A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm-Chapter 1361: Grievances
Chapter 1361: Grievances
Before the light from the Bodhi Dao Fruits had completely faded away, layers of spiritual light appeared over the bodies of many of the cultivators present, and a strange atmosphere descended upon the entire venue.
Oh? There really are people making breakthroughs here...
The Reincarnation Palace Master cast his gaze toward a table in the distance to discover that a young man who had accompanied a senior of his clan to the banquet had just broken through a bottleneck to reach the late-Golden Immortal Stage.
Immediately thereafter, seven or eight more cultivators made breakthroughs in rapid succession.
The Reincarnation Palace Master noticed that almost all of them were below the High Zenith Stage, which made sense, considering the loftier one's cultivation base, the more difficult it was for one to make breakthroughs.
However, judging from the excited looks on the faces of the High Zenith cultivators present, it was clear that they had also benefited immensely from this experience.
Even though the Great Encompassment cultivators present had predominantly received dao fruits of a higher caliber, their cultivation bases were already too lofty for the consumption of their dao fruits to make an immediate difference.
However, that was certainly not to say that they weren't also benefiting from their dao fruits.
Only after a long while did all of the banquet attendees awaken from their meditative state, and Gu Huojin swept his gaze over the entire venue with a wide smile as he said, "I'm glad to see all of you taking full advantage of this opportunity."
A white-robed young man who had just made a breakthrough rose to his feet in excitement, then knelt down and kowtowed to Gu Huojin as he said, "It's all thanks to your infinite generosity, Supreme Lord. We are forever grateful to you!"
Many of the other banquet attendees also followed suit, expressing their gratitude to Gu Huojin and the Heavenly Court.
A faint smile appeared on the Reincarnation Palace Master's face upon seeing this, and he mused, "As expected of the Heavenly Court to be able to win over so many hearts with just these Bodhi Dao Fruits..."
He wasn't speaking particularly loudly, nor had he done anything to amplify his own voice, but given the cultivation bases of everyone present, his words were still loud enough to attract everyone's attention, and most of the banquet attendees were not very pleased to hear this flippant remark.
An elderly man sprang to his feet as he yelled, "The Reincarnation Palace has always been going against the Heavenly Court and the natural order, wreaking havoc throughout the entire True Immortal Region. In his infinite generosity, the supreme lord has allowed you a seat at this Bodhi Banquet, the least you can do in return is keep your mouth shut!"
That seemed to have opened the floodgates, and a flurry of complaints and accusations were levied against the Reincarnation Palace Master.
Gu Huojin continued to maintain an amicable, smiling facade as he made a quieting gesture, and the commotion quickly died down.
"Do not be so hostile, everyone. Our Heavenly Court and the Reincarnation Palace have been at odds with each other for countless years, and it's already impossible to recall what initially sparked the conflict and which side is in the wrong. I have invited the Reincarnation Palace Master to the Bodhi Banquet to propose a peaceful resolution, not for a public lynching," Gu Huojin said.
Everyone nodded in praise of Gu Huojin's foresight and eye for the bigger picture upon hearing this.
"As expected of the ruler of the Heavenly Court! I don't think there's anyone else under the heavens that can tell such atrocious lies with the same degree of composure as you!" the Reincarnation Palace Master chuckled.
"Are you doubting my sincerity? Is it not already enough of a show of sincerity that you were able to arrive here safely, while the armies that you've assembled outside my heavenly gates have not been forcibly quashed? If you're willing to set aside our past differences and strive for peace, then I would be eager to do the same," Gu Huojin said.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
Many of the banquet attendees were clearly not very happy to hear this.
"You're going to become allies with a scoundrel like him? You're going to simply let bygones be bygones? Then what about my personal differences with the Heavenly Court? What about the lives of all of the loyal subordinates of the Heavenly Court that were taken by the Reincarnation Palace?" True Lord Cang Wu yelled.
"We can't just hold onto past grudges forever, Fellow Daoist Cang Wu. While it's true that many Heavenly Court cultivators have perished at the hands of the Reincarnation Palace over the years, the reverse is also true. If we do not move on, then there will only be more bloodshed, and when will the cycle ever end?" Gu Huojin said in a sincere and heartfelt manner.
