Chapter 1848: Time

One breath…

Three breaths…

Ten breaths…

The Gujin Wangyou Lou was silent, and Kong Yuhen felt anxious.

Xu Xiaoshou's face finally turned beet red. After a long sigh, he put down the Benyuan Zhenjie and drew out Cang Ku.

Now it was time for a final statement.

"Wait!"

Kong Yuhen quickly retreated to the wooden staircase entrance, showing a tendency to flee upstairs if things went south. He gestured with his hand, urging not to be rash:

"I remember now, one more step, the final step!"

The last step after the last, how many last steps are there?I live waiting for the last, and all things fall to ruin.

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his molars, pressing forward without a sound, his sword forcing Kong Yuhen to the wooden staircase entrance.

Kong Yuhen flipped over onto the wooden stairs, stopping only when he reached the middle, clinging to the railing and shouting:

"This truly is the last step!"

"If it were the usual borrowing method, you would have succeeded by now."

"But what you used just now was the forceful borrowing method. The Benyuan Zhenjie hasn't been used for too long, and I've forgotten the general steps. It was only when you performed it that I remembered these..." He explained with full sincerity.

Xu Xiaoshou also climbed onto the wooden stairs, Cang Ku trembling wildly, very interested in beheading a Zunzu.

Its achievement library currently only contained one "Ai Cangsheng," rank ten out of nine.

"Believe me!" Kong Yuhen was just half a step from the second floor, pacing anxiously at the corner.

Xu Xiaoshou still stopped.

After all, it hadn't truly come to blows yet.

"You'd better be telling the truth about this last step…"

He looked behind him at Ba Zunan, who remained unmoving, "Our Ba Zunan is not to be trifled with, nor is he easily deceived."

"Last step, truly the last!"

"Speak!"

Kong Yuhen's Adam's apple bobbed. He said, "The forceful borrowing method relies on forceful borrowing. While you're using the术印 (shu yin) and道辞 (dao ci), I also need to go to the past in the River of Time to find Zhan Zu during a cooperative phase, and make its will connect with the will within the Benyuan Zhenjie. Only then will you have a chance of success… uh, a possibility…"

"Possibility?" Xu Xiaoshou's tone rose, his face a mixture of green and pale.

"Ninety percent probability!"

Kong Yuhen quickly added.

Xu Xiaoshou said nothing, staring fixedly at him.

"Seventy percent…"

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent.

"Alright, fifty percent, but you also cultivate ancient martial arts, and He might be favorably inclined, perhaps adding another one percent probability." Kong Yuhen panicked, "That's not a small amount!"

Sixty percent probability?

Xu Xiaoshou really wanted to cleave Kong Yuhen with his sword.

He looked honest, but in reality, he harbored sinister intentions, and who knew what trick he was pulling.

He began to wonder if his trust in Kong Yuhen was right or wrong.

Soon, his eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing: "In other words, every time I summon Zhan Zu's avatar from now on, I need your permission?"

Kong Yuhen froze, nodded, then shook his head.

Xu Xiaoshou's face was not pleasant: "What if I'm in battle, just needing this last step, and you deliberately don't help, or you're 'accidentally' delayed by something…"

Mei Siren's face also darkened.

It sounded like Xu Xiaoshou's life and death truly lay in Kong Yuhen's hands. If such a situation occurred, Xu Xiaoshou would surely be played to his death.

"Absolutely not!" Kong Yuhen immediately raised both hands, indicating his sincerity.

But what good was his sincerity?

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't accept his fate being in someone else's hands. He shook his head and said, "I'm going to chop you. You have one more chance to speak."

"It can change!"

Kong Yuhen changed his tune quickly, both his expression and his thoughts: "There's another way. As long as you succeed, you can complete the last step yourself—all processes can bypass me."

"What is it?" Xu Xiaoshou stared at him.

"The River of Time!"

