Chapter 817: Substituting One For Another
Even when Qin Feng returned to the Qin residence, his mind was still preoccupied with the conversation he had with the National Teacher on the top of the Heavenly Tower.
That story couldn’t help but remind him of a fable, “The frog in the well.”
If everything was arranged by destiny, what was the meaning of their existence?
“What exactly is the Dao of Heaven, does it truly exist?”
“Why did the Teacher say that I was not born in the fish pond…”
At this point, Qin Feng suddenly widened his eyes, and his whole body began to tremble.
“Could it be that the Teacher knows that I am not the original owner of this body, but a transmigrator?”
Gulp.
His Adam’s apple rolled, and Qin Feng’s heart began to beat faster.
“When did the Teacher know that I came as a transmigrator? Could it be that when I entered the Listen To Rain Pavilion with Feilan, that old man saw through me?”“No, that’s impossible. At that time, he was only impressed by my literary talent and wanted to freeload my poetry.”
“Could it be that after I came to Imperial City and met the Teacher, he saw through me at a glance?”
The Supreme Immortal Technique transformed one person into three pure beings, but there should still be a main being among them.
At least in his view, the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower was much more powerful and reliable than that old man.
Hmm, he definitely shouldn’t say this in front of the old man…
“But for now, when the Teacher knew about my secret is not crucial. What’s crucial is his attitude towards me…”
Instead of treating me like a heretic and suppressing me, he carefully taught and even gave high hopes.
The words spoken on the top of the Heavenly Tower became clearer in his mind.
“I am the variable, with the qualification to overturn the chessboard… But whose chessboard should I overturn, destiny?” After analyzing, Qin Feng felt his mind becoming even more confused.
The crucial point was the tone in which the National Teacher spoke, as if he were a dying person, entrusting his last words, which made him feel uneasy.
“It’s a pity that Senior Xuan Yi’s whereabouts are unknown, otherwise, I might be able to ask him.”
……
In the deep of night, a figure in white clothes left the top of the Heavenly Tower with the wind.
On the banks of the Nine-Bend River, Divine Guardian, who was fishing, suddenly glanced sideways, and the white-haired National Teacher of Heavenly Tower appeared out of thin air.
“For thousands of years, I have never seen your true form leave the top of the Heavenly Tower. Now after meeting you outside, I feel a little uncomfortable,” The white-haired and black-bearded Divine Guardian said calmly.
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower sat cross-legged and said, “We’ve known each other for so long and have never had a chance to have a drink together properly. How about a small drink tonight?”
As he spoke, he waved his sleeves, and a small pot of wine and two wine cups appeared on the bank out of thin air.
Divine Guardian sniffed lightly, “Drunken Immortal from the Moonlit Pavilion? Indeed, it’s a fine wine of the mortal world.”
With a wave of his right hand, the wine cup flew into his grasp, and the wine flowed into the cup as if threading a needle.
He raised his head and took a sip, savoring the taste.
“Good wine,” he remarked.
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower raised his cup and drank along, “Indeed, it is good wine.”
“You wouldn’t have come here if it was just for drinking. If there’s something on your mind, you might as well speak directly. There’s no need for us to beat around the bush,” Divine Guardian said.
“In the Netherworld, they have obtained the final key. It’s only a matter of time before they break free from control,” the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower said.
The Divine Guardian closed his eyes slightly and after a long while, he exhaled and said, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have lent a hand and helped Jiang’an resist the Candle Dragon.”
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower shook his head, “It’s not your fault. It was all part of His plan. It’s ironic that I thought I had chosen the right path among countless forks, only to find out that the end of the road was the same place.”
Divine Guardian frowned, “That doesn’t sound like something you would say. The person who used his silver tongue to convince me to defect from the dark to the light is no longer here?”
“The Great Qian Emperor borrowed the Xuanyuan Divine Slaying Sword and fought me for three days and nights just for today’s result? Or was my decision to betray Him also destiny?”
The National Teacher of Heavenly Tower was slightly stunned.
The Divine Guardian spoke again, “Do you know why I chose you back then?”
“Why?” asked the National Teacher.
“Your words moved me – one’s own destiny should be in one’s own hands. I have never been anyone’s vassal or discardable thing.”
He stood up, his qi surging, and large characters appeared inexplicably on the stone slab – “Heaven’s Will Cannot Be Violated.”
“The four words you gave me back then, I now give them back to you,” he said.
Swish!
A fierce qi swept through, and the character “not” was erased, leaving only “Heaven Will Can Be Violated.”
The Divine Guardian turned around and said, “I know the true purpose of your visit. You can rest assured to do what you need to do. Since I made the choice back then, I will not change it. Perhaps we will meet again in the underworld and have another drink.”
“That’s good,” said the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower with a faint smile, feeling a weight lifted off his heart.
……
In the Ninefold Prison, the old man in black robes stared blankly at the chessboard in the void, lost in thought. Even when the National Teacher of Heavenly Tower walked up to him, he had no reaction.
It seemed like he had figured something out, with a desolate look in his murky old eyes.
“It’s all the same, all the same,” he muttered.
“No matter which path you choose, the result will always be the same.”
“It’s ironic that we’ve been fighting for a thousand years, trying to prove ourselves right, but what difference does it make?”
“The ending has long been predetermined…”
The old man in the black robe slumped his body, looking utterly defeated.
After a long pause, he slowly turned around and said weakly, “Are you here to mock me?”
“Or have you made up your mind to merge with me?”
The Heavenly Tower National Teacher nodded and said, “For the upcoming battle, I need to take away most of your power.”
The old man in the black robe paused for a moment, then with difficulty, he said, “Do you still want to struggle? You should know, just like me, after the battle in the Netherworld Realm ends, you will witness the end of the Three Realms.”
“No one can change that. Even if you delay the destruction of the Dragon Sealing Stele, even if you suppress the Dragon Vein of the Imperial City, He can still break through the seal. No one can stop…”
“There are still variables.”
“The person you chose?” The old man in the black robe raised his eyes, then sighed, “If he enters the Transcendence Realm, perhaps there is still a chance, but he doesn’t have that much time.”
“The path he is taking is different from yours and mine, different from all the traditions in the world. It is a path of the world, unrelated to the longevity of the world.”
“The path of the world? How difficult…” The old man in the black robe shook his head, noncommittal.
“Let’s get started.” He said no more and lowered his head as if accepting his fate.
The Heavenly Tower National Teacher placed his palm on the old man’s head, a powerful suction emerged from his palm, quickly drawing the old man’s breath into himself.
As the old man’s breath gradually weakened, the breath of the Heavenly Tower National Teacher grew stronger!
But just as the old man in the black robe was about to exhaust his last breath…