Everlasting Immortal Firmament

Book 8: Chapter 90: The Divine Farmer Hoe

Despite the unremitting struggles of the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander, black energy continued to billow from his body, and the boundless crimson light of sin rapidly dissipated.

Vairocana’s purification was like heavenly music; one after another, the souls of the ghosts were liberated from within the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander’s body and entered the Gu’s Immortal Firmament to be reincarnated.

In this way, Gu Hai battled the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander and saved souls. After a day, the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander gradually calmed down and ceased his attacks on Gu Hai.

Moreover, his form slowly changed, gradually reverting to the shape of a withered stick, and the armor that once clad him vanished.

However, this withered stick seemed to possess life, especially at the head, which appeared incredibly ancient. It even bore some resemblance to a thin, elderly man.

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!”

The stick had a coughing fit, much like an elderly person nearing their end.

“After purification, the Terror Energy extending its life has scattered, so its life…,” Vairocana said with a slight frown.

Although the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander still exuded a dangerous aura, its movements were now labored, and it appeared ancient.

“Gu Hai? Cough! Cough! We meet again! I never expected you to become so powerful!” said the withered-stick-like figure that was once the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander.

“Huh? You know me?” Gu Hai asked in surprise.

“I offended you on many occasions in the past. My lifespan has reached its end, and I should have died peacefully. However, a lingering attachment remained, burdening my conscience. As I lay in slumber, I was seized upon by that lifespan cultivator, who refined me into a Nether Fire Divine Commander to be used as his pawn. Unfortunately, the more he prolonged my life, the hazier my consciousness became. It’s only now—after you purified me—that I regained some clarity!” sighed the elderly figure formed from the withered stick.

“You know me? Who are you? Why do you possess the techniques of both the Six Paths Veritable Lord and Jiang Lianshan? I have no recollection of you,” Gu Hai asked, still astonished.

Gu Hai could not recall anyone with the withered-stick old man’s ability.

“You have indeed seen me before, but I wasn’t like this at the time, nor did I speak to you!” the withered stick-like figure replied with bitterness.

“You are?” Gu Hai inquired sternly.

“I am His Holy Eminence’s Divine Farmer Hoe,” the elderly figure sighed.

“The Divine Farmer Hoe? The fourth among the top sixteen ancient treasures? The same Divine Farmer Hoe that belonged to Jiang Lianshan?” Gu Hai was astonished.

“Yes, that’s right. Here, you are suppressed, but I’m not. That was why I could stand toe to toe with you earlier. If it were outside, I wouldn’t be your match,” the elderly figure chuckled bitterly.

“You’ve gained sentience? Wait a moment. You accompanied us to eight hundred thousand years in the past, and then you stayed behind with Jiang Lianshan. It has been eight hundred thousand years since then for you; you experienced it all?” Gu Hai frowned.

“Strictly speaking, I was asleep in the East Spiritual Fire Sea for eight hundred thousand years. This place is where His Holy Eminence met his end. When His Holy Eminence passed on, he was serene; he seemed to have glimpsed Murong Yan. Even though he was shattered to pieces by the Six Paths Veritable Lord, His Holy Eminence wanted to die. At the moment of his death, His Holy Eminence smiled!” the Divine Farmer Hoe reminisced with a forced smile.

“Are you saying that Jiang Lianshan died?” Gu Hai asked, bewildered.

Jiang Lianshan died? Then who was the person I saw previously?

The Divine Farmer Hoe did not seem to catch the meaning of Gu Hai’s words. He nodded and continued, “His Holy Eminence engaged in a lengthy battle with the Six Paths Veritable Lord. The Six Paths Veritable Lord repeatedly used the holy sword against me during the battle, and I learned the holy sword. However, I suffered numerous wounds in the end. My hoe was shattered in the battle, and only the handle remained, barely holding on!”

“You learned your holy sword from the Six Paths Veritable Lord? However, you mentioned earlier that Jiang Lianshan died. So, who was the Jiang Lianshan I saw a few days ago? Isn’t he Jiang Lianshan?” Gu Hai questioned, his brows furrowing.

“That’s the reason for my lingering attachment. He is both His Holy Eminence and not. His Holy Eminence yearned for death with all his heart. When he died, it could be considered fulfilling his wish. However…,” the Divine Farmer Hoe sighed bitterly.

