Poison God's Heritage

"You idiot!" The first words out of Liang Yu's mouth after she had finally calmed down were sharp, almost as if they were meant to cut through the tension in the air. Her eyes were red and puffy, still glistening with tears that hadn't quite dried. "Do you know how long it's been? How worried we were?

And then the moment we see you again, you just go and die!" Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke, the frustration and sorrow evident in every syllable.

YuYu, her expression equally anguished, added her voice to the mix. "You really are heartless, Shen Bao. Do you even realize how difficult it was for us to reach the Emperor stage? Resources for normal cultivators were so scarce, and we took great risks just to stay by your side. And yet, you keep throwing your life away like it's nothing.

Didn't you once tell me that all you wanted was to live like a normal cultivator?" Her words were laced with a mixture of disappointment and pain, her usually calm demeanor completely undone by the emotional turmoil of the past days.

I couldn't help but feel a deep pang of guilt as I listened to them. They were right, of course. I had been reckless, and they had paid the price for it in their own ways. But I knew I had to reassure them, even if I wasn't entirely sure how to atone for the pain I had caused. So, I reached out and gently pulled them closer, linking our heads together in an intimate, comforting gesture.

"I understand your concerns, I really do," I began softly, my voice carrying the weight of sincerity. "But you both know my rotten luck—trouble just seems to find me no matter where I go. All I want is to pursue knowledge, to learn more about this vast world we live in.

But the more I uncover, the more problems arise, as if the universe itself conspires against me." I paused, letting out a small, rueful chuckle. "Still, let's head to the palace. Thanks to the Suns, the Rakshasa have had to hold back on a full offensive. It seems like they're no longer so determined to take over directly."

"For now," I added, glancing around the city. "Let's get back to the palace first. I could use a drink… After all, it's not every day you get to die and come back."

As we made our way through the city, I couldn't help but notice the muted reactions of the citizens. They were mildly interested in what was happening, but their concern seemed half-hearted at best. Some offered congratulations on my miraculous revival, praising it as a sign of divine favor. Others were more skeptical, calling the entire thing a theatrical performance designed to awe and impress.

And then there were those who simply didn't care, their apathy as evident as the sky above us.

We moved through the bustling streets toward the palace, listening to the murmurs of the people around us.

"They really do lack loyalty, Shen Bao," YuYu noted, her tone tinged with disapproval. "Rare are those who mourned your passing, and even rarer are those who came to pay their respects. If this had been the Purple Cloud Sect, the entire sect would have been in mourning for forty days."

"It's fine," I replied with a dismissive wave. "Unlike your sect, these people have no loyalty to me personally. They're loyal to what I can provide for them. You can't blame them—I came in and took the mantle of ruler without earning their trust first. That kind of loyalty takes time, and I haven't exactly given them a reason to pledge their hearts to me."

Soon, we arrived at the palace, where X and Y stood at the entrance, waiting for us.

"Scared you a bit, didn't I?" I asked, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"We know not of fear, Master," Y responded with a slight bow. "We always trust in your return. Welcome back, Master Shen Bao."

The two opened the palace gates, and as I stepped inside, I was greeted by a sight that made me pause. There, in the grand hall, was the councilor, completely naked and in the midst of some rather unsavory activities with no fewer than five women. He was wearing the old, wrinkled crown, sitting on the throne as if he were the king himself.

Half of the women were unconscious, sprawled out in a grotesque display of excess and depravity.

Gotta give the old man some credit—he was certainly living it up. But his actions were disrespectful, especially in such a sacred space. In any other situation, his head would have rolled for this.

"Clean this shit up," I commanded, my voice cold as I forced back the urge to burn everything to ashes right then and there. "And prepare a meeting room for us."

The councilor's eyes widened in terror as he hastily wrapped something around himself, gathering up the women with his Qi and zooming out of the room with an embarrassing lack of dignity.

I snapped my fingers, and a small flame ignited at the base of the throne. It was a soul flame—one that should have been a mere spark, but it flared up far mightier than I had intended. The fire was bright, beautiful even, and it consumed the throne and everything around it in an instant, leaving not even a single speck of ash.

"My Liege, the room is ready," a servant announced, arriving just in time to see the aftermath of the flame's fury.

We walked into the prepared room, and as I pulled out some wine, YuYu leaned in, her curiosity piqued. "So, what exactly happened?" she asked.

"Well, I'd like to tell you," I replied, swirling the wine in my glass, "but we'll need to wait until everyone's here."

