Chapter 288: Chunqiu Chan

Under the gray sky, a light spiritual rain fell, and cultivators continuously died in the ruins of this old world, the voice of the Dao ringing like a bell without end.

The biting gale could nearly destroy any human structure, yet now some stood unmoved within it, the wind striking their defensive artifacts, occasionally causing flashes of light.

No one spoke; only a solitary grave on the ground told the fate of a cultivator.

Qu Yanping had not yet recovered from the shock—he remained trapped in the memory of Gu Yue Fang Yuan's ruthless, decisive strike just half an hour ago.

Compared to the doting elder brother who had once sacrificed everything for his younger sibling, he was now an entirely different person...

He could never understand: from when had Gu Yue Fang Yuan begun his scheme? What was his ultimate purpose?

Was it only Liantian Mo Zun, and never Gu Yue Fang Yuan? Or was this his true nature, and he only began scheming after arriving in this realm? And what did he mean by those final words to Li Feiyu?

Qu Yanping glanced at Gu Yue Fang Zheng—his clenched fist bled, nails digging into flesh; from his pale lips and vacant eyes, it was clear he still refused to accept reality.

'This can't go on...' Qu Yanping decided to break the silence and get everyone to leave this place together.

Boom—

"Li Feiyu..." Qu Yanping's face was ashen, but seeing the revived eye of the Zhongtian Bottle, a flicker of life returned: "He knew all along? Your brother... is, Qu Yanpingyuan I..."

"They lived together for so long—didn't they notice anything strange?"

"Have you ever heard of a gu insect called Chunqiu Chan?"

The sudden resurrection left everyone stunned; after all other resurrection methods failed, Fang Bangping had delayed taking a divine herb—a celestial rarity—and used it to escape death.

Kleen remained silent, quietly activating the power of the Heavenly Eye; the Fang Bangpingyuan beside him appeared to be chatting casually, yet sent a chilling dread through him.

Chat group

"Every time means..." Kleen ventured: "Every reincarnation?"

"So how many times have we met?" Fang Bangping asked from beside him.

According to the cultivator's autobiography, he once seized the body of a man named Qu Yanpingyuan and briefly gained possession of that gu insect.

Everyone exchanged glances; only Qu Yanpingzheng suddenly realized something, his face turning pale.

Amid Fang Bangping's stunned mind, Fang Bangpingyuan lifted a teacup and said leisurely:

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "The Su Zongzhu has a broad mind—it's just like that."

"What's going on? I don't understand!" Kuangdao Balang scratched his head, frowning at the group: "What's with this guy? Did we get tricked?"

Li Feiyu: "Is it illegal to ship CP? I was in the front row watching an oppression!"

This is the dream world—the realm of sentient beings' subconscious.

Snap—

"It was you who guided him toward the Yuzhe Sect, leading him to recover lost knowledge from ancient scholars, thus establishing a cognitive link with Huangshan Zhenjun, and thereby drawing the attention of these remnants in the Sword Tomb."

From his tone, it seemed he had long prepared—and Qu Yanpingyuan had also schemed for a long time?

"Why did Qu Yanpingyuan call you Fang Yuan before calling you Dao Zu?" Gao Sheng asked under the aura of light.

"No deception, Brother Qu—we've never met before."

Qu Yanpingyuan leaned close to Kleen's ear and whispered:

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Huowang, would your brother ever harm you? Listen to me—since you're going to spend money anyway, trust a little more."

Gao Sheng stepped forward: "From this meeting at Dongtinghu?"

As he spoke, Qu Yanpingyuan picked up a white stone and placed it on the board; the opposing black stones were cut off and soon fell into deadlock.

"I thank you, Brother Qu—because of your arrival, you broke this eternal, unchangeable deadlock."

Fang Bangpingyuan conjured a table from white light, then two teacups; though this was a dream, the scent of Wu Dao tea drifted through.

The more amiable he became, the more Kleen feared him—his life couldn't even serve as leverage for credibility; even his own brother was used. It was beyond despicable.

Li Feiyu: "Hmm... the sect where the youngest disciple can beat more than half the elders."

"You've known him for ten years and he told you his name was Fang Yuan?!" Gao Sheng stared in disbelief.

"I still need to help you become Yang Jian—you're not a native of this realm, and you can't refine the false into the true; we're a shared interest."

Qu Yanpingyuan was the traitor, yet in just a few words he reminded Kleen.

"Gu Yue was taken—it's too bad." The Zhongtian Bottle shook his head, then looked at Qu Yanpingzheng and said:

At that moment, his white stone was about to land on Gao Tian Yuan, blocking all escape routes for the black stones—but because Kleen, under control, replaced the Eight-Eyed God, he deliberately placed the white stone in Damu.

