Chapter 1390: The Dao Fruit Ripens in the Future Time, Walking into the Trap as an Experimental Subject

Chapter 1374: Dao Fruit Belongs to the Future, Test Subject Throws Himself into the Net

"Follow your heart, and stay safe..."

On the Vermillion Bird Golden Platform, Yu Zhiwen pressed her earlobe with one hand, staring blankly at the vast sky. The words of the Dao Palace Master echoed in her mind, deeply touching her.

A simple "stay safe" could just be a casual remark from an elder to a junior.

But adding that line before it changed everything.

After the Dao Palace Master had pondered for so long and Yu Zhiwen had anxiously waited, she hadn't expected a barrage of questions. Instead, she was only told to "follow her heart."

"The Dao Palace Master knows everything..."

Yu Zhiwen didn't want to deceive herself.

She could guess that he had figured it all out.

Yet, even so, he said nothing and left the decision entirely up to her.

"I'm sorry..."

The more Yu Zhiwen thought about it, the more touched she became. Her vision blurred with mist, and soon tears fell like a string of broken pearls.

She clutched the star disk and curled up on the tower, feeling small and helpless, murmuring apologies nonstop:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Yu Zhiwen shook her head, unsure what she was apologizing for.

Maybe it was for hesitating between Xu Xiaoshou and the Holy Divine Palace, or for hiding certain information and not reporting it, or perhaps for other reasons...

She felt that the Dao Palace Master had been so good to her, yet she had once entertained thoughts of betrayal. It was truly unforgivable!

Hugging her knees, she huddled at the top of the tower, hearing the wind's mournful wails and seeing the grass's sorrowful droop. Her tears flowed even more uncontrollably.

"I... uh."

Yu Zhiwen choked on her own saliva, her face flushing slightly red.

How unladylike!

A brief wave of embarrassment suppressed the girl's overwhelming emotions.

Through her teary, hazy world, Yu Zhiwen looked around and saw many others just like her, suddenly squatting down and sobbing loudly.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong!

Near the Vermillion Bird Golden Platform, a crowd of trial participants were weeping uncontrollably, their cries filling the air:

"Ahhh, I have sinned against you, Zhao Chengxing..."

"I shouldn't have stolen your jade talisman, I shouldn't have eliminated you from the secret realm, I shouldn't have stabbed you in the back for points. I'm the one who deserves to die..."

"I deserve it even more! All for one Zhuming Shengguo, I handed over my own brother with my own hands... Ah! I'm not human!"

"I'm even less than human! I'm a beast... She, she, she is my sister-in-law... Uh, urgh!"

"I'm sorry, truly sorry..."

Confessions echoed everywhere.

Everyone was reduced to a sobbing mess.

The worst cases involved people confessing while vomiting, eventually coughing up blood, as if they wouldn't stop until they had emptied themselves completely.

It wasn't just people—everything was affected.

Mountains trembled, as if repenting for millions of years of pointless waiting.

Plants shed tears, like fallen petals turning to spring mud in remorse for their own prosperity.

As far as the eye could see, every living being and spirit near the Vermillion Bird Golden Platform was drowning in an ocean of uncontrolled emotions.

An invisible tsunami rose to the heavens.

Those lost in it were mere specks, like solitary boats adrift.

Where was life? When would it end? They drifted aimlessly, with no end in sight, life and death uncertain.

"Shangxin Zunzuo!"

Cracks formed in some of Yu Zhiwen's long-buried memories, reminding her of documents she had once read.

During the Ten Zun Seats War, there was a Shangxin Zunzuo.

Back then, he had barely severed his own Dao foundation and nearly achieved sainthood. His ability made everything around him weep in pain.

It sounded ridiculous.

But in the end, one of the seats in the Ten Zun Seats War was won after days of confrontation, with the opponent crying and repenting while handing over the position with both hands!

"Who was he again..."

Yu Zhiwen wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

After all, the sight of everyone clutching their heads and crying, confessing to each other, was somewhat comical.

