Chapter 689: The Great Battle Approaches, Deceiving Oneself

How to break the deadlock?

Chen Yan looked around; the deep ravines and hidden greenery flashed by in an instant, ten thousand mountains and rivers becoming but a fleeting glimpse of light and shadow in his eyes.

Everything appeared perfectly normal, without the slightest anomaly.

Since he had already entered the opponent's rule-based martial technique, Chen Yan could not tell others of his inner conjectures.

It was impossible to guarantee that the moment Chen Yan spoke, the existence in the shadows would not perceive it.

All of the opponent's plans had been, from the start, extremely perfect.

But the opponent did not know that Chen Mi, as a Will Martial Artist, could be observed by Chen Yan, and thus had directly influenced Chen Mi.

This one move caused all of the opponent's plans to unravel before Chen Yan.

Chen Yan closed his eyes and found the channel of connection between this body and his true self.

Very quickly, his consciousness returned.

Inside the Magnetic Storm Thunder Prison.

Chen Yu, Zong Huang, and the others arrived.

"Brother, this is the control array disk." Chen Yu handed an array disk engraved on metal to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan was slightly surprised; he had not expected Chen Yu to have prepared so much.

"According to the map, we can reach the Blood Sea of the Eroding Moon in seven days," Zong Huang said.

"Also, I have obtained the first treasure from the treasure map."

Zong Huang waved a hand, and a silver metal plate covered in characters appeared before Chen Yan.

Chen Yan examined it closely, then revealed a look of surprise:

"World Instant?"

"Yes, this is the fifth divine technique under heaven!" Zong Huang laughed.

"It is exactly one-third of the World Instant fragment; if we can retrieve the other two treasures on the map, perhaps we can obtain the complete World Instant."

A trace of joy also appeared on Chen Yan's face.

He had experienced the power of 【World Instant】 through Chen Mi.

When the opponent used 【World Instant】, even when Chen Yan used 【Withering Control - Holy Will Confusion】, he could not capture them.

This was indeed good news.

Moreover, judging by Zong Huang's implication, the other party might truly be able to destroy the true physical body of Chen Changyuan.

Of course, Chen Yan could not pin all his hopes on Zong Huang.

Now, that hidden mastermind perhaps made Chen Yan even more vigilant.

Chen Yan looked at Chen Yu, who was wearing the Heavenly God Armor.

All this time, the Heavenly God Armor had enveloped Chen Yu, preventing the malice of the Shi Meng Mo from reaching her and allowing Chen Yu to enter the Pure True Yang Realm.

As for Zong Huang and the others, because they were initially in the Forbidden Land of Ancient Gods rather than the Purple Universe World-Fixing Mirror, they were directly ignored by the Shi Meng Mo.

This meant that once Chen Yu took off the Heavenly God Armor, she would once again be descended into the Pure True Yang Realm.

"Xiaoyu, there is something I need you to do," Chen Yan said calmly.

"Mm." The young girl nodded.

"I need you to return to the Pure True Yang Realm," Chen Yan continued.

"Okay." Chen Yu nodded.

To the side, Zong Huang and the others looked surprised; they had not expected Chen Yan to make such a dangerous arrangement.

Nor had they expected Chen Yu to agree so readily.

Absurd.

Chen Yan pursed his lips and explained his plan:

"I will use the aura of life and death, and after you enter the Pure True Yang Realm, I will have your own combat power follow you in."

At that time, I need you to create a teleportation array that leads all the way to the Heart-Meteor Valley."

The current Chen Yan had been calculated into the scheme by the hidden existence all along.

Everyone, including Chen Yan and Chen Changyuan, was like a piece on a chessboard, acting according to the opponent's machinations.

How to break the deadlock?

The only way was to find someone outside the game.

Chen Yan stated all of his conjectures.

Zong Huang, Chen Yu, and the others also grew grave in expression.

"Looking at it this way, the Heavenly God General's move is correct," Zong Huang said.

"But eighth-rank methods are strange and unfathomable; if you have already fallen into the opponent's chessboard, your every action may be detected by them."

Chen Yan raised his brows slightly:

"I ask Senior Zong Huang to enlighten me."

Zong Huang spoke earnestly:

"Since you are already a piece, you cannot have the mindset that you are not a piece."

"Since others are calculating against you, you must also calculate against yourself."

Chen Yan's pupils constricted:

"So that is how it is?"

What Zong Huang said was not without reason.

If Chen Yan, as a piece, let Chen Yu, who was outside the chessboard, enter the chessboard.

Then wouldn't Chen Yu also become a piece?

"After Chen Yu enters the Pure True Yang Realm, I will make all of my current memories disappear."

Chen Yan spoke calmly.

