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Chapter 528: 528

Moonseeker Pavillion was entirely illuminated at night, save for the topmost floor . There was a woman wearing a fierce expression in the darkness, slowly ascending the stairs till she reached the top floor .

She stood in front of the door for a moment, then said, “Pavillion Lord, it’s Gu Suli . I have finished tending to the matter you asked me to handle . The three hundred thousand people of the Earthorigin Sect have arrived in utmost secrecy . Nobody is aware of their presence . “

The top floor was really quiet without a single word to be heard, but Gu Suli knew that there were others within .

“Since that’s the case, I’ll return to the Divine Capital . The battle has been rather chaotic lately, and Dazzling Pavillion hasn’t been doing too well either . Too many business connections have been cut off,” Gu Suli continued . Even after that, there was no response from the top floor, which she thought to be rather fishy . This was Meng Tingyu’s turf, so why wasn’t she answering her?

“Pavillion Lord, are you there?” she asked . Still, no response .

“Perhaps something happened . I’m coming in to take a look . Forgive my intrusion . “

Ater she said that, she knocked the door, pushed it open, and entered with her guard up . In the darkness, she saw an old man dressed in tattered rags sitting by the window and looking at the Divine Capital in the distance .

“Who are you?!” she snapped . While she was speaking, she armed herself and summoned her lifebound beast .

The old man didn’t say anything, just gradually turned to her .

“Au—Autarch Qian! Your Majesty!” Her eyes were wide with her mouth agape . She wasn’t aware that Autarch Qian was still alive . The reason Meng Tingyu had her seek out three hundred thousand people suddenly dawned on her . Meng Tingyu had been doing Autarch Qian’s bidding the whole time .

“Gu Suli, come here,” he said with a wave .

“Yes!” She shivered as she tried to feign an expression of delight . “So Your Majesty is still healthy and well! I’m happy for Your Majesty!”

All kinds of thoughts flashed through her head as she began to feel the presence of a grand conspiracy .

“Oh, are you really?” Autarch Qian smiled . Gu Suli was now right in front of him .

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty!” she said, prostrating herself before him and not daring to raise her head .

“Very well . It’s a shame . It would’ve been fine if you had just finished your job, but you had to come in . “

“Your Majesty?”

Wham! The old man struck her head as fast as lightning . She fell to the ground with her brains spilling out and eyes open in confusion .

A butterfly lifebound beast went charging out of the room, only to be torn apart by a few other beasts at the entrance . It didn’t even manage to shriek from the pain before it died . Blood was spilled all over the place .

“I’m sorry . It’s a crucial moment and I can’t trust you . ” He tore the curtain apart, wiped his hands, and left after stepping over Gu Suli’s corpse . At the entrance was the gigantic beast in the darkness that had eaten the butterfly . It had nine huge heads, all of which were still chewing on dead butterfly .

“Yu really had it hard over the years, hiding the matter of the Cyclic Mirror . She even managed to send hundreds of thousands of little fish here without drawing any attention . It’s truly impressive,” said the beast .

“She did well . Back then, her mother was the one who helped me do it, but now, it was her turn . It’s too bad that she won’t be able to escape this catastrophe either . I just hope that she’ll at least survive after all this . Without her around, I won’t be able to enjoy my little fish without anyone noticing any longer . Back then, I’d always be cursed by those do-gooders . It seems that using Dazzling Pavillion’s trade connections to hide this paid off well,” the old man said .

“Won’t she expose your plan?” asked the beast .

“No . She knows that some things can’t be revealed, even in the face of death . Otherwise, their family and everything in Dazzling Pavilion will no longer exist,” said the old man .

“What if she does reveal the secrets then?”

“It won’t matter . My little fish are already here . It’s time for the final act, so a little more fanfare isn’t unwelcome either . Even if she doesn’t reveal it, I’ll still lure Weisheng Yunxi out to see this . I’ll show her my culinary magnum opus, the Mirror Fish Soup . “

“Let’s begin!”

“Sure . “

The man and beast descended to the nearby lake . It was perfectly circular, and resembled a mirror when viewed from above . However, the sky tonight was especially dark, causing the lake itself to look rather gloomy too .

The gigantic beast landed on the surface of the lake . Even though it looked so huge, it had an angelic singing voice that was incredibly charming and dreamlike . The whole area now felt as serene as Romance River; it had some quality that seemed to resonate with the soul .

As its singing spread out, people started coming out of a nearby fog bank . Their faces were adorned with ecstatic smiles . They held their lovers, relatives, and siblings and came without stopping .

They were mostly young adults and children . The children were just as happy as the rest . They didn’t know they were being lulled by the song . They danced merrily and played catch along the way to the lake .

