Chapter 291: The Broken Camera

Clouds rose atop the mountain, all things revealed in luminous clarity. Brilliant rainbow light pierced the sky, striving to obscure the sun's radiance as it rose, stealing the world's brightness.

As the Taiyi-grade blood offering was consumed and absorbed by Qu Yanping, the divine light emitted by the Eye of the Heavenly God acquired a tinge of crimson.

"He probably won't sneak out to eat people again…" Song Shuhang gazed at the divine light gradually calming atop the distant mountain peaks: "This guy's a Hannibal. Old Tonggua has it rough—every day he has to turn into different people for him to eat."

But there was no help for it; originally we'd planned to use extras as blood offerings. Who could've guessed Tonggua took the whole job on himself for the pay—men, women, old, young, fat, thin, tall, short…

"Dogs can't change their habit of eating shit." Xiao Yan had just mocked two words when he saw Song Shuhang's strange expression: "Ah… haha, sorry, I didn't mean Tonggua."

"Liu Li Ge, what are you researching?" Ye Fan bit into a few mouthfuls of the work meal Weigong Shilang had brought—"Charcoal-grilled Demon Beast Leg."

As a plant-like character, he could only move when the lead actor was absent—even though the lead actor was absent most of the time.

During this period, they also filmed the mystery of the Heavenly Court ruins; Ye Fan, as a "prop," endured the strange phenomena deep within the Heavenly Court.

Since then, the lead actor has avoided Ye Fan's presence entirely, because in the storyline, Ye Fan is an inverted Tian Di, currently sleeping between a morbid late stage and an inverted state after an ancient enemy's ambush.

"The spirit-plant seeds from Hengyu Realm are probably not rare there, but if cultivated, they might prove useful." Fang Yuan stored the several herbs in his storage pouch—they were items found outside Song Shuhang's lost storage pouch.

The matter of the evil spirits had been too long ago; it had only arrived just two days prior at noon.

"That's not what I meant," Song Shuhang rebutted: "Eight Waves is my sworn brother in life and death. Come see what's happened to Eight Waves—maybe you can help."

But the Heavenly Dao artifact has been removed.

Li Huowang: "..."

Along the way, the two destroyed countless stars; the Primordial White Hole reappeared in the mortal realm…

"Ate mushrooms, lying on the coffin board." Li Huowang gazed mournfully upward, then closed the coffin lid, addressing the crowd: "We can't let Eight Waves come over."

"Eight Waves, my apologies." Wei Libo bowed, then a vertical pupil appeared on his forehead; divine light swept over Kuang Dao Bawang, revealing the events transpiring on his body gradually unfolding in Wei Libo's mind.

"Zhu Ge Yuan, was everything you just experienced real? Are those things in your hand not stones or something similar?"

"Never seen one. Where did he get it?" Bai Lingmiao stared curiously at the white, rough object.

Then…

I really want to just smash this dice right now!

Without sufficient preparation, the evil spirits born in darkness could not stir up any trouble at all.

In the simulated universe, posts about food were among the least frequent on the cultivator forums—after the interaction of several worlds, culinary enjoyment experienced explosive growth.

He first glanced at Fang Yuan. According to Gu Yue Yang Jian's account, in the future he once encountered, Fang Yuan was a reincarnation of a Dao Ancestor from the Immortal Realm; if properly utilized, he might be placed usefully in a safe location.

"Brother Qu, you jest. We've stayed here several days; kind Dao friends provided us with spirit food." Gao Sheng smiled slightly and asked: "Any new news lately?"

(Kill! Kill! @! # Praise the Light @! # ——————————)

He was a slightly plump monk, wearing a kasaya, with prominent dark circles under his eyes, his gaze bloodshot as if he hadn't slept well.

"What's that smell? So fragrant?" Song Shuhang entered the pavilion where Gao Sheng and others were, and as soon as he stepped through the door, he smelled a blend of grease and spiritual aura: "Gentlemen, haven't seen you in a while—you've learned to enjoy life."

Kuang Dao Bawang, as the reincarnation of a Confucian Sage, could also be put to use; within the impending deadly zone, he could help me approach Wei Li's true body. Seeing him now in this monstrous state, I was deeply shaken.

Zhu Ge Yuan suddenly felt a surge of joy—after so many years, only Master Tai and Wei Libo had ever treated him well.

Song Shuhang passed by Gu Yue Fang Zheng, whose sorrow had not lessened—the powerful one of the Demon Heavenly Court had yet to emerge from the matter of Gu Yue Yang Jian.

"I'll help him." Han Li snatched the strange mushroom meal from Li Huowang's hands and lay down inside a golden coffin covered entirely in talismans: "Tastes fine. Cover me with the lid."

Xin Su: "Didn't you receive any resurrection requests?"

Then, a white vinyl record from the mortal world flew out and landed on an ancient phonograph.