Could this Fang Yuan truly be a demon?

"I sincerely thank you, Brother Qu." Qu Yanpingyuan gave Kleen's stiff shoulder a heavy pat:

He couldn't imagine how weak Qu Yanpingyuan had become now—after his own mind became confused and useless, he could only go along with the conversation, trying his best not to provoke him.

"Too close! I'm in love! I'm shipping this CP! Aaaah!! Qu-Fang is real..."

"We all have dark futures."

As Qu Yanpingyuan spoke, a golden Eight-Eyed God appeared opposite him, locked in a slow, endless game of Go with Qu Yanpingyuan—yet in every instance, it ended with Fang Bangpingyuan's victory.

Li Huowang: "How do you prove it?!"

"Fang Yuan is deeply cunning—he has never trusted anyone. No matter how well I tried to befriend him, he would obsessively investigate me because I invited him into the Penglai Ruins. So later, I simply gave up—because even if he knew about Chunqiu Chan, he'd still keep a backup plan against me."

Legend says this world contains a River of Time, sustaining its flow; by harnessing the power of Chunqiu Chan, one can flow backward to any past moment desired.

After a long pause, Su Lin's face formed a blue portal; he snatched the phone from Emperor Yufeng, who was playing League of Legends mobile, and tossed it into the portal.

"To make you willing to save me, I specially gave you a seed of a divine herb—a celestial rarity—otherwise I feared you'd abandon saving me out of concern for your own life."

Before Fang Bangping fully understood the other's words, a pair of hands rested on Kleen's shoulders—he felt as if he stood on the edge of a cliff.

"You're not wondering why your Heavenly Eye didn't detect the method I left inside you?" Qu Yanpingyuan waved his hand; the surroundings dissolved into an abstract oil-painting of Bai Bai landscape:

White stones, reversal.

"Prove you're you, then I'll resurrect you." Su Lin made no effort to hide—he called AI Doll #123 in front of a horrified audience.

"Besides, I never thought he even calculated away his humanity."

"Whether you believe me or not, I have no good intentions toward you, Brother Qu—don't you think we're alike?" Qu Yanpingyuan sat back casually, then pulled out a set of Bai Bai Go stones from the dream world: "No need to be tense—I'm just here to see how my friends have been lately."

"You should thank him—he uncovered the origin of the Sword Tomb, and as a reliable source of information, he convinced this bunch of fools, delaying the collapse of the Sword Tomb."

"Fang Yuan is your real name, but that real name should be known in the Cultivation Realm." Fang Yuan glanced at some spot in the sky: "As for the Ancestor of Time, you've heard of him too."

"When you step outside, vigilance against others is always necessary." Fang Yuan spoke calmly: "Please, younger brother, understand."

"Actually, when you first came, it was truly to save Fang Zheng, arriving at that Penglai ruin—after you had become confused from that great dream." Qu Yanpingyuan's eyes deepened into whiteness; he murmured as if to himself, reminiscing:

"Qu Daofriend, you too must be careful around him—never expose yourself, and don't count on him helping you at all."

With Fang Bangpingyuan's words ending, Miss Kelaien had no resistance and merged with the eight-eyed man, sitting opposite Fang Bangpingyuan.

"At the moment the Sword Tomb was complete, he was sent to the side of Yuan Shi, who had been exiled and could not return. I was satisfied with him, and in exchange, I told you the whereabouts of the Eight Generations Bronze Coffin."

"Li Brother, you're safe—excellent." The grim face of the tall man softened slightly.

Miss Kelaien rolled his eyes inward. Reincarnation was truly strange—it could turn a weakling into this kind of person. Wasn't that obvious?

Li Huowang: "Don't try to trick me with these texts and illusions!"

"I'm certain." Fang Bangping rose from the ground, his cultivation aura vast as an ocean, instantly washing away the soil: "But I feel everything is too coincidental."

The Sky-Palm Vase had now fully restored its cultivation, becoming the strongest combatant among them. It summoned several beams of treasure-light and lifted everyone toward the sky.

"Let's leave this place of chaos first—I'll take you to see something."

A heavenly lightning bolt struck a male cultivator who had been thrilled by the final image. According to soul-origin records, that lightning sent him to Mr. Dark 123 for resurrection queueing.

Su Zongzhu: "Open the door."

Li Feiyu: "..."

Meng Qi: "Is it real or not?"

"Still, I never imagined Fang Yuan could be this cautious—even deceiving me about his true cultivation. Hmph, he constantly redefines my understanding of caution. I originally wanted to pull him in for a good chat."

Miss Kelaien looked around at the scenery—abstract colors converged, combining in lush hues to form a background resembling an oil painting.

