Chapter 88.2 Divine Artifact: Chongyu Harp

He raised his hand and aimed the God Slaying Crossbow right at Chongyu, who panicked and cried while it hid in Su Su’s arms, “Save me, save me!”

It completely lost its domineering appearance from just before, and was now crying like a child in her palm.

Su Su held it up and asked in confusion, “Aren’t you the most powerful divine artifact in the Six Realms and Ten Directions?”

“But that requires someone to wield me. If my Master is powerful, then I’ll be powerful. Besides, he has the God Slaying Crossbow in his hands,” Chongyu said aggrievedly.

It couldn’t help but shrink into Su Su’s arms again.

As they spoke, little Su Su raised her head and looked at the newcomer.

The young man was standing in the air, his figure thin. The hem of his black clothes were swaying in the wind. A smile hung on his lips, but his red pupils were cold, and the devilish Qi around his body was running rampant while blood dripped from his hands.

The girl looked at him in a daze. Her mouth pouted, and she was also on the verge of crying like Chongyu.

Su Su was nurturing her soul and still didn’t know anything. Her innate spiritual body instinctively told her that the aura of this person, who’d seemed to like her earlier, didn’t seem quite right.

She remembered him saying that he hated her. If he hates me, will he kill me?

All Tantai Jin saw was blood red. He caught up with them after killing the countless wǎngs blocking his path, and devilish Qi filled his eyes. His icy-cold eyes were looking at them emotionlessly.

When he reached out his hand, little Su Su was quick to react ¹ 急中生智 (jízhōng-shēngzhì) – an idiom; have quick wits (or show resourcefulness) in an emergency; hit upon a plan in desperation; suddenly hit on a way out of a predicament and she wrapped her hand around his wrist. “Don’t kill us, I’ll be very powerful when I grow up, I can protect you!” She said in her childish voice.

Chongyu was in her arms, thinking in despair, what kind of promise is that! He had obviously fallen into devilhood. People who have fallen into devilhood can’t listen to reason, and have already become slaves to the devil artifact. 

Besides, this is the God Slaying Crossbow that can take over one’s mind. Once it’s used, there’s no way to turn back. You gain supreme power but are turned into a madman with only eyes for massacre.

I wonder why this person has the God Slaying Crossbow? Wasn’t it destroyed in the underworld back in ancient times?

Chongyu gritted its teeth, about to use all its power to fight the newcomer and protect Su Su so they could escape.

But suddenly, it heard the young man repeat in a low voice, “Protect me?”

“Yes, protect you!” The girl replied crisply.

“Are you… lying to me?”

The girl shook her head.

The young man looked like he was struggling for a moment, the desire in his eyes for killing and self-destruction flickered, but finally quieted down. Chongyu watched the scene with surprise. The God Slaying Crossbow disappeared from the hand of the black-clad young man, and his red pupils lost their color and turned black again.

Without the devilish Qi running rampant, Chongyu could finally see his looks clearly.

He was actually a breathtakingly attractive young man. Due to extreme blood loss, his skin was pale, but his lips held a captivatingly vibrant red hue.

Under the apprehensive gazes of both a person and a harp, he crouched down and picked the little girl up from the lotus seat.

Chongyu came back to its senses and hurriedly said, “Wait! You can’t leave. I must bring her into the valley.”

The young man looked at Chongyu with a cold and gloomy gaze.

Chongyu weakly said, “We c-can only l-leave the Thousand Miles Picture Scroll and Cangyuan Secret Realm after going in. I-I’m not lying to you. This is because of the lingering attachment of the owner of the secret realm. He…… has been waiting for many years.”

“Cangyuan Secret Realm has an owner?” Tantai Jin asked.

“Of course.”

Tantai Jin looked pensive. Only the mighty ancients had the power to own secret realms. But the lingering attachment of such a person actually wanted to take a look at Su Su, what was her relationship with him?

After explaining, Chongyu looked at Tantai Jin expectantly, expecting him to walk in with Su Su, but he coldly turned around and left.

Seeing that they were getting farther and farther away from the valley, and that the young man was planning to just tear the Thousand Miles Picture Scroll in front of him with his bare hands, Chongyu anxiously let out a burst of sound waves, trying to stop Tantai Jin’s steps.

“Her father wants to see her!” Chongyu finally said aloud.

At its words, little Su Su poked her head out curiously, “My father?”

Chongyu knew that she was currently nurturing her soul, so she wouldn’t have any memory of this in the future. This was also its Master’s original intention when leaving the Cangyuan Secret Realm behind, he was hoping that she would live without any burdens.

“Her father is also my Master, the owner of the Cangyuan Secret Realm. After the Great War of Gods and Devils, his body died and his Dao dissipated, and it’s been nearly ten thousand years since then. Because of the Devil God’s order, Master, who was the leader of the wangs and the ancient Demon King, had no choice but to injure Goddess Chu ² 初 (Chū) – a surname; also means first/the beginning Huang ³ 凰 (huáng) – female phoenix . Later, he learned that she had been pregnant with his child, but because of that hit, Su Su was a stillborn egg,” Chongyu weakly said.

