Chapter 204: Time to Wake Up (Part Two)
Chapter 204: Time to Wake Up (Part Two)
Tang Jinbiao hadn’t contemplated things critically before. But now that he methodically combed through his memories, he immediately discovered contradictions cropping up in many places.
Setting aside other discrepancies, just Huang Biaozi alone: Huang Biaozi claimed to be the founder of the Way of Deception, proclaimed himself the most incredible God-King in the Divine Realm – a genuine Fourth Step existence that transcends all others. Yet, how could he fail to deceive even someone like Tang Jinbiao, a fool?
“No good, no good, still not right! I never noticed before, but now, scrutinizing everything carefully, it all feels deeply discordant! So many illogical points!”
Tang Jinbiao felt like he was being sucked into an abyss. He had fleetingly considered these questions before, but only in passing. Now, thinking deeply, severe contradictions emerged in numerous places.
Huang Biaozi’s existence, in particular, was the most illogical thing!
“Red Worm, you’ve suffered serious damage to your vital energy now. You’re no match for me. Quickly give up resistance! Let me devour you willingly. Afterward, I will surely consume the Dragon Emperor’s main soul to avenge you ten brothers!”
While Tang Jinbiao was utterly baffled, the battle between the Red Captain Wang and Young Master Ma in the air grew even more intense, reaching a deadlock.
Especially Young Master Ma, who was meticulously outmaneuvering Red Captain Wang at every step. Now, Red Captain Wang had no chance to counterattack and could only defend passively.
“Chi!”
Young Master Ma employed psychological tactics to undermine Red Captain Wang while simultaneously attacking. With a loud shout, his mouth opened wide, and a bolt of purplish-gold lightning shot forth, aimed squarely at Red Captain Wang.
“What kind of thing are you? You’re nothing but a fractured spirit fragment of the Dragon Emperor, yet you dare boast about devouring me? It seems you’re tired of living! Even the Dragon Emperor’s main soul wouldn’t dare say such a thing!” Red Captain Wang felt extremely irritated upon hearing Young Master Ma’s claim that he would devour him. His already crimson complexion grew even darker.
Compared to before, Red Captain Wang wasn’t just significantly weakened in aura—having plummeted directly from the Late Core Formation Stage to the Early-stage Golden Core level—but the scales covering his skin were also badly damaged and bleeding profusely. Just looking at him was a shocking sight; it was clear he had sustained substantial injuries earlier.
“Go die!”
Red Captain Wang was truly furious this time. Many years ago, he had shown signs of awakening, only to be sealed away afterward. This delay dragged on until he finally roused himself. After biding his time for years, believing he could truly ascend, he decisively devoured Captain Wang and became the Red Captain Wang. Naturally, his true form was indeed the Rainbow Seven-Colored Insect, the legendary creature mentioned by the Azure Dragon.
Unfortunately, having just awakened, he was severely outmaneuvered by Young Master Ma and almost returned to his original form. Had he not forcibly suppressed his aura, the world’s will would have definitely annihilated him.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
As the Red Worm raged, the small flower atop his head began to sway frantically, emitting ear-piercing sounds.
“Heh heh, finally lost your temper?”
Seeing the Red Worm genuinely furious brought Young Master Ma not fear, but delight. A smirk of succeeded conspiracy curled at the corner of his mouth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two immediately clashed again, their battle so fierce it was a dazzling blur.
“This is absolutely not the level of power Core Formation Cultivators should possess. No, even in the Immortal and Devil Realms, Core Formation Cultivators couldn’t emanate such overwhelming power. It’s something emanating from their very bones—an aura ordinary people wouldn’t even dare confront!”
The Azure Dragon watched the two battling not far away, his eyes filled with shock.
Though he had once been a Demon Emperor, looking at it now, even at his peak, feeling this level of oppressive might would have made him tremble. Because right now, he was trembling.
“No good, still not right! No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense! Where exactly did things go wrong? I need to think this through carefully!”
Tang Jinbiao was deeply entrenched in confusion. Everything seemed harmonious on the surface, but the moment he applied rigorous scrutiny, numerous problems surfaced.
“Hypothesize. Sort it out from the very beginning!
“Hypothesize that I really was Wang Feng, a student at some university. Some rich, handsome guy ‘protected’ my Goddess, and I went to get revenge on him, only to be hit by a car on the way!
“Alright, assume that’s true. After being hit by the car, I crossed over into this world!
“The first person I saw was Little Lv. Then I saw my father. My father seemed like someone obsessed with alchemy. Then I saw Tang Song, and it seemed Wang Ruhai came specifically because of my incident. Though he put on airs, thinking back now, his dissatisfaction was probably just aimed at my father.”
Hmm, everything so far seems to check out!
Later, I went out with Little Lv for some fresh air. At the Back Hill, I found a bottle and accidentally took a sip of its contents. Luckily, nothing happened—it was just a false alarm!
