what? What then…?

Tears fell from Hunyuanzi’s eyes as he gazed at the spacetime gate. He even reached out to touch it—after all, this was the closest he had ever come to his long-awaited vengeance, almost within reach of success.

But his hand stopped just as it was about to enter the gate. His gaze, his tears, and the fury in his heart all froze.

Only one sound reached his ears—Yang Hao’s agonized screams from inside the room, his desperate cry on the brink of death: “Master!!!!”

Master!

At that critical moment, the only person Yang Hao could call out to was his master.

Hunyuanzi wiped away his tears. He turned his back to the spacetime gate and smiled at Yun Shang. “I can save Yang Hao.”

“Impossible.” Yun Shang was certain. If even he couldn’t do it, how could anyone else? “A mere loose immortal, with nothing more than the power of a lower-tier divine being—how could you possibly succeed?”

“You can’t do it because there is no love in your hearts.” Hunyuanzi acted as though the once-in-a-lifetime chance for vengeance behind him no longer existed. “Whether you are of the Light Divine Clan or the Dark Demon Clan, it makes no difference. Your hearts are empty. That’s why you can’t save Yang Hao—but I can.”

“You?” Yun Shang was shocked. “How? You can’t. Only Yang Hao’s own power can save him, and he has none now.”

“He does.” Hunyuanzi nodded, his smile growing even more carefree, as if he had cast off all burdens. “He had it before, and he will have it again. Because there is someone—a loose immortal—inside his body. This loose immortal is his talisman, protecting him, nurturing him, until he grows strong enough to become the pillar of the Dan Ding Sect. The power of this loose immortal is the power within his body—it can help him control the nascent soul.”

“What?” Yun Shang’s hair stood on end, so shocked he nearly lost his balance. “What did you say? You’re going back into Yang Hao’s body? You’re giving up your physical form to return to your soul state? Not only are you abandoning your only chance for revenge, but you’re also renouncing your status as a loose immortal, your power? You’re giving up this divine body—one you nearly died to obtain?”

Hunyuanzi remained silent, but golden light surged within him, like scorching flames threatening to consume him.

Yun Shang was beside himself with agitation. “You’re mad! Absolutely mad! What kind of price, what kind of serendipity did it take for you to regain a body, to become a loose immortal? And now you’re throwing it all away! In this lifetime—no, even in several lifetimes—you’ll never have such an opportunity again. Never!”

“I know!” Hunyuanzi laughed heartily. The golden flames truly ignited, burning his clothes to ashes and revealing his flawless physique—muscles and bones so perfect they seemed a sin to discard.

“You drifted like a lonely ghost for a thousand years. Once the proud leader of the Dan Ding Sect, reduced to clinging pitifully to a child’s body. You finally broke free of all that. You dreamed of this for so long—now that you have it, why throw it away? Why?!” Yun Shang roared. “He’s just an unrelated child! He hasn’t even truly stepped onto the path of cultivation. Is he worth all you’re sacrificing? Is he worth a loose immortal’s self-destruction? Is he worth abandoning your vengeance? Think of your sect brothers, your family, your beloved—how they were slaughtered by ‘that person.’ Have you truly given up on revenge?”

Yun Shang’s words were reasonable—extremely so. But nothing could stop Hunyuanzi now. His mind was made up.

A thousand years had not dulled the hatred in Hunyuanzi’s heart—but neither had it extinguished his love and compassion. This was what set him apart from the divine beings. To him, vengeance and Yang Hao, the Dan Ding Sect and Yang Hao—he could no longer tell which mattered more.

But Hunyuanzi knew one thing clearly: the power of a loose immortal, the body of a divine being—hard-won as they were—were nothing compared to Yang Hao.

The love born of lives intertwined was irreplaceable.

And so, Hunyuanzi burned. He laughed wildly, like an immortal reveling in madness. Golden flames consumed his body—that perfect form only a divine being could possess. As his skin, muscles, bones, and blood turned to ash in the fire, Hunyuanzi’s pure soul became a golden blaze. Like a fervent sun, he surged into the room, into Yang Hao’s ice-cold body, merging with him as flames pierce the night.

Yang Hao was reborn.

But the loose immortal Hunyuanzi vanished from the world.

