Chapter 221: Everlasting, Past and Present

Within the ruins of the Heavenly Court, the laws had fallen into silence, as though the passage of time itself no longer existed.

Yet Li Shun's incarnation formed from a strand of consciousness was ultimately a tree without roots, unable to escape the merciless erosion of the river of time.

He did not know how many years had passed before he keenly sensed that this body was irreversibly approaching weakness and decay.

The first thing to deteriorate was his once incomparably sharp spiritual consciousness.

Now, let alone comprehending some profound divine ability or mystical technique, even the slightest movement of his thoughts would bring forth a deep exhaustion from the depths of his soul. Later, even when he tried to recall memories of the past, his thoughts became like someone sinking into thick mud, sluggish and difficult to move.

It was as though he had developed senile dementia. For the vast majority of the time, Li Shun could only sit motionlessly in the same place like a clay statue or wooden carving.

Neither thinking nor contemplating.

“I'm about to die.”

Yet Li Shun's heart was extraordinarily calm.

This was the predetermined ending he had chosen for this incarnation of consciousness long ago. When the day of his final lifespan truly arrived, not the slightest ripple arose in his heart, nor did he feel even a trace of fear toward death.

He merely waited silently amid these boundless ruins for true death to arrive.

And throughout this long passage of time, he had never once entertained the thought of escaping from the ruins of the Heavenly Court.

His unwavering resolve was entirely because of that net-like pattern that had infiltrated his body before suddenly disappearing without a trace.

It was precisely because he had personally experienced the terror and indescribable nature of the Outer Gods that Li Shun's will had become so resilient, almost to the point of cruelty.

He would rather sacrifice this incarnation of consciousness than allow that strange and unknown pattern to follow him back into the sea of consciousness of his true body in the present world like a parasite attached to the bones.

Thus, even though there had been countless moments during this agonizingly long stretch of time when Li Shun had clearly sensed the ancient net pattern hidden within his body transmitting a bewitching allure toward him...

He had always watched coldly from the sidelines, refusing to acknowledge it.

Finally.

Perhaps sensing that its host's life force had reached its end, this strange existence high above them was ultimately unwilling to accompany Li Shun, a mortal as insignificant as an ant in its eyes, into eternal silence here.

Just as Li Shun's consciousness was about to completely disappear...

The ancient net pattern that had lain dormant for so long suddenly emerged from the decaying body on its own, moving as though it were a living creature!

Accompanied by a distortion of the void, it shot out as though fleeing for its life before once again assuming the bizarre form Li Shun had first witnessed.

It firmly imprinted itself upon the cold ruins beside him.

Even though his consciousness was already on the verge of collapse, Li Shun immediately noticed the changes occurring around him.

“You... finally decided to come out.”

Li Shun stared at the net-like pattern for a long while before finally recalling everything that had happened.

He had been trapped within the ruins of the Heavenly Court for far too long, so long that he had begun to lose even his earliest memories.

Yet he had always maintained the strongest possible vigilance toward this net-like pattern.

Under normal circumstances, an existence as strange as this should have regarded an insignificant being like Li Shun with utter disdain and paid him no attention.

But for some unknown reason, this time, when Li Shun spoke to it, the net-like pattern actually responded.

Upon the enormous ruined wall it had attached itself to, a line of characters suddenly appeared.

They were the official written characters of Great Qian, which Li Shun knew all too well.

“You... want to leave?”

Li Shun looked at the words and gave a mocking laugh.

“If I wanted to leave, I would have responded to you long ago. You still haven't given up?”

The characters on the wall instantly changed.

“I know what you're worried about. You're simply afraid that your true body in the present world will be corrupted by an Outer God.”

Li Shun stared fixedly at the newly emerged characters, and his gaze suddenly turned sharp.

The characters on the wall continued changing rapidly, forming one line after another as they tried to persuade him.

“I am not one of those so-called Outer Gods you fear.”

“I am merely an insignificant mark it left behind when it descended and manifested itself in this world long ago.”

“If you still harbor such deep wariness toward it... then you truly have no need to worry.”

“Its supreme title, if forcibly interpreted into the language of your world, would be [The Ancient Net, Past and Present].”

“It exists beyond the ages of time, a cold causality projected into this world. It is the boundless net that encompasses space and time, existing in the past, the present, and forevermore. It has no need to send divine wrath upon the world, nor does it need to display miracles before ants. Its very existence is already the ultimate endpoint toward which the river of time flows.”

“Compared to it, an insignificant mortal spirit like you is no different from a mayfly or ant gazing up at the vast blue heavens.”

“And yet now, you, this tiny ant, are constantly guarding against the heavens coveting that pitiful bit of property you possess.”

After these heart-piercing words appeared, countless grids on the mottled wall suddenly twisted together, forming an exceedingly eerie smiling face.

It was clearly mocking Li Shun without mercy.

Yet Li Shun was not angered in the slightest.

There was not even the slightest fluctuation in his emotions.

After spending countless years within the ruins of the Heavenly Court, he had long since tempered his composure to its absolute limit.

Naturally, he would not believe the words of this net-like pattern so easily.

Seeing that Li Shun remained utterly unmoved, as calm as an ancient well, the characters on the wall once again shifted and flowed like ripples on water.

“The divine might of [The Ancient Net, Past and Present] is sacred and boundless, utterly beyond the comprehension of mortal intellect. As for me, I am ultimately nothing more than a mark it left behind when it once descended into this world.”

“Ever since my birth, I have been firmly imprisoned within these ruins.”

“I was born with knowledge of all things. My mind contains countless phenomena under heaven, yet I have never personally witnessed any of them.”

“I am filled with curiosity about the world beyond these ruins.”

“I hope that you can take me outside.”

The tone conveyed between the lines gradually became sincere, completely unlike before.

Li Shun remained sitting upright, his expression solemn and his body unmoving.

The characters, however, were equally persistent and showed no intention of abandoning their attempts to persuade him.

“Presumably, throughout the years that have passed, you have personally experienced the heaven-defying assistance I provide in comprehending the Dao.”

“If I can leave with you, I will certainly be able to do even more.”

“I know you still harbor reservations toward me. However, I have thought of a solution that can satisfy both sides.”

“You can make me a Fangcun puppet.”

“More precisely, you can make this incarnation of consciousness you currently possess into a Fangcun puppet. I will simply reside within this incarnation as part of the puppet.”

...

Li Shun's expression finally changed as he watched the lines of text continually appear upon the wall.

As expected.

While he had been borrowing the net-like pattern's power to comprehend the Dao, the net-like pattern parasitizing his body had also glimpsed the existence of Fangcun from within his mind.

“I can sense that your Fangcun space originates from a great existence comparable to [The Ancient Net, Past and Present]. You need not worry that I will escape its restraints.”

“I have no objection whatsoever to becoming a Fangcun puppet.”

“On the contrary, I consider it an immense honor.”

“This illusionary realm cannot completely sever the connection between [Fangcun] and you. I can try to awaken the bond between you and Fangcun.”

“Afterward, you can make your decision.”

When the words ended, an extraordinarily profound pattern suddenly appeared upon the wall.

The figure depicted within it seemed to be Li Shun himself.

Yet from within that figure, Li Shun seemed to see countless living beings throughout the world.

It was as though he were looking at the myriad manifestations of all living creatures.

“Fangcun is my heart.”

“Even if I am merely a strand of consciousness split from myself, I am still me.”

“A mere illusionary realm...”

“Indeed, it should not, and cannot, sever the connection.”

Li Shun's gaze grew deep and profound as he muttered thoughtfully to himself.