Chapter 251 – Only by Shedding the False to Return to Truth Can One Break the Cocoon and Be Reborn—Creation…

An Immortal’s dream can last a thousand drunken years. This was something Lu Chen had only discovered a short while ago.

And this discovery, as it happened, was an accident.

After all, everything in the True Immortal Trial was far too real.

The objects were real, the events were real, the people were real—so real that no one would ever mistake it all for a dream.

To discern the truth or falsehood of something, one must first find a reference point that can be identified as “true.”

For only by knowing what is “true” can one judge what is “false.”

And Lu Chen possessed something he had, from beginning to end, firmly believed to be “true.”

That was the mysterious game… True Immortal Cultivation.

Previously, when Lu Chen had entered the Dungeon: Cauldron-Carrying Warrior, he had pondered a question.

First, the flow of time in the True Immortal Trial and the Azure Cloud Cultivation World was different.

Second, the flow of time in the Azure Cloud Cultivation World and the real world was also different.

Finally, the flow of time in the True Immortal Cultivation dungeon world and his current environment was different yet again.

Therefore, in a sense, after he entered the dungeon world, the time ratio between it and the real world should have changed.

But when Lu Chen returned from the dungeon world, he was surprised to find that the time between the dungeon and the real world had not changed at all.

This planted a seed of doubt in Lu Chen’s mind about the world of the True Immortal Trial.

And once the seed of doubt was sown, many questions that Lu Chen had not been able to figure out before gradually found their answers.

For example, how did the Gu Cultivators of the Great Ying Dynasty manage to have a natal Gu Insect appear inside their bodies at birth?

One must understand that although these Gu Insects were individually weak, their intrinsic status was not low.

If one or two such Gu Insects appeared, Lu Chen wouldn’t find it strange.

Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands could be explained by the Great Ying Dynasty being a land of exceptional people and spiritual energy.

But when the number reached the millions, even tens of millions, Lu Chen could no longer comprehend it.

One had to realize that even if these Gu Insects contained only a minuscule amount of the Dao’s power, such a vast quantity was almost equivalent to devouring the Heavenly Dao within the Great Ying Dynasty whole.

And yet, the environment of the Great Ying Dynasty was perfectly normal, showing no signs of abnormality.

This made Lu Chen even more suspicious of the authenticity of the Great Ying Dynasty, and indeed, the entire Small World of the True Immortal Trial’s second level.

Boldly hypothesize, carefully verify.

In his own way, Lu Chen proved his theory.

He was unable to use the Creation Pill Art to refine Dao essence from any of the Gu Insects.

It wasn’t that the Gu Insects lacked Dao essence, but that this Dao essence carried a powerful imprint.

This imprint was so strong that Lu Chen could not conceive of a way to remove it.

It was after realizing this that Lu Chen completely understood what the so-called True Immortal Trial truly was.

Everything they were currently experiencing was nothing more than a dream an Immortal was having after a great drunken stupor.

They had merely entered the Immortal’s dream.

The reason Lu Chen said they had entered the True Immortal Trial with their “true bodies” was because they were products from outside the Immortal’s dream, and were therefore “true.”

But Zhao Zhongming, and indeed the entire Great Ying Dynasty, were just the “Immortal’s dream.”

Therefore, if Zhao Zhongming relied only on himself, no matter what he did, he would never find the “truth.”

Because no matter what he did, he would merely be in a false dream, using false things constructed by the dream to seek a method to leave the dreamscape and enter the real world.

But two false things added together cannot become something true.

In reality, there had always been one “true” existence within the Great Ying Dynasty.

That was the Immortal’s mount, the Cloud Deer.

But as an “observer,” the Cloud Deer was destined not to interfere with anything in the trial.

That included Zhao Zhongming and the other Gu Cultivators.

Thus, Zhao Zhongming’s only hope of getting out rested on Lu Chen and the other trial-takers who had entered the True Immortal Trial.

But even so, an ordinary person couldn’t actually help Zhao Zhongming.

Among all the trial-takers, only Lu Chen had the ability to help him.

Because the others… had not mastered the Creation Pill Art.

Inside the Academy, Lu Chen looked down at Zhao Zhongming below, not stopping the convergence of the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword above his head.

After all, knowing something was one thing, but being able to do it was another entirely.

Zhao Zhongming had ruled the Great Ying Dynasty for several hundred years; he was naturally not the kind of person to be swayed by a few words.

Although he acknowledged Lu Chen’s words, he also firmly believed that his own ideas were correct.

Therefore, until his plan was proven wrong, he would not give up easily.