The Sky-Palm Vase nodded and said:

Lu Mingfei: "Why is he so monk-like even as a villain in reality?"

"This dream is absurd, beautiful—but not for you."

I never expected him to leave some method inside me—when did this happen? Even my Heavenly God Eye failed to detect it.

Meng Qi: "What sect? Did they even form a sect?"

"He exists within this world's predetermined future, so he likely knew—when he appeared at Dongtinghu, how shocked you were, how furious you became."

"I never imagined it would be the worst possibility." The Sky-Palm Vase's voice rang out; then, he crawled out of the soil, smiling at the few people before him, their faces filled with fear and wariness.

A thunderclap roared—a long lightning bolt blazed brilliant white light across the earth, and a hand stained with blood and dirt burst from the ground, drawing all eyes.

"Each rebirth, you can only drift along, witnessing the fixed ending of this world, because you can never truly obtain Fang Bangping from Fang Yuan, nor break free from Yang Jian, the jailer."

"It seems they've found out already." Qu Yanpingyuan's expression remained calm, casually saying:

Lu Mingfei: "Is our sect really only got one official disciple?"

Boom—

Each victory, Qu Yanpingyuan would set down a new chessboard and begin a new game.

Ye Fan: "Bold Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan! As an elder, how dare you disrespect the Su Zongzhu? Report to the Enforcement Hall later! @Su Zongzhu, Lord, do you think our Enforcement Hall should equip disciples with Four-Character Secret Techniques to better uphold the sect's dignity? When will you arrange it?"

"Qu Brother, it's been months since we last met—how have you been?" Qu Yanpingyuan asked with a smile, his expression as warm as the day they first met.

"I know this is hard to accept, but it's the truth." Fang Yuan stared intently at Qu Yanpingzheng, throwing a question to the group:

"A demon lord is lurking in the shadows—he spent so much effort just to obtain a support-type Heavenly Dao marvel. This point, I truly don't understand."

Before use, this gu worm becomes utterly dull, devoid of any luster, appearing smooth and dim like dead wood.

"No! Li…Han Daofriend, I came to save you—just now, that… that couldn't possibly be the Liantian Devil Sovereign. Did he suppress my brother's consciousness—or did my brother never even enter here? From the start, was it the Liantian Devil Sovereign pretending?" Qu Yanpingzheng said.

"I've long used Gu Yue Fang to cultivate Huangliang Vine to feed the Dream Butterfly gu, finally bringing it to the Fourth Transformation. He once drank the Dream Butterfly's blood and ate Huangliang Vine—naturally, he was drawn into this dream."

Miss Kelaien was stunned. Qu Yanpingyuan hiding himself was one thing—but was the Sky-Palm Vase fake too? I suddenly recalled hearing that the man's reputation in the Sword Tomb was not good at all.

"It seems my target was indeed you, but I never expected you to suddenly strike under these circumstances—and due to the influence of the Bronze Ancient Coffin, you failed to notice the imprint between the Heavenly Dao marvel and its wielder had been disturbed."

"That's exactly what I was going to say." Qu Yanpingyuan's eyes gleamed; with a smile, he picked up a white piece and placed it at the center of the chessboard:

"No matter how you struggle, the final outcome remains the same—converging into this single ending."

"Even if you don't use the Spring-Autumn Cicada, this dream is destined to restart—the Spring-Autumn Cicada… is merely meant to let you have a lucid dream."

Even Miss Kelaien, who had committed countless atrocities and never spared the old, young, or women, now felt an extreme chill—not the threat of death, but the suppression of a high-level demonic cultivator.

The other's tone was gentle, soothing like spring breeze—yet his words carried no real meaning.

"Don't worry—I'll explore further, and I'll delay eating a divine herb."

"It's you..."

Qu Yanpingzheng had seen Qu Yanpingyuan play with this gu worm many years ago—the exterior was identical to the used Spring-Autumn Cicada.

He looked at his current dream body, his expression grim, yet he forced a smile: "Should I call you Devil Sovereign, or Gu Yue Daofriend?"

Fang Yuan led them to the ruins of the Demon World left in the old world, where they found a deep cave. Inside, they discovered the remains of a cultivator named "Ying Youxie," along with numerous records on Demon World gu worms—among them, a jade scroll contained a record of a gu worm named "Spring-Autumn Cicada"—

"So you worry—I will never harm you, not only that..."

Li Huowang: "They're all fake!"

"Your every action has altered the repeated, looping future."

Su Zongzhu: "..."

"You used knowing you to know me—your purpose was likely never to lead me to the Penglai ruins, but to seize Fang Bangping from me the moment I met the conditions of Daoist and Death."