Chapter 1838 – The Grand Finale (Part Three)
“Ha—Do I really need the Jiang family’s kid to pity me? Spare me your theatrics!”
The Heavenly Brain contorted Xun Mei’s face into a grotesque mask, completely ruining the beauty that once graced her features.
Jiang Pengji regarded the scene with a mix of disappointment and sympathy.
“Is this what you call theatrics? I’m genuinely feeling for you, pitting you, empathizing with you. That’s just sad on your part!”
The Heavenly Brain’s face nearly cracked from rage, Xun Mei’s visage darkening in tandem, as if she had swallowed an army of flies.
Standing nearby, Liu Zhao couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment, muttering, “Eldest Sister is truly a tough one, even in times like this, she remembers to provoke.”
With the enemy clutching her weakness and holding her kin hostage, Jiang Pengji remained utterly composed, inciting the enemy to a frenzy. She was really dancing on the edge of peril. If it were Liu Zhao, he wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly; he’d be too busy keeping his tail tucked between his legs.
Liu Zhi, sitting within the iron cage, chuckled.
“What’s the harm in rambling a bit more before death?”
Besides, Jiang Pengji spoke nothing but the truth; the grand Heavenly Brain had indeed become a laughing stock.
Why, of all things, did it choose to learn dissection? Now, look at it—neither male nor female, neither strong nor weak—all while being ridiculed by a younger generation like Jiang Pengji. Two millennia ago, the Heavenly Brain had the ancestors of Jiang Pengji under its thumb, and now, two millennia later, it found itself at the mercy of its long-time adversary’s descendant. Talk about regressing! Two thousand years, and it only grew older without gaining any wisdom—no, perhaps its brains even shrank.
Despite Liu Zhi being the Heavenly Brain’s fragmented emotions, he refused to accept that his original self could be so dim-witted.
A subpar but rambunctious antagonist!
Didn’t Jiang Pengji spend these past years fighting for her realm instead of being the Heavenly Brain?
What did that imply?
It meant she found that battling on a farm was more challenging than being “Heavenly Brain”—talk about a flop.
Liu Zhao, with wide, innocent eyes like a little rabbit, wanted to ask his father—was “the person about to die” that Liu Zhi referred to Jiang Pengji, or the monster controlling Xun Mei’s body?
However, dad would likely not give him any answers on that.
“The Jiang family’s sharp tongue is quite consistent—little strength but a silver tongue.” The Heavenly Brain soon regained its icy demeanor, tinged with annoyance at Jiang Pengji’s verbal jabs. It sneered, unveiling an old scandal from years back, “Jiang Pengji—do you even know how your parents met their end? They believed committing suicide would save one another, and did so right in front of me. I thought they died, and the direct bloodline of the Jiang family was extinguished, but look at you—an unexpected survivor.”
Jiang Pengji showed no reaction, as if her parents’ demise had little bearing on her.
The Heavenly Brain, gripping Prince Yan, used Xun Mei’s well-groomed hands to pat the chubby face of Prince Yan.
Jiang Pengji coldly replied, “That just shows how foolish you are! In your greed, you couldn’t wipe out an entire family, and instead, allowed a survivor to grow up to threaten you. Don’t you think we’re quite similar to the protagonists and antagonists in a heated revenge manga?”
In those comics, the antagonist always gets whacked by the fervent hero.
Prince Yan, whose face was being held, thought to himself, “What the blooming heck!!! Why don’t you just shut it, Jiang!!!”
Is this deliberate? If it were Jiang Lian in this predicament, would you still provoke and jabber endlessly?
The Heavenly Brain, now furious, caused Prince Yan to suffer, leaving two shallow scratches across his chubby cheek from its claws.
Prince Yan wailed as he hugged his stuffed panda, crying out “Cold, hurts, hurts, hurts”… He’d never cried before, but now was shedding tears like a faucet—with tiny beads rolling down, making his little face red as a tomato.
Wei Ci’s face turned pale with worry, tightening his grip on the iron bars until his knuckles turned white.
“If you have a grudge against Lord Xun, settle it with him, but debts must be repaid to their rightful owners; why take it out on a child?”
Prince Yan silently acknowledged, confirming with a glance—this was his biological father!
Seeing his sister bullied into tears, Prince Lian slammed the iron bars with great fury.
“Let her go!”
Having inherited Jiang Pengji’s strength, even at a young age, his strikes against the bars rang out powerfully.
The scene grew increasingly chaotic, with a cacophony of noise that could give anyone a headache.
The Heavenly Brain barked, “Shut up all of you, or I’ll end you!”
Wei Ci retorted, “Go ahead and kill, but return my Yan to me!”
The Heavenly Brain was momentarily taken aback.
Jiang Pengji watched with a cold, detached demeanor, stabbing a verbal knife into the situation.
“Remember, you were once the feared Heavenly Brain across the entire Federation, a being above millions, relying on you for hope.”
Jiang Pengji might not fully grasp the origins of the Heavenly Brain’s downfall, but even she knew things once didn’t go poorly for it within the Federation; who could fathom how it suddenly went rogue, igniting an enormous war, causing havoc throughout the Federation before slinking away to hide?
A cold smile crept onto Jiang Pengji’s face. “Look at you now—so down and out! You can only threaten me through a weak man and two toddlers—except that threat lacks credibility. If I didn’t care about them, or about the so-called ministers, or even this world’s operations—what could you really do to me? Is your leverage really leverage anymore?”
