Chapter 1737: True Departure Concealed

"Who are you?"

The hand on his shoulder was extremely cold. It even affected his life force, freezing it.

Even though Zhang Fan immediately used the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion to protect himself, he still couldn't prevent his life force from draining away.

Although he had reached the Saint realm, Zhang Fan rarely engaged in combat throughout his cultivation. Thus, he suffered a slight disadvantage in his first battle after becoming a Saint.

Fortunately, even though he hadn't achieved Dao through longevity, he still benefited greatly from it. A gentle, life-giving power, like a murmuring spring stream, resisted the complete onset of the icy freezing.

As Zhang Fan gradually recovered from the opponent's sneak attack, his expression turned cold, and his gaze, like a knife, instantly locked onto them.

Even if he didn't know the opponent's identity or name, as long as they were within his perception, the Life-Severing Blade could strike!

And it wasn't just one blade.

A slender, jade-like hand appeared out of thin air and gently grasped the Life-Severing Blade.

Then, like paper being folded, one Life-Severing Blade became two, and two became eight. In mere moments, blades rained down, descending menacingly!

"Who are you!?"

"Who are you!?"

"Who are you!?"

It was a question, and also a challenge.

He was asking about the opponent's identity, and challenging their very existence.

His voice, like thunder, echoed and struck down relentlessly.

He intended to erase the opponent directly. Folding Paper merged with Life-Severing, and Oblivion merged with Truth and Illusion.

The moment he saw the pale point, Zhang Fan instinctively knew how powerful his opponent was. Therefore, he unleashed all his divine abilities at this moment, as a gesture of respect!

The pale point grunted softly, and the hand pressing on Zhang Fan's shoulder vanished.

However, the light it emitted remained as bright and stable as before, completely unaffected by Zhang Fan's various Great Daos!

Even though all his divine abilities had accurately locked on and struck their target, for some reason, they had no effect.

"This feeling... the protection of the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion..."

Zhang Fan was instantly surprised and suspicious.

But a moment later, he realized the difference.

"It's not that he's unaffected, but rather that it seems he has experienced and withstood these divine abilities countless times before. He has long grown accustomed to all of this, so he endures it as if it were nothing!"

Zhang Fan faintly sensed that the pale point before him might be even more unfathomable than he had imagined. So, after forcing it back, he didn't act rashly again.

The pale light dissipated, revealing its true appearance.

It was a lean, unremarkable middle-aged man.

"My name is Zhen Shiyin," the man said with a faint smile, cupping his hands in a salute.

The moment the three characters "Zhen Shiyin" appeared in Zhang Fan's mind, he felt a subtle stir within his own understanding of the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion. It was as if this lean man before him was somehow connected to Truth itself.

Zhen Shiyin looked no different from a mortal, but simply by standing there, he exerted subtle pressure on Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan subtly retreated a little, pretending to be confused, and asked, "I wonder what you mean by 'the person behind the scenes,' Fellow Daoist Zhen?"

Zhen Shiyin did not expose Zhang Fan's pretense of ignorance. Instead, he stated directly, "The one behind the chaos in the Star Sea is naturally the Master of the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion. As for you, and them..."

"You are merely his created clones."

"Clo... clones." Zhang Fan was stunned.

"Clones? So that's it."

Then, as if waking from a dream, he understood everything. He felt a sense of relief, yet also a touch of bewilderment.

As the saying goes, 'One cannot see the true face of Mount Lu, only because one is in the mountain.' Zhang Fan had long vaguely glimpsed the possible existence behind the scenes, and had even been able to gradually break free from his predestined fate, comprehend numerous extraordinary Dao principles of the Mountains and Seas, and attain the Saint realm.

Yet, he had always instinctively believed that the true mastermind was someone else entirely.

He had unconsciously and instinctively overlooked the possibility of being a clone himself.

Now, Zhang Fan belatedly realized.

Perhaps it was due to the subtle influence of the Mountain and Sea Fisherman, Xuanyuan Hong, and others.

"Precisely because I have always firmly believed that I am an independent individual, not someone else's clone, I was perhaps able to successfully inherit the Dao principles of others and cultivate to attain sainthood. If, however, the thought of being someone else's clone had ever appeared in my mind, even for a single instant, the path to sainthood would have been severed from that point on."

Zhang Fan, who now vaguely understood, couldn't help but feel a hint of relief.

"Perhaps Fellow Daoist already knows that the Mountains and Seas are trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation."

"Birth and destruction, the cycle never ceases."

"The matter of truth and illusion is inherently illusory."

"However, in countless experiences, a scene like this is truly a first," Zhen Shiyin said, pointing to the large tree standing in the void ahead.