No sooner had the words left my mouth than the Blue Sun appeared at my side, her robes immaculate, her appearance flawless. She had taken the time to wash up and reapply her makeup, and she looked stunning—far more polished than YuYu and Liang Yu, who still had runny mascara and tear-streaked faces.

The contrast was impossible to ignore, and the two women quickly excused themselves, rushing off to freshen up.

"Wait for me!" The Red Sun burst into the room, his presence burning with a crimson rage that seemed to radiate from his very core. His aura was so vivid, so thick, that it felt like a living, breathing entity swirling around him.

"Hoo, you can see it now," the Red Sun remarked, noticing my reaction to his aura.

"See what?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"The Aura of Carnage," he explained, a hint of pride in his voice. "It's my special thing, the reason I'm called the Laughing Slaughterer. Achieving an understanding in the Dao of Slaughter isn't something just anyone can do. But enough about that—tell us, how did you live after death?"

"You're too hasty," the Flamboyant Sun interjected, appearing out of nowhere as he often did. "We're still missing the Dusking Sun."

"No need to worry about him," the Blue Sun replied, holding up her bracelet. "He's still taking care of the old man. The Lording Sun's not fully calm yet."

"I see," I said, settling into a chair as I began to recount the events that had transpired. Liang Yu and YuYu returned, sitting on either side of me as I spoke. I had to be careful with my words—there were things I couldn't reveal, not even to them.

I started by explaining how I obtained the Peach of Rebirth, a rare and precious item that had once been presented at the Tournament of the Strongest Under the Sun.

I mentioned the strange journey I took into limbo, where I faced trials that I couldn't fully remember—trials that left me feeling as though I had spent ten thousand years battling a god, dying over and over again until the heavens had had enough.

"It seems that the heavens are indeed mighty," I continued, choosing my words carefully. "I can't recall all of what happened, and maybe I was hallucinating. But it felt real—terrifyingly real. The heavens seemed conflicted by something I had done, something related to my soul. It was a taboo, something I shouldn't have touched."

"There are very few taboos that would provoke the heavenly order to strike someone down," the Flamboyant Sun mused. "And you don't strike me as a Devil Cultivator who's gone too far. Not even the Death Sun was struck down, and he's killed more lives than you've seen in your lifetime."
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"Perhaps," I replied, allowing a small pause to draw out the tension. "But the thing is, the memory of the taboo was erased from my mind." This, of course, was a lie, but one I had to tell.

"That's to be expected," the Flamboyant Sun said with a knowing nod. "The heavens are jealous and wouldn't want their secrets to be revealed. Just in case…" He waved his hand, and a shimmering bubble of energy surrounded us. "This barrier won't do much against a heavenly decree, but it will distort your words enough to keep you from accidentally revealing something you shouldn't."

I nodded in understanding and continued. "The trial I faced… I can't remember much, but I know it was brutal. When I woke up, it felt like I had spent an eternity being torn apart and put back together. The Fruit of Rebirth must have brought me back, but the Death Decree was what killed me in the first place."

"Those are two promises from

the heavens that contradict each other," the Red Sun said thoughtfully. "No wonder they gave you an out. The heavens can't be called liars—they promised you death and life, and the only way to resolve that paradox was through a trial. It's fair, in a way."

As we discussed the events, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught my attention. The entire area around us felt as though it was being compressed, condensed by a force far greater than anything I had ever experienced.

"You felt that?" I asked, my senses on high alert.

"We did," the Red Sun responded, his expression turning grim. "But how did you? What just happened was the movement of Origin Qi. You're not an Origin Qi cultivator yet, are you?"

I frowned, extending my hand and manifesting a small, condensed orb of Qi. It was different—more potent, more refined than anything I had ever wielded before. It had a primordial feel to it, a power that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"You've really reached the Origin Stage," the Red Sun said, his voice tinged with awe as he studied the orb of Qi in my hand.

"That's all well and good," the Blue Sun interjected, her tone urgent. "But we have a problem. We've been sealed in here… and that can only be the work of one man."

I spread my Divine Sense, and sure enough, the entire dome of the imperial city was locked down by an even larger, more powerful barrier. The source of this was unmistakable—the Cryptic Sun, standing alongside three other cultivators. My gaze zeroed in on one of them, and my blood ran cold.

"That woman…" Tao Yang hissed, her eyes narrowing with recognition. "That's the Death Widow!"

"The Death Sun's slaves," the Red Sun growled, his rage reigniting. "What are they doing here?"

It was clear that trouble was brewing—trouble that I hadn't asked for but had found me all the same. Problems, it seemed, were drawn to me like moths to a flame.

"Well, here we go again…" I muttered to myself, bracing for the inevitable chaos that was about to unfold.