Did he mean for Xu Xiaoshou to go into the River of Time himself and find Zhan Zu during a cooperative period?

Mei Siren, listening from behind, felt a chill.

Such a method of finding someone in the past and changing the future, in the past, he wouldn't even dare to imagine it.

But in the Gujin Wangyou Lou, in front of Kong Yuhen and Xu Xiaoshou, the two of them conversed casually, as if everything was as natural as eating and drinking.

"Is it a trick?"

Mei Siren was still worried about his student and didn't quite believe in the feasibility of this matter. He turned to look at Ba Zunan.

Ba Zunan shook his head, not expressing an opinion.

The only thing he could do was ensure Xu Xiaoshou's safety in the Gujin Wangyou Lou.

"Let's see."

Kong Yuhen might have played a trick.

But wasn't Xu Xiaoshou also a cunning fox?

If they were to engage in a battle of wits, who would win and who would lose was yet to be determined!

"River of Time…"

Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a while but still couldn't figure out what Kong Yuhen meant by that. He stared at him, indicating for him to finish speaking.

Kong Yuhen said, "If you can summon the River of Time yourself, and are willing to spend time tracing back Zhan Zu's will in the past, you can complete this last step yourself."

"Of course, if you trust me, I can save you some time and give you a time node. You can go and see for yourself if there's any trickery."

"Finally, if the two wills can connect, whether it's a sixty percent chance of success—man proposes, God disposes, it depends on your methods."

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't recall many scenes of the River of Time; most of what he remembered was from Huang Quan, not Kong Yuhen.

But Kong Yuhen could undoubtedly summon a deeper level of the River of Time, even reaching Zhan Zu, of this there was no doubt.

He still remembered the last time in the Divine Relic, when he chased Cui Yin and ended up entering the Gujin Wangyou Lou with the three Zunzu Cang Qiong.

When pushing the door, he had heard Cui Yin's evaluation of Kong Yuhen.

This evaluation might have contained elements of flattery, but setting aside the embellishments, the praise was still very high, as the original words were:

"You stand above the River of Time, not entering the cycle of life and death of the Great Dao, comprehending ancient and modern, knowing destiny, though in the mundane world, your form and intent transcend it."

At the time, he didn't have much time to think, but now, upon recollection, every word was worth deep consideration.

And when Cui Yin was finally desperate, his choice was to go to the Gujin Wangyou Lou, letting Kong Yuhen be the judge.

This showed that the two had colluded early on.

And it also showed the weight of Kong Yuhen of the Gujin Wangyou Lou in Cui Yin's mind.

Xu Xiaoshou was too lazy to dwell on past gains and losses. After roughly knowing that Kong Yuhen wasn't lying, he asked:

"How do I summon the River of Time?"

Kong Yuhen didn't rush downstairs, continuing to shrink at the corner of the wooden staircase: "The Dao of Time."

Cultivating the Dao?

Xu Xiaoshou keenly smelled a huge trap.

Was this forcing him to recklessly cultivate the Dao of Time?

"To what extent?"

He was thinking if it was up to 79, stuck before the Profound Truth, reserving the right to meet Shi Zu, it might be worth a try.

After all, they were currently in the Gujin Wangyou Lou, and Kong Yuhen, suspected to be Shi Zu, was cowering right in front of him.

And his greatest reliance, Ba Zunan, was also providing protection behind him. Going with the flow might be a good opportunity.

"What do you think?"

This time, Kong Yuhen didn't answer directly.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but fall into thought. Huang Quan could also summon the River of Time, but he didn't have the Profound Truth of Time.

Therefore, his River of Time might not be able to see the Ancestral Gods.

So, the answer was…

"Cultivate the Profound Truth?"

80, take a chance, it's not impossible to try!

Kong Yuhen shook his head: "Profound Truth cannot see Ancestral Gods. I mean, the Dao of Time, beyond Dao transformation."

His voice stopped, and the Gujin Wangyou Lou was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

Mei Siren had no idea what these two were talking about, as if enlightenment was something that could be done casually.

