It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 575: Sisters and Ancestor

Resonating with three different Daos and then attempting Soul Transformation… Even Lan Shihuai had never seen such a thing before.

Even now, she still found it hard to believe. Although she didn’t know the contents of the paper crane at first, she had a vague idea.

Mu Zhian’s Soul Transformation Tribulation had been a rollercoaster. This news had spread throughout the Forbidden Zone, and Lan Shihuai naturally knew about it.

Because of this, she believed that the paper crane left by that person was meant to help Mu Zhian reach Soul Transformation.

And she was right.

But even so, seeing this scene now was still unbelievable.

Resonating with the Heavenly Dao wasn’t strange, but then he resonated with another unknown Dao, and even obtained the Great Dao’s acknowledgement in the end… This was too outrageous.

And the Heavenly Dao hadn’t sent down any punishment.

This meant that the Heavenly Dao’s will had tacitly approved of Mu Zhian’s “unfaithful” and “promiscuous” actions!

Mu Zhian slowly opened his eyes, bowed politely to Lan Shihuai, and said respectfully, “Thank you, Senior!”

Then, noticing the woman in white beside Lan Shihuai, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes, “Senior Sister is also here?”

Lan Mulian glanced at her Junior Brother.

Why doesn’t Junior Brother seem happy to see her…?

Lan Mulian’s pretty face was slightly cold, her voice pleasant, “Ancestor told me to come to the ancestral land every so often to study the ancient scriptures, so Feiying and I returned to the Lan Clan not long ago.”

I see… Mu Zhian understood.

“Now that you’ve reached Soul Transformation, quite a few factions in the Nine Provinces are eyeing you, so it’s best not to travel alone, to avoid being targeted by the Forbidden Zone Lords,” Lan Shihuai reminded him. “Although it’s not nice to say this, with your current Soul Transformation strength, facing a Forbidden Zone Lord would still be very difficult.”

“Of course, in most cases, they won’t leave their Forbidden Lands with their true bodies.”

The Forbidden Zone Lords were great powers who had existed since the beginning of time. After eons, these lords had lost their bloodlust and wouldn’t risk their true bodies.

Lan Shihuai paused, then added, “But that’s in most cases… I can’t rule out the possibility of them directly intervening.”

“Your very existence is like a tempting Immortal Medicine, one that doesn’t even need refining. Those Forbidden Lands will either try to kill you at all costs or take you to their Forbidden Lands to aid their cultivation… They wouldn’t even hesitate to offend Transcendence Realm Human Emperors for this.”

Lan Mulian’s eyes flickered slightly, a hint of disdain in her voice, “Is he really that sought after now?”

She looked Mu Zhian over.

From the outside, Junior Brother hadn’t changed much, his features just a bit more defined, his aura more restrained and alluring… Besides that, there didn’t seem to be anything special about him.

Lan Shihuai said faintly, “He just comprehended three different Dao Rhymes. Combined with his Innate Celestial Furnace, anyone close to him can experience those Dao Rhymes… Although they can’t fully comprehend those three Daos with just one or two tries, if it continues for a long time, it will be a different story.”

“Even ignoring the three Dao Rhymes, just a Transcendence Realm Innate Celestial Furnace is enough to tempt most female cultivators in the Nine Provinces.”

So that’s why the Forbidden Zone Lords are after him?

Lan Mulian secretly observed Mu Zhian, then, noticing her beautiful ancestor silently staring at him, a thought suddenly struck her, and she subconsciously said, “Could it be that Ancestor is also interested in him…?”

Recently, Lan Shihuai had been incredibly generous towards the two sisters, even her father treated this ancestor with utmost respect.

If Ancestor also had feelings for Junior Brother… Lan Mulian didn’t even dare to imagine it.

The thought of one day sharing a bed with her respected ancestor… was incredibly embarrassing.

A faint smile appeared on Lan Shihuai’s face, and she said softly, “Lian’er, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal a man from my own descendant. You don’t need to worry.”

