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Chapter 1767: God-Becoming Guest

Caught in the throes of indecision, Zhang Fan failed to notice the subtle shift in Xuanyuan Hong's expression.

Admittedly, the sudden revelation of the Mountain Sea's Dao Annihilation had shaken him to his core. But it was in his nature, bolstered by the supreme treasure [Truth], to push forward.

The thought of spending eternity confined to this tiny sanctuary...

He simply couldn't accept it.

After all, he was nothing like the Fishing Old Man, who seemed content to sit and cast his line for an entire lifetime.

"Just let me think a little longer, a little longer," Zhang Fan murmured, unable to make up his mind.

Xuanyuan Hong didn't press him. He seemed to have already foreseen the decision Zhang Fan would ultimately make.

In this world, time itself seemed to stand still.

Xuanyuan Hong, for his part, spent most of his time inseparable from his Dao companion, only occasionally checking in on Zhang Fan.

As for the other seniors Xuanyuan Hong had mentioned, Zhang Fan hadn't seen any of them.

He supposed they preferred not to be disturbed.

This place had its own life, its inhabitants possessing extraordinarily long lifespans, free from the worries of aging until the very collapse of the Mountain Sea. The world itself seemed alive, growing in size with each passing day. Its resources were inexhaustible.

In a sense, it was truly a paradise.

There should have been nothing to find fault with.

And yet...

Ten years passed, then a hundred, but Zhang Fan still couldn't adapt.

Even though he lived each day without a care in the world, he always felt a profound sense of restraint, as if he were bound by invisible chains.

Eight hundred years later, Zhang Fan finally reached his breaking point.

He approached Xuanyuan Hong, his expression solemn.

"It seems you've made up your mind," Xuanyuan Hong said with a knowing sigh, his arrival long expected.

Zhang Fan nodded firmly.

"You must be certain. Once you leave this place, there is no coming back," Xuanyuan Hong warned, his tone gravely serious.

Zhang Fan couldn't truly grasp the meaning behind those words.

After eight hundred years of confinement, freedom was an intoxicating call. His heart was a wild stallion bursting from its reins, desperate to gallop across the plains.

"My mind is made up. I will not regret this."

"Very well," Xuanyuan Hong conceded with a soft sigh.

"When will you depart?" he asked.

"Now," Zhang Fan stated, his voice low and steady.

"I fear that if I stay any longer, my resolve will falter again, and this determination will vanish," he explained.

"As you wish. I will see you on your way. The road ahead is perilous, and there is little more I can do to help you."

Accompanied by Xuanyuan Hong, Zhang Fan walked out from under that false sky.

As the immense pressure of the Dao Annihilation washed over him once more, a primal fear stirred in his heart.

But at the same time, he was overcome by a feeling of absolute liberation—the vast sea calling to the fish, the endless sky beckoning the bird.

He wanted to let out a wild roar, to unleash the exhilaration that surged within him.

Xuanyuan Hong simply allowed Zhang Fan his moment, and just before they parted, he handed him a jade pendant.

"Should you face a fatal crisis, this pendant can save you from one calamity."

"But only once."

"What becomes of you from now on will depend entirely on your own fortune."

Zhang Fan offered a thousand thanks and bowed deeply to Xuanyuan Hong.

He then turned, traversing the Dao Annihilation, treading upon the waves of the Mountain Sea.

Behind him, the sanctuary he had just left, along with Xuanyuan Hong, vanished without a trace, swallowed by the fabric of the world.

Within that hidden world.

Xuanyuan Hong, the Fishing Old Man, a long-life guest, and three other figures all looked up in unison.

Their gazes were directed toward the flickering presence of [Truth] and, beyond it, the world of the God Punishing Variation where Li Fan's true self resided.

Their sight swept across the void. Though they couldn't pinpoint the exact location, they had locked onto the general vicinity.

Zhang Fan had been in their world for millennia, and while they still hadn't fully unraveled his secrets, they had gleaned the general picture.

"Actually, Brother Zhang is a good man. It's a shame. There will never be another Zhang Fan coming here."

"It is the Dao of Truth and Falsehood, after all. It's no disgrace that he broke through our defenses so suddenly. Fortunately, I have since perfected this world's barriers. No more chess pieces will find their way in."

"Not unless that person comes himself."

"We are grateful for your hard work, Senior Array Breaker," Xuanyuan Hong said.

The Array Breaker's gaze, however, remained fixed in the direction of the God Punishing Variation world.

After a long moment, he spoke, a note of loss in his voice. "Once, it seems, I fought alongside him. A pity that now... I have lost my courage."

With that, he produced a wine gourd and took a long drink.

"We once believed that the continued existence of the Mountain Sea was the will of the Great Dao. It wasn't just you; who among us here did not fight with all their might to save the world?"

