Secret Buyer-Chapter 322 - 247: Emperor Tang

The gray mist that had encircled the Bridge of Helplessness for countless years suddenly receded like the tide.

The mist dissipated, revealing the mottled, neither-gold-nor-iron-nor-copper-nor-wood surface of the bridge.

The Yellow Springs flowed beneath the bridge.

A human figure stood on the bridge.

The figure was thin and ethereal, like a fragment of an incomplete soul, holding an eight-foot sword, with eyes wide in anger:

"Li Yuanji! My Xuanwu Gate in the mortal realm could kill your living body; now in this Underworld, on this Bridge of Helplessness, can’t I kill your soul in death?"

"I, at nineteen, led troops, campaigning north and south, east to west, endured hardships for years, having slain many in life, am I now to fear you, this evil spirit!"

The figure swung the sword but suddenly sensed something amiss, looking around in confusion, finding the Ten Halls of Yama had vanished,

and even the towering black Divine Mountain and the Nine Netherworld Sun suspended on the Celestial Vault were all nowhere to be seen.

Looking back.

He only saw a Yellow Springs River, shortened by countless times, and standing on it, a young man with a dignified bearing,

behind whom was a round halo of sunlight, and where the sunlight shone, the ever-dirty Yellow Springs River turned into clear water beneath his feet.

The figure was startled and said:

"I have heard that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made a great vow to reside in the Nine Netherworld of the Underworld, and now may I face the Bodhisattva in person?"

Zhang Fusheng was dumbfounded, staring at this semi-transparent figure, the facial features were clearly visible,

with a broad forehead and wide jaw, a bristling beard, a face that flickered uncertainly, although merely a remnant soul, with no cultivation upon him,

but as he looked up with awe, he felt an overpowering majesty capturing his mind.

"I am not the Bodhisattva."

Zhang Fusheng exhaled a breath of fresh air, his expression calm, and with the earlier hearing, a conjecture arose in his mind.

This was indeed the remnant soul of that Emperor Taizong.

Yet this remnant soul seemed to have been sealed for countless years, its memory halted at the moment it fell from the true body.

On this Bridge of Helplessness, where even Immortals and Buddhas find it hard to turn back,

that figure, however, swung a sword, casually turning and looking around without the slightest restriction,

he returned his gaze to the dignified one with the halo behind him:

"Since you are not Ksitigarbha in person, who then are you? Why did this place transform in an instant?"

Zhang Fusheng pondered for a moment:

"If we speak of generations, you ought to call me ancestor."

"Insolence!"

The figure shouted fiercely, raising the sword tip toward the ’Divine Buddha’ in the Yellow Springs River.

Clearly, it was a false sword tip, clearly without the slightest cultivation, nor any stirring of the Power of Heaven and Earth,

yet it caused a stabbing pain between Zhang Fusheng’s eyes, and a red dot appeared there.

As if in the next moment, his head would burst at the sword’s point.

But he remained composed,

the round halo behind his head unchanged, his body emitted a light clear air, with eyes closed.

Upon reopening his eyes, the clear air surged like a tide.

Then.

Zhang Fusheng lifted his foot and gently stepped.

The ten li of turbulent Yellow Springs, truncated and severed for endless years, stopped its waves at one step.

Having left the Nine Netherworld and severed for endless years, the Yellow Springs no longer held the Divine Might of the true Yellow Springs River.

"I bear the name of Taiqing, now among the living, you may call me — Laozi."

The young man said thus, his voice like a morning bell and evening drum, resounding along this rocky path, echoing above the Yellow Springs beneath.

The incomplete soul was taken aback, lowering the sword, saluting respectfully:

"Descendant Li Shimin, has met the Old Ancestor."

He did not doubt at all—

In this vast world, who would dare usurp the name of ’Laozi’?

No person dared, nor did the Divine Buddhas in the heavens.

Zhang Fusheng calmly accepted the bow.

With another step, he was already on the Bridge of Helplessness, clear air flowing around him, eyes burning with golden flames, speaking peacefully:

"This place is no longer the Underworld."

