Chapter 584 - 37: Embodying the Will of Heaven and Earth, Haotian Manifests, an Old Friend Ascends

Chapter 584: Chapter 37: Embodying the Will of Heaven and Earth, Haotian Manifests, an Old Friend Ascends

Xiaohuo’Er was a bit bewildered, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, Master."

With that, he bowed and strode out of the Purple Cloud Palace.

.........

「Late Han Dynasty」

Everything returned to tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.

「One year after the Battle of Guan Du」

"The Profound Yellow Emperor Venerable is in seclusion to break through to the next realm. The Northern Lands have been quiet for some time now..."

At Emperor Pass, within a grand hall, the leadership had gathered, the Daluo positioned at the highest seats.

Zhuge Kongming, sitting to the side, said with a solemn expression:

"But if my predictions are correct, that Ancient One could move to suppress us at any moment. I fear we will be powerless to stop him."

"Patience."

Emperor Xuandu opened his eyes, his voice grave.

"Amitabha has been suppressed. The Buddha Mother is likely still reeling and won’t make a move in the short term. We have ninety-eight years left. Let’s use this time to prepare."

Beside him, a wry smile touched Guangcheng Zi’s lips.

"But no matter how we prepare, a single Ancient One can suppress us with one hand. In fact, all he has to do is pin us down, and Great Sun Buddha, the Immortal Mother, and the others will be free to sweep through everything else..."

A feeling of helplessness welled up in Xuandu’s heart, and the hall fell silent.

Forget the Buddha Mother; even the Daluo remaining on the enemy’s side outnumbered them. How could they possibly contend with that?

Furthermore, they were now the weaker side, with no idea when their enemy might choose to strike...

Just as they were all at a loss, a child’s tender voice suddenly rang out, vast and powerful, echoing through the age of the Late Han Dynasty.

"In this current time and space, ninety years from now, the Purple Cloud Palace will once again hold a lecture, proclaiming the middle volume of the Celestial Book and Celestial Book Volume Two. All guests of the Purple Cloud Palace must attend the sermon once more. No one may be absent!"

As the immense voice reverberated, the faces of everyone in the hall first lit up with joy, only to fall in the next moment.

’A lecture ninety years from now, in this specific era... In other words, Xuandu, Xuanyuan, Shennong, and even Yan Huang and Liu Bei would all have to travel to the Purple Cloud Palace for the sermon, and attendance was mandatory. Which meant...’

「At the same time.」

In the Northern Lands, the Buddha Mother slowly opened his eyes, listening to the voice of the Dao. His expression flickered, unreadable.

After a long moment, he issued a quiet decree:

"Ninety years. What a coincidence... Then it’s settled. In ninety years, we will wipe the slate clean. Xuandu and the others will be on their way to the Purple Cloud Palace, which removes my final reservation."

For the past year, the Buddha Mother had hesitated to make a move precisely because of Xuandu. After all, Amitabha Buddha was still being suppressed beneath Douluo Palace!

And Xuandu was, after all, of the Supreme’s Direct Lineage...

Below, Great Sun Buddha and the others bowed in acknowledgment and answered with reverence.

Meanwhile, back in the great hall at Emperor Pass, a deathly silence had fallen.

"If nothing unexpected happens..."

Guangcheng Zi began, his voice laced with bitterness:

"I’m afraid the Buddha Mother will make his move ninety years from now..."

He looked at Xuandu with concern and asked quietly,

"When you go to the Purple Cloud Palace in ninety years, can you send a version of yourself from another point in time instead?"

Xuandu’s expression was grim as he shook his head.

"The Profound Mysteries of the Purple Cloud Palace are immense; it covers all of time and space. When I go, my entire being must go. All that will remain in the timelines is a [Historical Imprint]."

The gloom in the hall deepened. Xuandu took a deep breath, about to say more, when he suddenly sensed something and looked up.

A Daoist was strolling leisurely into the hall from outside.

"Who goes there?!"

The seventeen Daluo in the hall, along with Liu Bei, Yan Huang, the Golden Spirit Saint Mother, and the others, shot to their feet, their expressions changing drastically.

The Daoist had arrived without a sound, noticed only after he had already stepped inside the hall. It was an astonishing feat!

After all, seventeen Daluo of the Current World were seated here, including two Existences at the [Supreme] level!

The unexpected visitor simply offered a serene smile.

"I was invited by Xiaoxuan to lend a hand. If the Buddha Mother comes in person, I will hold him back. But as for the other Daluo, you will have to face them on your own."

"And you are...?"

A chill ran down everyone’s spine. ’Stop... the Buddha Mother?’

’This Daoist...’

Yan Huang bowed cautiously.

"Senior, you seem to be quite familiar with Lu Zi?"

The Daoist glanced at him and gave a gentle nod.

"I am also quite familiar with Yan Jiangxue."

Yan Huang was taken aback. Wang Zhiyao and the others stared wide-eyed. The rest of the hall grew even more confused. Just who was this Daoist?

Guangcheng Zi studied him intently but couldn’t see through him in the slightest. Finally, he asked point-blank,

"Might I be so bold as to ask Senior’s name?"

The Daoist smiled.

"Haotian."

The hall fell deathly silent.

’Hao... Haotian?’

Yang Erlang, Nezha, and Zhu Wuneng felt their heads spin, their minds reeling from the shock. ’The... the Celestial Emperor!!’

Everyone was horrified, yet at the same time, a wave of relief washed over them.

With his arrival, they were... safe.

.........

「In the era of the Current World, within a certain Ancient Realm among the myriad All Realms」

"It has been twenty-four years since I began my cultivation. Favored by the heavens and watched over by the gods, I have at last achieved true attainment today. Now, I shall ride the clouds to Ascension."

On the summit of the highest mountain in this realm, a young man stood with a solemn expression. He looked out at the countless familiar faces before him, his own face filled with emotion, and bowed slightly.

"Before I ascend, I have one final question..."

An old man at the Great Grade Realm said with a smile,

"Ask away!"

Confusion appeared on the face of the young man, who had already reached the Immortal stage.

"I was born in Little Stone Mountain Town. It was supposed to be an ordinary little town, yet my school tutor was a Confucian Great Virtue, and Mr. Zhu next door was the world’s greatest martial artist."

"Elder Su, the man who sold candied Gourds, was the greatest master of the Sword Dao. The Night Watchman was the second most powerful man in the Human World. Even my childhood sweetheart, Youwei, turned out to be the Demon Sect Saintess in disguise..."

He continued,

The young man stared at the crowd before him—the old acquaintances from Little Stone Mountain Town, who were also the most powerful experts in the world today—and pressed on with his question:

"And ever since I was old enough to understand, all of you, intentionally or not, grew close to me. One by one, you taught me your ultimate techniques, even using Great Treasure Medicines to cleanse my body and perform Bone Marrow Refining."

"I achieved the body of a Grandmaster at age three. I began cultivating formally at five and became a Celestial Human in a single step. I became an Earth Immortal at nine. After that, I faced one tribulation a year until, by the age of eighteen, I was already a True Immortal. Now, at only twenty-four, my lifespan rivals the heavens themselves, making me undying and ageless... Why?"