paranoianovel Chapter 553: Fortune Has Been Spoiled Rotten
Chapter 553: Fortune Has Been Spoiled Rotten
The wind was still, the waves calm.
As Daoist Hongtian’s voice faded, the world around them seemed to fall silent. Then, layers of illusions began to materialize from the void.
On Lonely Heart Island, Lü Yang broke into a smile.
The next second, a weave of dark-gold, illusory light coalesced above his head, forming the manifestation of an Ability—the very first Ability of the [Fruit of Celestial Fire]:
’[Emperor’s Fate]!’
This Ability manifested as an Emperor’s Crown, its twelve tassels gleaming with the light of pearls and jade. It made Lü Yang appear incredibly solemn, like a monarch Ruling the World.
However, on the other side, Daoist Hongtian manifested the very same Ability. With the Crown above him, a shimmering radiance enveloped them both. Scenes of pavilions, palaces, and crimson-paved steps soon materialized, causing the sea below to boil and send plumes of white steam soaring into the sky.
’[Guiyuan Palace]!’
The two Abilities appeared, eroding and warring against each other in a cycle of creation and destruction, until at last they faded away, dissipating into two faint glimmers of primordial chaos.
’[Heaven and Earth]!’
Within the faint light, two towering ancient trees could be vaguely seen, averting disaster and seeking good fortune. In the span of a breath, endless karmic links flowed through them.
’[Coiling Dragon Root]!’
All these visions intertwined, completely enveloping the sea around Lonely Heart Island.
After a long while, the visions finally collapsed, revealing the two figures once more. But Lonely Heart Island, and the sea beneath their feet, were gone.
RUMBLE!
Beneath their feet, All Phenomena had ceased to exist. Only a massive, bottomless abyss remained where the sea had been vaporized by their Abilities. Water from the surrounding ocean surged in to fill the void, creating monstrous waves that crashed with a deafening roar.
"I am Hongtian."
The Daoist cupped his hands with a broad smile. "Fellow Daoist, you truly do cultivate the [Fruit of Celestial Fire], just like me. This is a delightful surprise."
Then he asked, "May I have your name, Fellow Daoist?"
"I am... Lü Yang."
Lü Yang decided to just use his True Name. It carried no significant karmic links, and even people who knew him would assume he had just made it up on the spot if they heard it.
But he was more concerned about something else:
’This Hongtian... he cultivates the [Fruit of Celestial Fire] Abilities, not the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire]!’
Hongtian, like Fortune, had originated as a Perfected Lord of the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire]. Even after reincarnation, the Abilities he had once attained shouldn’t have changed.
Why had Hongtian’s Abilities changed?
How were his experiences different from Fortune’s?
’Also, he just mentioned the "outside world"... Does he know he’s in a [Pseudo-History]? Who would have told him that?’
[Ang Xiao]?
Though alarmed and suspicious, Lü Yang’s expression didn’t betray a thing. Instead, he feigned ignorance. "The outside world? Daoist Hongtian, what do you mean by that?"
Hearing this, Hongtian’s smile grew even wider.
"I see. It seems that in the outside world, you, Fellow Daoist, must be a Demon Sect Zhenren."
Lü Yang: "..."
Hongtian shook his head and spoke frankly. "There’s no need to overthink it, Fellow Daoist. This so-called ’outside world’ is merely a deduction I’ve made based on my experiences over the years."
"Back when I was a Perfected Lord of the [Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire], I was killed by a mysterious Perfected Lord who appeared out of nowhere. Before I died, I managed to part his protective smoke and glimpse his true face. I discovered he looked exactly like our sect’s Lingxiao, but his attained Fruit, his Cultivation level—it was all completely different."
"More importantly, he had attained the [Fruit of Great-Forest Wood]."
"And as far as I know, from ancient times to the present, no one has been able to attain an Emperor Fruit. Back then, I couldn’t help but wonder... where in the world did this Perfected Lord of [Fruit of Great-Forest Wood] come from?"
Hongtian was clearly animated, speaking with great enthusiasm.
Lü Yang listened, sighing to himself. ’I knew it. It’s all Ang Xiao’s fault. That naturally evil old fiend from the Stain Sect!’
"My final conclusion was the existence of an outside world."
"There is always someone better, a sky beyond our own. Beyond this realm, there is clearly another one. And that mysterious Perfected Lord from the past and you, Fellow Daoist, must both come from there!"
"That mysterious Perfected Lord had attained the [Fruit of Great-Forest Wood], which is an Emperor Fruit. Since he’s the only person I’ve found from the outside world so far, I surmised that one can only make contact with the outside world by attaining an Emperor Fruit. That is why I resolved to change my path and seek the [Fruit of Celestial Fire]."
At this point, Hongtian’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
The next moment, he looked at Lü Yang and chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, do you know how others reacted when I told them all this?"
Lü Yang: "..."
’A miscalculation!’
’He deliberately said all that, even dropping hints about [Ang Xiao], just to set a trap for me!’
Sure enough, Hongtian’s voice continued, "They were either impatient or just humoring me. Not a single one of them remained as calm and composed as you, Fellow Daoist."
As his voice fell, Hongtian stared intently at Lü Yang.
"Before, I merely sensed that the Cause and Effect Qi Mechanism on you was similar to that mysterious Perfected Lord’s. But now... I believe my guess was correct."
"Well? Do you have anything to say, Fellow Daoist?"
At these words, Lü Yang finally broke his silence.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lü Yang’s figure vanished. He showed absolutely no intention of continuing their conversation, which left Hongtian stunned.
A second later, he sighed.
"Shouldn’t a normal person have been bluffed by my speech and continued the conversation? Running away so quickly... He must really be a disciple of my Demon Sect, no doubt about it."
Before his words had even faded—
BOOM!
High in the heavens, the [Fruit of Wall-Surface Earth] erupted in brilliant light. A torrent of Mighty Power descended, sealing all paths and containing All Phenomena, instantly locking down half of the entire Overseas region.
After a long time, this Mighty Power gradually dissipated.
Perfected Person Hongtian wore a look of regret. He had notified a Perfected Lord to come at top speed, but his target had still managed to escape in the nick of time.
Clearly, he was experienced.
However, just as he thought his efforts were for naught and prepared to leave, a voice drifted over faintly. "Fellow Daoist, now we can talk."
"Hmm!?"
This time, it was Hongtian’s turn to be shocked. He turned to look and saw the [Immortal Court Sea Calming Envoy] who had come to see Suo Lan earlier. The man stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face.
[Puppet]!
This was, of course, something Lü Yang had left behind before fleeing. Now that his own safety was guaranteed, he didn’t mind having a chat with this Otherworldly Luck.
At the same time, he had also figured out some of this Hongtian’s secrets.
’I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before... The difference between Daoist Hongtian and Fortune is the Heavenly God!’
’In the Current World, Fortune is favored by the Heavenly God, giving him immense Fortune. But in this [Pseudo-History], there is no Master of Dao, and thus, no Heavenly God.’
In other words—
’Fortune was actually held back by the Heavenly God!’
’Or rather, his innate talent and potential were one in a hundred million. He was a heaven-blessed prodigy to begin with; otherwise, he would never have been chosen by the Heavenly God.’
’Theoretically, even without the support of external Fortune, Fortune could have become a Perfected Lord on his own. Instead, the Heavenly God’s boon spoon-fed him everything, depriving him of trials and tribulations, and ultimately crippling his growth... At least compared to this Hongtian, he’s behind by more than just a single step!’