153: Chapter 153 The Unparalleledly Beautiful and Graceful Empress! Is that enough sincerity? ~

Hearing this, Zhou Liangan stopped, turned his head, and looked at the impatient Qi Xiaoyu. He couldn't help but chuckle, reached out to flick her little nose, and said in a leisurely tone: "If you want to leave, you can leave at any time. As long as we turn around and walk back, we can exit this ancient path within half an hour."

"Really?" Qi Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, but she immediately frowned, "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Say so earlier? If I had said so earlier, wouldn't you have missed out on a massive Opportunity?" Zhou Liangan raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming a bit more serious, "I just said it earlier, the deeper you walk on this path, the more benefits you will receive. If you turn around and leave now, the benefits you could get wouldn't even amount to one ten-thousandth of what this path truly bestows. It would be a real pity."

Hearing this, Gong Yumin and Qi Xiaoyu were instantly stunned, swallowing the complaints that had just reached their lips.

For a cultivator, Dao Opportunities are more important than anything else.

Any fool would know how to choose between one ten-thousandth of the benefits and a complete Legacy.

The two women exchanged a glance and were just about to say something when they suddenly discovered that Zhou Liangan, standing beside them, had frozen in place, motionless.

His gaze became hollow and profound, as if piercing through endless time and space, seeing through the essence of the entire Ancient Path of Reincarnation.

Countless black and white Reincarnation runes emerged unconsciously around him, echoing the runes on the entire ancient path, emitting a dazzling light.

The time around them seemed to have completely stopped at this moment.

Qi Xiaoyu and Gong Yumin reacted instantly, their expressions changing.

Epiphany!

Zhou Liangan had actually entered a state of Epiphany at this time!

And it was an Epiphany regarding the Dao of Samsara, bolstered by the entire Ancient Path of Reincarnation!

This was a massive Opportunity!

One must know that an Epiphany for a cultivator is something to be sought but not guaranteed; a single Epiphany is worth tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation.

What's more, this was an Epiphany grasping the Dao of Samsara within the Dao Fruit of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation!

The two women instantly put aside all their thoughts, standing side by side on either side of Zhou Liangan. They scanned their surroundings vigilantly, pushing their cultivation to the limit, guarding Zhou Liangan with all their might.

They knew very well that during an Epiphany, a cultivator is at their most vulnerable. If disturbed by the outside world, at best, their cultivation would regress and their Dao foundation would be damaged; at worst, their Dao Heart would shatter, leading directly to Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Even though this was the Ancient Land of Samsara, they dared not be the slightest bit careless.

At this moment, Zhou Liangan's consciousness had completely detached from his body, extending infinitely along with the runes of the entire Ancient Path of Reincarnation, instantly seeing through the full scope of the entire Land of Samsara.

He finally saw clearly that this so-called Starry Sky Ancient Path did not exist in the reality of the starry sky at all, but existed entirely within the Dao Fruit of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation!

His consciousness, like a stream of light, pierced through layer after layer of space-time barriers, crossed endless scenes of Reincarnation, and sped toward the very core of the Land of Samsara.

He did not know how much time had passed, but his consciousness finally stopped.

Before him, there was no longer the endless Dao of time, but a boundless Bodhi Forest.

Every Bodhi Tree emitted a soft light, hung with countless scenes of Reincarnation. As the wind blew, the leaves rustled, as if recounting the stories of Reincarnation from throughout the ages.

And in the very center of this Bodhi Forest, there was a gigantic Bodhi Tree that reached from the sky to the earth. Beneath the tree sat a peerless woman of grace.

She was wearing a black and white imperial robe embroidered with countless mysterious Reincarnation runes. Her long hair, like a waterfall, cascaded over her shoulders. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, graceful and luxurious, her temperament indifferent, as if she had seen through the time of the ages. All the joys and sorrows of the world could not stir even the slightest ripple in her eyes.

She was clearly sitting there quietly, yet Zhou Liangan felt that she existed simultaneously in every space-time of the past, present, and future, existing in every segment of Reincarnation in the world.

She was the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, who had merged her body with the Dao of Samsara, shaking the past and present!