"But in reality, the cycle is this world's true destiny. Those who attempt to break it are the true aberrations. Array Breaker, have you still not understood this?"

A new voice drifted over. The Array Breaker only snorted and took another swig of wine.

"Forgetful Old Man, you talk too much."

"Knowing something is one thing. Accepting it is another."

"Besides, when we built this sanctuary together, we never agreed that we couldn't go back on our word and leave!"

...

The atmosphere grew cold and tense.

"Ha, a bite!" It was the Fishing Old Man's cheerful cry that broke the deadlock.

He played with the hooked fish for a moment before casually tossing it back into the Mountain Sea Fishing Ground. Setting aside his rod, he rose to his feet.

He rejoined his old friends.

Instantly, all eyes focused on him.

"The unchanging is temporary; change is eternal."

"Our quiet life here is merely a waiting game. If the opportunity arises, we act. If not, we continue our rest. Why must we argue?" the Fishing Old Man said lightly.

"You must know, we are not the only ones hiding within the Mountain Sea, awaiting the true variable." The Fishing Old Man's gaze seemed to pierce through the dark currents of the fishing ground, reaching every corner of the world.

"All of us old bones put together probably couldn't stand against even one of them," he added with a self-deprecating laugh.

Xuanyuan Hong quickly interjected, "Senior Fishing Old Man, you are too humble. Although it is said that all Saints are equal before the True God, all of you here once possessed the bodies of those who achieved godhood. If it truly came to a fight, you would fear no one."

"Achieved godhood..."

Those two words seemed to stir ancient memories within them all, and for a moment, they fell silent once more.

"At the dawn of time, in the primordial age, the Saints fought endlessly. They sought to seize the fortune of the Mountain Sea and attain the sacred opportunity of godhood."

"They lost their way, just as we did back then."

"No amount of persuasion works. Only after one has truly become a god and experienced everything can one understand."

"Except for you, young Xuanyuan, you're the exception." The Fishing Old Man ambled over to a pleasant spot and sat down again.

He grabbed the slate-like creature, which was still utterly stupefied from having overheard such world-shattering secrets, and placed it beside him.

He began fishing once more.

Xuanyuan Hong gave a wry smile. "Compared to you seniors, I merely know my own limitations."

"Through countless cycles, the Dao of Truth and Falsehood has finally produced a new variable. Let it be. It's not as if we can resist anyway."

"But this time, I feel there might be something truly different."

After their discussion, the Saints dispersed, each returning to their seclusion.

They vanished back into the fabric of their world.

"It's just a shame about Brother Zhang."

"He truly is an honest man. I wonder if we'll ever have the chance to meet again," the Xuantian King sighed.

...

The far-flung Zhang Fan, of course, knew nothing of these events.

The initial thrill of his departure had slowly faded.

Though he would never admit it aloud, a sliver of regret had already begun to form in his heart.

The perils and the sheer infinity of the Dao Annihilation had far exceeded his expectations.

Seeing it was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was another entirely.

Just finding another habitable possibility had nearly drained all his strength.

"If the Dao Annihilation within the Mountain Sea is this terrifying, what must the void beyond it be like?"

A growing dread filled Zhang Fan's heart.

But the arrow had been loosed from the bow; he could no longer find the path he came from and could only force himself to press on.

"Fortunately, I still have over ninety uses of [Truth] left."

Just as Zhang Fan was comforting himself with this thought, his expression changed dramatically.

"Another user of [Truth] detected nearby? Temporarily unavailable?"

"What does that mean?"

The shock that hit Zhang Fan in that moment was even greater than when he had first witnessed the truth of the Dao Annihilation.

From the day he was born, possessing the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood, he had always believed himself to be the legendary protagonist, the chosen one. It was why he could remain safe and sound even after his golden finger was discovered.

He never imagined that not long after leaving the starter zone, he would encounter someone with the exact same template.

"What is going on?"

Zhang Fan's heart was a maelstrom of shock and anger.

But before he could even begin to process it, the surrounding possibility erupted into a sea of flames.

Under the scorching heat of the blistering inferno, Zhang Fan was forced to reveal himself.

"Fellow Daoist, wait..."

Zhang Fan still wanted to discuss their similar circumstances with the other party.

But the other bearer of [Truth] had no intention of communicating. The assault didn't slow; instead, it intensified.

The surrounding flames held the power to incinerate the heavens and extinguish the earth.

Even the tide of Dao Annihilation was momentarily suppressed by the fire's might.

Zhang Fan tried to escape, but he couldn't break through the fiery blockade no matter what he did.

"They're trying to kill me!"

Zhang Fan finally understood. At the precipice of life and death, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"In that case, don't blame me!"

