"The next epoch?"
Ji Mo's heart skipped a beat, a strong sense of dread and unease washing over him.
The heavenly secrets he had glimpsed earlier were incredibly grim.
The Sky City had shattered into fragments, scattered across the cold expanse of the universe.
Li Er had fallen in battle, his Tai Chi Diagram completely broken, leaving only a blood-stained outer robe.
Even Sister Bao'er had met her end, lying in a pool of blood.
If these were indeed scenes from the future, then things likely wouldn't go as Li Er had predicted; they wouldn't survive and wouldn't live to see the next epoch.
Ji Mo asked, "Can your doomsday shelter truly ward off the Dark Harvest?"
Li Er nodded, a powerful confidence surfacing on his aged face. "Rest assured, I can't speak for other things, but I am confident in my divination skills. Concealing heavenly secrets and evading that scoundrel's probing, the doomsday shelter is incredibly safe, absolutely the last sanctuary for humanity."
As he spoke these words, Li Er's face radiated with brilliance.
The reason he had survived until now, avoiding being eliminated, was not only his Yi Qi Hua San Qing (One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones) which was indeed a life-saving divine skill, but more importantly, the profound metaphysical arts he possessed were heaven-defying.
"I don't think your doomsday shelter is necessarily absolutely safe."
Ji Mo shook his head slightly, filled with worry.
His rational mind told him he should trust Li Er unconditionally, but he just didn't feel secure.
If any accident were to occur, everything would be plunged into irredeemable ruin. He truly didn't want the future he had seen to come to pass.
Facing the nearly omniscient and omnipotent source of darkness, Li Er might not have foreseen every possibility; perhaps he had overlooked something. Therefore, Ji Mo felt he had to do something.
He was the variable, and perhaps he could influence the future.
Seeing Ji Mo's furrowed brow, Li Er stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and comforted him, "Young man, don't overthink it. Things are indeed dire, but not as dire as you imagine. Be optimistic. In the next epoch, I firmly believe your trio will sweep away all obstacles and definitively end the darkness..."
Before he could finish, Li Er's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Ji Mo's wrist, checking his physical condition.
"Half-dead? How did you get into this state? My dear Mo Bao, you might be on your way out."
Li Er's expression suddenly turned extremely grim.
Within Ji Mo's body, he sensed the backlash of the Sea of Blood, as well as the supreme destructive laws left behind by the source of darkness.
Ji Mo's spirit and physical body were constantly being ravaged by these two forces. Especially that destructive law, like a maggot gnawing at the bone, had completely infiltrated Ji Mo's soul.
If Ji Mo couldn't hold on, his fate would be utter annihilation, not even a speck of dust remaining.
"It's nothing, I'm still alive and well, aren't I?"
Ji Mo appeared very open-minded and asked, "Is there any way to resolve my physical problems?"
Li Er tugged at his snow-white beard, pondering for a long time before shaking his head helplessly. "Even sending you into reincarnation and having you reborn as a human would likely be useless, at best it could only slow down your destruction. Given your current physical condition, you probably only have three to five months left. If you're unlucky, you could die suddenly at any moment."
"Is that so."
Ji Mo's expression was very calm, with no ripple of emotion in his heart.
After all, he was someone who had already died once; he viewed death with a certain detachment.
He let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky.
If his life was less than half a year, what else could he do?
Could he possibly change the future?
"Don't sigh. I'll start making a coffin for you right away. A bronze outer coffin and a Jian Mu inner coffin, guaranteed to make you lie comfortably."
Li Er suddenly slapped his thigh and began measuring Ji Mo.
What?
Ji Mo froze on the spot and shot Li Er a fierce glare.
Was it really necessary?
He wasn't dead yet, and a coffin was already being prepared for him?
Li Er continued measuring while explaining, "I'll craft a 'coffin of longevity' tailored for you, allowing you to lie flat inside and hibernate for survival. As long as you can endure until the beginning of the next epoch, perhaps you can utilize the boundless primordial energy generated at the dawn of the new epoch to completely resolve your physical hidden dangers."
Then, Li Er murmured to himself, "What you just reminded me of makes sense. Perhaps the doomsday shelter isn't necessarily absolutely safe. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. I'll find another place no one can find to bury you."
"I will never lie down and accept a苟活 (living in hiding) in a coffin."
Ji Mo flatly refused, his feeling of unease growing stronger.
Could the outcome of the future be that he alone endured the apocalypse, and upon waking up, all his friends and family were dead, leaving him utterly alone?
He began calculating in his mind, believing this was a highly probable final outcome.
"This is the best, and only, viable plan for you to survive right now."
Li Er tried to persuade him, not understanding Ji Mo's resistance.
Did this fellow refuse to admit defeat, still harboring resentment and wanting to fight the source of darkness again?
But you're already neck-deep in the grave, so just settle down.
"No, there is another way."
Ji Mo looked directly at Li Er, "Devour all things and strengthen oneself."
He believed Li Er knew this, but was unwilling to mention it.
Li Er showed no surprise upon hearing this, saying calmly, "That's right, but this method must absolutely not be used. Once you lose control and completely lose yourself, viewing all living beings as food, you will become another source of darkness."
There was another reason Li Er didn't mention: Ji Mo, contaminated by the Sea of Blood, was already a source of all evil. Once he devoured other creatures, he might become addicted and unable to stop, losing control.
He truly didn't want to see the dragon-slayer become the dragon.
Seeing Ji Mo fall silent, Li Er said, "For now, just relax and enjoy life, experience the dazzling lights and decadent pleasures of modern cities. Leng Bao Bao is at a critical juncture in her closed-door cultivation; you'll have to wait a while to see her. I'll build your coffin as soon as possible."
With that, Li Er hurried to leave.
Ji Mo stopped him, getting straight to the point, "I want to learn your Yi Qi Hua San Qing."
Li Er didn't hide anything. He pointed his index finger at Ji Mo's forehead, directly transmitting the technique.
He cleared his throat and cautioned, "This ultimate skill of mine is quite difficult to practice, but with your aptitude, you should be able to get started in about half a month..."
But he stopped mid-sentence.
A blurry shadow appeared beside Ji Mo. He had successfully achieved the initial stage on his first attempt.
In the blink of an eye, the second and third shadows also appeared. Although still very blurry, it proved he had reached the minor accomplishment stage.
Such rapid cultivation speed was simply heaven-defying!
"It is indeed profound and broad, not too easy to grasp."
Ji Mo nodded, agreeing with Li Er's assessment. To truly master it would indeed require some time and dedicated study.
Li Er turned his head and snorted, unwilling to engage with this fellow.
It was too boastful, deliberately putting him in an awkward position.
Ji Mo, not satisfied, asked if there were any other incredibly powerful divine abilities, the kind that could destroy the heavens, the earth, and the air.
"Young people shouldn't aim too high. There are no 'incredibly powerful divine abilities,' only 'incredibly powerful men.' My Yi Qi Hua San Qing, when cultivated to its extreme, can produce three avatars representing the past, present, and future. If you can achieve a unified trinity, you will have the capital to confront the source of darkness head-on."
Li Er sighed mournfully. He had not yet achieved the trinity, having no clue how.
It felt like a dead end, an insurmountable path.
However, Ji Mo's talent was so monstrous, perhaps he could succeed.
Alas, almost all the great deities of China had fallen. Otherwise, if Ji Mo could learn from everyone, absorbing the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, he might have forged an invincible war god!
Trinity?!
A flicker of sharp light flashed in Ji Mo's pupils, igniting hope in his heart.
Li Er attempted to leave again but was stopped.
He spread his hands in resignation, "The Creation Jade Plate should have taught you all skills. I don't seem to have anything else to teach you."
"Hey, about that, wasn't it about enjoying life, the dazzling lights and decadent pleasures, and all that? Can you give me some money to spend?"
Ji Mo rubbed his index finger and thumb together, looking like a petty cash-lover.
Returning to modern times, he truly had no money on him. He couldn't possibly live by drinking air, could he?
Li Er rummaged through the wide daoist robes, and after a long time, found a handful of crumpled small bills. With a pained expression, he handed them to Ji Mo.
"Just this? You won't even give me a hundred yuan?"
Ji Mo looked at the colorful change, stunned. He had never seen anyone so stingy.
A sage of his stature, so miserly!
Li Er chuckled sheepishly, "I am an outsider, without desires or needs, and my life isn't prosperous. This is all the money I have. Spend it sparingly. Actually, experiencing the decadent pleasures isn't necessary; it's all fleeting. Simple food and plain living are the true essence. See you."
With that, he vanished instantly, leaving the bewildered Ji Hanhan alone in the wind.