Novel Full Chapter 2848 - The Supreme Powerhouse, Zhi Wuzhong
Chapter 2848 – The Supreme Powerhouse, Zhi Wuzhong
The apricot-yellow bamboo tube quivered slightly, then emanated ripples of Dao Light.
A figure floated into view.
He was distinctive-looking, and he seemed young at a glance, but his eyes bore the vicissitudes of countless years. He was dressed in Daoist robes, and his feet were bare. A hairpin fixed his long black hair into a loose bun, revealing his smooth, jade-like forehead.
His most eye-catching features were the celestial bodies hovering over his shoulders: one blazing sun and one full moon.
He hefted the sun and moon as if supporting ten thousand worlds.
As soon as he appeared, the Heavenly Sovereigns bowed and greeted him with heartfelt respect and awe.
When Lu Hongpao saw this, she couldn’t help but be stunned.
Sometimes, respect was born out of dread, but the Heavenly Sovereigns’ respect was obviously sincere. They weren’t just being polite, either!
It seemed far too unbelievable.
As a fellow Heavenly Sovereign, Lu Hongpao understood how strong-willed the four old codgers were. After all, how could anyone weak-minded have stood at the pinnacle of the Eternal Heavens Domain?
They were polite to Hei Ya, but they certainly weren’t reverent.
Yet now, there was no disguising their reverence when they faced the barefoot man in Daoist robes!
Who is this guy? Why are the four Heavenly Sovereigns treating him with such respect? Lu Hongpao couldn’t wrap her head around it.
Still, she knew that the four old-timers had been holding back when they fought her.
They remained so calm and confident even against Li Sansheng because they still had the man in Daoist robes to lean on!
Li Sansheng looked stunned. His brow furrowed, and his expression grew uncharacteristically solemn.
“I wouldn’t have thought that someone of your status in the All-Profound Dominion would disregard the Eternal Pact and intervene in the River of Destiny’s affairs,” said Li Sansheng.
The distinctive-looking youth’s name was Zhi Wuzhong.
He was one of the mightiest, most ancient experts of the All-Profound Dominion, just like Lonely Heights.
Lonely Heights was Yun Wuxiang’s little martial uncle.
When Hei Ya was exiled, he started cultivating by Yun Wuxiang’s side. That was how he’d managed to survive all this time.
Zhi Wuzhong, however, was an unorthodox expert of the Daoist lineage. He was proficient in the most fundamental legacies of Daoism.
Later on, he cultivated Chan Buddhism in the Buddhist pure lands, learning the Dao from an unparalleled Buddha, and spent eight thousand years engaged in monastic debates atop an orchid platform.
Later still, he became a Confucianist, becoming well-versed in its classics and authoring texts of his own. After experiencing the ups and downs of worldly affairs, he ultimately authored a supreme Confucian classic. It was considered one of the greatest works of writing of the Confucian lineage.
But Zhi Wuzhong ultimately left Confucianism, too. He abandoned his Daoist and Buddhist roots, with unsurpassed wisdom and spirit, to create an orthodoxy all his own. It led directly to the mysteries of Destiny.
He called it the Sect of Endlessness!
The Sect of Endlessness became famous overnight, and it was soon counted among the supreme factions of the All-Profound Dominion, like the Temple of the Three Pure Ones, the Spirit Mountain of Buddhism, the Confucianists’ Mountain of Books, and the sword cultivators’ Sword Sovereign City.
“Wuzhong” meant “without end,” and it referred to the limitlessness of the Grand Dao. “Zhi Wuzhong” thus meant “he who knows the limitlessness of the Dao.”
This was the founder of that supreme orthodoxy, the Sect of Endlessness!
His talents were astonishing, and his cultivation base was lofty and deep. He was one of the select handful of experts of the Far Shore who were loftier than the heavens themselves.
Li Sansheng didn’t find it at all strange that the four Heavenly Sovereigns would address Zhi Wuzhong as “Daoist Brother.”
Zhi Wuzhong had always been willful and eccentric. He didn’t venerate the Dao or the Dharma. He sought freedom and to comprehend the truths of the spirit.
In his eyes, the Grand Dao had no end, but the pursuit of the Dao had sequence and seniority. Some were more advanced than others.
All those who proved their Dao after him were his fellow Daoists. Even those as lowly as ants could call him their Daoist brother.
Even in the Sect of Endlessness, Zhi Wuzhong’s disciples and grand-disciples could just call him their Daoist Brother. There was no need to call him “founder” or “master.”
His way of doing things had once caused quite a stir on the Far Shore of Destiny.
Everyone was curious. Some were more advanced in their pursuit of the Grand Dao than others, but how many could be more advanced than Zhi Wuzhong?
In other words, how many people did Zhi Wuzhong consider his Daoist Brother?
It was a popular conversation topic even now.
Still, there were a few people everyone thought Zhi Wuzhong called his Daoist Brothers for sure. These included the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City, the Three Pure Ones, and that famous, unsurpassed Buddha.
Zhi Wuzhong was such a legendary figure that even the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City had once remarked, “My life is finite, yet he knows the infinite. He serves me better as my enemy than as my friend.
But even if you’d hit Li Sansheng over the head, he would never have guessed that he’d run into this supreme legend of the Far Shore of Destiny here in the Eternal Heavens Domain.
It seemed far too unbelievable.
Li Sansheng’s heart silently grew heavier. This was more than just enormous trouble. This trouble was grander than the heavens themselves!
He couldn’t help but wonder, What would Big Boss say if he knew that Zhi Wuzhong was here? He’d be surprised and confused, right?
“So, it’s the Big Boss’s subordinate, Fellow Daoist Li,” Zhi Wuzhong said with a smile. His eyes were full of the vicissitudes of countless years, yet his voice was that of a youth’s.