"And fortunately, it is thanks to this that we have the fortune to observe the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion at such close quarters." In Zhen Shiyin's words, there was an unmistakable emotional fluctuation.

Regarding the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas, Zhang Fan had only a vague guess.

Now, receiving confirmation from Zhen Shiyin, he wasn't particularly surprised.

His greater focus was still on the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion. So he asked, "Have you gained anything?"

Zhen Shiyin smiled again. "If we cannot even perceive it, what gain could there be?"

"The Great Dao of Truth and Illusion is meant for only one person. Even if we exhaust all methods, we cannot touch it, nor comprehend it. Although I had a premonition of this before, it wasn't until this time that I became completely convinced and gave up hope."

"Then, in the recent small-scale reset of the Mountains and Seas, how were you able to be preserved along with it?" This was the only thing Zhang Fan couldn't understand.

"Our continued existence is not due to our own power. Instead, it relies on the efforts of these countless Fated Children before us," Zhen Shiyin answered without concealment.

"Although we ourselves cannot comprehend or manipulate the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion, we can influence and distort the thoughts of the Fated Children, causing them to willingly apply the power of truth and illusion to us."

"Of course, in their slumber, they might not truly realize what they have done."

Zhang Fan remained silent, looking once more at the great tree formed by countless "himself."

Zhen Shiyin seemed to have divined Zhang Fan's thoughts and suddenly suggested, "There's no harm in letting them be free. In fact, you could even be the one to personally end all of this."

Zhang Fan's heart stirred at these words. However, he did not respond immediately.

"The Great Dao of Truth and Illusion cannot be seen or touched. While it can be used to some extent with the help of the Fated Children, it has no practical significance on its own. On the contrary, if we can, through this, gain an ally who can turn the tide, that would be incredibly cost-effective," Zhen Shiyin said, his expression calm but his tone exceedingly sincere.

"So, what is your objective?" Zhang Fan asked, looking at him.

"Seize the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion, and return to Godhood." Zhen Shiyin only uttered eight characters.

Zhang Fan, however, fell into deep thought. After a long silence, he finally voiced the doubt in his heart: "What difference does it make if the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion is with me or with God? Aren't the Mountains and Seas still destined for destruction and reincarnation?"

Zhen Shiyin's gaze deepened. "The past and present, perhaps there's no difference. But the future..."

He was silent for a while, seemingly pondering something. After finally confirming the results of his deduction, Zhen Shiyin continued, "If the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion resides with God, then the destruction of the Mountains and Seas is not truly destruction. Death is the beginning of life, and life is the beginning of death. The cycle of reincarnation is endless, and the future is boundless."

"But if the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion is with him..." Zhen Shiyin did not look at Zhang Fan.

Instead, he looked up, towards the general direction of the Myriad God-Transforming Worlds where Li Fan's true body was in seclusion, beyond the ethereal Mountains and Seas.

"The Mountains and Seas will be entirely annihilated, the cycle of reincarnation will cease, and everything will converge into one person."

"This is the outcome we have foreseen."

Zhang Fan was deeply shaken by these words.

"The cycle of reincarnation will cease, and everything will converge into one person?"

These eight characters seemed to possess infinite magical power. Even though he was actually on the side of those who would converge, Zhang Fan couldn't help but feel a slight daze.

But he quickly regained his composure and asked in disbelief, "He can achieve such a feat?"

Zhen Shiyin nodded. "These countless scattered Fated Children are the best proof. Although it's only just beginning to show signs, if left unchecked..."

"Only destruction awaits us."

"Destruction..." Zhang Fan murmured, suddenly recalling the Mountain and Sea Fisherman, Xuanyuan Hong, and others who had abruptly vanished because of him.

From this, he could perhaps glimpse the true 'his' modus operandi. He couldn't help but believe it a little more.

Zhang Fan then frowned and asked, "What kind of person is he, exactly? Since you know about the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas, you should be very familiar with him."

Zhen Shiyin refuted Zhang Fan's conjecture. "When the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion descends, the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas begins. Everything within the Mountains and Seas cannot escape the fate of being reset. Even the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion itself is no exception!"

"Although we possess minor cultivation, how can we escape such a fate? It's just that after so many cycles of reincarnation, a very few of us can vaguely sense something."

"For example, we develop an intuition about past events, as if we have experienced them before. At the very beginning of the Mountains and Seas' reappearance, this premonition is weakest. Only as the evolution of the Mountains and Seas progresses and our perceptions continuously accumulate can we recall more. Therefore, don't think that I currently know about the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas. When the Mountains and Seas are reset, I will still lose all awareness and repeat my past foolish actions..." Zhen Shiyin said self-deprecatingly.

