The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 409 Easy for you, easy for you (Seeking monthly votes)

Zhao Ti looked at Murong Longcheng: "Senior Brother."

Murong Longcheng's voice trembled: "You, you, it was you all along!"

Zhao Ti nodded: "Senior Brother, it's me."

Murong Longcheng's whole body was trembling: "You...you lied to me so badly!"

Zhao Ti looked slightly disappointed: "Senior Brother, that's too much of a statement."

Murong Longcheng's face turned pale, and he looked as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant. His tone was desolate and sorrowful: "You not only lied to me once, but you actually lied to me a second time, and each time it took longer than the last. Killing someone is nothing more than destroying their spirit. You are trying to destroy my body and soul and turn me to ashes!"

Zhao Ti sighed, "The ways of Heaven are unpredictable, and life is but a fleeting dream. Every sip and every bite, is it all preordained? Senior Brother is too attached to his status in this life. Didn't you just say that this life is nothing but smoke and clouds, and can be laughed off..."

"You, you, how can that be the same again..." Murong Longcheng gritted his teeth and said, "You not only deceived me about my identity, concealed your own identity, and fabricated my background to use me, that's fine, but you also deceived me about martial arts, deceived me about magic, deceived me about all my supreme supernatural powers, and deceived me into accepting you as my junior brother on behalf of my master, you..."

"Senior Brother is mistaken. How could something as influential as accepting a disciple on behalf of one's master, a matter of cause and effect that affects the past, present, and future, and the long river of time, be created through deception?"

Zhao Ti shook his head gently: "Has Senior Brother forgotten? In the dream, Master already addressed the four disciples as Senior Brother, and I as the youngest. The river of time has already quietly changed, and the line of past time has diverged. Fate has been altered in the dark. I already exist in the distant past, and I am already Master's junior disciple."

Upon hearing this, Murong Longcheng closed his eyes slightly, his expression revealing a deep sense of anguish: "No matter how eloquently you speak, how golden lotuses spring from the ground, how thunder roars in winter and ice and snow falls in summer, I will no longer believe a single word or a single syllable of yours."

Zhao Ti said, "Senior brother, why waste your time like this? You should know that this matter has been integrated into the river of time and cannot be changed, replaced, altered, or modified."

Murong Longcheng's clothes billowed without wind, instantly transforming him into a spherical figure that made a continuous, fluttering sound, a truly astonishing sight.

Zhao Ti's expression remained unchanged, his voice calm and even: "Seven steps to war, brothers fighting amongst themselves, fellow disciples killing each other, does senior brother intend to attack junior brother?"

Murong Longcheng stared at him, motionless for a long time, his eyes filled with complex emotions. After a long while, he suddenly shouted, "I... I'm going back to camp. You can do it, you can do it..."

Then, his clothes deflated like a balloon with its skin punctured, and he swayed twice, seemingly carrying endless desolation, as he swept away towards his tent.

Zhao Ti stared at his retreating figure expressionlessly. After a few moments, he looked at Xiaoyaozi and Lin Lingsu beside him.

Xiaoyaozi narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression thoughtful, and said, "I see..."

Wang Yuyan asked curiously from the side, "Great-grandfather, what do you mean? So that's how it is?"

Xiaoyaozi nodded to her, then looked at Zhao Ti: "Murong Longcheng was the Supreme Senior Brother in the previous life, while you, King Song, directly entered the river of time and reversed the past Junior Brother, right or wrong?"

Zhao Ti laughed, "Second Senior Brother is indeed incredibly talented. He guessed the whole story and confirmed our identities just by reading my conversation with Eldest Senior Brother, but..."

"But what?" Xiaoyaozi asked with a hint of smugness.

“Although I spoke to my eldest brother, I still have some questions. I wonder if my second brother could enlighten me?” Zhao Ti said leisurely, “My eldest brother said that in the dream, our master changed the word to four people in one sect, and we became four fellow disciples. It seems that things have changed from the past, but… isn’t the past eternal and unchanging? Why would such a thing happen?”

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyaozi's expression changed, and he immediately fell into deep thought. Lin Lingsu, standing beside him, also looked puzzled and began to ponder as well.

Zhao Ti put his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed slightly; this was something he couldn't figure out even after pondering it for a long time.

The past is eternal and unchanging, so theoretically speaking, even if the Supreme Being accepts disciples on behalf of the master, cause and effect only exist in the present and future, and it is impossible to go against the river of time and affect the past.

However, in Murong Longcheng's dream, before he left the mountain, in the primordial era, Hongjun Daoist changed his address to the three of them, saying that there were now four people in one sect.

The dream was a projection of the three people's past life memories in their reincarnations. The answers to the mystery of the womb all came from a distant past life, and did not arise out of thin air in the present.

In other words, the idea that the Supreme Being accepted disciples on behalf of the master directly reversed and altered the past is highly improbable, as the past is eternal and will not undergo any change.

"The past is eternally unchanging..." Xiaoyaozi slowly shook his head: "No, the past is indeed eternally unchanging, but Master..."