Right after that, Tang Huaxi and Tang Xingchi showed up at my door, acting on orders from the Third Elder. The two of them beat me up before the Third Elder took me to a secret chamber. Just as I thought death was certain, Huang Biaozi appeared. He handled everything, convinced the Third Elder, and even got him to provide me with massive cultivation resources!
Yes, this was where I first met Huang Biaozi!
From that moment on, he constantly bragged around me about the “Way of Deception,” urging me to learn and study with him. But I absolutely refused!
Hmm? Why didn’t I agree to learn back then?
Ah, yes! Conscience! Preconceived notions!
I refused Huang Biaozi and instead started physical training, step by step beginning Body Refining.
But how exactly did Huang Biaozi get attached to me?
No, not that, still not… why was he so exceptionally kind to me?
He never told me enough. Hmm, I’m certain he never explained why, just kept pestering me to study!
There’s absolutely more to this story!
After that came finding the Yin Pearl, encountering Tang Yilin, the clan grand assembly, bonding with Ah Hu and the others… yes, that all fits!
Plus, on the eve of the assembly, Huang Biaozi seemed to say something to me!
Right! What exactly did he say then? Seems I’ve forgotten a bit—I need to think harder!”
Tang Jinbiao couldn’t care less about the battle raging in the sky; he was desperately recollecting everything he had experienced over the years.
…
Thump… thump… thump! After hearing Huang Biaozi’s words, Tang Jinbiao’s heart inexplicably started pounding faster. “World of Destruction? What is that?” Tang Jinbiao frowned, puzzled. “Ha! So you truly didn’t know, kid? But it’s fine to tell you. Few have been there anyway. Old man dares to say it was an existence greater even than the Divine Realm! Yet, for some reason, it was destroyed. Or perhaps, it’s an abandoned world… Because there, it’s nothing but cold and endless darkness… Cough, if not for stumbling upon that world, I wouldn’t have believed that man truly reached the Fifth Step. I wouldn’t have believed that the Divine Realm, the ultimate pursuit of countless Cultivators, was merely… just like that. Actually, when I saw that world, I knew I was wrong. Utterly mistaken! So the Cultivators’ path of defying the heavens, striving for celestial longevity… it was all a hoax… Hah, a hoax… a hoax!” Huang Biaozi, seemingly recalling something, looked somewhat downcast and solitary.
…
“Yes! This is what Huang Biaozi told me back then! At the time, he called the cosmos I knew the World of Destruction. And why did he call it a hoax? What kind of hoax exactly?”
Tang Jinbiao rapidly recalled every word Huang Biaozi had spoken to him back then.
…
“Haha, kid, don’t get worked up. Relax, your old man has affections for someone!
Alright, enough jokes. Regarding that World of Destruction, my impression is exceptionally vivid. It was boundless, vaster even than the Divine Realm—utterly immeasurable to me. I didn’t dare venture deep, only lingered at the teleportation point. I tried probing that world with my formidable Divine Sense!
You know what? At my absolute peak, how strong was my Divine Sense?
Let me put it like this: take where you are now, called the Divine Wind Continent—spanning millions of li. To you, it’s vast beyond estimation. Yet, I could scan such a place hundreds, thousands of times, in the blink of an eye! Kid, don’t doubt me; once you become a God-King someday, you’ll see I’m speaking true!” Huang Biaozi laughed heartily. Speaking for a while, his expression then turned intensely solemn. “Whether that world is what people call the Three Thousand Great Realms, old man doesn’t know. But it was just too enormous… frighteningly so!
Upon arriving, I didn’t rush forward. It differed from other great realms. I’d visited a place called the Ice Realm. There, everything—sky and earth—was blinding white ice, intensely cold. But that chill came from without; I could resist it. When I reached that World of Destruction, though, a strange coldness grew within me. Can you grasp what that means?
A God-King feeling cold! Hah, absurd! But when I observed carefully, I found the temperature wasn’t even low—not as low as Frost Crystals conjured by a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Yet that place made me feel icy cold. It was a chill radiating from the inside out, seeping from the very marrow of your bones—impossible to ward off! It was the cold of desolation, of utter isolation, of ruin… Or perhaps the chill of abandonment!” Huang Biaozi paused, letting out a bitter chuckle, then continued: “Heh, don’t laugh, but ever since I believed I’d reached the Fourth Step of the Way of Deception, standing atop the Divine Realm, I began traveling everywhere.
I sought myriad methods, tried everything to break through to the Fifth Step. Deep down, I’d gradually believed the Fifth Step didn’t exist. Lost in that search year after year… countless years, I myself became utterly lost. Then, suddenly, one man appeared in the Divine Realm.
His arrival was like proof that everything we perceived as real might just be a dream in his eyes. Hmph… indeed. Our existence… perhaps really is nothing but his dream…”