"You're insane!" Zhu Ge Yuan laughed: "Zhu Ge Yuan, it seems even this side is interested in Ye Fan!"

Regardless of whether his words were true, at this point I could only press forward—I can only hope that before this group returns, there truly is a "Chengfa" cultivator among them; otherwise, I won't have time to digest them before they turn on me.

Now, with a little peace and quiet, it's better than rushing about as before.

"By the way, hurry and prepare defenses." Zhu Ge Yuan hurried toward the house: "There are heavenly matters—we'll need to find a way to kill them later."

In the end, the monk named Master Tunyun exchanged wounds to bind himself and Kuang Dao Bawang within a Buddhist scroll; the two were tied together, and a "Wan" character seal appeared on Kuang Dao Bawang's mouth, preventing him from cursing.

"Not enough—you let me out, then I'll go trick a few more…"

But Zhu Ge Yuan wasn't happy at all. The matter of Gao Zhijian, the affairs of Xiao Qi and Xiao Liang, and Wei Libo's disappearance only made him feel more and more pleased—today's movie didn't even make him as happy as this.

"You? I've been fine lately, but why do you have dark circles? Do Buddhist sects require overtime? Thanks for your help—if not for you, I'd already be dead."

The people of the surface world are those who escaped after the collapse of reincarnation; upon arriving in this world, they regain remnants of their former power—but once they leave this world, the power vanishes, because Su Lin blocks any remnants of the old world from escaping.

"The so-called Heavenly Dao artifacts are themselves the materialized remnants of laws or Dao fruits. Whether powerful or weak is secondary; as physical entities, Heavenly Dao artifacts possess the quality of indestructibility through countless calamities."

"He came back from exploration and became like this—seems like he went mad. I don't know what happened." Gao Sheng offered an apologetic smile: "Don't worry about him—he'll probably recover in a while."

Li Huowang walked forward in confusion, only to find Kuang Dao Bawang rolling his eyes and drooling; his body showed no major damage, but his spirit had already dissipated.

"Red Middle, Elder! Really! Really! All true!" The hallucination of Red Middle rushed over to Wei Libo with a groveling expression:

Returning to Niuxin Village, Zhu Ge Yuan saw the vanished teleportation gate before him, glanced at the heavy bags on his person, stood still for a moment, then immediately wiped his smile away and solemnly asked the empty air beside him:

This was bad news for Song Shuhang now, because it meant more beings would come to the old world, and his actions would be entirely harmful to this world—if he wasn't cautious, he'd be attacked by all.

Han Li: "There was an on-site accident—need to wait…"

"Judging by appearances, he's a good person." Wei Libo assessed: "The cultivation techniques used by these cultivators do seem fundamentally no different from ours."

A figure wearing a conical hat and straw raincoat ran over from the steamed bun's doghouse: "Dad."

Xin Su: "Trying to salvage the camera—what the hell did you guys do? You totally fried it."

As for the so-called Time Dao Ancestor, it's not something worth caring about or hoping for. If one merely waits in place, expecting the future to arrive and hoping to reap rewards without effort, one can never ascend to the Great Dao—why then do all beings struggle in the sea of suffering?

"Bought it online. One downside of technological civilization is that acquiring certain knowledge is difficult." Fang Yuan smiled and said:

Xiao Yan: "The camera might not be the only thing broken—the cultivator forum says many cultivators are now floating in space as garbage."

In terms of pills, spirit herbs from different worlds might be combined into interesting formulas—this isn't my first attempt.

Pah—

The old world is indeed full of hidden dangers—besides the lurking Time River monsters, could anything else have turned the reincarnation of a Confucian Sage into this state?!

"Yes, regarding the ruins where the bronze coffin is sealed…" Song Shuhang spoke, then noticed Kuang Dao Bawang lying on the bed and exclaimed in surprise: "What happened to Brother?!"

Fang Yuan never competed with these group members to see who could advance slower or reach the weakest cultivation, for my pursuit has never changed: the petty Dao of carefree ease.

"Indeed." Master Zhuge, seeing how considerate the other was toward him, yet having secretly tested him, felt guilty—he had deliberately left a human-skin artifact here; Wei Li's human-skin artifact has a substitute-death function.

Wei Li: "I just checked—it seems... the body is still alive."

"Huh?" Li Huowang blinked, hesitating: "I just opened my chopsticks..."

"I feel like I'm coming down the path." Fang Yuan frowned, then immediately swapped his face for a handsome one, and his attire changed along with it.

But he saw only that much; Wei Li told him some things must not be known, so he had no excessive curiosity—this matter, the other would not harm him.

"As for the maze, no need to discuss it; I've simply had no time lately to cultivate resources in other worlds as backups, but I won't lie—I do gain some enjoyment from this place."

Song Shuhang's figure stood instantly upright, his eyes rolled back, then he collapsed straight onto the ground.