Zhao Zhongming looked at Lu Chen, who stood beneath the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword like an Immortal descended to the mortal realm, and said with great nonchalance, “What is true, what is false—it’s not for you to say, nor for me to say. Only after we test it can we have an answer, isn’t that right?”

Lu Chen did not speak, tacitly agreeing with Zhao Zhongming’s words.

After all, he had proven everything with True Immortal Cultivation.

And True Immortal Cultivation was Lu Chen’s greatest trump card; he would not tell anyone, nor was there any need to.

Besides, Zhao Zhongming had something he wanted, and so did Lu Chen.

Therefore, the battle between them could not be ended with words; a result had to be determined.

In the sky, as thousands of azure lotuses bloomed with radiant light, a clear fragrance began to permeate the entire Imperial City.

And it wasn’t just within the Academy that the lotus light appeared; it was outside as well.

On the Imperial City’s Osmanthus River, countless beams of lotus light broke through the river’s surface and shot into the sky.

Against the backdrop of the dark surroundings, the Osmanthus River, which ran through the Imperial City, suddenly transformed into a river of stars that had fallen into the mortal world.

It was as if the galaxy had descended upon the mortal realm.

Using the Academy as a starting point and the Osmanthus River as a network, he had unknowingly laid out his Azure Lotus Sword Blossoms.

The preparations Lu Chen had made for this day surpassed everyone’s imagination.

Even the Sword Blossoms within the Academy were something he had deliberately let Zhao Zhongming see.

After all, the reason a trump card was called a trump card was largely because it was often unknown.

Once the enemy thought they had seen through Lu Chen’s trump card, they would let down their guard.

At that point, even if others destroyed the Sword Blossoms in the Academy, it wouldn’t affect Lu Chen in the slightest.

Because his true trump card was in the Osmanthus River.

When all the Sword Blossoms bloomed, the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword—which had accumulated power for a hundred days and absorbed the essence of countless Gu Cultivators’ attacks today—finally revealed its true form to all.

The Righteous Azure Lotus Sword was slender in its entirety, shimmering with a faint, azure-black luster, like the sparkling ripples on a pond.

Paired with the exquisite lotus petal patterns carved on both sides of the blade, it was as if a mystical azure lotus was seated high in the heavens.

The countless mortals in the Imperial City, upon the appearance of the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword, were inexplicably awakened.

They walked out of their homes and into the open.

With a single glance, they saw the enormous Righteous Azure Lotus Sword radiating an azure-black light above their heads, and Lu Chen, clad in white robes, hovering beneath it.

Such a scene caused many who knew nothing of cultivation to fall to their knees on the spot, hailing him as a god or an immortal.

And those who did understand cultivation were not much better off.

Because they could all feel a terrifying Sword Intent from the massive Righteous Azure Lotus Sword.

Although that Sword Intent was not overly sharp and seemed quite gentle, it could soar to the heavens and pierce the cosmos.

No one would doubt it if you called it the sword of an Immortal.

Under the illumination of the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword, the sky above the Great Ying Imperial City had, at some unknown point, turned a shade of azure.

‘Sword Qi rushes to the stars, the dynasty’s heavens are changed anew.’

This was the scene currently unfolding in the Great Ying Imperial City.

An ordinary person might only see the mystery and beauty of the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword.

But Zhao Zhongming below could feel the terrifying power contained within this sword.

Although he knew there was absolutely no chance he could block this strike, Zhao Zhongming still had no intention of giving up.

“Roar!”

As the majestic power of the dynasty surged through Zhao Zhongming’s entire body, he subconsciously let out a hoarse roar of pain.

Human strength has its limits. Although Zhao Zhongming’s cultivation far surpassed that of ordinary Gu Cultivators, the amount of Dynastic Luck his own body could contain also had a certain upper limit.

Faced with the terrifying pressure from Lu Chen’s Righteous Azure Lotus Sword, Zhao Zhongming had no choice but to risk his body being burst apart by the Dynastic Luck to further increase the amount of it augmenting his body.

Under these circumstances, Zhao Zhongming’s body swelled another size out of thin air. His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin cracked, leaking large amounts of blood.

And though his appearance was wretched, his aura at this moment was a notch stronger than before.

However, he was now like an overloaded engine, liable to explode at any moment.

But it was all worth it.

Because Zhao Zhongming felt that at this moment, he was unprecedentedly powerful!

“Roar!”

A golden light of Luck covered Zhao Zhongming’s body and dragged him into the air.

The golden radiance spun continuously, eventually forming a massive Aura Golden Dragon.

Zhao Zhongming stood atop the golden dragon’s head, charging toward Lu Chen beneath the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword.

Seeing this, Lu Chen slowly opened his mouth.

“Sever.”

