Chapter 399: Chapter 49: 100 Years, the Plan Nears Completion, the Return is Imminent

Xuandu appeared lost in thought. He asked no further questions, simply giving a slight nod.

"Very well."

Immediately after, Lu Xuan spoke with Zhang Liang for a moment longer before saying gravely,

"Senior Brother Zhang, I can see Tribulation Qi coalescing within you. It seems your tribulation in this life is at hand. You should return to Xianyang with Eldest Senior Brother first. I will come find you after I’ve dealt with the matter in the Nine Nether."

"Very well." Zhang Liang nodded with a faint smile.

After Xuandu departed, taking the True Saint of the North Pole with him, Lu Xuan turned his gaze to the Little Peach Tree, whose canopy now blotted out the sky. A sense of wistfulness washed over him.

’The tree I planted with my own hands has grown so lush and verdant.’

As Lu Xuan was lost in his feelings, the Little Peach Spirit grew a bit shy and muttered,

"Daddy, why are you staring at me like that?"

"It’s nothing, just feeling a bit sentimental... Who are you calling ’Daddy’?"

Lu Xuan’s eyelid twitched. Utterly exasperated, he gently tapped the Little Peach Spirit’s head and corrected her,

"Call me Big Brother."

Although the Little Peach Spirit was newly born with the mind of a child, she already possessed a body of the Grand Grade and didn’t feel any pain. She was just a bit bewildered, murmuring to herself,

"Big... Brother?"

Her face was a mask of confusion.

Lu Xuan didn’t say much more. He bid farewell to the Old Peach Tree, took one last, deep look at Dragon Tiger Mountain, and then boarded the Emperor Chariot with the Little Peach Spirit, heading for the Nine Nether with Yang Jian and the other two.

Before long, they arrived at the Nine Nether. As was his custom, he had the True Phoenix rest in Fengdu City and exchanged a long-distance glance with Emperor Fengdu.

Then, Lu Xuan led the confused Yang Jian and the others into the depths of the Nine Nether.

"Emperor, why have we come here...?"

Yang Jian couldn’t help but ask.

The Little Peach Spirit was also a little frightened. The Nine Nether was profound, and the closer they got to the Origin, the more deathly silent it became, to the point where even the flow of Time seemed to thin.

She gripped Lu Xuan’s arm tightly, her eyes darting everywhere.

But Lu Xuan didn’t answer Yang Jian’s question. He simply said calmly,

"You’ll know in a moment."

As soon as his words fell, Yang Jian and the other two saw ’Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’ strolling over from a distance, and their expressions all turned solemn.

"It’s that Great Bodhisattva from Spirit Mountain." Yang Jian narrowed his eyes. "This one is extraordinary. Although he holds the Bodhisattva Fruit Position, it’s rumored that while in the Nine Nether, he can even contend with Emperor Fengdu as an equal..."

Before he could finish, they saw the Great Bodhisattva arrive in an instant, only to abruptly bow to the Profound Yellow Emperor.

"Fellow Daoist."

Under the stunned, dumbfounded gazes of Yang Jian and the others, Lu Xuan returned the bow. The two were one and the same person, their thoughts connected, so there was no need for discussion.

He looked at Yang Jian and told them to release ’True Monarch Erlang,’ ’Three Altar Sea Assembly,’ and ’Marshal Tianpeng’ from where they were suppressed within their Acupoint Heaven and Earth.

The three immediately complied.

The True Monarch Erlang and others of this era had only just broken free from their suppression. Before they could even get a clear look at their surroundings, they were enveloped and crushed by the dense Dao Rhyme of the Nine Nether, falling into a death-like slumber together.

"This..." Zhu Wuneng felt the tremors rocking this part of the Nine Nether, his heart pounding in his chest.

Lu Xuan, however, explained calmly,

"This is not Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. He is an avatar of mine who wields a portion of the Nine Nether’s authority."

The moment he finished speaking, the Three Immortals sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. In that instant, a chill shot up from the base of their spines and spread throughout their entire bodies!

Nezha, in particular, recalled the thirty years the Profound Yellow Emperor had spent in seclusion with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the depths of the Nine Nether...

They all fell silent, realizing that the real Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was likely gone.

Lu Xuan continued,

"This avatar of mine is called Nine Nether. Nine Nether will construct a realistic illusion here. You will merge your past memories into this illusion. These three past selves will slumber here, experiencing what you have already experienced within this realistic illusion."

After a pause, he explained further,

"This way, your pasts won’t be significantly altered, and a spacetime conflict won’t erupt. This is the best solution."

Yang Jian’s expression changed. He was the first to understand the Profound Yellow Emperor’s meaning. This was equivalent to tampering with their own pasts and rewriting them as an illusion!