Then her expression turned bitter as she wiped away tears and recalled the name.

"Bei Huai!"

At that moment, Yu Zhiwen's pupils dilated, sensing that something terrible was happening.

She knew that name—her grandfather often mentioned it, as if it were thunder in her ears:

"If the Buddha's realm of resentment were full, Bei Huai's tears would make even the heavens grieve!"

Among the five great Saint Emperor families, he was the first of the new generation to inherit the previous Saint Emperor's position, forcefully ascending to become a Saint Emperor!

Shangxin Zunzuo was in the past.

Now, Bei Huai was the Shangxin Saint Emperor!

"Drip."

Yu Zhiwen forced herself to regain control of her emotions and activated the heavenly team's combat channel, trying to report this information.

A Saint Emperor had appeared near the Vermillion Bird Golden Platform!

Did the Dao Palace Master anticipate this?

But as her thoughts connected, the sadness intensified suddenly.

Yu Zhiwen couldn't follow through with the idea. Her lingering sense of shame made her cut off the communication and cover her face, crying out in confession:

"Uhmm..."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to report secretly. I've developed such a bad habit."

"I'm sorry, Master. I'm no longer the good child you thought I was, but I want to be free."

The mournful wind tore the girl's emotions to shreds at the top of the tower. Yu Zhiwen was sobbing uncontrollably, her confessions stretching back to the past:

"I'm sorry, Xu Xiaoshou, but why didn't you listen to me and come back to the holy mountain with me?"

"I'm sorry, I have no right to blame you..."

"Waah!"

In stark contrast to the outside world's restraint,

Inside the shattered world, the rampaging giant leaped up and clung to the Saint Emperor Qilin, bursting into tears.

"I'm sorry, Qilin, I deceived... Uh." The mental awakening triggered, and Xu Xiaoshou felt a wave of fear. "Why am I hanging on you?"

"I'm sorry..." The Qilin hugged back, devoid of any Saint Emperor dignity.

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts only stayed clear for a moment before losing control again, tears flowing anew: "I'm sorry, I didn't hear your words clearly. My hearing is bad..."

"Human, I'm sorry. I should have told you straight out that I can no longer maintain my own self..."

"I'm sorry, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have forced you to leave with me, but I still want to say... Us hugging like this, confessing to each other, it's really funny."

"Uh?"

The Qilin's sorrow paused briefly.

This human was too unpredictable!

Could he stay clear-headed under Bei Huai's power, unaffected by the emotions?

Just one glance, and the Qilin's thoughts broke again, black tears streaming like a waterfall: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you..."

That rampaging giant clinging to him had huge tears and snot dripping onto his head. How could he not be affected?

Maybe all these hypocritical humans were like this—even their confessions seemed fake.

On the other hand, Xu Xiaoshou was crying while breaking out in a cold sweat.

Bei Huai!

The Saint Emperor Bei Huai!

The very "Bei Huai" from "If the Buddha's realm of resentment were full, Bei Huai's tears would make even the heavens grieve"!

As soon as that voice appeared and this emotion-controlling force emerged, Xu Xiaoshou had guessed the intruder's identity.

He remembered on the Void Island, Ba Zun An had admitted that among the Ten Zun Seats, Bei Huai was one of the few who had undoubtedly become a Saint Emperor.

"Ten Zun Seats, Saint Emperor, Bei..."

These three terms together made Xu Xiaoshou not dare imagine how terrifying the newcomer was!

In his mind, he cursed Ba Zun An bloody and cursed Dao Qiong Cang's ancestors for eighteen generations, but it did nothing to vent his anger.

"Damn that 'Qilin' mission!"

"The Qilin is already in Bei Huai's grasp, and here I am, foolishly rushing under his nose to earnestly persuade it over and over!"

"I look like such an idiot!"

The Qilin was right—Xu Xiaoshou did have self-control.

He was indeed controlled by Bei Huai at first, but only at first.

Once his emotions fluctuated enough to trigger "mental awakening," he immediately shifted his consciousness into the second true body in the Dye Ming site.

