Chapter 1544: Man Proposes, God Disposes; Dreaming of Blooming Flowers That Vanish Upon Waking

Slipped away?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had stepped on the top of Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, pointed at everyone's noses, and thoroughly scolded them. After finishing his business, he just slipped away first?

"Damn!"

In an instant, everyone on Gui Zhe Sheng Shan felt worse than if they had swallowed a pile of excrement. That was Cang Sheng Da Di, after all! It couldn't be Dao Xuanji—he wouldn't be taken out in one move!

Earlier, Xu Xiaoshou had trampled Yu Jing City, slaying the Xuanji Dianzhu twice in just a few days and defeating the three great sword immortals. The five domains of the continent were all watching the Sheng Shen Hall make a fool of themselves, so how could the people on Gui Zhe Sheng Shan feel good? This time, with Cang Sheng Da Di's return, everyone had pinned their hopes on him to turn things around.

Well, not exactly "turn things around." It was more like effortlessly suppressing the clown with a single palm, since that was the level of the Ten Venerables—they weren't even in the same league. Who would have thought that even the arrow from the Xie Zui Bow couldn't hold back that arrogant Xu Xiaoshou? He got to mouth off, finish his rant, and run off, leaving a mountain full of miserable allies.

"Boss Xu is going to be unstoppable this time!"

"He's already at this level of power, and he's a trial monster, gaining something from every trial. Whether it's Bai Ku, the City in the Sky, or this time the Zhan Shen Guan site... which one hasn't been a place for his rapid growth?"

"It's hard to imagine what he'll be like if he gets the inheritance. Will Cang Sheng Da Di really become no match for him, just as he said?"

"I hope not, I pray it's not. May Dao Dianzhu protect us!"

"Ah, Dao Dianzhu, please come back soon! I can't even dream freely anymore—it's all because of that devil Xu Xiaoshou. Last night, I was riding a horse, and halfway through, the horse suddenly changed face..."

The entire mountain was engulfed in an atmosphere of grief. Some even started cursing or praying.

On the Sheng Huan Hall, the elders exchanged glances, sighing at the combat power Xu Xiaoshou had just displayed. Everyone knew that during his time in the Eight Palaces, Xu Xiaoshou was helpless against a single arrow, costing them an elder like Sang. But now, he could catch that same arrow from the Xie Zui Bow—the one that once filled him with endless fear—with just one hand!

"His progress is too great, and too fast..."

Yu Lao clicked his tongue in amazement, his peripheral vision involuntarily drifting to the figure in the wheelchair at the front. By the standard of loving the common people, half-saint level forces in this world could generally be divided into two kinds:

Those who can block one arrow.

And those who cannot block even one arrow.

The latter refers to people like Dao Xuanji and Jiang Buyi, whose combat awareness, experience, and realm are not high. In the face of absolute strength, they might have some brains, but it's as good as nothing. Only someone like Dao Qiong Cang with clever schemes can erase the gap in power.

As for the former—"those who can block one arrow"—they can be further divided into "those who can only block one arrow" and "those who can block more than one." The former is basically no different from not blocking it; it's just the difference between falling immediately or falling a bit later.

But it's the latter that matters. That's the true peak-level power on this continent! Without a doubt, Xu Xiaoshou had reached that level. Just when everyone felt he was still a step short of being fully honed, he had crossed that threshold.

Growth is like water dripping on stone to wear it away. But in reality, it's an instant breakthrough! Once you realize someone has grown, it's too late to stop or reverse it.

Especially since...

Xu Xiaoshou didn't block the Xie Zui Bow arrow in his Berserk Giant or Extreme Giant form—he did it in his human form. That simple grab might look ordinary to outsiders, but Yu Lao saw so much in it: Forces on the same level as Cang Sheng's evil god power, like the Dragon Ancestor force and Heaven Ancestor force, along with the equally terrifying Devouring force and Penetrating Divine Thought force.

Ancestral Source forces!

Master one, and you're invincible in the world! Apart from the Shen Mo Tong, this was the first time Yu Lao had seen two major Ancestral Source forces compatible in a pure human body. How could his body withstand it?

"A golden scale isn't meant for the pond; once it meets the wind and clouds, it turns into a dragon..." Yu Lao sighed meaningfully.

How could Cang Sheng not think of what he was thinking? With a turn of the wheelchair, this Cang Sheng Da Di shifted his gaze to the group of old and young people in front of the Sheng Huan Hall site, his eyes hooking as he first signaled Yu Lao to move behind him.

"What's up?"

Yu Lao didn't understand but still went to the back of the wheelchair, thinking he wanted him to push it. This kid really knows how to order people around. Yu Lao actually grabbed the wheelchair's backrest and started pushing and pulling it back and forth, like he was idly counting fish.

