The years when I would transform

The old man stared at Wang Xiao who had fainted on the ground with a deep gaze, his brows furrowed, his heart full of confusion and doubt.

He knew very well that the private meeting between Wang Xiao and Sun Wukong a few days ago, as well as the astonishing move made by Sun Wukong today - dissipating all his energy for inheritance, all of this had far-reaching intentions hidden behind it.

The old man's guess gradually took shape. He believed that the mastermind behind all this was the "mortal" who was known as the military strategist of the Yanhuang tribe.

Over the years, all the arrangements and actions of Mortal and Gaia have shown their special attention and cultivation of Wang Xiao. As a bystander, the old man can naturally see the high hopes and expectations that the two have for Wang Xiao.

But now when the old man heard the mortal deny that he had chosen Wang Xiao as the successor, his heart was filled with even greater waves.

Among the Yanhuang people, who can compare with ordinary people in terms of wisdom and foresight?

If it wasn't chosen by an ordinary person himself, then who could have such vision and courage to dare to choose Wang Xiao?

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" asked the old man.

The mortal was silent for a while, and finally stretched out a finger and pointed to the sky, "Use the power of the whole clan to jump out of the chessboard..."

The mortal's words were like a bolt from the blue, causing the old man's thoughts to instantly leap into the vast universe. He looked up at the boundless sky, his heart filled with unprecedented shock and enlightenment.

"You mean..." The old man's voice trembled slightly, and it seemed that even he himself did not dare to believe the following speculation.

The mortal suddenly waved his feather fan, interrupting the old man's words, "It cannot be said."

The old man felt a chill down his spine. He was a man of great wisdom, and he could guess the truth of certain things from the mere words of ordinary people. This truth was too unbelievable and too terrifying...

"This is impossible..." The old man's shock and confusion surged like a tide. He looked into the mortal's eyes, which were as deep as the night sky. It seemed that the mysteries of the entire universe were hidden there. People were irresistibly attracted to them, yet felt endless chill.

"This...how is this possible? Could it be that all this is..." The old man's voice was low and trembling, and he almost didn't dare to continue imagining.

Scenes flashed through his mind: Gaia gifting Wang Xiao the Candle Dragon Serum, the secret meeting between the mortal and Sun Wukong, Taikang's teaching and Sun Wukong's earth-shaking feat of inheritance, as well as the mortal's meaningful words, and the intriguing attitude of the Cang Clan when he rode his donkey to the Cang Clan Star...

Every detail seems to be carefully planned, and everyone is just an insignificant chess piece in this huge chess game.

Seeing this, the mortal just smiled slightly, and that smile showed both recognition of the old man's wisdom and indifference to the truth that was about to be revealed. He shook his head gently, as if to tell the old man that some things, once revealed, can never be turned back.

"Li Er, what did you sense the moment you entered the realm of divine fusion?" the mortal asked softly.

If there were any members of the Yanhuang ethnic group present at this time, they would surely be shocked by this mortal, because this old man turned out to be the famous Li Er.

Li Er, the founder and main representative of the Taoist school, is revered as the ancestor of Taoism and is called "Taishang Laojun".

That is the Laozi well known to the Yanhuang people!

He is also the strongest person in the Rongshen realm of the Yanhuang clan.

Li Er's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He slowly closed his eyes, as if he had returned to the moment when he broke through the Fusion God Realm. The feeling of being detached from the mundane world and having insight into the essence of all things surged into his heart again. "At that moment, I seemed to have broken free from the constraints of time and space, and saw the most essential rules of the universe in operation. All things are born and die in their own way, and I am just a speck of dust in this great torrent."

"Is that all?" The mortal suddenly asked for some reason.

"And..." Li Er pondered for a moment, his tone extremely solemn. Even a man of great wisdom like him was trembling unintentionally. He said, "The rules of the universe are very strange, and I also felt a sense of surveillance in the dark..."

"…That feeling of surveillance was like a pair of invisible eyes beyond billions of stars, looking through layers of void, coldly and deeply at the universe. He said nothing, but I was filled with awe, as if every thought and every action of mine was under his control."

The mortal stood up straight, retracted the energy that enveloped Wang Xiao, and gently waved his feather fan, saying: "The truth we know is only the truth that some existence wants us to know, and the real truth is about to be revealed."

Li Er's expression became more and more solemn. He looked up at the mortal, his deep eyes flashing with unprecedented light, as if at this moment, he had some kind of resonance with the mortal's heart. "You mean, everything we have experienced, including Wang Xiao's rise, Sun Wukong's inheritance, the Cang clan's pursuit, and even the fate of the entire Yanhuang clan, is just part of the layout of a higher-level existence?"

The mortal did not answer directly, but slowly walked to the outside of the flower hall, "Wang Xiao may be the key to unlocking these secrets. You come with me to the Cang Clan. I dare not go without you."

He was an unfathomable mortal just now, but now he is actually cowardly.

No, this is not cowardice, this is rationality.

If the Cang clan were to kill, ten thousand mortals would not be enough to fill their teeth. With Li Er, who is in the Rong Shen realm, accompanying them, the Cang clan would definitely not dare to act recklessly.

"Okay, let me see if the truth you tell is consistent with my guess." Li Er also withdrew his hand from Wang Xiao's chest and stood up.

The mortal turned around and smiled, mysteriously and carefreely, "Only a small part of the truth you are speculating now is correct. Even I don't know the truth. Everything is just a speculation."

"I think I am extremely intelligent, but compared to you..." Li Er smiled bitterly, his self-mockery concealed awe for the unfathomable wisdom of mortals, "It's like the light of a firefly competing with the bright moon. Your words are enough to overturn my cognition and reasoning over the years. In this case, I will follow you to the Cang Clan and witness with my own eyes the truth hidden behind the heavy fog."

"Well, come to think of it, you were the person I hated the most when I was young." The mortal walked out, speaking as he walked.

Li Er followed closely behind and asked in confusion: "Oh? Why?"

"Because I hate classical Chinese..." the mortal said bluntly.

"This..." Li Er was speechless for a moment.

"It's more comfortable in modern society. There's no need to be pedantic about words, and there's no need to memorize ancient texts every day..." the mortal continued.

Li Er sighed: "Reading can make people wise after all. The ancient sayings are simple, but their meaning is profound."

"That makes sense..." The mortal walked to the door and looked back at Wang Xiao who was thrown in the flower hall. "I hope my guess is correct..."

After saying that, the mortal and Li Er turned into a gust of breeze and disappeared into the intermediate alien realm.