My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 2376 - 1767: Fake Yu Cun (2)

"After searching everywhere, it appears effortlessly! I didn't expect you'd come right to my doorstep today!"

In the blink of an eye as the rundown man struck, Zhang Fan sensed the eternal realm surrounding him fade away completely.

Or more precisely, it crushed down on him with overwhelming force.

Under this crushing weight, both his body and spirit froze in place.

Powerless, he could merely observe as the figure drew nearer.

"What kind of insanity is this!"

Luckily, Zhen Shi Yin's voice shattered the binding hold.

As the dim glow returned, the eternal world reformed, and the heavy burden lifted at once.

"He's not our target, merely an avatar."

At those words, the rundown man's face shifted through various emotions.

He fixed his gaze on Zhang Fan for an extended moment until conviction finally set in.

"Who could've foreseen such an unexpected twist..."

"This isn't good."

The sloppy demeanor of the rundown man dispersed entirely, replaced by a gravely intense look.

"Allow me to present this fellow, Fake Yu Cun." Zhen Shi Yin gestured toward the rundown man and announced.

"I have met the Fake Taoist." Zhang Fan clasped his hands in respect and replied.

He ignored the earlier aggressive display from the man; from Zhang Fan's perspective, the strength shown in that brief instant subtly exceeded even Zhen Shi Yin's own.

"That force likely stems from this region of the eternal void world," Zhang Fan mused inwardly.

"Across the boundless cycles of rebirth, Godhood Guests keep awakening repeatedly. Their responses differ wildly."

"Fake Yu Cun seeks to craft and build a separate void domain to evade the mountain sea annihilation catastrophe." Noticing Fake Yu Cun's reluctance to speak, Zhen Shi Yin took over to describe the roots of this realm.

"Fake brother's creation effort was on the verge of triumph. Even as the Mountains and Seas crumble, this domain stays intact. Not a hint of Dao Yan's chaos could touch it here. Regrettably..."

"No one can flee the destiny of Returning to God," Zhen Shi Yin murmured with a sigh.

"Every path and law throughout existence springs from the Gods. Yet the void I've spun stands apart. If fortified sufficiently, it ought to endure the ripples from a True God's arrival. However..."

"While it might endure, I personally cannot dodge the calamity."

"Once I'm erased, this domain, akin to a reflection in water, will linger just a bit before bursting like a soap bubble." Fake Yu Cun let out a sigh as well.

"Thus, I've yearned all along for direct contact with the True and False Dao."

"Should I seize the essence of true and false, maybe this domain could fully transform and sever ties from the Mountain Sea True God."

"Yet the True and False Dao isn't easily grasped by common folk. When it conceals itself, even our combined efforts struggle to follow its trail. I recall in numerous rebirths, I nearly crossed paths with it multiple times, so close I could almost touch it. But ultimately, it always evaded me."

"In this existence, though echoes of true and false have stirred amid the Mountains and Seas, they're far too faint. It's obvious they're mere deceptions woven by the True and False Dao, so I paid them no heed. But upon encountering you..."

"It appears your insight into the True and False Dao has delved to a deep extent, nearly deceiving even me." Fake Yu Cun spoke deliberately, his eyes locked firmly on Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan gave a faint shake of his head: "Calling it deep overstates things. Still, it might assist the elder in shaping this domain."

Fake Yu Cun's gaze brightened noticeably.

Zhang Fan glanced once more at this realm, murmuring quietly: "When the real turns false, the false turns real."

Faint waves of enigma rippled outward from Zhang Fan's form.

At his brow, a Tree of Truth and Falsehood appeared to manifest, sending the waves from Zhang Fan surging rapidly over the entire domain.

They resonated without end, racing through the realm in a flash.

Though Zhen Shi Yin and Fake Yu Cun couldn't detect the pulses of True and False Changes, they readily perceived the shifts in this eternal world.

Unconcealed delight filled Fake Yu Cun's eyes as he clapped enthusiastically: "Wonderful, wonderful! The True and False Dao truly defies sight and comprehension. Yet with my 'Fake Yu' serving as a marker, I might etch and capture the diverse waves born from truth and falsehood shifts."

