Secret Buyer

The divine statue of the Celestial Venerate surprisingly wore a compassionate smile that should have belonged to a Buddha statue, and behind it stood a large intricately carved bronze disk, the meaning of which was unknown.

"There are offerings here."

Lin Shiyu noticed keenly and pointed to the two plaques half-buried in the incense burner. Shi Tianming reached out, but neither the incense burner nor the wooden plaques moved at all.

The little monk frowned:

"This is exceedingly strange. When I extend my divine thought, it’s as if falling into an endless hell, struggling even half an inch out of body..."

He reached into the incense burner and easily fished out the plaques.

The crowd looked and saw that one plaque bore the name "Fuli Celestial Venerate" and the other "Fu Li Shizun,"

with clusters of incense ash falling off, swirling in the air as if stirred by a breeze.

But though the Taoist temple was dilapidated, there were no cracks, and the temple door was closed... there should be no wind.

"Where does the wind come from!" The old monk’s expression suddenly changed, pointing at the two divine statues.

The little monk and company looked over, their expressions turning grim, realizing the wind—or rather, the breaths—were emanating from the nostrils of the two statues!

The airflow spurted out and then returned, cycling once every ten breaths, just like the statues were breathing!

"This is truly bizarre..." the little monk muttered, his hair standing on end, certain the statues weren’t living beings, or even solid inside,

and yet, they manifested the appearance of breathing without any magical power attached!

"The more bizarre, the better," Shi Tianming was the first to regain calmness. "The more peculiar, the more likely to block the passage of those from the Other Shore."

He stepped forward to carefully observe the two statues but found nothing, then shifted his gaze to the wooden plaques in the little monk’s hand:

"Fuli Celestial Venerate, Fu Li Shizun, indeed, I have never heard of them... Who set these plaques here?"

No one answered; they all looked at each other.

"Forget it."

The old monk sighed wearily and sat cross-legged, casually pinching some dust from the ground—it lifted effortlessly in his fingers.

Odd.

Too odd.

The glassy wind capable of extinguishing mountain peaks couldn’t move this dust, yet an ordinary pinch could manipulate it freely...

The little monk methodically observed around the Taoist temple once more, then, borrowing the Buddhist and Daoist influence within the temple with the old monk,

together laid down a concealing formation, and everyone sat down to rest.

"Do not venture outside," the old monk whispered a sigh, "This place is indeed extraordinary. As long as the door is not opened, borrowing the concealment formation, we shall not be discovered by those walking from the Other Shore."

"Of course, unless he’s lucky enough to happen upon this place and inadvertently destroys the temple..."

Silence briefly enveloped the temple.

Lin Shiyu propped her chin with her hands, momentarily disinterested in cultivating, her gaze unintentionally falling on the unconscious young man, and she pursed her lips.

She didn’t like him.

Evil, deviant path.

Uncertain how much time had passed.

"Cough, cough..." A light coughing sound arose.

Zhang Taishan looked pleasantly surprised:

"Awake?"

Zhang Fusheng slowly opened his eyes, sensing the damage and frailty within his body, and nodded slightly:

"Awake."

He exhaled; it had been so long since he had felt this weak...

A fragment of his will, sealed and suppressed by history, even if reemerged in this world, it could not bring forth his towering cultivation,

it’s safe to say this fragment of will was far worse off than those old True Spirits!

Yet, all was not lost.

His cultivation and mana were gone, but his insights into divine techniques, great divine techniques and the 84,000 paths remained,

especially the insights into the 84,000 paths, which even without mana or cultivation, could still be employed.

"Where is this...?"

Zhang Fusheng asked weakly, his viscera still tearing painfully. As he glanced around, his gaze fell on the two statues and wooden plaques, and he was taken aback.

How could his statue be here?

Fuli Celestial Venerate... and what on earth is this Fu Li Shizun?

"You’ve just woken up, don’t speak, don’t speak," Zhang Taishan advised, "You’ve been tainted with the dense killing intent of those from the Other Shore, even these two masters can’t heal you."

Zhang Fusheng frowned slightly, Other Shore walkers?

He wanted to ask but was stopped by Zhang Taishan’s raised hand, "Just rest well!"