Pausing a moment, without waiting for the figure to ask, he continued:

"Nor is it the mortal realm of the past."

The remnant soul of the Great Tang Saint gazed at the young Old Ancestor, hearing him speak again:

"Now, many, many years have passed, the Divine Buddhas have all dispersed, the Celestial Court no longer exists, even the earthly empires have long become past clouds and smoke."

The remnant soul was in a daze:

"Have I dreamed for countless years?"

Zhang Fusheng nodded:

"I am Taiqing, also Laozi, but not that Tao Ancestor, nor did I ride an ox west out of Hangu Pass—now I am called Zhang Fusheng."

He gazed at the lost and dazed figure, then asked:

"And you?"

"Are you the Emperor of Great Tang, respected as Celestial Khan by states and divisions?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Or the Lord above all stars, the Supreme of the Underworld—the Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole?"

The figure listened blankly, within the soul, a rolling purple aura surged out!

The purple aura surged like a river.

......

On the ground.

Chen Shishan held a broom, sweeping the yard dirt smooth, his gaze occasionally looking towards the horizon, towards the yet-to-settled mountain stone dust.

The old woman exhaled a turbid breath:

"At this moment, that boy might have already become a human coffin, the foulness of the Yellow Springs River penetrating his body, a fine little ghost nearly raised."

After a pause, as if sensing something, she gazed towards the direction where the Jingpeng had fallen, muttering to herself:

"Chaos is coming..."

"Better it be chaotic, better it be chaotic, to hunt six more Innate, then a thousand ghosts will form!"

Chen Shishan watched as the old woman entered the house hall, donned a black robe, and walked out, holding in her hand a seal seemingly cast from bronze.

He asked:

"Master, are you going on a long trip?"

"Going to Chongyang."

The old woman spoke lightly:

"Taking advantage of this chaos, to hunt six Innate Realms, thus, a thousand ghosts nearly complete, only missing an ancient bridge of the past."

"Then, the emperor shall return."

Her form faded, becoming a wisp of cloud and smoke, drifting away.

Chen Shishan silently swept the ground, while outside the mansion, the Old Master stood looking up, expressionless.

Master Zhang said before disappearing.

"No rush, no rush."

......

Jingpeng Ship.

Yang Shexing shook his head, expression irate:

"What happened?"

A servant chuckled bitterly a few times:

"All the power is out, still checking..... but currently it seems all mechanical devices have failed, completely unusable, as if..... sealed?"

Heaving a sigh, the servant continued:

"Fortunately, it’s only the mechanical and technological devices that are failing; the talisman arrays and arcane patterns are all still functioning normally."

Yang Shexing’s somber expression eased a lot,

Mechanical and technological devices serve only two purposes for the Jingpeng Ship.

One is as ’power,’ allowing the corpse of a giant beast to continue soaring through the celestial vault, the other for comfort.

The true methods for facing enemies remain the beast itself and various profound divine arrays.

"What’s the situation outside?" Yang Shexing asked casually.

The servant manipulated the arrays, projecting the outside situation, with billowing smoke and dust, a streak of sword light in the sky, and a dragon’s roar.

"Hmm?"

Yang Shexing’s expression turned deep as he murmured:

"Interesting, a place like this, and yet there is still an unknown Celestial Human?"

He concluded that the streak of sword light came from some Celestial Human-level existence, but he remained relaxed—it was merely a Celestial Human.

Unable to break into the Jingpeng Ship.

Especially if he were to activate the divine arrays engraved on the Jingpeng?

Suppressing a Celestial Human? Easy enough.

"My lord, look there!"

The servant suddenly exclaimed.

Yang Shexing frowned, raising his eyes to see several figures slowly advancing through the curtain of rolling dust!

A blood and flesh puppet, a blurred Immortal Shadow, and a composite of layered souls forming a Buddhist Vajra and the Six-armed Great Black Heaven’s shadow...

Those were still manageable.

But there was also a humanoid figure made of earth and stone, surrounded by starlight, seemingly enveloped with the will of a Divine Spirit!!

