“Does he also want to step into the Celestial Immortal’s Way?” After hearing what Emperor Baiqi had to say, Zhou Bao smiled and sneered.
“Every Earthly Immortal’s dream is to step into the Celestial Immortal’s Way. However, as compared to the Earthly Immortal’s Way, this would entail more instability. The majority of those who faced the directionless Celestial Immortal’s Way will be confused. However, if one becomes a Tribulation Taker, then everything will become much simpler! Tribulation Takers have better fates and their fate will become stronger when they are nearing the tribulation. They are also more likely to satisfy the criteria of entering into the Celestial Immortal’s Way. Hulong is after this idea!”
“So that is no wonder why he carried out a sneak attack, because he has a plan like this!” Zhou Bao thought to himself. He lifted his head all of a sudden and asked, “Both of you are rivals and are in the Seven Mysteries World together, should you not know where his nest is hidden?!”
“What are you going to do?”
Upon hearing Zhou Bao’s question, Emperor Baiqi furrowed his brows, as if he understood what Zhou Bao was thinking.
“One cannot always receive but also must reciprocate by giving. Since he wants to rob my fate to become a Tribulation Taker, he would surely want to make some sacrifice in return. Should I then let him fight for nothing as such?!”
“Fight for nothing? You have defeated and robbed him of his place in the Celestial Punishment Palace and he has suffered a great loss already!”
“Why should we settle our score like that? I have no hatred against him and for him to launch a sudden attack against me, I have to retaliate of course!” Zhou Bao laughed sinisterly. “As for the Celestial Punishment Palace, that was because he wasn’t capable of protecting it, it has nothing to do with me!”
“That makes sense, but this is not easy. This is the world of the Seven Mysteries and he is one of the Controllers of this world. If I fight with him, it’s counted as an internal battle, which does not matter. But if you attack him, then you will be viewed as one who is against the world of the Seven Mysteries! By then, at least three Emperors will attack you altogether. Do you have confidence to handle them?!”
“Eh?!” Zhou Bao’s expression turned stiff. “It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge 10 years late. You guys at the world of the Seven Mysteries can’t protect that darned fella forever right?!”
“Why don’t you consider my suggestion? As long as you agree with it, then your fight with Emperor Hulong will be considered as an internal battle. Then, that three antiques can’t interfere!”
“Let me think about it again!” Zhou Bao was very hesitant towards this suggestion. For the other practitioners, it will be a god-sent opportunity for a strong ruler in this world to willingly give his seat away. But for Zhou Bao, he did not have the urge to accept it. If he did, he would be tied onto the cart heading for the battle in the world of the Seven Mysteries. In this ghostly world, people toughen up when facing strong opponents and soften when facing weaker ones. However, not only did this place not have a Fate Creator, it even got itself entangled in this dispute happening inside the Holy Alliance. If he accepted it, more trouble might come his way afterward. Besides, he was looking for a Tribulation Taker by the name of Lao Shenzi. He couldn’t even finish his task, how would he have the energy to care about the things happening in the other worlds?
“I have accepted Your Honour’s goodwill. However, I’m not suited to do this kind of things. I think I’ll pass!” Zhou Bao stood up as he spoke. “Seniors Qing Feng and Ming Yue have now gained a place in the Celestial Punishment Palace, I will not interrupt anymore. I am taking my leave!”
“That’s fine!” Emperor Baiqi glanced at Zhou Bao and smiled. He did not insist on his stance and watched Zhou Bao leave the Fifth Manor. He thought in silence for a while and turned towards Qing Feng and Ming Yue and asked, “How?!”
“Interesting guy!” Qing Feng smiled,” There’s a possibility of passing the Dharma Ending Tribulation this time!”
“He might even become a Celestial Immortal!” Ming Yue mentioned this at a corner.
“Celestial Immortal? No way, he is just a – !”
