Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 508 - 491: Regret

As he was just about to step into the entrance of the Great Battlefield, Zhou Leng caught a glimpse of a new message notification on the Demonized Watch in his peripheral vision. However, he was already moving forward and did not check the message.

Behind him, Xu Ming sent a message to Zhou Leng, smiled, and then entered.

The last person stepped in, causing a simultaneous tremor at the entrances to the Great Battlefield of the Giant Royal Court, Dragon Mountain, and Fierce Beast World.

Three divine lights shot up into the sky, piercing through endless voids, converging at a single point.

The divine lights collided, and a celestial radiance burst forth.

As the light dissipated, throughout the Ten Realms, one could look up and see three tiers of stairs suspended in the center of the sky.

The stairs resembled transparent, crystalline water, stretching tens of thousands of meters in length.

Within the Celestial Ladder, stars swirled, and starlight glimmered.

The three layers of star-sea celestial ladders were connected, illuminating the Ten Realms.

Everywhere in the Ten Realms, beings gazed up.

Shuizhou Demon City.

Because he successfully commanded the battle of Shuizhou, Chen Shouhu was promoted to Number One of the Seventh Division.

He stood in the command center, looking up at the sky.

"The frequency of the Celestial Ladder is increasing these past two years; could it be because of the final battle?"

"The last attempt to acquire the Celestial Ladder seemed to have failed. Hope this time..."

"Could it be that the Celestial Calamity Envoy’s target is the Celestial Ladder?"

"It’s said that even high-level civilizations hold the Celestial Ladder in high regard."

"What a pity, Zhou Leng seems a bit hasty. If he had restrained himself for two more years, achieved Perfection in the Great Innate, and then entered, it would have been a different spectacle."

Rucheng, Martial Guard Bureau.

Wang Boxiong took one last look at the Hall Master’s room and strode out of Rucheng Martial Arts Academy.

Today, he took office as Number One of the Rucheng Martial Guard Bureau.

The Celestial Ladder suddenly appeared, and he looked up in awe.

"As long as they can come out safely, it’s enough. We, back then, didn’t gain much inside, but even just being there far surpassed peers who’d never entered..."

Ruda classroom.

Xu Qingjin’s gaze was blank.

On one hand, she worried about Zhou Leng, not knowing where he went, but many people were looking for him these past few days, something big must have happened.

On the other hand, she worried for her mother, who became more haggard day by day since being captured by the Demon Worship Sect and rescued.

She was saved, but some relatives and friends never came back.

Hu Yi’s home.

Hu Yi cooked for his father, watched his dazed father, silently finished eating, and walked downstairs.

He glanced at the high-altitude Celestial Ladder, dazing for a moment, realized it had nothing to do with him, and continued working.

Lou Family.

Lou Shan Cauldron sat behind his desk, calmly watching his son.

"We just received news from the Dragon World, Zhou Leng’s thunderous Bone Forging, muscles and tendons like a dragon."

"Never heard of it, probably just hearsay." Lou Fei Qiong said.

Lou Shan Cauldron gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, slowly returning to calmness.

He sighed dejectedly, saying, "Sit down first."

Lou Fei Qiong glanced at his grey-haired father, recalling his father’s efforts over the years, and quietly sat down.

Lou Shan Cauldron looked at his son and smiled, saying, "I remember when you were little, you were particularly well-behaved, so sensible it was heartbreaking."

"But when you were stubborn, stubborn as a mule. Remember the incident in elementary school? A close friend of yours offended the Xu Family, and they falsely accused your friend. You stood up for him, causing that Xu Family little princess to lose face. Madam Xu, known for her sharpness, ignored her status and wanted to punish your friend. You stood in front of her, almost making it a big deal. In the end, I proactively went to the Xu Family, had a long talk that lasted all night, drank till I puked all over, and only then resolved the issue."

"An Innate Master, puking like that, I can’t even remember how much Maotai I drank."

"But, learning later that you stood by me all night, made it all worth it."

Lou Shan Cauldron looked at Lou Fei Qiong, eyes filled with affection.

Lou Fei Qiong’s gaze turned soft, turning slightly, not daring to look at his father.

Lou Shan Cauldron slowly said, "Rationally ask yourself, have I ever failed you?"

Lou Fei Qiong remained silent for a long time, "No."

"Have I ever done anything to wrong you?"

"Never thought about it." Lou Fei Qiong felt like sitting on pins and needles, a father saying such words made him feel ashamed.

Lou Shan Cauldron slowly said, "I watched you grow up, bit by bit from childhood. These days, thinking back and forth about everything over these years, going over it a dozen times, I still don’t understand, how could you change so much in just one year? What happened, to make you for the sake of Zhou Leng, turn against your own family, even wanting to remove me from the position of Patriarch."

Lou Fei Qiong appeared flustered, "Dad, I didn’t mean it, I have no interest in that position."

"Then I don’t understand, this year, every step you’ve taken, wasn’t it to target both me and the Lou Family?"

"I wouldn’t dare." Lou Fei Qiong replied.

"Then why are you doing this?" Lou Shan Cauldron asked.

Lou Fei Qiong bowed his head, remaining silent.