Now, it was night once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Yang Hao fought desperately against the “Nascent Soul Seizure,” his friends were also facing a deadly crisis.

This story begins when Yang Hao was inexplicably abducted by a spaceship on Saint Bear Star. At the time, the ship bearing the mark of the Divine Clan had taken him alive (though it was actually part of the resistance alliance’s plan in the Three Crystal Sea Star System, not the real Divine Clan). Naturally, Yang Hao’s friends and subordinates—Long Yun, XII, Maya, and the members of the Hao Sword Group—refused to let it go.

Under the leadership of Long Yun and XII, the group pursued Yang Hao’s life signal in the battleship *Doomsday*, eventually tracking him to the Three Crystal Sea Star System.

But by the time they arrived, it was too late. The ship that had kidnapped Yang Hao had been split in two, burning fiercely in the deep blue cosmos, its flames illuminating space for tens of thousands of kilometers.

Yun Shang grabbed Hun Yuanzi. “You can’t save him. You only have the power of a wandering immortal. Even I, a high-ranking celestial being, cannot save him, let alone you. Go do what you must. Yang Hao was just a child you found when you were in trouble before. He was unrelated to you back then, and even more so now. Remember, you are now a wandering immortal, transcending the mundane world. When you return to the world of ordinary people, everyone will worship you, and there are only a few rivals for you in the universe.”

As he spoke, Yun Shang waved his hand casually, opening a deep blue time-space portal glowing with swirling energy. The increasingly deep vortex seemed to tempt Hun Yuanzi to enter.

“This time-space portal can take you anywhere you wish to go. If you want revenge, you’d better leave immediately,” Yun Shang pointed coldly. “You’ve waited a thousand years, wandering like a lonely soul for a thousand years. Wasn’t it all for revenge?”

Hun Yuanzi’s face turned pale. He gazed at that time-space portal. The deep blue barrier shimmered like the Milky Way, spinning lonely, as if narrating Hun Yuanzi’s turbulent fate and his thousand years of solitude. Once, he had been filled with passionate thoughts of revenge, and now it still burned in his heart like fire.

What Yun Shang said was absolutely right. Wasn’t it the belief in revenge that had kept Hun Yuanzi alive all these years? And now, this time-space portal was a rare opportunity in a thousand years. Hun Yuanzi knew exactly what it represented. This portal could transport him to any place in the world, which meant it could also take him behind his enemy.

With Hun Yuanzi’s current power as a wandering immortal and a surprise attack, there was at least a seventy percent chance of instantly killing “that person.”

Seventy percent chance!

What did that mean to Hun Yuanzi? Even when there was only a fifty percent chance of revenge, he had been willing to abandon everything, even the chance to ascend to godhood.

Now, there was a seventy percent chance. Looking back a thousand years and forward another thousand, Hun Yuanzi, and even the Dan Ding Sect, probably would never have such an opportunity again.

This was no longer merely temptation; it was the path arranged by fate itself, his destiny.

If Hun Yuanzi comforted himself this way, he could calmly enter that time-space portal, then raise his sword and plunge it deep into his enemy’s heart.

Everything would end. The dead could rest in peace, and Hun Yuanzi would gain peace after settling his vengeance. But then? Then…

Tears fell from Hun Yuanzi’s eyes. He looked at that time-space portal and even wanted to reach out and touch it, for it was the closest he had ever been to achieving his revenge, almost tasting success.

But his hand stopped the moment it was about to enter the portal. His gaze, tears, and filled heart of hatred froze.

In his ears was only one sound—the piercing scream and desperate cry of Yang Hao in the room: “Master!!!!!!”

Master!

At that critical moment, Yang Hao could only call for his master.

Hun Yuanzi stopped his tears. He turned around, his back to the time-space portal, and smiled at Yun Shang. “I can save Yang Hao.”

“Impossible.” Of course, Yun Shang was confident. If even he couldn’t do it, how could anyone else? “A mere wandering immortal, with only the power of a lower celestial being, how can he do it?”

“You can’t do it because your hearts are devoid of love.” Hun Yuanzi treated that sole opportunity for revenge behind him as nothing.