Just as Zhou Liangan's consciousness landed on her, the woman who had sat quietly for countless epochs slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes seemed to contain all the Reincarnation in the world, as deep as an endless sea of stars.

When her gaze fell upon Zhou Liangan's consciousness, for the first time, a look of deep astonishment emerged in those eyes that had remained unchanged for eternity.

She looked at Zhou Liangan, her red lips parted slightly, and a voice that spanned endless time and space sounded slowly, carrying a trace of unbelievable surprise: "I didn't expect that after the passing of eternal years, there would still be someone like you in this world..."

Zhou Liangan slowly raised his head, his gaze falling upon the peerless figure beneath the Bodhi Tree.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation before him still sat quietly there, her black and white imperial robe draped on the ground. The Reincarnation runes engraved upon it flowed slightly with a soft light as she breathed.

Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, without a trace of the years left behind, but those deep eyes held the vicissitudes and indifference of having seen through the birth and death of countless epochs.

She was clearly just sitting there motionless, yet she seemed to have completely merged with the entire Land of Samsara and the Dao of Samsara of this world.

Yet, such a powerhouse at the Half-Step Emperor Realm, who shook the past and present, looked at him with undisguised astonishment and inquiry.

A trace of imperceptible strangeness emerged in Zhou Liangan's eyes.

Meeting the gaze of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, he felt no awe in the face of a top-tier powerhouse. Instead, his tone was calm, and he asked straightforwardly, word by word: "Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, you used your own Dao Fruit as a foundation to set up such a massive scheme, spanning throughout the ages, luring countless Prodigies to step into this Land of Samsara Trial Grounds. What exactly are you plotting?"

His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the rustling wind in the Bodhi Forest and reached the ears of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.

Hearing this, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation was slightly startled at first, then suddenly chuckled aloud.

Her laughter was clear and melodious, like a mountain spring dripping onto jade, and carried a sense of relief and playfulness after passing through the ages, slowly echoing in the silent Bodhi Forest.

She looked at Zhou Liangan, the astonishment in her eyes deepening, carrying a trace of sincere admiration: "Interesting! Truly interesting! You are worthy of being someone who can transcend the shackles of this world; you truly know a great deal."

She leaned forward slightly, her fair hand resting gently on her knee, looking at Zhou Liangan with burning eyes, her tone carrying a hint of understanding: "Ordinary people who step into my Land of Samsara are either confused by the endless Reincarnation or only fixated on the Legacy and Opportunity I left behind, their hearts filled only with advancing their cultivation. No one has ever been able to see at a glance that this Land of Samsara itself is a scheme. Only you, not in the game, but outside the game, see things that those of us trapped in this world could never infer."

Zhou Liangan's heart stirred slightly.

He took a step forward. There was no energy fluctuation beneath his feet, yet his entire being seemed to ignore the distance of space. In an instant, he arrived directly beside the tea table in front of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation from dozens of meters away.

He stood there, his gaze fixed directly on the peerless Female Emperor before him. The strangeness in his eyes grew deeper, and his tone carried a trace of imperceptible surprise: "Worthy of being a powerhouse who reached the Half-Step Emperor Realm in the ancient times, the one and only controller of the Dao of Samsara throughout the ages. To be able to see through my origin at a glance, this discernment is truly terrifying."

The fact that he was a Transmigration traveler was his biggest secret. Since arriving in this world, no one had ever noticed it.

Yet the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation before him, merely by locking eyes with him, had directly exposed the essence of his "transcendence of this world." This perception of the Heavenly Dao and the Karma of fate was simply terrifying to the extreme.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation looked at his surprised expression, but only smiled helplessly, her smile carrying a trace of undisguisable sorrow and fatigue.

She raised her head, her gaze passing through the Bodhi leaves above, looking toward the endless Void Realm, as if seeing through the barriers of this world. Her tone carried a thick sense of powerlessness: "What of the Half-Step Emperor Realm? Even if one truly steps into the Emperor Realm and becomes the supreme powerhouse of this world, what does it matter?"

