Chapter 223: Taking in the Dao Seeking Puppet

Li Shun was also filled with emotion.

“Even gods can die?”

“Of course. In fact, one could say that within this infinite Chaos, the death and succession of gods is the only constant that never changes.”

These ancient secrets concerning the gods had successfully aroused Li Shun’s immense curiosity. However, the net-like pattern suddenly changed the subject and refused to reveal another word, forcibly cutting the conversation short.

The writing on the wall became direct and concise.

“Have you made your decision?”

“Do you want me to help you leave this place?”

Li Shun remained unmoved. Instead of answering immediately, he asked in return, “If this strand of my consciousness insists on remaining here and refuses to leave, what will ultimately become of it?”

The words on the wall immediately shifted in response.

“This Heavenly Court ruin only barely manifested because of the conceptual connection formed by this strand of your consciousness. Therefore, when this strand of consciousness completely withers and perishes, this place will once again be severed from reality and fall into boundless silence.”

“At that time, you will essentially be facing the aftermath of a god’s death. The terrifying backlash of such utter annihilation could even follow the threads of karma and severely damage the consciousness of your true body in the present world.”

Li Shun neither agreed nor disagreed.

He asked again, “Earlier, you said that you could take this strand of my consciousness as a Fangcun puppet. How exactly would that be possible?”

Seeing that Li Shun seemed inclined to relent, the characters on the wall immediately transformed at high speed, as though eager to explain.

“There is no difference from how you have taken others as puppets in the past. Although this body was originally formed from a strand of consciousness you separated from yourself, once it is parasitized and corrupted by my source origin, it will, from the perspective of laws and concepts, have already transformed into an entirely different entity.”

“As long as I open my source origin and voluntarily submit, you can naturally use the authority of Fangcun to record both me and this body within it.”

Li Shun nodded slightly, his gaze becoming focused.

“One final question.”

“Once you possess this strand of my consciousness and are completely refined into a puppet, what kind of state will you become? Will you still be able to retain a clear sense of self like you do now?”

The light and shadows on the wall froze for several breaths, an unusual occurrence. It was as though the existence hidden within the unseen depths had fallen into an extremely profound process of deduction.

This wait lasted longer than any exchange before it.

After a long while, the writing finally appeared slowly.

“This question... has indeed touched upon the blind spot in my deductions. Your [Fangcun] is equal in rank to my source origin in the slightest. Once I am baptized and refined by its laws, what kind of variables will arise is something I cannot determine.”

“However, there is a very high possibility that I will become a pure subordinate within your conceptual understanding, something akin to a [Golden Finger].”

“As for this so-called self-awareness...”

“Strictly speaking, even my current state does not possess genuine self-awareness in the same manner as you do. Everything I say and do is merely the result of absolute deductions based on the causality of space-time and pure rationality.”

…

At this point, Li Shun finally understood why the net-like pattern was so desperate to follow him out of this illusion.

Rather than saying that it wanted to escape from this primordial illusionary realm, it would be more accurate to say that it wanted to completely break free from this Heavenly Court ruin, which was itself the corpse of a god.

The Heavenly Court had already perished. This ruin could only briefly manifest in the world when it was accidentally triggered by the conceptual perception of living beings in later ages.

The various ancient secrets of the primordial era had long since become faint legends buried beneath the river of time. Li Shun was certain that whether in the present world of Great Qian or within the other fragment worlds, the chances of anything once again triggering the manifestation of the Heavenly Court ruin were vanishingly small.

Once this opportunity was missed and the Heavenly Court ruin sank into silence once more, who knew how long the net-like pattern would have to wait before it could escape?

“The net-like pattern's assistance in comprehending the Dao is indeed extremely useful.”

“Moreover, through it, I can vaguely glimpse that infinite chaos beyond Great Qian.”

“Taking it as a Fangcun puppet will also minimize the risks as much as possible.”

…

After weighing everything, Li Shun finally made his decision.

