Chapter 1675: An Old Friend

The Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs hair fluttered about, and his cold, sinister eyes were filled with terror.

Indeed, he was terrified, but his fear was mixed with disbelief.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

The reason he had such a strong reaction was what Ye Zichen had just said.

Uncle Lan? Whos Uncle Lan?

The Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch glared hideously at Ye Zichen. He was no longer concerned about why his domain had left his control. All he wanted to know was just which Uncle Lan Ye Zichen was talking to!

Because, deep in his heart, he still vaguely recalled his time as a young snake and the elder whod saved him when he was on the verge of death, whod raised him as if he were his own son. The old mans name was.

Qing Lan.

Whos Uncle Lan? You ought to know full well, right? Ye Zichen smiled indifferently, and as the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch watched in uncontrollable terror, a puff of green smoke appeared in the elementally-charged air.

The smoke was like a patch of fog, and suddenly, it was as if the three of them were standing in the mist.

A tall yet gaunt figure was dimly discernible through the mists. Standing only a few dozen meters away, the Yao Monarch froze and stared intently at the indistinct figure. He didnt know why, but this gaunt figure overlapped with the man in his memories, the man he couldnt forget no matter how hard he tried.

Then, the mist-shrouded man said. Youve grown up, little one.

Die! Before the words even left his lips, the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch blurred into a shadow and charged into the fog.

When Ye Zichen saw this, his heart shook, but before he could even worry

Scram! A thunderous shout emerged from the mists, dispersing them somewhat.

Then, the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch was sent flying right back out of the mist.

As he flew, he hacked up blood, drawing a red arc in the air. It splattered against the ground, while the monarch himself slammed into a stone pillar, spreading cracks across it. Between the Thousand-Faced Monarchs flight and his wounds, Ye Zichen could sense the explosive power of the one whod shouted.

Wah! Gu Luolin covered her mouth in shock. As the monarch went flying, she sensed a powerful wind ripping the surrounding s.p.a.ce apart.

Shed never seen such power in her life; not even her father was necessarily that strong.

In her memories, her parents and grandfather were the strongest people in the world. She was right, too.

The Gu Familys three half-step transcendents had established the Gu Familys lofty position in the Three Realms.

But that display of power gave Gu Luolin the sense that, whoever this was, they were a bit tougher than even her dad. Gu Luolin instinctively rejected the idea and looked to see who it was

She wasnt bragging when she said that, while she might not be personally acquainted with every expert in the Upper Three Realms on her fathers level, she had at least seen them before. That included the liches, too.

Youd dare hurt Brother Lan? It seems youre looking to die! Just as Gu Luolin attempted to see whod thrown that punch, another comparable roar emerged from the mists.

Then, a ma.s.sive, burly figure charged out, his arms thicker than Gu Luolins waist. He was ma.s.sive, over three meters tall, and when he stepped forward, the ground sunk and cracked beneath his feet. He borrowed this power to charge ahead, like a tank operating at full horsepower, and slammed right into the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch with all this might.

Eeh! Gu Luolin turned, unable to speak. She dared not look at the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch, who was surely a meat pancake by now.

But it wasnt actually as serious as she thought; whatever else you might say about him, the Thousand-Faced Monarch was a peak-level expert in the Upper Three Realms, not just some small fry.

Although the fist hed just taken left him injured, when danger reared its head, he still reacted in a timely manner.

However, his hastily a.s.sembled barrier could only slow the armored tank that was Cang Xiong. The sound of cracking bones rung out, and the already injured Thousand-Faced Monarch coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.

Youre quite stubborn, little snake. Still alive after all that? Take another punch, then! A huge, muscular hand seized the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch by the neck. The monarch had been thin to begin with, and in comparison with the hulking giant, he looked like a little chicken.

The giants hands practically covered his entire head. Fists the size of sand-backs locked onto his skull and were just about to

Cang Xiong, come back!

The command was soft and casual, but in response, the giants fist came to a screeching halt half an inch from the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs head, narrowly avoiding shatering it. Even so, the winds the fist stirred up pushed into the monarchs head, contorting his face.

The fists winds also picked up scattered stones, sending them flying and embedding them in the nearby walls.

Hmph. The hulking giant snorted, then flung the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch to the ground. Then, he turned and walked back into the mists without so much as a second look.

The misty fog gradually started to recede, and an amiable middle-aged man emerged.

These two were the yao great emperors Ye Zichen had met on the fourth layer of the Yao-Sealing PaG.o.da, Qing Lan and Cang Xiong.

Young Friend Ye, leave this to me and Cang Xiong. You go on and search for your fortune. If Im not mistaken, what youre looking for is down the tunnel to the right. Qing Lan stood tehre, hands behind his back, with the air of an immortal of legend.

