Chapter 1774: Shan Yan
Chapter 1774: Shan Yan
Anchor Point: 1 year.
"Ah!"
As if waking from an impossibly long dream, Zhang Fan felt his head splitting apart.
His mind was a total blank; he had no idea who he was or where he was.
"Fan'er!"
Rinsing Moon Bai rushed in, her face etched with worry.
Her presence was like a spark, illuminating the void of his memory.
Scenes from the past surfaced one after another.
Three years later.
"The battle with my original self was even more brutal than I imagined."
"We both fought until we were on the verge of complete exhaustion. The most critical part was activating [Truth] when I was so close to the finality of divine convergence."
"Even after three years of constantly cleansing myself with the True False Dao, that searing starlight still flares up from time to time."
Lying in a chair and gazing at the sunset, Zhang Fan pressed a hand to his temple, which throbbed faintly.
Forcing his frail, ailing body to wield the power of True False Transformation had taken its toll. He still hadn't fully recovered from his weakened state, and even a moment of reflection left him feeling an instinctual wave of fatigue.
"Thankfully, Aunt is here to take care of me," Zhang Fan sighed inwardly.
Just then, Rinsing Moon Bai's voice called out, "Fan'er, it's getting dark. Time to come in for dinner."
She wheeled Zhang Fan back into the house and began to feed him personally.
"Aunt, I have the strength to eat on my own," Zhang Fan said, a little helplessly.
Rinsing Moon Bai frowned. "You said the same thing a year ago, and then you passed out again. Let's just focus on getting you better. I may not be well-read, but I know that sickness strikes fast, but recovery is slow."
Without another word, she continued to bring the food to his lips.
The simple meal took a full half-hour.
It was long, yet warm.
"Aunt is such a good person. For my original self to do such things to her... he was truly worse than a beast! Not only did he control her like a puppet, but his plan to help her achieve sainthood also went nowhere."
"With the ability of True Spirit Infusion and the True False Dao, he could have helped even a mortal become a Saint. But he chose not to, preferring to help outsiders instead."
Zhang Fan shook his head inwardly.
In his view, there was a clear distinction between family and strangers.
Moral, Square Inch, and Shou Qiu... none of them could compare to Rinsing Moon Bai.
"I have taken your body, so I shall bear your karma."
"I will atone for the sins you have committed."
"In this life, I will definitely lead Aunt out of this Xuanhuang Realm."
Zhang Fan made a silent vow.
However, he didn't rush. He decided to first recuperate patiently.
According to his original self's memories, the Xuanhuang Realm was exceptionally dangerous. A single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
"How should I put it... he was my original self, after all. Even with a treasure like [Truth], to fight his way out of a place like this was no simple feat."
Zhang Fan compared his own experiences in his past life with his original self's journey and had to admit that his own path had been incredibly smooth, almost absurdly lucky.
"Or perhaps, my original self scattered countless avatars throughout the Mountain Sea, and only a lucky one like me could have survived to the end."
"As for the final, desperate gamble to turn the tables..."
"That was all thanks to my own tenacious will and indomitable spirit."
Every time he recalled his counterattack from the brink of oblivion, aided by the finality of divine convergence, Zhang Fan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
"To reach the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea, second only to the True God, my original self was indeed a peerless titan. It's a shame the student surpassed the master. I am one step better!"
His heart swelled with satisfaction, so much so that even the injuries to his body and soul seemed to ease.
A long while later, his surging emotions finally calmed.
Lying in bed under the cover of night, Zhang Fan silently called upon [Truth].
In the next moment, what looked like countless specks of firefly light gathered from the surrounding darkness.
They formed a screen of light that slowly began to unfold.
But a mysterious resistance seemed to be at play, and the screen formed with excruciating slowness.
From time to time, a strange radiance would flash across it, just like the starlight that had erupted at the end of his last life.
Zhang Fan knew it wasn't that [Truth] was damaged.
Rather, in his current state, the True God's influence had not yet been completely purged. [Truth] was at risk of being corrupted, so it was instinctively resisting.
Zhang Fan tried again.
The more the [Truth] screen tried to unfold, the more frequently the starlight flickered.
The light spread, almost threatening to return him to the doomsday of divine convergence.
Zhang Fan knew it was an illusion, of course, but it still sent a shiver of fear through his heart.
"Forget it. I'll wait until I've completely washed away the God's influence."
With all thoughts extinguished, Zhang Fan drifted into a deep sleep.
He spent another ten years before he was fully recovered.
During this time, Zhang Fan secretly intervened to slow his aunt's aging process.
