Volume One, Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Melodrama of the Gods

Chapter 104: The Gods’ Melodrama

Tu Zhe recalled the brief explanation that Mobo Xun had given him about the Northern Polar Three Enclosures—their heavens, their power, and their ranks.

Could it be that only those who reach the ranks of Celestial Venerable, True Lord, or True Man can escape the fate of mere ants?

But above the Celestial Venerable, True Lord, and True Man, there were still the Three Cavern Sect Masters, the Primordial Daoist of Chaos, and the Infinite Ancestor. In other words, only those who become invincible in the universe could truly be considered strong, truly able to break free from the fate of ants.

Tu Zhe felt a chill run down his spine.

Invincible in the universe? Was this some kind of joke?

But still, he could strive in that direction, right? After all, his life had been extended indefinitely. Though he could not claim immortality, he had glimpsed longevity, and living another ten million or even a hundred million years seemed not impossible. Time was still quite ample.

Where there is time, there is hope.

Besides, why shouldn’t he become the strongest in the universe? He was ready to take that path! Damn it, if the nun’s bald head could be touched by the monk, why couldn’t he touch it?

With this thought, Tu Zhe’s mood began to brighten.

People were always like this—once they had a goal, hope would follow.

Hope was like the fairy’s slipper, within which lay more than thirty billion stars, shining everywhere. But with so many suns, wouldn’t the fairy’s slipper have a strong foot odor?

So Tu Zhe took a step inside the fairy’s slipper, spanning ten million miles.

The Wild Star belonged to the tenth star of the Heavenly Stable, located in the Andromeda Galaxy. In truth, the massacre on the Wild Star was happening inside the fairy’s slipper. Naturally, this massacre stirred the owner of the ten stars of the Heavenly Stable—the Star Bishi under the Northern Black Tortoise of the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols.

We know the Four Symbols as the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Vermilion Bird of the South.

The Northern Black Tortoise, also known as the Great Emperor Zhenwu, governed seven major star gods—the Northern Seven Mansions: Doumu Xie, Niu Jinniu, Nü Shifu, Xu Ri Shu, Wei Yueyan, Shi Huo Zhu, and Bishi.

Bishi was the tail mansion of the Northern Black Tortoise, overseeing six star officials, twenty-eight original stars, and fifty-four supplemental stars. Its power was formidable.

Because Bishi was the tail mansion of the Black Tortoise, its domain bordered the territory managed by the West White Tiger’s first mansion, Kui. Kui was the famous Kui Mu Lang star.

Curiously, both the original stars governed by Kui Mu Lang—namely the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth original stars—and the Bishi stars and the ten stars of the Heavenly Stable lay at the edge of the fairy’s slipper.

Unfortunately, the fairy’s slipper did not belong to the Northern Polar Three Enclosures’ domain. The slipper’s owner—Andromeda—though not overly strict, occasionally had boundary disputes, sometimes even bloody conflicts. Yet, since both sides usually exercised restraint, full-scale interstellar war did not erupt.

Since the Wild Star of the Heavenly Stable lay at the edge of the fairy’s slipper, it was only natural that when Chu Tiange could not win, he would retreat into the slipper’s interior. Moreover, the slipper was fraught with dangers: beyond the frequent meteor showers that alone deterred many, there were countless perilous forbidden zones inside, places so lethal that one might perish without even realizing how.

Bishi’s proper name was Shi Suhe, a renowned talented woman among the Northern Polar Three Enclosures.

She resided on two principal stars within the Bishi constellation—one served as her residence and office, the other as her library.

Using an entire planet as a library was a rarity across the myriad heavens.

Shi Suhe had, over millions of years, tirelessly collected various tomes, filling the entire planet with countless chambers—nearly blocking the view of her neighbor, the illiterate Shi Huo Zhu.