There were so many people that it filled one’s vision . The smiles remained on their faces the entire time . When the first person stepped into the lake, it was as if the rest weren’t able to see it and continued forward .

“My fishies, get into the pot,” the old man said with a joyous smile that allowed him to blend in well with the blissful crowd . The water level of the lake started off low, but it grew deeper and deeper . As the people advanced, they were eventually fully submerged, but that didn’t stop them from pressing onward . They all had some beast ki in them that allowed them to stay submerged for some time . Some of them even intentionally tried to go deeper to make space for the others to come .

“Don’t hurry, take your time . Everyone here has their place . Each little fish will be able to take part in the honorable contribution to the longevity and prosperity of the Theocracy . This old man is but a humble guide who’ll show you the way,” the old man said .

After two hours, the lake was filled with people . They were like packed dumplings that were swelling slightly from the water . Many of them were submerged underneath, with only some tens of heads poking out from the surface . It went without saying that the experience was bound to be unpleasant, yet the smiles still hadn’t vanished from the ones submerged at the very bottom of the lake .

“Fishies, you really are so vigorous and filled with energy,” the old man said as he levitated in mid air . “Have you cleaned up the lifebound beasts? I can’t afford any impurities in my fish soup . “

“Don’t worry, they’ve been dealt with,” said one of the nine heads of the beast, the other eight still chewing away .

“Even though this isn’t the first time, it won’t be the last either . I’m feeling a little pumped . . . It must’ve been too long since I’ve had a chance to sate my appetite . Even though this can’t compare to the Divine Capital’s Cyclic Mirror Lake, it’s still better, thanks to the privacy it affords . Nobody will be able to disrupt my cooking .

“There’s always those who go on and on about righteousness and justice, but they don’t know what those really mean when it really comes to it . Cultivation is the act of fighting the heavens and the earth . There’s too many mortals in this world, and they’re nothing but meaningless numbers . There’s no reason someone exceptional shouldn’t be worth more than ten million mundane people . Nor is there any such thing as right apart from the things you’re able to do in this world . If this isn’t righteous, why would the gods create the Cyclic Mirror Lake? It can’t just be a whimsical decoration, right?” He shook his head and clicked his tongue .

“You seem talkative today . Feeling hesitant?” the beast asked .

“Oh, no, you’re wrong . This isn’t hesitation . My will to do this has never wavered . However, I just feel a little tired explaining this to everyone that asks . So, keeping it in has made me feel rather lonely . “

“Solace is the only way through which one can take back their destiny from the heavens . Even if one becomes an empyrean saint, they’ll only be able to live for five hundred years . At our age, all that remains is deterioration, suffering, and aging . I don’t want this . I don’t let my thoughts wander that deep like you . All I’m doing is trying to survive . That’s all there is,” said the beast .

“That’s right . Five hundred years is far too short . Back in the day, we were young and powerful . It felt like we could rule the world . Yet in the blink of an eye, we’re at the edge of our life . It hurts . . . . It really does . The way of the heavens is merciless . We’ve been forced to do this by the heavens . In fact, the way I see it, the heavens give birth to too many people . It would be better to consider some of them fish . . . I shall eat the fish and drink the soup . It’s only reasonable .

“In the future, when there are fewer humans and more fish, humans will be able to live longer lives . Imagine living for millennia without worry . Now that’s life . Even though I’m the autarch of my own Theocracy, I can only live for five hundred years, yet these fish can’t even live up to a hundred . How am I any different from these puny fish? That won’t do . . . Did I do something wrong to deserve this? That can’t be . We Theocrats have flourished from ancient times until now, using this very method without any so-called punishment from the heavens . That means that what we’re doing is right . What is right is what is permitted . “

“Alright, let’s begin . “

“Great . Let’s start cooking the soup!” The old man wiped away his tears and looked joyful once more . “Come to me, my dear!” He opened his arms wide .

At that moment, the bottom of the lake glowed white, causing the water to suddenly shimmer . From up high, it looked like there was another moon in the reflection of the lake . The lake water turned milky white, and the people within bubbled and steamed as if they were being boiled in soup .

“Now, time to up the heat . Once they’re smoking a little, slide the fish in and flip it after some time . Add a few pieces of garlic and some water, as well as chopped onions . For seasoning, use half a spoonful of vinegar and sugar . Then, let it simmer . Half an hour later, the soup will turn white . Continue simmering under high heat . In the end, add some garnish and it’s ready to serve! Wow, it smells fragrant indeed!”

The old man watched as the people in the lake began melting into a white substance . Their smiles of bliss persisted even as they melted . Countless white souls gathered together and sank into the depths of the lake, forming a mirror within .

“It’s done! Perfect!”