"If you want to go, why don’t you go yourselves? Your legs are your own, and it’s not like I’m stopping you."
Chu Fan was sitting cross-legged and merely glanced up.
"Kid, we’ve known for a while there’s something strange about you," Lan Bing threatened. "If you obediently lead us to some treasures, we can spare a few for you. But if you don’t cooperate... hmph, hmph!"
"And what can you do if I don’t cooperate? Since you think there’s something off about me, wouldn’t it be child’s play for me to kill you all? I really don’t know what goes through your heads, daring to threaten me when you’re the ones who need my help!"
Chu Fan shook his head as he spoke.
’These guys are true opportunists—cold-blooded scum. They might pretend to care about things like loyalty and camaraderie in normal times, but when faced with danger, all of that is just smoke and mirrors.’
’But they have one good quality: they aren’t devious. You can see their ill intentions from a mile away. They’re not like those sanctimonious hypocrites who act all friendly while secretly being ruthless enough to swallow you whole, leaving you no way to defend yourself.’
Chu Fan’s words left the five men at a loss.
Chu Fan stood up. He had been observing for a full day, and waiting any longer wasn’t an option. ’Never mind whether the Lingyun Sect has already broken its promise and sent someone to discuss the marriage proposal. If we wait any longer, even if the residual power of this Array doesn’t kill us, we’ll probably starve to death.’
Those five were just small-time cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he himself was only at the Fusion Realm. Fasting was out of the question for any of them.
"Alright, follow me. We’ll go take a look," Chu Fan said. "But whatever you do, don’t touch anything on the ground."
Qi Biao replied, "Alright. We promise we won’t touch a thing until you’ve confirmed it’s safe to start collecting treasures."
Chu Fan took the lead, with the five men following in a tight group right behind him. The group advanced cautiously toward the massive beast’s corpse.
The closer they got to the colossal corpse, the more they could sense the beast’s overwhelming power from when it was alive. ’If not for the sacrifice of those thousands of senior experts, wouldn’t this entire continent have been laid to waste by this creature long ago?’
A sense of respect for those ancient experts grew within Chu Fan.
However, at that very moment, a cold snort echoed in Chu Fan’s mind. His vision went black, and the world began to spin. When light returned to his eyes, he found himself standing before a magnificent grand hall.
The hall was built from white jade, towering over a thousand feet high. Its gates alone were more than two hundred feet tall. Standing before them, he felt as small as an ant.
’Another Illusion Realm? I knew something strange would happen the closer I got to the beast’s corpse,’ Chu Fan muttered to himself.
"This is not an Illusion Realm. You are inside my sea of consciousness."
"Who—who’s speaking?" Chu Fan looked around, bewildered.
Then, an impossibly handsome figure emerged from within the grand hall.
The man wore a suit of silver armor. His face was resolute and sharply defined, his build was powerful, and he radiated a heroic aura.
"Who are you?"
"I am the giant beast you saw earlier. It is likely that no one in your world recognizes my true form, which is why I was mistaken for a Fierce Beast."
"No, that’s impossible! You’re clearly human right now!" Chu Fan exclaimed.
"Heh," the man chuckled. "That is merely because you are too ignorant. The universe is boundless. All that you will ever see and hear in your entire life is but a single grain of sand on an endless shore."
"So, you’re not dead?"
"No, I am already dead. All that remains is the last wisp of my lingering will. If this matter is left unresolved, how could I ever face His Majesty and the Divine Empress?"
The more Chu Fan listened, the more confused he became.
"Fortunately, I encountered you. Though you are laughably weak—to call you an ant would be an insult to ants—you are at least malleable. In three thousand years, you are the only one I have met who is even remotely worthy of my notice. So, consider yourself lucky."
Though rage flared in Chu Fan’s heart, he was powerless to argue.
"Then why did you come to this world? And why did you wreak havoc upon its inhabitants in the past?" Chu Fan shot back.
The man looked up, seemingly lost in memories of a distant past. After a long moment, he shook his head. "As for why I came to this world, you will learn the truth when you are strong enough. And as for ’wreaking havoc upon its inhabitants’... with my power, I could have destroyed this world with but a single thought. Those people were simply driven by greed, hoping to carve up my physical body for themselves. Good and evil, right and wrong... have you never heard that the victor becomes king, while the vanquished is branded a villain?"
"Then why did you bring me here?" Chu Fan asked, unwilling to get into a debate with him about good versus evil or right versus wrong.
’Besides, the man’s words weren’t necessarily true.’
"You possess an Innate Divine Body, and a Chaos Body at that. Upon observing your bloodline, I realized that I have a past connection with your ancestors. Therefore, I shall grant you a great fortune, and in return, you shall help me complete my unfinished work. Otherwise, how could any of you possibly still be alive?"
"You have a connection with my ancestors? Who even are my ancestors? I don’t know myself, so how could you possibly know?" Chu Fan was now even more skeptical of his words.
’He’s just spouting utter nonsense.’
"Heh." The man simply smiled, not bothering to refute Chu Fan’s accusation.
"Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?" Chu Fan’s mind was reeling with questions.
Before he could react, he suddenly found he couldn’t control his own body. With a gentle wave of the man’s hand, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
A single drop of his blood, enveloped in a misty vapor, flew from his chest toward the man.
A round Copper Mirror materialized in the man’s hand. He merged the drop of blood into the mirror, which then erupted with a blinding golden light.
The golden light then transformed into a stream that shot directly into the center of Chu Fan’s forehead.
Though Chu Fan’s body was immobilized, he could still speak. "What did you do to me?"
"This object is called the Juntian Mirror. It is a Hongmeng Treasure. My remnant soul possesses only limited Divine Power, so I have no time for a detailed explanation. I have placed nine seals upon the Juntian Mirror, which you may unlock one by one as fate allows. When you have undone all the seals, you will be able to grasp the secrets of the universe, and you will understand the meaning of my words today."
"As for the eight people outside, I will deal with them for you as well!"
Chu Fan still hadn’t recovered from the mind-bending shock of it all. Hearing the man’s words, he quickly said, "Never mind! They haven’t caused me any real harm. Just let them go!"
"Wait, aren’t there only five of them? Why did you say eight?"
"Heh." The man chuckled again. "No, I didn’t say I would kill them. I am merely granting them a fortuitous opportunity as well, and training them for you in the process. This way, on your arduous journey ahead, you’ll have a few vanguards to command. As for their loyalty, you will have no reason to doubt it."
"Go now!" With a wave of his hand, the man sent Chu Fan’s mind into a daze once more.
As light flooded his vision again, he heard the man’s final words: "Remember, my name is Xiezhi."
He was now standing right in front of the giant beast. It remained prostrate on the ground, showing no signs of life. Chu Fan stared in disbelief at the mountain-sized creature before him.
’Xiezhi?’ Chu Fan wracked his brain, searching through every legend he knew about Gods, Demons, Immortals, and Fiends. He was certain he had never heard that name before.
’Without a doubt, this beast’s former power must have far surpassed anything I could imagine.’
’It could transport me to a strange space with just a wisp of its remnant soul. A feat like that is probably a Miracle in itself.’
’And as for whether it was an Illusion Realm... the empty space behind me is all the proof I need, isn’t it?’
’It seems he really did transfer those five to another space for ’training’.’
Just then, Chu Fan felt a sharp, needle-like pain pulsing from the center of his forehead. He quickly sat down cross-legged and turned his senses inward for Introspection. The moment he did, he was utterly and completely stunned.