As if the Profound Truth of Time, and the Dao of Time beyond Dao transformation, in their eyes, could all be achieved in one go, as long as they wished.

He looked at Ba Zunan, clutching his paper fan, his palms spread open, indicating this was an absurd fantasy.

Ba Zunan remained calm: "Let's wait and see."

Xu Xiaoshou leaned on Cang Ku, stopping at the bottom of the Gujin Wangyou Lou's wooden stairs. The tip of Cang Ku's sword was deeply embedded in the first step of the wooden stairs, buzzing softly.

Kong Yuhen clung to the railing, huddled in the high corner, his eyes occasionally looking at Xu Xiaoushou, and occasionally at Ba Zunan.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Unexpectedly, Xu Xiaoshou didn't curse or draw his sword, but instead repeated the question he had asked before:

"Kong Yuhen, are you Shi Zu?"

This time, without giving the other party a chance to be vague, Xu Xiaoshou's expression was serious: "Answer truthfully."

Kong Yuhen clung to the corner, silent for a long time, before saying, "I don't know…"

"What about them?" Xu Xiaoshou knew that Kong Yuhen had seen many Ancestral Gods, "Do they think you are?"

Kong Yuhen was silent.

"Yes, or no."

"They don't know either…"

The Ancestral Gods' doubt, to some extent, had already proven certain things. Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought, recalling what happened in Tianzu Shen Ting at the end of the Void Island:

"At that time, Tianzu said, 'Kong Yuhen, you are also trapped…' What did that mean? Have you understood it to this day?"

A series of difficult questions completely bewildered Kong Yuhen. His eyes were blank, completely lost in thought, as if muttering to himself, and also as if struggling:

"I don't know, I don't know…"

He was becoming unstable.

It wouldn't be good if he exploded like a gas tank.

Xu Xiaoshou's sword was just a scare tactic; he didn't really want to break ties with this eccentric fellow. He stopped pressing and chose a different way of asking:

"Then, do you and they think Shi Zu is still alive?"

Kong Yuhen's thoughts converged, his brows furrowed: "I don't know, but they generally believe that Shi Zu might no longer exist…"

"But as far as I know, the unity of Dao and Evil, the true form of gods and demons, the life and death of medicine ghosts, the reincarnation of the Four Ancestors, only time and space are eternal. How do you explain this?" Xu Xiaoshou did not accept this answer.

Eternality…

Not only Kong Yuhen fell into thought, but Mei Siren also pondered because of Xu Xiaoshou's words.

After a long time, at the corner at the end of the wooden stairs, the delicate, jade-faced scholar Kong Yuhen finally raised his head:

"Eternality doesn't necessarily mean one can be seen, does it?"

What did that mean?

What did Xu Xiaoshou's sudden barrage of questions mean?

In the Gujin Wangyou Lou, only Mei Siren was still half-understanding. The other two, Kong Yuhen and Ba Zunan, had already understood Xu Xiaoshou's intentions.

"Beyond Dao transformation, one can see the Ancestor."

"Xu Xiaoshou, are you worried about seeing Shi Zu after the Dao of Time transcends Dao transformation?"

Ba Zunan, for the first time since the negotiation began, spoke proactively, and what he mentioned shocked Mei Siren.

These people…

These guys…

None of them considered the process of "enlightenment," all of them thought Xu Xiaoshou could achieve enlightenment of the Dao of Time in one go?

In reality, Ba Zunan was also surprised by Xu Xiaoshou's concerns, which were not about enlightenment, but about Shi Zu.

However, unlike ordinary people, Ba Zunan could understand "achieving it in one go."

"Gurgle gurgle…"

The Gujin Wangyou Lou was extremely quiet, with only the kettle boiling water beside the tea table gurgling.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Ba Zunan standing by the wooden door and nodded gently. His only concern was this:

Meeting Shi Zu!