Lan Mulian’s icy, beautiful face instantly flushed red. She glanced at Mu Zhian with a hint of resentment and said faintly, “Ancestor is overthinking it. He’s just my Junior Brother… We’re not Dao Companions.”

Lan Mulian had stated this countless times.

And she wasn’t wrong. Mu Zhian had never confessed to her. Even their later intimacy was a natural progression, not preceded by any confession.

Since there was no confession, how could they be considered Dao Companions?

“Oh?”

Lan Shihuai’s eyes flickered, casually glancing at Lan Mulian and Mu Zhian, “You’re not Dao Companions…?”

Senior Sister’s words are harsh, but her lips are soft… Mu Zhian cupped his hands and said, “In reply to Senior, I haven’t found a suitable opportunity to confess to Senior Sister.”

He paused slightly, then continued, “However, I’ve always been grateful for Senior Sister’s kindness and would even offer myself to repay her.”

Lan Mulian’s face flushed a deeper red, embarrassed by his words.

Saying such things in front of Ancestor… How shameless can he be?!

Lan Mulian’s feelings for Mu Zhian had always been complicated. It was impossible to say she didn’t like him, but he was Bai Ruoxi’s Dao Companion, a married man. Having been raised under Master Shang Yanfei’s teachings, Senior Sister had a strong moral compass.

Unlike Mu Zhian, who was fickle and unfaithful, juggling multiple women, each more dangerous than the last, almost dragged down by the fish in his own pond several times.

Mu Zhian looked at the two, thought for a moment, and continued, “This junior is also interested in the scrolls here, so I’d like to ask Senior if I could stay here for a few days.”

Lan Shihuai’s eyes widened in surprise, then she nodded with a smile, “Naturally, it’s no problem.”

“I’ll explain things to the Jade Empress and Mu Wange, you don’t need to worry.”

After all, Mu Zhian was only staying on the ancient ship for a few days.

For cultivators, a few days were but a moment of meditation.

…

Mu Zhian walked down the deck of the ancient ship, seeing tattered scriptures and bamboo slips floating from the void on both sides. The writing on them was ancient, much of it incomprehensible to him.

He looked up at the beautiful woman in white walking ahead. Even in the dim light of the staircase, her dress was still bright and captivating, her long legs and slender waist eye-catching.

Even Mu Zhian, who had seen countless beauties, couldn’t help but admire Senior Sister’s graceful figure, especially her long, toned, and snow-white legs, so full of life.

And the white boots on her feet added a touch of holiness. He wondered if she was wearing white stockings today; that would be perfect.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Lan Mulian suddenly frowned slightly, sensing the young man’s gaze on her back.

“I’ve always thought Senior Sister was beautiful, but now, you seem even more mature and charming,” Mu Zhian complimented.

Lan Mulian put on a stern face and said faintly, “I suppose Junior Brother says this to every woman he meets? Are you going to say the same thing to Feiying later?”

Mu Zhian quickened his pace, catching up to Lan Mulian, and looked at her with a smile.

Her pure white dress today seemed a bit shorter, the hem covering her thighs, revealing her knees, her white boots just reaching her calves.

Her ample bosom strained against the fabric, her long hair cascading down to her slender waist, making Mu Zhian think of pure and elegant flowers like lilies and white orchids.

“I don’t flatter others, so my compliments just now were sincere.”

Mu Zhian reached out and discreetly held Lan Mulian’s small, cool hand, the soft touch against his warm palm.

The dim interior of the ancient ship provided the perfect cover. Lan Mulian’s body stiffened slightly, then relaxed, letting Mu Zhian hold her hand as they walked down the stairs.

Looking at the tattered bamboo slips and scriptures floating from the void within the ancient ship, Mu Zhian suddenly reached out, grabbed one, scanned it, and frowned slightly, “Many of these scrolls seem to be from some dynasty. The writing is different from the current era. Can Senior Sister understand them?”

Lan Mulian came back to her senses, letting Mu Zhian play with her hand, and said faintly, “It’s not difficult for me.”

Her tone was casual, but if Mu Zhian checked her pulse now, he would find that this top genius of the Nine Provinces’ heart was racing.