—That was the only way to keep his will intact under Bei Huai's gaze.

The cost? Let someone else do the crying...

Yes, the one hugging the Qilin and sobbing right now was Jin Ren!

With his original body and second true body sharing a connected yet independent will, Xu Xiaoshou, from his switched third-person perspective, realized just how insane Bei Huai's ability was!

Jin Ren had completely lost all normal thinking ability, left only with endless confessions.

He couldn't even formulate a battle plan for himself, like whether to run or stay—he was stuck on one "I'm sorry" after another.

If Saint Emperor Bei Huai had made just one move, and without the second true body, Xu Xiaoshou knew he would have been done for.

His current state of mind was like leaving the beginner's village for a casual stroll, only to encounter a final boss-level monster dropping from the sky.

"I can't panic!"

"I absolutely can't panic!"

The Xu Xiaoshou in the Dye Ming site forced himself to calm down.

The more dangerous the moment, the more he needed to stay composed and methodical.

His thoughts flashed like lightning, branching out in an instant:

"First, Bei Huai's ability can't reach inside the Dye Ming site—that's certain. Zhan Shen Guan Dye Ming is at the level of the Ten Ancestors; Saint Emperor Bei Huai is nothing compared to that. He's at most a high-level Saint Emperor..."

"...Damn it, a high-level Saint Emperor? How do I fight that? Even if not, how can a Saint Emperor have such an insane ability... Calm down, calm down, Xu Xiaoshou! You're Xu Xiaoshou! Keep thinking!"

"Second, Ba Zun An probably doesn't know the Qilin was already taken by Bei Huai, or he wouldn't have sent me to investigate. My life is way too important to him."

"...Damn it! Even Ba Zun An doesn't know? Did he get affected by the Saint Emperor's guiding force and forget? How the hell do I fight this? Calm down, I need to calm down... The sky is one foot high for Ba Zun An, but for me, Xu Xiaoshou, it's a whole yard... Amitabha, may the Buddha quickly grant me a solution..."

"Yes, solve the problem, don't panic!"

Xu Xiaoshou was used to talking things out with Jin Ren.

So even though Jin Ren was now a sobbing mess, it felt like his own will had split in two, arguing back and forth to find a way to survive:

"In the worst case, if I have to die, I can just shout 'Dye Ming' to enter the Dye Ming site—that's my last resort. Ah! Zhan Shen Guan, you're a lifesaver! Your site couldn't have come at a better time!"

"Wait, Xu Xiaoshou, have you thought about this: entering is fine, but what about coming out? If you exit and end up in the same spot, then as long as Bei Huai doesn't enter the Dye Ming site, he'll have more time to prepare and take you down?"

"Shut up!"

"This is a spatial allocation issue: where you come from, you go back to, as long as there's a spatial node marked. But gathering people from all over the world through the Dye Ming site and sending them to one place is more complicated; it might even involve secret realm rules, leading to failed transmissions. It's not worth the effort."

Xu Xiaoshou knew harsh truths were hard to hear but helpful for action.

By now, he was ninety percent sure that anyone who entered the Dye Ming site by shouting "Dye Ming" in a certain place would likely return to their original spot if they survived.

So the problem was...

Entering the site right under Bei Huai's nose and coming out would still mean death.

"This path is blocked!"

"Think, brain, think!"

"You're the one who took down Feng Kong Shao Yi!"

Xu Xiaoshou's original will was on the verge of truly splitting.

Saint Emperor Bei Huai's pressure on him was far greater than that of Wang Ze Saint Emperor, mostly because of "Ten Zun Seats."

Among the Ten Zun Seats, nine out of ten were no pushovers!

Bei Huai achieving Saint Emperor status at such a young age... Xu Xiaoshou didn't even dare guess: Was he stronger than Ba Zun An?

"Are you thinking?"

From not far away, a faint voice interrupted Xu Xiaoshou's train of thought.

The Saint Emperor Qilin was still apologizing.