Cang Xiong then turned around and stared with his huge, ox-like eyes. He glanced at Ye Zichen, then raised three fingers.

This was no promise; when Ye Zichen saw this, he gently shook his head. He clearly knew what Cang Xiongs gesture meant.

Instantly, Cang Xiongs three fingers became too, but Ye Zichen still shook his head.

Before Cang Xiong could explode, Ye Zichen turned and cupped his fist at Qing Lan. Uncle Lan, Im sorry to trouble you.

Not at all. I ought to thank you for letting me out.

Ye Zichen made no attempt at idle conversation. He tugged Gu Luolin and dashed off to the right. To his surprise, as they left, Gu Luolins gaze never left Qing Lan; she really wanted to see his face, but Ye Zichen insisted on dragging her off, and Qing Lan didnt turn around.

Blasted, greedy tyrant! Cang Xiong watched Ye Zichen disappear. He cursed viciously, while Qing Lans lips carried a hint of a smile. It seemed he was always smiling; perhaps he was born that way. He always looked amiable and peaceful.

But thats whats clever about him, said Qing Lan, as if arguing on Ye Zichens behalf. He took a greedy breath of the surrounding air, then said, Its really been far too long since I was last outside. I practically forgot how the outside tastes.

Boss, this isnt really outside. Were inside the Transcendent Mausoleum.

Close enough! Qing Lan seemed perfectly casual about it; he didnt linger on the topic.

Then, he sighed, and silently fixed his gaze on the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch, whod practically been flattened into a peice of paper by now. His eyes filled with unprecedented benevolence.

He wasnt worried that the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch would die; hed instructed Cang Xiong before this.

He trusted Cang Xiong; even when he was furious, he kept his strength under control.

The yao monarchs bones were shattered, and the force of the punch had left huge cracks even in his skull. No one could recover from such injuries, but they hadnt really taken the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs life.

As he lay there, the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch floated back up, and the skin that had once belonged to Gou Monan sloughed off his body. His body gradually filled out, and by the time his sunk-in face recovered, an entirely different face than before greeted Qing Lan and Cang Xiong.

Was this the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs true face, or just another piece of his collection? No one knew. Or rather, no one in the Three Realms, not even the liches, knew what he really looked like.

No!

Perhaps there was one person left whod know!

And that was.

Is this a show of respect for me? Youre actually using your real face for this. Qing Lan said with a burst of cheery laughter.

The one who knew the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs true face was none other than Qing Lan; he was the one whod saved him. Back before the monarch was a monarch, theyd lived together for hundreds of years.

Why are you here? The Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch didnt answer Qing Lans question. Instead, he stared intently and asked a question of his own.

He already had no mental energy left for Ye Zichen and Gu Luolin; he didnt care that theyd gone to where the fortune he covered was. All he wanted was to understand one thing: why had Qing Lan appeared here? Who was the Qing Lan hed devoured?

Hey, pipsqueak! Watch your tongue. Boss Qing Lan treated you as if you were his own son. Your complete lack of grat.i.tude is one thing, but youre still talking like that now that youve been reunited? It seems your Uncle Cang Xiong didnt hit you hard enough. Will another two fists satisfy your hunger?

Cang Xiong clenched his fists, and the Thousand-Faced Yao Monarchs pupils constricted, but he still turned to look at Qing Lan.

Why? Why are you here?

I never would have guessed that that half-dead little green snake would grow up to be so powerful, said Qing Lan with a cool laugh. My Young Friend Ye said that youre a Yao Monarch now. Im happy for you!

I said, why are you here! The Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch shouted hoa.r.s.ely. I devoured you! Your skin is still in my collection, yet here you are, standing before me. Why

It seems my death has troubled you. I apologize for never explaining this to you clearly, but tens of thousands of years ago, the one who took care of you was my avatar, said Qing Lan. At the time, I was shackled from head to toe. To break free, I split my soul into ten thousand wisps. The me you met was just one of many.

Oh The Thousand-Faced Yao Monarch nodded. Then why appear before me now? Are you going to kill me and get your revenge?

Punk, dont you think a bit too highly of yourself? Theres no need for Brother Lan to dirty his hands with you. Your uncle Cang Xiong will beat you back into your mothers womb in a single punch, got it? roared Cang Xiong.

The monarch didnt back down at all. He just stared intently at Qing Lan.

Hed already gotten the explanation hed been after A soul fragment? The thing hed swallowed then had been nothing but a fragment.

Thinking about it, it was ridiculous. Here he was, a glorious Yao Monarch, a top expert of his generation, yet hed agonized over a mere wisp of soul for tens of thousands of years.

It wasnt worth it! It really, really wasnt worth it!