“Wait a moment, you need to tell me who the Jiang Lianshan I saw a few days ago is. What do you mean by ‘both His Holy Eminence and not’?” Gu Hai said, his frown deepening.

The Divine Farmer Hoe glanced at Gu Hai and finally sighed, “He was a physical soul of His Holy Eminence, the fire deity!”

“The fire deity?” Gu Hai was taken aback.

“Yes, His Holy Eminence’s three spiritual souls and six of his physical souls were destroyed in that battle. However, the fire physical soul—the fire deity—survived because of the East Spiritual Fire Sea. Although it retained His Holy Eminence’s memories, as a physical soul, it couldn’t possess His Holy Eminence’s emotions. He is the fire deity, and it’s only because of the East Spiritual Fire Sea’s power that he hasn’t scattered. Therefore, he cannot leave the East Spiritual Fire Sea!” the Divine Farmer Hoe explained.

“He’s Jiang Lianshan’s fire deity? No wonder I sensed he had lost his humanity yet still carried traces of Jiang Lianshan from his conversations!” Gu Hai frowned.

“A person’s true body is based on their three spiritual souls, with the seven physical souls derived from them as the foundation. Without the three spiritual souls, the seven physical souls should scatter, but this fire deity didn’t. He has been impersonating His Holy Eminence. He is just a part of His Holy Eminence; how can he be qualified? I once went to look for him but got severely injured by his schemes. Haha…,” the Divine Farmer Hoe said bitterly.

Gu Hai frowned and asked, “The physical soul is also a part of a person, so why do you…?”

“He is only a part of His Holy Eminence, not the whole. It’s like your hair falling out; can it impersonate you and deceive others?” replied the Divine Farmer Hoe with distaste.

“Huh!” Gu Hai was momentarily stunned.

“Gu Hai, how are His Holy Eminence’s family members doing now?” the Divine Farmer Hoe inquired, looking at Gu Hai.

Gu Hai remained silent for a moment before recounting the events that had transpired over the years.

“You see, if he were truly His Holy Eminence, could he have stood by and watched Prince Chiyou die? If he were His Holy Eminence, would he have watched Murong Yan die?” the Divine Farmer Hoe said indignantly.

“What has he been planning in the East Spiritual Fire Sea for the past few decades? I heard from the Unborn Man’s interrogation of Lifespan Xiahou that you mentioned something about the vermilion bird’s treasure?” Gu Hai asked curiously.

The Divine Farmer Hoe fell silent for a while and nodded. “His Holy Eminence’s fire deity seeks to obtain the vermilion bird’s power to use the East Spiritual Fire Sea for nirvanic rebirth! These years, he has been searching for the vermilion bird’s treasure.”

“Nirvanic rebirth? Jiang Lianshan’s resurrection?” Gu Hai’s eyes widened.

“Hah! Don’t bother thinking about it. The so-called nirvanic rebirth doesn’t mean His Holy Eminence will come back to life. It’s about transforming his fire deity into a soul body, reconstructing his physical body with the fire deity as the core, forming a new set of three spiritual souls, not the original His Holy Eminence—at most carrying His Holy Eminence’s memories!” explained the Divine Farmer Hoe.

“The vermilion bird’s treasure? He’s been searching for it for eight hundred thousand years, and he hasn’t found it yet? Doesn’t that mean it doesn’t exist?” Gu Hai frowned.

“No, it exists. We saw the Vermilion Bird Prime when His Holy Eminence fought with the Six Paths Veritable Lord eight hundred thousand years ago,” the Divine Farmer Hoe said.

“You saw the vermilion bird? It didn’t die?” Gu Hai was astonished.

”It’s true, right here in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. His Holy Eminence’s fire deity managed to escape the destruction of the Six Paths Veritable Lord with the help of the Vermilion Bird Prime!” the Divine Farmer Hoe recalled.

“What happened?” Gu Hai asked in amazement.

“That year, His Holy Eminence fought the Six Paths Veritable Lord. The Six Paths Veritable Lord possessed the Immortal Origin and kept growing stronger. His Holy Eminence was eventually defeated. This was His Holy Eminence’s final battle here, where he vented his last regrets, seeking death with all his heart. In the end, he prepared to trigger the power of the East Spiritual Fire Sea, intending to self-detonate and take the Six Paths Veritable Lord with him,” the Divine Farmer Hoe recalled.