The rampaging giant with Jin Ren's will was still sobbing.

Xu Xiaoshou finally realized he should take a look at Bei Huai.

Following the sound through his "perception," he saw the man stepping through the shattered world, approaching slowly.

He was tall, appearing extremely young, around twenty-five or twenty-six, but when scrutinized, his face became unclear.

Dressed in white, he walked barefoot. Between his faintly visible brows, there was a subtle sorrow, which seemed like an illusion upon closer inspection.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't make out anything definitive!

The only thing he was certain of was that this wasn't Bei Huai's true body—at most, it was a manifestation of his Saint Emperor intent.

"Even so, it's come to this..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt bitter inside.

And the content of Bei Huai's words was even more chilling:

"I can see that you're able to stay calm under my power."

"Dao Qiong Cang mentioned you have a very special secondary body, perhaps more than one... Is that how?"

Bei Huai didn't approach too closely.

He stopped at a high position, looking down from his diminutive human form at the Qilin and the rampaging giant below, huddled together and crying hysterically.

In the shattered world, an invisible rain began to fall, as if even the heavens and the great dao were weeping.

"It's not important."

Bei Huai shook his head to himself and said softly: "I'm not here for you."

The Xu Xiaoshou in the Dye Ming site felt a glimmer of hope in the despair.

Not here for me?

That meant there was still a chance?

Dao Qiong Cang... Of course, that showy old daoist was only a semi-saint; how could he command a Saint Emperor?

Bei Huai must have his own motives!

"What is it?"

Xu Xiaoshou almost switched his will to let the rampaging giant ask, but he held back the impulse and continued the meaningless sobbing.

Bei Huai's eyes grew slightly somber, making the world even more grief-stricken. He murmured to himself:

"I lost a very important test subject."

"For that, I almost wanted to storm the Wu Rao Emperor Realm, but that's wrong, because there are ways to fix it."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat for no reason, sensing something ominous.

Bei Huai continued:

"I once thought about using my Saint Emperor power to crush the Xu Yue Hui Palace and take the substitute I wanted."

"But that won't work!"

"First, a cornered beast will fight back fiercely, and I don't want too much chaos."

"Second, a Saint Emperor acting in the Five Domains would cause massive slaughter, and I can't bear that."

"Third, the other four great families wouldn't stand by and watch me dominate; they'd obstruct me at every turn."

Xu Xiaoshou was even more confused.

He had no idea what Bei Huai was rambling about to himself.

Had becoming a Saint Emperor made him so lonely that, like Xu Xiaoshou, he started talking to himself and spouting nonsense?

Bei Huai paused, then chuckled:

"Dao Qiong Cang's approach is quite good—very roundabout and subtle. I've decided to learn from it and ask for his help."

"So I started waiting."

"I inquired about its whereabouts and heard it had left home and set out on a journey, but I didn't move."

"It ended up with someone else as part of an exchange, exposing its location, but I still didn't move."

"It appeared in Bai Ku, in the Eight Palaces, in Dongtian Wangcheng, in Yunlun Mountains, on Void Island... I didn't move. I held back for so long."

Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled.

He felt that "it" referred to himself.

After all, those were all the places he had been!

Bei Huai gazed at the rampaging giant still clinging to the Qilin and sobbing, and said slowly:

"Because Dao Qiong Cang told me..."

"He said, there's no need to rush. When the time comes, it will walk right into the trap."

He paused.

Bei Huai extended his hand toward the front, a faint smile seeming to form on his blurred face.

Through "perception," Xu Xiaoshou saw a scene appear in Bei Huai's hand:

In the hazy background, with only a faint golden heavenly ladder in the clouds, Dao Qiong Cang smiled at a white-clad man and said:

"The time has come."

There was no doubt the white-clad man was the barefoot Bei Huai before him.

And the "time" Dao Qiong Cang meant was undoubtedly "now"!

Bei Huai flicked his sleeve, and the scene shattered and vanished. He sincerely praised:

"Dao Qiong Cang is truly formidable."