What Wu Hua Saw

Hearing what the old man said, Xu Bai felt that everything that had just been said was not the main point, and what the old man really wanted to say was what came next.

He patiently waited for the old man's reply, without urging him. He simply said two words and then waited for the old man's response.

As expected, the old man's expression became complicated, and his cloudy eyes were filled with the marks of time and a sense of weariness.

He looked Xu Bai up and down, and finally began to speak slowly.

"The Ghost Market is not as simple as we imagine. Their strength is greater than we think because the Ghost Market is older than any dynasty in the present day. Even in that era, the Ghost Market had already been established long ago."

At this point, the old man's complex expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a sorrowful look, as if he were recalling the unbearable years of the past, which brought him great pain.

Xu Bai understood the implication and asked, "Does that mean there are more experts hidden in the Ghost Market than we imagined?"

Whether it's the Human-Strange Entity Market or the Demon-Strange Entity Market, each place only has nine Entering Sainthood Expert.

This is due to the rules, and there's no way to break them. However, according to what the old man just said, if the Ghost Market existed in ancient times, then there must have been countless masters within it.

The "expert" here doesn't refer to achieving sainthood, because there's a limit to the number of people who can achieve sainthood.

The so-called masters actually refer to those below the Saint level.

So far, the human world has not had much of an advantage; in fact, it can be said to be at a complete disadvantage. All in all, including Eunuch Wei recently broke through to the Sainthood level, there are only seven people in the human world who have reached the Sainthood level.

However, according to the intelligence Xu Bai obtained, if the Human-Strange Entity Market and the Demon-Strange Entity Market reach an agreement, their quotas for entering sainthood will be combined. In terms of entering sainthood alone, they will already have a huge advantage, which is an extremely dangerous situation.

Moreover, as the old man just said, after such a long period of accumulation below the Saint level, their numbers must have reached a terrifying number. Even if the strange beings who entered the Ghost Market could no longer cultivate, it would still be a terrifying number.

Experts at the Saint level were already at a disadvantage, and with these additional circumstances, they were at a disadvantage in every aspect.

If the Chu Emperor hadn't ascended to heaven back then, and war had actually broken out, the human world would now be a bizarre paradise.

"That resource depletion should also affect the Ghost Market, right?" Xu Bai asked, frowning.

Logically speaking, any place where resources are depleted will be affected.

That period of time nearly wiped out humanity, with only a small number surviving. So, the Ghost Market should be the same.

The old man smiled bitterly and said, "King Xu, you are right. Even the Ghost Market couldn't withstand it at all, so almost all of them died, and only a small number of the monsters survived."

"But you forgot one thing, which is that a lot of humans died back then. After people die, even if there is only a small chance that they will become monsters and enter the Ghost Market, when the number reaches a huge number, even though the chance is small, it will still produce a qualitative change."

Xu Bai understood and thought to himself, "That's indeed the case."

The Ghost Market did indeed suffer heavy losses in that resource depletion, but the deaths actually replenished their ranks with a lot of fresh blood, and that's why...

Etc!

Xu Bai suddenly thought of something and frowned, saying, "Human-Strange Entity Market and the Demon-Strange Entity Market now have nine experts at the Saint level."

"According to some of the rules of the Ghost Market, are these Saint-level mysteries all Entering Sainthood Expert who died back then?"

He suddenly thought of this question. If it was really as he thought, then some of the strange and powerful creatures in the Ghost Market came from a very distant era, and perhaps he had even seen them in the Ruins.

The old man nodded and said, "You're right, but that's not entirely true. Some of the strange beings who entered the Sainthood realm don't entirely belong to that distant era. After all, even for Entering Sainthood Expert, the timing of their transformation into strange beings is still important."

"Is that all?" Xu Bai asked.

The old man just said he wanted to tell him one last thing, and now it seems that this is it.

Xu Bai was ready to use his divine soul technique to see if the old man was right.

"That's about it, that's all." The old man's eyes became cloudy again.

He slowly walked to the tombstone and gently stroked the inscription on it.

"King Xu, do you believe that in this era, when resources are depleted in the future, Saviors will emerge?"

Xu Bai shook his head. "That's a matter for the future. I can't answer you about that because I don't know what will happen in the future."

"If, and I mean if," the old man turned around, staring intently at Xu Bai, and said, "If resources were truly nearly exhausted and Saviors were to reappear, would people still treat them the same way they did before?"

Xu Bai shook his head again. "I don't know."

