Library of Heaven’s Path

“Ah?”

The three Conferred God Kings who were in the midst of attacking Zhang Xuan froze in place.

What is happening now? Should we continue attacking, or should we stop?

Didn’t the will of the Deathless Monarch tell us to kill that fellow?

So why would it suddenly fly over here and act all cutesy, calling itself Little Deathless…

Why does it feel like something is really, really off about this?

Are you really our lofty and merciless God Monarch?

However, before they could remain fazed for too long, they suddenly found the eyes of the black phoenix glaring at them in displeasure.

“What do you think you are doing, raising your hands against my master? Are you asking to be killed? Despite having lived for tens of thousands of years, is violence the only thing that you have in your heads? Don’t you know what a peaceful resolution is? Just because you have the power to destroy doesn’t mean that you should! Do you know that each time you destroy something, it takes others a great deal of effort to conduct reparation work?”

Boom!

The space quivered a little before the attacks of the three Conferred God Kings dissipated into the surroundings, as if it had never appeared before.

The three Conferred God Kings were utterly frenzied.

It could not be that the Little Chick had possessed the black phoenix, could it?

They were not the only ones who were flabbergasted by this turn of events. Little Chick and Zhang Xuan were also shocked.

Earlier, when the black phoenix heard Little Chick calling Zhang Xuan its master, it had been so furious that it looked as if it would unleash hell upon the world. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it became the most subservient servant that one could ever imagine.

When did the Deathless Monarch become a comedic relief character?

Or is this actually the Deathless Monarch’s true temperament? Zhang Xuan wondered as he recalled just how unreliable the Little Chick could be at times.

Considering that Little Chick was the reincarnation of the Deathless Monarch, they should be pretty similar in terms of character. If so, it was understandable that the black phoenix was so shameless.

However, there was still one thing that baffled him.

Why would the black phoenix suddenly recognize him as his master all of a sudden?

Could this have something to do with the crimson pendant?

Now that he thought about it, it was shortly after the pendant started heating up that the attitude of the Deathless Monarch began changing.

Had the Deathless Monarch recognized the crimson pendant?

As this idea surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind, he hurriedly turned to the black phoenix, held up the crimson pendant, and asked anxiously, “Could it be that you recognize this pendant? Then… do you know where Ruoxin is?”

He had traveled all the way to the Sky of Spirit Origin and competed for the right to enter Spirit God Palace just to find Luo Ruoxin. However, even after causing such a huge commotion, Luo Ruoxin was still nowhere to be found. That could only mean one thing…

She was not there at all!

“Ruoxin?” the black phoenix asked in incomprehension.

“I am referring to the owner of this pendant!” Zhang Xuan exclaimed in agitation.

“That is blood of the…” The black phoenix nodded in realization. “I think I get it. The Ruoxin you are talking about must be referring to God Monarch Lingxi!”

“God Monarch Lingxi?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

That name was very familiar to him. Back when they were on the Master Teacher Continent, when he took on the persona of Luo Tianya, the name that Luo Ruoxin took on… seemed to be Lingxi!

Back then, he had even clapped in delight, saying that no matter how far apart they were, their hearts would be connected with one another.

“Yes, the person I am looking for is indeed God Monarch Lingxi! Do you know where she is?” Zhang Xuan asked anxiously.

He had been guessing all this while that Luo Ruoxin was a fake name, and it was indeed just as he had thought…

But the truth was that she had told him her real name as well, but she could only reveal it under the guise of a fake name!

How could he have missed such an important clue all this while?

“God Monarch Lingxi is the God Monarch of the Sky of Freedom, so it goes without saying that she is in the Sky of Freedom,” the black phoenix replied with a doubtful on his face.

You have already accepted me as your tamed beast, but you don’t even know the names of the Nine God Monarchs?

“Sky of Freedom?” Zhang Xuan’s face stiffened as he muttered to himself. “No, I should have known…”

He had already learned about the names of eight of the God Monarchs from Fu Jiangchen, and the only one that remained a mystery to him was the God Monarch of the Sky of Freedom. He should have known as soon as he heard the title ‘God Monarch Lingxi’.

In the end, the person he was seeking was not in the Sky of Spirit Origin but at the centermost Sky of Freedom.

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s reaction, the black phoenix suddenly recalled something and said, “There is going to be a life-and-death duel between God Monarch Lingxi and the Heaven Subjugation Monarch on the night of the next full moon…”

Even though he had only been a sliver of a will trapped within the stone phoenix sculpture, he was still aware of the happenings around the Firmament, especially the upcoming fight between the two God Monarchs.

“Life-and-death duel on the night of the next full moon? That is… in five days?” Zhang Xuan’s body shuddered as he narrowed his eyes in shock.

He had heard of this duel shortly after he arrived in the Firmament, and all this while, he had not been paying any attention to it. He thought that Kong shi would surely emerge victorious in the battle.

But he did not think that the opponent would be Luo Ruoxin!

And to make matters worse, it was actually a life-and-death duel!

Did that not mean that one of them would not walk out alive of the battle?

“Yes. So far, the battles between God Monarchs have never gone to the extent of life and death, but those two made the decision to proceed like that. I believe that there’s a deeper reason behind their decision, but I’m afraid what I know is quite limited,” the black phoenix replied.

“I need to head to the Sky of Freedom and stop them,” Zhang Xuan murmured beneath his breath.

Luo Ruoxin was the only person he had ever harbored romantic feelings for, and while he had never met Kong shi, he had heard many things about the latter, and he carried the deepest respect for him.

He could not stand the idea of anything happening to either of them!

“Stop them? The two of them have already made up their minds, so who could possibly stop them?”

The black phoenix gazed down at Little Chick and shook his head. “I wouldn’t have been a match for either of them even when I was at my peak, let alone in my current state…”

At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly paused as another thought came to his mind.

Given the ruckus that he had caused in the Sky of Linglong, it would be safe to assume that Luo Ruoxin, as a God Monarch, had heard of the matter. Yet, there was no movement from her.

Was this a sign that she was reluctant to meet him?

But why would that be the case?

Did it have something to do with her upcoming battle against Kong shi?

And this brought him back to the very first question.

Why did they need to have a life-and-death duel with one another?

The reason Ruoxin descended to the Master Teacher Continent was to claim the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. That is an artifact that Kong shi devoted many years to forging, and it’s highly likely that he has infused the power of the Heavens’ Order into it…

Even though Luo Ruoxin had never explicitly told him about the reason behind why she descended to the Master Teacher Continent, he was still able to guess as much.

Right after she got her hands on the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, she broke open the dimension barrier and left shortly after. It would not take a person too much to figure out as much.

All along, Zhang Xuan had been wondering why someone from the Firmament like her would pay such a heavy price to descend to the Master Teacher Continent to obtain the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. After all, there were far more powerful artifacts here!

But looking at it once more, it was clear that she was preparing for the upcoming fight against Kong shi!

“Why does she have to kill Kong shi then?” Zhang Xuan muttered.

All the questions filling up his mind made him feel as if his head was going to explode.

Just as the black phoenix had mentioned, Kong shi had challenged the other eight God Monarchs so far, and they had all been friendly spars. To date, the other God Monarchs were still living perfectly well.

So, why did the final match with the God Monarch of the Sky of Freedom have to be a life-and-death duel?

“Even if I can’t stop them, I need to at least find out the reason behind it,” Zhang Xuan said with clenched fists.

Given his current strength, he was indeed in no position to interfere in a fight between God Monarchs, but so what?

No matter how impossible it was, he would still give it a try. Even if it did not work out, he should at least find out what the hell was going on!