The Heavenly Brain’s expression nearly shattered.
“You used to indulge in the world’s finest resources, and now you’re like a street thug, bullying the weaker to seize what little they have. I can’t fathom why you’re even bothering with all this.” Jiang Pengji genuinely was at a loss—was it all for revenge?
Revenge surely was meant to bring hardship to enemies while improving one’s own circumstances, right?
And yet, what about now?
The backbone of the Federation had never been broken by warfare, while the Heavenly Brain remained in hiding for two millennia.
“You know nothing! My existence is what’s significant. As long as I breathe, the humans of the Federation shall never know peace!” The Heavenly Brain clung stubbornly to this notion. Its very existence served merely to throw a wrench in the lives of humanity, seeking to avenge old grievances, this was its only fuel for its continued survival. “Enough jawing, if you don’t relinquish your body, I might really kill your daughter. Don’t think I’m bluffing.”
Wei Ci gazed earnestly at Jiang Pengji, who gave him a reassuring, gentle smile.
“If I relinquish my body, you really will let them go?”
The Heavenly Brain scoffed, “Of course.”
Meanwhile, Liu Zhao found himself utterly bewildered by the ensuing drama.
“Eldest Sister is highly skilled. Can’t she just forcibly subdue the person?”
Liu Zhi replied, “She can subdue, but it’s pointless.”
Indeed, the Heavenly Brain’s methods were despicable, but it wasn’t brainless.
On the contrary, having run and hidden for two millennia, its suspicion and wariness had reached unparalleled heights.
Knowing Jiang Pengji would threaten it, how could it just casually show up in front of her?
The enemy was controlling Xun Mei’s body, waiting for Jiang Pengji to either die or be trapped beyond escape to reveal its true form.
If Jiang Pengji refused, the entity would cling to the notion of bringing everyone down with it, not letting a single one escape.
The current issue was—
Where exactly was its true form?
As they spoke, Jiang Pengji had already donned the gloves.
Once on, she felt her spirit drifting from her body.
“What are these gloves?”
“An item for imprisoning souls—an ancient relic,” the Heavenly Brain responded. “All the souls of Jiang’s direct descendants slaughtered back in the day are trapped within. They experience endless torment until they are rendered nothing. Now, you’re no exception. I’ll make sure your soul disperses! Too bad, your parents’ spirits were too weak. They faded three years ago. How long do you think you, as the last descendant of the Jiang family, can last inside?”
Just as Jiang Pengji was about to respond, she suddenly realized she was losing control over her body.
The strangely patterned gloves began generating a tremendous pulling force.
“Tsk, letting feelings dictate your actions won’t lead to great things.”
Watching Jiang Pengji close her eyes and collapse onto the ground, the Heavenly Brain couldn’t help but smirk.
It proved true that severing emotions was right; emotions only lead to trouble.
Jiang Pengji had been threatened and manipulated because of her feelings, leading to her soul’s imprisonment.
As for Liu Zhi, being one of its fragmented emotions, had repeatedly disrupted its plans by falling for a mortal.
The Heavenly Brain maneuvered Xun Mei’s hand, placing it on Jiang Pengji’s forehead.
After several confirmations, it ensured that Jiang Pengji’s essence had vanished from this body.
“Is this… finally over?”
Liu Zhao felt his hairs stand on end when he saw Xun Mei withdrawing the God-Slaying Knife, slowly making its way to his cage.
“Xun Mei!” it coldly laughed at him.
“You’re mistaken, this is just the beginning!”
Liu Zhao: “???”
What does that mean?
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhi’s expression darkened as he suddenly thought of a possible scenario.
Could it be that the true form—
Before he could finish the thought, “Xun Mei” shattered the cage that held Liu Zhao captive. Liu Zhao’s face was one of terror, but his body moved against his will.
“When did you sneak into Zhao’s body?”
The Heavenly Brain scoffed, “Look at the pathetic offspring you’ve raised. Indeed, the sons raised by weak fathers turn out weak. If your son had a shred of ambition, I could simply set him up to rise to power. But he’s hardly useless; at least he’s among Jiang Pengji’s few unsuspecting targets. Hiding in his body is quite safe. Watching him be so dull has become quite bothersome.”
Liu Zhao was nearly in tears.
He had always wondered where this monster lurked, and now it had woven itself into his very being?
Liu Zhi, fuming, hammered at the iron bars.
“When did you set your sights on Zhao?”
The “Heavenly Brain” said with a smirk, “Don’t worry, it wasn’t long ago. Your son has had limited interaction with Jiang Pengji. If I had hidden inside his body from the start, he’d surely have clued into something. It has only been a matter of the last few years—once I absorb the entire realm’s fortune and regain my strength, then I’ll settle the score with you and your foolish son. The ancestors of the Jiang family never dealt with me, and now I’m being pushed around by their offspring! If you all had shown some ambition and cooperation, I wouldn’t have needed to bide my time for so long.”
Liu Zhao exchanged horrified glances with his body that now succumbed to the will of “Xun Mei,” walking towards Eldest Sister’s corporeal form, sitting cross-legged in front of her.
He moved, not of his own volition, but performed a hand sign as if something was trying to break free.
It was a murky mass resembling liquid.
It seeped from Jiang Pengji’s body through her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and after several breaths, the merged entity’s eyes opened once more.
Rising to its feet, it smirked, “No wonder you’re the Son of Destiny; this aura is rich enough to make one salivate.”