The old man sighed deeply, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. "Even someone as gifted as King Xu doesn't know what the future holds..."

Xu Bai raised an eyebrow. "I am merely invincible below the Saint level. Above me are those at the Saint level, including Chief Mu. I'm afraid even they cannot give you a satisfactory answer."

"Perhaps when resources are depleted in the future, people's hearts, which are the most difficult thing to grasp in this world, will change, but that's all in the future. Maybe resources won't be depleted."

"What we need to do now is to seize this opportunity. When the Chu Emperor ascended to heaven, he gave us such a long period of recuperation. We must make the most of this time and make a thorough effort."

"As for whether you can succeed, sometimes you may not succeed even if you try, but at least you should try."

As the old man listened to Xu Bai's words, the turbidity in his eyes grew thicker and thicker, and the life force in his body gradually faded.

Xu Bai was slightly taken aback and realized that something was wrong; the old man's condition seemed to be gradually declining.

"I'm old, I'm no longer of any use." The old man struggled to sit back down, looking at the tomb in front of him. "King Xu, I am a descendant of those Saviors, and the last one left. The other companions who knew the truth have all died of old age."

"I hope King Xu won't blame the Miao Sect disciples. They know about my situation and have been very kind to me. The reason they haven't told anyone is for my safety. After all, at that time, there wasn't just one Great Chu Kingdom."

"Before that, may I see the Heavenly Change that King Xu will experience?"

Xu Bai frowned and asked, "What do you think?"

The old man in front of him was already showing signs of decline, and he even suspected that the old man would die at any moment.

The old man gave a strained smile, "Just take a look. I've heard people in the martial arts world say that madness is the result of chaos and reason intertwined. Maybe after I see it, I'll have a big secret to tell King Xu."

Xu Bai didn't waste any words; he directly circulated his True Yuan Power.

Gold and gray-white intertwined, forming chaos and reason, which merged and tangled into a terrifying frenzy.

Standing there, Xu Bai exuded an immense sense of oppression, which would have a terrifying effect on even some extraordinary experts.

The old man's face became blank as he stared at the gold and gray-white colors, sensing the changes within them. He muttered to himself, "That's it... that's it... King Xu, you must be careful."

"Never set foot on the Ruins again, and never encounter that eye."

Eye?

Xu Bai abruptly withdrew the Heavenly Change and took two steps forward. "The eye you're talking about, is it a giant eye that's floating in the sky?"

The mere mention of the word "eyes" reminded him of what he had seen in the Fat Man's illusion.

The old man nodded and said, "King Xu, you are right. It is that eye. You don't need to ask me, because I don't know what it is either. But I have a strange feeling that it is very similar to you, and very similar to your Heavenly Change."

"When I was young, I also ventured into the Ruins, trying to find clues left by our ancestors, and that's when I encountered that giant eye."

"I'm certain it's not Ruins; it's a living entity, as if it's searching for something within the Ruins. So, King Xu, you must be careful."

Xu Bai fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long time.

He also had a bead, which he also obtained from that Fat Man, called the Illusion Pearl.

Perhaps we can find clues once we unlock the Illusion skill.

"Come on, King Xu." The old man opened his arms. "I am ready."

Xu Bai pulled himself out of his thoughts, setting those aside for the moment, and looked at the old man before him, his soul instantly engulfing him...

Half an incense stick later.

He collected the divine souls that lingered around him.

The elderly man regained consciousness, but his condition deteriorated further.

Xu Bai had just confirmed with his divine sense that everything the old man said was true, without any falsehoods. He also asked if there were any secrets he was keeping, and the answer was no.

"How much time do we have left?" Xu Bai asked.

The old man thought carefully for a moment, then closed his cloudy eyes. "In three to five days, or maybe even sooner, I will pass away completely. Ha... I suspect this is also our cycle of reincarnation. In the past, the Saviors were able to continue, but now, they can no longer continue their bloodline."

"This must mean they don't need us anymore. Perhaps when resources are exhausted, a new Saviors will reappear."

Xu Bai did not continue speaking.

What the old man said was true, and all the professions in the world today are the descendants of those Saviors.

Xu Bai felt that the old man should be given some respect.

At least for now, the legacy of the descendants of those Saviors has played an indispensable role in shaping the world today.

"Right here?" Xu Bai asked.

The old man waved his hand. "This is it. This is where you will spend the last leg of your life. King Xu, go now. It's a pity that I can't see whether you succeed or not. I hope you succeed."