Indeed, Shi Huo Zhu had long coveted Shi Suhe’s beauty. Though barely literate, he feigned the air of a scholar, and came daily to borrow books, much to Shi Suhe’s annoyance. Yet, since both served under the Great Emperor Zhenwu, and their paths crossed constantly, she could not simply shun him.

The massacre on the Wild Star of the Heavenly Stable was so immense that it naturally caught the attention of Shi Suhe and Kui Mu Lang.

Kui Mu Lang, whose given name was Hei Shisheng, was one of the four elders among the twenty-eight mansions, overseeing sixteen original stars and countless supplemental stars. His seat on the Kui mansion star contained so-called Six Ministries—his administrative center—indicative of his considerable status.

Given the commotion on the Wild Star today, as a star god with eight original stars at the edge of the fairy’s slipper, he couldn’t remain indifferent.

So he strode directly to the library on the second Bishi star. By ill fortune, he found Shi Huo Zhu pestering Shi Suhe again.

Shi Huo Zhu’s real name was Lü Sheng. He lived in the Camp Palace, also known as the Clear Temple. He commanded eight minor gods and eleven star officials, overseeing ten major original stars and innumerable supplemental stars. He was a formidable figure before the Great Emperor Zhenwu, managing even the imperial guards protecting the Three Enclosures.

Though not the eldest among the Four Symbols, he was a tough character few dared offend.

Today, Lü Sheng wore his yellow brocade robe and had twisted his bristly pig hair into a horn-like shape, thinking himself very stylish. Holding a book of poetry and songs he would never comprehend, he whined and complained to Shi Suhe.

“Suhe, you can’t be so heartless and cruel, right? Though I, Lü Sheng, am no Adonis, at least I’m charming... what was that phrase? Probably ‘charm to the point of passion,’ right? For thousands of years, rain or shine, I’ve come daily to greet you. Even if I were iron, even mysterious iron, I should have warmed you by now. So why are you still indifferent? Boo hoo hoo...”

Shi Suhe wanted to bang her head against a wall. Could someone be so illiterate? Misreading ‘charming and gallant’ as ‘charming to the point of passion’ and expecting to move a talented woman? She was more likely to be annoyed to death!

Shi Suhe was the kind of person reluctant to hurt others easily. Even if someone crossed the line, as long as it could be tolerated, she would give them face. In other words, this great talent was a bit soft-hearted; she wouldn’t outright reject, which was one reason Lü Sheng kept pestering her.

Frowning slightly, Shi Suhe began to gently refuse.

“Look, Old Lü, people need to have fate between them, right? Although we are neighbors, I only see you as a neighbor, nothing more. Please don’t put me in an awkward position.”

Lü Sheng replied, “How could there be no fate? If there were none, could we be neighbors for thousands, even millions of years? Clearly, Heaven arranged for us to be a pair, that’s why it is so.”

That was hopeless to argue.

Kui Mu Lang’s arrival was like a rescue from torment for Shi Suhe. She greeted him joyfully.

“Brother Kui, what a surprise! Long time no see, I’ve been missing you…”

Lü Sheng glanced sideways at Kui Mu Lang, his displeasure obvious.

“Old Kui, you came just in time, huh? Didn’t you see I was having a serious talk with Sister Suhe? Why can’t you do something else instead of playing the lamp?”

Kui Mu Lang was too lazy to argue with this buffoon and said, “Sister Suhe, today your Heavenly Stable is far from peaceful. I heard Sky Spear, Mysterious Halberd, and Heaven Staff raised troops to besiege Chu Tiange. This is no small matter; Chu Tiange might suffer losses. But this happened in your domain, and they didn’t notify you in advance?”

Shi Suhe shook her head. “I really don’t know. I haven’t received any official document from the Purple Star Enclosure.”

Lü Sheng, overhearing this, grew furious. Shaking his bulky frame, he shouted, “They’re utterly disrespectful! To come onto our turf and start fighting without a word, do they think we don’t exist? Old Kui, you and Suhe talk; I’ll take the imperial guards to see which bastard dares stir trouble here!”