Her voice was soft, yet carried a despair that went deep into the bone marrow: "In the end, one still cannot escape the scouring of the long river of time, nor the shackles of this world. I have lived for thirteen epochs, from an orphan girl in a savage tribe, walking step by step to this day, treading every corner of this Universe, pushing the Dao of Samsara to a level unprecedented by anyone before. But the more I Cultivate, the more clearly I feel that this world is a huge cage."

"The fate of all of us, from the moment of birth, has already been written. When to have a Breakthrough, when to encounter an Opportunity, when to face Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, it is all fixed." The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation withdrew her gaze and landed it on Zhou Liangan again, the sorrow in her eyes deepening, "No matter how peerless your talent, no matter how much you shake the past and present, wanting to jump out of this fate, wanting to truly transcend, is simply impossible."

Zhou Liangan stood there, listening to her words, his heart jolting violently.

He looked at the exhausted Female Emperor before him, and for the first time, a look of deep shock emerged in his eyes.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, this supporting character in the book, this Half-Step Emperor Realm powerhouse who had lived for thirteen epochs, had actually touched the boundary of this world and detected the existence of this "scheme"!

No wonder, no wonder she used her own Dao Fruit as a foundation to set up this heaven-defying scheme of the Land of Samsara. No wonder she ignored countless Prodigies and specifically looked favorably upon Ye Bufan, the original protagonist.

It turned out that from the very beginning, she wasn't looking for a successor; she was looking for a variable that could break this scheme, looking for someone who could help her jump out of this written fate!

Zhou Liangan stood there, falling into a long contemplation.

He finally understood many things he hadn't been able to figure out before.

Why was it that after his Transmigration into this world, his comprehension of the so-called Dao was ridiculously easy?

Laws that others couldn't comprehend even after a hundred years of closed-door cultivation, he could master with a single glance; the Realm Bottlenecks that others couldn't cross even if they risked their lives, he could Breakthrough with ease.

It was not because he was some unique Prodigy throughout the ages, but because he was simply not a person within this "scheme."

He came from outside the book, from a dimension outside of this world. He was not bound by the Karma of this world, nor affected by the written fate.

The Dao of this world, to him, was like an open book. Standing outside the book, he could naturally see every word and every thread within the book clearly.

He was the greatest variable in this novel, the only accident not arranged by the plot.

[part:gemini-3.5-flash]

At the same time, he was also absolutely certain that the world he had transmigrated into was definitely not on the same plane as Earth.

The Laws here, the cultivation system here, and the rules of the Universe here had absolutely nothing to do with Earth.

He was like a gamer who had suddenly fallen into the game world; he knew the entire plot of the game and the endings of all the NPCs, yet he himself was not in the game's code.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation watched Zhou Liangan standing there, his brow furrowed in deep thought, and did not disturb him.

With a gentle wave of her fair hand, two streams of soft energy swept up, plucking two dripping-wet, emerald-green bodhi leaves from the Bodhi Tree above her head.

Those bodhi leaves were covered in mysterious runes of Reincarnation. Every single vein aligned perfectly with the Dao of Samsara, governing life and death between heaven and earth. Just looking at them could instantly calm one's mind.

She raised her hand to summon a set of simple, ancient tea utensils. The tea table was polished from a star core, shimmering with a faint silver glow. The teapot was crafted from leftover scraps of Chaos Mother Stone, and the mountain spring water inside was rootless water gathered from the depths of the turbulent flows of time and space.

Lighting the fire, boiling the water, putting in the leaves, and brewing the tea.

Every movement of the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation was slow and elegant, flowing like water without a single redundant gesture. Yet, every rise of her hand and every fall of her finger perfectly aligned with the rhythm of the Great Dao of heaven and earth, as if her every action was the very embodiment of the Dao of Samsara.

The aroma of the tea blended with the crisp scent of the bodhi leaves, slowly drifting and filling the entire Bodhi Forest. Just a single breath of it made one's Divine Soul feel clear and bright, instantly restoring the mental energy consumed earlier on the Starry Sky Ancient Path.

She truly deserved her reputation as an extraordinary woman who had astounded thirteen epochs; even the simple act of brewing tea could inspire new insights into the Great Dao.