Although it slightly delayed his own recovery, Zhang Fan felt it was worth it.
And to make their path of cultivation seem more plausible, the first thing Zhang Fan did after recovering was to use his profound power of True False to alter the environment of the Xuanhuang Realm.
"The mortals here can't cultivate because of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma."
"This law of heaven and earth was created by the Dharma Spreader when he reversed the world's logic."
Having inherited his original self's memories, Zhang Fan was intimately familiar with the history of the Xuanhuang Realm.
But he didn't have a particularly favorable impression of it.
"Anyone who stands in the way should just disappear."
With a single thought of True False, the Dharma Spreader and the Heavenly Doctor were erased from the world.
It was as if they had never existed at all.
Without the Dharma Spreader's suppression of the world's logic, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm began to rumble and slowly return to its normal flow.
With another glance, he destroyed the Immortal-Forbidden Array that sealed the small world of Great Xuan.
Several days later, at the dinner table, Rinsing Moon Bai suddenly remarked, "Fan'er, have you noticed the weather has become much more pleasant these past few days? It's strange, it was scorching hot just a while ago."
Zhang Fan nodded in agreement.
There was no need for anyone to actively spread cultivation techniques; as long as spiritual energy existed, cultivators would naturally emerge.
Half a month later, the first Qi Refining cultivator was born in the small world of Great Xuan.
News of immortal cultivation spread like wildfire.
"Cultivation... According to them, does this mean I can cultivate too?" In her room, Rinsing Moon Bai felt the distinct flow of spiritual power within her body and spoke with utter disbelief.
"What about you, Fan'er?" she asked a moment later, her voice filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Aunt. I can feel the spiritual energy in the world too," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
Rinsing Moon Bai let out a sigh of relief. "Heaven be praised, may our ancestors protect us!"
With the path of cultivation now open, the two of them left Great Xuan and entered the Xuanhuang Realm, seeking a way to advance further.
And with Zhang Fan's secret protection, there were naturally no risks.
Their journey was perfectly smooth, and they reached the Dao Integration realm.
With the Dharma Spreader gone, the path to Longevity was severed. Having reached the peak of cultivation in the Xuanhuang Realm, the two decided to venture into the dark star sea in search of the legendary possibility of ascension.
The obstacle at the exit, the Nameless Hunger Immortal, had already been secretly erased by Zhang Fan.
And the shackles of the High Wall were nothing before the power of True False Transformation.
However, to make things seem more plausible, Zhang Fan deliberately created a few challenges.
On the surface, it appeared as if they had gone through immense hardship to finally pass through the High Wall and obtain Shou Qiu's legacy.
"The Infinite Sea, the Upper Mountain."
"This world... is so vast." Learning the truth of the Mountain Sea, Rinsing Moon Bai was lost in a daze.
True Immortal, Nameless, Transcendent.
The three great realms that ordinary people found impossible to cross, Rinsing Moon Bai passed through with ease under Zhang Fan's care.
"Next is the true encounter with the Mountain Sea."
"The Mountain Sea is still too dangerous for Aunt. Only that shelter world is safe enough," Zhang Fan thought, looking at Rinsing Moon Bai's face.
He turned his gaze toward the distant depths of the Mountain Sea, where the Fishing Old Man resided.
Zhang Fan silently chanted in his heart: "The hooked one is willing!"
From the unseen void, there seemed to come a faint sound of surprise.
A moment later, a colossal force traversed the Mountain Sea.
It swept up both Zhang Fan and Rinsing Moon Bai, pulling them into the world of the God-Becoming Guests.
Like a fish in a basket, Rinsing Moon Bai instantly lost consciousness.
Zhang Fan, however, broke free in an instant with his True False Transformation.
He stood before the Fishing Old Man.
"Senior, it's been a long time," he said with a smile.
"You are?" The Fishing Old Man narrowed his eyes.
He did feel a vague sense of familiarity from the person before him.
But it was just a faint feeling, nothing more.
The Mountain Sea had not yet fallen terminally ill, so the memories of the God-Becoming Guests had not fully awakened.
The Fishing Old Man knew nothing of what had happened in the previous life.
"Everyone, please come out."
As he spoke, the profound aura of the True False Dao coiled around Zhang Fan.
Then, it suddenly shifted and flowed.
Fate Slaying, Fishing, Forgetfulness, Longevity, Array Breaking...
All these different Daos manifested.
The God-Becoming Guests, who were recuperating in this shelter world, were stunned to sense their own paths emanating from a stranger.
Figure after figure appeared, surrounding Zhang Fan.
"The three Saints—Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi—had a method called Same Heart Same Virtue."