“The Sacred Heavenly Body can perceive the origin of all things. Deciphering an ancient scroll is simple.”

Lan Mulian paused slightly, then continued, “As for Feiying… I don’t know how she can understand these scrolls.”

Sister Feiying is a system holder, a Heaven-Chosen One selected by the Heavenly Dao. Perhaps she exchanged something from the system for translation abilities… Mu Zhian thought inwardly.

“Senior Sister always says the Sacred Heavenly Body can perceive the origin of all things, how exactly does it work?” Mu Zhian suddenly asked curiously.

This was actually related to the Sacred Heavenly Body’s secrets, even its weaknesses.

Normally, it was best not to reveal this, even to close sisters, to prevent enemies from discovering the Sacred Heavenly Body’s weaknesses.

But sensing Mu Zhian’s sincere curiosity, after a brief silence, Lan Mulian said softly, “Normally, one observes with their eyes, but the Sacred Heavenly Body perceives the origin using Qi.”

“After channeling your Qi, you can instantly lock onto something. As long as the target’s realm isn’t too much higher than yours, the Sacred Heavenly Body will reveal its true origin to you.”

As Lan Mulian spoke, she looked at Mu Zhian curiously. Then, her gentle expression turned into a frown as she abruptly pulled her hand away and said coldly, “Your maid’s Spiritual Energy still lingers on you, Junior Brother. It seems you were pampering your maid before coming to the ancestral land. How diligent of you.”

“Senior Sister…”

An awkward yet polite smile appeared on Mu Zhian’s face. He hadn’t expected a casual question to backfire like this.

“Could Senior Sister help me translate these scrolls later?”

Some of these scrolls contained unknown secrets from the past, while others were incomplete techniques and even formations left behind by great powers from the beginning of time.

This was also why Mu Zhian wanted to stay on the ancient ship for a few days.

“Your Chaos Body also has some characteristics of the Sacred Heavenly Body. After channeling your Qi, reading these scrolls shouldn’t be difficult,” Lan Mulian said with a faint smile. “Junior Brother, why don’t you read them yourself?”

Watching Lan Mulian walk down the stairs, Mu Zhian reached out weakly, then let his hand fall.

Sigh… This Sacred Heavenly Body is truly outrageous. It means that no matter which woman he’s intimate with in the future, as long as Lan Mulian is willing, she can instantly know who it is.

However, thanks to Lan Mulian’s explanation just now, Mu Zhian now knew how to use the Sacred Heavenly Body’s ‘origin perception’ ability.

He casually grabbed a floating bamboo slip, channeled his Qi, and instantly enveloped the bamboo slip with it.

In an instant, the previously incomprehensible text clearly appeared in his mind, translated into the current language.

It was a record of a certain dynasty in the Eastern Continent, its rise and fall five thousand years ago. And within it, Mu Zhian saw a familiar name: the Calamity Body.

Mu Zhian had always wondered if the Calamity Body was actually a result of the Heavenly Dao’s punishment, but almost every dynasty before its collapse had a Calamity Body. Was this just a coincidence…?

And was that Calamity Body, punished by the Heavenly Dao, still alive?

Curiosity filled Mu Zhian’s heart. His gaze swept over the floating bamboo slips and scrolls, and he quickly grabbed another one.

It was another story of a dynasty’s downfall in the Eastern Continent, another Calamity Body.

The records within were obscure and difficult to understand, but after being deciphered by the Sacred Heavenly Body, their meaning became clear.

Mu Zhian spent nearly three days reading these bamboo slips, and the more he read, the more alarmed he became.

Although the further back in time he went, the fewer records there were about ‘dynastic collapse’, one thing remained consistent: whenever a Calamity Body appeared, there would be celestial phenomena, a soft white light enveloping the entire Nine Provinces.

The records were vague, but Mu Zhian knew what this white light meant.

—The Heavenly Dao!

And whenever this white light vanished, the Nine Provinces would descend into chaos.

