Secret Buyer-Chapter 323 - 248: Surviving the Three Tribulations, Attaining the Celestial Human Fruit Position
On the Bridge of Helplessness, thunder rolled relentlessly.
Zhang Fusheng bathed in the thunder, the great sun halo behind his head illuminating a boundless light.
The thunder, like ocean waves, drilled into his body through thirty-six thousand pores!
Yet he remained unmoved, like a mountain.
After the blazing white light subsided.
"The thunder calamity is over..."
Zhang Fusheng exhaled a turbid breath. Although he still needed to bathe in thunder for ten years, he could skip this process by using the Contract.
In other words, he only needed to undergo the calamities of fire and wind; only then would he have survived the three calamities and could prove himself as a Celestial Human.
Amidst the flickering thunderlight,
he glanced at the dazed residual soul of Emperor Tang.
The river of purple energy flowing around the opponent was still digesting the words of this ’ancestor’.
"Am I Li Shimin, or Emperor Ziwei?" he muttered to himself, a look of bewilderment appearing on his face.
For a long moment.
The residual soul looked at Zhang Fusheng and spoke in a low voice:
"Ancestor..."
"You needn’t actually call me ancestor," Zhang Fusheng replied calmly. "I’ve said, I only bear the name of Taiqing, Laozi, not truly the Guardian Storage Room Li Er."
"I don’t carry the surname Li."
The residual soul of Emperor Tang nodded in silence and suddenly said:
"I am myself, not Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole."
Zhang Fusheng sighed softly:
"But you first were Him, only then yourself."
Speaking quietly, Zhang Fusheng had already discreetly activated the stored cultivation time within the Contract, passing the ten years of the thunder calamity.
There still remained decades of cultivation years within the Contract.
He exhaled, silently beginning the trial of the fire calamity.
Yin Fire ignited within his five viscera and six bowels, yet strangely, it did not cause significant harm.
Most of the Yin Fire was attracted to the Yin World Wood Marrow, combining with it, but fiercer Yin Fire continued to roar out!
Calamities cannot be aided by external forces.
Zhang Fusheng coughed lightly, as the intensified nearly tenfold Yin Fire erupted, making the pores on his whole body emit cold fire energy.
He was helpless; unwilling to rely on external help...
However, the combination of Yin World Wood Marrow and Yin Fire seemed to be undergoing some mysterious transformation.
Emperor Tang’s residual soul closed his eyes; Zhang Fusheng had already delineated the current situation for him,
judging from various clues,
he served as the backup for Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole, hence remaining as a sliver of residual soul here,
if no unexpected events occurred, upon the opening of the so-called Emperor’s Tomb,
his residual soul would revive as Emperor Ziwei’s, no longer as Li Shimin.
After a long silence.
Emperor Tang’s residual soul suddenly laughed softly:
"Regardless of who I was in a previous life, whichever path of Immortals and Buddhas, in this life, I am me—I am absolutely not anyone else!"
"I unified the mortal world and sat in the Taiji Hall; how did it turn out that I became someone’s reincarnation? Absurd!"
Zhang Fusheng gazed at the residual soul of Emperor Tang and suddenly said:
"I can forge a human body for you, allowing you to return to the living, and even attempt to sever your ties with Emperor Ziwei."
Emperor Tang’s residual soul turned aside and asked:
"What should I do?"
"Collaborate with me."
Zhang Fusheng spoke softly:
"Of all the affairs within the Imperial Mausoleum, I want to take seventy percent—this is your mausoleum, you should know its contents, right?"
The residual soul nodded:
"I may not know future events, as my memory halts at entry into the Underworld, but at that time, I had already crafted the Imperial Mausoleum, creating a Yin Chang’an."
He suddenly sighed:
"At the time I didn’t mind, but now thinking of it, those who insisted that I build the Imperial Mausoleum to mirror Chang’an had ulterior motives..."
Zhang Fusheng nodded silently,
he indeed had no idea what role Emperor Tang played for Emperor Ziwei, but inevitably felt somewhat sympathetic.
He himself, was he not just another method of some Divine Buddha?
It was for this reason that he had come so far—but now that he was here, he naturally had to escape everything.
Even if he did not know who was behind it all—the Three Pristine Ones?
Zhang Fusheng took a deep breath, the fire calamity of Yin had gone amidst every word spoken, melding another ten years of cultivation time with himself,
ten years of bathing in flames, now only the wind calamity remained.
With a thought.
The biting wind entered his being, eroding bones and consuming the soul, mind muddled, vision chaotic.
He held on, stabilizing himself, silently chanting the Fuli Chapter, his flesh emitting a faint glow, the golden lamp flames in his eyes flaring up.
