Secret Buyer

Following these words, besides the Buddha Son who had anticipated this, there were also Shen Baobao and Miss Mingyue, who were unaware of what the Upper World meant.

The rest of the seats showed expressions of shock, and Zhang Fusheng, sitting at the head, stared wide-eyed, his heart nearly skipping a beat.

The Ten... Ten Elders?

The legendary Ten Elders??

Zhang Fusheng licked his dry lips.

Chen Nuanyu surveyed the room and continued:

"Nowadays, the Upper World is expanding increasingly. We are striving to facilitate the integration of the Upper World with the reality universe."

"Integration?" Huang Qiuxian from the third seat was surprised: "Why is that?"

Chen Nuanyu pondered for a moment, not answering directly, but said:

"Additionally, we have found that the True Spirits of the old world lingering in the mortal world seem to be behind the scenes of the northern Ghost Country—They are all plotting something, but the specifics are unknown."

Her ethereal voice drifted down, and the Buddha Son from the fifth seat nodded with a smile:

"The first seat is correct. According to our predictions, it might be soon that a great battle will begin, determining the true ruler of the current reality."

"The Holy Land, the Federation, the Ghost Country, the Upper World... and the Celestial Court."

His voice then hardened as he continued:

"I am also one of the Ten Elders, and based on our investigations, it seems that there is a great calamity looming over all worlds."

"A great calamity?" Shi Zhengyuan from the fourth seat couldn’t help but ask.

"Indeed." The Buddha Son nodded deeply, "We cannot clarify what it is; in the shared perception of us Ten Elders, it’s an infinite wave of destruction."

"Earth, fire, water, wind..."

"According to our forecast, if the calamity arrives, it might annihilate the great universe, the Upper World, and all planes across the void."

The heavy voice echoed in the Taoist Palace, and the seats all tightened in expression,

Just then, Chen Nuanyu from the first seat took over the conversation:

"In our deductions, all heavens and realms will inevitably be destroyed in the calamity."

"The reality universe and the Upper World have only a sliver of hope—that is, the integration of the great universe and the Upper World."

Du Mingsheng from the second seat frowned:

"Is there hope through integration?"

"Not only." Chen Nuanyu replied succinctly: "After the integration, the Heavenly Dao of the Upper World needs to merge with the broken Supreme of the great universe."

"It is the Heavenly Dao renovating the Supreme, and also the Supreme completing the Heavenly Dao—then, according to our calculations as the Ten Elders, the Heavenly Dao of the great universe will rival the old world."

"Only then can the calamity be repelled."

The Taoist Palace fell into silence, with all seats quietly contemplating something,

After a long time, Du Mingsheng from the second seat sighed lightly:

"No wonder the Upper World has been invading the reality... Why not clarify this matter, so the new Federation, the Ghost Country, and the Six Holy Lands stop resisting the Upper World?"

The Buddha Son let out a bitter laugh:

"We’ve explained it, but in vain; we even personally visited the Other Shore World but were driven away."

"It’s not that the True Spirits of the old world behind the new Federation and Ghost Country don’t believe in the calamity, but rather that they want to personally control the new world after the integration of the reality universe and the Upper World."

"This is where the contradiction lies."

After another silence, Du Mingsheng from the second seat spoke in a deep voice:

"I currently hold a high position in the new Federation; perhaps I can provide some assistance... but what exactly is the calamity?"

The seats couldn’t help but look toward the Tao Ancestor seated amid the fog, and the Celestial Venerate serving at the Tao Ancestor’s side.

The Tao Ancestor remained motionless, seemingly indifferent to the conversation among the seats,

Instead, the Celestial Venerate answered calmly:

"The calamity? I have seen it too. The Great Celestial Venerate has helped me understand that it is the Supreme beings beyond time and across all worlds, engaged in fierce combat."

The seats’ expressions changed, Supreme beings!

Millennia have passed, and everyone, more or less, had come into contact with the True Spirits of the old world and naturally understood what Supreme beings implied.

The Celestial Venerate stood quietly, tongue battling with a lotus, the sound of Dao rolling, "The calamity is precisely the shockwaves from the Supremes’ battle, judging by the progress... at the latest, it will arrive in seven thousand years."

Seven thousand years?

After another long silence, Miss Mingyue from the eighth seat couldn’t help but speak:

"But Celestial Venerate, how could entities like the Supreme beings have shockwaves that scatter?"

She quietly glanced at the Tao Ancestor.

The Celestial Venerate answered calmly:

"Because this is precisely intentional by the Supremes; Their battles are quite brutal."