Because according to the historical records, after the Heavenly Dao left, the lords of the Nine Forbidden Lands would try to cover the Nine Provinces with their forbidden rules once again.

Even the Heavenly Dao couldn’t casually manifest its true form, so it had its will carry out its duties.

But the Heavenly Dao was exploiting a loophole in the rules of heaven and earth. It couldn’t descend directly, but it could descend upon the Nine Provinces under the guise of punishing the Calamity Body, giving more authority to the Nine Forbidden Lands… ? A theory formed in Mu Zhian’s mind.

If so, it meant that the Heavenly Dao couldn’t give all its ‘authority’ to the Forbidden Lands at once, so it had to wait for the appearance of the ‘Calamity Body’, using this opportunity to strengthen the Nine Forbidden Lands.

And the Heavenly Dao’s ultimate goal was to have the forbidden rules control the entire Nine Provinces.

These forbidden rules were essentially rules set by the Heavenly Dao itself.

But perhaps even the Heavenly Dao didn’t expect that every time the Forbidden Zone Lords grew stronger and tried to absorb a dynasty’s national fortune and unleash their forbidden rules, they would be suppressed by that Sect Master of the Two Polarities Sect.

“This information isn’t enough. I need to know if the Calamity Body refers to a specific person, or if a different ‘unlucky soul’ appears in every era, used as an excuse for the Heavenly Dao to exploit the loophole in the rules and descend…”

Mu Zhian silently placed the bamboo slip back into the void. He had been here for nearly three days, and he had investigated almost everything he could about the Calamity Body and the Heavenly Dao.

But there was one more place he hadn’t been to.

—The Great Qian Dynasty.

Although the Great Qian Dynasty was just one among many dynasties, it held historical records of the downfall of past dynasties.

“Perhaps I should go see Princess Yongning…”

After Princess Yongning returned to the Great Qian Dynasty, the old emperor seemed very satisfied with her performance and even rewarded her handsomely. He wondered how she was doing now… Mu Zhian thought inwardly.

Mu Zhian stood up and stretched.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

Just then, a cool, lazy voice suddenly came. Mu Zhian turned his head and saw the Lan Clan ancestor, her body slightly translucent, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed, quietly looking inside.

Lan Shihuai’s icy blue dress, like shimmering ice crystals, concealed her long, beautiful legs. She stood barefoot, her body seemingly floating in mid-air, a faint icy-blue aura emanating from her jade-white feet.

Mu Zhian nodded slightly, then looked around doubtfully and asked, “Senior Sister and Sister Feiying don’t usually read the scrolls here?”

He had been here for three whole days, yet he hadn’t seen Senior Sister and Sister Feiying at all…

He had been hoping to unlock a library sisters CG… but it seemed impossible now.

Mu Zhian felt a twinge of regret.

Lan Shihuai’s eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, “I had them go to another cabin to focus on their cultivation, so they wouldn’t disturb you.”

No wonder I haven’t seen them these past three days… A thoughtful look appeared on Mu Zhian’s face.

“What are your plans next?” Lan Shihuai asked gently.

Mu Zhian thought for a moment and said, “I want to go to the Great Qian Dynasty and see if I can find any records of past dynastic downfalls.”

Lan Shihuai nodded slightly, then casually asked, “I happened to hear from Feiying that you already had a Dao Companion before meeting the Jade Empress, is that true?”

Mu Zhian coughed lightly and said, “I did have a Dao Companion before meeting Jade Empress Sister. Speaking of which, the Jade Empress and I weren’t Dao Companions at first, we only gradually got to know each other after experiencing some things together…”

Knowing that Mu Zhian was trying to save face, Lan Shihuai didn’t press further, but nodded with a smile, “I know, I’ve heard a little from those two girls.”

Just how much did Senior Sister and Feiying tell this beautiful Lan Clan ancestor…? Mu Zhian said respectfully, “Thank you for your understanding, Senior. I don’t know how to repay you. If there’s anything you need in the future—”

Before he could finish, Lan Shihuai tilted her head slightly, looking at him with amusement, “What if I want your repayment now?”