Zong Huang's expression changed slightly; he had only offered a suggestion to Chen Yan, not expecting that Chen Yan had already thought this far ahead.

"Won't something go wrong?" Chen Yu asked worriedly.

Chen Yan looked at his younger sister with doting eyes:

"Therefore, everything depends on you."

"Mm!"

Chen Yu nodded earnestly.

Chen Yan waved one hand, and strands of life-and-death aura bloomed in his palm, transforming into invisible rules that flowed into Chen Yu's body.

"Seven days later, you will take off the Heavenly God Armor and enter the Pure True Yang Realm."

Chen Yan spoke aloud.

"Mm." Chen Yu nodded earnestly.

Chen Yan looked at the control array disk in his hand, began to analyze the operation of the array patterns within it, and memorized them in his heart.

Once his consciousness returned to the Pure True Yang Realm, he would be able to replicate it simultaneously.

Using the life-and-death aura within his own body, he would forge a connection between the control array disk and the Purple Void World-Fixing Mirror.

Having finished everything, Chen Yan's body bloomed with radiance, his light of will intertwining with the life-and-death aura, applying it to the depths of his own consciousness.

【Imperial Decay - Holy Intent Bewilderment】, activate!

This time, Chen Yan began to interfere with his own cognition.

"Judgment: Chen Yan harbors hostility toward himself."

Invisible whispers began to affect Chen Yan's own consciousness.

"Judgment: Chen Yan does not perceive any anomalies."

He whispered incessantly in his heart.

"Judgment: Chen Yan's consciousness returns, knowing only of the control array disk Chen Yu made for him and the actions of Zong Huang and the others."

He recited silently in his heart:

"Judgment: Chen Yan can only see that on the fringes of the causal threads, his sister Chen Yu has been making the array disk."

A feeling of blockage arose in the depths of Chen Yan's mind.

【Holy Intent Bewilderment】 usually influences others without their intent; since Chen Yan was now consciously influencing himself, the difficulty increased significantly.

It was like striking his own brain with a knife.

Boundless, intense pain arrived, and Chen Yan groaned.

He roared in his heart.

"Judgment: When Chen Yan encounters endless danger, he will recall his original plan!"

Boom—!

Explosive sounds like thunderclaps detonated in the depths of Chen Yan's mind.

The young girl watched with extreme worry and grabbed Chen Yan's hand.

Zong Huang and the others watched in silence, but the shock in their eyes was earth-shattering.

They had no idea what Chen Yan was doing.

But they knew that to deceive himself, Chen Yan had to pay a heavy price.

Just by feeling it, that powerful will was enough to make one submit.

Until.

The sound of thunder reached its most piercing point.

Chen Yan's eyes widened:

"Judgment: Before experiencing despair, Chen Yan will be unable to detect the scheme he set against himself!"

Pure True Yang Realm.

Chen Yan slowly opened his eyes.

A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.

"I feel like I've overlooked something?"

Chen Yan murmured, feeling that something had gone wrong somewhere.

He looked around; Wu Song and Hong Mi were still explaining the history of the Pure True Yang Realm to the group.

In the distance.

A valley appeared before Chen Yan, with immortal light surging within it and glass-like green vines winding around green cliffs.

Jade herbs dripped with dew, glowing with fluorescent light, and spirit birds carrying rosy clouds swept past a jade pool.

It was like a breathtaking fairyland.

Many martial artists of the Pure True Yang Realm were in seclusion here.

But they did not notice the arrival of Chen Yan and the others at all.

Strands of immortal charm drifted over, soothing the heart; this was a unique characteristic of Cloud Creek Valley, and advancing here would greatly increase the probability of a breakthrough.

"We have arrived at Yunxin Valley," Wu Song said with a smile.

Chen Yan nodded:

"In that case, this will also help settle my heart."

A trace of joy also appeared in his eyes.

Chen Yan found a place for seclusion and entered alone.

The remaining Creation Realms wore worried expressions.

If even Chen Yan had encountered problems in his cultivation, how would they face Chen Changyuan later?

Lu Jianxia frowned as she watched Chen Yan walk into a mountain cave.

She always felt that something was wrong with Chen Yan.

However, she could not put her finger on it.

"Losing three years of memories still has a great impact on me; many martial Dao truths I realized within those three years have been forgotten by me."

Lu Jianxia pondered.

She always felt as if something was pulling at her.

This perhaps had a connection to that one sentence she recalled.

That sentence, filled with ideals and power.

Who could be the person to say such words?

That was something only someone who had already shouldered the entire world could say.

"The world..."

Lu Jianxia's pupils constricted as she looked in the direction Chen Yan had left, lost in thought.

"I once sacrificed myself to save him, but all this time, he has not shown me much affection."

