Chapter 169 : Looking Down on People with Dog Eyes
Chapter 169: Looking Down on People with Dog Eyes
Although Ye Jingchen knew the overall situation had already been decided, deep in his heart there still lingered a trace of luck.
He indeed held in his hand an extremely special trump card—one that could be called unsolvable—sufficient to carve out a slim chance of survival in a desperate situation. However, the price of using this card was simply too great.
Unless he truly stood at the end of the road with no other options, he would never be willing to use it lightly.
In comparison, if he could endure for the time being—even if he were thrown into the infamous Nether Prison of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect and forced to suffer more than a decade or even several decades of imprisonment—that, in his view, was far better than immediately fighting to mutual destruction. As long as he lived, there would always be a chance to escape and rise again.
Thus, he abandoned any futile sophistry and struggle, and directly asked the core question,
“When… exactly did you start suspecting and targeting me?”
Since they had already set up such a precise illusion to lure him in and even bluntly called him a Destiny Luck Thief, it meant his background had already been thoroughly uncovered. There was no point in concealing anything.
It was Sect Master Zhuge who answered him.
This sect master, who usually carried a somewhat easygoing smile, now wore a solemn expression. He sighed lightly, a trace of complexity in his tone.
“From the moment you stepped into the sect and participated in the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony, you had already entered our line of sight.”
He paused slightly, as if choosing his words.
“The charm technique you wielded—one that relied on stolen Destiny Luck—was indeed extremely subtle and brilliant. Under normal circumstances, it would have been exceedingly difficult to detect.”
Then his tone shifted.
“But you were too greedy. And too confident. In a short period of time, you made people of different identities all develop goodwill toward you and associate with you… You, someone whose appearance and bearing were utterly ordinary—one could even say somewhat… hm, lecherous—yet you were able to gain such popularity. That in itself was the greatest abnormality!”
As Sect Master Zhuge spoke these words, he actually felt rather guilty inside. If not for Long Tao’s reminder, they would never have discovered the problem.
At present, they were merely retracing and investigating after the fact, piecing together the suspicious clues. Yet through this incident, as sect master, he had deeply realized that within the sect there were indeed far too many loopholes in identifying anomalies and guarding against such obscure methods.
When Ye Jingchen heard this explanation, his heart was instantly flooded with extremely complicated emotions.
On one hand, being publicly evaluated as “lecherous” filled him with intense humiliation and resentment. On the other hand, an indescribable regret surged up within him.
He believed he had acted with sufficient caution!
In order not to attract attention, he had deliberately chosen to befriend people who appeared ordinary, or those who were marginal figures within their families or circles and not valued.
For anyone who showed even slight vigilance toward him or proved difficult to win over quickly, he would decisively give up, never entangling himself.
If there was anyone he had barely lingered around, it was only that little girl who had once bought sweet cakes together with Nan Yuchen and seemed innocent and lively. But even then, it was merely arranging a chance encounter a few days later—he had not overstepped or harassed her in any way. It should never have been enough to expose him!
A powerful sense of humiliation surged within Ye Jingchen. To think that from the moment he entered the sect, he had been under surveillance—like a clown upon a stage, his every movement observed by others. That was more unbearable than simple failure.
The sect master continued calmly,
“Tell us. How did you come to know Zhou Qingshu?”
Ye Jingchen was not surprised.
Since they already knew about the theft of Destiny Luck, Zhou Qingshu must have long since been apprehended as well. He spoke frankly.
“A few years ago, he encountered me while out on a mission. At the time, he was disheartened—unvalued within his clan and rejected when he applied to join Moon-Washing Peak. I used a few methods and lured him with the promise of teaching him the Spirit Speech technique, and thus brought him under my command. However…”
A trace of disdain crossed his lips.
“This man’s aptitude in spells was indeed mediocre. Even with my special assistance, it took him quite some time to master Spirit Speech. No wonder he wasn’t valued.”
At this moment, the handsome young man standing in the middle suddenly spoke.
“Who is Ancestor Xianqi?”
Upon hearing this name, Ye Jingchen’s face revealed a genuine smile for the first time.
It was as though this was his greatest reliance—an existence sufficient to make the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect wary.
“Hmph! The one I honor as Ancestor—how could he be an ordinary figure? With you Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect cultivators, whose highest realm is no more than Nascent Soul, you think you’re qualified to inquire about his esteemed name? What, do you intend to invite out your three Deification Ancestors in seclusion within their Blessed Pocket World?”
