Chapter 1739: Fake Yuzun

Angry Squid:

"So, let me see who the ultimate victor will be." Faced with what the True God of this realm declared to be a dead end, Li Fan's resolve remained unshaken.

As his thoughts flowed, countless rays of light, like stars filling the sky, appeared all around him.

These were the thoughts, feelings, and insights he had gained from projecting his avatars previously.

It was as if he had personally experienced countless cycles of reincarnation within the Mountains and Seas, cultivating a different Great Dao each time.

It seemed as if a divine brush was ceaselessly painting, and the Great Dao Hall, which was originally somewhat empty, became increasingly sacred and solemn, striving to restore its original appearance within the Mountains and Seas.

The Transformation of Veritas, also known as the Veritas Phantom, standing atop the Great Dao Hall, also imperceptibly became more real. One could even vaguely discern the indistinct facial features within the silhouette.

It bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Li Fan, yet also incorporated the characteristic appearances of countless "Children of Destiny."

Even more astonishing was the change in Li Fan himself.

"I am merely myself. Even after countless cycles of reincarnation here, I will not change in the slightest."

The countless stars surrounded Li Fan, illuminating his body.

Yet, Li Fan remained unchanged by it.

The starlight, like a torch, helped Li Fan perceive his own being within the void and darkness.

"This dazzling Great Dao Hall might easily suppress all beings in the Mountains and Seas. But before that True God, it is utterly useless."

"All Daos and all methods in the Mountains and Seas originate from the True God. No matter how high one's cultivation, they cannot escape the Calamity of Divine Return. If there is an exception... perhaps it is Veritas."

"Veritas is like an innate divine ability that allows a god to exist eternally through endless reincarnations. Therefore, everything here, even gods, cannot escape Veritas."

"In other words, the True God can actually be seen as the true possessor of Veritas. However, unlike me, an outsider, It cannot retain Its memories through repeated applications of Veritas."

"Despite this characteristic, It still cannot use the Transformation of Veritas to slay a god."

"Both Zhang Fan and True Mortality Concealed believe I am the Master of the Great Dao of Veritas. In truth, the only one truly qualified to be called the Master of the Great Dao of Veritas is the True God. A god without the Great Dao of Veritas cannot be considered a True God at all; they are merely accidental god-achievers."

"Veritas and the True God cannot coexist in the world. If I could prevent Veritas from returning to the True God, I could actually stop the True God's descent. Unfortunately..."

"I can't do it."

Li Fan couldn't help but recall the final moments of the Mountains and Seas, time and again.

All things returning to the True God is the destiny of everything in the world. Once this trend is established, even Veritas cannot escape it.

"It seems that it's still as I deduced before. The only one capable of slaying a god is me. Previously, I had no concrete idea how to slay a god. But now..."

Li Fan lowered his gaze, resting it on "Zhang Fan" in the remaining Mountains and Seas.

"Perhaps this is the way to break the deadlock."

"What have you discovered?"

True Mortality Concealed's voice came from beside him, startling Zhang Fan awake from his momentary daze.

The moment their gazes met and he witnessed those layers of phantoms, Zhang Fan's mind was involuntarily lost.

It was as if he had fallen into a dream.

He seemed to have experienced countless bizarre events, but now, upon waking, he had forgotten them all completely.

Only those two overlapping figures, like inescapable specters, flashed before Zhang Fan's eyes from time to time.

This made him shiver with cold.

After Zhang Fan truthfully recounted the scene he had glimpsed, True Mortality Concealed also fell into contemplation.

But time was running out for them in the Mountains and Seas.

The Tree of Veritas had withered, and the great tide of Dao Annihilation was fiercely assaulting them once again. The Mountains and Seas were collapsing, and the apocalypse had returned.

This time, there was no chance to turn back.

Everything in the world was inevitably falling towards its predetermined end, and True Mortality Concealed seemed to have made up his mind.

"It's time to talk to our old friends."

"Follow me."

Pale light enveloped Zhang Fan, instantly traversing the broken Mountains and Seas.

They arrived at a peculiar place.

It was in the deepest part of the Infinite Sea, where the foundation of the Mountains and Seas was laid.

If the Mountains and Seas had specific growth rings, this would be the innermost ring that first appeared.

Ancient, primordial energy flowed freely.

However, at this moment, even the fundamental logic of the Mountains and Seas was beginning to crumble.

Yet, here, there was a distinctive sliver of silver light.

True Mortality Concealed swiftly flew with Zhang Fan, entering the silver light.

At this instant, Zhang Fan felt as if he had returned to the sanctuary world where the Old Fisherman and other god-achievers resided.

The oppressive feeling brought by the End of Divine Return vanished instantly.