Before he knew it, Zhou Liangan finally snapped out of his deep contemplation.

He looked up at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation before him. The shock in his eyes had already been reined in, replaced once again by his previous composure and calm.

Right at that moment, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation also happened to lift a cup of freshly brewed tea. With a gentle lift of her fair hand, the cup of tea floated steadily before Zhou Liangan, hovering right in front of him.

The tea was crystal clear, with a fully unfurled Bodhi Leaf floating inside, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation looked up, her beautiful eyes—which seemed to hold the starry rivers of countless ages—gazing intently at Zhou Liangan. With a hint of urgency and anticipation in her voice that she herself didn't even notice, she spoke slowly, "Since you can see through the setup I laid out and can leap out of the destiny of this world, then you must know what the final outcome of this game I have planned for thirteen epochs truly is."

She leaned forward slightly, her burning gaze locked onto Zhou Liangan as she asked word by word, "Can you tell me? Did I succeed in this game of mine, or did I fail?"

Having lived for thirteen epochs, she had witnessed too many partings of life and death, too many successions of dynasties, and the rise and fall of too many prodigies. Power, cultivation, and fame had long since become nothing but fleeting clouds to her.

Her sole obsession was to break the shackles of this world, leap out of this written destiny, and truly achieve transcendence.

For the sake of this obsession, she had merged her body with the Dao, using her own Dao Fruit as the foundation to set up this grand scheme of the Land of Samsara. She had waited for thirteen epochs just to wait for a variable who could give her an answer and help her break the deadlock.

Now, this variable was standing right in front of her.

Looking at the undisguised anticipation in her eyes, Zhou Liangan suddenly smiled.

He reached out and took the tea cup hovering before him. Caressing the warm rim of the cup with his fingertips, he spoke unhurriedly, a hint of playfulness in his tone, "This game of yours can succeed, and it can also fail. In the end, the final outcome depends entirely on a single thought of mine."

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's brows arched slightly.

Zhou Liangan took a sip of the tea. The crispness of the Bodhi Leaf blended with the rich mellow flavor of the tea, spreading across his tongue as a gentle stream of the Power of Reincarnation slid down his throat into his body. It nourished his Divine Soul, making his entire body feel comfortable. Putting down the teacup, he looked at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation and continued with a smile, "I can naturally reveal this heavenly secret to you. However, you and I are neither relatives nor friends. Why should I tell you such important news for no reason, and even help you change the outcome you have planned for thirteen epochs? What is in it for me to help you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the Bodhi Forest instantly quieted down a notch.

Looking at the little fellow before her who was only at the Enlightenment Realm, the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation was taken aback for a moment before she suddenly laughed.

Her smile seemed to instantly light up the entire Bodhi Forest that had been silent for countless ages. Exquisite and stunningly beautiful, a charming curve hooked at the corner of her lips. With a tone carrying a hint of playfulness along with a touch of pressure from a Half-Step Emperor Realm expert, she spoke unhurriedly, "How interesting. This seat is, after all, a Half-Step Emperor Realm expert who has lived for thirteen epochs. Looking across this Universe, even the other Emperors would show this seat some respect. A mere little fellow of the Enlightenment Realm like you actually dares to scheme against this seat in public and negotiate terms. You are truly audacious."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint, imperceptible pressure flashing through her gaze as she threatened in a light tone, "Are you not afraid that in a fit of rage, this seat will keep you here forever, ensuring you never walk out of this Land of Samsara?"

Had it been any other cultivator, even a mighty expert of the Nirvana Realm, being stared down and threatened like this by the Half-Step Emperor Realm Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, they would have likely had their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering in terror, kneeling to beg for mercy.

Yet Zhou Liangan's expression remained entirely unchanged.

He even picked up the teapot again, poured himself another cup of tea, lifted it, and drank it in one gulp.

Only after putting down the teacup did he look up at the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation, a calm smile on his face, his tone absolutely certain: "You cannot keep me here."

