Secret Buyer

Chapter 593 - 357: The Final Ten Thousand Years of Freedom (3)

"The only thing I can tell you is that the outcome of this turmoil was devastating."

Zhang Fusheng perked up his ears to listen, his mind filled with doubts once again. What exactly is the great divine technique of One Qi Becomes Three Pristine Ones?

But wasn’t his mind and body harmonious with the Central Pole Sect Leader?

Why was it so entirely different when it came to Taiqing and Tai Shang Laojun?

His thoughts were in turmoil as he asked:

"May I ask, Laojun, how devastating was it?"

Laojun recalled:

"Many Supremes fought fiercely, until the heavens were obscured."

"The final outcome was evident: Wa Huang fell, Fuxi disappeared, the Eastern Emperor was split and suppressed, and Buddha Shakyamuni entered nirvana."

"Primordial Celestial Venerable was trapped in the past, Jade Emperor has only a wisp of True Soul left, suppressed above the long river of time."

"As for Celestial Lord of Numinous Treasure, Venerable Buddha, and other Supremes, each was injured and went into hiding."

Zhang Fusheng listened in a daze, asking:

"What about Taiqing? Why can the Supremes no longer peer into the present world?"

Tai Shang Laojun calmly replied:

"Taoist Friend Taiqing is also not doing well; he was schemed against and had his connection with [Tai Shang Laojun] severed, and he is no longer perfect."

Zhang Fusheng’s eyes widened, a question mark forming on his forehead, but before he could ask, Laojun smiled and continued:

"Of course, it is only temporary. Before too many years pass, the thoughts of Taiqing will once again be in harmony with me."

Zhang Fusheng suddenly understood. No wonder... he said, he and the Central Pole Sect Leader are completely one and the same.

But...

A doubt arose in his heart, but he did not voice it.

At this moment, Tai Shang Laojun changed his tone:

"As for why the Supremes cannot interfere with or gaze upon the present world, that is also very simple."

Zhang Fusheng’s eyes lit up:

"I am all ears."

Tai Shang Laojun sighed lightly, lamenting:

"The reason lies in Wa Huang, who was truly full of Great Compassion."

"He could not bear to see the fate of all beings completely under the will of the Supremes, nor could he bear to see all beings reduced to mere pawns for their strategic games."

Saying this,

Tai Shang Laojun appeared somewhat lost, a look of clear admiration emerging on his face:

"Thus, Wa Huang sacrificed himself, transforming into a warding stone that stabilized the timeline of the entire [present node] for one hundred thousand years before and after."

"So, from this point on for hundreds of thousands of years back, the Supremes cannot interfere, descend, or gaze..."

He abruptly changed the subject, gazing intently at Zhang Fusheng with deep meaning:

"In other words, you have at most one hundred thousand years more to continue being free."

Zhang Fusheng felt a chill in his heart, instantly understanding Tai Shang Laojun’s meaning,

In one hundred thousand years,

The Supremes can then descend upon the time nodes where they have already been born—then their past would be in their grasp.

Completely in their grasp.

He fell into silence, both shocked by Wa Huang’s act and alarmed by the final one hundred thousand year limit—

One hundred thousand years, seemingly long and endless,

But truly speaking, the time he gained through the Contract for cultivation is about the same duration!

At the venerate level, one’s lifespan is infinite; one hundred thousand years is just a blink of an eye.

Moreover...

Zhang Fusheng’s expression became resolute:

"Laojun, you just said I have at most one hundred thousand years of freedom left? Does that mean it could be less than one hundred thousand years?"

"Yes."

Tai Shang Laojun nodded frankly:

"The warding stone Wa Huang became may not be able to last another hundred thousand years. Didn’t you notice, more and more True Spirits from the old world are reviving in the present world..."

"Perhaps, when the two great decreed events of Divine Enthronement and Journey to the West replay to completion, that is when the warding stone will become ineffective."

Before Zhang Fusheng could ponder this, Tai Shang Laojun noted meaningfully:

"And, only you will have ten thousand years of time."

Zhang Fusheng raised an eyebrow:

"What do you mean?"

Tai Shang Laojun chuckled lightly:

"Because every living being has a past life; the Supremes cannot interfere with the present, but can meddle with all beings’ generations of ’past lives’ in history."

Zhang Fusheng’s pupils contracted:

"Do you mean, I have no past life?"

"No, you have, and don’t you remember it well?" Tai Shang Laojun calmly said, "But your past lives are somewhat different."

"They have been protected, shielded by the warding stone formed by Wa Huang."

Zhang Fusheng realized.

For a moment, the vast rear hall of the Eight Sceneries Palace fell into deathly silence.

Who knows how much time passed.

Zhang Fusheng took a deep breath and solemnly spoke:

"It seems, Laojun has remained in the present world. So what exactly is the current situation? Why does the time within Douluo Palace seem so chaotic?"

Tai Shang Laojun shook his horsetail whisk:

"The present world? As the tail end of this period of freedom, the Daluos naturally are desperately trying to revive and return, striving to attain supremacy in this time without the Supremes."

"Regarding this period of ’freedom,’ the Supremes have reached a consensus—they will allow at most two new Supremes to appear."

Zhang Fusheng squinted:

"Two?"

"Precisely, one."

Tai Shang nodded frankly:

"As for exactly who, it’s still a contention, even a game of strategy—after all, as the saying goes, the Supremes cannot influence the present, but they can still meddle with the past from a hundred thousand years ago."

"Which Daluo hasn’t lived for over a hundred thousand years? Who hasn’t had a past life?"

"As for the one outside this, I think you should know what it implies."

Zhang Fusheng nodded silently:

"The second is me—The Supremes cannot interfere with my past."

He sighed:

"Thus, one slot, plus me, means at most two Supremes can emerge, right?"

Tai Shang Laojun nodded.

Another long silence followed.

Suddenly, Zhang Fusheng reached out and pointed at the mirror image: