Chapter 161: Destined to Face This Trial

With Shiji already having reached the realm of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal, dealing with the defensive restrictions outside the Golden Light Cave was naturally a breeze.

In fact, these dojo barriers and mountain-guarding arrays were merely meant to deter lower-realm immortals who might stumble here without knowing Master Taiyi's whereabouts.

Generally speaking, those of a higher realm, or anyone with some standing in this Primordial World, would be well aware of Master Taiyi's residence. Moreover, given Master Taiyi's reputation as one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, very few would deliberately breach the cave's barrier to court trouble with him.

After roughly half a quarter of an hour, the restrictions around the Golden Light Cave were completely dissolved by Shiji using her Eight-Diagrams Cloud-Smoke Banner.

Gazing at the gates of the Golden Light Cave, which were now reduced to a mere formality, Jiang Yuan flew up to the entrance, kicked the doors into splinters with a single strike, and said calmly, "Let's go, we're going in."

Deep inside the Golden Light Cave, a stout Taoist with a pair of drooping mustaches stood quietly in place. Looking at Jiang Yuan and his entourage, he smiled tranquilly and said, "It seems you are the tribulation my master spoke of earlier?"

"State your name."

Without hesitation, Jiang Yuan directly declared his identity: "We are the Lord of Great Shang."

Master Taiyi did not show much panic. After all, ranking among the foremost of the Twelve Golden Immortals, he was hardly a cowardly character. He smiled and said, "So it is the Human Emperor. I wonder what brings you to my humble Golden Light Cave?"

"What do you think brings Us here?" Jiang Yuan asked, looking at Master Taiyi with a hint of amusement.

Master Taiyi was in no rush to pursue the question; instead, he glanced at Shiji and Bai Ze standing behind Jiang Yuan and asked, "And who might these two companions be?"

Jiang Yuan was not in a hurry to give Master Taiyi a hard time either, seeing as he was already trapped here. Bai Ze undoubtedly understood his intentions. To say the least, without Jiang Yuan's explicit consent, Master Taiyi lacked the ability to leave this place under his own power. Therefore, Jiang Yuan had not the slightest concern that Master Taiyi might escape.

Leisurely, he began introductions, gesturing toward Bai Ze as he said, "This senior is Bai Ze, one of the top ten great demon saints of the Demon Clan."

"Surely the Daoist priest has heard of him?"

Upon hearing this name, Master Taiyi's expression stiffened. If one were to truly rank the top ten demon saints, Bai Ze would undoubtedly claim the number one spot, leaving the second-place contender far behind. Bai Ze had long since transcended the boundaries of the ten great demon saints; had he not preferred a life detached from worldly strife, he might well have vied for the throne of the Demon Clan's ruler.

Why would he willingly accompany the Human Emperor today? Furthermore, judging by the stance they adopted, they certainly did not come with good intentions.

"I am naturally no stranger to the renowned name of Demon Saint Bai Ze," Master Taiyi said with a smile.

Although he could not entirely fathom Bai Ze's strength, he did not believe the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals would fall short of the Demon Clan's top ten demon saints. Hence, he remained utterly composed.

Seeming to perceive Master Taiyi's confidence, Jiang Yuan asked with a smile, "If We were to tell the Daoist priest that Senior Bai Ze is now a Half-Saint, would the Daoist priest still remain as calm as you are now?"

With that, Jiang Yuan glanced at Master Taiyi's system data interface.

Character: Master Taiyi
Titles and Positions: Disciple of the Master of Tongtian, One of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Master of Qingwei
Realm: Mid-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal
Possessions: Nine Dragons Divine Fire罩
Cultivation Technique: Taiqing Qi-Regulating Method
Mount: Crane
Loyalty: 00
Favorability: 00
Tyrant Value Obtainable: 6,000

So he was a mid-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal. No wonder he was so confident—he was actually worth six thousand tyrant points.

That made it all the more impossible for Jiang Yuan to let him off. If possible, he had to find a way to butcher him.

