Chapter 2153: The Future Has Replaced the Present

At a critical moment, He Lingchuan had another wild and bold speculation.

It was called wild because he had never done such a thing anywhere outside the Panlong World before.

It was called bold because he had only one chance to verify it.

There was no time left; he had to make a choice between life and death.

He was only one step away from the Qingmu Gate, he cast one last glance into the dark space within the gate, then turned resolutely!

He gave up the chance to enter the gate, turned his head, and faced the Nine Abysses Great Emperor directly.

He also faced his own future.

The opponent carried a fierce gust of wind, standing less than three feet away—iron-blooded, imposing, and ruthless.

So, facing the Nine Abysses Great Emperor meant enduring such great pressure. He Lingchuan drew a light breath and hurled the Ring Snake Pendant at him.

Come on, the trial of fate.

The Nine Abysses Great Emperor raised the Floating Life Blade, changed a slash into a thrust, and the blade tip passed through the hole in the Ring Snake wood carving without damaging it in the slightest.

But he was not so gentle with He Lingchuan; the blade edge flashed with cold light and pierced directly into his atrium!

Just as He Lingchuan had previously killed the original body.

This time, there was no resistance, no trick, no accident—the Floating Life Blade struck his vital point solidly.

Blood flowed down the fine grooves on the blade.

First in threads, then in strands upon strands.

Blood also flowed onto the Ring Snake wood carving.

Indeed, no matter how many times one dies, being stabbed in the vital point still hurts this much. He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile, looking at the Nine Abysses Great Emperor within arm's reach:

"Take off the mask, let me see myself clearly."

He strained to reach out, wanting to lift the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's mask, but the opponent did not dodge.

Yet before his fingers touched the mask, they turned to ash.

He looked at his arms and body—likewise, they were likewise dissipating.

Opposite him, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor suddenly raised his hand and personally lifted his mask.

He Lingchuan saw that face and smiled, smiling with utter relief:

"Indeed, it is this way; the future is entrusted to you..."

He, too, like his former self, turned to ash and vanished.

This Thin Mist Valley now had only one living person left.

On the tip of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's blade still hung a pendant.

Both He Lingchuans had turned to smoke and vanished, but it remained.

He took down the Ring Snake wood carving, laid it in his palm. The last drop of blood on the pendant seeped into his palm, swift as being sucked by a sponge, and the pair of snake eyes lit up.

The eyes stained red with blood.

In this small mist-valley world, only it had experienced He Lingchuan's past, present, and future.

Grasping this pendant, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's gaze also gradually shifted from cold and stiff to bright and enlightened.

The Tower to Heaven still stood before him; the gate that should have closed in two or three breaths had now halted, the dark gate mouth facing him directly.

Yet he did not enter; instead, he turned back and walked to the edge of the pond, observing for a long while.

There were some images in the water, which he watched intently.

But the images soon scattered, leaving only a reflection at last.

The reflection of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

Without the impatience and repression of the "former me," without the alien face of the "present me," it was simply the Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

Regardless of appearance or attire, it was exactly the same as in the real world.

"This is my world." He declared in a deep voice, "If fate tries to trap me here, it has no qualification!"

His voice echoed in the valley—"——No qualification!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Tower to Heaven behind him vanished.

The Nine Abysses Great Emperor looked again at the Ring Snake Pendant in his hand.

This snake had already begun to devour its own tail.

In this trial, the hardest part was not escaping the pursuit of the "Nine Abysses Great Emperor," but making the correct choice.

How many can resist the temptation to flee and turn to face a future as vicious and evil as possible?

He Lingchuan dared to do this, based on a primary precondition:

If spiritual power does not fall upon others, then the "Nine Abysses Great Emperor" in this Thin Mist Valley must certainly be himself.

Therefore, this Thin Mist Valley is neither in the Great Square Vase nor among the Immortal's遗Treasures, but deep within his own sea of consciousness, merely concealed by the Immortal's遗Treasures.

Or, as written by the Illusionary True Person in the Compendium of Illusion Arts:

"Mingming in the midst."

Not "ming," but "ming."

Yet the Immortal's遗Treasure cleverly caused his consciousness to misalign and isolate, forcing him to face the fear of death and the unknown.

However, the way "fate" operates is to ceaselessly devour the past, like a snake biting its tail, in an endless cycle.

If he had chosen then to rush into what seemed the safer Tower to Heaven, that would have been an escape, unwilling to face his own future.

And without the "present," how could there be a "future"?

Then this trial would also have failed, and his own "Ring of Fate" would thus break.

Because, the Tower to Heaven is obviously not an original creation of He Lingchuan's sea of consciousness.

Perhaps that is the true trap; once his consciousness leaves his own sea of consciousness, his own body, and enters that unknown realm, only then is it truly called an unpredictable ending.

Thinking about how the two black-armored guards beside him died, he probably wasn't doing much better.

He Lingchuan flourished his blade, drawing a random "乂" character in front of him, as if tearing a curtain, and a warm wind blew in from behind it.

He softly shouted:

"Disperse!"

First, the mist shrouding the valley was blown away, then the forest, the valley, and the pond all turned to smoke and vanished.

This oppressive, monotonous world shattered before the eyes of the Nine Nether Great Emperor.

Now that he knew where he was, this place could no longer trap him.

He didn't even need to escape; he only needed to make this place vanish on its own.

……

Lu Fu Ancestral Hall.

To everyone's eyes, golden light suffused the Nine Nether Great Emperor's entire body, lasting only three short breaths.

Then the golden light faded, and the black-red mist filling the entire Lu Fu also vanished, leaving a bright blue sky overhead.

The Nine Nether Great Emperor stood motionless, as if only a suit of armor remained in place.

Yet everyone's gaze was fixed tightly on his wrist.

The golden rings on his vambrace had fully formed, resembling a strange serpent endlessly devouring its own tail, turning in a cycle.

Under the daylight, each tiny scale on it flashed with an odd light, like a living thing.

Everyone stared at each other. After a long while, Wan Qi Liang whispered a test: "Great Emperor?"

He Lingchuan suddenly opened his eyes.

Golden light blazed in his eyes, ten times more dazzling than the midday sun!

Others couldn't look directly, startled and retreating several steps.

Fortunately, this strange appearance lasted only an instant; He Lingchuan blinked a couple more times, and the golden light vanished.

Everything returned to normal.

A deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath, not knowing what monster he had become.

The Nine Nether Great Emperor first looked toward Lu Zhen Sheng. The latter's despair, dejection, and fear were all written on his face.

Originally thinking they could capture the Nine Nether Great Emperor this time, He Ceng never expected even the Laozu Sect's treasure to fail!

"I underestimated you." The Nine Nether Great Emperor casually removed the gold serpent biting its ring, letting it hover in midair, "How many people have you harmed with it?"