“Tribulation Taker, who knows what the future holds?!” Qing Feng smiled, “As for the two of us, we are not even certified as Earthly Immortals yet. In this upcoming tribulation, we do not even have the most basic self-protecting ability. What a joke!”
“Yes, yes, let’s train in a closed-door environment first. After we finished training, perhaps, the Dharma Ending Tribulation has already passed, hehe!” Ming Yue let out a laugh and threw the Celestial Punishment Palace up into the air. A golden light flashed past and the both of them disappeared with it.
On the other hand, after leaving this endless spacetime, Zhou Bao left the world of the Seven Mysteries immediately.
He only came here to track Emperor Hulong. Now, he realized that he could not fight the world on his own. Zhou Bao also gained a Sacred Fire Bead and he would not want to delay his time here of course. He needed to find a place to refine the Sacred Fire Bead. The power of the Sky-burning Golden Flame was not weaker than his own Ancient Black Flame. After refining it, the power of his Furnace of Immortality would definitely increase greatly!
However, Zhou Bao was not willing to leave the Central Star Area. One reason was that Zhou Bao found this place quite interesting. Another reason was that as news traveled fast here, he could get some updates about the Heaven Realm World anytime. Emperor Baiqi said something right; no matter what, Zhou Bao was a Tribulation Taker. There were some situations where running away was not the best solution. Since the Central Star Area would be entangled in this tribulation, his stay here would be viewed from the perspective of one watching the situation silently rather than running away from it.
After leaving the world of the Seven Mysteries, Zhou Bao found a hollow outside another world where there was ample spiritual qi. He rented the place and started his closed-door training. At this point in time, he was not afraid of exposing his identity. Since others already knew that Cundi was Zhou Bao, and vice versa, there was no reason not be open about it and to carry out activities in the Void Universe as Taoist Cundi.
Why should he use the name Cundi?
In the beginning, after hearing the name, Zhou Bao had an evil prank in mind. But as the tribulation neared and as his cultivation increased, the more he felt that he made the right decision when he was in the Eastern Thunder World.
Fate!!!
This was a matter of fate!
It was an unfathomable fate. Also, there seemed to be an unclear relationship between the present world and the fairytale world from the legendary sayings from Zhou Bao’s previous life.
You could say that they were irrelevant. The system of practice and civilization here were vastly different from the one in his previous life.
You could also say that they were relevant. Putting other things aside, the fact that Immortal Zhen Yuan from the Fifth Manor on Longevity Mountain and the presence of a ginseng fruit tree in the manor were both well-known could not be just pure coincidence!
If that was a coincidence, then what about the Flipping Sky Seal and the Jade Emperor? What about the Immortal-killing Sword Qi and the Immortal-slaying Sword Qi?
All these pointed towards an unclear relationship between his present and previous life. He could not pinpoint the relationship now, but he could use it to increase his fate.
For example, his name.
In a world like this, which was full of gods and ghosts, know that names could affect fates. If not, why would people have their fortune told when naming themselves? In the past, Zhou Bao did not pay any attention to it. But now, after Zhou Bao snatched Cundi’s Taoist name, he found out that, eerily, he was getting the hang of using the Seven Wonderful Techniques. Amongst other things, he was seeing great improvement in the most basic critical hit rate and it developed to the extent that he could strike continuously if he wanted to! Could this be another coincidence?
He was practicing the Seven Wonderful Techniques, which were secret skills. At the end of his practice, it would give him a Spiritual Treasure. What kind? It was the small tree bud growing in his Dantian! What is that?
Was that even a question? It was the legendary Tree of Seven Wonders!
Taoist Cundi and the Tree of Seven Wonders complement each other the best!
Was this not the work of his name and his fate?
“I wonder what will happen if I were to change my name to Hongjun!” Time and again, Zhou Bao would have this idea in mind. However, before it could develop into something more concrete, Zhou Bao destroyed the thought.
