Chapter 3285: Chapter 3285: Ziya Jiang

After moving along the trash belt for some time, they saw the dim light of the Deleting Pillars in the distance.

On his first time coming here, Zen had been disoriented and become a captive of those little monsters. This time, he was more levelheaded and could appreciate the scenery.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

As they passed through the trash city, a few one-eyed monsters would crawl out of the remains and stare at them with wide-eyed awe.

These monsters no longer had enmity with Zen but when he passed, they would constantly jump around to surround him.

“These creatures all have very special auras,” the Snake Goddess remarked.

It was not every day that the Snake Goddess and the others found something special. They had lived through many chaotic eras and witnessed the births of countless creatures on the Other Shore.

They'd seen the unique creatures of the Metal Civilization and the Regal Jade Civilization so their shock threshold was set quite high.

Judging only from their appearance, these one-eyed little monsters looked ordinary but, just as the Snake Goddess said, the auras they exuded were special. In fact, they felt similar to the Truth of Three-Energy Construction Zen released.

Zen opted to provide them with an explanation. “The Truth of Three-Energy Construction is composed of three kinds of energy which allows me to construct things out of the void at will. Three kinds of monsters reside here and it seems that King Manard distributed the three kinds of energy among them.”

Curiosity filled the Snake Goddess's eyes. “Oh? Is that so?”

Among all the heroes, she had always been the most curious, always inquisitive about what was happening in the world.

This was the reason why the Snake Goddess in the Source World often went out to explore, desperate to search for the human race on the Other Shore.

The Primeval Lord of Heaven continued to size up his surroundings and contemplated their situation.

As they passed through the remains, the small star suddenly appeared.

On this planet was a huge statue.

“This is the statue of King Manard,” Zen told them.

All eyes were fixed onto the statue, interested to know what he looked like and what kind of person he was.

There was no way King Manard, who was very clear about the Finale Way of the human race, could be an unknown figure in the human race.

He was the one who knew what Other Shore Tokens had been used and who executed the plans.

There was a moment of silence as everyone took their time to look at his statue.

“…”

“…”

It was Zen who first spoke. “Can any of you recognize him?” he asked.

“No.”

“I've never seen him before!”

The response was unanimous. None of them knew who King Manard was.

Zen shrugged. “It doesn't matter. Once you meet him, you'll know who he is.” He gently leapt onto the planet and flew towards the Deleting Pillars.

King Manard's palace was located at the node between the pillars and it was not difficult to find it.

Not long after, Zen arrived at the door of the palace just in time for Houyi, Snake Goddess, and all the other phantoms to retreat back into his inner world. R̃АℕО𐌱ËⱾ

Two figures greeted him: a handsome man and an enchanting woman who were both disciples of King Manard.

These two were the only ones who stayed while King Manard led his other disciples to explore outside the chaos.

They knew Zen very well and greeted him with gladness and respect.

“Zen,” the handsome man greeted by cupping his hands in front of him.

Zen returned the gesture. “May I know if your master, King Manard, is in the palace?”

The king was always out exploring the outside of chaos and it was not an easy feat to find him.

Fortunately, the handsome disciple nodded. “Yes. He is meditating in the palace. Have you got any news about the human race on the Other Shore?”

The two disciples grew up in this world and could only imagine what the chaos and the Other Shore looked like. However, they were concerned about their master's wish.

Zen nodded. “Yes, I have.”

The handsome man's eyes crinkled with joy. His master would be very happy to hear the news.

“I'll go and ask my master to come out!” he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

He quickly turned around to summon King Manard while the enchanting woman invited Zen in.

A few seconds later, Zen heard a hearty laugh just as a figure appeared beside him. “Haha, Zen! You've only been away for a short time but you already have news about the human race on the Other Shore?” There was expectation on his face but it was tinged with a hint of doubt.

“Legitimate news or groundless rumors?” King Manard asked.

He had previously gathered a bit of information about the human race on the Other Shore, courtesy of Zen, the Regal Jade Spirit, and No. 9527.

Traces of the human race popped up here and there but they were terribly good at hiding themselves from their opponents. Even the top ten civilizations, such as the Regal Jade Civilization, had never found them on the Other Shore.

There was very little chance for Zen to have found them on his own.

“I assure you, what I have aren't groundless rumors,” Zen assured King Manard with a smile.

The king stared at him with a cautious look in his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, he could see numerous souls curling up in Zen's body.

“Buzz...”

Snake Goddess, Fuxi, Houyi, Emperor Charm, Gonggong, Zhurong...

One by one, the former heroes of the human race floated above Zen's head with the Primeval Lord of Heaven coming in last.

The sight of all these people rendered King Manard speechless.

The Primeval Lord of Heaven was the first to speak. “I've heard about you from Zen. He told me that you are very familiar with our methods of completing the Finale Way in the past. You are by no means a nameless person in our human race. King Manard is not your real name.” This declaration echoed through the hall as the Primeval Lord of Heaven uttered his critical question, “Who on earth are you?”

Plop!

To everyone's surprise, King Manard plopped down onto the floor and knelt in front of the Primeval Lord of Heaven.

Even Zen wasn't expecting this.

“Master!” King Manard's voice was full of excitement and adoration as he kowtowed.

Even his two disciples were shocked. They had never seen him like this before.

The Primeval Lord of Heaven, whom King Manard was calling, was also confused.

He had accepted twelve disciples in the past and only these twelve had the privilege of calling him 'master.' After failing to complete the Finale Way, some died and a few others left. Nevertheless, he recalled every single one of their faces.

Who was this King Manard?

Seeing the slight embarrassment on the Primeval Lord of Heaven's face, King Manard quickly remembered the fact that he had changed his appearance years ago, over a thousand chaotic eras to be more precise.

Even his own aura had undergone a tremendous change. Of course his old master wouldn't be able to recognize him!

King Manard quickly raised his hand and gently brushed his face, activating the Truth of Three-Energy Construction. His face began to morph until it returned to its original appearance.

“Ziya Jiang?”

“Ziya? Unbelievable!”

“Ziya! You are still alive?!”

(*TN: Jiang Ziya was an ancient Chinese military strategist, and also a main character in the popular novel Fengshen Bang written over 2, 500 years after his lifetime.)

Everyone immediately recognized him once he revealed his true appearance.