"Are you all willing to join me?"
Ignoring the strange atmosphere that was building, Zhang Fan simply stated his proposal.
"Same Heart Same Virtue?"
Although the God-Becoming Guests lived here together, they didn't particularly like each other. Naturally, they were unwilling.
But the secret Zhang Fan had just revealed made them incredibly curious.
Just then, Array Breaker suddenly spoke up. "I have a compromise. It's called [Young Man's Travel]. It can recreate events that have truly happened. It doesn't have the power of Same Heart Same Virtue, but it can prove your origins."
Seeing the expressions of the other God-Becoming Guests, it seemed they also favored this solution.
Zhang Fan sighed softly, feigning helplessness. "It's just a shame that you will all miss the chance to experience the [True False Dao]."
"True False?" Upon hearing this, an irrepressible light burst from the eyes of the God-Becoming Guests.
They all fell into contemplative silence.
"I see. No wonder you can master our Daos."
"If it's the True False Transformation, then it all makes sense."
...
Like a single stone causing a thousand ripples, the mention of [True False] made even these former Saints lose their composure.
In the end, unable to resist the temptation of glimpsing the True False, the God-Becoming Guests agreed to join Zhang Fan in [Same Heart Same Virtue].
Within the shelter world, a momentary storm brewed.
Then, the entire world seemed to fall into a strange, motionless state.
A long time later, the God-Becoming Guests finally awoke from their wonderful epiphany.
"So this is True False..."
"To hear the Dao in the morning and die content in the evening. Even if I can't escape the fate of becoming a God in the end, I have no regrets."
"I never thought you'd actually succeed."
The God-Becoming Guests each expressed their own sentiments, but Xuanyuan Hong was overjoyed.
With Zhang Fan's help, they had all recovered some memories of their previous life.
Xuanyuan Hong said, "In the last cycle, we sensed the arrival of the True False Dao, coming to erase us. We knew it must have been a plan set in motion by Senior Fate Slayer. Though we couldn't change our fate of being erased, we were quite delighted. Before we vanished, we decided to give you one last push."
"We weren't expecting much, but we never imagined..."
Fate Slayer Lord's ill-timed words suddenly cut in. "That former master of [Truth]... he rose from humble beginnings, from the perilous lands of the Xuanhuang Realm, and fought his way to the pinnacle of the Mountain Sea. He was meticulous, ruthless, and his methods were extraordinary. He repeatedly managed to survive impossible situations. And this time, he was consumed by his own avatar?"
"Could it be... a scheme he set up?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere turned cold.
Zhang Fan's response was immediate, his expression proud. "Absolutely not!"
Just as Li Fan had been certain that his former self had truly perished and become [Truth],
the current Zhang Fan was utterly convinced that it was his own life-and-death struggle that had allowed him to successfully seize control from his original self, and not some elaborate plot.
But seeing the contemplative looks on the faces of the God-Becoming Guests, Zhang Fan's expression flickered through several changes.
A moment later, he spoke with solemnity. "I ask you all to help me investigate thoroughly."
Since they had already shared Same Heart Same Virtue, there were no longer any personal secrets between them.
Therefore, Zhang Fan opened his soul completely, allowing the God-Becoming Guests to examine him.
Under the bond of Same Heart Same Virtue, he feared no danger.
The matter was of great importance, and the Fishing Old Man and the others dared not be careless.
They began a meticulous inspection.
Once, twice.
A long time later, they finally retracted their divine senses.
"It is a perfect whole, seamless and naturally formed. It seems we were overthinking things," Fate Slayer Lord said.
"In the finality of divine convergence, without the support of the True False Dao, the so-called master of [Truth] held no advantage. Victory could have gone either way. It is indeed possible for an avatar to consume its original self."
...
The God-Becoming Guests discussed among themselves and found no flaws.
"However, the master of [Truth] has an advantage we can't match. He retains his memories through countless cycles. It's inevitable he might have some tricks we don't know about. A little extra caution is always a good thing."
Despite saying this, they had no good way to interfere in the conflict between the avatar and the main body. All they could do was offer a word of warning.
Moving past this issue, they proceeded to discuss the main topic.
Now that the True False Dao was on their side, what should they do next?
With the True False Dao in hand, the possibility of overthrowing the True God existed.
And with an outsider like Zhang Fan, even the God-Becoming Guests of this world, who had always chosen to lie flat, felt their ambitions begin to stir.
"I certainly won't follow in that one's footsteps, devouring the Mountain Sea to slay the gods."
"But how, then, can we preserve the Mountain Sea and still avoid falling back into the cycle?"
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