Facing his sudden arrogance, the young man did not grow angry. Instead, he spoke leisurely,
“It seems he truly is someone extraordinary. Let me guess. Just now in the illusion, you recited three honored names: Star Lord of Fate, Old Weaver of Destiny, and Ancestor Xianqi. The first two were ancient heavenly gods who presided over fate in antiquity. Someone listed alongside them must also be a great being who controlled the Dao of destiny.”
When the young man mentioned “antiquity” and “heavenly court,” his tone was as calm as if he were chatting about everyday matters.
This caused the confidence that had just risen in Ye Jingchen to begin wavering again.
The young man did not even look at him, and continued.
“Judging from your attitude, this Ancestor Xianqi’s realm must far surpass Deification. That is not strange. In antiquity, heaven and earth were whole, and the Heavenly Dao’s suppression upon cultivation was far less than now. Great beings beyond Deification were numerous. However…”
His tone shifted, his gaze indifferent.
“What does that have to do with you?”
The question left Ye Jingchen momentarily speechless.
He had assumed that invoking Ancestor Xianqi’s name would at least cause some hesitation. Instead, it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
The young man seemed to recall something amusing, and a faint smile curved his lips.
“Do you know? Occasionally, I travel in the mortal world. Once, I entered a shop with grand decoration. Inside, the clerk looked down upon everyone. Though he was merely a hired hand with meager wages, he always carried himself as if superior to others. Curious, I asked him why. He said… it was because his employer was of noble status.”
At this point, the young man chuckled lightly and shook his head.
“That is probably what people call looking down on others with dog eyes. The employer is noble, yet the clerk inexplicably believes himself superior, proudly lifting his chest even though he himself is nothing. Right now, you are quite similar to that clerk.”
His eyes held a gentle smile, devoid of overt mockery—yet to Ye Jingchen, it felt like the greatest humiliation.
“No matter how remarkable that Ancestor Xianqi may be, what does it have to do with you? At most, you obtained a magical artifact related to him and borrowed a fraction of his power. Am I wrong?”
True Lord Luohong’s phrase—“What does it have to do with you?”—was like the sharpest awl, piercing straight through Ye Jingchen’s most fragile mental defense. The proud smile that had appeared on his face at the mention of “Ancestor Xianqi” instantly froze.
Especially that comparison to a “clerk in a high-end shop”—it completely exposed the fox-borrowing-the-tiger’s-might mentality hidden in his subconscious, filling him with burning shame.
“You… what do you understand!” Ye Jingchen snarled, putting on a fierce front to conceal his weakness, attempting to salvage some dignity. “Ancestor—he… Ancestor—!”
The young man had already lost interest in appreciating his disheveled state and continued his reasoning.
“This Ancestor Xianqi, being mentioned alongside Star Lord of Fate and Old Weaver of Destiny, must have been one of the supreme great beings who held the authority of destiny in antiquity. Strangely, I have never heard this name before. Even the sect’s ancient records contain no mention of him. That suggests he likely took that final step and merged with the Dao. Most likely one of the two supreme Great Daos—karma or destiny—thus erasing his own existence from the river of history.”
Hearing this, Sect Master Zhuge and True Person Mingzhu both showed subtle movements in their expressions, clearly intrigued by the speculation.
“However…”
The young man’s tone shifted again, a gleam of insight flashing in his eyes.
“The fact that you and I can still speak his name and retain some awareness of his identity proves that his union with the Dao is not yet complete. He cannot fully conceal himself within the river of destiny. In that case…”
A faint, indifferent smile appeared on his lips.
“He is likely just some ancient relic from antiquity lingering on to this day. Now that heaven and earth are shattered, an existence like him must be rejected by the myriad worlds. He is probably hiding within some Blessed Pocket World deep in the void, clinging to life, occasionally splitting off a few strands of Divine Sense to stir up minor disturbances in the world.”
Ye Jingchen was so shocked he could not speak. The Ancestor he revered as a god had been dissected so calmly by this young man.
What was even harder for him to accept was that most of the analysis was correct—and the remaining parts were not incorrect either; he himself simply did not know the truth.
“In antiquity, when heaven and earth underwent great upheaval, if those great beings of the Union-with-the-Dao realm had been willing to work together, they could have stabilized the cosmos and protected all living beings.”
The young man’s gaze grew cold, his tone heavy with the weight of history.
“Yet they would rather have waged Dao wars, shattering the star rivers and causing the myriad worlds to wither. Surely you do not think that these ancient relics are worthy of our reverence?”