146: Chapter 145 Zhuang Zhou!!

Chapter 145: Zhuang Zhou!! (2nd update, seeking monthly votes)

"Time reversal?"

Sun Po asked [Wuzhiqi] in his heart.

[Wuzhiqi]'s voice sounded in Sun Po's mind: "It doesn't look like it. The secret realm core of the [Jinshan Temple] secret realm is still in your, Master's, hands, and this shattered secret realm has not returned to its original state. It seems to me that different fate lines have been forcibly made to appear in this spacetime."

Sun Po questioned: "What do you mean? Different fate lines? The same spacetime?"

The concept of fate has always been profoundly mysterious and too high-end to easily come into contact with. Currently, apart from [Li Tiance] and his own [Wuzhiqi], he hasn't encountered any other fate-related abilities.

[Wuzhiqi] explained: "In the River of Fate, everyone's fate has not just one flow line, but countless flows.

It's just that these flows are in a state of infinite birth and destruction, and they do not coexist.

At each corresponding time node, only one determined fate line will appear, while the other fate lines at this time point automatically disappear.

Just like when you, Master, previously chose Pao Ding as the true name card when making the card [Double-Blade Chef].

Then the fate lines for that card awakening Shan Zu or Yi Ya disappeared."

Sun Po understood. This was equivalent to a multiple-choice question with a single answer where you could only choose one among several options.

[Wuzhiqi] continued: "But that retreating elder seems to have materialized the demonic divine power and heavenly flood from those other fate lines as well, and that [Jinshan Temple] doesn't seem to be as untouchable as it was just now."

Before Sun Po could reply, a strange voice suddenly sounded in his heart:

"The little monkey is right. As expected of a rare anomaly of heaven and earth, you can see through the essence of this old man's exclusive talent at a glance."

In disbelief, Sun Po turned his head to look at [Master Zhuang], who was still sleeping beside him. [Master Zhuang] showed no reaction, but the voice continued:

"There's no need to be so surprised, little friend. We're just talking to our own cards within the spiritual space, which isn't a big deal."

At this moment, Sun Po's heart was filled with shock. This wasn't a big deal?

He communicated with [Wuzhiqi] purely through thoughts in his mind, and even that could be snooped on? Would he have to try his best to control his thoughts from now on?

This was practically mind-reading, and he could even insert himself out of thin air into the dialogue between Sun Po and his cards in their minds. Who wouldn't be scared of this?

Moreover, this feeling of being spied on made Sun Po very uncomfortable. He felt that the people in this world were indeed too shady.

[Master Zhuang] seemed to see through Sun Po's thoughts once again and said directly: "This is not mind-reading, nor is it some incredible secret art. It's just that this old man's [Card Maker] level is a bit higher." Seeing that Sun Po still had a blank and clueless expression, [Master Zhuang] had no choice but to ask:

"To be able to create such a card at this age can be considered brilliantly talented. Didn't the elders of the Li family teach you?"

Sun Po said: "This junior is not a descendant of the Li family, just an ordinary student."

"An ordinary student? Then university should have also taught you that if the spiritual level gap between [Card Maker]s is too large, it will cause the spiritual space to be extremely easily invaded or probed, right?"

Sun Po said helplessly: "This junior has no idea. This junior just took the [Gaokao] this year and hasn't gone to university yet."

[Master Zhuang]'s voice continued: "Senior high school? Do you think that this old man hasn't been in the domain for long and doesn't know what senior high school is?"

Sun Po sighed.

Sigh, it was a traditional skill by now. The growth of his knowledge couldn't keep up with the growth of his strength, leading to a lack of basic common sense in many areas.

Coupled with his outstanding strength, many people mistook him for a university student, and then Sun Po could only helplessly state that he was still in the [Gaokao].

Sun Po really felt that every time he said it, it would provoke the same shock from various seniors, and he was already tired of seeing it.

However, this [Master Zhuang] was truly an unfathomable person. When he and that Wenchang Star first appeared, [Wuzhiqi] had issued a warning.