"As the Heavenly Dao that controls all the laws of the universe, Master has deduced countless future changes?" Lin Lingsu suddenly asked.

Xiaoyaozi glanced at him: "The past is eternal and unchanging, while the future is infinitely changing. So, when Master was in the past, he foresaw all sorts of possibilities and variables for the future. One of them is that Junior Brother will arrive at some point in the future..."

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti reached out and touched his chin: "From the unchanging past, we can deduce all sorts of future changes. One possibility is that I have arrived?"

Xiaoyaozi nodded: "Since the past is eternal and unchanging, then it should be like this. Master has put forward countless possibilities, perhaps as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, all of which are hidden in the darkness. Once a certain one is triggered, it will appear in the projection of past memories. Among them, the possibility of Junior Brother has appeared, so it was triggered in the projection of past memories, and then Junior Brother appeared in the dreams of the three of us."

To speculate on a possible future? Zhao Ti thought for a moment. This was probably not speculation. The possibilities for the future were endless. If that were the case, it should not be speculation, but calculation.

Hongjun Daoist calculated the infinite trillion possibilities in the countless years to come in the past. When he exhausted the calculation, he calculated all that could be calculated and then buried it in the long river of the past. No matter which one is triggered in the future, it will be corrected and changed in the dream projection of the three people.

As the Heavenly Dao of the Pangu Universe and the rule of the Investiture of the Gods Yanhuang World, Hongjun is capable of achieving this.

But... where is Hongjun Daoist now? Is he still existing as the Heavenly Dao, or has something happened to him like the Three Pure Ones, and his whereabouts are now unknown?
Zhao Ti looked at Xiaoyaozi and said, "Second Senior Brother, the dreams of the Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother all ended with the Investiture of the Gods. I wonder if Second Senior Brother..."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyaozi sighed and said, "I also stopped at that point and there was no follow-up. I don't know what happened later that led to the reincarnation of the three of us."

Lin Lingsu said, "I always feel that I will continue to have dreams of my past life, but I don't know when they will start to appear."

Xiaoyaozi glanced at him and said, "How come you're missing two of your three souls? How come you've lived this long and even cultivated to the twelfth level?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Lingsu immediately became displeased and said, "Second Senior Brother, what are you saying? What do you mean by 'How come I've lived this long'?"

Xiaoyaozi chuckled and said, "Could it be that during reincarnation, the other two souls broke away and became two different people? If so, you wouldn't be considered Tongtian. Only one of the three of you can survive in the future, and then the three souls must be united to become true Tongtian and be able to advance in cultivation."

Lin Lingsu said bitterly, "Even if the three souls are united, I will be the main soul, and the other two will just be devoured by me."

Xiaoyaozi snorted: "Those two are thinking the same thing. They're probably discussing how to find you and devour you right now. I see your cultivation isn't high, so I'm afraid your chances of winning aren't great. If this continues, those two will definitely harm you, and then they'll fight it out again."

Lin Lingsu's face paled instantly, and she asked, "What...what is my second senior brother's cultivation level now?"

Xiaoyaozi looked up at the sky and slowly said, "I am only at the Great Perfection of the Twelfth Level, about to step into the Dao Palace realm."

"What?" Lin Lingsu was taken aback: "Second Senior Brother has already reached the Twelfth Level of Perfection?"

Xiaoyaozi said calmly, "I thought my cultivation was a bit slow, but after seeing your realm, I realized that I am actually quite fast." Lin Lingsu's expression changed, and she suddenly said, "Second Senior Brother, the Eldest Senior Brother and I guessed before that my other two souls might not have been reincarnated, or even that their realm is higher now."

"No reincarnation?" Xiaoyaozi pondered. "Then his realm must be extremely high. Although he may not be at the Saint level, he is definitely at the Dao Palace level, and may even be at the high-level Dao Palace level..."

"Would it be that high?" Zhao Ti asked upon hearing this. It wasn't a good thing that the other two were at the Tongtian realm, since they were enemies, not friends.

"So what if it's high?" Xiaoyaozi said indifferently, "Why do we saints reincarnate? It must be because we have suffered serious injuries. We reincarnate to protect ourselves and prevent our souls from being severely damaged. This is not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, to suffer serious injuries and not reincarnate is to force ourselves to..."

"Forcibly prolonging one's life will inevitably lead to various adverse consequences and aftereffects?" Lin Lingsu's eyes lit up as she hurriedly asked.

Xiaoyaozi said, "You do have some brains. At least you chose to reincarnate, which makes you much stronger than the other two souls."

"Of course. Since I chose to reincarnate, I am truly destined for the heavens. The other two idiots are probably hiding somewhere, suppressing their injuries. After all these years, who knows what kind of ghosts they've become? They're probably stuck in one place, barely able to move." Lin Lingsu said with a hint of pride.

Zhao Ti then looked at the two men and said, "Senior brothers, let's talk in the main tent."

Wang Yuyan also said, "Great-grandfather, let's not stand here, let's go to the camp."

A few moments later, several people arrived at the central command tent and sat down. Zhao Ti ordered someone to brew tea and said, "My senior brother is not here. I will go and invite him over."