“Goddess Chu Huang was heartbroken, and hated him to the core. She destroyed her own String of Affection, and with the Ninth Heaven Curved Jade as a medium, she used the power of space and time to gather her daughter’s souls ⁴ Previously, I have included a tl note regarding souls and spirits in case you are wondering why soul(s) is used here. from the Six Realms. If I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t until just a hundred years ago that Su Su could finally break out of her shell and come out into this world.”

Chongyu’s voice was sorrowful, “Before Master died in battle, he pulled out his Heart Protecting Scale, hoping that it would ensure Goddess Chu Huang and Su Su’s safety. He also extracted his own String of Affection and gave it to the Goddess. His only regret was being unable to watch Su Su grow up.”

Tantai Jin listened expressionlessly.

String of Affection, Heart Protecting Scale, everything coincided with the things in Ye Bing Shang’s hands five hundred years ago.

It turned out to be the Heart Protecting Scale of the leader of the ancient wangs. It’s just that the Demon King never knew that his Heart Protecting Scale didn’t reach the hands of Chu Huang and their daughter, instead falling into the mundane world.

It would be meaningless to look into these things now.

Chongyu was afraid that Tantai Jin wouldn’t be moved and he’d still take Su Su away, so it hurriedly added, “My Master isn’t a bad person! He loved Chu Huang, and had no intention of hurting his own daughter. Many years later, he collected countless natural materials and treasures, wanting to help his daughter awaken. He personally cast me, Chongyu konghou , hoping that it would protect her in the future. Unfortunately, the Great War of Gods and Devils came so suddenly, and he didn’t have time to hand over everything.”

His body and soul faded away, leaving only a trace of lingering attachment in the Cangyuan Secret Realm, that wanted to see his daughter.

Because of this, Chongyu opened the Thousand Miles Picture Scroll. Su Su could grow up a year a day in the picture scroll, which could be considered as fulfilling its Master’s only wish.

Tantai Jin was indeed unmoved. Despite having a String of Affection, a person who hadn’t received a day of affection from those close to him would never understand what the word ‘father’ meant to someone else.

He took Su Su to leave, but the girl in his arms tugged at his collar and said, “I want to go see Dad!”

After speaking, she recklessly moved to throw herself at Chongyu konghou .

Tantai Jin tightened his arms and hugged her tightly.

The girl’s eyes were red. Although she didn’t quite understand the story that Chongyu recounted, blood was thicker than water, so she still subconsciously wanted to do something.

Seeing her innocently stubborn eyes, Tantai Jin said, “I’ll take you there.”

Chongyu flew into the air, happily leading the way for them.

This was the reason it was stationed in the Cangyuan Secret Realm, and after today, it could finally leave this place.

For many years, Chongyu had no one to talk to. Now that the person it was waiting for was finally here, Chongyu transformed into a chatterbox and conversed with Su Su.

Chongyu glanced at the young man who was carrying Su Su, still thinking about the scene just now. It knew that Tantai Jin was dangerous, so it couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you have the God Slaying Crossbow with you?”

Didn’t the God Slaying Crossbow fall into the underworld, how could this proud and arrogant devil artifact merge into the flesh and blood of a cultivator?

Chongyu looked everywhere but couldn’t find the slightest hint of devilish Qi from the young man.

He was an authentic ⁵ 如假包换 (rújiǎbāohuàn) – replacement guaranteed if not genuine cultivator.

Tantai Jin can wield the God Slaying Crossbow but still retrieve it back! What kind of terrifying talent is this!

If people outside knew about this, then no matter if they were immortals or devils, they would never let him go.

The Devil Realm would want to make him the Devil Lord, while it feared that the Immortal Realm would eliminate him.

Chongyu had been hidden in the secret realm for nearly ten thousand years. It was the last unknown divine artifact in the world. The ancient Demon King had put both mental and physical effort into gathering materials, and had asked a weapon craftsman to cast it. It wasn’t as powerful as the naturally existing divine artifacts from ancient times, and it had no innate bias against demons and devils.

Even so, Chongyu was still shocked. Even a powerful ancient Demon King like its Master couldn’t use a divine artifact. But a young immortal cultivator of merely the Golden Elixir stage could actually use a devil artifact. Who exactly was he?

Tantai Jin lowered his head, and the girl in his arms looked back at him without blinking. She was extremely sharp, and asked a similar question to Chongyu’s. It’s just that hers was more straightforward, “Are you a bad person?”

He looked at the cinnabar between her eyebrows and said, “I don’t know.”

It’s not up to me to decide, but you.

After you leave the Cangyuan Secret Realm, will you leave a bad person and love…… a good person?

Edited by: Gaze