Even Kong Yuhen was "self-restricted," "lost," and "trapped by time"?

Undoubtedly, Shi Zu was a dangerous individual, which was the fundamental reason he had been reluctant to touch the Dao of Time.

But after thinking about it…

The Dao of Time was incredibly important and would have to be activated sooner or later.

In the uncertain future where Gui Fo was about to break through, Hua Changdeng was about to emerge, and many Zunzu were about to arrive, he might never again find an opportunity like the present—with Kong Yuhen in a panic before him, and Ba Zunan providing backup behind him.

He had a feeling that if he didn't recklessly pursue the Dao of Time now, he might not find another suitable opportunity later.

The silence continued for a long time.

Mei Siren looked at the two figures on the wooden stairs, and then at Ba Zunan, not knowing what they were thinking, making it seem very serious.

He shrugged, sat back at the tea table, and poured himself some tea.

Living a long time had this one benefit.

He had seen through everything; when it was time to relax, he relaxed. Being constantly tense wasn't good for sleep quality.

This leisurely appearance made Ba Zunan smile.

"Enlighten!"

Ba Zunan proactively broke the silence, pointing at the ground beneath his feet, at the Gujin Wangyou Lou, "Right here, I will guard your Dao."

Can he guard it?

Xu Xiaoshou was still hesitant.

Not just Shi Zu, but this was Shi Zu's Divine Court, obtained by Kong Yuhen.

What if Kong Yuhen tampered with it during the process, or if something happened again like what occurred during the previous super-Dao transformation and ancestral vision process…

What if Hua Weiyang intervened, Cui Yin intervened, or even other miscellaneous Ancestral Gods intervened? What then?

"Enlighten the Dao."

Ba Zunan spoke again, his voice even calmer this time.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at him; Old Ba's face was very calm, and his eyes appeared extremely gentle.

But when his gaze shifted to the corner at the top of the wooden stairs, falling on Kong Yuhen, a faint light suddenly burst forth in his eyes.

He finally looked at the wooden window of the Gujin Wangyou Lou, gazing out at the nameless land beyond the window, his lips moved, like a threat, and also like a warning:

"No matter who interrupts your enlightenment, I will at least take one with me. Now the choice is returned to them…"

Ba Zunan said, crossing his arms, and leaning lightly against the protruding frame of the wooden door:

"Let's see who wants to be that daredevil."

Mei Siren put down his teacup.

He was sitting at the end of the tea table, directly opposite the wooden door.

From his perspective, looking up, the figure leaning against the wooden door of the Gujin Wangyou Lou was no longer the First Saint Slave, who for thirty years could also be seen as living a dog-eat-dog existence.

But rather, it was the youthful self!

It was the keen-edged sword he had encountered in the wind and snow of the past!

"Hiss…"

Xu Xiaoshou gasped, drawing in a cold breath, as he picked up his sword from the wooden staircase entrance and walked back.

He finally understood why the Half-Saint Luo Xianzi Luo Hui of Fusang City had reacted the way she did after being struck by Xiao Kongdong's sword in the Second World.

Who wouldn't love this?

If I were a woman, I'd fall in love with this overflowing sense of security!

"Ba Zunan, you're glowing…"

With that one sentence, Ba Zunan stumbled at the doorway, his face immediately falling. He said irritably, "Go enlighten your Dao!"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou walked to Ba Zunan's side, sat cross-legged in front of the tea table under Mr. Siren's gaze, and closed his eyes.

He didn't even spare Kong Yuhen an extra glance.

Since Ba Zunan said he would provide backup, and he dared to make such a guarantee, why not leave the rest to him?

His spiritual consciousness observed his Zifu Yuanting. Looking at the familiar Passive System, Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, full of anticipation.

"Passive Points: 999999999."

He casually exchanged a Yundao Seed and threw it onto the target Dao Disk. Soon, a numerical value appeared:

"Dao of Time (11)." (End of Chapter)