At the current point in history, not much time had passed since Lu Yang's assault on the False History. It was the day after Xiu Zhen's death, and the aftershocks of the Dao Lord clash were gradually fading.
The Fifth Layer of the [Paramita].
A figure, no longer ethereal or transcendent but instead towering and magnificent, stood with hands behind his back. His gaze seemed to hold the flow of ages as he stared intently at the Great Karmic Net.
In his hands, he held a gold-glittering book. Its pages fluttered, and one could vaguely see countless intertwining characters. The layered light and shadow seemed to trace the outline of a pair of cold eyes, peering through the pages and scrutinizing everything outside the book.
A long time passed in this manner.
"...Something isn't right."
Abruptly, the Primordial Saint spoke. There was no trace of fear in his eyes, nor any worldly emotion; there was only the purest rationality and contemplation.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly where the problem lay.
But he felt that a Primordial Spirit should not have died so easily. The behavior of that perished mysterious Primordial Spirit was, after all, difficult to understand in many aspects.
"What do you think?"
The Primordial Saint lowered his head and looked at the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] in his hands, speaking with a toneless voice as if chatting with a friend he had never met.
Rustle, rustle...
Soon, the pages flipped.
[My name is Taiyitian. When you see these words, I am already dead... I must admit, my suspicions at the time were actually quite justified.]
The Primordial Saint blinked.
Is he dropping the act?
Ever since he chose to renounce fear and completely master the [Supreme Forgotten Emotions], this "Fellow Daoist" inside the book no longer sought ways to conceal his existence.
He realized he must have been outschemed by him in the beginning.
Looking at the sentences appearing in the book, there was no shock or rage in the depths of the Primordial Saint's eyes; he remained as calm as ever. He rationally considered the current situation and reached a conclusion:
'There is no need to turn hostile. This being in the book is the same as me—both exist only for the sake of transcendence. Rather than Dao enemies, we are more like fellow travelers. In a sense, helping him is helping myself... Moreover, the current predicament is becoming increasingly obvious, and I need an external ally like him.'
In the past, he would never have thought this way.
Because of [Fear], his first instinct would have been to destroy the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] or exhaust every means to completely control the "Fellow Daoist" hidden within.
But things were different now.
He no longer harbored thoughts that were useless to transcendence. As long as it served the goal of transcendence, what did it matter if he cooperated with him? Even merging with him would be something he'd do gladly.
This line of thought and these very intentions...
—Were also within the calculations of the consciousness inside the book. After all, this [Supreme Forgotten Emotions] mindset was something the consciousness had painstakingly crafted.
At this moment, the once completely dormant consciousness was rapidly reviving, observing the Primordial Saint and this brand-new world that was vastly different from its memories— 'Although the most important goal wasn't achieved, the secondary goal was. The successful experience can certainly be applied to the next life.'
Cold thoughts, identical to the Primordial Saint's.
The so-called [Supreme Forgotten Emotions] was a perfect imitation created by referencing the consciousness's own mode of thinking and state of Dao heart.
The Primordial Saint was highly talented in this field.
Name, appearance, and Dao heart—he had achieved a near-perfect imitation. To some extent, this even exceeded the consciousness's original expectations.
By now, there was no need for the consciousness to possess the Primordial Saint, because the two were already of one mind and one vision. For the sake of transcendence, the Primordial Saint could abandon his "self," and the consciousness could do the same. Even if it meant erasing all individual awareness to merge into a more complete entity, neither would hesitate as long as it led to transcendence.
This was the most perfect development.
The consciousness had been laying the groundwork for this since the [Previous Life].
Besides dealing with that successor of [Jun], the consciousness was also using him to exert greater pressure on the Primordial Saint, forcing him to sever his own fear.
Now, the latter had been fully achieved.
As for the former...
Thinking of this, the thoughts within the book paused with a hint of regret. If the one who came back then hadn't been the Ancestral Dragon, but the successor of [Jun] himself, it would have been perfect.
As long as his true body had arrived, the consciousness would have had certainty of controlling him the moment he read the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], thoroughly erasing this final variable. Unfortunately, [Jun] had perhaps anticipated this and left means for his successor so that he didn't need to come in person.
The layout had failed because of that.
'Even though the latter was a great success, as long as I cannot take down the successor of [Jun], no matter how many results I achieve, they will be meaningless once everything restarts.'
That was why the consciousness would not leave.
Even now, while the Primordial Saint—having severed his fear—would not refuse his entry and would instead welcome it, the consciousness maintained restraint and did not act rashly.
'I cannot leave this book right now.'
'Once I leave, I can never return. When that happens, the state of the book will be identified as "empty," and it will start over from scratch in that state during the next cycle...'
In other words, if the consciousness left the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] now to merge with the Primordial Saint, once the successor of [Jun] restarted the world, the consciousness would be treated as a remnant of the old era. It would be crushed by the majesty of the world restart, unable to follow into the next era.
—Treading on thin ice.
The consciousness within the book felt deeply how desperate its current situation was. Despite possessing immense power, it couldn't utilize a shred of it personally and could only lay traps through the hands of others.
'A sliver of hope is, in the end, just a sliver of hope.'
Where exactly was that sliver of hope?
How could the deadlock be broken?
At this moment, the consciousness seemed to consider many things, causing the characters on the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] to twist and flicker in constant transformation.
Finally, it focused on one person.
'The original Gatekeeper.'
'His aura is very similar to that little fellow who stayed by [Jun]'s side back then. Moreover, he never appeared before the last restart, yet he appeared this time.'
The consciousness had noticed something was wrong back then. Fortunately, since the fellow stood in opposition to the Primordial Saint, the Saint had killed him directly without the consciousness needing to interfere.
However, the Great Karmic Net was now telling him—
'There was a hidden truth back then. That Gatekeeper wasn't killed; instead, he led everyone in an escape... Could it be a method left by [Jun]?'
'Did they escape into the Eighth Secret Realm?'
'What method did they use?'
After a long period of contemplation, under the influence of the consciousness in the book, corresponding text gradually surfaced on the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record] before the Primordial Saint's eyes:
[The Gatekeeper lineage has a major problem.]
[The original Gatekeeper was once the attendant boy of that Deity Transformation transcender. He carries a great secret; not a shred of his Karma can be overlooked.]
[He must be strictly investigated.]
The Primordial Saint nodded slightly. He first put away the [Heavenly Destiny Divine Record], then immediately reversed the years to enter the depths of the Great Karmic Net once more.
Almost simultaneously, within the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
More than a hundred thousand years had passed. A tiny fluctuation suddenly appeared within the dust-sealed palace hall, keenly noticing the ripple transmitted from the Great Karmic Net.
The big fish had taken the bait.
(End of Chapter)