The Emperor of Fengdu did not answer directly, but instead asked, "What is your view of these gods?"
Zuan pondered for a moment and said, "Gods, of course, are immortal, omniscient, and omnipotent..."
"Wrong," the Emperor of Fengdu interrupted him. "First, although immortals have long lifespans and are indeed immortal compared to mortals, they are not immortal as mortals believe. Although their lifespans are long, they still have an end. You mortals have a term called the 'Five Signs of Decay of the Celestial Being,' which is not entirely accurate, but it does capture the essence. When immortals reach the end of their lives, they will also exhibit various signs of decay. This is why the elixir of immortality is so precious throughout the myriad realms."
Zu'an was taken aback: "The elixir of immortality works even on immortals?"
“Of course,” the Emperor of Fengdu replied. “For example, some of the legendary peaches of immortality, ginseng fruits, and fruits of Eden in your human world are all elixirs of immortality. Immortals are actually incredibly powerful humans or other kinds of life forms. Even some nebulae or collections of some abstract consciousness can become immortals. They are powerful enough to create or destroy the world, and often become gods in the hearts of all living beings.”
Zuan's pupils constricted upon hearing this; he never imagined that even a being like Nebula could become a deity.
Actually, it's not surprising when you think about it. The Twenty-Eight Mansions are just figures from ancient Chinese mythology. It's just that at the time we thought they were just gods who governed the various mansions. Now it seems that those gods may just be the embodiment of those mansions.
At this point, the Great Emperor of Fengdu continued, "The second mistake you just made is that no deity is truly omniscient and omnipotent. Although each god has their own supernatural powers and knows a lot of information, none of them can be called truly omniscient and omnipotent. This is because there are countless supernatural powers in the world, and there are always other beings of the same level that can conceal and shield some heavenly secrets, causing them to make some mistakes in their judgments. This is also why the Great Dao is fifty and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. No matter what the situation, there will always be a glimmer of hope. You must remember this principle, and it should be able to help you in the future."
Zuan's heart skipped a beat. No wonder he always felt that prophecies and fate were mysterious, but he didn't want to completely believe in fate. In the end, the outcome really could change things...
The Great Emperor of Fengdu continued, “Although the Three Pure Ones are powerful, it is not difficult to deceive them in a short time by the joint scheme of the Heavenly Emperor and the Buddha. After all, mortals know that a day in heaven is a year on earth, and many years pass in the human world, but only a moment in heaven.”
Zuan asked curiously, "Is your so-called Celestial Realm inside a black hole? Otherwise, why would there be such an exaggerated time comparison?"
He thought of some science fiction movies he had seen in his previous life, such as "Interstellar". The protagonists only spent half a day on a planet around a black hole, but when they returned to their spaceship in orbit, their companions had been waiting for them for decades. This was because the different gravity caused the flow of time to be different in different locations.
"Black holes?" The Emperor of Fengdu chuckled. "That's a term used by some technologically advanced civilizations. They're just special worlds. When you're powerful enough in the future, you can go and see for yourself."
At this moment, Zuan was filled with a surge of emotions and became increasingly curious about the outside world.
Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, and he asked:
"I've encountered some Heavenly Emperors in other secret realms before. Although I've never seen them in person, I've heard many rumors about them. I wonder if those Heavenly Emperors are the same as the Heavenly Emperors of this world?"
Back in the Xia Dynasty's secret realm, he came into contact with some ancient myths. There was also a Heavenly Court there, and even legends of several Heavenly Emperors. The various lineages seemed quite chaotic, and he couldn't quite figure out who the real Heavenly Emperor was.
“It’s normal for you to have such doubts, because the current Heavenly Court is not the first Heavenly Court.” The Emperor of Fengdu said solemnly, “Like the human empire, the Heavenly Court will also face wars, power struggles, and dynastic changes. The losers will gradually disappear, and new victors will take their place. This has happened several times over countless years.”
"Of course, it's not always a life-or-death struggle; there are also times when both sides compromise and coexist. For example, I was originally the absolute ruler of the Netherworld, but then Ksitigarbha came, and neither of us could do anything to the other, so we reached a certain balance and compromise. Ksitigarbha acknowledged my status as the supreme ruler of the Netherworld, and I allowed Ksitigarbha to open the altar to preach and save the souls of the dead."
Zuan was shocked and thought of the information that Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang had mentioned before: "You and Ksitigarbha should be the two unspeakable beings above the Five Ghost Emperors, right?"
“Indeed,” the Emperor of Fengdu nodded slightly, “However, once you leave this special space of mine, you must not mention these names, or it will bring you great calamity.”
"I know." This wasn't the first time Zuan had been reminded like this, and his heart was filled with turmoil. So my old friends were all at this level. Then who exactly was I in my "past life"?
"Knowing too much when a creature is too weak will not do it any good; it will only bring unnecessary disasters," the Emperor of Fengdu said in a deep voice. "That's all I can tell you. You will have to experience and explore many things for yourself in the future."
Zuan was used to this and couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, what reward will I get after passing the test this time? Since we're old friends, you can't just fool me."
"His stubborn nature of not being able to suffer losses hasn't changed." As the Emperor of Fengdu spoke, a book suddenly appeared in his hand. The book was pitch black, with clouds and mist seemingly swirling around it. Even from a distance, one could feel the extremely dense death aura, yet at the same time, there was also a life force.
The fact that two completely opposite attributes could coexist so harmoniously in the same object was beyond Zuan's comprehension.
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