The Righteous Azure Lotus Sword fell, and soon collided with Zhao Zhongming’s Aura Golden Dragon.

The expected stalemate did not occur.

The moment the golden light around Zhao Zhongming collided with Lu Chen’s Righteous Azure Lotus Sword, it began to shatter in unison.

Countless golden fragments of Luck scattered across the sky and began to fall continuously.

In an instant, it was as if a golden rain was falling upon the entire Imperial City.

And at this very moment, everyone within the borders of the Great Ying Dynasty inexplicably felt a tremor in their hearts.

They sensed something bad in the unseen world.

They just didn’t know what this feeling represented, nor did they know where it came from.

They only felt a stifling tightness in their chests.

In the sky, as the Aura Golden Dragon shattered, Zhao Zhongming’s true body was revealed.

At this moment, Zhao Zhongming no longer possessed his initial domineering air.

His Dragon Robe was tattered and torn, both his arms were broken, and blood flowed from all seven of his orifices. He looked for all the world like his end was near.

The cause of all this was not only because he had forced his body to bear the Dynastic Luck it could not withstand, but also because of the Shangqing Cloud Sword plunged into his chest.

Feeling the sense of weightlessness from his continuous fall, what Zhao Zhongming thought about was not how to survive, but a recollection of his past life.

His life, summed up, was really just three parts.

The first part was when he was a carefree prince.

The second part was when he met his love, A Jiu.

The third part was when he became the emperor.

And of these three parts, Zhao Zhongming felt that only during the second part was he truly alive.

Because only at that time could he feel his own heart beating.

Thinking about it carefully, what he had been desperately searching for was perhaps not the ‘door’ to leave the dream world.

What he was truly searching for was the ‘door’ to return to that time in his memory.

The world might be false, but the memory was real.

But he couldn’t hold onto this memory by himself.

Suddenly, Zhao Zhongming felt his continuously falling body come to a halt.

The feeling was as if something had caught him.

At the same time, a voice appeared in his mind.

“Collect your mind. The rest… leave it to me.”

Although Zhao Zhongming hadn’t heard this voice many times, it was very familiar.

Because the one speaking was none other than Lu Chen.

And at this moment, Zhao Zhongming was being held up by Lu Chen’s Mystic Pill Furnace.

To make Zhao Zhongming ‘shed the false and return to the true,’ the first and most important step was to separate his True Spirit from the Gu insect that bore the Immortal’s imprint.

But a Gu Cultivator’s true self was often inseparable from their natal Gu insect.

Even if an ordinary person knew this, it would be very difficult to accomplish.

Moreover, how could a Gu insect with an Immortal’s imprint be so easily separated?

But with the Creation Pill Art, it was a different story.

After all, the power of the Creation Pill Art lay in its ability to directly act upon the intangible ‘Dao’.

The reason Lu Chen was expending so much effort to help Zhao Zhongming now was not because he was so kind-hearted.

It was because he wanted to use Zhao Zhongming to verify something.

That is, whether the ‘spirit’ of all things could also be refined using the Creation Pill Art.

If it could, then it meant Lu Chen had mastered a method to mass-produce ‘Pill Spirits’ and ‘Artifact Spirits.’

The help this would provide for his future cultivation was beyond description.

Meanwhile, in a mysterious thatched cottage somewhere in the Great Ying Dynasty.

Gu Yue True Immortal, while drinking from a wine gourd, looked with great interest at the black pieces on the Chessboard before him and said with a smile, “One morning the sword points to the layered clouds, refining Gu, refining man, and even refining the heavens.”

“To act against an Immortal with a Foundation Establishment cultivation… are you so certain I won’t intervene?”

Gu Yue True Immortal smiled and picked up a white stone, seemingly about to do something.

But after a long while, he ultimately chose to place the white stone back into the bowl, allowing the black pieces on the board to slaughter his white dragon.

“Shed the false to return to the true, the heart becomes clear; cast off the dust of the world to see true feeling.”

“Break the cocoon and be reborn, a new form unfurled; wash away all artifice… only then can one return to tranquility.”

“Trying to break my dream is no simple matter.”

With that, Gu Yue True Immortal no longer looked at the Chessboard before him.

He simply draped a thin outer coat over his shoulders and walked outside the thatched hut.

He looked at the dark sky in the distance, his gaze profound.

“All the world is drunk, I alone am sober. All the world is sober, I alone am drunk. What is a dream, what is real, is any of it truly important?”

Saying this, Gu Yue True Immortal took another sip of the fine wine in his hand.

Then, with no regard for his image, he lay down bare-chested at the edge of the hut and, before long, fell asleep.

The smiling corners of his mouth seemed to indicate he was having a pleasant dream…

(End of Chapter)