Chapter 1347: Peak of the Cloud Sea, The Dao of Deception

The Cloud Escape Clan ultimately failed to leave this Cultivation Planet. Before Wang Lin agreed, they dared not.

Upon his return, Wang Lin immediately cast a Divine Ability to open up a vast Immortal Cave, where he began his secluded cultivation. Outside the Immortal Cave, a Restriction was laid, preventing any Cultivator from stepping within several hundred miles of the area.

Several hundred miles outside Wang Lin's Immortal Cave, the Dark Scorpion Clan, holding the highest status, occupied an area. The Cloud Escape Clan, left with no choice, could only temporarily settle in another direction.

Zhong Dahong was extremely arrogant, entering the two clans as if entering an uninhabited land, finding endless joy in it for a time. The feeling of being the center of attention was something he couldn't experience within the Flashing Thunder Clan.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Wang Lin sat cross-legged, his eyes deep in thought. Earlier, at the Dragon Armor Clan, the Great Emperor's envoy had said before leaving that three months later would be an extremely important day in the Land of Falling. On that day, the Elders of the Falling Life Society would be re-ranked.

Some might maintain their positions, while others would be replaced.

However, Wang Lin didn't dwell on these matters; they were unrelated to him. What he truly cared about was the Fire Sparrow Clan's people and how he would achieve his goal through this selection of Falling Life Society Elders.

"The bait has been cast…" Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He closed his eyes and silently spread his Divine Sense, feeling a faint, peculiar connection in the ethereal void. Gradually, his Divine Sense seemed to become clear and merged with heaven and earth, becoming a part of it.

After a long while, Wang Lin slowly perceived a familiar aura, seemingly in the distant Star Domain, rapidly moving away from an unknown location, growing ever more distant.

Outside the Land of Falling, in the dark Star Domain, three members of the Fire Sparrow Clan were currently speeding away. One of them was a middle-aged man, his expression solemn. As he moved, he raised his right hand to touch his brow, his eyes revealing a strange light.

"The Elder ordered me to send the blood within that Medicinal Pill back to the clan for research. This matter is extremely important to our clan; there must be no mistakes. If the Elder's analysis proves true, the Clan Chief and Grand Elder, upon seeing this blood, will surely issue commands." The man's eyes showed determination, and he, along with the two beside him, sped up, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, his Divine Sense dissipating, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The blood within that Soul Pill contained high temperatures and a trace of Origin Qi. Apart from his own blood, no other blood could replace it.

Therefore, he could rely on the Bloodline connection to vaguely sense its approximate direction, even after being separated by endless Star Domains.

"Once that trace of Origin in the blood is sent back to the Fire Sparrow Clan, it will surely cause a huge stir. At that time, combined with my plan, obtaining the Fire Origin of the Fire Sparrow Clan should be achievable!

Now that the blood has been sent away, it's time to proceed with the second step of the arrangement…" Wang Lin's eyes flickered with a hint of darkness. He raised his right hand and waved it, and immediately a crack appeared in the Void Realm before him.

As soon as the crack opened, a sharp, mournful scream clearly emerged from within. The shrillness of the scream was enough to make anyone who heard it tremble.

"Grandpa Xu, Xiao Biao was wrong, truly wrong! Please, Grandpa Xu, let me go. I'll never dare again, ah!!" Another scream echoed, mixed with Xu Ligou's lewd laughter.

"Falling into your Grandpa Xu's hands is your good fortune. Your Grandpa Xu has been lonely for thousands of years and will definitely not kill you. I will cherish you, my little Jinbiao darling, don't worry, Grandpa Xu won't make it too painful for you…"

The piercing screams rose and fell, utterly horrific… Wang Lin frowned and cleared his throat. His voice entered the Storage Space, immediately silencing everything inside. Then, Xu Ligou's joyful voice instantly echoed, and he transformed into a black streak of light, rushing out of the Storage Space.

Xu Ligou was still carrying a person in his hand. This person's clothes were tattered, as if he had just been violated. His expression was extremely haggard, and his eyes showed terror. Held in Xu Ligou's hand, he appeared before Wang Lin.

"Master, what good deed needs to be arranged now? Don't worry, little Xu will definitely handle it well this time, unlike with the Flashing Thunder Clan!" Xu Ligou threw Liu Jinbiao aside, rubbing his hands and repeatedly assuring him.

Wang Lin did not look at Xu Ligou but instead focused on Liu Jinbiao beside him. As Wang Lin's gaze swept over him, Liu Jinbiao immediately trembled, his heart filled with indescribable fear. After being thrown into the Storage Space, he was tormented daily by Xu Ligou, suffering immense pain and destruction, and because of Xu Ligou's perverse tastes, every time he recalled it, it was like a nightmare.

"Jinbiaozi… do you know your mistake?" Wang Lin slowly spoke.

These words reached Liu Jinbiao's ears, and he trembled even more violently, falling to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face as he cried, "Immortal Senior… I know my mistake, I know my mistake! Please, Immortal Senior, give me a chance to mend my ways. I will never deceive again…"

Wang Lin, sitting cross-legged, gently tapped his right index finger on his knee, his eyes revealing a strange light as he looked at Liu Jinbiao and said in a deep voice, "Tell me, without that jade pendant, how good is your deception skill?"