Zhang Fan tried to observe this world, discovering that even with his current strength, his divine sense was suppressed.

He could only make a general observation.

Boundless and infinite, its scale seemed no smaller than the current Mountains and Seas. Yet, there were no worlds or evolving life forms, only an empty cosmos.

It was as if it existed independently of the Mountains and Seas, and time here was frozen.

All the phenomena of the Mountains and Seas' end could not affect it in the slightest.

Even though the outside world had already met its doom, this place still maintained its eternal state.

"This is..." Zhang Fan was momentarily stunned.

"An old friend is visiting, yet you still won't show yourself!" True Mortality Concealed's voice echoed continuously, lingering for a long time.

A figure appeared, accompanied by faint ripples.

"You're almost dead, yet you come running to me for what?" The newcomer appeared to be a decadent-looking man. He spoke weakly, as if he had just woken from a dream.

"Huh? And who is this beside you..." However, the moment he saw Zhang Fan, a glint of light burst forth in the decadent man's eyes.

Without a word, he reached out to grab Zhang Fan.

"I searched high and low with no success, but now you've come to me effortlessly! I never thought you'd deliver yourself to my doorstep today!"

Zhang Fan only felt that the eternal world he was in vanished the moment the decadent man made his move.

Or rather, its entire weight pressed down on him.

Under this immense pressure, his body and consciousness could not move an inch.

He could only watch helplessly as the other party approached.

"What are you doing?!"

Fortunately, True Mortality Concealed's words broke the restraint.

Under the pale light, the eternal world reappeared, and the pressure instantly vanished.

"He's not the one we're looking for; he's just an avatar." Hearing this, the decadent man's expression changed several times in succession.

He stared at Zhang Fan, observing him carefully for a long time, before finally confirming it.

"Such a variable exists..."

"This is bad."

The languid aura around the decadent man was dispersed by the wind, and his expression became incredibly serious.

"Allow me to introduce you to this person, False Cosmos Accumulator." True Mortality Concealed said, pointing at the decadent man.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist False," Zhang Fan bowed.

He paid no mind to the other party's sudden aggression; in Zhang Fan's view, the strength the man displayed at that moment was even subtly stronger than True Mortality Concealed's.

"That power, perhaps, comes from this eternal void world," Zhang Fan mused.

"In the Samsara of No-Intervals, god-achievers are constantly awakening. And the measures they choose to take are not entirely the same."

"False Cosmos Accumulator attempted to weave and construct an independent void spacetime, seeking to avoid the Calamity of Mountains and Seas Annihilation." Seeing that False Cosmos Accumulator had no intention of speaking, True Mortality Concealed had to explain the origin of this realm on his behalf.

"Brother False's efforts at creation are almost successful. Even if the Mountains and Seas perish, this realm will not. Even if Dao Annihilation stirs up trouble, it cannot affect this place in the slightest. What a pity..."

"Ultimately, it cannot escape the destiny of Divine Return," True Mortality Concealed sighed softly.

"All Daos and all methods in the world originate from the True God. But that does not include the void I have woven here. If it were strong enough, it should be able to withstand the aftermath of the True God's descent. However..."

"It can escape. But I, myself, cannot escape the calamity."

"If I cease to exist, this realm will ultimately be like the moon in a mirror or a flower in the water, only able to persist for a brief moment before scattering like a bubble," False Cosmos Accumulator also sighed.

"That's why, all this time, I've wanted to get close to the Great Dao of Veritas."

"If I obtain Veritas, perhaps this realm can be reborn, completely breaking free from the True God of the Mountains and Seas."

"However, the Great Dao of Veritas is not something ordinary people can easily touch. If It decides to hide, even if we join forces, it's difficult to find Its traces. I even remember that in many cycles of reincarnation, I brushed past It several times, even almost having It within my grasp. But in the end, It always slipped away."

"And in this life, although faint ripples of Veritas appeared in the Mountains and Seas, they were too weak. It was obvious at a glance that they were a smokescreen released by the Great Dao of Veritas, so I paid no attention. Only when I saw you..."

"It seems your comprehension of the Great Dao of Veritas may have reached a profound level. You almost fooled me," False Cosmos Accumulator said slowly, staring intently at Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan slightly shook his head: "Profound level, certainly not. But perhaps it can be of some help to Senior in weaving this world."

False Cosmos Accumulator's eyes lit up.

Zhang Fan looked back at this world and softly chanted: "When truth becomes false, falsehood becomes true."

Mysterious ripples emerged from Zhang Fan.

A Tree of Veritas seemed to sprout from between his brows, causing the ripples from Zhang Fan to rapidly spread throughout this realm.

They echoed ceaselessly, sweeping across the world in an instant.