Having spent so many years in the sanctuary, free from mortal peril, his combat skills had grown rusty.

But he had been surrounded by supreme beings.

The casual guidance he had received from them was a fortune others might not attain in a thousand lifetimes.

"Hooked One's Wish!"

Zhang Fan's eyes narrowed, his gaze seemingly piercing through the sea of fire to find the person hiding behind the curtain.

He used his hand as a rod and gently cast his line.

The line fell, and the fish was caught!

As if defying all logic, Lin Fan, the one who had unleashed this inferno, was suddenly caught in Zhang Fan's grasp.

His face was a mask of astonishment.

He instinctively tried to struggle, but his body was bound by what felt like countless fishing lines, rendering him completely immobile.

With his enemy captured in an instant, Zhang Fan hesitated just as he was about to deliver the killing blow.

After all, in his entire life, he had never killed another person.

Moreover, not only were this person's fate and circumstances so similar to his own, but even their aura felt vaguely familiar.

"There must be some connection between us."

Zhang Fan mused silently.

Just as he wavered, a gust of wind seemed to pass before him.

The captured Lin Fan disintegrated into ashes, as if consumed by a phantom fire.

Zhang Fan's heart leaped in alarm.

Before he could react, a streak of black flame struck him squarely between the eyebrows.

"Am I to fall here?"

Scenes from his past flashed through Zhang Fan's mind.

There was regret, a sense of loss.

And a burning rage toward his ambusher.

Just as the black flame was about to incinerate Zhang Fan's soul.

A green light flared, blocking the fatal attack.

"Brother Xuanyuan!"

Zhang Fan instantly understood.

What had saved his life was the jade pendant Xuanyuan Hong had given him before they parted.

He thought that with [Truth] in hand, he would never need this treasure. He never expected to use it just a few steps into his journey.

Knowing he would not get a second chance, Zhang Fan's gaze hardened.

"Life Death Separation!"

The moment the words left his lips, Zhang Fan seemed to split in two.

One half emanated an aura of death, like a corpse that had slumbered for ten thousand years. The other pulsed with vibrant life, like an ancient, flourishing tree.

The avatar of death brought a hand down on its own head in a vicious chop.

As its head was severed, a pained scream echoed from a distance. The real Lin Fan's head was inexplicably cut off at the same time.

This was no simple physical attack.

Even his divine soul and consciousness were severed by this linked strike.

And fell into Zhang Fan's hands.

"Die!"

Zhang Fan no longer hesitated. His death avatar pointed a finger at the center of its own fallen head's brow.

Its body crumbled to dust.

Taking his great enemy, Lin Fan, with him.

The demise of the death avatar did not affect Zhang Fan's actual survival.

Endless green life force nourished him, allowing his injuries to heal swiftly.

The psychological shock of this battle far outweighed the damage to his body and soul.

But it had yielded a reward.

[Truth] could be activated once more; the immediate danger had passed.

And...

"I can feel it. The power of his [Truth] has been absorbed by me."

Zhang Fan closed his eyes, sensing a peculiar energy growing stronger within him.

"Senior Fishing Old Man mentioned more than once that this so-called [Truth] is actually the Great Dao of Truth and Falsehood, of change between the real and the unreal."

"I once asked Brother Xuanyuan privately. It seemed this Dao was something only I could perceive and cultivate. Even a genius like him couldn't glimpse a fraction of it."

"And now, a second has appeared."

"And there are far more than just two."

By killing Lin Fan, Zhang Fan had also intercepted some of his memories.

Before their encounter, Lin Fan had already met three other individuals who possessed [Truth]. Lin Fan had fought his way through them all, only to fall at Zhang Fan's hands.

"This one's secondary cultivation was the Dao of Ashen Fire..."

"Average stuff."

Zhang Fan's brow furrowed for a moment, then relaxed.

From the enemy's memories, he learned that this Dao was already among the highest echelons in the Mountain Sea, something an ordinary cultivator might seek their entire life and never find.

"I had a faint inkling that Senior Fishing Old Man's identity was not simple. But I never imagined... he might be far more extraordinary than I ever conceived..."

Realization dawned on Zhang Fan. He finally understood what Xuanyuan Hong meant when he said he could never return.

But the regret lasted only a moment before his will hardened once more.

"Compared to that eternal, tranquil life, this kind of slaughter, this plunder..."

"...is far more suited to me."

Even though this encounter had brought no tangible gains, Zhang Fan felt an irrepressible excitement welling up from the depths of his soul.

"Let me see just how many more like me exist in this vast Mountain Sea!"

"However many I find, I will kill. Until..."

"I find the mastermind behind it all!"

Even if Zhang Fan didn't fully understand it yet, he knew he was caught in the middle of a colossal conspiracy.

He would break the game. He would have his revenge!