"Since I dared to venture alone into the core of your Dao Fruit to meet you here, I have naturally prepared a foolproof way to escape." Zhou Liangan's gaze met the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's eyes directly without the slightest evasion. With a single sentence, he struck the deepest obsession in her heart: "Besides, rather than whether I can leave, what you should care about more is your own ending. If you fail this game, having planned for thirteen epochs and exhausted your own Dao Fruit, only to end up paving the way for someone else, would you be resigned to that?"

The phrase "paving the way for someone else" was like a sharp knife, precisely stabbing the spot the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation cared about most.

The playful smile on her face vanished instantly, and a nearly imperceptible tremor flashed through her slightly narrowed eyes.

Having lived for thirteen epochs, she had set up this grand scheme and gambled everything she had just to transcend destiny.

If she really ended up paving the way for someone else, wouldn't her obsession of thirteen epochs and her planning of thirteen epochs all become a massive joke?

How could she possibly be resigned to that?

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation fell silent for a moment, then curled her lips once more. That charming smile returned to her lips, but this time, there was a touch of seriousness in it.

Looking at Zhou Liangan, she spoke unhurriedly, her tone tinged with inquiry, "You little fellow certainly have a sharp tongue; a single sentence stabbed right into this seat's weak spot. Indeed, this Emperor has planned for thirteen epochs and gambled everything. Naturally, I am not resigned to ending up paving the way for someone else."

She leaned forward slightly, her beautiful eyes staring straight at Zhou Liangan as if she wanted to see right through him. Word by word, she said, "Tell me, what exactly do you know? What is the final outcome of my game? What do you want in exchange for telling me the truth?"

This time, there was no longer any hint of playfulness in her tone; there was only seriousness.

She was already prepared. As long as Zhou Liangan could help her break this destiny and allow her to truly transcend, she would agree to whatever conditions he proposed.

Even if she had to sacrifice most of her cultivation or give up her Half-Step Emperor Realm Dao Fruit, she would not hesitate.

Yet Zhou Liangan did not answer immediately.

He merely smiled and sat down on the futon across the tea table, his eyes sweeping over the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation's body without any reservation.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation before him was not only unmatched in her world-shaking cultivation, but her appearance and figure were also uniquely stunning.

Her black-and-white imperial robe outlined her full, graceful, and hot body. Her shoulders and neck possessed smooth, elegant lines, her waist was so slender it could be held in a single hand, and the curves of her chest were full and alluring. Even just sitting there quietly, she exuded an ultimate aura of mature, elegant charm.

That was the unique, time-tempered grace of an empress who had lived for thirteen epochs, something no young woman could ever replicate.

Zhou Liangan's gaze slowly swept over her body. With undisguised appreciation and playfulness, he spoke unhurriedly, "If you want me to open my mouth and reveal the heavenly secrets to you, it's very simple. You must show some sincerity, shouldn't you?"

The meaning behind his words was already as clear as day.

The Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation had lived for thirteen epochs; what kind of person had she not seen, and what kind of words could she not understand?

How could she possibly fail to catch the hint in Zhou Liangan's words?

Looking at the audacious little fellow before her, and seeing the undisguised playfulness and aggressiveness in his eyes, she was slightly taken aback at first, but then she suddenly chuckled.

This time, her laughter held none of her previous pressure or testing. There was only a touch of understanding, a hint of indulgence, and a trace of a heartbeat that she herself had not even noticed.

She slowly stood up, the hem of her imperial robe brushing lightly against the ground with her movements.

Step by step, she walked to Zhou Liangan's side and leaned down slightly. Her soft, graceful, and voluptuous body, carrying a faint aroma of bodhi tea, leaned gently into Zhou Liangan's embrace.

Her arms gently wrapped around Zhou Liangan's neck, her warm breath brushing past his ear with an alluring numbness. Her beautiful eyes, which held the starry rivers of countless ages, looked at him from mere inches away. A charming curve that could enchant all living beings hooked on her lips as she spoke unhurriedly in a voice only the two of them could hear, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness and a touch of seriousness, "Is this sincerity enough now? Can you tell me the outcome of my game?"

PS: The picture shows the Ancient Emperor of Reincarnation.