Although True Mortality Concealed and False Cosmos Accumulator could not feel the fluctuations of the Transformation of Veritas, they could easily sense the changes in this eternal world.

Unconcealed delight filled False Cosmos Accumulator's eyes as he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent, excellent! The Great Dao of Veritas is indeed invisible and unknowable. But with my False Cosmos as a foundation, perhaps the various fluctuations caused by the transformations of Veritas can be imprinted and recorded."

"Apart from me, this realm is an absolute void. Existing in primordial wilderness, any subtle change becomes extremely obvious. Through constant attempts, we can always capture traces of the Transformation of Veritas."

"Though they are merely traces, not the Transformation of Veritas itself. But..."

A glimmer of hope also rose in True Mortality Concealed's eyes: "Given time, perhaps we can use the traces left by Veritas to shape and evolve a Veritas unique to this realm!"

Zhang Fan paid no attention to their ecstatic remarks.

He was simply focused, applying ink to the blank canvas before him, performing the Transformation of Veritas.

Although True Mortality Concealed and False Cosmos Accumulator found it difficult to perceive the changes of Veritas, he could.

Compared to manifesting it in the Mountains and Seas, the Great Dao of Veritas was undoubtedly more apparent in this eternal void realm.

The originally elusive and mysterious Great Dao, having shed all its complex appearances, paradoxically became seemingly simpler.

Using Veritas as a brush, with every moment he inscribed creation in this realm, Zhang Fan felt his comprehension of Veritas multiply.

It was not merely to help False Cosmos Accumulator, but also for his own sake.

Invisible ripples continuously echoed, and all three were immersed in them.

Who knows how much time passed...

A violent tremor startled the three awake.

True Mortality Concealed and False Cosmos Accumulator exchanged glances: "It seems the Mountains and Seas have once again entered their end times."

"Time is too short; it's simply not enough to leave traces of Veritas. Moreover, we don't even know if these traces will disappear when the Mountains and Seas are reset," False Cosmos Accumulator said with regret.

"However, there is still a glimmer of hope after all. It's worth fighting for."

True Mortality Concealed said with a resolute tone: "As long as we can delay it, we will."

With that, he transformed into a pale ray of light and broke through the realm.

Zhang Fan paid no attention to True Mortality Concealed's departure; he merely continued to concentrate on his painting.

Through his continuous attempts, the formless and invisible Veritas seemed to gradually take on concrete form.

Not long after, True Mortality Concealed returned.

With him was a ray of purple light.

Accompanying it was a grumbling voice: "If you're going to fight to the death, do it earlier! Don't call me when death is staring you in the face. What were you doing before?!"

It was a stooped, white-haired old man.

"Daoist Void, stop wasting words and help us protect!"

"I've waited countless cycles of reincarnation for this sole variable. If we miss it, it might be impossible to find again!" The stooped old man continued to grumble, but boundless iridescent light instantly erupted from his body. Purple energy steamed forth, as if from the east, filling this eternal void world.

"All this old man's accumulation over countless years!" Daoist Void exclaimed, heartbroken.

True Mortality Concealed snorted coldly: "No matter how much you accumulate, won't it all be lost when the Mountains and Seas are reset anyway?"

"What do you know?! Although the Mountains and Seas are constantly reset, each time I condense purple energy, my speed gets faster and faster. One day, I might be able to rely on this boundless purple energy to stand shoulder to shoulder with a god. But in the past, I always actively committed suicide the moment the Great Calamity of Divine Return descended. By not facing the True God, the impact on me was less."

"This time, choosing to resist, I'm afraid all my past accumulation will be lost in an instant..."

"We have no other choice! We don't have much time left!"

At True Mortality Concealed's single remark, Daoist Void fell silent.

He stopped grumbling, and his form faded, leaving only boundless purple energy swirling.

Zhang Fan noticed that this purple energy had no effect on the current eternal spacetime; it merely fended off all external calamities.

The 'painting' became stable again, allowing Zhang Fan to once more apply ink and paint.

Outside, however, it was clearly the time of the final destruction of the Mountains and Seas.

The purple energy was being consumed at an alarming rate.

And the Transformation of Veritas that Zhang Fan was performing also began to show subtle distortions.

It was as if the lines he was inscribing were repeatedly deviating.

"This is..."

Almost instantly, Zhang Fan understood why.

"The True God appears, Veritas returns."

His heart tensed, then he suppressed the tremor and forcibly continued to draw.

On the 'canvas', the Transformation of Veritas became increasingly complete.

It was almost exactly identical to what he understood.

But just as he was about to make the final stroke, Zhang Fan's hand abruptly stopped.

He simply couldn't draw it anymore.