In the world filled with gods and ghosts, fate was limited. The name Hongjun will bring too much trouble upon himself. With Zhou Bao’s little fate, he could not bear it.
The name Cundi was taken from an ordinary practitioner. This practitioner was not highly cultivated, nor did he had a fate like Zhou Bao’s. For sure he could not bear this name, which was why Zhou Bao took it for himself. For Zhou Bao, this name was enough. If he wanted more, that would be too greedy.
Hence, he immediately erased the temptation of changing his name to Hongjun.
The Central Star Area was always so busy. Be it in the world or within a hollow, there existed a dark flow behind such a busy environment.
When Zhou Bao started his closed-door training to refine the Sacred Fire Bead, this dark flow started to form.
In this nameless spacetime within this world, numerous divine thoughts intersected with each other, as if they were discussing something.
“Zhou Bao is Taoist Cundi?! Are you sure of it?!”
“Of course, I have checked! I even made some sacrifices to do that!”
“Not bad, Hulong made some sacrifices this time, but we are now sure of Zhou Bao’s identity!”
“Taoist Cundi once appeared in the Eastern Thunder World. Was he always in the Heaven Realm World? They are so far apart and so, how did he end up there? And how did he return to the Heaven Realm World so quickly?!”
“Supreme Fairy Weapon, this fella must have possessed a Supreme Fairy Weapon. Only a Supreme Fairy Weapon could enable him to travel across the Void Universe in such a short period of time!”
“Tsk tsk, a Supreme Fairy Weapon…he’s a Tribulation Taker alright! Not only is he equipped with such combat capabilities, he also has a big weapon in his hands! No wonder he’s so arrogant!”
“What if we kill this kid and take his fate and the Supreme Fairy Weapon? Hehe, he just swept humankind off the surface of the Heaven Realm World, I bet he has already placed them into this world in his Supreme Fairy Weapon! Although the Heaven Realm World did not fall, it did entail a number of secrets. If only we could get our hands on this bunch of humans…!”
“Hmm, that makes sense -!”
“Does he also want to step into the Celestial Immortal’s Way?” After hearing what Emperor Baiqi had to say, Zhou Bao smiled and sneered.
“Every Earthly Immortal’s dream is to step into the Celestial Immortal’s Way. However, as compared to the Earthly Immortal’s Way, this would entail more instability. The majority of those who faced the directionless Celestial Immortal’s Way will be confused. However, if one becomes a Tribulation Taker, then everything will become much simpler! Tribulation Takers have better fates and their fate will become stronger when they are nearing the tribulation. They are also more likely to satisfy the criteria of entering into the Celestial Immortal’s Way. Hulong is after this idea!”
“So that is no wonder why he carried out a sneak attack, because he has a plan like this!” Zhou Bao thought to himself. He lifted his head all of a sudden and asked, “Both of you are rivals and are in the Seven Mysteries World together, should you not know where his nest is hidden?!”
“What are you going to do?”
Upon hearing Zhou Bao’s question, Emperor Baiqi furrowed his brows, as if he understood what Zhou Bao was thinking.
“One cannot always receive but also must reciprocate by giving. Since he wants to rob my fate to become a Tribulation Taker, he would surely want to make some sacrifice in return. Should I then let him fight for nothing as such?!”
“Fight for nothing? You have defeated and robbed him of his place in the Celestial Punishment Palace and he has suffered a great loss already!”
“Why should we settle our score like that? I have no hatred against him and for him to launch a sudden attack against me, I have to retaliate of course!” Zhou Bao laughed sinisterly. “As for the Celestial Punishment Palace, that was because he wasn’t capable of protecting it, it has nothing to do with me!”
“That makes sense, but this is not easy. This is the world of the Seven Mysteries and he is one of the Controllers of this world. If I fight with him, it’s counted as an internal battle, which does not matter. But if you attack him, then you will be viewed as one who is against the world of the Seven Mysteries! By then, at least three Emperors will attack you altogether. Do you have confidence to handle them?!”