Xu Bai didn't say anything more; he turned around and left.

Since staying here was the old man's own decision, Xu Bai didn't interfere. As he had just said, he wanted to at least show some respect to the old man in front of him.

After Xu Bai left, only the old man remained in the empty forest.

The old man looked at the grave in front of him and sighed softly, "I'm leaving now, to join you..."

His gaze gradually lowered, and the life force in his cloudy eyes slowly faded...

Xu Bai left the forest and returned along the same route, soon encountering Miao Long on the mountain path.

Miao Long's expression was complicated. He looked at the mountain path, his gaze seemingly passing through it and reaching into the forest.

The old man has passed away.

Xu Bai looked back, his divine sense expanding, and found that the old man had turned into a corpse.

"It seems that the three to five days you mentioned earlier was an exaggeration."

"Miao Sect, I'll leave things here to you. I have other matters to attend to and need to return to the Barbarian Territory first."

Before leaving, he had confirmed that there was no progress bar on the tombstone.

Now that he's heard so many secrets, he needs to think things through carefully. He should also find a progress bar related to illusion magic and crack the Illusion Pearl in his hand first.

Time was of the essence, so he didn't want to linger there.

Miao Long snapped out of his daze, composed himself, nodded, and said respectfully, "King Xu, please take Miao Xiao with you as well."

Miao Xiao led the way and brought Xu Bai here, so Xu Bai didn't think much of it and just took Miao Xiao back with him on the way back.

"If I attain sainthood, I will come as soon as possible to see if I can help you solve the problem of the Golden Silk Gu," Xu Bai said.

Miao Long nodded and agreed.

Xu Bai did not linger. After finding Miao Xiao Miao Xiao and flew directly towards the Barbarian Territory, just as he had done before.

It didn't take long for him to return directly to the Barbarian Territory. He first sent Miao Xiao back to Long Prefecture before heading to the Royal Palace Treasury.

When he arrived, Liu Qingfeng was still reading a book, seemingly not at all surprised by Xu Bai's return.

There were still some books in the Royal Palace Treasury that Xu Bai hadn't finished reading, so he directly asked Liu Qingfeng where the books about illusion were.

Liu Qingfeng often read books here, so he naturally knew the location and pointed it out to Xu Bai.

Xu Bai didn't waste any more words and immediately started working on the book.

While working on the project, he was also thinking about the information he had obtained earlier, trying to find clues and sort out the messy information.

The Royal Palace Treasury quickly returned to silence, becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Bai, on the other hand, started working on the progress bar again.

Meanwhile, in Sheng Province, far from the Royal City, the Buddhists monks led by Wu Hua have now settled there.

According to a reasonable plan, these forces should not be allowed to reside permanently in the palace.

It has nothing to do with their relationship with Xu Bai. No matter how good their relationship is, they still have to abide by certain rules.

Wu Hua was fine; he just wanted to find a quiet place to continue comprehending his Black Lotus.

By now, he has come to understand many new Buddhist scriptures, as well as many new Buddhist teachings and cultivation methods.

His status is now becoming increasingly important within Buddhists.

All Buddhists in the world pointed to him to open a new path, so Wu Hua had been constantly meditating on it.

Beside him, A Xiu sat with his chin propped up on his hand, looking bored, his eyes fixed on Wu Hua.

Wu Hua had long, black hair that cascaded down her shoulders, and she was dressed in black, which made her look rather strange.

This strange feeling was even more profound when he sat cross-legged on the Black Lotus.

At this moment, he was comprehending an important Buddhist teaching, which he had also obtained from the Black Lotus. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was unaware of the changes around him.

This Buddhist teaching is extremely difficult; even with his current strength, which is close to the Extraordinary Realm, he still finds it somewhat challenging.

It took almost a month to figure out, and we've only managed to solve about 70-80% of it. We still need to keep working on the rest.

Wu Hua's eyes were tightly closed, her face showed a troubled expression, and her brows were furrowed.

A Xiu had already seen all of this.

At first, she thought that Wu Hua had a problem, but after Wu Hua explained, she understood.

Because it's so difficult, it naturally takes a lot of strain on the body, so it's normal to experience these symptoms.

Looking at Wu Hua's face, A Xiu thought to himself, "I wonder when we'll be able to reach a perfect conclusion..."

Originally, she and Wu Hua were planning to get married, but the great changes that happened to the Buddhists put Wu Hua in charge. Wu Hua told her to give him some more time, at least to help the Buddhists recover some strength before they could get married.

