The Arch-Enemy Must Not Become a Wife

"Oh, it seems that the Celestial Evil still has the backup plan of reincarnation. In his view, if this plan succeeds, he’s the ultimate winner."

"And then?" Gu Haitang pressed on.

Gu Jianjia’s tone was inexplicable, "This curse of death is terrifying, as it has managed to summon the legendary ’Five Decays of Heaven and Man.’"

"In ancient times, there was a saying of ’Three Disasters and Nine Calamities,’ and even those with Great Divine Techniques had to avoid disasters to achieve immortality."

"But once those with Great Divine Techniques inevitably approach the end of life, the ’Five Decays of Heaven and Man’ appear, signaling complete dissolution."

"The so-called ’Five Decays’ refer to the fivefold decay of the body, magical power, primordial spirit, lifespan, and Dao Heart."

"These calamities descend one by one upon a person. First, the body collapses, then magical power dissipates, followed by the destruction of the primordial spirit, then the exhaustion of lifespan, and finally the shattering of the Dao Heart."

Gu Haitang listened with fear, "Did the ancestor transcend it?"

Gu Jianjia shook her head, "He was indeed a character, no wonder he fought against the Celestial Evil all his life."

"As mentioned earlier, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man is a gradual calamity. Shangguan Yu forcibly endured the first two decays and transcended the ninth heavenly tribulation first."

"At that time, a phenomenon of ascension appeared in the world, so rumors spread everywhere that Shangguan Yu had successfully ascended to the Immortal Realm."

"But that was not the case. Even after passing the heavenly tribulation, the triple decays of primordial spirit, lifespan, and Dao Heart followed. Shangguan Yu was at the brink of death and should have died under the Five Decays of Heaven and Man."

"However, at that moment, a heavenly gate opened in the sky, and divine light from the Immortal Realm shone down, intending to usher the ascendant to heaven."

"It was precisely this divine light that transformed Shangguan Yu into a half-immortal, enabling him to barely withstand the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. He desperately wanted to ascend to the Immortal Realm, but his injuries were too severe, and he couldn’t even fly."

"Onlookers from the Shangguan family wanted to help him, but they were contaminated by the excessive calamity aura emanating from his body, dying horribly."

"Furthermore, the heavenly gate wouldn’t wait for anyone. After staying open for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, seeing that no one ascended, it closed and vanished."

"It’s said that Shangguan Yu let out an earth-shattering wail at that moment and fainted immediately." Gu Jianjia said this with a slight smile on her lips.

This made Gu Haitang frown, increasingly unable to understand, because Shangguan Yu was someone she had respected since childhood as an honorable ancestor.

She suppressed her discomfort and asked, "What happened next?"

Gu Jianjia said hauntingly, "After that, Shangguan Yu became a half-dead monster, tormented night and day by the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. But, being a half-immortal, he could not be killed and remained stuck there."

Gu Haitang listened with increasing unwillingness, "Wait," she suddenly thought of a question, "Isn’t it said that even those with Great Divine Techniques will dissolve under the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?"

"Can merely being a half-immortal allow one to live on forever?"

Gu Jianjia looked at her daughter with some surprise, "I didn’t expect you to think of that."

Gu Haitang was speechless, thinking she wasn’t an idiot, after all.

"On one hand, this decay was summoned through a death curse, not imposed by the heavens on Shangguan Yu. Today’s world is different from ancient times, with its power somewhat weakened."

"On the other hand, he’s been living for so many years, but not without a price..."

Gu Jianjia suddenly changed the subject, "Over the years, have you ever wondered why the direct bloodline of the Shangguan family has always been thin?"

"Clearly, the family not only doesn’t forbid multiple wives and concubines but also encourages descendants to branch out. Yet after six or seven hundred years of rest and recovery, the number of direct heirs of the Shangguan family remains so few?"

"Even though the higher a cultivator’s level, the lower the fertility, not all direct descendants of the Shangguan family can become mid-high level cultivators, right?"

Gu Haitang’s expression slightly changed, thinking of a terrifying possibility...

"That’s right, just as you thought." Gu Jianjia’s voice grew colder.

"Over the years, Shangguan Yu has relied on a certain dark secret technique to survive by consuming the bloodline of direct descendants."

"Hence the family has had a thin bloodline for generations. Only those of value, like you, won’t be consumed. Otherwise, once they reach a certain age, they are taken to be sacrificed to the ancestor, depending on their usefulness to the family."

Gu Haitang’s face turned pale, "You mean to say..."

"Yes! Your father was eaten by Shangguan Yu—he is your father’s murderer!"

There was deep-seated hatred in Gu Jianjia’s voice, a secret she had suppressed in her heart for many years, unable to tell her daughter.

Because if Gu Haitang knew the truth, she wouldn’t be able to avenge her father’s death. Moreover, if the family high-ups discovered any hint of her knowing, would they go ahead and send Haitang to be eaten by Shangguan Yu?

After all, even if her talent was high, it’s more cost-effective to let her be consumed than to nurture a genius who harbors hatred against the family.

When the wedding was called off, Gu Jianjia insisted on not allowing her daughter to return to the family, also out of fear that she might deliberately conceal the truth, and be sent to Shangguan Yu by the high-ups.

Over the years, Gu Jianjia lived under immense pressure within the Shangguan family, worried that even though her daughter was extraordinarily gifted, she might follow in her father’s footsteps. How could she possibly have any affection for this broken family?

Moreover, when Gu Haitang brought Chu Xuan to meet her mother-in-law, Gu Jianjia, although she insisted he first promise to help seek revenge, had little hope in her heart.

This is also why Gu Jianjia hoped that Chu Xuan was the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable.

She believed that only her old adversary, the Celestial Evil, had any chance of thoroughly eliminating Shangguan Yu.

...

It must be said that Gu Jianjia’s words had a massive impact on Gu Haitang, her worldview turned upside down. She always believed that although her family was rigid and harsh, they were part of the righteous path and a place she could safely return to rest.

She never imagined the family’s dark and bloody secret hidden behind the scenes...

Gu Jianjia continued coldly, "Your father was weak and frail since childhood, with average talent in cultivation. Just in time, the sacrifice came to the fourth branch, and your father was the least outstanding in that branch, even having completed the basic task of continuing the family line."

"After evaluation, the family high-ups decided that he couldn’t create more value for the family, so he was prioritized for elimination and sent to be consumed by Shangguan Yu..."

"Stop it, stop it." Gu Haitang clutched her head in agony, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Gu Jianjia did not stop, abruptly grabbing her daughter’s hand, her eyes burning with hatred, "Gu Haitang! Don’t ever call that beast ’ancestor’ again! You must avenge your father, understood?!"

Gu Haitang nodded through her tears, and only then did Gu Jianjia release her hand, giving her daughter some time to rest.

After a long while, Haitang quietly wiped her tears and asked hoarsely, "Mother, how did you learn this secret?"

Gu Jianjia spoke desolately, "Initially, it was your father who subtly hinted to me the night before he was sacrificed. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand what he meant at the time. It was only later, after he was gone, that it dawned on me."

"Since then, I’ve been secretly inquiring for information within the family, looking for clues."

"Don’t think that the Shangguan family is entirely united; there are others in the family who secretly loathe this ancestor but dare not speak out."

"This force has been lurking for a long time. Without them, an outsider like me who married into the Shangguan family could never know so much."

"Haitang, this is the ’curse’ the Shangguan family has borne for over six hundred years. I’m not the only one hoping to break it."