Cang Sheng Da Di swayed along with it, looking at the remaining people ahead, his voice turning serious:

"Time is pressing, so I won't waste words. Dao Xuanji lacks courage and strategy; she's unfit for the position and will only doom the Sheng Shen Hall and the five domains. Among you, none can stand against Xu Xiaoshou in a single exchange, so we need a new acting hall master."

Everyone was stunned—Fang Lao, Zhong Lao, Jiu Ji Gui Ling Ti, and others were speechless. This was too direct! At least soften it a bit!

Yu Lao's pushing stopped for a moment, then he chuckled. You little brat, giving me face by calling me back first before starting the lecture?

"Good, good, good, I agree. It's not a bad idea for Cang Sheng Da Di to be the hall master." Yu Lao beamed and was the first to voice his support.

The younger generation didn't dare speak. The other half-saints thought about it and realized Cang Sheng Da Di was right, so they held back and wanted to raise their hands in agreement.

Cang Sheng Da Di waved his sleeve to interrupt, looking at Zhong Yuanzi: "Zhong Lao, there's a question I want to ask you first."

"Go ahead." Zhong Lao was puzzled and scratched his explosive hair.

"The last time Dao Qiong Cang wanted to resign, he recommended you... Dao Qiong Cang never makes baseless suggestions. I want to know if you have some hidden mystery or power that I don't know about?"

Everyone was startled and thought it over. Indeed, the last time Dao Qiong Cang was about to resign, the only person he recommended was Zhong Yuanzi! In an instant, all eyes turned to Zhong Yuanzi, full of doubts.

Was he... up to it?

To be fair, Zhong Lao did have some secrets. If Xu Xiaoshou hadn't shown up at the south gate of Yu Jing City, who would have known he had developed the Great Dao Diagram? But the "Great Dao Diagram" couldn't lead the Sheng Shen Hall in the short term or help the world resist the dark tide led by the Sheng Nu and Xu Xiaoshou.

So...

Was it possible that only Dao Qiong Cang knew Zhong Yuanzi had certain qualities that made him more suitable as hall master than Dao Xuanji? Before, everyone had just suspected... Now, facing all these suspicious yet expectant gazes, Zhong Yuanzi himself was a bit dumbfounded.

Was he mysterious?

Was he powerful?

If Dao kid thought he was capable, why didn't he know it himself?

"Subjectively speaking..."

Zhong Yuanzi hesitated. "I don't think I can handle the hall master's position..."

"What about objectively?" Yu Lao couldn't wait, feeling this old guy had hidden some big move from him.

"Objectively speaking..."

Zhong Lao scratched his explosive hair again and said desperately: "I'm really not up to it!" He just wasn't hall master material! If he led everyone on Gui Zhe Sheng Shan to dig their own graves before Xu Xiaoshou returned, that would be one thing. But to be hall master? To win?

Nonsense!

And on second thought, he still held the Xing Jie jade talisman that Xu Xiaoshou had given him—who would let a potential traitor be hall master?

"Are you crazy?"

Zhong Lao still had some affection for Gui Zhe Sheng Shan and didn't want to destroy it himself. "Cang Sheng Da Di, is it possible that Dao Qiong Cang had already foreseen this and was just setting up a smokescreen back then?"

His words left everyone silent. During the oath on the sacred mountain and the planning against the Sheng Nu, had he already anticipated the possibility of failure and planted a smokescreen in advance? If it were Dao Xuanji, everyone now knew she couldn't do that. But if it were Dao Qiong Cang...

"It's not impossible, oh?" Yu Lao glanced at Zhong Lao's foolish explosive hair and thought this guess was more plausible.

Cang Sheng Da Di hesitated too. He really couldn't be sure. After all, that person was Dao Qiong Cang—anything bizarre could seem intentional with him. If Zhong Lao was strong, for the sake of the world, Cang Sheng Da Di would absolutely want him as hall master to scheme against the returning Xu Xiaoshou. But if it was Dao Qiong Cang's plan... sigh...

"In my opinion, let Cang Sheng Da Di be hall master and forget about everything else. It's better than being leaderless and scattered." Yu Lao decided firmly. "Besides, Dao Qiong Cang isn't coming back anyway!"

"But shouldn't we look for him?" Xi knew he wasn't qualified to speak, but he couldn't help but butt in. He was the one who most wanted Dao Dianzhu to return! Not to mention anything else, that purple chest garment at the south gate of Yu Jing City was still fresh in Xi's memory—in all his life, he had never imagined someone could detect the Shu Zu force from a three-finger-thick chest garment and use it to set a trap for Xu Xiaoshou. Even now, thinking back, it still seemed absurd.

But!

The fact was!

