First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2849 – It’s All Because the Big Boss Taught Me Well

Zhi Wuzhong’s Daoist robes billowed around him. The sun and moon on his shoulders shone as brightly as the Grand Dao, illuminating the starry void.

His bearing was indescribably transcendent.

When he drew his fingertip through the air, all of the ripples of temporal power vanished without a trace.

“The Far Shore of Destiny has changed. The Eternal Pact of the All-Profound Dominion has broken. Whether I follow it or not is entirely up to me.”

Li Sansheng was instantly solemn.

Meanwhile, the others regained their sense of hearing. Now, all of them heard everything he said.

“But it’s still too early to discuss all that. Here on the River of Destiny, we of its Far Shore are ultimately still outsiders rejected by the natural order.” Zhi Wuzhong extended his hand, then froze and said dejectedly, “I forgot that I’m just an imprint. I don’t even have any fruit on hand to snack on.”

No one knew what to say to that.

Lu Hongpao’s eyes widened. This is an unbelievably powerful existence. Why is he getting hung up on fruit at a time like this? Is he serious?

Li Sansheng, however, recalled a popular rumor in the All-Profound Dominion. They said that Zhi Wuzhong was quite strange. He didn’t drink or eat meat, but he was obsessed with eating fruit.

Whenever he did anything, no matter what it was, he’d bring fruit with him, and he ate without consideration for time, place, and context. He made no attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself, either.

During his time practicing Buddhism, he’d gone into seclusion on numerous occasions, but all such attempts ended in failure.

Because he just couldn’t quit snacking on fruit.

Apparently, on another occasion, Zhi Wuzhong couldn’t help but munch on a handful of melon seeds immediately before battle. His powerful enemy took this as a sign of disrespect, and he was so deeply offended that he flew off the handle and attacked.

Zhi Wuzhong won in the end, then sighed, “I’ve cast away one addiction after another in my pursuit of the Grand Dao. This is the only one I have left. I can’t get rid of it! If I do, I’ll no longer be human!”

Once, everyone was curious. Just how rare and precious were these fruits for someone as powerful as Zhi Wuzhong to be unable to give up on them?

The results left them tongue-tied. It turned out that all were perfectly ordinary fruit, the kind found in the mortal world, like dates, pears, hawthorn, and melons.

He devoured melon seeds in particular in astonishing numbers.

The disciples of the Sect of Endlessness interacted with Zhi Wuzhong regularly, and they gradually realized that he ate them most often. Eating melon seeds meant he was neither in a good mood nor in a particularly bad mood.

Eating jujube dates, however, meant he was displeased. Thus, the sect’s disciples often said, “When the founder eats dates, someone’s in for a miserable fate.”

When he ate hawthorn, it meant he was in high spirits. Those who approached him then had a high chance of receiving gifts, guidance, or other benefits.

In short, Zhi Wuzhong was quite the eccentric.

It wasn’t just his personality and his hobbies, either. His Grand Dao was strange, too. He was an anomaly amongst top experts.

When he realized there was no fruit for him to eat, Zhi Wuzhong’s interest waned. He sighed, then gazed into the distance. “Heavenly Sovereigns are the masters of Heavenly Fate, the representatives of Heaven’s Will. When the true changes begin, it will be the Heavenly Sovereigns who preside over the River of Destiny. If outsiders try to intervene by force, it’s hard to say how it’ll end for them.”

He spoke in plain, straightforward language, but Li Sansheng and the Heavenly Sovereigns only vaguely understood him.

What does he mean by ‘the true changes’? And why say that it’s hard to say what’ll happen to outsiders who intervene in the River of Destiny’s affairs by force?

Zhi Wuzhong didn’t explain. He looked at Li Sansheng and said, “The Big Boss’s reincarnation is impressive indeed, and he walks an unprecedented path. I’m looking forward to the day he has a chance at killing me.”

And indeed, there was a hint of eagerness on his brow.

Li Sansheng fell briefly silent.

A long, long time ago, the Big Boss and Zhi Wuzhong were life-or-death enemies. The nature of their enmity was complicated; they were competitors in their pursuit of the Grand Dao, but there were also personal grudges between them.

But everyone knew that Zhi Wuzhong had suffered defeat beneath the Big Boss’s sword, and more than once at that.

But every time he lost, his cultivation base grew stronger. It was utterly absurd.

Some troublemakers even said that Zhi Wuzhong was using the Big Boss as a whetstone.

When Zhi Wuzhong took his place at the pinnacle of the All-Profound Dominion, he wanted to settle things with the big Boss once and for all. However, by then, the Big Boss had vanished from the All-Profound Dominion forever.

It was only later that everyone learned that after leaving for the All-Wonder Dominion, the Big Boss entered the cycle of reincarnation.

The sword cultivators of Sword Sovereign City often asked the Big Boss why he didn’t kill Zhi Wuzhong after defeating him. Was he simply not capable of it, or was there more to it than that?

The Big Boss never answered. Even now, no one knew the inside story.

Zhi Wuzhong never spoke of it either. He just said that he had a personal grudge against the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City, the kind that wouldn’t end until one of them was dead.

Suddenly, Zhi Wuzhong fixed his gaze on Lu Hongpao. He seemed to sense something, so he made some hand seals as if trying to divine something.

Shortly after, he laughed. “A valiant woman indeed. No wonder.”

Lu Hongpao was baffled. What does he mean by that?

Zhi Wuzhong said no more on the matter. He just vanished into the apricot-yellow bamboo tube.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. They found the situation bewildering, too. Our all-powerful ‘Daoist brother’ left, just like that?