Lu Jianxia slowly shook her head, suppressing the speculation in her heart.

"Moreover, he is a Divine General of an enemy state; it is impossible for me to harbor anything for him, even though I was deceived by him in the past."

Lu Jianxia's expression grew increasingly complex; she felt as if she had overlooked something.

Inside the mountain cave.

Chen Yan sensed his own internal universe.

Within the first layer of his internal universe, the Will Divine Body had already transformed into a purely golden domain, constantly changing.

Within this domain, his will was like a vast ocean, and boundless power was brewing.

Chen Yan's expression showed slight joy.

The third realm of the Will Dao was, logically speaking, already established.

The current breakthrough was nothing more than the difference between ninety-nine percent perfection and one hundred percent.

If he were to unleash it at this moment, it would surely be extremely powerful.

However.

Since the most critical moment had not yet arrived, Chen Yan temporarily let the Will Domain continue to evolve.

Chen Yan took out two bottles of medicinal liquid.

Inside these two bottles, there were, respectively, intense Qi-blood energy and body-tempering energy.

"Saint-Breaking Tree, assist me!"

Chen Yan smiled faintly and swallowed the two bottles of energy into his stomach.

Within the pitch-black Saint-Breaking Realm.

Suddenly, surging red light, cyan light, and orange light floated and rippled.

The three types of Saint-Breaking Fruits—【Body】, 【Blood】, and 【Power】—began to grow wildly.

There were still nine days left now.

It was enough for Chen Yan to cultivate the fourth layer of his internal universe and realize reincarnation within that fourth layer.

Outside, the remaining Creation Realms were filled with anxiety.

They worried at every moment about the arrival of even more powerful Ancient Divine Beasts, and they also worried about Chen Changyuan.

"Has Chen Yan's cultivation truly encountered a problem?"

"I don't know if the Patrol Sun Divine General can still hold on..."

"As of now, we have almost no chance of winning against Chen Changyuan's side..."

Everyone's expressions grew worse and worse.

As long as they did not leave the Pure True Yang Realm, everyone's hearts would remain hanging.

Now, Chen Yan had even developed cultivation problems.

Time passed slowly.

Five days later.

Lu Jianxia, who was still sitting in meditation, suddenly opened her eyes; a voice rang out deep within her mind.

It was the voice of Lu Wuyi.

It was Lu Wuyi using life-death Qi to transmit this sentence to her.

"Four days from now, Chen Changyuan will come to Heart-Meteor Valley to fight a decisive battle with you all."

This was Lu Wuyi's voice, carrying tension.

Lu Jianxia's heart sank, and she instantly walked out of the mountain cave where she was cultivating.

She wanted to tell the others about this matter.

It was also at this moment.

"Is Chen Yan present?!"

A familiar and grand voice resounded across one side of the world.

This voice came from the distant sky and was heard by everyone.

In an instant, those Creation Realms still cultivating in Heart-Meteor Valley were all startled; they looked in the direction from which the voice came, but they saw nothing.

That was the voice of Chen Mi.

"If you are all willing to submit to Lord Invincible Son, Lord Invincible Son may be willing to give you a chance!"

Chen Mi's voice rang out.

Inside Yunxin Valley, everyone's expression turned ugly.

"He has not truly arrived, but has instead made this voice resound throughout the entire Pure True Yang Realm, to be heard by us."

"Chen Mi, he was at least ranked first on the Creation Realm List, yet he has directly become Chen Changyuan's dog!"

"Damn it!"

Voices of extreme rage rang out one after another.

"Everyone, look at me, Chen Mi; I have now ascended to the Eighth Rank. In the past, I was first on the Creation Realm List, and today, having ascended to the Eighth Rank, I am an even stronger Eighth Rank."

"I am fundamentally no match for Invincible Son; if I am like this, what about you all?"

"Do you really intend to die completely alongside Chen Yan?"

Chen Mi's voice slowly drifted out.

At this moment, even Xia Long had a look of astonishment appear in his eyes.

But soon, inside Yunxin Valley, someone shouted in a low voice:

"The Heavenly God General is naturally an invincible figure; why do you need to worry about a servant of four masters?"

The person speaking was named Yu Ming, a peak Creation Realm expert of Yu Province:

"Don't look at the fact that Chen Mi is still alive; what difference is there between the current Chen Mi and a pig or dog?"

As Yu Ming's voice fell, everyone's expression shook.

Someone laughed loudly:

"Indeed, why should we care about the words of a pig or dog?"

Someone asked with concern:

"Could it be that they already know our location?"

Someone shouted angrily:

"So what if they know? Are we to avoid battle forever?"

"At worst, we fight to the death!"

A fighting spirit appeared in everyone's eyes.