But this would indeed avoid a conflict in time. Otherwise, since they were not Daluo and did not possess the trait of being Eternal and unchanging, they themselves would change along with their pasts. Under a spacetime conflict...

The Three Immortals followed his instructions, guiding out memories that didn’t involve the Great Tribulation. Nine Nether then wove these memories into the realistic illusion.

Under the empowerment of the Nine Nether’s authority, the three slumbering bodies would live through the pasts they were supposed to have lived.

After all this was done, Lu Xuan let out a breath.

"For now, there’s nothing more to do. After the great tribulation that sunders the ages erupts, we will guide your past selves to fall into Gouxian Town. This will form a closed loop and avoid the spacetime conflict."

He paused, then added,

"Of course, if any of you can become a Daluo in the meantime, you’ll also be able to perfectly circumvent this problem."

The Three Immortals could only smile bitterly. ’A Daluo...’

’How many Daluo have there been since ancient times?’

After a moment of silence, under the curious gaze of the Little Peach Spirit, Zhu Wuneng finally couldn’t hold back. He bowed respectfully and asked,

"Emperor, who... who exactly are you...?"

"You still haven’t figured it out?" Lu Xuan chuckled and tapped the Bronze Mask on his face. "I believe Yang Erlang has probably already figured it out, haven’t you?"

"I suspected as much, Martial Uncle." Yang Jian gave a wry smile and bowed. Nezha did the same. Only Zhu Wuneng was stunned at first. Then he sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, feeling his hair stand on end as he stammered,

"You... you... you... you are..."

"Silence." Lu Xuan said calmly. "This matter must not be spread. Profound Clarity is Profound Clarity, Profound Origin Fusheng is Profound Origin Fusheng, and Profound Yellow is Profound Yellow. The three are not one."

As he spoke, he directed Nine Nether to use the authority of the Nine Nether to obscure the Cause and Effect of this matter, placing a Great Ban upon the Three Immortals.

Just to be safe.

"Alright, we’ll make a trip to Xianyang. I will oversee the Qin Dynasty for a century and make some arrangements, then it will be time to return to the Current World. I wonder, however, if you all will even be able to return to the Current World."

Lu Xuan’s gaze grew profound.

"But even if you can, I still hope the three of you will choose to stay... Of course, I won’t force you."

The Three Immortals looked at each other.

......

「Thirty-second Year of the First Emperor: The Emperor’s Uncle returned to Xianyang, overseeing major reforms, the construction of three hundred and sixty-five Heaven-Reaching Platforms, and the construction of the Great Wall.」

「For the next eighty years, the Profound Yellow Emperor attended every court session, listening from the side. Though he listened, he did not interfere.」

「One Hundred and Thirteenth Year of the First Emperor: Emperor Qin Shi Huang undertook the great deed of burning books and burying Buddhists. The mountains and rivers changed abruptly. A Buddha descended in wrath but was slain by the Profound Yellow Emperor. In the same year, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva abandoned Buddhism for Daoism, taking the name Nine Nether.」

「One Hundred and Fifteenth Year of the First Emperor: The Profound Yellow Emperor no longer attended court sessions.」

「One Hundred and Thirty-second Year of the First Emperor: The First Emperor traveled incognito, accompanied by the Profound Yellow Emperor, to the North Sea.」

......

「In a tavern in North Sea City.」

The tavern was bustling with patrons. It was the best in the city, and many high-ranking officials and nobles could be seen among the crowd.

A peculiar young man wearing a mask sat across from a dignified middle-aged man. Beside them was a stunningly beautiful young woman, who was tirelessly devouring the delicacies on the table.

"When I leave this time, it may be for several hundred years, or perhaps several thousand."

Lu Xuan took a sip of wine and said softly,

"From now on, it’s up to you. You must not slack on the matter of the Great Wall, and the three hundred and sixty-five Heaven-Reaching Platforms are also of utmost importance."

Ying Zheng’s expression was complicated.

"Uncle Zhong, where... are you going again?"

"Don’t ask."

Lu Xuan chuckled softly.

"There are some things that must be dealt with. Speaking of which, it has some connection to the Great Wall you’re building... Remember, you must bury the arrangements I spoke of within the Great Wall."

"I understand, Uncle Zhong." Ying Zheng nodded heavily.

Lu Xuan sighed. Just as he was about to say something more, a clamor arose from outside, and a heroic-looking young man walked in. He bowed to Lu Xuan.

"Fellow Daoist."

The stunningly beautiful young woman swallowed a mouthful of food and mumbled,

"Oh, Uncle Kun, you’re here?"