the truth

Chapter 457: The Truth

“You… you’re not dead… you’re still here?!”

The usually composed Meng Tianzheng, who wouldn't bat an eye even if a mountain collapsed before him, now showed a look of utter shock.

His voice trembled, incredibly agitated. The moment he saw the approaching person, his mind reeled, and he almost wanted to let out a long howl to the sky.

“Alas, it was too lonely down below. I wanted to find someone to accompany me, so I came to you…” The newcomer sighed softly.

He had sword-like brows and star-like eyes, a heroic and dashing demeanor, and a handsome face that looked young yet majestic.

Most importantly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Lin Fan, almost as if they were carved from the same mold.

“Old Meng, come with me!”

Upon hearing this, Meng Tianzheng’s old face twitched. Though he was being scared in person, he was incredibly happy, filled with joy.

Because it was precisely this tone and manner of speaking that confirmed to him that the person before him was not dead; he was still alive.

“Haha… To survive the Immortal Ascension Tribulation in this epoch, it’s worthy of being recorded in history!”

Meng Tianzheng laughed heartily, his chest heaving violently, a flush appearing on his face, a sentiment difficult to express.

Since the end of the last epoch, the world’s environment had drastically changed, trapping generation after generation of Prodigies, preventing them from becoming Immortals.

As a result, living beings who forcibly attempted to break through, such as Mo Wudao, Ye Qianyu, and the Demon Venerable, all fell and perished in the Immortal Ascension Tribulation.

This path was too treacherous, truly difficult, giving people despair, specifically devouring peerless individuals and severing the path forward.

And the higher the talent, the closer one was to the Perfection of the Human Dao Domain, only half a step away from Immortal Ascension, the more unwilling they were, but in the end, they could only suffer regret.

By now, even Supremes would turn pale when Immortal Ascension was mentioned, viewing it as a venomous snake or fierce beast, daring not to tread that path again.

Because the scene in the black mist was truly terrifying; it could be said that anyone who dared to achieve Immortal Ascension would meet their demise!

Even someone as strong as Meng Tianzheng himself had long given up on this cursed land, losing hope and his former grand ambitions.

But now, the Saint Emperor had survived. What did this mean? There was still hope for the future!

“Roar…”

Meng Tianzheng let out a long roar, his hair flying, emitting dazzling light that tore through the sky, shaking the earth with a rumbling sound, as if it were about to collapse.

At the same time, fire surged, dazzling beyond compare, scorching the muddy swamp until it cracked and turned red, about to melt into liquid.

However, a large expanse of runes suddenly rose from underground, and Immortal light surged, protecting this place from being destroyed.

At this moment, if anyone else were present, they would surely be surprised that there was an undeveloped Immortal abode underground, otherwise how could it be so sturdy.

Beside him, the Saint Emperor remained silent, allowing the elder before him to vent. He knew this was one of the few people with great righteousness, willing to risk life and death for the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

“Hope, there’s still hope, my realm…” Meng Tianzheng laughed heartily, his waist bent from laughter, tears in his eyes.

He looked at the Saint Emperor, and for this epoch, he was finally not so despairing and helpless; there was a glimmer of hope.

“Don’t be happy too soon. I merely survived; I haven’t fully succeeded yet, and my current state isn’t very good.”

The newcomer said earnestly, no longer so casual.

At that moment, Meng Tianzheng noticed that his figure was very ethereal, seemingly without substance, more like a wisp of Divine Sense that had come here.

“What happened? What’s wrong with you?” He was startled.

“To make a long story short, the reason I can come out to see you now is because I left behind some contingencies in Celestial God Academy.”

The Saint Emperor spoke quickly, seemingly pressed for time.

“What? Are you trapped?!” Meng Tianzheng was shocked, and he immediately prepared to rescue him.

“That’s not it. I’ve lived another life now; I’ve undergone Nirvana and re-cultivated.”

Meng Tianzheng was astonished, and then, realizing something, his eyes shone brightly as he looked at the metal stele deep within the academy.

“He, is he you?!”

“You could say he is me, but also not me,” the Saint Emperor replied.

“What exactly happened back then? How did you end up like this?”

Meng Tianzheng asked directly, without guessing. He knew the other party’s time was limited, so it was better to go straight to the truth.

Perhaps, in this way, he could still help out.

“When I was undergoing the Immortal Ascension Tribulation, a strange black mist descended, intending to take my Primordial Spirit and transform it into a dark entity, and a new Soul would be born in my Physical Body,” the Saint Emperor said.

Meng Tianzheng’s expression changed. The truth turned out to be like this, which not only exceeded his expectations but also was a result that the world had not anticipated.

But this also explained why the ancient Mo Wudao’s expression was blank after passing the Lightning Tribulation, as if he had become a different person.

He even personally destroyed the pagoda that he had cultivated with his life, disappearing from this world, unseen.

“So, what’s your situation now?” Meng Tianzheng, having learned the truth, couldn’t help but worry for him.

“Although I survived and didn’t fall into darkness, an accident occurred. A separate, independent Soul Clone split off, and my main body became a similar subconscious, suppressed.”

The Saint Emperor stated frankly that if it weren’t for triggering the contingencies he left behind, taking advantage of Lin Fan’s weakness, he wouldn’t have been able to emerge.

At the same time, this also had some relation to the Dao he created, which possessed the ability to create empty Soul Clones.

Even so, the main body should have had absolute control over the Clone, but an accident occurred during the Nirvana process, severing the Soul.

After all, in such circumstances, it was already fraught with danger, and merely surviving was difficult; there was no chance to consider so much.

Of course, he didn’t do nothing; he infused a portion of his memories into the split Soul.

Hence, Lin Fan was so unique, as if he had an omniscient perspective, knowing everything.

At this moment, Meng Tianzheng didn’t know what to say, but all in all, it was excellent that the other party could survive.

“Is there anything you need me to do? Or let me help…” He hinted at something.

“No need, this is fine.” The Saint Emperor shook his head, stopping his actions.

Then, he sighed with emotion: “Life is but a grand dream, how many autumns does one experience? It’s rare to return to youth. What was not experienced in the past, this time can be considered Perfection, without regret.”

Meng Tianzheng looked at this person, who was both a friend and a Disciple. He had once known some things and said nothing more.

Next, the two conversed about a few more matters, and the Saint Emperor’s figure gradually dissipated, becoming blurry.

“Please don’t tell anyone that I’m still alive.”

“Does he know?” Meng Tianzheng asked, referring, of course, to the current Lin Fan.

“He should be aware, he’s probably already sensed it, but it’s fine. I am him, and he is me. Eventually, we will become one; that will be the complete self.”

Meng Tianzheng nodded.

“Alright, that’s all for now. When I recover my true self, we’ll catch up again!”

“Swish!”

The next moment, that figure completely faded, turning into a white light and disappearing from here, merging into the metal stele.

At this very moment, Lin Fan, who was meditating under the Myriad Pan Tree, paused, feeling as if something had happened, yet nothing had changed.

Then, he stood up, exuding vigorous vital Qi, with a sense of rebirth, like the vitality of an infant.

“It’s actually this kind of Qi…”