That was the closest they had come to success—Xu Xiaoshou had almost been caught, if not for Dao Xuanji showing up halfway. From this, one could see... Dao Dianzhu could only be described as unconventional and all-capable. At first, Xi hadn't felt it much, but after following Xuanji Dianzhu for a while, his longing for Dao Dianzhu grew day by day!

His words clearly struck a chord with all the young people present, even Bei Bei nodding vigorously. The various saints turned back together, their eyes focusing on Xi. Xi felt the pressure and regretted speaking up. But at that moment, the elders' eyes showed only sighs and helplessness, with no hint of blame.

Jiu Ji Gui Ling Ti said gently: "Little Xi, you should know that it's not that Dao Qiong Cang wanted to be hall master; it's that we... the five used the hall master's position to bind him for over thirty years. He originally just wanted to research Tian Ji puppets."

As the Ancestral Tree Jiu Ji, she had seen more storms on this sacred mountain than all the young people here had eaten in salt and rice combined. She held back another sentence: He had come close to becoming the next Bei Huai.

Zhong Yuanzi couldn't help but mutter: "He's even crazier than I am. Even after being stopped, he still created a Number Two, and thank goodness there was only one..."

Cang Sheng Da Di didn't know about the Dao Department yet, and looking at the young people in front of him, he replied softly: "Do you think what I want to do first after returning is? But he's nowhere to be found, like a dragon returned to the sea, leaving no trace."

Yu Lao laughed: "If you could find Dao kid, I'd say you're more suited to be hall master—he could even be your assistant."

Xi was stunned. Used to Xuanji Dianzhu's style, getting feedback from all the half-saints with one sentence, his first reaction was... How gentle! So half-saints could be this gentle? Not interrupting, answering questions directly, and giving pure responses without any hidden jabs!

If they had sarcastically pointed out how stupid his question was, like in his daily interactions with the Dao siblings, Xi wouldn't have been so touched. It took him a while to feel like he was being taken seriously, like a real "person," and his desire to chat surged as he followed up:

"So, Great Emperor Cang Sheng, your Great Dao Eye isn't just watching the five domains, not just Shen Yi, but..." Xi stopped there.

Cang Sheng Da Di gazed into the distant sky, his eyes filled with nostalgia, as if seeing the scene when he first arrived at the sacred mountain:

"He took the initiative to reassure the five great saint emperor families, and I wasn't reassured about his dreams, so we hit it off. He let me watch the five domains from the rear while he took the front lines, and I could conveniently keep an eye on him. I knew he had a lot of wild ideas, and if he dared to do that, he must have thought it through. I guarded him for over thirty years, never daring to be too happy, too sad, or too angry..."

Pausing, Cang Sheng Da Di carefully recalled. He realized he couldn't even remember why he had ended up in the Ran Ming site. It seemed like just a coincidence...

"I thought I had him under watch." Cang Sheng Da Di stared at the sky over Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, at the ever-changing clouds, lost in thought. He couldn't even defend against a casual joke!

Xi fell silent. Everyone around, saints and all, fell silent.

Yu Lao, ever the optimist, chuckled: "Let's look at it another way, Cang Sheng Da Di. You guarded Dao Qiong Cang for thirty years, so you're perfect for this hall master position!"

Everyone's eyes lit up—this made perfect sense. Apart from Cang Sheng Da Di, who else would they choose? Gambling on a Zhong Lao who didn't even believe in himself? The choice was clear.

"I agree."

"I support it."

"I'm fine with it."

The various saints habitually raised their hands, and even Fang Wenxin agreed, so the young ones had nothing to say.

Yu Lao, seeing the plan succeed, relaxed and spoke without thinking: "At least you have courage and strategy; you can't be completely without either. Wait, ah, no, no, I didn't say anything—child's play, child's play."

Everyone laughed. Who was he subtly shading?

The lump of flesh beside the wheelchair, Jiang Buyi, who was pretending to be dead, couldn't laugh—he was probably the only Dao Xuanji supporter here. He had heard everything and now just wanted to die.

"I'll humbly accept."

"But I can only be the acting hall master until the battle with Xu Xiaoshou upon his return. Regardless of victory or defeat, I'll resign then!"

Everyone's faces changed. Cang Sheng Da Di spoke seriously but calmly:

"During my time in office, I'll only scheme against Xu Xiaoshou. He entered the Ran Ming site right under my nose, so he'll return from here. Cen Qiaofu, Shui Gui, Shen Yi... He'll bring back at least three half-saints."

"And Xu Yue Hui Gong—he's already contracted the Greed God." Yu Lao added.

"And outsiders like Ye Xiao Tian and Mei Si Ren; they're all from his Tian Shang First Tower." Fang Wenxin frowned.

"And the Sheng Nu—he's originally one." Zhong Yuanzi raised his hand eagerly.