In truth, of those present, only Li Sansheng knew Zhi Wuzhong’s origins. Not even the four Heavenly Sovereigns had any idea what kind of existence the man they called their “Daoist brother” really was.

“What are you just standing there for?” Li Sansheng said with a cold snort. “Are you just sitting around and waiting to die?”

Zhi Wuzhong’s arrival had left a lingering shadow over his heart, and Zhi Wuzhong’s words made him sense an invisible, latent threat.

The Far Shore of Destiny had changed, and Sword Sovereign City had fallen. Soon, the River of Destiny would change, too.

And Zhi Wuzhong, the Big Boss’s old enemy, had obviously long since set his sights on the Big Boss’s reincarnation!

Of course, Li Sansheng was worried. How could he not be?

The four Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances, then sighed to themselves. They finally understood that their Daoist Brother had indeed resolved their imminent crisis.

If not for him, how could Li Sansheng possibly have become so agreeable?

“That’s right. Give back everything that doesn’t belong to you before you go!” Li Sansheng said coldly.

The four Heavenly Sovereigns pondered briefly, then realized what he meant. They forcefully suppressed their unwillingness, then took out the shattered pieces of Lu Hongpao’s body and handed them over.

Then, they turned to leave without the slightest hesitation, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Li Sansheng made no attempt to stop them.

Instead, he turned to face Lu Hongpao. “Miss, the Big Boss sent me to talk to you.”

Lu Hongpao froze, stunned, then seemed to realize something. “Please go right away.”

Li Sansheng got right to the point. “Su Yi needs to walk his path for himself. Others cannot overstep or try to influence him. If you arrange his cultivation for him, you’ll ruin it, no matter how good your intentions are.”

Lu Hongpao fell silent. She understood that. How could she not?

From the moment Su Yi entered the River of Destiny, she’d quietly made arrangements for him from behind the scenes, sometimes openly, sometimes subtly. It was because of her that Su Yi went to the Blue Peak and the Literati Continents.

She… just wanted to do everything she could to help him! She wasn’t being at all selfish, either. She wasn’t holding back in the slightest.

But during this close brush with death, she’d seen Hei Ya and Zhi Wuzhong, a top expert of the Far Shore of Destiny. After calming down and thinking things over, she realized something.

If she’d stayed out of Su Yi’s cultivation, this would never have happened.

If she’d thought harder instead of fixating on what she thought was best for Su Yi, this wouldn’t have happened, either.

The thought filled her heart with deep-seated regret and self-recrimination.

“I’m not saying this to chastise you, miss. On the contrary, I quite admire you,” Li Sansheng said with an earnest smile. “Su Yi is fortunate indeed to have a confidante like you!”

“I’m his good brother, not his confidante!” corrected Lu Hongpao.

Li Sansheng scratched his head. “The way I see it, there’s no difference.”

Li Sansheng then went on to candidly explain a few things.

For instance, the Big Boss had arranged for Li Sansheng to show up before the battle even began. Li Sansheng had actually been watching in secret this entire time.

He hadn’t rushed to her aid earlier, not because he didn’t want to help, but because this brush with death was an opportunity for Lu Hongpao to break through. By overcoming death, she could rise to greater heights!

Simply put, sometimes, you had to break before you could build.

Heavenly Sovereigns were effectively cultivating atop boats on the surface of the River of Destiny. With their vessels, they could reach the Far Shore with far greater ease.

But if they didn’t hop off their boats, how could they ever step onto the Far Shore?

Lu Hongpao’s body had been destroyed during the earlier battle, and her soul and vitality were on the verge of running dry. Her Divine Throne, the Celestial Peak, had been seized. In this state, she was completely doomed.

Everything Lu Hongpao relied on, every power at her disposal, had been lost in this tribulation.

To a Heavenly Sovereign, such losses were devastating. It was as if the boat carrying her along the River of Destiny had capsized.

Li Sansheng had intervened right in the nick of time, dragging her out of the current before she drowned. In doing so, he’d given her a chance to face death and overcome it!

This was an unparalleled stroke of good fortune. It gave Lu Hongpao the latent potential needed to step onto the Far Shore of Destiny.

The boat beneath her feet had shattered. Now, she could naturally one day cast it aside and step onto the Far Shore of Destiny!

The thought made her fall into a daze. So, there was so much going on behind the scenes? And isn’t this ‘Big Boss’ person a bit too unbelievable?

“Miss, your body has been destroyed, and your soul is badly damaged. You’re down to your last thread of life force,” said Li Sansheng. “If you’re not opposed, why not come with me to cultivate a certain somewhere? I’m sure you’ll be able to rise even greater heights than before!”

“Is… is this also part of your Boss Boss’s arrangements?” asked Lu Hongpao.

Li Sansheng nodded. “It is indeed. You risked it all to protect his reincarnation without the slightest politeness, and the Big Boss saw it all. How could he not show his appreciation?”

Lu Hongpao shook her head. “I didn’t do it in hopes of some sort of reward.”

Li Sansheng smiled. “I understand, but look at it this way: In your current state, you won’t be able to help Su Yi any time soon. Moreover, I’m sure he’s worried about your safety. I strongly encourage you to accept our offer, if only so that he doesn’t have to worry about you.”

Lu Hongpao couldn’t help but rub her cheek. “I’ve got to say, you sure are persuasive. Very well! I agree!”

Li Sansheng said modestly, “It’s because the Big Boss taught me well!”