He only wondered whether the Saint Yuanshi Tianzun would intervene when the time came. After all, this place was considered the territory of the Chan Sect, and Master Taiyi was... wait, Master Taiyi was a disciple of the Master of Tongtian?

If Yuanshi Tianzun were to show up, would he himself be able to escape?

At this thought, Jiang Yuan panicked slightly. A Saint was a Saint, after all. Right now, he could only pray that Yuanshi Tianzun would not make a move, or alternatively, that if Yuanshi Tianzun did intervene, the Master of Tongtian would rush over to help him.

Had he known things would turn into this awkward scenario, Jiang Yuan should have taken a trip to Biyou Palace beforehand to invite the Master of Tongtian over. Now look at this—there might even be mortal danger.

However, Jiang Yuan certainly wouldn't let any of these anxieties show on his face.

Reminded by Jiang Yuan's words, Master Taiyi realized—Bai Ze was actually at the Half-Saint realm? A flicker of panic crossed his face. Originally, he had thought his cultivation as a mid-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal was enough to ensure his self-preservation, never expecting the Human Emperor to bring along a Half-Saint.

If Bai Ze was a Half-Saint, what about the woman behind the Human Emperor?

"And who might this fellow Daoist be?" Master Taiyi asked Shiji, forcing himself to remain composed.

In truth, he wasn't overly concerned for his life. After all, his master had warned him beforehand that he would face a tribulation. This meant his master was likely aware of the situation here; if his life were truly in mortal danger, his master would certainly step in.

Yet for some reason, the moment his eyes landed on Shiji, a surge of intense, inexplicable killing intent flared up within his heart. He was entirely certain he had never laid eyes on this woman before, so why should such a violent murderous impulse suddenly well up toward her?

Jiang Yuan ignored Master Taiyi's question, turning instead to look at Shiji with a smile. "Daoist Shiji, how do you feel about Master Taiyi?"

Hearing this, Shiji frowned in confusion as she looked at Jiang Yuan. "Why do I feel a sense of familiarity toward Master Taiyi? I have never met him before today."

"Aside from familiarity, what else?" Jiang Yuan pressed.

Shiji pondered carefully before finally answering, "Aversion and revulsion?"

A secret shock stirred within Jiang Yuan. That was it, then. It seemed that everything from his memories had truly happened.

Had his arrival somehow altered the original trajectory of many events? Even so, a deep resonance still existed between Shiji and Master Taiyi.

If this held true even for Hunyuan Golden Immortals, what about Saints? For a Saint, the ripples caused by his time-travel were likely even more negligible.

Would the final outcome of the Investiture of the Gods tribulation still change?

Would the Great Shang still fall?

Would the Heavenly Court still be established?

Would the Master of Tongtian still meet defeat?

A headache pounded behind Jiang Yuan's temples. If that turned out to be the case, all his efforts during this period would have been completely in vain. The thought alone was agonizing.

Pushing these thoughts aside for the moment, he needed to resolve the immediate crisis first.

"This is precisely why We brought you to the Golden Light Cave," Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

"Hm?" Shiji frowned.

Jiang Yuan explained, "Master Taiyi is a destined tribulation in your path, which is why you feel this familiar revulsion. If We had not intervened, then barring any accidents, you would have died—or perhaps already died long ago—at the hands of Master Taiyi."

"This..."

Shiji hesitated, uncertain whether she should believe the Human Emperor's words, yet she knew the Human Emperor would certainly not wish to harm her.

Even Bai Ze looked at Jiang Yuan with a trace of astonishment. Could the man actually calculate the tribulations of others? This was a feat even Bai Ze himself could not accomplish. Tribulations were such profound, esoteric mysteries that even Bai Ze approached them with extreme caution; how could anyone dare to actively meddle in another's tribulation?

"Then, in the Human Emperor's view, how should I proceed from here?" Lady Shiji ultimately chose to place her trust in Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan smiled faintly. "Since Lady Shiji is fated to face this tribulation, let us simply obliterate it."