Simulated immortality allows me to calculate talent stats.

Chapter 316 Two and a Half Years Later, the Old Taoist Returns

A long-lost voice echoed in your mind, and you suddenly stopped.

[His black robe fluttered as he stood with his hand on his sword.]

"Master..."

"Yu Jing... I can still hold on..."

Your gaze is lowered, a serene smile playing on your lips.

"Master, that's enough."

"Is it enough...? It's up to me, your teacher..."

The old man's resolute tone conveyed a deep sense of weariness.

That was a dead end, shrouded in deathly silence, devoid of life, and where the path to enlightenment crumbled.

It's easy to imagine how much this old Taoist priest has borne in these past few years, delaying the impending calamity for you.

You slowly raise your head.

Looking out at the sky.

[During the years you procrastinated, you conducted countless calculations and deductions, and finally came to terms with reality.]

[Self-imposed confinement in the ancestral temple is merely waiting for death.]

The only way to break this deadlock is to seek change.

As for what the variables are, you don't know.

But you believe in yourself.

[Through three lifetimes of reincarnation, encountering countless perils, he habitually laid out backup plans.]

[That's your most trustworthy support.]

[Boom!]

The imperial guards' iron hooves trampled the ground, their overwhelming force making the air heavy and suffocating.

On the long table, the ancestral tablets stood silently.

The old Taoist's booming voice, echoing in my mind like rolling thunder, gradually faded away.

You sighed softly, as if sensing something, and gazed towards the courtyard in front of the ancestral hall.

The figure in the simple white robe and scarlet dress has arrived.

Han Jing bowed respectfully in greeting and stood quietly to one side.

Wei Zhi's scrutinizing gaze remained fixed on you, silent.

"The Empress's arrival truly brings honor to our humble abode."

You spoke jokingly.

[They even wanted to turn around and show off to their ancestors.]

[Wei Zhiguan, your attitude, your eyes, are filled with helplessness and regret.]

She wore a simple red dress, with no adornments, and her dark hair hung down without any jewelry.

But she remains the most alluring femme fatale in the world.

[A voice as clear as jade chimes: "Let's enter the capital."]

You put away your joking attitude and met his gaze with a serious expression.

[Guess the other party's purpose.]

If you only wish to defy fate, you can simply hand it over to her now, thus fulfilling your promise.

Why did Wei Zhi want to protect you and bring you to the capital?

[Blessed by its rank, status, and destiny.]

[It's impossible not to see that now that you've stepped out of the ancestral hall, you will inevitably face a deadly calamity.]

So, can she protect you? Or can Han Jing protect you? Or perhaps...?

[Emperor Xuanwu!]

You bluntly asked, "How long can the Empress protect me?"

Wei Zhi is not surprised by your question.

Based on her understanding of you, you'll likely deduce the overall picture from even the slightest clues.

Otherwise, they would simply rely on filth and corruption, or even their cultivation level and strength.

It is impossible to invite a bloodbath.

[The calamity is both predestined and, to some extent, a recognition of you by all the supreme beings.]

[They truly disrupted the overall situation and distorted the trajectory of destiny.]

"One year."

You shook your head upon hearing this: "Too short, I need five years."

Wei Zhi did not ask you why you persisted for five years.

He bargained, saying, "A maximum of one and a half years."

"November 29th, four years later."

"Two years."

"November 28th, Year Four."

Wei Zhi gave you a sideways glare, both amused and annoyed.

Ultimately, they gave their bottom line: "A maximum of two and a half years..."

【"make a deal."】

You readily agreed before she had even finished speaking.

Wei Zhi frowned slightly, not understanding what you were thinking.

When disaster struck, instead of seeking a solution from her, he argued with her for a year and a half.

Is it meaningful?

Even if you knew what she was thinking, you would just shrug and say you didn't know either.

The reason for striving for this is...

However, this is merely a test of the other party's bottom line, gathering intelligence and clues.

[It's unclear whether Wei Zhi achieved this through his own efforts over the past two and a half years, or by leveraging Emperor Xuanwu's imperial power.]

"Set off, lest countless demons and monsters are eyeing you along the way."

Wei Zhi prepared to turn around and descend the mountain.

But I saw you staring at the threshold of the ancestral hall.

[Her cherry-red lips curved into a teasing smile: "Oh... the dignified contemporary Daoist, the Great Teacher of Sages, the Celestial Patrol Envoy, actually has moments of fear?"]

[As she spoke, she began to complain in an annoyed tone.]

"If only I had known this would happen, why did I act so recklessly?"

You tugged at the corner of your mouth.

He glanced at her, head held high.

"Why don't you give it a try? See if you're scared? I've never experienced a killing spree before, so I'm naturally a little nervous the first time. But you'll get used to it after a few tries..."

Wei Zhi initially found your stubborn defense quite interesting.

[After listening for a while, they all just rolled their eyes at you, speechless.]

[Are you even speaking human language?]

What does it mean to be nervous the first time, but get used to it after a few more times?

How many lives do you have to become familiar with the art of killing?

Suddenly, her suspicious gaze swept over you.

"You...have a way?"

【"No."】

Your frank and straightforward answer left Wei Zhi feeling inexplicably speechless.

[You see, its unusually vivid expression makes it even more charming.]

[He said helplessly, "Having a way is the same as not having a way, and not having a way is still not having a way, so having a way or not having a way is still not having a way..."]

【"stop!"】

Wei Zhi waved his sleeve, interrupting your nonsense.

Every time I see you, I'm always unconsciously drawn into a emotional state.

"Have you calmed down? Are you ready to set off?"

Your complexion was serene; you nodded slightly and stepped across the threshold.

Just then.

[Boom!]

[A sudden clap of thunder amidst the snow.]

The vast, winding golden trails seemed to tear the very sky apart.

[A magnificent and awe-inspiring aura, purifying the world and annihilating all things, filled the common people with terror.]

The deafening roar of thunder echoed across the heavens and earth, freezing and hollowing one's thoughts.

[In his pupils, there was only that golden lightning bolt tearing through the sky.]

"Master..."

You whispered involuntarily, sensing the profound mystery of the divine retribution and witnessing a horrifying scene.

This was an unprecedented display of the old Taoist's power to wield the authority of thunder.

He lifted his foot to step out the door.

A golden bolt of lightning, stretching across heaven and earth, left a dazzling and magnificent trail before landing in front of the ancestral hall of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

You instinctively pull your foot back.

[Pupils slightly constricted.]

Wei Zhi and Han Jing, still reeling from the dramatic change in the sky, were once again stunned by the golden arc of light.

You gaze upon the golden thunder.

The radiant light gradually faded, revealing a towering figure.

"Master!"

[Upon seeing the old Taoist priest return, you exclaimed in delight.]

[Prepare to step forward.]

[Clang!]

The ancient sword sang with a resounding clang.

The Celestial Master's Sword lies across your path, blocking your way.

The old Taoist priest did not turn around; his eyes, filled with golden lightning, gazed proudly at the sky.