Chapter 1623 - 295: The Grand Reshuffling (Part 6)

It rises and falls, floats and sinks, but for now, it is unstoppable, with the power of five stars rising in the east!

"Ksitigarbha, you want to seal Fengdu and recreate the Underworld.

Then today, I will personally help you fulfill your grand aspiration.

Enter my hell,

for me,

subdue all ghosts!"

...

Ghost Street.

The clouds in the sky were instantly pierced with countless large holes as an indescribable force crashed down and smashed onto the Buddha's Light.

The stalemate was broken in an instant.

Involuntarily, the Buddha's Light began advancing towards the Ghost Gate.

But the Bodhisattva did not wish to enter this Ghost Gate—it is said that I do not enter hell, who will enter hell, and hell will be empty unless I become a Buddha, referring to his own hell.

When a new hell is first built, it naturally starts empty.

The Bodhisattva thus seamlessly became a Buddha.

The Buddha's Light was further squeezed, and entering the Ghost Gate seemed inevitable.

Yet at this moment, although the Buddha's Light was still present, it showed distinct layering.

A solemn voice echoed from above:

"I am in the future."

Being in the future not only conceals perception from the Heavenly Dao but also allows one to escape from the meticulously arranged vortex at this moment.

However, from this statement, it can also be seen that in this strategic confrontation, the Bodhisattva conceded.

The Bodhisattva no longer considered how to win but planned to make an escape.

But is hiding in the future truly effective?

When Li Zhiyuan saw the rising "water" before him, the young man knew that the Bodhisattva might not be able to leave, because this "water" was not the "Jiang Shui" seen earlier—it was more realistic, more turbulent, and most importantly, this "water" also came from the future.

The future here will be submerged.

The waves crashed relentlessly, eventually squeezing out the previously appearing layered Buddha's Light once more.

Radiance and water combined, forming an extremely terrifying force that roared fiercely.

"Yin Changsheng..."

The Bodhisattva only had time to leave this phrase, as the Buddha's Light was completely swept into the Ghost Gate, along with Emperor Fengdu, who was within the Ghost Gate.

This impact was not over, it was long-lasting. One has to know that this is a force even the Bodhisattva cannot resist; it now rushed into the Underworld through the Ghost Gate, akin to the apocalypse descending on the underworld.

Li Zhiyuan was very curious—if conditions allowed, he really wanted to enter the Underworld to see, but the current conditions were nowhere near allowing it.

The young man did not know how much of the Underworld would remain after this torrent, but if considering from the Great Emperor's perspective, since the Bodhisattva wanted to seal the Underworld and create a new one, why not draw the Bodhisattva in as something to be subdued under his domain, and then rebuild?

This way, not only would he solve the powerful enemy competing for orthodoxy, but also gradually reduce the factions who had begun secretly acting behind his back, without dirtying his own hands.

Li Zhiyuan sat on the ground, having witnessed everything, now feeling a sort of emptiness akin to that after watching an open-air movie in the village—fully satisfied yet still yearning.

"Creak...creak..."

The Ghost Gate, opened not long ago, began to close.

The grand reshuffle concluded, and what remains will be the Sheng Family tidying up the table.

A shadow swept across the Jiang, then landed on the wharf, proceeding up Ghost Street all the way forward.

Li Zhiyuan watched him come.

In him, the young man saw the image of the Great Emperor, and also the familiarity of Mr. Zhai.

Mr. Zhai is Mr. Zhai, the Great Emperor is the Great Emperor—though they originated from one, they are not unique.

Now, the Great Emperor and Mr. Zhai have separated.

At present, this shadow will return to the Underworld to merge with his true self, and henceforth, Mr. Zhai will have no further ties with the Great Emperor.

Living long indeed has its advantages—you can even allocate part of your mind to walk almost a whole life path of someone else.

But Li Zhiyuan did not envy this advantage—if you could just casually experience someone else's life, who would continue to cherish the one they have?

If you live another's life for a lifetime, when you return to yourself, what's the point of living? It's all meaningless.

The young man's body merged now, but his mind remained clear.