“Trigger the power of the East Spiritual Fire Sea and self-detonate?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, he failed. The Six Paths Veritable Lord used the Immortal Origin to drive the three thousand Great Dao, sealing His Holy Eminence before his self-detonation could succeed. At the last moment, just before His Holy Eminence’s body was shattered, a flame burst forth from within His Holy Eminence’s body, propelling both of us out. That burst of flame escaped the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s notice. His Holy Eminence’s body was completely shattered!” the Divine Farmer Hoe recalled.

“That burst of flame?” Gu Hai frowned.

“Yes, that burst of flame carried His Holy Eminence’s fire deity and me into the sea of fire. After the Six Paths Veritable Lord left, it condensed into an enormous flaming vermilion bird.”

“The flaming vermilion bird sealed a strand of Southern Bright Li Flame into His Holy Eminence’s fire deity, preserving the fire deity’s body. It told him that as long as he didn’t leave the East Spiritual Fire Sea, he could survive indefinitely within the East Spiritual Fire Sea using the fire deity’s body. The vermilion bird also mentioned that it was just one strand of its energy body, and the rest of its energy was sealed somewhere in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. His Holy Eminence’s fire deity was tasked with finding it. Finding the vermilion bird’s treasure would allow him to undergo nirvanic rebirth,” the Divine Farmer Hoe recounted.

“One strand of the vermilion bird’s energy body?”

“Yes, it seemed like the vermilion bird was sealed in a certain place. Even it couldn’t clearly describe the location. It only knew it was in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. It was a struggle for the vermilion bird to release even a trace of its energy. However, that released energy couldn’t last long. After mentioning the vermilion bird’s treasure, it scattered,” the Divine Farmer Hoe recalled.

“What happened next?”

“After that? His Holy Eminence’s fire deity wanted to refine me to make me obey him. I only obey His Holy Eminence. How could I agree to his demands? We had a falling-out. Although I initially didn’t intend to kill him—after all, he was a part of His Holy Eminence—he plotted against me, and I narrowly escaped. Later, I sought revenge, but I failed. I couldn’t bear the failure. I want to destroy him, who impersonated His Holy Eminence, and that’s the only lingering obsession I’ve had all these years!” the Divine Farmer Hoe said with hatred.

“You want to destroy him?” Gu Hai asked sternly.

“Yes, His Holy Eminence’s three spiritual souls are the foundation. Even if the seven physical souls scatter, as long as the three spiritual souls are intact, he can reconstruct his body and form a new set of seven physical souls. In other words, the physical soul is just an enchanted-treasure type of existence for the soul body. His Holy Eminence’s fire deity and I are similar enchanted treasures. How could he have the qualifications to refine me?” the Divine Farmer Hoe said firmly.

“It’s been eight hundred thousand years, and he still hasn’t found the place where the vermilion bird is sealed?” Gu Hai frowned.

“Eight hundred thousand years should have been enough for him to dig one meter into the East Spiritual Fire Sea. However, if it weren’t for that moment when he truly encountered the Vermilion Bird Prime, no one would have believed it!” the Divine Farmer Hoe sighed.

“I understand now why Jiang Lianshan needs Jingwei. He requires the Vermilion Bird Deity within Jingwei to locate the vermilion bird, break the seal, and use the vermilion bird’s treasure to undergo nirvanic rebirth,” Gu Hai said solemnly.

“The Vermilion Bird Deity?” The Divine Farmer Hoe was momentarily puzzled.

Gu Hai then recounted the story of Jingwei and Lin Waner.

“I see now. Haha! He has truly gone to great lengths, deceiving His Holy Eminence from back then and leaving the little princess in such a state. It is all to satisfy his selfish desires. He…he has found a certain node in the East Spiritual Fire Sea and wants to use the Vermilion Bird Deity, employing that forbidden technique, to offer the little princess’s life as a sacrifice to the East Spiritual Fire Sea and unseal the Vermilion Bird Prime?” the Divine Farmer Hoe said with an unsightly scowl.

“Use Waner’s life as a sacrifice? He wants to kill Waner and harm Jingwei?” Gu Hai’s expression abruptly turned glacial.