Their brilliant light forced Emperor Tang’s residual soul to retreat again and again.
The biting wind continued to rampage inside his body,
the skin seemed intact, but the internal organs were dissolving, and the soul swayed with it.
"Why is the wind calamity so fierce?"
Zhang Fusheng murmured, suspecting it was related to his consecutive overcoming of the three calamities, if it were any ordinary Innate Limit...
fear and the soul would already have been scattered by the biting wind!
It was his Divine Realm’s towering spirit, accumulated over four thousand three hundred years, that allowed his soul to remain profoundly resilient, otherwise...
In the wind calamity.
Zhang Fusheng narrated the present world to Emperor Tang, discussing the disappearance of Immortals and Buddhas.
"Now, only three old-world Divine Buddhas remain that I know of."
"One is my true self, sitting at the infinite heights—Taiqing."
Emperor Tang’s expression shifted slightly.
"Another is the master of the Nine Netherworlds, the Central Pole Sect Leader, also known as Nine Netherworlds Sin-Extinguishing Celestial Venerate."
With that, Zhang Fusheng’s demeanor became solemn; much of his encouragement for Emperor Tang’s residual soul to sever ties with Emperor Ziwei stemmed from this Central Pole Sect Leader.
Emperor Ziwei left backup plans everywhere related to the Underworld Nine Netherworld,
yet it would be all right if not for that,
the most crucial part is that, if he remembered accurately, Emperor Ziwei similarly possessed the authority to oversee the Underworld,
occupying a position at least in the top three within the Underworld!
If this renowned Divine Buddha truly returned through Emperor Tang’s residual soul?
He would likely attempt to take control over the Nine Netherworld of the Underworld.
Moreover,
were such an old-world Divine Buddha indeed to tread the mortal realm, even as just a residual soul, for both the High Heaven Association and the heights above regarding himself,
it would pose a substantial risk.
His ability to achieve everything today stemmed from the Contract and another important factor, his understanding of the old-world past...
Zhang Fusheng did not think that merely sitting in the Eight Sceneries Palace would be enough to bluff the legendary Emperor Ziwei.
"Let’s see as we go."
He murmured to himself; as for now,
the wind calamity was also concluded.
Finally drawing ten years of cultivation, merging with himself.
[The first year, enduring the biting wind’s erosion constantly, a bitter struggle indeed]
[In the tenth year, the Bi Feng within my body finally calmed down at this moment, and as of now, the three calamities are over.]
[I shall attain the Celestial Human Fruit Position.]
Thoughts return to oneself, ten years’ vicissitudes in an instant.
Under the watchful gaze of Emperor Tang’s residual soul, uncertain and suspicious, this young man who called himself Laozi and had a great sun halo behind his head sat cross-legged on the Bridge of Helplessness,
he was glowing, shining brilliantly, naturally floating up, and attaining the Fruit Position!
"Celestial Human Fruit Position?"
Emperor Tang raised his eyebrow, apparently recognizing this scene, having seen it before, stroking his chin:
"Zhang Fusheng is actually just a Celestial Human..."
A Celestial Human is not weak either; back then, the Celestial Generals in the heavens were at this level,
but a Celestial General, compared to the Immortals and Buddhas in the sky.....
Just....
Emperor Tang’s residual soul gazed towards the Yellow Springs River below the bridge.
What place is it that has nearly a thousand large coffins, seemingly hiding fierce ghosts, and the fierce ghosts seem to.....
follow my orders?
He could sense that with a single thought, he could command the fierce ghosts to rise from their coffins and become a killing army under his command!
But they seem not just to follow his orders.
Emperor Tang’s residual soul could clearly feel,
in this world, there’s another person who can command them.
As if blessed with understanding, he murmured:
"Central Pole Sect Leader?"
......
In the wilderness.
Jingpeng looked up, crying towards the sky.
Then saw divine power like a prison.
"Indeed, somewhat tricky..." Yuan Feidao manipulated the blood and flesh puppet to speak in a low tone, "What is that?"
All the seats’ puppets and incarnations looked up towards the celestial vault,
they found that above the head of the Giant Whale Roc, there suddenly appeared a huge, translucent array, gathering a vast vortex!
"A Teleportation Array, it can also be called a Transmission Array."
A gentle voice emerged from the eighth seat of the earth and stone puppet:
"This array is constructing a passage, a passage to other provinces; looking at this scale, it seems to be intended to summon the descent of Divine Spirits."
The seats were alerted.
"We can’t delay any longer."