A Xiu knew this, so he didn't stop them or even object; he just silently watched over them.

She really wanted to, but she had to restrain herself.

Seeing Wu Hua's increasingly pale face, A Xiu couldn't help but sigh again, feeling a pang of heartache.

But at that moment, A Xiu finally noticed something unusual.

"Something's not right. Even when I was feeling really bad before, I never sweated like this. I've almost never encountered this situation before."

A Xiu is also in the business. Although he is not famous, he still has some insight.

Upon seeing this, she suddenly stood up and was about to take two steps forward when she remembered that she was too weak to move freely.

After all, if it were touched carelessly and caused bad results, it would end up harming Wu Hua instead.

"Go find the abbot!" A Xiu reacted quickly; almost the instant the thought occurred to him, he turned and left the room.

Nowadays, only those within the Buddhists can solve this problem.

After about a few minutes, footsteps were heard outside the door, and the abbots of the Ten Great Temples all rushed in.

Wu Hua is now an important figure in Buddhists, arguably the most important. When Wu Hua decided to come to the Barbarian Territory, the ten abbots naturally followed.

"What's going on?" The abbot of Vajra Temple was the first to rush in, and when he saw the scene before him, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

As they moved back and forth, Wu Hua's expression became even worse. His face was covered in sweat and had turned as pale as paper.

"Let's see first." The other abbot reacted quickly, taking three steps in two to walk up to Wu Hua and reaching out to touch Wu Hua's wrist.

After a moment, the abbot lowered his hand and shook his head.

"There's nothing unusual about him, he's absolutely fine physically, but for some reason, he looks like he's in pain. Could it be that he's experiencing something different in other areas besides his physical condition?"

Among the ten abbots, this abbot was the most skilled in medicine, so he could tell at a glance Wu Hua was good or bad.

The abbot of Vajra Temple said in a deep voice, "Understanding Buddhism from the Black Lotus is a very difficult path. Could it be that you have encountered something terrifying along the way?"

If there is no physical harm, then it must be something seen or felt, otherwise this situation would not occur. And what could make Wu Hua feel fear and pale must be something extremely terrifying.

"Abbot, what should we do now?" A Xiu asked in a panic.

The abbot of Vajra Temple said, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. As long as he's not physically injured, everything will be fine once he regains his senses or wakes up."

A Xiu received a reassuring reply and felt a little relieved.

Next, everyone stayed in the room to keep watch, afraid that something might go wrong. While everyone was watching, Wu Hua's expression began to change gradually.

First, he had an extremely pale face, covered in sweat, but his expression was extremely calm.

As time went by, the calm expression turned into complexity, then into shock, and finally into endless fear.

This change in expression continued repeatedly until, after nearly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the expression on Wu Hua's face finally gradually disappeared, and he returned to calm.

At this moment, Wu Hua's black clothes were soaked with sweat, but the paleness on his face was gradually fading.

Nearly half an incense stick's time passed, Wu Hua finally slowly opened her tightly closed eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, a look of exhaustion lingered in them.

Before anyone could speak, Wu Hua hurriedly stood up from her seat, took a few quick steps, and said anxiously.

"Abbot, I'll leave this place to you for now. I need to go to the palace immediately."

The abbot of Vajra Temple was taken aback. After realizing what was happening, he frowned and asked, "Did you see something?"

Wu Hua opened her mouth, about to speak, but then closed it again and gently shook her head.

He didn't want to talk about it.

More often than not, people are afraid to say it here.

The abbot of Vajra Temple must know what Wu Hua is thinking; it must be a huge secret.

There's a reason why Wu Hua didn't speak at this moment, and he wouldn't ask any further questions.

After all, as the abbot of Vajra Temple, he knew his disciple Wu Hua best. The reason he was unwilling to talk about it now was definitely because it wouldn't benefit anyone.

"Then hurry up. By the way, you're going to the palace, are you going to see King Xu?" The abbot of Vajra Temple couldn't help but ask.

Wu Hua did not hide anything from this question, nodded, and admitted it directly.

A complex expression appeared on his face. He clasped his hands together and sighed.

"I saw many things in the Black Lotus, and these things shocked me."

"Perhaps... only Benefactor Xu can give this humble monk the answer."

Those present fell silent, not uttering a word.

Wu Hua didn't offer any further explanation. He hurried on, without even changing his clothes, and pushed open the door, heading straight towards the palace...