The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 185 Are they really dragging me into this?
The two did not go far, but simply walked along the dry riverbed.

Du Yuan's first question was about the issue that concerned her most at the moment:
"When do you think Da Shi will arrive?"

Du Yuan has accumulated quite a bit of experience, but he knows that although he has achieved some success, he has only become a 'king' because there are no tigers in the mountains.

Once those old fogies are able to run wild, given my current active behavior, I'm afraid I could be in grave danger in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, knowing how much time you have left to develop safely is of paramount importance!
There's a reason for asking in this way, because it can be interpreted as, "I have the answer in my heart, but I want to ask you!"
The old man smiled wryly:

“Fellow Daoist, your cultivation far surpasses mine, yet you dare to ask me questions. Oh dear, you flatter me. After all, I am primarily a cultivator of life and destiny, and I am truly not skilled in divination or predicting the universe.”

Humans have only so much time, and human talents are limited.

Therefore, cultivators throughout history have generally only chosen one or two major directions to consider in order to advance their cultivation.

The vast majority of them focus on cultivating their life force, hoping to live longer and gain more days in the future.

He was one of them, and a rather extreme one at that.

It has become so extreme that it almost exclusively focuses on cultivating one's physical body. Everything else is merely a chance occurrence over a long period of time.

But it was also because of this that he gained a wide range of knowledge!
Seeing that he really thought so, Du Yuan smiled happily:
"It's just casual conversation, no need to take it to heart."

The old man then nodded and said:

"Since that's the case, then I'll just say it casually. But fellow Daoist, you must remember, this really doesn't count! So if it differs from your own calculations, please don't laugh at me!"

Don't worry, I don't mind at all. I'm just waiting for your answer!

"Originally, I and many of my fellow practitioners believed that the great era would not arrive for at least another hundred years. Recent calculations have also yielded roughly the same result. But unexpectedly, just a few months ago, this heavenly secret suddenly changed, and the time limit was brought forward significantly!"

"As a result, everyone acted hastily, with very shallow plans."

"By now, I think the results of various predictions are not much different from mine, and there are only about ten years left!"

More than ten years!

Du Yuan almost burst out laughing when she heard this.

With so much time on my hands, who am I afraid of? I can do whatever I want!
What does this mean? It's like letting the dog-headed monster develop for over ten hours before letting the rest of the players leave the fountain!
Du Yuan laughed heartily, but unexpectedly heard the long-bearded old man laugh along:

"Fellow Daoist's performance is probably much in line with what I had in mind!"

"Oh? What are you thinking?"

"Of course, that's theoretically ten years or so, but it'll probably be brought forward again!"

what?
Can it be brought forward any further? It's already been moved from over a hundred years to just over a decade, how can you bring it forward even further?!

That's too much!
But Du Yuan remained relatively calm. Normally, these kinds of things would only get more difficult over time.

So it seems that, in any case, he should have several years to gradually grow stronger.

The old man continued:
"Of course, this is not something I calculated. After all, as I said, I mainly cultivate life force and am not good at divination. The reason I spoke in this way is because I saw movement from those truly powerful beings!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Du Yuan. Although she probably couldn't compare to the Buddha from Qingzhou who helped others cross the river ahead of time, she was likely among the next generation to follow in his footsteps.

After all, the commotion on Cold Pine Mountain is not something an ordinary person can create.

He still couldn't figure out who in the Taoist lineage was a match for this person.

really weird.

Shaking his head inwardly, the old man cast his gaze toward Qingzhou, his voice tinged with envy:

"You should know better than I that the path of cultivation is about striving to be superior to the heavens. With my meager cultivation, I am already content to have survived by sheer luck. I have neither the ambition nor the ability to achieve more."

If he had that ambition and ability, he wouldn't have spent his entire life studying the ways of life, seeking only longevity and immortality.

However, he was content. It was precisely because of this that he had been able to live to this day, despite his meager talent.

But this contentment did not prevent him from yearning for those truly enlightened and profound spiritual practitioners. Whenever he talked about them, his envy became especially genuine.

"You must remember that before the great calamity struck, all the masters thought they still had some years left to catch their breath. Who would have thought that the final battle between mountains and rivers would suddenly erupt! Even though all the mountain and river deities in the world were granted amnesty and could remain on the sidelines, no longer participating."

"However, the two ancient gods who were the foundation of the two mountain and water veins ultimately fought with all their might, causing the world to turn upside down!"

He still vividly remembers the terrifying scene of that earth-shattering battle. It was not a 'major repair' that he could only claim by being flattered, but a battle fought by an ancient behemoth that could truly rival the heavens!
As a great calamity looms, fueled by lingering grudges from past lives, the two great gods fight without holding back, their battle causing the heavens and earth to darken and mountains and rivers to crumble. Even those far beyond the heavens can witness the awe-inspiring divine power that shakes the universe during their clash.

Those are the true 'people of heaven'!

After a moment of immersion in memories of the glorious past, the old man finally composed himself and sighed:
"Although no one knows the outcome of the great battle, the world is shocked to realize that because of this clash between the two great gods, a great calamity is imminent! What was once a sliver of hope has suddenly turned into a situation where everyone is in danger and the calamity could strike at any moment!"

At this point, he became even more emotional:
"No wonder the three patriarchs didn't intervene during that earth-shattering battle. They must have known that the two were determined to settle the score. If the patriarchs had intervened then, a great calamity would have been imminent!"

In the past, many people were puzzled as to why the founders of the three religions remained detached and watched the great calamity occur prematurely. How could they, who had already reached the pinnacle of their time, not have foreseen such consequences?
Looking back now, it's probably the limit that the three founders could remain unmoved in that situation.

Of course, this was merely his limited perspective as a minor, unorthodox individual. How could someone of his level presume to judge the truth?

Besides, compared to him, an outsider, isn't there a proper Taoist master right in front of him?
Thinking of this, the old man looked at Du Yuan with anticipation, hoping that he could understand a little bit about it.

To his disappointment, Du Yuan merely chuckled a few times without replying.

'It seems that even within the three religions, this matter is a closely guarded secret.'

The old man could only ponder it in secret.

Finally, he added:
"In short, if the great calamity will be brought forward due to the actions of powerful beings, then I think the great era will be the same!"

Ok?
Du Yuan suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Then, the old man pointed in the direction of Qingzhou and said decisively:
"If I was merely speculating before, now that the Buddha helped someone cross the river ahead of schedule, I can confirm that this statement is absolutely true!"

No, they've really dragged me back into this?!

Du Yuan was terrified!
(End of this chapter)