So when the shadow passed by him, the young man exerted the last bit of his strength, raising his hand.

"Tear...tear..."

His own body was like an improperly cooked egg being flipped, its insides spilling out.

Li Zhiyuan found himself quite disgusting at this moment.

Yet he stubbornly reached his hand, aiming to grasp the shadow's ankle.

Now, he wasn't gasping, and had regained a bit more strength—it seemed like a glimpse of his 'last light'.

Li Zhiyuan looked at the shadow and asked:

"Where is Meng Meng?"

There was no sign of Meng Meng in the truck.

The young man's hand grasped empty air, the shadow kept moving forward, without even glancing down, not pausing for a moment.

The anger from before was fake; in hindsight, Li Zhiyuan could reasonably suspect that when the Great Emperor issued a decree to annihilate that family, it was also to lay groundwork for today's setup.

The Great Emperor has been alive all along, not sealed and asleep, and how could a being that has lived this long still have human emotions of joy and sorrow?

Oh, no, the previous "your appetite, how big is it?" from the truck did perhaps express real anger.

Because he had succeeded in offending the Great Emperor with Liangliang's help, touching on the Great Emperor's majesty.

The shadow walked toward the slowly closing Ghost Gate.

Li Zhiyuan's weak voice continued to sound:

"We came together, we must return together. You have to bring Meng Meng back—this place is no longer her home, I want to take her back to our home in Nantong."

The shadow stepped into the Ghost Gate, entirely ignoring the plea.

Li Zhiyuan: "In the last round, you missed me. I haven't received the reward for that round—it's not fair if they all get something, and I miss out; it's unreasonable, it's humiliating."

The shadow turned in the gate this time, looking at Li Zhiyuan.

Although no true features can be seen, it felt as if there was a slight amusement and mockery.

Because Li Zhiyuan's current appearance and what he just said indeed carried an innocence that should not have belonged to him.

Is it pleading, is it endearing, or is it seeking genuine acknowledgment?

You certainly dare to think, and to ask, too.

The shadow stood inside the gate, gazing at Li Zhiyuan—after all, this child is also his "disciple," verbally.

The Ghost Gate had closed to almost a slit, and this slit was precisely where the shadow remained.

Soon, the Ghost Gate would seal this slit shut, ending the stare between the shadow and the young man.

However, at this moment, there was an extremely abrupt sound:

"Crack!"

The Ghost Gate was stuck here, leaving just enough of a slit for the shadow and the young man to maintain eye contact.

The shadow first raised his head to look up, then again looked at Li Zhiyuan, who was merged outside on the street.

The young man's plea ceased, and the humility in his eyes faded, replaced by his most accustomed calmness.

Were it not for severe cracking of his skin, preventing extra movement, Li Zhiyuan might have attempted to sketch a smile across his lips for the shadow in the gate slit.

You may disregard me, walk past me with ease; yet, in the end, how you pass, you shall return the same way.

Why did Zhao Yi's death seem simple and not embody the aesthetic he desired? Because he was drained by Li Zhiyuan before he went to his death.

Li Zhiyuan ultimately chose mutual destruction with Tidings because he himself was drained, unable to perform unnecessary deeds.

He could have used Fengdu Array to subdue Tidings and gain a chance to face the Bodhisattva—although the ending was certain death by the Bodhisattva's finger strike—yet such an experience remained invaluable.

Still, Li Zhiyuan gave it up.

When lending his mind to Li Zhiyuan, Zhao Yi had revealed a shocked and admiring look.

Because he "saw" what the surname Li was secretly doing!

The shadow stepped out from the slit of the Ghost Gate, his features began to come clear, and he looked directly at the dying boy on the ground, no longer amused, laughing, or pitiful, but gravely conflicted.

He thought Xue Liangliang's persistence there was the youthful one's greatest reliance, setting barriers within his simplest step.

Yet he didn't anticipate that the genuinely simplest step lay here.

Then, he even took the initiative to speak, with a voice repressed in majesty, trying as much as possible to soften and lighten the tone:

"Disciple, tell your master, what did you secretly do?"

"Master, I altered the array at our home's main gate."