"If even I am like this, then what about them?" He was referring to the group of Mountains and Seas Saints still observing and comprehending beneath the tree.

Sensing the unexpected implication in his words, Zhang Fan's expression became solemn. "May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what realm have you truly reached?"

"We are all in the Saint realm. However, unlike the vast majority of them, I once attained a divine body."

"You could call it, a God-Achiever."

Zhen Shiyin spoke these solemn and weighty words as if they were light and insignificant, without a trace of concern.

Zhang Fan naturally knew that everything in the Mountains and Seas originated from a fallen True God, and he understood the profound significance of the word "God."

Thinking that the cultivator before him had actually once achieved the divine fruit, the invisible pressure he sensed from the other party seemed to increase by a few points.

"Actually, strictly speaking, it's not truly a True God," Zhen Shiyin explained with a smile, as if sensing the change in Zhang Fan's thoughts.

He sighed softly. "In the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas, God-Achievers should not inherently exist."

"When an old God falls, the Mountains and Seas appear. When the Mountains and Seas disappear, a new God emerges."

"It has always been new Gods replacing old Gods."

"Once one becomes a God, one is forever a God. Either one exists in the name of God, or one falls and disappears."

"And a so-called God-Achiever..." "is a Mountain and Sea Saint who reverses their path to the time when the Mountains and Seas fragmented, forcibly seizing the fortune of an old God. However, they are then reset and residual by the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion."

"Although they revert to being mortals, they nonetheless existed for a period in the name of God. They subtly become different from other living beings in the Mountains and Seas."

"But only slightly."

Zhen Shiyin launched into a lengthy explanation, thoroughly introducing Zhang Fan to the various aspects of God-Achievers.

"Only God-Achievers can know the truth within the cycle of reincarnation of the Mountains and Seas. So, does that mean Elder Fisherman and the others might all be God-Achievers?"

Zhang Fan, now understanding the full story, recalled having spent day after day with God-Achievers, even becoming accustomed to their presence. The pressure he felt from Zhen Shiyin instantly lessened.

While breathing a sigh of relief, he was even more astonished by the power of the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion.

Even though he had once "possessed" it, and even now it remained with him, Zhang Fan felt that the might of the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion was somewhat beyond his imagination.

Suddenly, he recalled something Zhen Shiyin had said earlier, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"Fellow Daoist just said that everything in the Mountains and Seas cannot escape the fate of being reset. Even the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion itself. If that's truly the case..." Zhang Fan's brows furrowed.

"Then, theoretically, shouldn't he also be reset along with everything else? How could he possibly..."

A single sentence from Zhen Shiyin made Zhang Fan's words abruptly halt and his doubts vanish: "That is because he is an outsider."

"So that's it, so that's it."

Zhang Fan murmured repeatedly.

Zhen Shiyin's tone deepened as he continued, "Once, at the end of the Mountains and Seas, a gathering of God-Achievers who had recovered most of their awareness convened to discuss the source of the reset."

"Yet, they remained perplexed."

"After all, we all attained divine bodies, yet we were repeatedly reset and restored. All things in the world originate from God, yet God can be reset by the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion. This seemed entirely illogical."

"Then, as the Mountains and Seas faced destruction once more, we suddenly came to a realization."

"Truth and Illusion, in essence, is a power from which even Gods find it difficult to escape."

"Although it originates from within the True God, the True God itself is also affected by it.

We speculate that this might be a divine ability inherent to the True God, and also the fundamental origin of the Mountains and Seas' cycle of reincarnation."

"Even if it falls and perishes, it can reappear from nothingness and return to its original state through the Great Dao of Truth and Illusion. Undying, unperishing, immortal—this is what God is."

From Zhen Shiyin's successive descriptions, Zhang Fan seemed to vaguely glimpse the majesty of the True God that had birthed everything in the Mountains and Seas.

But soon, the narrative took an abrupt turn.

"If the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion were still within the God's body, then everything would naturally be fine."

"But..."

"For some unknown reason, Truth and Illusion fell into the hands of an outsider."

"Divine authority has fallen into outsider hands, and because this individual is an outsider, they can avoid the fate of being reset. With the Transmutation of Truth and Illusion in their grasp, their influence even surpasses that of a God."

Zhang Fan faintly detected a hint of subtle fear hidden in Zhen Shiyin's words.

"With but a single thought, he can reverse everything you and I know. Returning to the very beginning, he can carry memories of the past, while you will know nothing."

"How can one possibly contend against such an opponent?"

"Through countless cycles of reincarnation, we have seen no hope of breaking free. Until..."

"Your appearance, Fellow Daoist."