“Eh?!” Zhou Bao’s expression turned stiff. “It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge 10 years late. You guys at the world of the Seven Mysteries can’t protect that darned fella forever right?!”
“Why don’t you consider my suggestion? As long as you agree with it, then your fight with Emperor Hulong will be considered as an internal battle. Then, that three antiques can’t interfere!”
“Let me think about it again!” Zhou Bao was very hesitant towards this suggestion. For the other practitioners, it will be a god-sent opportunity for a strong ruler in this world to willingly give his seat away. But for Zhou Bao, he did not have the urge to accept it. If he did, he would be tied onto the cart heading for the battle in the world of the Seven Mysteries. In this ghostly world, people toughen up when facing strong opponents and soften when facing weaker ones. However, not only did this place not have a Fate Creator, it even got itself entangled in this dispute happening inside the Holy Alliance. If he accepted it, more trouble might come his way afterward. Besides, he was looking for a Tribulation Taker by the name of Lao Shenzi. He couldn’t even finish his task, how would he have the energy to care about the things happening in the other worlds?
“I have accepted Your Honour’s goodwill. However, I’m not suited to do this kind of things. I think I’ll pass!” Zhou Bao stood up as he spoke. “Seniors Qing Feng and Ming Yue have now gained a place in the Celestial Punishment Palace, I will not interrupt anymore. I am taking my leave!”
“That’s fine!” Emperor Baiqi glanced at Zhou Bao and smiled. He did not insist on his stance and watched Zhou Bao leave the Fifth Manor. He thought in silence for a while and turned towards Qing Feng and Ming Yue and asked, “How?!”
“Interesting guy!” Qing Feng smiled,” There’s a possibility of passing the Dharma Ending Tribulation this time!”
“He might even become a Celestial Immortal!” Ming Yue mentioned this at a corner.
“Celestial Immortal? No way, he is just a – !”
“Tribulation Taker, who knows what the future holds?!” Qing Feng smiled, “As for the two of us, we are not even certified as Earthly Immortals yet. In this upcoming tribulation, we do not even have the most basic self-protecting ability. What a joke!”
“Yes, yes, let’s train in a closed-door environment first. After we finished training, perhaps, the Dharma Ending Tribulation has already passed, hehe!” Ming Yue let out a laugh and threw the Celestial Punishment Palace up into the air. A golden light flashed past and the both of them disappeared with it.
On the other hand, after leaving this endless spacetime, Zhou Bao left the world of the Seven Mysteries immediately.
He only came here to track Emperor Hulong. Now, he realized that he could not fight the world on his own. Zhou Bao also gained a Sacred Fire Bead and he would not want to delay his time here of course. He needed to find a place to refine the Sacred Fire Bead. The power of the Sky-burning Golden Flame was not weaker than his own Ancient Black Flame. After refining it, the power of his Furnace of Immortality would definitely increase greatly!
However, Zhou Bao was not willing to leave the Central Star Area. One reason was that Zhou Bao found this place quite interesting. Another reason was that as news traveled fast here, he could get some updates about the Heaven Realm World anytime. Emperor Baiqi said something right; no matter what, Zhou Bao was a Tribulation Taker. There were some situations where running away was not the best solution. Since the Central Star Area would be entangled in this tribulation, his stay here would be viewed from the perspective of one watching the situation silently rather than running away from it.
After leaving the world of the Seven Mysteries, Zhou Bao found a hollow outside another world where there was ample spiritual qi. He rented the place and started his closed-door training. At this point in time, he was not afraid of exposing his identity. Since others already knew that Cundi was Zhou Bao, and vice versa, there was no reason not be open about it and to carry out activities in the Void Universe as Taoist Cundi.
Why should he use the name Cundi?
In the beginning, after hearing the name, Zhou Bao had an evil prank in mind. But as the tribulation neared and as his cultivation increased, the more he felt that he made the right decision when he was in the Eastern Thunder World.
