HWKH: 1

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Chapter 1 - Kill That Emperor (1)

It was said that after a person dies, they would recall the events of their former life. Standing before the Mirror of Past Lives, Shen Jue could not help but let a faint smile curve his lips. So that saying was true after all.

He had once been the personal disciple of Patriarch Chiyan, yet now he was suffering the torment of reincarnation. And all of this stemmed from the Grand Peach Feast a thousand years ago.

A thousand years ago, at the Grand Peach Feast, he had followed his master to the Heavenly Court for the first time. At the banquet, he met an immortal. That immortal seemed extremely interested in him, clinging to him and chatting at length, and afterward even kept running to Mount Yejiayun to look for him. Shen Jue only felt vexed. When that immortal confessed his feelings to him, his mood sank to its lowest point. He was devoted solely to the Dao and had no interest in entangling himself in matters of love and affection, so he flatly rejected the immortal.

Who would have thought that the immortal would refuse to give up and even dare to use an aphrodisiac on him? In his fury, Shen Jue struck with lethal intent. By the time his master arrived, that immortal had only a single breath left. His master sighed again and again, reprimanded him to reflect on his action, and hurriedly carried the immortal back to the Heavenly Court.

Only later did Shen Jue learn that the immortal was actually the Jade Emperor's ninth son.

He had gravely wounded the Jade Emperor's youngest son. That youngest son was now barely kept alive with immortal herbs and immortal elixirs. The Jade Emperor flew into a rage, and even his master could no longer protect him. Although he did not directly dissipate into nothingness, he was condemned to taste all the bitterness of the mortal world and endure the suffering of endless reincarnation. Each lifetime to be trampled into the mud, his corpse mingled with rotting filth.

He had already endured such days for a full thousand years.

…

"My disciple."

Hearing the call behind him, Shen Jue froze for a moment before turning around. When he noticed that the one calling him truly was his master, Patriarch Chiyan, his body trembled slightly. "Master!"

Patriarch Chiyan looked much the same as he had a thousand years ago, though his expression was far more weary than a thousand years ago.

"My disciple, this master cannot remain long in the underworld, so this will be brief. This master has already inquired with Immortal Lord Siming about a method to break the cycle of reincarnation."

Shen Jue showed little reaction upon hearing this.

Seeing him like this, Patriarch Chiyan could not help but sigh inwardly. His disciple had once been spirited and proud, yet now the torment of reincarnation had ground him down until he was lifeless and dull. He felt an even stronger hatred towards the Heavenly Emperor and that worthless youngest son of the Heavenly Emperor. That youngest son had awakened several hundred years ago, yet his own disciple was still suffering. And the matter back then had not been solely his disciple's fault. If that youngest son had not drugged his disciple, how could his disciple have struck so heavily?

At present, Patriarch Chiyan harbored no other thoughts. His only wish was to free his disciple from the torment of reincarnation as soon as possible. Though he could not directly interfere with reincarnation or defy heaven to alter fate, he could still lend Shen Jue a helping hand.

He drew a palm-sized mirror from his sleeve and directly pressed it to Shen Jue's glabella.

"My disciple, this is the reversion mirror. Though it cannot fully counter the effect of the soup of oblivion, it will allow you to recall your past lives at the brink of death. Each realm you reincarnate into is one of extreme suffering, so moments near death will not be few. This reversion mirror should be able to help you somewhat."

Because Shen Jue was about to be reincarnated, Patriarch Chiyan spoke hastily. "The realms you'll be reincarnated into are ones you have already experienced several times before. As long as the reversion mirror takes effect, you will be able to recover your memories. With your memories intact, there will be nothing to fear. And there is one thing you must remember. If you want to escape the cycle of reincarnation, you must kill one person."

Shen Jue's gaze shifted slightly. "Who?"

Patriarch Chiyan said, "Each realm you experience belongs to one person. Because that person is the master of the realm, nearly everyone in that realm will fall in love with him. And you, only by killing him can you break his realm. Remember this well. There is a prerequisite to killing him. You must make him fall in love with you before you can kill him. Otherwise, killing him will be in vain. And some realm masters may harbor resentment after you kill them, forcibly dragging you back into their realm to experience it once again. There is only one way to break it. Make him fall in love with you, then kill him. Only then is the realm truly shattered."

"With your memories restored, killing him should not be difficult. My disciple, this master will await your return."

After hastily leaving these words behind, Patriarch Chiyan departed from the underworld. He could not remain there long. If discovered, Shen Jue's matter would instead be exposed.

Shen Jue stood in place for a long moment after Patriarch Chiyan departed, only then making his way toward the Yellow Springs. Old Lady Meng, with a kind appearance, stood guard at the path of the Yellow Springs, stirring the soup of oblivion in the cauldron before her with a large ladle. When it came time for Shen Jue to drink, Old Lady Meng let out a faint sigh. She had been stationed here for untold ages, yet she could not count how many times this youth had appeared before her. She did not know what sin this youth, steeped in an immortal aura, had committed. She only felt a pang of ruefulness as she watched him obediently drink the soup of oblivion, time and time again.

There were a few others in the underworld like him, condemned to endure reincarnation, yet none were as calm as he was. Each time he drank the soup of oblivion, he neither fussed nor protested.

