Chapter 1035: Past Buddha, Present Buddha, and Future Buddha

"So, has your immortal body been fully formed?" Lu Yang asked. He could immediately sense that the immortal body solidified by the Immortal of Time over 300,000 years felt far more powerful than his own temporarily formed one.

"It was just completed a little over ten years ago," the Immortal of Time replied with a smile. He was now at his absolute peak.

"Do you know Tang Chuanwu?" Lu Yang then inquired.

"Tang Chuanwu? Oh, you mean the child I granted the ability of time reversal after foreseeing a potential death tribulation in his future."

"Was that to gauge the mastermind's reaction?" Lu Yang asked again.

The Immortal of Time looked at Lu Yang with surprise, then smiled. "Precisely."

"Although I couldn't clearly see who ambushed me back then, the mastermind also didn't know if I had truly seen them. So, I granted Tang Chuanwu the ability of time reversal, sending a message to the mastermind that I'm still alive. The mastermind would undoubtedly want to find me, and in their haste, they might reveal a weakness."

Lu Yang thought to himself, 'So that's how it is.' When he had previously speculated about the Immortal of Time's Dao Fruit user, he had considered that the Immortal of Time's Dao Fruit user was using Tang Chuanwu to send a message to the mastermind.

The message was simply the Immortal of Time telling the mastermind, "I'm still alive."

Later, Lu Yang also learned the origin of the Immortal-Seeking Token of Time: it used the suppression of a fully formed Dao Fruit over a nascent Dao Fruit to locate the Immortal of Time.

The suppression of a Dao Fruit over a nascent Dao Fruit isn't something that can simply be avoided by hiding in a small world. If that were the case, the Qilin Immortal would have already hidden in a small world, allowing Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi to achieve immortality outside.

The fact that the Great Gan Dynasty could create the Immortal-Seeking Token of Time indicated that the Immortal of Time's Dao Fruit user existed during the Great Gan period.

Both these facts suggested the possibility that the Immortal of Time was still alive.

Therefore, Lu Yang wasn't particularly surprised to see the Immortal of Time in the Grand Hall of Great Strength.

However, this raised another question: Whose reincarnation was Li Haoran?

If Li Haoran wasn't the reincarnation of the Immortal of Time, then was he the reincarnation of the immortal whose body was taken over by the mastermind?!

As Li Haoran's cultivation grew, he would eventually recover his memories and learn who he was in his first life.

If that were the case, then the fact that Junior Brother Li was a reincarnation could no longer be known to others.

If the mastermind discovered Junior Brother Li's existence, they would undoubtedly kill him at all costs!

"Since you asked about Tang Chuanwu, my young friend Lu Yang, does that mean you've met him?"

"Yes, I have. The mastermind also made a move, but didn't act directly, leaving few clues."

"I see," the Immortal of Time said with a hint of regret. The mastermind was indeed very cautious.

Suddenly, a knock echoed from outside the Grand Hall of Great Strength.

"Little Junior Brother, are you in there?"

"Who is it?!" The Immortal of Time was startled.

"Oh, just a little girl," the Immortal Maiden casually waved her hand. "Little Yangzi, open the door."

While Lu Yang went to open the door, the Immortal Maiden quietly sent a telepathic message to the Immortal of Time.

"Hey, Immortal of Time, I have a question for you. Didn't you say that the future is uncertain?"

The Immortal of Time was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "Yes, I did say that. Why?"

"Little Yangzi and I were carried here to the Buddhist Nation by the Nian Beast. On the way, we entered the River of Time and saw events from the past, as well as a scene from the future."

"So, what did you see?" The Immortal of Time's expression was odd; he had never seen the Immortal Maiden act so hesitantly.

"What I saw was... me reluctantly saying goodbye to Little Yangzi, saying, 'I really can't bear to leave you.'"

The Immortal of Time was immediately alarmed.

"What?"

"That's why I'm asking you, can the future I saw truly be changed?"

The Immortal of Time's expression turned serious. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he asked, "When in the future did you see this?"

Lu Yang pushed open the door of the Grand Hall of Great Strength. Standing outside was a female knight-errant in a white long gown, wearing a bamboo-weaved conical hat covered with white cloth that obscured her face.

Seeing Lu Yang, the knight-errant removed her hat, revealing a delicate face. It was his Senior Sister.

"Senior Sister, why are you here?" Lu Yang was overjoyed, though he clearly hadn't summoned her.

"Your Second Senior Brother contacted me using a message paper, saying something happened at Xitian Temple."

Lu Yang felt that everything was under control, and indeed it was, but Ye Zijin clearly didn't think so.

"Message paper?" Lu Yang remembered that his Third Senior Sister had used message paper to contact his Senior Sister when she was in the Demon Realm. It seemed his Second Senior Brother also had some.

"Then why don't I have one?"

"I gave them message papers because I was concerned about the safety of your Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister. You, of course, don't need such a thing."

Yun Zhi looked her junior brother up and down, whom she hadn't seen in months, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on her face.

"After you were taken by the Nian Beast, Mengmeng was quite worried about you. It seems you've done well in the Buddhist Nation, even solidifying an immortal body."

Lu Yang rubbed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Just a bit of luck, that's all. Senior Sister, please come in quickly. The Immortal Maiden and the Immortal of Time are both inside."

"Oh, you also found the Immortal of Time?" Yun Zhi knew her junior brother was always dependable; he could handle any situation he encountered while away and even stumble upon fortuitous encounters afterwards.

"Come here, Yun girl, let me introduce you. This glowing Buddha statue is the Immortal of Time," the Immortal Maiden said, patting the Immortal of Time's shoulder.

"This junior, Yun Zhi, greets the Immortal of Time."

"Immortal Maiden, who exactly is this?" The moment the Immortal of Time saw Yun Zhi, he sensed she was extraordinary, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

He seemed to recall Ming Yu mentioning the name Yun Zhi, referring to her as the true sect master of the Dao Seeking Sect.

The Immortal Maiden proudly stood between Lu Yang and Yun Zhi, pointing to herself. "I am the strongest of ancient times."

Then she pointed to Yun Zhi on her right. "Yun girl is the strongest of the current era."

"Little Yangzi is the strongest of the future."

The Immortal Maiden, with an arm around each of them, smiled broadly. "The three of us are the strongest cultivators of the past, present, and future!"

"Don't Buddhists have some Past Buddha, Present Buddha, and Future Buddha? Immortal of Time, when you get a chance, add us three in there."

"The strongest of the current era?" The Immortal of Time was startled. The Immortal Maiden was notoriously hard to impress; earning such praise from her was no small feat.

However, considering that young friend Lu Yang had received the "strongest of the future" evaluation, he couldn't help but feel that this "strongest of the current era" evaluation might also be a bit inflated.

"What, you don't believe it? If you don't, why don't you spar with her?" the Immortal Maiden egged him on.

The Immortal of Time truly didn't believe it. Had it not been for the unexpected incident, he would have been the first to achieve immortality, and with his later mastery of the enigmatic Dao Fruit of Time, he genuinely feared no one except the Immortal Maiden.

"Then let's try!" After solidifying his immortal body of incense, he hadn't had a chance to test his strength, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so!

Yun Zhi and the Immortal of Time stood in confrontation, the atmosphere tense. The Immortal of Time activated his Dao Fruit of Time to observe all future possibilities!

"Please enlighten this junior, senior," Yun Zhi said calmly.

"Wait a moment," the Immortal of Time suddenly said before the fight began. "Immortal Maiden, what did you just say?"

"Spar with her?"

"The sentence before that."

"What, you don't believe it?"

"I believe it."