Lou Shan Cauldron sighed deeply and said, "Your old man here has walked more bridges than you have walked roads, and your uncles are all sharp people. We trusted you before, didn’t get involved, and naturally, we didn’t know. Now that we’ve received news and information from all sides, everything is clear. Today, let’s lay it all out, father and son, have an open and honest talk, and clarify everything from start to finish, can we?"

Lou Fei Qiong moved his lips but remained silent.

"I am your father. Can I harm you? Moreover, things have come to this point, is there anything we can’t talk about? Must we, father and son, end up turning against each other and severing our blood ties?"

"I don’t know what to say." Lou Fei Qiong ultimately couldn’t harden his heart.

Lou Shan Cauldron sighed softly and said, "Then just tell me why you protect Zhou Leng, from the beginning to the end, tell it all once more."

Lou Fei Qiong was silent for a long time, his eyes moved as if seeing an old painting, and he spoke slowly.

"You just mentioned my childhood, so let’s start from there."

"Most of my childhood memories are blurry, but there are a few that are very clear, and one of them involves you."

"That day, I walked up to you and asked, ’What does this sentence mean: ’Both body and name will perish, but rivers and mountains endure forever’?"

"You took me to the world map."

"You said, the meaning of that sentence is, some people are shameless scoundrels; others hang like the sun and moon in the sky. Those shameless scoundrels always love to attack the virtuous sages who hang like the sun and moon. But in reality, as time goes on, the bodies and names of the scoundrels fade into the river of history, while the great figures they attack flow like mighty rivers across the land, remembered by mankind for eternity."

"You said at the time, that both of us, father and son, must work together to become an eternal river of humanity, rather than shameless scoundrels."

"So I secretly resolved to strive to become enduring like you said."

"I want to ask you now, do you remember that incident?"

Lou Shan Cauldron tried hard to recall, and finally said, "I don’t want to lie to you, but I truly have forgotten it."

"Yes, you forgot, but I remember." Lou Fei Qiong seemed to have known the answer long ago.

"And then?" Lou Shan Cauldron asked.

"Three months after that conversation, I stood up for a classmate who was falsely accused."

The father and son locked eyes.

Lou Shan Cauldron was stunned, and Lou Fei Qiong continued his story.

"The pity is...as I grew up, I finally realized one fact."

"I’m neither a shameless scoundrel nor an eternal river; I’m just an ordinary person in between."

"I’ll never become an eternal river, but I also don’t want to be a shameless scoundrel. Or rather, because of your teachings, I set a bottom line for myself from a young age, not to be a shameless scoundrel."

"You always encouraged me to read more, especially history books, saying that there’s everything to learn from them."

"Following your advice, I seriously delved into history."

"I hear, when you read history books, you see power schemes."

"I hear, when Lu read history, he saw cannibalism."

"Different people see different things in history books."

"Reading history, I saw more regret."

"Shang Yang who placed a wooden post at the city gate ended up a sacrifice to compromise and power after reform."

"Han Xin, who was as strategic as a deity, perished in the Lu-Liu disaster."

"Yue Fei, who fought across thousands of miles, fell to the whims of an emperor."

"And many, many more."

"Such regrets fill the pages, crossing through the millennia."

"At first, I didn’t understand why I was doing these things."

"In those days of confinement, rereading history books and ’East Monarch’s Collection,’ recalling Saint Zhao covering his face and crying in his later years, it all became clear."

"My whole life, no matter what, I’m just a good disciple among the clans. In the vast course of history, I’m at best third-rate, maybe even fourth-rate."

"Zhou Leng is different; he might be canonized as a saint."

"Everything I did was to do my utmost so that Zhou Leng of my era wouldn’t become a regret in history books, read by future generations."

Lou Shan Cauldron stared blankly at his son.

His heart was originally filled with anger, even felt betrayed.

Yet, the bond of father and son held back all his fury, as he wished to have a heartfelt conversation with his child.

After listening to these words, anger still simmered within him, but for some reason, no matter what, he couldn’t let his fury erupt.

Especially that phrase "You forgot, but I remember," echoed repeatedly in his ears.

"You...still have the same pride and courage as you did when you were young." Lou Shan Cauldron’s voice was somewhat weak.

"I’ve always followed your teachings," Lou Fei Qiong said.

Lou Shan Cauldron sighed lightly, asking, "By doing this, the rest of the Lou Family will not let it go, nor will the Zhao Family or any of the major clans. Soon, I might step down from the patriarch position, and for you, never mind being patriarch, all Martial Arts resources may be out of reach. Is it worth it?"

Lou Fei Qiong replied, "Actually, I’ve been confused, I’ve doubted. Whether it’s worth it or not, I’m not sure either, but, you could ask Grandpa, ask those fallen comrades of yours, ask those countless corpses covering the earth, do you think they find it worth it?"

Lou Shan Cauldron was left speechless.

He wanted badly to chastise him like before, to huff and puff like before, but somehow, he didn’t want to do anything.

Maybe, it’s age catching up.

Lou Shan Cauldron stood up, walked to the doorway, and turned to look at Lou Fei Qiong, who had risen.

"Even if you’re risking your future, he will eventually die by our hands. Does what you do mean anything?"