Yang Shexing’s expression changed, realizing their target was the Jingpeng Ship—indeed, this was the case,

the massive Soul Vajra was stepping with vast Brahma Sound, with Buddha’s Light encircling, intending to cover the entire Jingpeng Ship!

"From whom? Is it that old fox Su Qiansuan? No, if he really wished to act, he would probably descend in his true body, using a Supreme Treasure, then..."

Yang Shexing coldly smiled, grasping the half-remaining Shen Baobao, cynically asked:

"Are they here for you?"

Shen Baobao remained silent, gazing at the scene reflected by the array, his heart trembling slightly.

Hard to say about others.

But that stone giant is likely the mysterious eighth seat—because the presence of heavy stellar influence and divine will accompanies it,

This signifies the will descending to this stone body is from a deity seated among the stars!

Are they..... here to rescue me?

Shen Baobao’s mind suddenly surged with complexity.

Yang Shexing keenly caught Shen Baobao’s mental fluctuations, and with a cold laugh said:

"Is it really the people from the High Heaven Association? I underestimated the High Heaven Association, these may all be avatar methods, but I fear they all wield Celestial Human-level might?"

Through the array, he stared, eyes squinting.

Especially that virtual shadow of the Six-armed Great Black Heaven and the stone giant, even staying within the Jingpeng Ship, his own spiritual sense kept warning.

These two are quite dangerous.

If I step outside, I might be instantly killed.

But why should I go out?

Yang Shexing showed no expression, clutching Shen Baobao, he proceeded to the main control cabin—the very head of the Giant Whale Roc.

"All who are still alive, man the ship, activate the sixfold divine arrays, establish neural link with me."

"Yes, my lord!"

The dirt-covered crew responded, moving the thick brain neurons of the Giant Whale Roc and connecting them to the array disc.

Yang Shexing holding Shen Baobao, contemplated briefly, then decided resolutely:

"Additionally, the envoy from the capital was attacked, suspect the Golden Province is already ’beyond cure,’ activate the Great Teleportation Array."

He sneered:

"Su Qiansuan is surely unprepared, waiting for next year’s opportunity for independence... I want to see how he deals within the Great Teleportation Array."

"Dare he let a Divine Spirit enter the territory?"

A servant asked:

"The teleportation array allowing passage of a Divine Spirit would take a long time; during this time, what if Su Qiansuan comes to destroy it?"

Yang Shexing spoke calmly:

"Wouldn’t that be convenient? It immediately proves Su Qiansuan’s ill intentions, the capital can send troops at once!"

He paused meaningfully, saying:

"There’s no doubt about Su Qiansuan’s rebellious intent, but the Federation has no reason to act against him... he’s waiting for those three other rebellious provinces, controlling parts of the World Plateau..... one of our objectives here is to find an opportunity to force his hand."

"Now, it seems just right."

The servants understood, should they allow the Divine Spirit to enter or directly break the teleportation array?

Either choice would cause Su Qiansuan severe discomfort.

"Even Su Qiansuan can’t break my Jingpeng Ship..."

Upon saying this, Yang Shexing entered and stood within the array, letting out a deep grunt.

He was connecting with the giant beast’s brain neurons through arrays and talismans—attempting to take over the colossal corpse.

He succeeded.

At this moment.

The corpse of the Giant Whale Roc, dormant for an unknown number of years and spanning over a hundred miles, suddenly opened its eyes.

"Woo!!"

A great sound echoing like both whale song and roc’s screech erupted, the earth tore apart, and the enshrouding Buddha’s Light shattered inch by inch!

The Jingpeng arose, wings flapping.

Divine might oppressive as a prison.

And in the distance, in the sky above Chang’an Town, a streak of celestial thunder suddenly struck down.

’Boom! Crack!!’

Thunderous sound rolled out thousands upon thousands of times.

"Celestial Thunder Tribulation?" someone murmured: "Which Innate Limit is undergoing the Celestial Thunder Tribulation?"

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