Chapter 376: The Village Returns
“Alas!”
In the external world, the Holy King noticed an aura of calamity emanating from Zhou Tong and couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
“Truly, no one can escape the confines of existence or remain unaffected by the elemental forces!”
As he moved a step forward, he approached Zhou Tong, now only a breath away.
“Kid, I will spare no effort in carving out a path for you, giving you another chance to choose. Remember this well; you must not remain as obstinate as you have been!”
As he finished speaking, a powerful surge emanated from his palm, attempting to press it down on Zhou Tong’s shoulder.
However, just at this moment, a terrifying force erupted from within Zhou Tong, repelling him and maintaining a boundary between them.
“How could this be?”
The Holy King was startled. Zhou Tong was consciously rejecting his help. Could it be that he didn’t fear death?
Or perhaps this young man truly had no fear of the Heavenly Dao Laws, possessing the resolve to stand against them?
Nonetheless, he finally realized that he had encountered a world-shaking maniac.
This young man, no matter in which era, was the most outstanding existence.
Someone so brilliant would either be reduced to ashes by others or become an emperor. There was no mediocrity in his path.
At this thought, he didn’t hesitate to burn his soul, eager to glimpse Zhou Tong’s even more distant future.
But he was disappointed; all he could see was a mist, all the great secrets locked in the unknown, and none could be uncovered.
Yet one thing was certain: the future would undoubtedly belong to this young man.
“Boom!!”
Vast ripples of power spread from Zhou Tong’s body, transforming into surging Dao sounds, shaking the Holy King’s heart.
In his ears, sounded a resounding bell and the chanting of Chan.
“Having seen the future, why not bow!”
For a moment, the Holy King’s eyes became dazed, forcibly suppressing the urge to bow. Just then, Zhou Tong woke up.
“I’ve won!”
He said it calmly, without any fluctuations, but in the Holy King’s eyes, he became infinitely radiant.
In the Spirit World, Zhou Tong had severed his self and found the last piece of the puzzle, stepping into the perfect Void Self Realm!
No, it should be said… the most perfect Void Self Realm!
“Not surprising, that you are the one I have waited for…”
The Holy King muttered, “The reason I’ve endured through countless years might just be for this encounter with you.”
It seemed Zhou Tong no longer belonged in this world. The rivers of past and future converged on him, then branched out into countless streams.
With just one gesture, he scooped up a portion of the future, and with a gentle breath, caused it to vanish.
Then, he casually pulled at the past, turning countless magnificent towers into ruins, and barren lands into paradises!
“Ho ho… compared to you, I truly cannot do anything, can I?”
The Holy King chuckled bitterly in self-deprecation: “I originally wanted a mutually beneficial arrangement with you, but now it seems, I desired too much.”
As he spoke, his eyes gradually lost focus, gazing at the river representing the past behind Zhou Tong.
In the surging ‘waves,’ a seemingly ordinary village quietly appeared, nothing special about it, just very ancient, ancient to the point it was difficult to fathom, yet it resonated with the Holy King.
“Is this what you have severed?”
“That’s correct. This was my hometown, where I was the brightest young man, with unparalleled talent.”
“That year, in order to reach the Void Self Realm, I abandoned my family and friends, as well as the place that nurtured me. But when I awoke from my enlightenment, everything had turned into fleeting memories.”
The Holy King spoke softly, his voice heavy with sorrow.
“I see now, the reason you waited for me was to reclaim what you’ve lost through the path I traversed.”
“That’s correct. I once abandoned my homeland to reach the Void Self Realm. Now, I’ll sacrifice the Void Self Realm to return to that past. This is called an equal exchange!”
The Holy King’s eyes softened, looking through Zhou Tong, fixated on the old buildings with great affection.
“The village has returned…”
He muttered, only to be harshly denied.
“Stop delving further into the past. The past is the past. The previous village won’t come back!”
“No! You’re lying. I’ve seen it. That’s definitely the previous village.”
The Holy King shook his head, tears already welling up in his eyes.
“Over there is a lookout platform… beneath the platform is a clear little river, across the river is a lotus pond, and by the pond are my parents, and the girl I longed for back then…”
“Ha ha ha… it’s back, it’s back. The previous village has come back, my hometown has finally come back!”
The Holy King, overcome with excitement, danced wildly, tears streaming down his face long ago.
“Teacher Holy King!”
Zhou Tong’s voice rose a bit, unusually filled with profound difficulty.
“You should wake up. Your hometown is long gone; there’s no trace of your previous village in the illusions behind me.”
“No! You’re deceiving me!”
The Holy King suddenly roared in anger, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins as he glared maliciously.
“If I can never return, then I’d rather… rather destroy everything!!!”
With that roar, he rushed forward haphazardly, wielding an overwhelming power yet behaving like a tantrum-throwing child, entering a battle with Zhou Tong.
Zhou Tong was no longer the same Zhou Tong, and he was no longer the old Holy King, defeated after a couple of exchanges!
“Even if you destroy everything, the past village will never return!”
Just this one sentence, like a celestial sword descending from afar, utterly slaughtered the Holy King’s soul.
“I can’t do anything, after all!” He sat dejected in the void.
“Come with me. I’ll find you a serene place, somewhere that will receive you, a place where you can forget the past. Believe me, I will surely find it!”
Reaching out his hand, Zhou Tong’s gaze was shadowed with melancholy. He had already seen the other’s future.
“Thank you, young man… I’m sorry, young man!”
Only then did the Holy King’s aura tremble, preparing for his final attempt, as he had initially stated. First, he would have to Sacrifice the Void Self Realm!