At the very beginning, Sun Po didn't even know whether this person was a monster, a [Card Maker], or a card. The first time he saw the other party coming from the void, he was directly worried that it was some extraterrestrial monster. But after hearing him converse with Wenchang Star, he saw that [Master Zhuang] didn't seem to have any malicious intent and had only come to save [Xu Shilin].

Moreover, through the dialogue between these two people, Sun Po also seemed to catch a glimpse of some secrets hidden behind this. This bizarre [Jinshan Temple] seemed to be the handiwork of the Western Paradise, while [Xu Shilin] and the Green Snake insisted on protecting this [Jinshan Temple] for some unknown reason, causing themselves to become trapped within this secret realm, and even dragging the divine seat of the [Wenqu Star] into it.

"Is it a divine seat again?"

This was not the first time Sun Po had heard this term. [Yang Guang], [Wuzhiqi], [Zhong Kui], [Huang Chao], [Wen Zhong], and so on—it seemed that as long as they were deities, they would definitely be involved with this thing, without exception.

In Sun Po's impression, the star sovereign divine seats of the heavens' stars were things belonging to the Near-Ancient Heavenly Court, and this Near-Ancient Heavenly Court seemed to be composed of Daoist personnel, which should have nothing to do with the Western Paradise.

"Able to rival the Western Paradise? And his seniority within the Daoist school seems extremely high? Surnamed Zhuang? Falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillow?"

With all these pieces of information combined, how could Sun Po still fail to guess who the Daoist priest before him was?

Zhuangzi, named Zhou, was a native of the Song State during the Warring States period. He was a famous thinker, philosopher, and litterateur.

This person was a representative figure of the Daoist school of thought, and together with Laozi, they were referred to as "Lao-Zhuang".

The concept of "inner sageness and outer kingliness" that he first proposed had a profound influence on Confucianism.

He had a deep insight into the principles of the Changes, pointing out that "the *Book of Changes* uses the Dao to explain Yin and Yang." His thought of "three *lai*s" coincided with the Dao of the Three Powers in the *Book of Changes*.

He also authored works such as *Free and Easy Wandering*, *The Master of Nourishing Life*, and *The Adjustment of Controversies*. He once lived in seclusion on Mount Nanhua, and thus he was also honored as "Master Nanhua".

This was an unadulterated legendary-tier figure. He was a supreme sage and philosopher on the same level as Laozi and Confucius, a true patriarch-tier figure.

Sun Po's heart was filled with the shock of witnessing a legend. This was his first time seeing a living legendary-tier figure with his own eyes.

He asked in his heart: "May I ask Senior, are you surnamed Zhuang and named Zhou?"

[Master Zhuang]'s voice sounded once again: "It is me, but not only me."

Sun Po was stunned. What kind of talk was this?

[Master Zhuang] said: "Have you ever heard an ancient saying called 'Zhuang Sheng dreaming of the morning butterfly, bewildered by the dream'?"

Sun Po nodded and said: "This junior has heard of it. It tells the story of Zhuangzi transforming into a butterfly in a dream, and after waking up, being unable to distinguish whether Zhuang Zhou dreamed of becoming a butterfly or the butterfly dreamed of becoming Zhuang Zhou."

[Master Zhuang] continued: "That is indeed the case, but I am merely a dream of Zhuang Zhou, the First Patriarch of Daoism. Or perhaps Zhuang Zhou is merely one of my dreams. Zhuang Zhou, the First Patriarch of Daoism, dreamed many dreams in his life, and so did I. The people in our dreams also dreamed many dreams, and they have also dreamed of us. It is hard to say who is who."

Therefore, I can be Zhuang Zhou the First Patriarch of Daoism, I can be Zhuang Zhou the [Card Maker], I can be Zhuang Zhou the swordsman, I can be Zhuang Zhou the magician. Who is really Zhuang Zhou? And who is not Zhuang Zhou?"