Cang Sheng Da Di glanced at the explosive hair and confirmed it was almost certainly Dao Qiong Cang's scheme, saying deeply:

"Rough estimate, over ten half-saints. The Secondary Gate is in Ba Zun An's hands; counting saint emperor level forces, even if only saint emperor intent avatars come from the inner islands, that's five."

Before he finished, not just the young people, but the elders' faces darkened. Yu Lao was uncharacteristically gloomy. Even he, the optimist, felt immense pressure. It was like even if he went all out, he might still end up in a pot being boiled alive.

"Is the situation this bad..." Jiu Ji Gui Ling Ti murmured with furrowed brows, her fingers twirling her skirt hem in worry.

"To make the worst plan, as Dao Qiong Cang always said." Cang Sheng Da Di added: "Xu Xiaoshou dared to risk entering the Ran Ming site under my watch, clearly pulling his backers into the game, so there's also Ba Zun An."

That wasn't just like—it was the final straw that broke the camel's back!

Bei Bei's little face fell, and she nervously glanced around, catching Xi doing the same. As ancient sword cultivators, the Eighth Sword Immortal was like a god to them, no matter how many fingers he had left or if his state was perfect. Just look—in the Eight Palaces battle, he only broke one dead branch and defeated Gou Wuyue.

Bei Bei muttered unconsciously: "Is the Sheng Shen Hall going to lose?"

Cang Sheng Da Di looked over: "I can't guarantee the outcome. The only thing I can guarantee is to do my best, but one person isn't enough..."

Cang Sheng Da Di turned back. Yu Lao whistled and looked away to the sky.

"Even if we put Yu Lao at the front..."

"Hey, hey, what are you saying? I can do my best too, but just us isn't enough, right?" Yu Lao hurried.

"Of course not." Cang Sheng Da Di smiled and turned back to Xi: "Ba Zun An will have someone to deal with him. He's been honing his sword for this battle for thirty years, even starting early."

Xi was stunned, then his eyes burned with excitement. Cang Sheng Da Di looked at the other half-saints:

"I won't go up the Tian Ti myself. Each of you lead your families and invite the saint emperors."

"Since Xu Xiaoshou wants us to set up a net, we shouldn't disappoint him."

The saints were startled, their faces showing urgency. Before they could speak, Cang Sheng Da Di raised his hand to stop them calmly:

"And take a message: Any family that doesn't come, my arrow will head straight for... Han Gong Emperor Realm."

Yu Lao sucked in a breath. You're really going to target one family exclusively, huh? Not even considering the others?

"The Sheng Di Yue Clan will help you. Go." Cang Sheng Da Di waved his sleeve, seeing the joy on everyone's faces as they left.

He turned his wheelchair, gazing southward again. The plan was simple. The variables were unpredictable. He wasn't a diviner and couldn't plan every step, so he could only hope for no surprises.

And...

"Will Dao Dianzhu make a move?" Everyone else had left, but Xi stayed, taking the initiative to push the wheelchair.

Cang Sheng Da Di pinched his brow, sighing: "Don't say it out loud."

"Ah? Why?" Xi tensed, thinking he had said something wrong.

After a long silence, Cang Sheng Da Di said: "Do you know what even Dao Qiong Cang fears?"

"What?"

"A self-fulfilling prophecy."

Xi fell completely silent, looking around with nothing to say, finally pointing at the pile of rotten flesh nearby and awkwardly changing the topic:

"What about this person? Kill him as a sacrifice?"

In the Dao Department. At a certain spiritual site.

Yu Zhi Wen put on a black veiled hat, changed into black clothes, placed the black box on the table, and walked out of the room where she had lived for over ten years—warm yet cold.

"Swish..."

All around was quiet, only the sounds of wind, snow, and trees, with no other familiar noises. No one to discuss Tian Ji techniques with anymore, arguing until both faces were red. No one shouting "The saintess is back!" with everyone crowding around one person in joy. No one smiling and gently stroking her head, wiping away tears, and explaining that "Dao Dianzhu is strict, but it's all out of love." No Tian Ji Grand Competition. No Tian Bang top four. No Dao Department, no Tian Ji masters, no seniors or juniors, no immortal couples, no life, no childhood, no memories...

Nothing at all!

It was all fake!

Yu Zhi Wen looked up. Under the black veil, the world was all black. She was wrapped up tightly, not just her face covered—her hands were hidden in gloves, not a bit of skin exposed. She had spent over ten years opening herself up, gritting her teeth to volunteer as the Dao Department's head. In less than a day, she had shrunk back into her shell, never to emerge.

She once had the most magnificent pearl star pupils in the world, yet she had seen only falsehoods along the way. Eyes were fake. People were fake. The whole world was fake.

The wind carried her halfway, the snow halfway—this was Yu Zhi Wen's second time descending the mountain, and she told herself...

"The dream is over."