“Let the heart give rise to Fangcun, and cast its image into the mortal world...”

After the vast majority of his consciousness returned to the Fangcun space, it descended into the body of [Fang Han].

Then, it manifested within the ruins of the Heavenly Court.

The original incarnation of his consciousness was left with nothing but an empty shell.

Seeing Li Shun's actions, the net-like pattern naturally understood his intentions.

It actually peeled itself away from the wall without the slightest hesitation, transforming into a profound stream of light before shooting directly into the empty shell of Li Shun's body.

As the net-like pattern completely possessed and parasitized the body, the pupils of the shell, which had previously been vacant after its consciousness was withdrawn, suddenly gathered a trace of cold, inhuman clarity.

“How should I address you?”

“Net-like Pattern sounds rather casual.”

“I am the remnant imprint of [Ancient Net, Across Past to Present]. Although I can exhaustively deduce the various causes and effects of the past, I find it difficult to discern the unpredictable variables of the future. You may simply call me [Ancient Net].”

Li Shun slowly nodded.

Looking at the body before him, which clearly bore his own face yet exuded an indescribably strange and unfamiliar aura due to Ancient Net's parasitic presence, he inexplicably felt a chill.

It was as though the person standing before him was no longer himself, but some heretical existence wearing human skin.

“The power of these Outer Gods is truly bizarre and unfathomable.”

“If I did not possess the Fangcun space, I would genuinely have no means of resisting it.”

He held his breath and focused his mind, attempting to take the body before him as a puppet.

There were no complications.

Everything proceeded extremely smoothly.

As a flash of light shone, the possessed Ancient Net disappeared.

Meanwhile, on the empty land surrounding the Fangcun space, an additional body had appeared.

Li Shun's consciousness descended into it and began examining it.

“Ancient Net?”

He attempted to call out within the sea of his consciousness.

“I am here.”

“How does it feel?”

“The profound and overbearing might of Fangcun is truly miraculous beyond words. Although I have surrendered my freedom and become a puppet, I have consequently transcended the laws of life and death in their ordinary sense.”

“Only one who has truly experienced extinction and silence within that chaos can comprehend just how precious such a state is.”

Ancient Net's response was mechanical, each word delivered with deliberate precision.

Li Shun could not help but chuckle. He was just about to tease it with a few words when his soul suddenly trembled.

He keenly sensed an enormous change taking place outside.

The vast Heavenly Court ruin had only barely manifested because of the extremely powerful conceptual connection created when Li Shun crossed the Buzhou Heavenly Gate.

Now that Li Shun's consciousness had been completely withdrawn and retreated into Fangcun, it was equivalent to vanishing from that illusionary world without a trace.

With this crucial anchor gone, the surrounding remnants of the Heavenly Court immediately began melting and fading at astonishing speed, like residual snow beneath the scorching sun.

Yet after the ruin disappeared, Li Shun was not directly expelled from the primordial illusion as he had expected.

Instead, he was thrown back onto the towering summit of Buzhou Mountain.

The instant he stabilized himself, he abruptly raised his head, his pupils contracting sharply.

At this moment, the primordial illusionary realm before him had undergone a terrifying transformation.

Above the originally boundless sky, countless enormous, pitch-black gashes seemed to have been forcibly torn open by some irresistible power.

Li Shun looked into the distance.

Behind those shattered cracks in the Nine Heavens, several enormous and indescribably terrifying shadows were unmistakably crouching there.

The shadows writhed like bottomless abysses, piercing through the firmament and casting their gaze downward upon this fragile world.

Their eyes were filled with a greed so terrifying that it made one's soul tremble.

“This is...”

“The Outer Gods are invading on a massive scale?”

A wave of horror surged through Li Shun's heart.

Before entering the primordial illusion this time, he had already worried that his knowledge of the concept of the Outer Gods might somehow attract their contamination.

Yet he had never expected that his fears would actually become reality.