My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2365 - 1762: God Creation Guest
Previously on My Simulated Road to Immortality...
Deep in thought and uncertainty, Zhang Fan overlooked the subtle shift in Xuan Yuanhong’s face.
Truth be told, the abrupt unveiling of the Mountain Sea Dao’s destruction core had startled him somewhat. Yet, given his inherent disposition and the presence of the ultimate artifact "Hai Zhen" at his side.
Truly forcing him to remain in this Fang Cun for eternity...
It felt utterly discouraging.
In the end, he wasn’t akin to the old fisherman, who appeared perfectly suited to devote an entire life to angling.
"Give me a moment to ponder, just a moment more." For that instant, Zhang Fan found himself wavering too.
Though Xuan Yuanhong refrained from pressing him, he seemed to anticipate the choice Zhang Fan would eventually reach.
Within this realm, the flow of time felt frozen in place.
The old fisherman alongside the recently ensnared Stone Tablet—two silhouettes, one grand and one diminutive—remained perpetually seated, casting their lines.
Xuan Yuanhong spent much of his days tenderly beside his Dao companion, now and then tending to Zhang Fan’s needs.
Regarding the additional elders that Xuan Yuanhong had referenced, Zhang Fan had yet to encounter any.
Maybe they preferred solitude undisturbed.
Living entities existed in this space, their existences stretching to immense lengths, untroubled by decay even as the Mountain Sea met its end. Moreover, this Heaven and Earth pulsed with vitality, expanding daily in scope and magnitude. Supplies remained inexhaustible.
To some extent, it truly deserved the name of a Blissful Realm.
No need to nitpick.
However...
A decade slipped by, then a century, but Zhang Fan remained unable to settle into this existence.
Despite his days of utter leisure, a persistent sense of restriction gnawed at him.
After eight centuries, Zhang Fan at last reached his limit.
He approached Xuan Yuanhong, face etched with gravity.
"Looks like you’ve settled on your choice." Having anticipated his visit, Xuan Yuanhong spoke with profound feeling.
Zhang Fan gave a firm nod.
"Make sure you’ve considered it fully. Leaving this place means no return is possible." Xuan Yuanhong warned gravely.
Zhang Fan failed to grasp the full weight of those words.
Following eight hundred years locked away, this abrupt release stirred his spirit like an untamed steed bursting from its tether, yearning to dash across open fields.
"I’ve decided. No turning back."
"Very well." A soft sigh escaped Xuan Yuanhong.
"When will you set out?" he inquired once more.
"Right away," Zhang Fan replied with solemnity.
"I fear that lingering further might shake my resolve, costing me this firm intent." He clarified.
"Fine. I’ll bid you farewell for the final time. The journey ahead grows treacherous, and my aid will be limited."
With Xuan Yuanhong by his side, Zhang Fan exited that illusory paradise.
The overwhelming weight of Dao Yan pressed upon him anew, igniting an instinctive dread within Zhang Fan’s core.
Yet at the same time, an expansive liberty surged through him, akin to a fish diving into endless oceans or an eagle gliding across vast heavens.
He longed simply to cry out in exhilaration, unleashing the elation bottled in his soul.
Xuan Yuanhong permitted Zhang Fan his outburst, and during their parting, presented a Jade Pendant.
"Should a fatal peril arise, this Jade Pendant will shield you a single time."
"Yet it offers protection only once."
"The course you forge from there rests wholly on your ingenuity."
Zhang Fan expressed deep gratitude and took leave of Xuan Yuanhong.
He traversed the Dao Yan, surging over swells in the Mountain Sea.
From the origin he departed, Xuan Yuanhong and the rest concealed themselves rapidly inside the Mountain Sea.
Inside that domain.
Xuan Yuanhong, the old fisherman, Guest Zhang, and three additional silhouettes lifted their eyes in unison.
Gazing at the form of [Real] and Li Fan’s authentic essence in the [God Slaying Transformation] realm.
Their vision scanned across, failing to fix on the precise spot yet securing a broad area.
Having dwelled in this world for millennia, Zhang Fan hadn’t comprehended all details. Still, he grasped the essentials.
"Truthfully, Brother Zhang’s a decent fellow. Shame there won’t be another like Zhang Fan visiting here."
"In the end, with the True and False Dao, it’s no disgrace for it to shatter the barrier and arrive abruptly. Luckily, I’ve fortified this world’s barriers, so no further pieces will slip in."
"Unless that individual arrives in person."
"You’ve toiled greatly, Po Zhenzi," Xuan Yuanhong remarked.
Po Zhenzi kept his stare fixed toward [God Slaying Transformation].
After an extended pause, he murmured uncertainly, "Somehow, it feels like I once battled by his side. Regrettably, I’ve forfeited that bravery now."
At those words, a Liquor Gourd materialized in his grasp, which he emptied in one go.
"In those days, we believed the Mountain Sea’s persistence stemmed from the Dao. Not just you—everyone here has striven for redemption, haven’t they?"
"Really, Reincarnation marks the genuine fate of this domain. Seeking to shatter Reincarnation amounts to defiance. Po Zhenzi, haven’t you grasped that?"
Another voice rang out; Po Zhenzi merely snorted disdainfully, downing extra gulps.
"Old Man Wangji, you prattle on excessively."
"Grasping the truth differs from embracing it."
"Moreover, when we forged this sanctuary together, nothing barred us from withdrawing!"
...
The mood grew tense briefly.
"Ha, got a bite!" The old fisherman exclaimed joyfully, shattering the awkward hush.
He toyed with the snagged fish momentarily, then casually released it back into the Mountain Sea Fishery, standing up suddenly from his angling spot.
He joined the circle of longtime companions.
All eyes turned sharply to him.
"The static endures but fleetingly. The fluid persists forever."
"Here, we merely bide for the perfect moment. If it arises, we seize it. Otherwise, we rest on. No point in arguing." The old fisherman stated serenely.
"Remember, concealed in the Mountain Sea, awaiting the genuine shift— it’s not solely us." The old fisherman’s eyes appeared to pierce through the swirling depths of the Mountain Sea Fishery, extending to scattered corners of the Mountain Sea.
"Even uniting our aged forms, we likely pale against others." He chuckled wryly.