Chapter 543: The Four Immortals' Analysis

"Why won't we resurrect Immortality in the future?" asked Immortal Yingtian. The immortal realm fell silent; the four immortals remained wordless.

Indeed, this was the most significant issue. If others couldn't resurrect Immortal Huang Doudou, why couldn't one of them simply do it? It was as simple as speaking a name; if they wanted to, who could stop them?

"It's not just Immortality; you, I, all four of us might have problems!" Immortal Jiuchong said coldly. This was the only possibility.

Although the previous question had been addressed, a much larger problem now confronted the four immortals: what had happened that even they, the five ancient immortals, were affected?

"Could it be that the four of us are also gone?" Immortal Qilin suddenly asked, a chill running down his own spine. After all, it was a possibility; if Immortal Huang Doudou had perished, it was theoretically feasible for the four of them to have been eliminated too.

"You're describing the worst-case scenario, but it's unlikely," Immortal Suiyue analyzed, shaking his head. "Immortal Huang Doudou was assassinated. This suggests the assassin's strength might be less than Immortality's, or perhaps stronger, but only marginally so, without a crushing advantage. In such a situation, if the four of us unite, the hidden assailant likely wouldn't be able to kill all of us."

"By the way, Immortal Suiyue, since you mentioned the opponent used a Dao Fruit to sever our connection with the future, can you determine how far into the future that severance extends?"

Immortal Suiyue frowned. "I can try, but the probability of success is low. Wait for me a moment."

Immortal Suiyue activated his Dao Fruit of Time once more. Chaotic energy surged around him as his true form transcended space and time, gazing down upon the entire continuum. He found the future to be perfectly clear, detecting no severance or obstruction.

"How is it?"

"As I expected, it's not working. The future is too clear."

"What about the severance you mentioned?"

Immortal Suiyue looked at Immortal Qilin as if he were an idiot. "You never listen when I lecture during our usual gatherings."

Immortal Qilin was furious. Having been afflicted by Immortal Suiyue's Dao Fruit of Time twice before, he no longer feared his methods. "Do you really think I can't defeat you?"

Although Immortal Suiyue mocked Immortal Qilin, he still explained, "The future is uncertain. The future I perceive is merely the most probable outcome. The closer the perceived future is to the present, the higher its likelihood; the further away, the lower its likelihood."

"Let's say the future I observed is 'Future A', the most likely scenario, where Immortality is not assassinated. The future where Immortality is assassinated is 'Future B'. When I spoke with Immortality just now, my Dao Fruit of Time established a connection with Future B. The so-called severance is the severance between me and Future B, not with Future A, C, or D."

"Does that mean Immortality might not be assassinated?"

"No, the future is a straight line; it doesn't branch. Immortality will definitely be assassinated. It's just that, from the perspective of the Dao Fruit of Time, this possibility is so low that it's unobservable. Only when I cultivate the Dao Fruit of Time to the point where it can observe all possible futures will I discover the exact time of the severance."

Since Immortal Suiyue's approach yielded no results, the other immortals weren't discouraged and continued to analyze the situation.

"Only immortals can harm immortals. The fact that Immortality was assassinated means the culprit is an immortal. Besides the five of us, are there any other immortals currently?"

Immortal Jiuchong, being the most knowledgeable in this area, stated, "According to my research, I was the first to achieve immortality, followed by the four of you in succession, with Immortal Huang Doudou being the last. There is no sixth immortal."

"In that case, there are two possibilities for Immortality's assassin," Immortal Yingtian said, holding up two fingers. "One is that someone in the future achieves immortality and possesses extraordinary talent. The other is that there aren't just five immortals now; there's a sixth!"

At this declaration, everyone was momentarily stunned.

"That's impossible! The phenomena accompanying immortal ascension are terrifyingly vast. How could a sixth person achieve immortality and remain hidden?" Everyone had experienced their own ascension tribulations, which were cataclysms capable of destroying heaven and earth. Even a blind person could perceive such a calamity; it absolutely couldn't be concealed.

"While ascension tribulations indeed cannot be concealed, what if the person formed a Dao Fruit of Karma or a Dao Fruit of Destiny, using the power of the Dao Fruit to mask their existence? Why couldn't that be possible?"

By masking and forgetting their own existence, they would also forget the terrifying ascension tribulation that had occurred. An immortal who wields the Dao Fruit of Karma cannot ascend beyond an immortal, but that doesn't mean they can't become an immortal in the first place.

"This would also explain the severance Immortal Suiyue mentioned: using a Dao Fruit of Karma to sever the causality between the present and the future. Alternatively, they might have used a Dao Fruit of Destiny to sever Huang Doudou's fate of survival, changing her from living to dead. Since we know too much about the future, Huang Doudou's fate of death would be affected, leading to the severance to prevent us from knowing too much! At the very least, there could be other Dao Fruits we don't understand. There are many possibilities."

In truth, they didn't fully comprehend the Dao Fruits of Karma and Destiny either; these were all theoretical possibilities. Until a complete Dao Fruit was formed, no one truly knew its specific power. For example, the Dao Fruit of Immortality: in its nascent form, Huang Doudou merely used its prototype to replenish her state or to dart around inside statues. Who could have imagined that once the Dao Fruit of Immortality was fully formed, Huang Doudou could self-destruct at any time and be resurrected simply by someone speaking her name?

"Or there's a third possibility for the assassin, but I can't think of it right now," Immortal Yingtian shrugged. Coming up with two possibilities in such a short time was already quite difficult.

The other three immortals also shook their heads, unable to conceive of a third possibility for the moment.

"Should we tell Immortality about this?" Immortal Qilin asked. Immortal Yingtian and Immortal Suiyue both pondered the feasibility.

"Absolutely not!" Immortal Jiuchong was the first to object. "Knowing Immortality's personality, if she learned she'd be assassinated in the future, she might say, 'If I kill myself first, I won't be assassinated,' then commit suicide on the spot and calmly wait to be resurrected in the future! She might even do something else astonishing!"

Immortal Qilin: "..." Immortal Yingtian: "..." Immortal Suiyue: "..."

It certainly seemed like Huang Doudou's style.

Immortal Yingtian stretched. "Let's prepare slowly. I don't think anything will happen to Immortality anytime soon. Immortal Suiyue, you left under the pretext of being a referee. It's about time you returned, or Immortality might grow suspicious and come looking for us, which would be disastrous."

Recalling the meals prepared by Immortal Huang Doudou and Immortal Qilin's two wives, Immortal Suiyue felt like he could die. "Fine, why am I so unlucky?" Immortal Suiyue sighed, resignedly dragging his body, preparing to return to Polaris.

"Oh, right, it'll probably take you three a hundred years to finish your game, which will definitely create a historical reflection. Make sure to delete the reflection of us meeting Future Immortality. If the assassin sees that historical reflection, wouldn't it reveal that Future Immortality can still be resurrected?"

"Still as cunning and devious as ever," Immortal Yingtian praised, giving a thumbs-up.

"This is called being meticulous!" Immortal Suiyue retorted angrily.