Shen Jue did not notice Old Lady Meng's gaze. He drained the soup of oblivion in one gulp and stepped onto the bridge.

He had crossed this bridge countless times. He had tasted every bitterness the cycle of reincarnation had to offer, while the one who had wronged him still lived on in comfort.

Shen Jue couldn't help but sneer.

This time, regardless of who the masters of these realms were, he sought nothing more than to break through the realms.

After breaking through the realms and returning to the Heavenly Court, he would personally kill the one who had driven him to this state.

…

Bang—

His head and face were forced into the water.

In that instant, he felt water flooding into his body, cold and suffocating, as though he might die in the very next moment.

He sensed someone firmly pressing him down, not just one, but he could not lift his head.

Just when he thought he was about to die, the people pressing down on his head loosened their grip.

He struggled up out of the water, only for his face to be struck by a slap.

It was hard. He was caught off guard and bit his tongue.

The taste of blood spread through his mouth.

He stared blankly ahead, seeing one hideous, grinning face after another.

Shen Jue could not help but cough a few times. Chaotic memories surged into his mind, leaving him momentarily dazed. When the person before him began speaking, he gradually came to his senses.

So it was this realm.

The pain radiating through his body reminded him that he had just suffered a brutal beating.

If not for this beating nearly taking his life, the reversion mirror within him likely would not have activated.

The person standing before Shen Jue saw that Shen Jue was ignoring his words and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. He grabbed Shen Jue by the face. "Eunuch Shen, you can still daydream at a time like this?"

As the words left his mouth, he caught a flicker of murderous intent in Shen Jue’s eyes. The emotion was so fleeting that he couldn’t be sure it had been there at all. He frowned, staring at the man before him with wavering uncertainty. Just then, someone stepped forward from the side. "Chief Steward Qin, His Majesty has summoned Shen Jue to attend to him."

Qin Yuan looked down at the battered Shen Jue. After thinking it over, he released his hold but gave him a parting kick.

"Consider yourself lucky today. His Majesty is still willing to protect you. Next time, you won't be so fortunate."

After Qin Yuan left, the others followed him one after another.

Only once everyone had gone did Shen Jue sway, struggling to his feet.

In this realm, he was a little eunuch serving at the Emperor's side. But this Emperor was merely a puppet emperor with no real power. His recent beating was ordered by the Prince Regent after he accidentally overturned a teacup while serving in the imperial presence.

But the true reason was not this. It was because when the Prince Regent was pressing the Emperor down, he had rushed in.

The Prince Regent, enraged, ordered him to be dragged out immediately.

Shen Jue's fate in this realm was exceedingly tragic. He was loyal and devoted to the Emperor, and unable to bear seeing the Emperor humiliated, he chose to seduce the Prince Regent himself. How could the Prince Regent possibly fancy a castrated servant like him? He beat him half to death. In the end, it was only because the Emperor pleaded for him that he survived. But from that moment on, Shen Jue became even more grateful to the Emperor, believing that he lived for the Emperor. Thus, he continued to tirelessly approach the Prince Regent, attempting to uncover the Prince Regent's weakness.

The Prince Regent felt nothing for him, sparing his life only out of regard for the Emperor. Yet the Prince Regent had a peculiar hobby. He was a sadist, especially in bed. Though the Prince Regent had no feelings for Shen Jue, he could not bring himself to lay a hand on the Emperor, so he vented his cruelty on Shen Jue instead, since Shen Jue was the one closest to the Emperor.

He ordered Shen Jue to wear the Emperor's undergarments and then lashed him with a whip, beating him half to death every time. Shen Jue believed this was a way to protect the Emperor, so he endured it all in silence.

In the end, Shen Jue was beaten to death by the Prince Regent. When the Emperor learned of this, he had a fierce quarrel with the Prince Regent. But ultimately, the two reconciled and even became sweetly devoted to each other. Though Shen Jue was dead, his soul did not dissipate. He drifted through the deep palace for seven years, watching as the Emperor and the Prince Regent grew more and more deeply in love with each other. The Emperor even adopted a child from the imperial clan.

Together, the two educated that child, grooming him into the next Emperor.

In this realm, Shen Jue was nothing more than a servant.

He gave everything for the Emperor, yet the man could still live sweetly with his enemy. How laughable.

This was the realm of reincarnation. Every realm forced Shen Jue into unrequited love, humbled to the very marrow of his bones, making him watch with his own eyes as the one he loved found happiness with someone else.

…

Recalling the memories of this realm, Shen Jue couldn't help but let out a short, hollow laugh. In this realm alone, he had reincarnated several times. The most agonizing moment wasn't the instant he was beaten to death, but when he had already become a soul and saw the Emperor and the Prince Regent living in harmony.

He was so consumed by rage that he felt he might cough up blood, yet his fury was utterly useless.

Despair, agony, and regret. Countless emotions surged through his heart.

He wanted to kill the Prince Regent. He also wanted to shout at the Emperor—

"How could you be with him?"

But at that time, he was nothing more than a soul.

Once it started all over again, he lost his memories once more, continuing to foolishly give everything.

Hardly needing a moment's thought, Shen Jue realized exactly who the master of this realm was.

Naturally, it was none other than that innocent and captivating His Majesty, the Emperor.

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