"This domain, beyond myself, remains utterly empty. Within this raw wasteland, the tiniest alteration stands out starkly. Through repeated trials, I'll surely snag hints of the True and False Changes."

"Even if they're just hints, not the True and False Changes proper. But..."

A spark of optimism flickered in Zhen Shi Yin's eyes too: "Over time, we could forge and nurture a truth and falsehood exclusive to this domain, drawing from the remnants of the True and False."

Zhang Fan disregarded the thrilled chatter from the pair.

He devoted himself wholly to guiding the brush and ink, manifesting the shifts of truth and falsehood across the empty canvas ahead.

While Zhen Shi Yin and Fake Yu Cun couldn't perceive the truth and falsehood alterations, he certainly could.

And unlike enacting it in the Mountain Sea, the True and False Dao revealed itself far more clearly within this eternal void expanse.

The slippery, intricate Dao, stripped of all elaborate layers, instead grew simpler in essence.

Treating truth and falsehood as his tool, with every mark of invention, Zhang Fan sensed his grasp of truth and falsehood expanding greatly.

This wasn't merely to aid Fake Yu Cun, but for his own gain as well.

Unseen waves pulsed without cease, enveloping the trio within.

Oblivious to the passage of time...

Boom!

A fierce quake snapped the three back to awareness.

Zhen Shi Yin and Fake Yu Cun shared a look: "It appears the Mountain Sea faces another Apocalypse."

"The duration was far too brief, insufficient to etch any traces of truth and falsehood. Plus, it's unclear if such traces would survive the Mountain Sea's reset," Fake Yu Cun remarked with regret.

"Still, a ray of hope has emerged at last. It's something to strive for."

Zhen Shi Yin declared resolutely, "We'll delay it for as long as possible, no matter the length."

With those words, he dissolved into a faint glow and pierced through the domain.

Zhang Fan ignored Zhen Shi Yin's exit; he kept his attention solely on sketching and inscribing.

Through his persistent efforts, the formless and elusive truth and falsehood began to gain substance gradually.

Soon after, Zhen Shi Yin came back.

Accompanying him was a violet gleam and a complaining tone: "If you're set on battling to the end, get on with it sooner. Dragging me in only when doom knocks. What kept you before!"

It was a stooped elder with flowing white hair.

"Taoist Kong, enough grumbling—join in the defense!"

"Endless cycles lie ahead, and we've secured the only anomaly. Lose it now, and it might vanish forever!"

The stooped elder kept muttering, yet his frame erupted with boundless radiance. Violet qi billowed forth like an eastern tide, inundating this eternal void domain.

"Ah, the hoard from endless ages!" Taoist Kong lamented deeply.

Zhen Shi Yin scoffed: "No matter the buildup, the Mountain Sea's reset wipes it all away."

"What would you understand! Even with constant Mountain Sea resets, my purple qi collection speeds up each round. One day, this vast purple qi could challenge the Gods themselves. But previously, I'd perish the moment the Great Calamity of Returning to God struck. Without spotting a Divine Mask, interferences were minimal."

"Opting to fight back now risks squandering every prior hoard in one go..."

"We have no alternative! Time is nearly up!"

Zhen Shi Yin's assertion quieted Taoist Kong.

He ceased his complaints, his shape dissolving, leaving just the vast purple qi to purify.

Zhang Fan noticed this purple qi left the present eternal expanse undisturbed; it simply warded off all outer calamities.

The canvas steadied anew, letting Zhang Fan pick up his inking once more.

Yet beyond, the Mountain Sea clearly endured its final devastation.

The purple qi's depletion raced at a terrifying pace.

And the True and False Changes Zhang Fan enacted started to warp faintly.

As if the strokes kept veering off course.

"This is..."

In a heartbeat, Zhang Fan grasped the reason.

"The True God descends, compelling truth and falsehood to revert."

With a heavy mind, he quelled the shake and pushed on with the drawing by force.

Upon the canvas, the True and False Changes grew ever more refined.

Nearly mirroring what he recognized.

But right as the last line neared completion, Zhang Fan's hand halted abruptly.

He discovered he could draw no further.