Chapter 108: The Sinister Message

“Since the old fortune teller isn’t as popular now, why bother voting for him?” Zhang Kai asked with a sly smile.

The Bone Gate youth replied, “It’s a choice without a choice, naturally.”

Zhang Kai chuckled.

“By the way, has anyone heard the latest news?” suddenly Daoist Chongming spoke up.

“Oh? Good news or bad?” Wang Tingting looked over.

Daoist Chongming said, “It’s hard to say if it’s good or bad, but it’s definitely frightening.”

“Tell us,” someone urged.

Daoist Chongming explained, “Recently, rumors have been spreading from somewhere that the immortals guarding the forbidden realms across the mortal world are real, but they are not the true beings.”

Zhang Kai was taken aback. “What do you mean by that?”

Daoist Chongming continued, “Those of us in the circle know about ‘incense offerings’—the source of an immortal’s power—but to be honest, who truly needs incense offerings? Those offerings only create incense gods. So the news says these forbidden realms are part of the immortals’ scheme: they’re using humans to free themselves.”

“Free themselves? From what?” Wang Tingting asked.

Daoist Chongming said, “It’s simple. How did immortals come about? The legend says they were appointed by the Investiture of the Gods—a supposed honor, but actually a prison. Bound to their divine seats, controlled and used by others. After millions of years of cultivation, is this what we sought? So the immortals want liberation. They let the incense gods turn the forbidden realms into prisons and use humans to sever their ties with the Investiture, breaking free from control.”

Zhang Kai was stunned, speechless.

Damn. It actually sounded plausible.

Truly powerful immortals wouldn’t be so easily breached by mortals, or else where would their dignity be?

Not to mention celestial gods—mountain and earth gods could probably dominate large territories.

Yet now, mortals seem to wipe them out effortlessly.

And the divine seats are sacrificed too.

The explanation made too much sense.

Damn it, whose side am I really on?

They call it taboo, yet my actions help the old gods break free.

They say it’s with the gods’ side, but I can’t see eye to eye with them.

Or maybe this Three Realms is just a chessboard, and the true immortals watch from outside, observing the mortal world’s struggles.

Just the thought sent chills down their spine.

“Daoist Chongming, that’s terrifying, really terrifying,” Wang Tingting said grimly.

Daoist Chongming nodded, “I heard it too and broke out in a cold sweat. It feels like the mortal world is a discarded place, and we are mere pawns.”

“Have you verified the source?” the Bone Gate youth asked.

Daoist Chongming shook his head. “What I know is from a fellow cultivator near Kunlun Mountain, who’s quite the smooth talker. He told me this after a long chat, said it was insider info and warned me not to reveal it. He also said…”

At this, Daoist Chongming paused thoughtfully before continuing, “He spoke some strange words, as if containing secrets I couldn’t understand. But my old friend said these contain the mysteries of the future.”

“Then spit it out,” Wang Tingting demanded.

Daoist Chongming recited, “Four lines: Illusion becomes reality, gods and buddhas return to silence, all heavens are destroyed, taboo lasts forever.”

Everyone was baffled.

What the hell was that?

They recognized each word, but together it made no sense.

Yet Zhang Kai’s eyes flickered.

“Illusion becomes reality?”

That hit a chord. His golden finger ability was just like that—turning the unreal into real.

What “gods and buddhas return to silence” meant, he didn’t know yet, but “taboo” was familiar—that was the biggest boss of the Three Realms.

Could it be that seeing his inaction, the taboo decided to stir the pot and speed things up?

But they wouldn’t get past him.

As long as he refused, how could the mortal world change drastically?

“What do you all think?” Wang Tingting asked the others.

“Don’t understand it, but it feels bad,” said the Bone Gate youth.

“Same here, totally confused,” Li Xiaoxian agreed.

“I do have a thought,” Zhang Kai suddenly spoke.

Everyone looked at him.

Zhang Kai said, “I suspect these words were deliberately spread to confuse and even mislead us.”

“Oh? Explain,” Daoist Chongming urged.

“Take ‘gods and buddhas return to silence’—isn't that a clear message that dealing with the taboo realms is right? It means we should speed up and erase all forbidden lands.”

“Maybe so, but what about ‘all heavens are destroyed’ and ‘taboo lasts forever’?” Wang Tingting asked.

Zhang Kai said, “Everyone should know a bit about taboo. Maybe this is the taboo stirring trouble because the mortal world is lively now. It wants people to follow this message, so in the end, it benefits from the chaos. But if all heavens are destroyed, can we mortals survive? So, I think we need a new strategy.”

“How to change strategy?” Li Xiaoxian asked.

Zhang Kai’s eyes burned brightly. “Since it says gods and buddhas fade, and the mortal forbidden realms belong to incense gods, let’s invert the approach. Instead of destroying these forbidden places, we cooperate with them.”

Cooperate?

Everyone was stunned.

How could you cooperate with the forbidden realms?

“Think about it. Those forbidden realms can’t survive without us. What they want is survival. If we meet that condition and negotiate cooperation, it’s a win-win. We don’t destroy them; they help us grow and coexist peacefully. Eventually, forbidden realms might become tourist spots, and we can harness their strange powers to strengthen ourselves. That way, if unforeseen events come, at least we have some ability to respond.”

Silence fell.

After a moment, the Bone Gate youth said, “Zhang Daoist’s idea is truly… indescribable.”

“I never thought of it before, nor dared to,” Wang Tingting nodded in agreement.

“But it sounds promising. Endless fighting is so cliché. If existence is justified, why can’t we all live in peace?” Li Xiaoxian supported the idea.

“That depends if our superiors will listen. We don’t have the final say,” Daoist Chongming said.

“True enough. After all, forbidden lands represent points or merits. Besides, no one wants a threat sleeping on their doorstep. The higher-ups must consider the safety of the people.”

Zhang Kai smiled. “So the problem lies with the Earth Home. I plan to submit a petition and see what the mysterious Ultraman faction says. Maybe this powerful, friendly cosmic race agrees with peaceful coexistence. Perhaps there’ll even be points rewards.”

Upon hearing this, Daoist Chongming’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly stood. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” he said, then rushed off.

The others weren’t fools. They quickly stood and left without excuses, clearly intending to log into Earth Home and exchange points.

Zhang Kai smiled silently but felt uneasy inside.

What was once clear about the Three Realms had grown murky again. What conspiracy lurked beneath the current situation? What did the taboo want? What were the heavens and gods planning?

Whom did his actions truly benefit?