"You make it sound so easy! If the Heavenly Court isn't going to stand against the Reincarnation Palace, then I'll do so on my own!" True Lord Cang Wu declared in a defiant manner.
"Looks like the Heavenly Court isn't filled entirely with spineless yes men after all," the Reincarnation Palace Master remarked with a hint of praise in his voice.
"I've shown you my sincerity, Palace Master. Are you really not willing to accept a peaceful resolution?" Gu Huojin asked.
"A peaceful resolution? Why don't you take a look at my face first before you decide whether your offer still stands," the Reincarnation Palace Master harrumphed coldly as he finally removed the veiled hat that was perpetually on his head.
A hint of incredulity flashed through Gu Huojin's eyes upon seeing the Reincarnation Palace Master's true appearance, and the other Dao Ancestors beside him were also displaying similar emotions of astonishment, particularly Li Yuanjiu.
"Han Li?!" Li Yuanjiu involuntarily exclaimed.
This was a name that most of the banquet attendees were familiar with.
Initially, it was a name that was only occasionally brought up in passing, but as his powers and feats continued to grow, his name was heard more and more frequently, with his most recent and most astonishing confirmed feat being his defeat of Dao Ancestor Feng Qingshui.
After that, it was rumored that he had brought about Xuanyuan Jie's demise, but there was no substantial evidence to back up these claims, so barely anyone had taken the rumors seriously.
Regardless of how powerful the three paramount laws were, surely it was too far-fetched for a Great Encompassment cultivator to have slain one of the Seven Heavenly Dao Lords.
"The Reincarnation Palace Master is Han Li?"
"But that doesn't make sense on the timeline..." a Great Encompassment cultivator that had been battling against the Reincarnation Palace for many years murmured to himself.
"Isn't Han Li a cultivator of the laws of time? What's going on here?"
"Could it be that Supreme Lord Xuanyuan Jie really has fallen, and his demise was brought about by the Reincarnation Palace?"
......
The entire venue had erupted into a frenzy, and there were all types of wild theories and conjecture being thrown around with regard to Han Li and the Reincarnation Palace Master.
Yu Menghan was also astonished beyond belief, and she was almost unable to suppress the urge to rise to her feet upon catching a clear glimpse of the Reincarnation Palace Master, but thankfully, Meng Po was able to react in time and hold her down by the shoulder.
"Don't be reckless!" she scolded through voice transmission.
She didn't know why Yu Menghan had suddenly lost her composure, but she had a feeling that it had something to do with that Five Lightning True Mantra.
However, Yu Menghan calmed down on her own, and she carefully examined the Reincarnation Palace Master for a moment before murmuring to herself, "It's not him..."
"No wonder Chen Tuan's past divinations yielded such confounding and ambiguous outcomes, it's because the cycle of karma has already been thrown into disarray," Gu Huojin murmured to himself with an enlightened expression, as if a question that had been weighing on him for many years had finally been answered.
"It sounds like you've figured it out already, Fellow Daoist Gu," the Reincarnation Palace Master remarked.
"I feel like I have a good grasp on what's happened. You are Han Li, and Han Li is also you, is that correct?" Gu Huojin asked, and his question only served to further confuse everyone.
"All those years ago, you hunted me down and killed my dao partner just because you couldn't tolerate someone else standing at the pinnacle of the laws of time with you. In what I had thought were going to be my final moments, I was able to go back in time, and I reinvented myself into the Reincarnation Palace Master. Do you still think our past differences can simply be set aside now?" the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.
Everyone was becoming more and more perplexed by the second, while Li Yuanjiu raised an eyebrow, seemingly having just pieced together part of the puzzle.
He was naturally aware that it was impossible for one person to simultaneously cultivate two of the three paramount laws at once. The Reincarnation Palace Master and Han Li were the same person, but also not the same person.
In that case, which one of them was the one that had bestowed those cultivation arts upon him in the past?