Liu Jinbiao wiped the tears from his face, his expression full of remorse, and quickly said, "Immortal Senior, how could I have any deception skill? I relied on that jade pendant to deceive. Now that the jade pendant has been taken by Immortal Senior, I can no longer deceive anyone. Please, Immortal Senior, let me go and give me my freedom. I absolutely have no way to deceive people anymore…"

A cold light flashed in Wang Lin's eyes. He nodded and slowly said, "Since you have no deception skill, you are no different from a waste. There is no need to keep you alive."

Liu Jinbiao's face immediately showed surprise, but he quickly froze. After understanding the meaning of Wang Lin's words, his expression changed drastically. Especially upon seeing the cold light in Wang Lin's eyes, his body trembled, and he quickly shrieked, "Immortal Senior misunderstands!!! Immortal Senior misunderstands! I spoke wrongly! Even without that jade pendant, my deception skill is world-shaking! Looking across the Cloud Sea, no one can compare! I've long thought about not relying too much on the jade pendant, so I usually wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. I always deceived on my own, and from childhood to adulthood, I practiced whenever I had a chance. Now, I've reached the pinnacle of perfection!"

"Oh? Then tell me, what are your insights into the art of deception?" Wang Lin's right index finger still tapped his knee, his words calm, but his actions made Liu Jinbiao's heart seem to beat along with his finger.

"Deception, to put it plainly, is a trick to make people fall for it! It uses all means, especially others' credulity or misunderstanding, or even prejudice, to achieve a certain goal. When necessary, these means also require disguise, and only after one has completely believed one's own words can others be made to believe them!" Liu Jinbiao said cautiously, occasionally looking up at Wang Lin's expression. Seeing Wang Lin nod slightly, his heart immediately relaxed.

"The art of deception I've researched is divided into three Realms. The first Realm is deceiving others. The second Realm is deceiving oneself. The third Realm has reached a considerable height; after gaining sufficient enlightenment, like 'seeing mountains as mountains, then not as mountains,' it returns to simplicity, similar to the first Realm, deceiving others!

These three Realms sound simple, but in reality, among the vast multitude of beings and many friends of the Dao of Deception, most merely wander within the first Realm. They say things that even they themselves don't believe, simply deceiving for the sake of deception, which is truly a Minor Achievement to the extreme!" Liu Jinbiao completely relaxed, but his words remained cautious.

"Only after reaching a certain level, with sufficient enlightenment regarding the word 'deception,' does one naturally enter the second Realm, deceiving oneself! Using all methods, all experiences in life, constantly deceiving oneself, slowly even believing it oneself. In this way, the deception skill can reach Middle Achievement!" Liu Jinbiao took a deep breath, seemingly forgetting his current predicament, his expression showing seriousness.

"Among us, those who have reached this second Realm are not unheard of. In my travels over the years, I have encountered many fellow Daoists. Whenever we met, we would always discuss the Dao, mutually verifying and gaining insights from each other.

But most of the people I've seen dare not delve too deeply into this second Realm, as it is extremely dangerous for us. This danger comes from within oneself. When one completely deceives oneself, there's a high chance of getting lost, sinking into it unable to extricate oneself, becoming a gentleman, or a villain, or even a madman!

There are also some Seniors among us who have delved too deeply into this second Realm, even forgetting that they are deceivers. Whenever I see these people, sorrow fills my heart!

Pitiable, pitiable!" Liu Jinbiao had completely forgotten his current situation, his words carrying a peculiar flavor. Xu Ligou, dumbfounded beside him, scoffed, "Isn't he just a swindler? He talks as if he's cultivating the Dao…"

Before Xu Ligou could finish, Liu Jinbiao suddenly stood up, turned, and glared at Xu Ligou, a hint of arrogance in his eyes. However, hidden within this arrogance was a sense of loneliness, the pride of standing at the peak, looking down upon all other mountains!

"Ignorant child, how can you understand my heart!"

"I began deceiving at four, and by nine, I had the reputation of a child prodigy, daring to deceive Foundation Establishment Cultivators with a Mortal body! After sixteen, with a glance, all human hearts were within my thoughts! Since then, I have traveled the world, seeking the ultimate art of deception in heaven and earth!

The world is vast, and it is often said there are three thousand Grand Daos, but who can name all three thousand Grand Daos? And who can tell me that among these three thousand Grand Daos, there is definitely no Dao of Deception?!!

What you cultivate can be called a Dao, so what I cultivate, is it not a Dao?

Among the myriad beings, how many have multiplied? From ancient times to now, how many have perished? When heaven and earth first opened, there were living beings, and after living beings, the art of deception spread. If the art of deception were useless, it would have long since been extinguished by time; how could it have been passed down to this day? What I pursue is to ask the heavens, among the three thousand Grand Daos, where does the Dao of Deception rank? If there truly is no Dao of Deception among the three thousand Grand Daos, I am willing to create a Dao beyond the three thousand!"

Xu Ligou was dumbfounded, and even Wang Lin was momentarily stunned.