Beside him, the old monk spoke solemnly:

"The killing intent is so dense that external forces can’t seep into Young Donor Zhang’s body. Over time, the injuries may worsen."

"However, Young Donor Zhang can indeed save himself—I’ll pass on to him a marvelous technique, and he can try to cultivate it."

After a moment, the old monk eloquently elaborated on the marvelous technique,

Zhang Fusheng frowned, not quite understanding his current situation, but decided to put on a facade of listening and meditating, his eyes half-closed in solemn contemplation.

Lin Shiyu pursed her lips:

"He does put on quite the act..."

She snorted.

The lecture echoed, and Zhang Fusheng naturally didn’t listen. At this moment, his thoughts were trying to connect with the Dao of Cause and Effect,

though mana was absent and cultivation wasn’t present, the Dao remained intact.

In his barely open eyes, threads of cause and effect appeared, densely interwoven and endless. In no time, all matters relating to this body were known, its causes and effects fully understood.

"Other Shore walkers, Hu Lifo... Hu Zhongli’s offspring?"

Zhang Fusheng mused to himself, contemplating, a kind of half-nephew to him?

He laughed silently to himself, not caring much—what mattered now was retrieving the Contract.

The Contract was sealed in the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle Iron, hidden within a void space. Though it could not be used by an outsider,

without retrieving it, he couldn’t free his true self...

Gradually, Zhang Fusheng communicated with the 84,000 paths, his feeble spiritual thoughts, aided by the Dao,

began to transcend the present world, surpassing the great universe, reigning supreme over all heavens!

Though his cultivation wasn’t restored, and mana was absent, the Dao remained, and so did his position.

Thus—

My body rises infinitely, towering over all mountains small.

The vast myriad worlds unfolded beneath his eyelids, the river of time flowed beside, surging turbulently,

Zhang Fusheng’s gaze followed the river of time, seeing the collapsed Imperial Palace, the palace empty,

clearly, the Celestial Emperor friend had been forced elsewhere, fighting alongside other Supremes against the Taiqing Daoist.

He could even see the catastrophic tide rushing towards the myriad worlds and the river of time!

Retrieving his gaze, he overlooked all worlds.

"Go."

Zhang Fusheng sent a thought residing above all worlds, though due to the absence of mana, he couldn’t interfere with the myriad worlds nor directly retrieve the Contract from the void space,

but through the Dao of Cause and Effect,

he continued to disperse strands of cause and effect, linking to one universe and great realm after another!

Each thread of cause and effect embedding itself into the universe or great realm would immediately interfere with their timelines, creating duplicates of himself,

as time flowed by, these duplicates gradually spread across the myriad worlds...

Still far from reflecting upon all worlds.

"Speeches can’t be entirely trusted, a journey to the Other Shore World is necessary."

Zhang Fusheng murmured to himself, recognizing even his master Hong Tianbao in the Other Shore World couldn’t be trusted,

the Three Pristine Ones were too enigmatic, he wasn’t sure which of his old acquaintances were under their control—except for one.

Wa.

The Wa Maiden, residing on the Other Shore Mountain.

No matter how powerful the Three Pristine Ones were, they couldn’t manipulate Wa Maiden while Wa Huang’s Stone remained intact.

"Go to the Other Shore World, have Wa Maiden retrieve the Contract for me... speaking of which, what is the real deal with this Taoist temple?"

Zhang Fusheng whispered to himself, sensed something, his expression shifting as his thoughts descended back from the myriad worlds to his frail body.

Opening his eyes, he glanced sideways.

The next moment.

The temple door was gently pushed open, the others watched in horror, only to see a lame Daoist entering weary and dusty.

The Daoist appeared travel-worn, his form slightly distorted, exuding a hint of illusory nature,

as if not belonging to this world, this universe, or even this era.

The lame Daoist noticed the people inside the temple, momentarily startled before pressing palms together:

"The Celestial Venerate above, my Buddha is compassionate."

"I am Meng Ahnan, from the eastern lands of the Great Tang, the owner of this ruined temple... may I ask who you all are?"

Shi Tianming’s face changed drastically, he slapped his thigh fiercely:

"Disaster!"

"Once the door’s open, the seal leaks, the formation breaks, and the celestial secrets spill!"