"Trust me,"
the old man said sincerely, holding the Omniscient Token, as he spoke to Xiang Mantang.
Xiang Mantang's gaze flickered indecisively, her train of thought interrupted, her face immediately grew cold, and she said sternly, "Since you're a person 'Omniscient', surely there's no reason for you not to be aware of my identity. All that you've just told me; are you playing me?!"
Xiang Mantang was referring to the old man's jade-character divination and the guidance he provided for her to go to Babylon in search of the Garden of Eden.
"No, I did not play you," the old man shook his head. "I am aware of your identity, but my recent divination was not done to lead you on using Dragon King's information. The results are indeed as such. The subsequent calculation that this trip would be extremely dangerous is also true. Otherwise, I would not have revealed my identity to get you to trust me."
"So, what was your 'Omniscient' purpose in coming to find me? Was it to make me stop, to wait calmly for my senior brother to wake up, or was it to guide me to find the Garden of Eden?"
Xiang Mantang didn't believe the old man's words, her tone coldly skeptical.
The old man answered, "The purpose was to make you stop, as your current efforts to find the Dragon King's resuscitation method are causing the world to descend into chaos, severely affecting the overall situation. That's why I specifically came to help you find a method."
"And the Dragon King does not need rescue; he can recover on his own if you just wait. I was not aware of this initially—it was the result deduced from the jade characters you mentioned, not a deception. And the divination regarding the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is genuine; it can indeed accelerate the Dragon King's recovery time. I just did not expect that your journey there would trigger an unprecedented disaster of warfare!"
As the old man explained, there was endless frustration and regret in his voice.
If he had known that giving Xiang Mantang the divination results would lead to such a significant disturbance, one that hadn't been seen in a millennium, he, being 'Omniscient', would rather watch Xiang Mantang pursue the people from Withered Tree Quest for Spring, use Slaughter Redemption, and search chaotically for treasure medicine across the world.
He would not have shared the divination results with Xiang Mantang.
Alas, now that Xiang Mantang knew, whether she would go there to explore was unpredictable.
The old man could only hope that Xiang Mantang would be someone open to advice.
Listening to the old man's explanation, Xiang Mantang's eyes shimmered, uncertain whether he was telling the truth or deceiving her.
Anyway, she was not about to easily trust this guy.
An 'Omniscient' person coming to her, offering to help awaken Mu Jinyu out of goodwill? She found it hard to believe anything he said.
There must be more to it.
However, the perils of the Garden of Eden and its interior were likely real. It was a result beyond their 'Omniscient' expectations, compelling the old man to disclose his identity.
So...
Should she make the trip?
Seeing that his words had no effect on Xiang Mantang, the old man knew that she no longer had much trust in him. After a moment, an idea struck him, and he said to Xiang Mantang:
"Dragon King, did your senior brother ever tell you about what he encountered in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains of Miao Zombie while searching for the Spring of Life for the Old Dragon King?"
Xiang Mantang's eyes showed a flicker of movement, and then she burst out a streak of sharp brightness, saying, "Are you talking about Lin Qingxue and the esteemed person she encountered?!"
Mu Jinyu had indeed told her about the incidents encountered in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains of Miao Zombie.
At that moment, he had guessed that the learned person who guided Lin Qingxue, telling her to head to Miaojiang's Hundred Thousand Great Mountains where she would receive the aid of a noble person and resolve the Lin Family's crisis, was very likely the Omniscient one.
Only the Omniscient could know that Mu Jinyu would get the clue to the Spring of Life from the Withered Tree Quest for Spring, and that he would go to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in search of the Spring of Life to extend the life of the Old Dragon King, thus able to guide Lin Qingxue to find someone.
The old man nodded and said, "Yes, in fact, it was also our guidance that led the Withered Tree Quest for Spring to find Mu Jinyu, and then conveniently let Jinyu get the clue to the Spring of Life. Our original intention was to help extend the life of the Old Dragon King..."
"As for Lin Qingxue, it was also to give you a reminder, to take notice of our Withered Tree Quest for Spring, consider it a trial, perhaps? If you could find us, it would prove that we could continue to cooperate. However, it seems you don't really care much about us..."
With that, he sighed deeply and continued, "Unfortunately, man's calculations are no match for heaven's. In the end, the Old Dragon King and Cain perished together, and from that moment, the course of the world, the future changes, began to gradually escape our control."
Xiang Mantang said, "So, you specifically came to me this time, to prevent me from causing chaos everywhere. You came to predict my future, then tell me that even if I don't do anything, my senior brother would still awaken. And if I don't believe it and want to accelerate this awakening process, you would help me find out where to get the Treasure Medicine that could awaken my senior brother?"
"That's right." The old man saw that Xiang Mantang was gradually clarifying his thoughts and nodded somewhat gratified, "We, the Omniscient, have no malice towards you. Everything we do is just to maintain the order and rules of the world."
Xiang Mantang said, "So, after realizing that if I go there, it would lead to even more unpredictable outcomes, you hope that I would not act rashly, is that it? But the matter about the Garden of Eden is real?"
"Hmm?" The old man listened to Xiang Mantang's words and slowly felt that something was amiss.
Initially, he thought that after talking to him about Lin Qingxue's matter, he would calm down and not think about acting rashly. But listening to his words now, it seemed...
Did he want to be even more reckless?
Xiang Mantang looked at the old man's expression and muttered to himself, "So it's true..."
"Originally, I was hesitating about whether there was any conspiracy behind your guiding me to find the Garden of Eden and whether I should go. Now, I have decided to go!"
Xiang Mantang's tone was calm, but it carried a trace of madness.
"What?!" The old man's heart sank, and he urged further, "I'm not deceiving you, our predictions as the Omniscient are basically infallible. Your senior brother will awaken on his own, and if you insist on searching for the Garden of Eden, it may trigger a result that no one can bear!"
"Basically infallible, but haven't there been mistakes made?" Xiang Mantang wouldn't listen to the old man, "The Old Dragon King and Cain died together, isn't that beyond your control?"
"If I follow your advice, remain inactive, and just wait for my senior brother to awaken on his own, what if your prediction is wrong, and he never wakes up at all?"
Xiang Mantang looked at the old man with cold eyes, his tone resolute and emphatic:
"Fate is not just waited for! Rather than trust your vague and elusive predictions, I prefer to fight for a path to life on my own!"
After saying this, Xiang Mantang ignored the old man's persuasion, got into his carriage, and sped toward the headquarters of the Dragon King Hall.
The old man stood rooted to the spot, taking a while to regain his composure. He looked in the direction Xiang Mantang had left, then lifted his head to gaze at the sky.
The sky was dark, as though it was going to rain.
It gave off a very oppressive feeling.
The old man exhaled and mused, "Perhaps, he is not wrong. The world has long since surpassed our imagination, the Omniscient are no longer omniscient, and it looks like the sky is about to change too!"