Fate!!!
This was a matter of fate!
It was an unfathomable fate. Also, there seemed to be an unclear relationship between the present world and the fairytale world from the legendary sayings from Zhou Bao’s previous life.
You could say that they were irrelevant. The system of practice and civilization here were vastly different from the one in his previous life.
You could also say that they were relevant. Putting other things aside, the fact that Immortal Zhen Yuan from the Fifth Manor on Longevity Mountain and the presence of a ginseng fruit tree in the manor were both well-known could not be just pure coincidence!
If that was a coincidence, then what about the Flipping Sky Seal and the Jade Emperor? What about the Immortal-killing Sword Qi and the Immortal-slaying Sword Qi?
All these pointed towards an unclear relationship between his present and previous life. He could not pinpoint the relationship now, but he could use it to increase his fate.
For example, his name.
In a world like this, which was full of gods and ghosts, know that names could affect fates. If not, why would people have their fortune told when naming themselves? In the past, Zhou Bao did not pay any attention to it. But now, after Zhou Bao snatched Cundi’s Taoist name, he found out that, eerily, he was getting the hang of using the Seven Wonderful Techniques. Amongst other things, he was seeing great improvement in the most basic critical hit rate and it developed to the extent that he could strike continuously if he wanted to! Could this be another coincidence?
He was practicing the Seven Wonderful Techniques, which were secret skills. At the end of his practice, it would give him a Spiritual Treasure. What kind? It was the small tree bud growing in his Dantian! What is that?
Was that even a question? It was the legendary Tree of Seven Wonders!
Taoist Cundi and the Tree of Seven Wonders complement each other the best!
Was this not the work of his name and his fate?
“I wonder what will happen if I were to change my name to Hongjun!” Time and again, Zhou Bao would have this idea in mind. However, before it could develop into something more concrete, Zhou Bao destroyed the thought.
In the world filled with gods and ghosts, fate was limited. The name Hongjun will bring too much trouble upon himself. With Zhou Bao’s little fate, he could not bear it.
The name Cundi was taken from an ordinary practitioner. This practitioner was not highly cultivated, nor did he had a fate like Zhou Bao’s. For sure he could not bear this name, which was why Zhou Bao took it for himself. For Zhou Bao, this name was enough. If he wanted more, that would be too greedy.
Hence, he immediately erased the temptation of changing his name to Hongjun.
The Central Star Area was always so busy. Be it in the world or within a hollow, there existed a dark flow behind such a busy environment.
When Zhou Bao started his closed-door training to refine the Sacred Fire Bead, this dark flow started to form.
In this nameless spacetime within this world, numerous divine thoughts intersected with each other, as if they were discussing something.
“Zhou Bao is Taoist Cundi?! Are you sure of it?!”
“Of course, I have checked! I even made some sacrifices to do that!”
“Not bad, Hulong made some sacrifices this time, but we are now sure of Zhou Bao’s identity!”
“Taoist Cundi once appeared in the Eastern Thunder World. Was he always in the Heaven Realm World? They are so far apart and so, how did he end up there? And how did he return to the Heaven Realm World so quickly?!”
“Supreme Fairy Weapon, this fella must have possessed a Supreme Fairy Weapon. Only a Supreme Fairy Weapon could enable him to travel across the Void Universe in such a short period of time!”
“Tsk tsk, a Supreme Fairy Weapon…he’s a Tribulation Taker alright! Not only is he equipped with such combat capabilities, he also has a big weapon in his hands! No wonder he’s so arrogant!”
“What if we kill this kid and take his fate and the Supreme Fairy Weapon? Hehe, he just swept humankind off the surface of the Heaven Realm World, I bet he has already placed them into this world in his Supreme Fairy Weapon! Although the Heaven Realm World did not fall, it did entail a number of secrets. If only we could get our hands on this bunch of humans…!”
“Hmm, that makes sense -!”