"It seems it's truly real..." Master Zhuge felt he needn't verify further, or he'd truly become a madman: "Tell him later."

As Wei Libo's message was sent, two seconds passed, and a cultivator dropped down—his body suppressed by Buddhist mantras, marked with ten-thousand-character seals, his soul like a candle flickering in the wind.

The Chaotic Star Sea has not yet been fully cleansed by Zhongli; I can afford to expand my knowledge reserves slowly and steadily, continuously enriching my accumulation.

Only from the mouth of a blood offering did Song Shuhang learn that countless cultivators from the surface world had poured into the Penglai Ruins through this bronze gate connecting heaven and earth.

According to the agreement, Song Shuhang traveled to a cultivator city a thousand li from the Heavenly Court Ruins to find Gao Sheng and others.

Fortunately, I possess the Heavenly God's Eye, capable of seeing past causal links; merely glancing at the other's plight should be sufficient.

Master Zhuge: "Is there no movie today? Isn't it supposed to end?"

"Fine." Li Sui's tentacles wriggled out from beneath his straw cloak.

Kuang Dao Bala waved to the other, who smiled warmly and amiably.

"He's been staying in my room these days, not allowed to go anywhere." Master Zhuge thought, then added: "I'll take him out in a few days; endure it for now—don't go play with Mantou."

"Liu Li Ge, I've wanted to ask this before—is he still stuck in this farming life?" Xiao Yan unwrapped the plastic bag of his lunchbox and sat down. "He was reading a book called *Scientific Cultivation Management* here—where did you even get it?"

Golden chains formed from mantras shot forth from empty space; a Buddha golden body as vast as a star appeared before the other. Kuang Dao Bala's own strength was not weak, yet possessing a Heavenly Dao artifact, he fought the other to a standstill.

Song Shuhang recalled the words Gu Yue Yang Jian had told him—the other had hidden something, perhaps even plotted something great.

Boom!

Though everyone was puzzled why Master Zhuge knew about the heavenly dog devouring the sun, his prestige here was such that everyone obeyed.

The hallucination Hong Zhong was flung aside, while the Monk stepped forward, delightedly saying: "The Daoist Priest is too good—his illness is beyond saving now."

At least for now, immediate dangers need not be considered—or rather, considering them would be useless.

Facing the chattering hallucination Hong Zhong, Master Zhuge said to Qu Yanping: "Zhuge Yuan, slap him for me."

The other is a great power of illegitimate cultivation—I would surely be eradicated, but now this entire group of great powers who have fully accepted reverse-position corruption have likely become peerless demonic entities, dark lords... even more untrustworthy.

"Su Lin's true body is buried beyond this eighth-generation bronze coffin; never open the seventh coffin—I cannot tell you what lies inside the seventh coffin."

"Isn't that Master Tunyun's senior brother? He's come to the Penglai Ruins too? ~Hahaha, long time no see, how have you been? ~"

Master Zhuge stepped out of the courtyard and drew protective talismans with his own blood, then gathered Yang Dahai and others, holding up a pile of yellow talismans: "Stop all your tasks—stick these talismans on every courtyard. These two days, you'll surely encounter the heavenly dog devouring the sun—immediately hide in the nearest courtyard."

Under the spread of the Purple Golden Divine Dragon, nearly all surface-world factions participated in this exploration.

"Therefore, Heavenly Dao artifacts are the only things that can be taken away; no, for him, everything belonging to Su Lin can be taken away."

Whether true or not, Master Zhuge is no ordinary man—listen to him, you won't go wrong.

Forcing Kuang Dao Bala to stay in one place without moving about is more painful than killing him.

Afterwards, Wei Libo made some further arrangements, then sat quietly, pulled out his phone: "Miaomiao, can you see what this thing is?"

In this situation, Qu Yanping devised a method; I observed from the side, while Master Zhuge gifted the other Ye Fan's body. The proof showed this cultivator named Wei Li not only had no interest, but even gifted Master Zhuge a pile of useful items.

Master Zhuge climbed upstairs to the courtyard and called out: "Li Sui!"

Qu Yanping said caution against others is never excessive, especially regarding something as unheard-of as "another world." The other appears to know Master Zhuge inside and out, while Wei Libo possesses vast knowledge—he claims to have heard of certain people's existence in past hallucination worlds; this makes us far too passive.

But I have no better option now—only to feign compliance with the other, for under current circumstances, I have become the key these many great powers seek to return through.

This is the abnormal reaction—upon learning he is Wei Li, he shows no reaction to his own body, instead avoiding it as if it were plague...

"Such a fun thing—you must let me out after all this time! Need any other information from the School of Oblivion? Would selling us be enough?"

According to Gu Yue Yang Jian's account, the reason power gained in the outer world cannot be taken away lies in the fact that it is a fusion of remnants from countless world collapses, whose leftover fragments endlessly replay the past forms of people and things, reenacting their original fate trajectories.