“Whether it’s the Light Celestial Race or the Dark Demon Race, your hearts are empty. That’s why you can’t save Yang Hao, but I can.”

“You?” Yun Shang was startled. “How can you do it? It’s impossible. Only Yang Hao’s own power can save him, but he doesn’t have such power now.”

“He does.” Hun Yuanzi nodded, smiling more freely, as if he had cast off all burdens. “He had it before, and he will have it again. Because there is someone, a wandering immortal inside his body, who is his talisman, protecting and nurturing him until he becomes a pillar of the Dan Ding Sect. That wandering immortal’s power is the power within his body, which can help him control the Nascent Soul.”

“What?” Yun Shang’s hair stood on end, shocked so much that he could barely stand. “What did you say? You want to return to Yang Hao’s body? You want to abandon your physical form and return to your soul state? You’re not only giving up this unique chance for revenge, but also your status and power as a wandering immortal? You’re going to abandon this celestial body you nearly died for?”

Hun Yuanzi remained silent, but golden light surged within his body, like hot flames ready to burn him.

Yun Shang was so excited he almost exploded. “You’re mad, you’ve gone mad! What price, what rare opportunity allowed you to regain a physical form and become a wandering immortal? You’re going to give it up! In this lifetime, even across many lifetimes, you’ll never have such an opportunity again. Never!”

“I know!” Hun Yuanzi laughed loudly. The golden flames truly ignited, burning his clothes to ashes, revealing his strong body. His muscles and bones were so perfect they seemed a shame to discard.

“You wandered like a lonely soul for a thousand years. Once the mighty leader of the Dan Ding Sect, you could only pitifully rely on a child’s body. You finally managed to break free from all that. All the things you dreamed of for years, you’ve finally obtained. Why would you give them up? Why!!” Yun Shang roared. “He’s just an unrelated child. He hasn’t even truly entered the cultivation sect. Is he worth giving up so much for? Is he worth a wandering immortal sacrificing himself? Is he worth abandoning your revenge plan? Think about your fellow disciples, your loved ones, your lover. Think about how ‘that person’ killed them. Do you really not want revenge anymore?”

What Yun Shang said made sense, a lot of sense. But none of it could stop Hun Yuanzi’s actions now. He had already made up his mind.

A thousand years had not worn down Hun Yuanzi’s hatred, but it had also not erased his love and affection. This was what set Hun Yuanzi apart from the celestial race. To him, revenge and Yang Hao, the Dan Ding Sect and Yang Hao, were no longer distinguishable in terms of importance.

But Hun Yuanzi was clear. To him, the power of a wandering immortal and a celestial body, though hard-won, were insignificant compared to Yang Hao.

The love that had fused their lives together was irreplaceable by anything.

So Hun Yuanzi burned. He laughed loudly, like a celestial being gone mad. The golden flames consumed his body, that perfect celestial body that only a celestial being could possess. As his skin, muscles, bones, and blood turned to ashes in the flames, Hun Yuanzi’s refined soul had already transformed into a golden mass. He was like a blazing sun, bursting into the room with fiery passion, rushing toward Yang Hao’s already ice-cold body.

This ball of flame, this sun, merged with Yang Hao, piercing through the darkness like fire.

Yang Hao was reborn.

But the wandering immortal Hun Yuanzi vanished from the world once again.

Now, it was night again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just as Yang Hao was locked in a life-or-death struggle with the “Nascent Soul Possession,” his friends were also facing a deadly crisis.

This story begins when Yang Hao was mysteriously captured by a spaceship on Saint Bear Star. Back then, the spaceship marked with the celestial race’s insignia had taken Yang Hao away (actually, it was a plan by the resistance alliance of the Sanjinghai star system, not the true celestial race). Naturally, Yang Hao’s friends and subordinates—Long Yun, XII, Maya, and the members of the Hao Sword Corps—wouldn’t let it go.

Under the leadership of Long Yun and XII, this group piloted the Dreadnought Warship, tracking Yang Hao’s body signal all the way, and actually managed to follow him to the Sanjinghai star system.

However, by the time they arrived, it was already too late. The spaceship that had abducted Yang Hao was already split in two, burning fiercely in the deep blue cosmos, its flames illuminating several thousand kilometers.