Chapter 394: Chapter 46: Daluos Discuss Fellow Daoists, Peach Blossoms Bloom on Dragon Tiger Mountain

The dense fog of Chaos could obscure the vision of Immortals and Buddhas, but it couldn’t block the sight of a Daluo like him.

At that moment, the entire scene within the ruins was laid bare before Kunpeng’s eyes.

He saw the Emperor Corpse, its chest pierced through and its body cracking, sitting upon the seat of honor. He saw Shakyamuni from the Buddha Land—who seemed on the verge of stepping into the Dao Fruit realm—smiling off to the side.

He saw the Four Emperors of the cardinal directions, their expressions filled with terror, and a young man in a bronze mask and an emperor’s robe holding a sword, pressing it horizontally above the Queen Mother’s head.

Hmm??

Kunpeng’s expression changed abruptly. ’That sword... Qing Ping??’

’It has to be the Qing Ping Sword, doesn’t it?!’

He sucked in a sharp breath.

’Is he a pawn of the one from Biyou Palace?’

’No, if he were just a pawn, why would that person hand this sword over to him?!’

As he thought this, Kunpeng’s expression shifted once more. He realized the Dao Fruit entities had likely begun another game, and history was about to face another major upheaval.

「Meanwhile, in the ruins.」

The Qing Ping Sword hung horizontally just above the Queen Mother’s head. Wisps of terminal killing intent and the final Tribulation Qi dripped from it, enveloping the Queen Mother and sealing off Time and the Years.

"Emperor."

The Queen Mother’s expression remained unchanged as a smile bloomed on her face, as exquisite as an immortal flower. She then spoke in a gentle tone:

"Why must it come to this between us? The way of immortals values life. Why not set out a platter of Innate Peaches of Immortality, summon Chang’e from the Moon Palace to dance for us, and we can all sit and discuss the Dao? What do you say?"

"That sounds nice," Lu Xuan said with a broad smile. "It seems you Immortal Mothers and Daluos can indeed sit down for a proper discussion after all."

To one side, the four Four Extremes Emperors looked on with dark, astonished expressions. They couldn’t understand it. ’How did *that person’s* Qing Ping Sword end up in this young man’s hands??’

’Is he a piece played by the Supreme Heavenly Venerable?’

Behind them, the Emperor Corpse on the seat of honor gave a dry laugh and goaded,

"Emperor, why not just strike her down? I shall bestow Jasper Pool upon you. You will control the Innate Peach Tree and become the Jade Pool Emperor."

The Queen Mother’s eye twitched. She replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes,

"Haotian, why must you sow discord at a time like this?"

The smile on the Emperor Corpse’s face grew even wider.

"This isn’t what you said when you colluded with the Buddha Mother and joined forces to cast me out of the Celestial Court."

With that, he continued to goad,

"Emperor, strike her down! Let the world be turned upside down, let history repeat, and let the future become utterly blurred! There will be infinite possibilities and endless new variables!"

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes. He was tempted, weighing the gains and losses.

He could feel that the Celestial Emperor was helping to conceal him, that the Dao Fruit entities had likely not yet taken notice.

But if he really did strike, it would trigger a cataclysm of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, and the various Dao Fruit entities would certainly turn their attention this way.

’Do the Dao Fruit entities know that it was "Supreme Profound Clarity" who wielded the sword to strike down Maitreya?’

’They most likely do.’

’If so, my identity will be completely exposed. I’ll once again be under the scrutiny of the Dao Fruit entities, fall back into their game, and become a pawn. My master’s painstaking efforts would all be for nothing.’

’But by the same token, this Queen Mother seems to be a key figure in the river of Time. If I strike, it’ll be ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The entire established course of history will descend into chaos, creating variables at every turn!’

Lu Xuan’s expression grew dark and uncertain. The Queen Mother’s pupils shrank. She could see that he was actually considering it. ’This Profound Yellow Emperor really wants to kill me!’

She hurriedly said,

"Profound Yellow Emperor, there’s nothing that can’t be discussed! Fighting to the death is the lowest of all methods. Strategy and adaptation, forming vertical and horizontal alliances—these all play a significant role for the Human Race, and it is the same for us."

"Tch!"

The Emperor Corpse sneered and goaded him once more,

"Profound Yellow, kill her! Don’t listen to a word she says. Everything will be replayed, and a reckoning will be had. When I re-ascend to my throne, the heavens will no longer rule humanity, and all of creation..."

His words stopped abruptly as the fine cracks covering his body multiplied, and he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

「Meanwhile, beneath a certain stone stele.」 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

An exquisitely beautiful woman dusted off her hands, picked up a large stone, tore off a piece of the Celestial Vault, and kneaded them together. Poised to throw, she warned,

"You try tricking my Xiaoxuan one more time and see what happens."

Although she had no Cultivation and couldn’t roam through the Years, her eyes possessed a power close to Omniscience. As she gazed at the Emperor Corpse, she could also see the events unfolding in the past.

On the cliff face, the Emperor Corpse grimaced in pain from the impact. Its already crumbling body began to crack even more severely.

He hurriedly waved his hands.

"Stop, stop, stop! Goddess, stop! I’ll be quiet!"

Seeing this, the beautiful woman huffed, tossed aside the amalgam of the Celestial Vault and crushed stone, and dusted off her hands again.

The Emperor Corpse then said with a hint of resignation,

"Goddess, if that boy really strikes, it might not be a bad thing. I know exactly what he wants to do during the Years of the Qin Dynasty, but he can’t possibly succeed. At least, not this time."

After a pause, he continued,

"If he really does it—using the Qing Ping to kill the Queen Mother of the Jasper Pool—it might actually break the current stalemate. The entire political landscape would change drastically."

"I know, but I don’t care,"

the beautiful woman said flatly.

"What Xiaoxuan wants to do is his own decision to make. But you are not allowed to manipulate him into flipping the game board. If he’s going to do it, it must come from his own heart, not from the manipulative words of you lot."

"Fine. I’ll play dead. I’ll say no more," the Emperor Corpse said helplessly, and shut his mouth.

On the charred mountain peak, the Dying Buddha reminded him with a smile,

"You are, in fact, already dead."

The Emperor Corpse shot the Dying Buddha a harsh glare but only felt more helpless. This half-dead Lamp just sat there, seeing right through him, leaving him with no secrets.

’Sometimes I really wish I had just gone into the past and killed Lamp for good...’

’But after all these years of being dead together, they’d developed a bit of a bond, one way or another.’

The Emperor Corpse sighed and just hung there on the cliff, playing dead and speaking no more.

In the skies of the Qin era, the Emperor Corpse in the ruins of the Celestial Palace also fell silent.

The various Daluos in the ruins were all somewhat surprised. The Queen Mother of the Jade Pool, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Though she didn’t know why Haotian had fallen silent, it was a good thing nonetheless.