Li Changgeng frantically tore out several strands of his snow-white beard. The fat old man fared even worse; his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
The expressions of the four people, the dog, and the ox changed in an instant. They all looked nervously toward the Celestial Vault, but nothing happened.
Qing Ping Daoist showed no reaction, rely tilting his head in confusion. Qing He Daoist, however, was clearly startled. He stumbled back two steps, a look of utter horror filling his eyes as he stared at the young man.
He had heard that title before.
During that torrential rain in the shantytown, the Daoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain had humbly chanted that very na: Fusheng Lu Xuan Heavenly Venerable!
’Before that title, if I rember correctly, there was... another title, wasn’t there?’
’What was it again? Supre Profound Clarity?’
’No, that’s not it...’
Qing He Daoist’s mind went blank for a mont.
’Oh, I guess there wasn’t. I must have misrembered.’
Qing He Daoist suddenly couldn’t recall. It was as if history itself had been warped within his mory, and his mind went abruptly blank.
’Oh, I rember now. What the one from Dragon Tiger Mountain chanted was... Supre Emperor Profound Yellow.’
Lu Xuan’s eyebrow twitched. Unaware of the shift in Qing He Daoist’s thoughts, he assud the man had simply recalled the "Supre Profound Clarity, Fusheng Lu Xuan" chanted by the Daoist from Dragon Tiger Mountain, so he wasn’t surprised.
But the reactions of these four before him...
’They’ve heard my title before.’
’Fusheng Lu Xuan. Up until now, I’ve only ever heard it in two places.’
’One was from the chant of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Daoist. The other was in my own great tomb, where three titles were listed side-by-side, as if proclaiming the glory of Ancient Tis.’
As he pondered, Lu Xuan sensed sothing was amiss. Deep within the sea of his consciousness, the Daoist Robe and Hat from his first master, the Celestial Venerable Cyan Lamp from his second master, and the Heaven-Reaching Fishing Drum from his third master...
...and even the three Bronze Fragnts were all glowing with a dim, profound light.
The light pulsed, as if concealing sothing, as if smoothing sothing over.
Lu Xuan suppressed the tremor in his heart, thought for a mont, and asked calmly,
"It seems you’ve all heard this title before. From where?"
Yang Erlang was the first to react. He stared at the young man before him, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
’Fusheng’s Lu Xuan... Fusheng’s Lu Xuan!’
’Why doesn’t he recognize us? And how can he be walking freely through the Red Dust of the Human World at this specific point in ti?’
’It makes no sense... None at all...’
After a mont of thought, Yang Erlang took a deep breath. Adopting the posture of a junior, he spoke with the utmost respect.
"From the Jade Void Lineage... Yang Erlang greets you, Martial Uncle."
"From the Jade Void Lineage... Li Zha greets you, Martial Uncle."
The two voices spoke in unison, leaving Lu Xuan, Qing Ping, and Qing He completely dumbfounded.
’Jade Void Lineage... Martial Uncle??’
’Martial Uncle???’
Both the previously calm Qing Ping and the perplexed, mory-addled Qing He stumbled back several steps, their faces masks of utter bewildernt.
Lu Xuan’s pupils dilated. His mind raced, but he couldn’t make any sense of it.
’Martial Uncle...’
His expression shifted, and his gaze grew sharp.
"Could you all be..."
"The Immortal Gods of Ancient Tis?"
The words had barely left his lips when the Celestial Vault transford. A violent wind raged, and a clap of divine thunder that pierced the highest heavens bood across the entire Ancestor Star. Countless powerful figures were startled, looking up in astonishnt.
A ringing filled the minds of Qing He Daoist and Qing Ping Daoist. ’The Immortal Gods of Ancient Tis... The Immortal Gods of Ancient Tis...’
The two glanced toward the Stone Stele standing beside the town. The two words "Gouxian Town" were brilliantly illuminated by the lightning in the sky!
Yang Jian was the first to regain his composure. He glanced at the heavenly thunder, sensing its faint, world-ending power, and said imdiately,
"It cannot be spoken of."
Lu Xuan froze. ’It cannot be spoken of?’
He raised his head thoughtfully, gazing at the vast Celestial Vault and the booming thunder, a glimr of understanding in his eyes.
The storms of fate brewed, and the river of ti trembled.
’Just now, their words—the words of that farr and child—seed to touch upon so taboo, causing the Great Heaven and Earth itself to tremble...’
Lu Xuan silently swallowed the words he was about to say, but the questions in his heart only swelled more fiercely.
Standing at the entrance to Gouxian Town, illuminated by the flashes of lightning, he rephrased his question.
"In this era, in this world... are Immortal Gods forbidden?"
It was Li Changgeng, with his long, flowing beard, who answered, his voice trembling.
"In this era, in this world, within the annals of history... *we* are not allowed to exist."
"I understand," Lu Xuan said, realization dawning on him.
anwhile, Qing He and Qing Ping Daoist stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded. ’He understands?’
’What does he understand??’
They tried to ask, but were shocked to find they couldn’t utter a sound. Their vision blurred, and all five of their senses were plunged into Chaos, forcibly shielded from what was to co.
Lu Xuan glanced aside. He saw the Heaven-Reaching Stele, inscribed with its terrifying text, begin to vibrate. It scattered motes of light that enveloped the area as streams of Chaos Qi flowed out, sealing the senses of Qing He and Qing Ping.
Through the shimring veil of light, he could see the heavenly thunder slowly dissipate, and calm returned to the sky.
Li Changgeng and the other three bowed respectfully toward the Stone Stele.
Then, Yang Erlang turned to Lu Xuan and asked earnestly,
"Martial Uncle, have you rembered anything yet?"
Lu Xuan hesitated for a mont before giving a firm shake of his head.
"Nothing."
He knew they had most likely misunderstood. ’They think I’m the Fusheng Lu Xuan from the annals of history, either having survived until the present day or having been reincarnated.’
’But in reality, that Fusheng Lu Xuan of the past... is my future.’
’But that was what confused him even more. According to the principle that the past is fixed and the future is uncertain, his own future had not yet been decided. So why had his past self already been *decided*?’
Yang Erlang cupped his fist in salute again and spoke in a solemn tone.
"This celestial light is shielding us, obscuring the secrets of heaven and blocking all prying eyes. I can speak freely now... I am Yang Jian of the Jade Cauldron Sect, from the Jade Void Lineage. I greet you, Martial Uncle."
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