The one speaking was the Ten Thousand Soul Vajra, constructed by Shi Zhengyuan using the Buddha Country and the Nine-Ring Scepter, a peerless secret technique of the Ling Mountain lineage,
equivalent to an actual Buddhist Vajra!
Buddhist Vajra Guardian, also a [Celestial Human Fruit Position].
"Attack!"
The Buddhist Vajra Guardian showed a fierce appearance, his body swelling to a hundred, a thousand meters, with ten thousand giant hands shining with golden light spread fan-like behind him,
whether pointing or palming or fisting, ten thousand hands attacked towards the Giant Whale Roc simultaneously!
The sky was covered by blazing white light.
"My god..."
In Chang’an Town, many people watched this scene, entranced, a thousand-meter Vajra with ten thousand hands, like a magnificent Great Buddha!
Old Master frowned; this soul-transcended Vajra was just at the level of a calamity Celestial Human,
but even he wouldn’t fare well against this relentless bombardment of ten thousand fists!
Yet.
The Giant Whale Roc remained unharmed.
Not even slightly shaken.
"Woo!!"
Jingpeng cried, with a cold voice echoing within:
"People from the High Heaven Association?"
"But a futile effort."
As he spoke, Jingpeng simply flapped his wings, and three thousand miles of Bi Feng swept across, mountains melted, and the earth was turned to powder where it passed!
"Legendary Wind Disaster!"
Li Yiyi watched this scene, exclaiming, her heart pounding, how could such a cataclysm happen right after finding the ancestor’s tomb??
That’s a Wind Disaster.....
Even a wisp of residual wind blowing through would likely leave no one alive in the whole town.
She licked her lips, seeing that unbelievable ten thousand-hand Vajra starting to melt, shrink in the Wind Disaster.
There was also a roaring sound.
Zhang Wentao and Zhou Guifang, anxiously looking for their son, followed the sound to see more ’giants’ appearing on the horizon.
There was a thousand-meter blood giant made purely of blood and flesh, a six-armed, compassionate black silhouette,
also a stone giant formed from collapsing mountains, cracked earth’s powder, and other materials.....
All were hunting the gigantic Giant Whale Roc!
The Six-armed Great Black Heaven silhouette opened its eyes; the divine artifacts it held in its six hands, like the Vajra Pestle, bone bowl, White Bone Prayer Beads, all emitted brilliant light,
Buddha Son managed the Great Black Heaven silhouette, charging at the Giant Whale Roc, and the Vajra Pestle smashed Jingpeng’s head into a depression!
These were all divine artifacts, spirit treasures, inherently crafted by divine spirits, possessing tremendous power.
Jingpeng cried, the array vortex above his head growing bigger and bigger, and from the other end of the vortex, a booming sound came, as if something was trying to squeeze in!
In the next instant.
Yang Shexing manipulated the Jingpeng carcass, pushing a divine spirit array to its limit, then a flap of the wings, and the Roc Feathers on the wings fell off, in thousands and thousands,
the falling Roc Feathers stood on the celestial vault like Qingfeng, densely packed, not less than a million in number!
’Buzz!!’
A million Roc Feathers simultaneously emitted a sword hum.
The Sword Feathers united, transforming into a dazzling golden Sword Furnace, with an almost absolute overwhelming power,
tearing apart the Six-armed Great Black Heaven’s silhouette!!
The Vajra Pestle and White Bone Prayer Beads fell to the ground, causing a booming sound.
From afar, the Buddha Son coughed blood, his face heavy with seriousness, murmuring to himself:
"This is Jingpeng? Even manipulated by an Innate Realm, it can wield power close to the divine spirit level..."
"Unfortunately, the Great Black Heaven seems to be battling someone in a Different Dimension, unable to draw on more power."
The Buddha Son sighed, thinking the current situation was dire, the first meeting, the first cooperation of the seats, would likely end in failure.
He forced himself to stand, his mind descending once more, the shattered Great Black Heaven silhouette reassembling,
the remaining seats’ puppets and incarnations charged forward, but were all suppressed by the Sword Furnace!
"Just so."
A cold voice resonated from Jingpeng, echoing through the heaven and earth, the million sword feathers shining brightly, illuminating the entire Chongyang Heaven and Earth!
Chang’an Town was on the verge of collapse, too close to the battlefield; Wei Bushi paced, contemplating whether to use his trump card to summon the ancestor’s spirit and perform the true Dream Dragon-Slaying Technique.
Meanwhile, at this time.
Underground.
On the Bridge of Helplessness.
Zhang Fusheng slowly opened his eyes.
As of now, precisely at this moment.
The instant after the three calamities were gone,
the Celestial Human Fruit Position was attained.