His words might have seemed commonplace, but every syllable was full of the truths of the Grand Dao and the power to touch the heart directly.
It was far too unusual and far more terrifying than simply uttering a magic invocation.
“The ‘me’ standing before you is but an imprint. This is not my true body,” Zhi Wuzhong said honestly. “I cannot break or tamper with the Laws of Destiny, so I have no choice but to do it this way.
“As for your Big Boss’s Eternal Pact? I agreed to it, so I naturally won’t go back on my word,” said Zhi Wuzhong. “This is but an imprint of me, and it lacks the power to violate the Eternal Pact. Here on the River of Destiny, it’s just barely as strong as a Heavenly Sovereign.
“If we fight, I might well be able to come out ahead, but this imprint of mine is sure to perish beneath Snow Cap’s sharp edge.”
The boundless starscape was silent save for Zhi Wuzhong’s youthful voice full of the invisible fluctuations of the Grand Dao.
He was indeed unusual. He seemed utterly true and sincere, with neither pride nor modesty. It was as if he saw all others as his equals.
He never tried to pressure anyone, but no one would dare to underestimate him.
The feeling instantly filled Lu Hongpao’s heart with instinctual dread. This barefoot Daoist carrying the sun and moon on his shoulders is terrifying!
“Doing so naturally doesn’t constitute a violation of the rules of the All-Profound Dominion,” said Zhi Wuzhong. “Don’t you agree, Fellow Daoist Li?”
Li Sansheng fell silent. It’s true. According to the rules of the Big Boss’s pact, Zhi Wuzhong hasn’t broken any rules. After all, he hasn’t come in person, and this imprint of him hasn’t violated the natural order of Destiny.
“And where is your Big Boss?” Zhi Wuzhong asked suddenly. “He didn’t show himself when Sword Sovereign City was destroyed or when massive changes affected the Far Shore of Destiny. I thought he’d left in search of greater heights of the Grand Dao. Now it seems he’s struggling amidst the cycle of reincarnation. Where is he now?”
Only Li Sansheng heard him. The others didn’t hear a thing.
Zhi Wuzhong wasn’t transmitting anything. He was speaking openly, but in such a way that only those of sufficient skill could hear him.
If you couldn’t, that meant the contents of his speech were none of your business.
“When I arrived, the Big Boss’s reincarnation had already left,” said Li Sansheng.
There was no point even trying to lie to someone of Zhi Wuzhong’s level, and besides, this was no secret. There was no need to lie.
Zhi Wuzhong subtly inclined his head. “I know that his reincarnation has yet to reawaken the memories of his first lifetime, so it matters little whether I see him or not.”
Li Sansheng took a deep breath, then got straight to the point. “You’re the four Heavenly Sovereigns’ backer. Does that mean you plan to oppose the Big Boss to the very end, just like the Three Pure Ones?”
Zhi Wuzhong’s ancient eyes shone with a hint of inscrutable light. He laughed and shook his head. “Back in the day, your ‘big boss’ and I were enemies in our pursuit of the Grand Dao. Everyone on the Far Shore of Destiny knew that. However, his reincarnation and I are not enemies.”
Li Sansheng’s brow furrowed; he didn’t quite get it. “What do you mean?”
“Do you think his reincarnation is qualified to be my enemy?” said Zhi Wuzhong. He spoke without mockery, as if the implications were simply obvious.
Li Sansheng shook his head. Never mind an unparalleled existence like Zhi Wuzhong; he isn’t even necessarily a match for those Heavenly Sovereigns!
It was simply a fact; Li Sansheng had to acknowledge it.
“If you understand how I do things, you ought to know that I disregard all those unfit to be my enemy,” said Zhi Wuzhong. “The Heavenly Sovereigns’ conduct has nothing to do with me. I won’t interfere, either.”
Li Sansheng’s frown deepened. “By appearing here, you’ve already gotten involved. How can you say that this has nothing to do with you?”
He wasn’t being at all polite, but then, he was a cultivator of Sword Sovereign City. Each was more fearless than the one before. They wouldn’t avert their gazes even in the face of Zhi Wuzhong!
Zhi Wuzhong obviously understood the sword cultivators of Sword Sovereign City. He couldn’t help but laugh. “To the best of my knowledge, your Big Boss would never command you to overstep his rules by killing the four of them. Thus, my presence here will have little effect, if any, on the outcome. Am I right?”
“And if I insist on killing them?” Li Sansheng snorted coldly.
Zhi Wuzhong said calmly, “I won’t intervene. You’re welcome to try it, but I’ll be curious to see just how you report back to ‘the Big Boss’ afterward.”
Li Sansheng’s expression darkened.
Zhi Wuzhong’s intuition was right on the mark, and he was so calm about the situation that Li Sansheng found it hard to take.
He just kept insisting on acting like a bystander.
In the end, Li Sansheng said dejectedly, “If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have had to deal with all this crap!”
Zhi Wuzhong couldn’t help but laugh.
He drew his fingertip through the air. Time silently flowed backward, replaying Li Sansheng’s conversation with the four Heavenly Sovereigns.
The sound of voices rang out.
“In that case, why not see if your hidden cards are enough to escape my sword?”
Li Sansheng’s gaze filled with longing. “It’s been a long, long time since I last saw a proper expert from the Far Shore.”
Heavenly Sovereign Wen said gravely, “Do you really want to test us?”
“I’m downright eager,” said Li Sansheng.
When Li Sansheng saw this, his face reddened. He was instantly embarrassed to the point that he felt the powerful urge to slap himself. Zhi Wuzhong, you’re one of the greatest experts of the Far Shore of Destiny, while I’m just a junior. Why take things so seriously!?