"And because of the Supreme beings’ game, they all want to break the Wa Huang’s Stone that guards the current age—once all heavens and realms, the reality universe, and even the river of time are destroyed, the Wa Huang’s Stone will naturally disappear."

Following this, Zhang Fusheng in the guise of the Celestial Venerate briefly explained the origins and function of the Wa Huang’s Stone.

The Taoist Palace fell silent once more.

For a long time.

"So, that’s how it is..."

Miss Ming Yue nodded absent-mindedly, "I am currently within Two Realms Mountain, inside the domain of a Supreme’s incarnation."

After a pause, she pondered in confusion:

"I heard from everyone that a mysterious iron law surfaced a millennium ago, restricting all beings from attesting to the Taiyi Fruit Position. Why was this?"

All seats turned again to the Tao Ancestor and Celestial Venerate.

This time, it was once more the Celestial Venerate who spoke.

"To be frank with everyone, the iron law was issued by me." The Celestial Venerate answered calmly, and all seats widened their eyes in astonishment.

"As for the reason..."

Zhang Fusheng smiled without responding, and instead said:

"Rest assured, in the coming years, I will revoke the iron law."

The reason he imposed this iron law initially was actually quite simple.

To attest to the Taiyi Fruit Position, one’s existence must reflect across all realms, letting one’s other manifestations permeate all time periods,

and thereby, risking the exposure of oneself concealed in space, along with Meng Ahnan, Eight Sceneries Palace, and the Contract’s small world.

Therefore, Zhang Fusheng directly issued the iron law, forbidding all beings in the myriad worlds from achieving the Taiyi Fruit Position...

That iron law Celestial Stele suppressed the entire myriad worlds for a thousand years.

After exchanging some intelligence, the discussion among the seats gradually quieted, and many gazes once again fell upon the Tao Ancestor and Celestial Venerate.

The Celestial Venerate slightly bowed to the Tao Ancestor, then looked at the seats, "The Heaven-Interchangeable Tao cannot be reopened temporarily — to be frank with everyone, the Tao Ancestor is not actually here."

The seats froze, instinctively glancing at the silhouette sitting within the Chaos Fog.

What does that mean?

The Celestial Venerate spoke softly again:

"Who do you think, in all these ages and beyond all worlds, has slain various Supremes, leading to the calamities stirred by them?"

All seats drew a sharp breath, quietly lowering their heads, just as before, as it was a thousand years ago.

"Of course, reopening the Heaven-Interchangeable Tao would not be difficult."

Zhang Fusheng spoke gently:

"I will provide everyone a cosmic coordinate where you may go and find something, then bring it back."

"By that time —"

"The Tao Ancestor will return, the calamities will surely recede, and the new era shall shine brightly."

With these words, Zhang Fusheng flicked his fingers, the coordinates of the small world housing Eight Sceneries Palace, Meng Ahnan, and the Contract entered all seats’ minds,

Zhang Fusheng was unable to exit Eight Sceneries Palace, nor could retrieve the Contract; he needed the help of the seats.

Once the Contract is retrieved, it will be the true arrival of his Tao form, the moment he truly escapes the sealed ages.

For the seats at present, this task could be completed with ease, whether in months or even just a day.

But of course, Zhang Fusheng did not speak the truth.

"Thus."

The Celestial Venerate spoke lightly, as golden lotus bloomed, Immortal Flowers fell, "The great gathering in High Heaven ends here."

"Retreat."

As always, just as before, all seats sensed the irresistible force roaring forth,

though each one of them was unlike their past selves, yet they still had no power to resist being pushed out of the Taoist Palace, with a strand of their spirit returning to their original bodies!

Mist and clouds surged, and the Taoist Palace’s gate closed with a rumbling, plunging all into dead silence.

Only then did Zhang Fusheng look at the trembling ’Zhang Fusheng.’

"Your real self seems to be facing a calamity."

Gazing at the cause and effect surrounding the little fellow in front, Zhang Fusheng frowned, this little one should not encounter disaster,

for he is his anchor, his beacon for return; should he perish...

The youth’s face displayed a smile more sorrowful than tears.

"Alright, then."

Zhang Fusheng spoke peacefully:

"Open your will, open your mind."

"My thoughts will take over your body."

"Although I cannot grant you shocking cultivation, nor allow you to traverse worlds or venture into the void... handling some minor calamities would suffice."

Zhang Fusheng looked beyond the Taoist Palace’s gate, a deep mystery on his face.

He had given the seats false coordinates.

He suspected that among the seats, unbeknownst even to themselves, there already might be chess pieces of [The Three Pristine Ones].

The Contract... he must retrieve himself.

"Little one, lend me your body."