Xiaoyaozi said, "He's just throwing a tantrum. He'll understand in a moment. This is something that was predetermined in the dark. There are countless possibilities, so how could he possibly avoid them?"

Zhao Ti glanced at Xiaoyaozi: "I'm afraid Senior Brother isn't so easy to fool..." After saying that, he got up and left the tent.

Lin Lingsu suddenly said, "If it's infinite, wouldn't everything be correct?"

Xiaoyaozi said, "That's natural."

Lin Lingsu asked, "Then... what about the deductions you mentioned earlier?"

Xiaoyaozi closed his eyes slightly: "Who knows? The past was eternally unchanging, so this is the only explanation. Do you have any other insights?"

Lin Lingsu hurriedly shook her head: "No, no..."

Zhao Ti walked towards the tent where Murong Longcheng was staying. When he arrived at the door, he pushed it open and went in. He saw that Murong Longcheng had somehow gotten some wine and was sitting at the table drinking it without any food.

Seeing him enter, Murong Longcheng pretended not to see him and threw back a cup as punishment.

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "There's wine but no food. What's the point of drinking alone? Let me have a drink with you, Senior Brother."

Murong Longcheng ignored him and didn't say anything, instead refilling his cup.

Zhao Ti summoned the soldiers outside the tent and ordered, "Go and cook mutton, roast mutton, smoke chicken, roast fish, boil green beans, and bring some fine aged wine. Be quick."

The soldier obeyed and left. Murong Longcheng glanced at him and continued drinking.

Before long, the food and wine were brought in from outside, and a table was filled with them. The aroma was so enticing that it instantly filled the entire tent.

Zhao Ti said, "Senior Brother, come and eat with us."

Murong Longcheng's face darkened. He didn't touch his chopsticks, but instead poured himself another cup of wine.

Seeing his silence, Zhao Ti didn't press the issue any further and began eating and drinking with a smile.

The aroma of the food and wine was irresistible, making everyone's mouths water. Murong Longcheng's expression grew increasingly grim behind the table.

He was drinking his wine dry, while Zhao Ti across from him was eating meat with gusto, even tearing off a chicken leg and gnawing on it, which made his face twitch involuntarily.

A moment later, a loud "bang" was heard as he slammed his hand on the table, his beard trembling: "You, you've really gone too far..."

Zhao Ti sighed, “Senior brother, the events of this life were predetermined by fate, foreseen by our master long ago. Otherwise, why would they appear in my dreams? Even if I am just following the will of heaven, like a duckweed, I have no opinion of my own. So how can you blame me, senior brother?”

Murong Longcheng stared intently at him and said, "Are you trying to deceive me with words again? What does this have to do with Master?"

Zhao Ti said, "When have I ever deliberately deceived my senior brother? It's all the will of Heaven, it's all ordained by Heaven."

"What destiny?" Murong Longcheng said, "Are you going to use your silver tongue to deceive me again?"

Zhao Ti shook his head: "What I said was all Master's will. Master is the Way of Heaven, and Master's will is the will of Heaven. Senior brother, think about why Master changed his mind in the dream and said four disciples in one school? Senior brother, do you really think that accepting disciples on behalf of Master affected the past?"

"Isn't that right? You deceived me into accepting disciples on behalf of your master, so naturally it appeared in my dream, making it a group of four people." Murong Longcheng said angrily.

“Senior brother, you are mistaken,” Zhao Ti said. “Although you are not at the same level as the sage you were in your previous life, you should know that the past is eternal and unchanging. How can the present influence the past?”

"Didn't you say before that the present events have been integrated into the river of time, and that you already exist in the past..." Murong Longcheng said.

"My second and third senior brothers and I later realized that it probably wasn't like that, since the past is eternal and unchanging," Zhao Ti said. "It must be that Master foresaw my future appearance, so he had already buried the matter of my joining the sect in the unseen realm, waiting for it to be triggered after I joined, manifesting in a dream, so..."

"So what?" Murong Longcheng frowned.

“Therefore, my joining the sect was truly my master’s intention. My master foresaw this matter long ago, but did not use his great supernatural powers to stop it in the river of time. My master tacitly approved of it, and it can even be said that my master facilitated this matter behind the scenes,” Zhao Ti said.

"You, where did you get such a bizarre explanation? I..." Murong Longcheng stared wide-eyed for a long time, but couldn't come up with any words of rebuttal.

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Since it is Master's will, does Senior Brother intend to disobey?"

Murong Longcheng looked at the table full of food and wine, and saw that the other party looked very satisfied with the meal. He said angrily, "I don't believe it!"

Zhao Ti then took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his hands and mouth, stood up and grabbed Murong Longcheng: "Senior Brother, what is it that you don't believe? Come, come, come with me to see Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother. They share the same view as me. Then we can prepare wine and food, and the four of us fellow disciples can drink and talk in detail..."

"I... I won't go. They must have all been bribed by you. I..." Murong Longcheng hurriedly declined.

But Zhao Ti wouldn't let him resist, and with a combination of pulling and dragging, he pulled him out of the tent.

(End of this chapter)